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4. Greece 5 Some lazy years in Greece (2): after our wintering in Nieuwpoort, spring, summer and autumn 2011

We have spent more than four months in Belgium and will return to Lefkas at the end of March: this is by no means a deliberated choice but the consequence of totally unexpected works on the underwater hull of our boat.

Reflections before our departure ...

Tomorrow it is the D-day. We leave for Lefkas. Towards our boat. A bitter taste remains because the separation was long and we are still angry not only about the bad work by the boatyard in Nieuwpoort but also - and maybe even more - for their total lack of commercial implication, their lack of sense of the responsibilities . But during our wintering we got also a lot of nice moments of happiness and enjoyment. Above all the fact of seeing again Olivier and Helen, to return back for a time to these charming habits - like the small dinners together -, and the fact to know that they were being around (and happy). Moments of simple happiness but so much important. Nice moments as well as to see again close relatives and friends of Nieuwpoort. Particularly, meeting Chris and Paul who plan to sail their Tradewind towards the Channel Islands in the early summer, it was not only pleasant to give them so we hope useful information, talking again about our experiences allowed us to relive our three wonderful sailing trips to the Channel Islands and N-Brittany. Our daily cyclings - on average 20 km sometimes about 30km- along the Promenade, or following the banks of river IJzer in direction of Diksmuide, crossing the natural reserve, or to Oostduinkerke, and, a few days before our leaving, to the completely renewed clubhouse of the VVW-Nieuwpoort, were other nice experiences. In fact we had a more busy winter than we expected and time was running so fast! We take a lot of things for the boat we bought at Westdiep chandlery store and Turbo's Hoet Yanmar dealer in Nieuwpoort. The main sail got a maintenance check by Wittevrongel Sails in Blankenberge, we have more better adapt again our bimini to the use-on-our-small-boat by Guy Toussein. Medical visits for a lot of routine check-ups were not absent from our list. Again we have crossed Brugge and Gent, strolling around while shopping and terraces were prominent present. Amongst others, we met Lieven - one of Kaat's brothers - who also came to see us in Nieuwpoort, we got the visit of Liesbeth ( the most faithful reader of our website ) and Leo - our former pontoon neighbours, of Christine and Paul from the " Gaviotta " which winters in Turkey, of Kris and Brigitte whom we will meet this summer at Lefkas. Finally tomorrow on the way to Venice we will go by Hastière to see Renate - Kaat's sister - and Guido [ Hans, one of Kaat's other brothers, and Marleen give us a surprise by joining us in Hastière ]. So, back to Greece. But which Greece? Will much have changed? Life there has been difficult this winter. The country experienced last year ten general strikes and a lot of more categorial strikes. The troika of the international and European authorities has negociated with the government of George Papandréou - and has imposed! - a whole plan with very heavy austerity measures in return for financial rescue. The responsability of the former Greek governments is enormous but now above all the poor and lowest people are the most suffering ones by the austerity measures. Unemployment amongst young people is still increasing - a dangerous time bomb! The country sinks into recession. The amount of public debt is by an anguishing regularity higher revised and the rating agencies are still downgrading Greece's credit rating. During the winter we have closely followed the situation. On the spending site the government seems to control things but on the income side things are still very poor: like in the past Greece has still difficulty in collecting taxes. In Belgium the endless negociations didn't succeed in forming a new government. Belgium is " a state whithout nation ": the words Manlio Graziano uses for the political essence and the roots of Italy can be applied for the Belgium situation. But yet it's only because an in essence separatist, using the in whole Europe more and more present right populist subcurrent, became the biggest party in Flanders by the elections of June 2010, that the essential - perhaps unavoidable - compromise in this complex country is still now impossible. The responsability of the French-speaking parties is very big. By their obstinate refusal to resolve the symbol problem of the split of the BHV-district ( Bruxelles-Halle-Vilvoorde ) they have made it possible that a party, reluctant for any compromise and which final aim is the end of Belgium, can require on an extreme way the realisation of ( rightful ) Flemish demands. A skilful communication ( also by succesful participation on popular entertaining-tv ) and the ability of successful use ( even gathering so a lot of sympathy ) of the populist tendencies present in a part of the Flemish electorate, had for consequence the effect of "increasing " and of " contempt of the other ": the NVA [ New Flemish Alliance ] became with 30% of the votes the biggest party of Flanders. While on the negociation table it's said that 80% of the Flemish people should support their ( minimal ) demands, a big majority are rejecting the split of the country. The French-speaking parties pretend to made a maximal way into the direction of the Flemish demands. So, blocked situation, because there is still a huge abyss between the two protagonists both majority in their region, and by the result of the vote the most "responsible". Although there is no political agreement after 291 days for a new reform of the state - important transfers of competences to the regions and communities and a new law to finance the new competences - and that no government could be formed, the country is quite not ungoverned: the four "regional" governments ( from Flanders, from Wallony , from Brussels Capital, from the German-speaking Community ) are fully exercising their authority and competences in the numerous important matters which were already transfered by the former state reforms. On the other hand, the federal resigning government has in the facts extended his competences under supervision of the new elected parliament to the limits - some pretend over the limits - of what is allowed by the constitution to be able to comply with and to answer to European demands and questions. Why when leaving home for the " sun of Greece ", so many serious thoughts, so much worry? What is the relation of this all with the voyage? Is this on the right place in website telling a trip with a sailing boat? Well, travelling, cruising, trying to be happy and stressless on your own boat, it isn't something that you can realise in a univers cut off from the reality of the world, that's at least our opinion. The opposite are still, in our conception, fairy tales for tourists that to many dream and travel chandlers try to do believe! What's happening around us imposes its consequences, wherever we are. The nuclear disaster after the earthquake and the tsunami in Japan, the democratic revolts in North-Africa and the war in Libya, the increase of the unequalities and poverty in this globalised world, the problem of refugees and the migration movements ( which will never more been contained despite all anxious attempts of the white man trying to take refuge behind the walls of his ageing fortress ), the succeeding financial, economic and social crises, the problems of energy and the immense ecologic challenge, this all is touching us closer than we think ... and than the medicines of some politicians in their last struggle for political survival try us to do believe! ). It's our duty to feel concerned, implicated. Certainly when we have the possibility to find pleasure and happiness on our own sailing boat - despite when it's a small one! - because it's about the future of our children ... and of the children of the whole world!

