Heard a commotion in the village - obviously there are only certain people who have telephones in the village. So a neighbour got a telephone call for another person in the village - so she shouts off the balcony *telephone call for Eleni - it's her mother* so another neighbour who heard the shout shouted to another neighbour who was closer. Then another and another and another! Til eventually Eleni came waddling up the road to all these neighbour shouting *pame, alata, ella* (hurry up, come here, etc) Although I have heard it many time - It's just tickled me no end! Only in a Greek village lol
Message posted by lily's gran on 10 November 2011 at 12:53pm - IP Logged
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That's exactly how it used to be here, Kalami way. The only telephone was in the kafenion in Kendroma or Gimari, and the ladies used to shout down the valley to each other until the message got to the correct person. Good strong lungs these girls had!!!
Alikee x
Message posted by Viv D on 10 November 2011 at 2:05pm - IP Logged
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Quote: Originally posted by red zorba on 10 November 2011
Sounds like how it was in the UK in the 50s, must be a nice place to live in, so jealous of you. Thanks for that little story.
Agree red zorba.
When you knew your neighbours and they were there in a Crisis.
Purple - I loved that little snippet of Village Life. Thank you.
Viv
Message posted by YANIS on 10 November 2011 at 5:17pm - IP Logged
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Thanks all, I thought I would brighten up the day with a little snippet of daily village life through these troubled economic times.
This is the true Greek life xxx
Message posted by Viv D on 11 November 2011 at 8:38am - IP Logged
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Quote: Originally posted by 2Tonsils on 10 November 2011
Here is a link to a story I put on the internet a few years ago when we lived in Viros....Corfu becomes one huge village in the winter months!
Hope you enjoy this I have written quite a few stories of village life over the years. Villages are places full of inspiring characters!
2Tonsils
Fantastic tale.
What amazed me is that if that had been the UK they probably would have still been travelling around the Postal System. Where as they travelled from the Mainland to the Island and arrived in good health
Thank you for that tale.
Viv
Message posted by Bob and Wendy (Uncle Bob) on 11 November 2011 at 11:05am - IP Logged
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Bob and Wendy
Years ago when we first visited Corfu, desperate for information of our destination, in one of the guide books I read that Corfiot people would hold a conversation over a great distance, I never personally heard this until we bought our house in Lafki. Now at this time of year we are often woken by villagers talking across the valley from one olive grove to another, while they tend their nets.
Brilliant!!
Bob.
Message posted by red zorba on 11 November 2011 at 12:10pm - IP Logged
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Well today Oaf visited our G.P on our monthly pilgrimage to get my drugs (I had four strokes three years ago) while I was having my haircut. Mark hoped he would get back in time for the lady to do his hair too!
There is no repeat prescription service here or no appointment system so the way to go is first come first served!
Oaf tured up at just before 9 am and there were already 5 people in front of him! The Doctor however actually turned up early, just after him. (She rarely turns up before 10 am usually where apon half the village is waiting for her)
So in the first person goes in and they wait and wait. The door opens so the next person in line stands up only to sit straight back down again as he has only come out to say - so sorry for taking so long - and promptly closes the door again!! So they wait and wait a bit longer - the door opens again! At last! the next person in line stands up - but no - again he just apologises for keeping everyone waiting again! This happens another three times!
The first person in the queue was in over an hour!
So Oaf rang me and said the lady who is cutting our hair may as well go home when she has finished yours as I am gonna be here hours at this rate!!
Oaf rang off and the Doctor came out and said *I will see you, you, you and you and pointed at several people* so the rest of you all might as well go home!!
Thank Saint Spiridon Oaf was one of the chosen ones!!
Message posted by DCV on 11 November 2011 at 2:52pm - IP Logged
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Glad you enjoyed the story I put the link to. Here is another one that I did in tribute to a wonderful old couple who sell their produce at the crossroads at Makrades. This article was written a few years ago...but Heleni and Laughing Spiros are still there during the summer months selling the best wine on earth
Thank you Purple and may I just say Poor Oaf having to wait. I did have a little laugh to myself though.
