Watching the Olives Grow

by Stavros Allanopolis

  “It just so happens that around here it is me. Thank goodness!”

  Photo: Olive Tree As ‘Watched’ On 1st July 2010

  Well, in fact, on 1st July 2010, other than taking the photo I didn’t do too much work other than ‘Watching’.

  We spent a very lazy day doing nothing much at all and, as planned, we went to the new restaurant to have our celebration dinner.

  It was high up in the mountains between Agios Nikolaos and Stoupa; a truly fantastic setting.

  We sat on the balcony of the restaurant looking out over the Messinian Gulf way below us, and as we sipped our drinks, we watched the sun setting over the distant mountains across the bay.

  For an hour, we were the only diners. Sitting there, admiring the view, it was very peaceful, and quite romantic. It was if I had hired the restaurant just for us!

  Then, quite unbelievably, another couple arrived and they were on the first night of their honeymoon! As soon as the proprietor realised this, he immediately opened a bottle of champagne for the four of us. It was ‘Yammas’ all round, and then time for us to eat.

  The Chef invited us into the kitchen to see what we wanted to eat; there was no menu. She opened cupboards and fridges, and showed us what she had in stock, and asked us what we wanted her to prepare for us; one off. The food was absolutely fantastic; delicious!

  Looking back it was not only quite special and unique, but quite bizarre! Two couples celebrating their marriages (10 years apart) and they had the restaurant to themselves!

  Like the years of our marriage, it seems that just recently the days have been flying by. I seem to have gone from week one of June to week one of July in no time at all!

  The first week was the visit to London to say goodbye to Peter and Mel, meet my client and then return to Meerkat Manor with Sally and Pete.

  Then the second week was the happy week we spent together with Sally and Pete, and Pete and I building the Gazebo. This was followed in week three by me constructing the new path, installing the watering system and moving the hammock, and finally, in week four, the celebrations of my Birthday and our 10th Wedding Anniversary.

  Now it was week two of July and time to go back to London again, and we had a plan! The plan was as follows:

  I would leave Meerkat Manor on the Sunday morning, drive to Athens Airport and fly to London

  Valerie would follow me to London on the Monday morning, going by coach from Kalamata to Athens Airport, and I would meet her at Victoria railway station that evening

  We would go out for dinner together on Monday evening

  I was going to be working all day on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

  Valerie planned to meet her family on the Tuesday to have lunch

  We would meet my daughters Emma and Lucy for dinner on the Tuesday evening

  Valerie planned to go shopping on the Wednesday

  We would meet friends and former work colleagues for a glass of wine and a Tapas supper on the Wednesday evening.

  On Thursday morning we would meet my brother Bill and his wife Jeanette at Gatwick and fly back to Athens, and then collect the car and drive on to Meerkat Manor together.

  The Wednesday evening had been supported by a ‘spoof’ marketing campaign for the book ‘It Started With An Ouzo.’ All UK purchasers had been sent an emailed advert / invitation announcing a special event; ‘For one night only Stavros was coming to London and he will do a book signing, so bring your book to be inscribed!’

  Also in the plan was for me to take a suitcase in the hold of the aircraft filled with items I would need for my assignment. The one-way trip meant that Valerie could fill it with her shopping for the return journey!

  Lights, camera and action!

  Well not so fast. The EasyJet flight to London Gatwick was delayed by almost two hours. Boring! The knock-on effect was even worse. We made up some time on the flight, but it was still over an hour late in landing, and we missed the ‘slot’ for the baggage handlers to unload the ‘plane. What followed was a wait in the Baggage Control area for over two and a half hours and no access to a bar for a glass of wine, or even a glass of water!

  I eventually arrived at the hotel at just after 10.30pm with all my best-laid plans for dinner and an early night in tatters. During the taxi ride from the station to the hotel (Holiday Inn, Camden Lock – overlooking the canal and waterfront area), I realised that I was quite hungry, so I started fantasising about burger and fries and a glass of wine from Room Service.