Nieuwpoort 2010-2011

Back to Lefkas ...

01.04.11 Lefkas. Since Monday we are back at Lefkas. Waiting for the finish of the works on the underwater hull we are living again in Tony's maisonnette, villa Athene in Apolpena. We hope to be back in the water in the second part of April: we will take the opportunity of the epoxy treatment by the Ionian Composites-Ionian Glassfibre Repair yard of Leslie Wood to replace the all the now 12 years old thourgh hull fittings. Because now we only can follow the evolution of the works, we have all time to improve our still to limited knowledge of the Italian language. Having decided to stay a few years longer in Greece - to leave is to die a little - , we started again, about two weeks ago, learning Greek now on a more systematic way by the Assimil manual because we feel our very basic knowledge as very frustrating in our tryings to communicate with the Greeks. It seems not be easy: the Greek grammar is not simple and we miss the links we have learning Italian with Latin and French. The knowledge of ancient Greek brings sometimes even more confusion, certainly in the beginning of the learning process of the dimotiki. But we start daringly: every day - after one hour Italian - one hour Greek, both together and with the CD ( incl. for MP3 .) which are part of the Assimil manual French version ( the Assimil with reference language Dutch contains still older dialogues and offers only audio cassettes ).

27.03.2011 The Lefka Ori leaving Venice

===> In November 2008 we have visited VENICE, click here and read our comments and see the pictures of our 3-days visit : our coments - our pictures

Although the weather wasn't quite nice during the first days after our arrival - rather cold, some scattered showers and cloudiness -, we had not to complain: no stressful situations on the road nor heavy taffic from Nieuwpoort to Venice ( we made the choise for a weekend so there were very less lorries on the roads, but a lot on the park areas), nice crossing by the same ferry to Igoumenitsa as we got in October but then in bad weather ( out-side cabin, with bath (!), fridge and tv due to an upgrade by the company but without real supplement ), on arrival a favourable outlook for the progression of the works, and a nice weather forecast.