2Tonsils - Once again thank you for that little tale. Oh how I wished I was there in that Mountain Village. I could feel myself being wisked away as I read it.
Viv
Message posted by Geoff on 11 November 2011 at 5:06pm - IP Logged
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Thanks Purple, lovely stories of village life.
Sorry guys - but I MUST go off thread a bit - Purple, is your avatar a picture of your dog? It looks just like my long-coat german shepherd did when he was younger?
Message posted by Purple on 11 November 2011 at 11:49pm - IP Logged
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Yes - she is a long haired German Shepherd called Boo Boo Bear :)
Though she is a year old now.
Yours look fabulous. We have 2 rescue dogs too - we did have 3 but sadly we lost little Alfie last week due to Leukimia :(
I have another story to share - but will leave that til the morning!
Please feel free to leave little anecdotes of life in Greece - I think we would all like to read more of the lighter side of Greek life :) I know I would!
Thank you for your stories 2Tonsils x
Message posted by Purple on 11 November 2011 at 11:52pm - IP Logged
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I got up one Saturday morning around 2 months ago to the dogs going absolutely crackers! I looked out of the bedroom window to see - what I thought was a black and white puppy, all curled up asleep! (As with so many old Greek houses we have some back steps leading up into the bedrooms, with a *back door* )
So I left it there (even though my heart said 'nooooo don't leave it!!)
So we got up and the dog ran down the stairs to the back gate, where apon my dogs went bananas again! So we ignored it.
We eventually brought our dogs in to stop the noise!
Oaf and I settled down to breakfast and after a few minutes the dogs went quiet! Suddenly there was the cutest little face and the living room patio doors you could ever imagine!! She seemed to the saying 'well I am here, you might as well let me in!" She had managed to squeeze through the bars of two gates!! The dogs went ballistic!!
So to cut a long story short - we eventually took her in - kept her apart from the other three dogs so that we could make sure she was fit and well! Oaf called her Noodle, she wasn't a pup at all but a very small heinz variety dog! She must have a bit of jack russel, bit of english setter, bit of chiwawau - bit of mole hahaha
Anyway we eventually took her to the vets, Deano's to give her the once over and get all her necessary jabs etc
I asked Deano if he could put an age on Noodle 'she is a young dog not more that a year old' he replied.
I then asked him what type of dog do you think she is?
Deano replied
'I have no idea, no clue at all" he said, but added 'she could be a hunting dog for a man with a very small car!!"
Obviously we couldn't speak for laughing!!
Message posted by Viv D on 12 November 2011 at 12:57pm - IP Logged
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When I lived in a mountain village in Epirus (just below Souli) in the 1970s, we were the only people with an inside lavatory as we rented a house from some Greeks who were working in Germany. Everyone else had outside ones and they were really basic. We went to some friends' house one summer night for supper and after we had eaten I asked if I could use the "loo". Our delightful hostess was obviously not too proud of their facilities and opened the back door which led on to an orchard, saying "anywhere you like out here!". I crept away from the house, found a likely spot, and in full moonlight crouched down. The next thing I knew, I was flying through the air. What our dear hostess had not told me was that there was a herd of goats in the orchard and the billy had taken more than exception to my presence and tried to butt me off his patch...
Message posted by Purple on 12 November 2011 at 7:50pm - IP Logged
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In our village we always get a warm welcome from everyone along with (depending on season) Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Courgettes (spelling), Lemons, Eggs and homemade Grape and Apricot jams.
One man who walks up from the village below every day, always comes and inspects our fruit trees that we planted, we have knicknamed him Nero man, as when we were planting them he insisted we water them straight away. We suspect he does this when we aren't there.
In the summer months you will often hear late morning, a song from the square as the old villagers sit and ponder.
Puts us to shame in UK, when we are lucky if we even know our neighbours.