  “Good evening, Mr Allan, nice to have you back again (He obviously remembered my stay three weeks earlier). We have a nice quiet room reserved for you on the top floor” said the Duty Manager.

  “Oh! Hi! Thanks. That’s very nice of you to remember me. Is Room Service still operating?” I replied, as I signed the Registration Card.

  “Of course, sir. What can I order for you?” he enquired.

  “A House Special Burger and fries please. Medium done, and a glass of red wine; Australian Shiraz. Thanks.” I responded eagerly.

  “I’m sorry sir, but burgers and fries are off the menu after 10.00pm as the Chef has to turn off the grill and the chip fryers when he leaves for the night; Health and Safety rules. But, we can do you some Pasta.”

  This was a real disappointment. To me, it felt like a mini disaster! As I was hungry and thirsty, I somewhat reluctantly went on to order the pasta. After ordering, I said,

  “By the way, my wife Valerie is joining me tomorrow and we are celebrating our 10th Wedding Anniversary, so please include her on the registration.”

  “That’s wonderful news, sir; congratulations! Now, let me see if I can give you both a better room to make your stay more enjoyable. Yes, here we are, a mini suite with a balcony overlooking the canal, the boat yard and the waterfront pedestrian area. There is also wonderful view across rooftops, and you can see as far as the City of London and Canary Wharf beyond; all very peaceful. Enjoy your stay.”

  This Duty Manager knew how to compensate me for the lack of burger and fries!

  In the final event, the pasta was excellent, as too was the wine, and after I had finished the pasta, I took the remaining wine and went and sat out on the balcony to admire the view he had previously described. It was just as he described; magnificent!

  By now it was 11.30pm and the lights were twinkling in the darkness of the London skyline stretching out in front of me. Not quite the same view as I get from the terrace of Meerkat Manor at night, but good nonetheless.

  The comparison was that I had swapped the sight of twinkling street lights in the mountain village of Platsa, and the sound of the sea as the waves roll up onto Pantazi beach, for the lights of the City of London’s skyscraper buildings, and the sounds of traffic rolling past, and the constant buzzing sound of people laughing and talking as they were leaving the local restaurants and bars in the streets below the balcony alongside the canal and waterside pedestrian area.

  As I sat there, I was thinking that my body was on Greek time and therefore it was 1.30am; not exactly jet lag, but I was feeling a little tired, and that I would be up again in a few hours’ time. At home, I usually wake up around 5.00am, so, here in London, it meant that I would probably get less than three hours’ sleep on my body clock by the time I turned the light out!

  So, now here I am, back in Greece and it is just after 5.00am at Meerkat Manor. I am sitting here ‘looking back’ and typing my story of my London experience. As I sit here and remember all about the trip to London, I can remember the sheer relief as I returned to the peace and quiet and slower pace of life living in ‘Paradise,’ and I know Valerie felt that same relief too.

  The window is open and it is dark outside but I can see the twinkling street lights still burning in the village of Platsa high above me in the mountains beyond. I can hear the splash of the waves rolling up onto the sand and rocks at nearby Pantazi beach, as well as the gentle hum of the air-conditioning unit as it cools the air in the bedroom where Valerie is still sleeping
.

  Yesterday it was 38 C and during the night it probably only went down to 25 C because already it is registering 28 C on the thermometer!

  As I look out of the window into the darkness I can also hear the gentle ‘burbling’ of the water as the new watering system waters the plants through the network of piping snaking around the garden. The water nozzles distribute the much needed water. There is also another ‘gentle’ sound, and that is the sound of the Cicadas as they awake to another new day, and they start shaking their tails to make the buzzing sound that is the constant background noise at this time of year here in Agios Nikolaos.

  So, back to London ........................

  Sure enough, I woke at 5.30am Greek time which is 3.30am in London and I have only slept for three and a half hours! It seems that London, like New York, is fast becoming a city that never sleeps. I can hear the traffic passing on the nearby roads below me, and I can clearly identify the noise of the bin lorry as the team of men collect the waste and empty the bins from the nearby restaurants in the streets below my balcony.