Our cabin on board of the Lefka Ori, at Villa Athene in Apolpena-Lefkada, Nehalinnia in her new epoxy dress

Everything could augur well for a start of the season without real worriess ... Could, because a tragic accident has since the Monday before our departure darkened the atmosphere: during the traditional and yearly soapbox race organised by the British community - a race on self-made go-cars launched at too fast speed on a too heavy slope - Mark Wicherley has been dramaticly injured. Maureen and Mark - s/y Options - were on our boat, a few days before we left Lefkas, to say goodbye. We have also spoken about works we wanted to do at spring. Mark is a very nice and friendly man, and a very good technician: devoted, he should help us to renew the through-hullfittings and he would also see to perform some more important maintenance work a.o. on the engine. This spring, because Maureen and Mark were planning to resume soon their sailings. By this dramatic accident fate has, pitiless, decided otherwise ...

10.04.11Lefkas. We just hear that a 27 years old Greek men who also had participated and who had been very seriously injured too, died yesterday ...

11.04.11 Lefkas. Today Mark has been brought back to the UK by a special fly ...

--------------------> For all those who want to be further informed about Mark's health conditionis maureenandmark.blogspot.com providing regularly recently updated informations ( Mark Wicherley, s/y Options )

27.04.11 Lefkas Marina. Leslie Wood has finished the works last Thursday: the through hull fittings and seacocks are replaced and the coppercoat antifouling has been gently sanded to activate it. After three hard working days the deck and the hull are nice looking again: a thick coat of dust and grime had given a pitiful look to our boat, but after repeated washings and a meticulous polish work Nehalinnia has found back a more elegant look. If in the north of Europ the wether is nice, sunny and dry, here - and in general in the whole Mediterranean, sprig is still hesitating during this second part of April. Clouds and rain are never far away.

But at Eastern Sunday the weather is really very nice: an excellent opportunity to have lunch at Peter and Alison's To Katoghi in Vafkeri in the company of Penny and Keith: they will serve the tradional Eastern-lamb plate!

To Katoghi - spring colours in Vafkeri - on the way back, view of Nidriand the islands

And then ... finally ...

Tuesday 26th April 2011

We had an unexpected chance by already launching the boat yesterday.

At 11H30 our boat was floating again at the pontoon in Lefkas Marina after about six months on the hard! The inside cleaning work could start ...

26.05.11 Lefkas Marina. Mark's accident had not only consequences for the planning of the preparation of the boat during April - till the 6th of May we had to stay on the house in Apolpena, although quite not an unpleasant thing! This month too things are not going like we could have hope. In this high perod of so numerous boat launching and maintenance the best engineers are very busy, so we have to be patient till Saturday the 29th, having late and not in time planified requests. Although we have not a breakdown our engine need a more important maintenance after 1200 hours and some parts need already ( and some again!) to be replaced, recurring problems that make us questioning about the quality of our Yanmar engine! During the voyage we always have serviced the engine ourselves but we don't dare to do these interventions!

Although the temperature is nice during the sunny days make us forget rapidly the irritating rain of the day before, evenings and nights are still to cold. So at Peter and Alisons Katoghi in Vafkeri - or course, in the mountains at 450m - in the fire oliver logs are nicely burning. A pleasant atmosphere is reigning in the restaurant ... " kalisperasas ke kalo chimona " - " good evening to you and good winter "!

10.06.11 Lefkas Marina. At the start of the new month the weather also seems to have changed its attitude. The sunshine seems more stable although in the afternoon over the mainland threatening thunderstorms assert their presence by impressive clouds. After a last avaricious shower had sprinkled the marina with more yellow sand than with rain, we get now clement and sunny weather, with little wind in the morning, increasing during the afternoon, sometimes strongly.

The engine finally received the care it needed. To finish all the maintenance Simon who runs Sivota Yacht Services and has a very good reputation, had to come twice having noticed during its first intervention the defects of all the gaskets necessary for the installation of the new injector which we got for complete at our departure from Nieuwpoort in 2007!

So, finally, more than ten weeks after our return to Greece we could do our first but modest sailing: a 15 n.m. round trip towards Ormos Varko.

Slowly a possible variant is appearing in our planned sailing for 2013 towards Corsica: taking into account a.o.testimonies and experiences we read in the e-mails of members of the Cruising Association, we are exploring the possibility of a "detour" by Sicily and Sardinia.