Message posted by Purple on 12 November 2011 at 7:56pm - IP Logged
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Two stories about Kalami. Ever since we first visited Corfu 8 years ago, irrespective of the place we have stayed we always refer between ourselves to any maids in villa/apartments as "Maria" because the first year we were in a villa across from the A & A Apartments and sitting by the pool the cry of "Maria, Maria" echoed across the valley as the maids in the apartments called out to each other, and if we understood Greek we would have heard all their conversation - an earlier post says these girls have strong lungs, and they are not wrong!!
We went to Kalami for 3 years and in the fourth we took a friend with us. On the first day we went into the gift shop in the village, followed by the supermarket and in each were immediately recognised and greeted as though long lost friends (that's what I so love about Kalami). Our friend was very impressed - then we went to book a table and boat for Taverna Nicolas in Agni and Pericles emerged from the back office and welcomed us back - by this time our friend was open mouthed - she said "You know EVERYONE in this place!!" Not true, it's just that they make everyone feel special.
Message posted by Viv D on 12 November 2011 at 9:46pm - IP Logged
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What lovely stories - Thank you everyone. I can't wait until I can afford to make my move to Corfu. My house is in a small village, so I'm sure I will have some stories to tell in the future!
Purple, Boo Boo is beautiful - when I do get to Corfu we really should introduce her to my Major - he's sure to like her!
Message posted by Viv D on 14 November 2011 at 1:16pm - IP Logged
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tully - how lovely - it always amazes me how wonderful the Greek people are - and how generous too. They are so warm and welcoming. And yes it does put English people to shame - apart from small villages where they are very different :) x
Message posted by Purple on 14 November 2011 at 2:16pm - IP Logged
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Spent a couple of hours this morning, like the last 2 days, throwing wood down from the hillside above my house, after my man and our friend had been cutting a couple of old olive trees down, making plenty of noise and muttering away to myself about how knackering this work is. I then heard my lovely neighbour Frederiki shout me from the road below - "Alison, ti kaneis ekei kopella mou?" in my best Greek I told her what I was doing, and she told me she was off to do the same with her son in law and grandson. You know you are accepted in a Greek village when you are included in the "village communication system"!!!
Message posted by adnamsdrinker on 15 November 2011 at 11:51am - IP Logged
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Hey DCV if the wine is going off, I dont think you are trying hard enough, give me a call I am always willing to help out in getting your wine stock down to a a manageable level.
I would prefer to help you do this in Lakones as opposed to Paisley as I live on the Isle of Wight and can get to Corfu quicker
Message posted by DCV on 15 November 2011 at 12:06pm - IP Logged
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Ok adnamsdrinker - I will give you a shout next time we are over. Tends to get a bit like vinegar if it is not drunk fast enough I prefer the red to the white.
Message posted by 2Tonsils on 15 November 2011 at 2:00pm - IP Logged
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That's wonderful Alikee - it is back breaking work indeed!
Last year we just got a car-boot full of wood at a time as Oaf decided it was too much hard work on his own! Previous years I helped him - but I find it an impossible job with one hand after my strokes, I couldn't lift half of them!!
Message posted by Purple on 23 January 2012 at 1:35pm - IP Logged
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A good friend of mine was complaining of back ache having spent the morning chopping wood for the fire... but she rationalised that with every fire she lights she gets 3 warms...
1.. gets warm walking to the olive grove
2.. gets warm chopping wood
3.. gets warm in front of her fire
Pretty good value eh?
Message posted by janmanessi on 23 January 2012 at 1:46pm - IP Logged
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Seal your wine with a drop of oil, keep it always in glass, in the dark, and when using some from a large bottle decant remainder into a small one so the bottle is always as full as possible. If you do this it will keep a lot longer.
Olive oil should also always be kept in glass, not plastic, and in the dark. Use as soon as possible as with each year that passes it gets heavier
Message posted by DCV on 23 January 2012 at 1:48pm - IP Logged
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Too bad though if you really needed to see the doctor today.
I prefer the red to the white. .jpg)