  As I lay there in bed wondering what I was going to do with myself for the next three and a half hours, until it was time for my breakfast meeting, I was reflecting that I haven’t missed any of this ‘noise and bustle’ and ‘hotel life’ since leaving the UK. I was also reflecting that I had another four days to go before returning once again to ‘Paradise’ and the peace and quiet of living in The Mani.

  Time passed by; I got up, showered and dressed and went for a walk along the canal tow path, and after a couple of hours I returned to the hotel.

  So, there I was at 7.00am sitting in the hotel restaurant waiting for my client to join me to for breakfast and a pre-meeting briefing. I was back in the old routine; tired but trying to look enthusiastic, eager and alert!

  After breakfast together, we went to her office, which is in the building adjoining the hotel, and started work. The various meetings went on until 6.00pm.

  By then, I was not only tired but also in need of a glass of wine. I could do something about the latter but not the former, but the wine had to wait as I had to travel to Victoria rail station to meet Valerie from the Gatwick Express. When I met her at Victoria Station, I discovered that Valerie too had experienced a delay in her flight but only by 30 minutes which was nothing quite as bad as my experience the previous day.

  “Well, welcome to London. What do you want to do? Eat first, then go to the hotel, or go to the hotel and check-in, and then eat locally?”

  I was rather hoping her reply would be to eat first as that would mean I could get that drink I wanted! However, her reply was,

  “Let’s go to the hotel first in order that I can get a bath and change before going out to eat.”

  “Ok, your wish is my command,” I somewhat gallantly replied, realising that I was not going to get that glass of wine I had been so looking forward to until a little while yet.

  As we walked along the platform, Valerie went on to say,

  “Can we stop on the way to get a bottle of wine to drink in the room? I don’t really want to rush my bath and I would love a glass of wine. Can I have both?”

  Result!

  Remember, we don’t have a bath at Meerkat Manor, so the only chance to get one is when staying in hotels, and Valerie doesn’t get to do that for months and months at a time.

  Luckily for me there is an M&S food store on the concourse at Vitoria Station.

  I splashed out on a bottle of Chablis which was rather conveniently stored in the chiller cabinet. So we would soon be having our glass of wine in our hotel room, and it would be nicely chilled.

  “Taxi! Holiday Inn, Camden Lock, please driver.”

  The Chablis was good, and I didn’t hurry Valerie as I was quite content sitting on the balcony of the hotel room, once again watching the scene below. The evening was getting underway and people were milling around as they sought out places to eat and drink.

  The area known as Camden Lock has been re-generated and is now transformed, from what had been a rather dirty canal-side backwater, into a rather trendy place to visit. The canal has been cleaned, and there is a wide choice of bars and eateries that have been built on and around the waterfront of the canal basin by the boatyard, and along the sides of the tow path.

  “What do you want to eat?” I enquired as Valerie finished getting dressed.

  “Anything we cannot get in Greece!” she replied without hesitation.

  We found a branch of Wagamama nearby and devoured several different types of noodles, stir-fry prawns and curried chicken!

  That week, London was experiencing some hot and sunny weather, so we were quite enjoying the warmth of the evening as we strolled along the tow path of the canal after dinner. This was the first time that we had been in London together for almost two and a half years and it felt quite strange being surrounded by so many people.

  “It’s quaint here but I don’t miss London, do you?” Valerie enquired.

  “Not one little bit,” I replied.

  “Let’s do the business and get back home!”

  On with the plan! The following 48 hours were hard work for both of us.

  For me, it was 7.00am until 7.00pm non-stop with my client.

  For Valerie, it was a time of enjoyment as she met up with her family on the Tuesday, and went shopping on the Wednesday, and judging by the number of bags she bought back to the hotel room, she was obviously aiming to fill that empty suitcase!

  The evenings were quite emotional affairs as we met my daughters on the first night and our friends on the second night.