About Greece, from our trip towards the Pagasitikos Kolpos and Hortó in 2009, we learned some not unimportant lessons for us and our small boat:

(1) there are in Greece only a limited number of good and safe harbours (essent. the marinas), this factor is determining considering the size and the autonomy of our sailboat, as far as we want to keep things nice and pleasant

(2) the Cycladic islands are not taken into account for these same reasons

(3) a few days at anchor is a very nice experience but thereafter or in case of threatening weather deterioration we want to go back or find refuge in a safe and well equipped harbour with facilities a.o. water, shorepower and showers

(4) the huge number of boats - not at least the consequence of the too numerous charter boats, in the Ionian, in the Saronic gulf, in the Sporades, many times in flotillas (what makes the situation only more difficult, as showed by this reported attitude of a flotilla-leader in Fiskardo (still before the start of the high season): this one was asking for their intentions and urging private yachtowners to leave the free quay pleading the lack of space for his clients who had paid for assured holidays! - we experienced analogues pressures a.o.at Mourtos and at Vathi-Methana Chersonisos) - and the almost generalized absence of any kind of organization get too often disagreeable feeling for the crew of a small saiingboat - being sqeezed by bigger boats, the impoliteness of noisy crews of holidaymakers or Ferienmachern - that's not what we are looking for!

Because we don't want to feel uncomfortable as a result of our limitations, we have decided - after the realization of our project, to cast our anchor at Hortó - to take Greece like it is - a wonderful country endowed with magnificent possibilities but in the hands of bad intendents - and to moderate our ambitions! That's why we rent a yearly berth in Lefkas Marina, that's why the fact of having our car here is so important, that's why we like anchoring at Ormos Varko where the water is of so inviting turquoise blue or swimming at Milos beach at Agias Nikitas, but that's why we like reaching the inland of Lefkas island, or the mainland and the Peloponnisos, and, that's why when Greece will not fascinate us any more we shall leave Greece ... without regrets !

Milos Beach near Agias Nikitas

Benefit Yacht race for Mark Wicherley	Choir at the Open-air Theatre of Lefkada	Protest demonstration against the austerity measures at the Plateia of Lefkada

Finally we can sail again, on the way to One Tree Bay - Ormos Varko!

in the Lefkas Canal	wind free heading for Akra Drepano	Nehalinnia at anchor and we go for a swimm in the nice blue turquoise water

20.06.11 Lefkas Marina. While we made the choise for small sailing out from our berth at Lefkas Marina - of course rather lazy but so comfortabe - we get confirmation of our good choise by reading the following email on the Cruising Association's Mednet: 'Far from the madding crowd in the Ionian? [ ...] Here we are two bays down from Fiskardo and asking ourselves where everybody came from. The big idea was to cruise in June and early July, laying up until late august to avoid the crowds. All I can say is if this is low season, July and August must be madness! I would be grateful for any members recommendations on special places to avoid the crowds in the Inland Sea and indeed places to avoid unless you want to be able to hop to your boat from deck to deck across the anchorage, which was very much the case last night in Sivota. [...] -, others among our friends and acquaintances are realising much more ambitious sailings. Sometimes we can travel with them by reading their stories thanks to our 3G internet connection: by their blog we are following the cruising around the world from the crew of the White Wizard of Nieuwpoort (B) [in Dutch only], and the sailing of M. Balthazar - having done last year a return trip to Lebanon - from Lefkas to Istanbul. Of such sailings we on Nehalinnia, we can only dream by those fascinating stories. Wil and Jeanine from the Windswept are again sailing around the Peloponnisos. Christine and Paul from the Gaviotta are exploring the Turkish west-coast. Martine and Guy from the Roving Topsy are sailing along the Italian coasts on their returntrip to France ....

And last week we went sailing and meet the very nice Zoé the boat of our friends from Menton, Marise and Rinaldo. they will stay some days at Lefkas before returning to Leros. This first unexpected meeting was a nice opportunity for doing nice trips across the island.

