The buggy tour of Spetses may very well have been the best moments of our trip with T and I. A thirty-kilometre tour along the coast replete with spectacular vantage points of forests, scrubland, secluded beaches and coves. I can’t recall even encountering any cars or motorcycles and the grilled octopus lunch at Paradise Beach club was difficult to beat. It was overcast and with a bit of a summer ending chill giving different less than full Greek summer sunshine view of the topography.
Not only the countryside but here and there in the town including the Old Harbour even seeing a Gin Palace up close without Justin Bieber whom we missed by a week or so.
T was told upon the buggy rental that when the power level was showing 50% power the buggy would stop and if 32 kms distance was exceeded. We took a break from our in-town tour to obtain a further explanation which was never really explained other than the battery could be recharged with a long wait. Ignoring this we continued zipping along and retuned the still going strong buggy with 32% power remaining and far more than 32 kilometres driven. Was this some nefarious plot to have the establishment limit mileage and reduce recharging costs? Strange. A lack of integrity?
For dinner we had made reservations at Patralis a “well known” seafood restaurant on the ocean promenade. It was full so thank goodness reservations were made. For a starter fried anchovies in stale oil. Bread arrived which was never ordered and that we were charged for. Might have been best part of the meal. Then the “Chef’s Special” grouper but a greasy swordfish in its place. We noted the “error” to the waitress who without any apology offered complimentary desserts. I discussed the issue with the manager who denied that the fish served was not grouper. Again, no acknowledgement of any error or was it the old clear out stale food under the “Chef’s Special” moniker?
Well it was such a great day despite the two annoyances, and we headed back to Poseidonion Grand Hotel in the dark careful not to step on the occasional mounds of donkey poop. Had a Metaxa in the Library Room to end the day. In my three trips to Greece in the 1970’s donkeys were omnipresent mode of transport. These days they have become a somewhat exotic tourist attraction.