  For that first night, we took Emma and Lucy to a restaurant located on the Thames riverside by the South Bank. I had seen them both only three weeks previously, when we went out with Peter before he left for his new life in Australia. However Valerie hadn’t seen them for over two years. For me, it was a treat to see them both again so soon, and we had a lovely evening. We also had the chance to celebrate Lucy’s achievement of graduating as a Teacher, and being offered her first school posting. The evening went by in a flash; the girls went home by train and Valerie and I took a taxi back to the hotel.

  As we travelled back to the hotel, we both looked out of the taxi’s window and declared that we don’t miss the crowded, noisy streets of London; day or night!

  Back at the hotel, we decided to have a ‘nightcap’ from the bar and we took our drinks up to our room to drink and to sit outside on our balcony to absorb the atmosphere.

  It was very different from sitting in Aaggi’s Waterfront Bar in Agios Nikolaos.

  Both locations are near the water, but at one you only share the moment with a handful of people at the most, and in relative solitude, just listening to the sea lapping on the harbour wall. At the other you share it with hundreds of noisy people milling around the tables of crowded bars along the water’s edge, and with music blaring out of their sound systems!

  I have a great working relationship with my client; we ‘work’ and we ‘play’ together, but both activities are kept completely separate. Keeping the business separate from the social interaction means no familiarity to breed any contempt.

  After our ‘work’ had finished, I invited her to ‘play’ and to attend Stavros’ book signing and to meet some of his friends over a glass or two of wine and to eat some Tapas, as well as to meet Valerie.

  Her office is right next door to the hotel, so we went next door and I introduced her to Valerie. Then, introductions completed, the three of us took a taxi and headed for London’s Mayfair and to ‘play’. There followed drinks at Henry’s Bar on Piccadilly and then Tapas at El Pirata in Mayfair.

  It was a really strange mixture of feelings; excitement and apprehension all rolled into one! Excitement of seeing friends for the first time in over two years, and in visiting two of my favourite drinking and eating establishments. The apprehension was of how our friends would feel seeing us both again and vice versa. In two years, life had changed and moved o
n. For us? For the better! For them? Post-recession? Some are a little resentful and many quite jealous that we have ‘escaped’. We would find out soon enough!

  As it happened, it turned out to be just like old times; laughing, joking and drinking and swapping stories of the ‘News, Gossip and Scandal’ type!

  Four hours went by in the blink of an eye, and once again we were back in a taxi heading for the hotel. Also, once again, we made the same observations as we travelled in the taxi and later as we sat on the balcony of our hotel bedroom drinking our ‘nightcaps’

  “It’s quaint here, but I don’t miss London, do you?”

  “Not one little bit.”

  “Too noisy and too crowded.”

  “Nice to see family and friends.”

  “Let’s get back home!”

  “Agreed!”

  “Hope the cats are ok and not missing us too much, and hope they don’t sulk and ignore us when we get back home.”

  “Yammas!” We drained our drinks and went to bed.

  The following morning, whilst Valerie had one more bath, and then went out to do some more ‘last minute’ shopping, I went next door to have a de-brief with my client before returning to Greece.

  Next stop was Gatwick Airport to meet up with Bill and Jeanette and to start our return journey; back home to ‘Paradise’ and the peace and quiet of Meerkat Manor.

  Not even the delay of our departure (caused by a strike by the Greek Air Traffic Controllers), could dampen our enthusiasm; we were on our way! In the final event, we were not seriously late in landing, as with a strong tail wind we landed only a few minutes later than the published schedule.

  By car, the drive from Athens to Agios Nikolaos is around three hours (as opposed to coach nearing seven hours!), and we decided to stop in Kalamata for a break and something to eat.

  We went native! There we were at 10.30pm at night. The temperature was around 30 C, and there we were we were sitting at a table on the pavement outside a roadside bar eating spit-roast pork and drinking local rosé wine. The pork is cut into pieces, served on one plate, and placed in the middle of the table for everybody to pick from with their fingers. There are no knives and forks! The wine is poured into small, chunky glass tumblers. The traffic is passing within a metre of our table. This is living and dining out Greek-style; food and drink is more important than the decor or location of the restaurant! Valerie and I were grinning; smiles on our faces from ear to ear. We were nearly home.