Sailing and meeting Zoé	With our friends at Porto Katsiki ...	... and at cape Lefkatas

And then, bringing real better weather, the Greek summer comes ...

	beating towards Lefkada ...		acces portal to the small church of Kolivata		Clair-obscur at Maria Koliva's Kolivata taverna

( Kalarrytes, Sirrako, Matsouki, Pramanda, Melissourgi, Plaka )

Last year, due to the weather conditions, we had to delay twice the exploration of the region of Kalarrytes in the south Pindos mountain. Our friends Kris and Brigitte were there last August and they were very enthusiastic about their stay and they also had recommended the nice hotel.

On Friday the 24th of June we leave Lefkas for Kallarytes.

	Kalarrytes		Walk from Kalarytes to Syrrako		Syrrako

	Kipinas monastery		Vyliza monastery		Plakas bridge

During five days we cross in the mountains magnificent landscapes, we explore pictural villages, we do long walks, discover deserted monasteries and small churches, and meet very nice and hospitable people. Five days long we find again a Greece that we thought lost for ever.

Click here and read the story of this marvellous trip: explorations from Kalarrytes

When the Greek diakopes and the Italian Ferragosto are approaching ...

29.07.11 Lefkas Marina.

Friends are coming, friends are leaving: Kris and Brigitte are now at Lefkas and we meet each other regularly. Marise and Rinaldo from the Zoé are on the way back to Leros. Christine and Guy from M.Balthazar reached Istanbul and the Golden Horn - the aim of their voyage - and are now returning by a still long navigation by the North of the Aegean Sea towards Lefkas. Martine and Guy have brought back their Roving Topsy to France and now, at home, they hope for a nice summer. Liesbeth and Leo, our former neighbors in Nieuwpoort, are in Ireland on Shetwins, after a very windy crossing from Falmouth. By email with all we keep in touch. And then, we also follow, very admiring, the magnificent navigation of White Wizard of Nieuwpoort, which arrived at Tonga!

The Eurogroup of the European Union and the Central European Bank managed to finish the second rescue plan for Greece after difficult negotiations. From the general strikes and the whole serie of category-specific strikes, and the almost daily mass demonstrations we have felt litle at Lefkas, except some power cuts and two small demonstrations. Although. In full touristic height season the taxi drivers have started a strike against the liberalization of their licenses, seriously hindering the accessibility of the island from the airport of Aktio-Preveza. But the view of the street reveals only little from the crisis which according to the rating agencies brings Greece dangerously closer of what is indicated by the - still not enough vague in all its consequences - notion of " bankruptcy of a State in the zone-euro ". If overday we see fewer consumers on terraces, if numerous businesses seem in vain to wait for the customers, in the evening - as usual - everything livens up. On the south quay - there where numerous yachts are moored - is crowded. On the north Promenade tables in restaurants are well occupied . We learn nevertheless that the orders are less plentiful, that plates return less full to the kitchens - for numerous Greeks the by to numerous ordered plates overloaded table of the restaurant had become the outside sign of an ease which they liked to show. Less wasting thus! Yah, the loss of purchasing power must have some consequence, the prices not having fallen, on the contrary.

Together with the local and regional elections of the last autumn, a administrative reforms was implemented - so e.g. the number of municipalities was reduced in a drastic way. At Lefkas a new administratif center was built (and rather suitably finished!) just in front of the marina. It seems that the new municipality wants to make and end on with the relatively neglected aspect the town is offering since years e.a. by the activation of the maintenance services. They started cleaning up and planting, and the honesty forces us to say that this sudden change is obvious. Although, some old habits seem firm; on the recently developed parking areas the absolute majority of drivers ignore to pay the tax despite of the pompously installed panels, due to the lack of motivation of the policemen, who, as we can believe one of our local knowledge, report especially the contravening tourists!

