A Greek Oddity

Posts for Tag: pergola

Wednesday 3rd July 2013 - Leaving the Islands for Athens

This morning we will catch the first bus from Pollonia to Adamas where we will catch the Speedrunner 3 to Athens.

The packing is done and we take five minutes to have a cup of tea on the balcony.  If you want peace and tranquility than I really recommend Pollonia and I definitely recommend Pergola as a place to stay.


http://www.pergolastudios.gr/

Before we catch the bus back to Adamas we go to the Pergola shop to buy some handmade honey products.  Stella the owner greets us and calls to Sami from the back.  Sami talks Peter through the range of products in Arabic- occasionally confirming information with Stella in Greek and then Peter translates back to me in English. There is an amazing range of products - many different types of honey, pollen, candles, flavoured olive oils, fruit preserves and sesame seed bars.  The honey comes from hives up in the hills behind Adamas.

On the back wall of the shop is a glass fronted wooden box with a live beehive on display.  They enter through a narrow pipe on the outside wall.

At the front of the shop is an amazing display of freshly baked pastries which makes us decide to have breakfast in the Pergola garden before we leave.

We say goodbye to Sami - he will be returning to Egypt next year to get married.

Back in Adamas we wait to board the Speedrunner 3.  If I to come back to Milos in the future I would choose to stay in Pollonia or maybe event Plaka.  Even if you are reliant on the bus service to get around the island as we were, it is worth forgoing the more regular service in Adamas for a better location.  Milos is a large island with stunning landscapes and fantastic beaches and to take advantage of this it would definitely be worth hiring a car.  

Here is a bit of Milos Mythology.

Through the salt encrusted windows we sail slowly to the west of Milos - past the huge sharks fin rock jutting out of the water and past Klima the brightly painted fishing village that we didn't get to visit this time.  Above that we know that the catacombs lay hidden from view nestled deep in the hillside.  Farewell Milos!


Monday 1st July 2013 - We Arrive at Pollonia and Find a Little Bit of Egypt

We catch an early bus to Pollonia, eager to find a room for a couple of nights so that we can spend a bit of time relaxing before going to Athens.  I'm not overly concerned that we haven't been able to find rooms via the agents at the port - I will sleep on the beach in Pollonia if necessary!

We had seen a travel agency from the taverna where we ate the other day. We try here first but they hummed and haahed and then said they only knew of rooms two kilometres from here.  I had noticed another travel agency as we arrived on the bus called Travel Me To Milos where the young lady there was more than helpful.  We told her our budget of thirty euros a night and she made several phone calls until she found somewhere suitable.  She told us there was a place called Pergola about 5 minutes away. 

http://www.travelmetomilos.com/ 

She tells us that the owners of the rooms have a cafe and shop next door and they are expecting us.  We walk up a narrow street leading away from the beach until we find Pergola.  A young man comes out of the shop to greet  us - within seconds there is an instant recognition between the man and Peter as fellow Egyptians - like long lost brothers!

The man is called Sami and he tells Peter that he has been living on Milos for a few years.  He works for the family who own the rooms, cafe and shop and he lives as one of their family - by that I read that he works every hour God sends.

Sami shows us a couple of rooms to choose from and they are all very nice, each with a blue pergola covered in fuschia pink bougainvillea.  We choose one that has a view of a field to the left and to the front, a tiny chink of the view of the sea.  Even if we had not met Sami at this point, there are clues in the room that an Egyptian works here with the typical towel art you'd find in many hotels or cruise boats in Egypt.  The room is really lovely, bright and modern with a small balcony.

http://www.milos-pergola.gr/index%20en.html

One of the main reasons we're here in Pollonia is for the lovely little beach - so we head down there as soon as we can.  Just beautiful!

What a lovely peaceful day it is, just a few families on the beach - so tranquil.

By mid afternoon we are hungry.  We decide to try another restaurant on the beach and choose Αρμενάκι (which I think translates to Armenaki).  The meal is absolutely delicious - I have pork stuffed with apricots and prunes and Peter has octopus cooked in sweet wine and honey.  This is first class food!  The wine is so cheap - half litre jug of white wine is the same price as a glass - it would be silly not to!  

Back to the room to shower and change.  We sit on the balcony and admire the view.

The sun begins to set on Pollonia.  The fishing boats are moored up by the harbour, fishermen prepare their nets for the following morning. Now this is what I missed in Adamas - the sunset!

We end the evening in a small cafe bar called Rifaki right on the beach. Frappe with ice cream and Chocolatini with Baileys!