Diary, first holiday continued (part 4)

Exopoli

...“I couldn’t help overhearing you speaking English My name’s Roy, I live over here with my wife Margaret.” He had a welsh lilt and when Margaret joined us we discovered she had the same, even when speaking Greek

“We have a small cottage we are fixing up a couple of kilometers from here.” She told us as she sat and joined our company at the table and began to chat away nineteen to the dozen. I soon discovered Roy was quite a raconteur and told amazing tales of their life her on the island, Margaret ( Known as Margarita to the locals) breaking in to the narrative often to clarify a point of detail.

Suddenly we heard a Greek voice with an American accent. It was a young man of about nineteen, tanned and clean shaven.

He introduced himself. ‘Hi I’m Yianni’ he announced. ‘I live across the road. I’ve brought some music.’ He waved a handful of music cassettes in the air with his right hand and waved a cassette player in the air with the left as he vanished into the depths of Spiros inner room.

We expected Greek music, but suddenly we heard the familiar tones of Elvis Presley. In a flash all were on their feet, jiving, twirling, spinning, tables pushed out of the way, the sound of rock and roll echoing around the quiet valley.

‘I have been living with my parents in America’ Yianni informed us when we took a breather. ‘I was brought up there, though my parents are from the village here. We’ve just returned to Greece and it is my dream to build a taverna on the side of the mountain. He gestured across the road. ‘Now we are beginning.’

Exopoli

The dancing continued until all the company was exhausted. We left late, vowing to return to this little taverna, largely unknown to the holiday makers, and also to visit Yannis’ taverna as soon as it was up and running.

The following day the sea was as calm as a millpond, no ripples disturbing its glassy smoothness. The wind had dropped and the day was hot and still. Arriving at the as yet deserted beach, it was early morning; we spread our towels in our favourite spot and set up our newly acquired parasol.

“Isn’t this marvelous?’ asked Chris, speaking more to herself than really expecting a reply. ‘So quiet and peaceful, we can truly relax. You know that Ian always needs a couple of days to unwind when we arrive on holiday. If I could only prise that newspaper away from him.’ she mused “Good job we don’t have a phone in our room.”

‘It’s absolute bliss’ I agreed ‘Just look at the colour of that sea.’ I stretched lazily basking in the warmth. We were well in to our holiday by now and we had begun to become accustomed to the peace and quiet.

The sea was the colour of pale Amethyst, stretching away to the horizon, the headland nearby fading, hazy, in the heat.

“I think I’ll go for a dip before I get too hot.” I said, standing up and scanning the blue of the sea “Coming?” Chris joined me and we strolled down to the waters edge. The sand had not yet heated up to the fiery temperature that it would reach later in the day when the sun had been beating down on it for a couple of hours more.

We swam languorously, not wishing to disturb the sense of peace that washed over us.

“Can you believe that there is still snow on the tops of the mountains” remarked Chris. “This is just incredible, to float in the warm sea and at the same time to be able to see the snow.”

“Amazing” I agreed. We floated in companiable silence on the calm water and after a while made our way back to the beach to flop once again on the warm sand. A few more people were making their way along the waters edge towards where we were lying, but it was early in the season and a long beach so there was no crowding.
“Can you see what I see?” asked Chris, sitting up to apply more sun lotion. I turned my head in the direction she indicated and giggled. Coming towards us was a middle aged couple, weighed down with bags, towels and a parasol .The husband was portly and was almost as wide as he was tall.

“Mr. five by Five’ Chuckled Chris ‘Five feet tall and five feet wide” the wife also showed the same tendencies though not quite to the same degree. The thing that really made them stand out amongst the other people on the beach was the fact that they were both totally naked.

“I don’t believe it!” spluttered Ian “Here on a public beach. They are not even trying to be discreet.”

It was indeed difficult to know where to look, but the couple seemed unconcerned by the bemused glances they were getting. As they came closer we could hear them speaking, it seemed to be German. They walked on past us and eventually settled in a scrubby patch of sand dune a little way off.

“Thank goodness for that.” muttered Ian prudishly “It was putting me off my morning croissant.” and with that he took a bite of the freshly baked croissant he had brought with him from an early morning trip to the little village bakery. The buttery crumbs floated down onto his reddening chest where they remained; stuck to the sun lotion he had liberally applied a little while before.

“That’s today’s excitement over then” Chris raised one eyebrow and we collapsed with fits of the giggles.

“Hope they don’t sit at the beach bar later to drink beer.” added Ian

“Or to eat hot dogs!” spluttered Chris as she settled down to tackle the huge blockbuster novel she had bought at the airport before we left...

Paradise regained, we put the thoughts of our unusual companions out of our minds and dozed as the sun continued its morning journey across the sky.

Kalivaki Beach

“Chris! Wake up!” I reached over and gave her a nudge, “Our nudist friends are up to something. No. Not that!” I hastily reassured her, seeing her horrified expression.

“What are they up to?” she wondered aloud “They seem to be marking something out on the beach.” Indeed they were and they were approaching us drawing out a line in the sand. By this time Ian too was watching the goings on.

“It looks like a volley ball court.” he said “Surely they’re not going to play in the nude.”

“He’s holding a bugle in his hand.” remarked Chris. Ian sat up abruptly. ‘I said A bugle, not HIS Bugle!” She laughed at the expression on her husbands face. “What do you think he’s going to do?”

“I shudder to think” muttered Ian. As we watched, mesmerized, the man lifted the bugle to his mouth and blew a loud fanfare. From all corners of the beach other people came running, obviously his friends. All of them also in the nude.

“I can’t believe what I am seeing!” said Ian.

The man and his companions separated into two teams and began to play beach volley ball”

This is not a pretty sight.” Chris smothered a giggle “I hope they don’t drop the ball.” “Behave yourself” chided Ian “Hope they don’t get sunburn” he added.

“Well if they do I’m not going to volunteer to rub on the ‘after sun’” retorted Chris “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life! They could at least have gone a little further along the beach, away from the rest of the public.”

Eventually, the players became tired and the game faltered to a halt. They ran down the beach and plunged into the sea. We waited until they had gone before venturing down to the sea again.

“I’m glad that’s over” Chris said breathing a sigh of relief “I didn’t know where to put myself.”

“Or where to look.” Added Ian.

“Oh I knew where to look!” responded Chris, just a little too quickly earning herself a frown from Ian

“It wouldn’t have been so bad if they were young and lithe” I remarked, grinning at Chris who smiled appreciatively back.

What we didn’t know then was that this was to become a daily part of our holiday. Not only that but this company came every year to Crete during the same two weeks of the year.

We bumped into the welsh couple, Roy and Margaret several times during our stay. One evening as we finished our meal they invited us to join them at their table.

Roy and Margarita

“We aren’t eating,” Margaret told us “We just like to come in here for a drink, the cafeterias charge silly prices for the sake of some ice and an umbrella. We’re not tourists we have to be sensible with our money, not throw it away.”

“Too true.” agreed Roy. “Especially with the amount she drinks.”

“Our new house is nearly finished.” Margaret broke in changing he conversation

“Yes. Have you ever seen a key like this?” Asked Roy producing an enormous key nearly ten inches long from his pocket “I have to be careful which pocket I put it in,” he continued with a twinkle in his eye “or I get some very strange looks from the ladies.”

“Put it away Roy.” Snapped Margaret

“That’s what you told me last night!” he expostulated with a grin.