		Renovation and better maintenance in Lekada city - the new Administration Center - new parking areas - and around the museum at the N-laguna

			But the " shame of Lefkas ", the big tip along the Lefkas Canal in the direction of the Inland Sea, at 500m of the city and the economically so important large marina, is there as a confession of the incapacity to resolve the major envirement problems - which are one of the consequences of the touristic success of the island! Every sailing tourist - and they are every year very, very numerous - will associate, by the unspeakable force of smells and colors, the tip with Lefkas city, the administrative centre of the island! last week fire has broken out on this enormous heap of waste of all kinds. For a long week, by an air current coming from the south, a nauseous, bitter smell, of non-sorted out garbage floated over the small town. modest quoted. A real challenge for the new authorities? (Click the on the pictures to enlarge)
					update september 2011

Also for that reason, but above all because it is more and more busy now that the Italian migration of Ferragosto is coming closer and that more and more Greeks are launching their boat for the therines diakopes - summer holidays - we prefer leave Lefkas and the too crowded marina. We prefer to forget our boat, the charming anchorages and the beautiful bays. The invasion of not only sailing boats, speedboats, and small yachts but especially of big fast ribs equipped with too powerful engines - 2x 250 hp is then by no means exceptional - allows no hope for a quiet anchorage. The stay in a bay or in a small harbour - where there is a total lack of organization rages and where at the other moments of the year, already, by the increasing invasion of flotillas and the other charter boats, remaining is not always pleasant - is during these mass holidays absolutely deprived of any pleasure. The crowded beaches, too, are to be avoided. It is thus a question of moving in a hideout, of going far from this distressing excitement, to oversummer in a quiet place!

... our oversummering at Hortó, during the Summer Meeting 2011, and a short exploration of the Olympos region from Litochoro

04.08.11 Hortó, Magnesia Chersonisos ( region of the Pilion )

Yesterday we arrived at Hortó

As previous years, we want to spend this touristic peak-month in this very charming and rather quiet village. We have taken up our room in the small hotel which, like its owners is getting older. But after our rigorous cleaning and some small repairs, we feel again completely at home. With a certain involved nostalgia and some powerlessness we see the small hotel aging with difficulty as its owners for whom everything becomes more hard - the incapacity, this lack of courage to keep everything in good condition ... unless they have given up already... The dynamism of 1992, in that time already moderated, left them now for ever. But we are always welcome, while they refuse, deliberately, the rare customers. And we, we want to enjoy the admirable view and the charm this small village is offering us.... as long as it is still possible ...

From Lefkas to Hortó, from the Ionian to the Aegean: we always haven choosen an other way:

- March 2009, with a rented car, via Ioanina, the ancient area of Dodoni, the cave of Perama, Metsovon and the Meteora

- Spring and summer 2009 sailing, by the Corinth canal , the Saronic gulf and the coats of Evia

- last year we went by car via Galaxidi, Itea, Amfissa and Lamia - where we had to stay overnight due to a car breakdown

This year we took the Egnatia highway till about ten kilometers before Thessaloniki for a short visit of the region of the mount Olympos. Since 1976 we have many times passed this mythical mountain - heading for Thessaloniki and Lesbos, Thassos or Turkey - but we had never explored the region.

	By the Egnatia-highway to Litohoro and the mount Olympos		The mount Olympos, view from Litohoro		Head of Medusa, museum of Dion

Click here and read the story of our short exploration of the region of the mount Olympos and our visit of the archeologic area of Dion.

06.08.11 Hortó, Magnesia Chersonisos ( region of the Pilion )

	Hortó, Saturday 6th of August 2011, approaching thunderstorm in the late afternoon.

10.08.11 Hortó, Magnesia Chersonisos

The Summer Meeting in Horto Mt Pelion, organised every year since 1984 by the non-profit Cultural Foundation "G.Angelinis - Pia Hadjinikos", www.horto.net, info@horto.net are for the 27th edition this year.

While this year also the music occupies the dominating place, an exhibition organized in the small museum of the Foundation draws very fast our attention: Spalathrians in America in early 20th century - Photos and documents. After the liberation of the Thessaly, Argalasti was the administrative centre of the municipality of Spalathra, which from 1881 till 1914 grouped a number of villages of the surroundings. Yiannis Koniordos made relive, by letters but also by photos, the story of the emigrants of Spalatra who left for America. Thanks to comments and explanations which he has given us verbally we were able to exceed the language barrier! Yiannis Koniordos is also the author of a interestingful and beautiful book which redraws the history of the village of Hortó, starting also for this work from photographic sources.

