Wed - Fri 27th-29th Sept
It was so funny to be told by the guy at the beach restaurant that he had worked in Billericay, that I went all reminiscent-like and used his wifi to download on Spotify, the well known album (to us 70s types) by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, ‘New Boots and Panties!!’.
From then until now, it’s hard to stop singing some of Billericay Dickie.
So, you ask Joyce and VickyWho's their favourite brickieI'm not a common thickyI'm Billericay DickieAnd I'm doing very well
Don’t listen to it in front of your parents though 😱
It soon got comfortable driving in Greece, villages with open spaces between them seem so normal. We headed for a bustling seaside location of Parga and unfortunately got more than we bargained for.
Firstly I took a wrong turning and had to drive down a popular tourist pedestrian type road and onto the road behind the beach, right in fromt of the beach bars.
Then we arrived at the well located campsite which is handy for the beach and the stroll up to the castle and then down the other-side into the town proper.
We had a particularly good walk around the castle and picked out some spots that most people seemed to avoid. There was plenty of old cannon, seemingly strewn about and great views over the town.
The campsite was small and quiet with the only interest being a Finnish motorhome next to us. I said “Marimekko” and they grinned. It’s the only Finnish word I know. I think it’s a clothing brand!
The second issue was the next morning, just as we were putting out breakfast on the table in the early sun. Most of Bulgaria turned up to camp
right next to us. They drove up to our pitch with a couple of vehicles towing trailers with kayaks, left the engines running and started to unload enough gear for a week.
We couldn’t sit down for breakfast. It was bonkers and only 8:30am. All the camp office notices declared penalties for late check-out; not early check-in.
Anyway we had a great idea - move somewhere else. So we did. We went along the coast and parked for the day right at a beach. We swam and relaxed.
In the early afternoon, we logged onto the webcast of our friend Claire’s funeral service. She died because of ovarian cancer, which was first diagnosed in 2014.
We watched over 5G on the iPad, in the shade of the Landy and were so glad that we did. We have known Claire since starting secondary school and it was lovely to hear the memories and thoughts of her life.
We were particularly moved to hear a recording of her singing at home and she included in the service, a poem by Henry Normal, Better Days, that has really made us think about life and how we use our time.
At the other end of the beach was a camp area with bad reviews. (Lichnos Bay Village Camping Hotel and Apartments). These were well deserved poor reviews as the people there have forgotten about the campsite and only look after the apartments.
I did point out to the lady who was happy to rob us of €23 per night that they are not cleaning or maintaining anywhere. She was surprised to hear this apparently and told me off for not complaining sooner. Only in Greece could a lazy so and so get away with it.
However had we stayed there for two nights, enjoying a great morning snorkelling and then a relaxing afternoon under the awning, planning ahead and flinching as more thunder and rain enveloped us.
It was full moon that night and we had a nice view after the sky cleared.
The snorkelling was the first we’ve done for a number of years and it takes some getting used to. It’s worth the effort as the sea life is amazing when viewed through a facemask, rather than swimming googles. I just need an underwater camera rather than an iPhone.
Only joking.
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