Click here and read more about the Summer Meeting 2011 in Horto Mt Pelion

The coincidencies the daily life bring - sometimes - fascinating and charming surprises. In the evening we are regularly going to have supper at Evochia; the restaurant which opened two years ago, is now, after a little hesitating start, one of the most pleasant cuisines of our stays in Greece. The nearby table is occupied by a young woman and her two still very young children, accompanied with a friend. The conversation which makes a commitment by small exchanges about both youngs, will reveal afterward that the young woman on holidays is no other one than Smaro Gregoriadou, solist of the classical guitar and composer, who created the musical arrangement for A Midsummer Night's Dream (op. 21 & 61) from William Shakespeare, music from Felix Mendelssohn, a musical theater show with dances during the 25th edition of the Summermeetings, in 2009. We like very much her first CD Reinventing guitar.

At Hortó, during the summer, the music is very present, even during a fortuitous meeting in a restaurant!

22.08.11 Hortó, Magnesia Chersonisos ( a look in Eric's photo-diary and logbook )

With in memory the song of Mort Shuman, it's really Un été de porcelaine [ A summer of porcelain ] that we are spending here ... a nice summer, charming - at times bewitching - but so frail ...

		We organise our time in this small summer paradise, between swimming - sometimes even with a certain discipline - a little sunbathing, a lot of reading, the Summer meeting, the long evenings at our table at restaurant Evochia - and later at the terrace of our room! After having read a few detective novels - Nicci French and Denise Danks - and also Howard Jacobson - she didn't enjoy it -, Kaat started again reading a more serious kind of literature: the Histoire de France by Jacques Bainville - a as a novel readable published the first time in 1924 - and the second part of the short stories by the French 19th century writer Guy de Maupassant plublished in the Pléiade collection. Beside the update of our website - a rather big work -, skimming some important newspapers on internet and reading by my subscription Le Monde on-line - the political fiction serial telling the end of the euro [Terminus pour l'Euro, °26/7, 12/12 ] remains at many points of view unforgettable! - a started again, having finished L'usage du monde (1963) by Nicolas Bouvier, the reading of the La longue route by Bernard Moitessier, the classic of the French nautical literature, I already have read in 1994. Hortó was on the way back from Istanbul to Lefkas for Christine and Guy from the M. Balthazar. The weather being nice they could stay moored where Nehalinnia was moored in 2009; thereupon they sailed to the Sunsail pontoon in Vathoudi bay where their boat was more secure. Then we made a trip together to Zasteni, Kotes, Agia Kiriaki and Lafkos. After three days they left, having seen, they too, that Hortó is a small gem for spending the hotest and most busy part of the summer!

Pictures of Hortó, Kaat sunbathing on Yiorgos' buoy, M. Balthazar ( arrival and at the jetty ), a Canadair filling the tanks during the fire between Lafkos and Xenovrissi 11.08, Yiorgos, the fisherman on work, updating the website at our terrace

29.08.11 Hortó, Magnesia Chersonisos ( a look in Eric's photo-diary and logbook )

And we do also nice walks on the hills between the olive trees ....

			With its numerous springs Hortó has a lot of water: in a not so long past a network of small open waterconductors was supplying the village and irrigating its numerous vegetable gardens; only one is still in use. Every beneficiary was entitled to get water during a certain unit of time, whereupon the small shunt was closed so that the next garden could be watered.

The walk here leads by the west side of the village, crossing the nice olive groves, to the road to Metochi - the walk we did last year - following from Hortó the path - marked out by small yellow round badges - at the more eastern side of the ravine.

the summer 2011 in the Photo-album

06.09.11 18H00 Lefkas Marina. Back to our boat.

Autumn ...

Images of the tornado are to be seen on a. o. YouTube.

We take advantage of the nice sunny and still warm days for preparing the wintering of the boat on the hard: in a few days we will haull out the boat while already our project for next season is beginning to take shape ...

17.10.11 Nieuwpoort ( B ). While Greece gets ready for a new week of strong protests against the additional austerity cuts imposed by the EU, the ECB and the IMF ( the Troika), we arrive at home. The last images of our boat, from Lefkas and Hortó, and from the return trip are still remaining on our retina: and give us coming home a feeling of irreality. But we are very happy to see again Olivier and Helen, and the fact of having again an easy and quick access to all information is reassuring as in Belgium the endless negotiations to form a new government seem closer to succeed and while the euro crisis enters into a new stage of dramatic tension.

	1. Hortó 20/21September 2011			2.sunset at Pefkouli beach (Lefkas) after a nice and sunny day, seawater temperature still nice

At the end of September we returned to Hortó (1) for a few days: while a violent thunderstorm was passing over Lefkas and while in Vliho tens of boats were strongly damaged and a sailor died in a tornado, we had only one and a half day of sometimes strong rain and some thunder and lighting. In a general way the weather of the end of September and the first part of October was relatively summery (2)! We were lucky to prepare the wintering of the boat on the hard in Lefkas Marina.

				4. Villa Athene in Apolpena
	3. Nehalinnia on the hard at Lefkas Marina

On October 3rd we hauled the boat( 3 ) and moved again into Villa Athene ( 4 ) at Apolpena. As every year we use the check list to prepare the wintering of the boat, and like every year to these works of routine are always added more punctual interventions: so this year we had to dismantle practically the whole forepeak to replace the cable of the navigation light on the pulpit - after about 15 years well oxidized!

	5. Thunderstorm, vue from hotel El Greco in Igoumenitsa
				6. Saturday morning 06H00 UTC, departure from Igoumenitsa for Venice, delayed 1 hour due to the bad weather - the Lefka Ori coming from Patras

This year also we made a reservation for the ferry from 'Igoumenitsa ( 5 ) ( 6 ) to Venice on the Lefka Ori of Anek lines, for Saturday, October 15th. We travelled with other companies but we find the service on this boat perfect. As we arrive on a Sunday morning in Venice we avoid for a large part the traffic of trucks on the Italian and Swiss motorways. The approach of a stormy depression makes us decide for safety to reach Igoumenitsa already on Friday afternoon because leaving Lefkas at four o'clock in the morning for hundred kilometers - as we did last year - makes us not enthusiatic, heavy thunderstorms being forecasted.

On Friday morning Kaat was still sunbathing on the terrace of villa Athene. But after the passage of the Aktio-Preveza tunnel - having left Lefkas at about half past three - we were driving on the road towards Igoumenitsa under a pitchblack sky into thunderstorms with heavy rains which had invited theirselves very earlier!

	7. Saturday morning, wind blowing E-ly force 7		8. Sunday morning about 05H00 UTC, approaching Venice by Porto del Lido ,by a very nice sunrise!

After a very windy Saturday morning ( 7 ) - E-ly 7 bft - wind and seas eased a little in the late afternoon while on Lefka Ori sailing was always comfortable!

	9. Cruise ship MSC, approaching the heart of Venice - Palazzo Ducale, behind it Piazza San Marco, the Campanile - followed by the Lefka Ori

			This time too we are in admiration for the view of all magnificence, but in opposition of last year we enjoy very nice weather (8). These three giants - two cruise ships and the Lefka Ori ferry - crossing simultaneously the Laguna Veneta and passing San Marco and the Canale della Giudecca ( 9 )( 10 ), seem absolutely surrealistic, so we cannot repress a feeling of being a little disorientated, in a mix of admiration, surprise and incomprehension!
	10.

During the disembarkation we are lucky: we are among by the first ones for driving out of the gigantic and hyperfull stomach of the ferry. At first the traffic is very fluid on this early Sunday morning but it is going to intensify seriously around and after Milan, and in Switzerland also, especially after the passage of the Gothardo tunnel: in some Swiss cantons autumn holidays have already started.

After Basel we enter France, to take the direction of Selestat, about ten kilometers from Strasbourg. We have made a reservation for a room in the Hôtel Etap of this city which is dominated by the castle of the Haut-Koeningsbourg, by convenience in case we would arrive late. But we are well early at destination: we take advantage of it to discover Selestat by following the itinerary of the 19th Biennial Event of Contemporary Art, Selest' Art 2011, which surprises the visitor in diverse locations with sometimes very bizarre, sometimes very confronting creations! Later, in the evening, enjoying a nice and tradional sauerkraut plate and a Pinot Gris, we realize that we really have left the Med!
		(11) Selestat

Nieuwpoort, on Monday afternoon, October 17th, at about 4 pm we park our car on the area in front of our building. We are back home, for these dark winter months!

	Nieuwpoort, from the E pier looking to the W, the W-pier - 18.10.2011		Nieuwpoort, from the E pier looking to the W - 20.10.2011

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