Today we have had a very chilled day. The temperature has dropped a little, and there is some cloud in the sky. For the first time in days, it was cool enough first thing this morning for Howard to have his morning run. On returning to the campsite, he jumped into the sea, only to find that he had company. A shoal of jellyfish, some quite large, were swimming close to the shoreline. Needless to say, he didn’t hang around to see if they were dangerous.
A little later, talking to the campsite owner, he confirmed that they would give you a moderate sting. By 11am, many had washed up onto the shoreline, and the campsite gardener came around, and collected them up in his wheelbarrow. I waited a good hour or so, before I ventured in to swim, and then only after I had surveyed the water thoroughly.
Other than that, we have had a pretty lazy day. Our highlight was the purchase of a blow-up lilo. We saw it for sale in the camp shop. When the elderly Greek man at the till asked how we would inflate it – Howard pointed to me, and said, ‘My wife can blow it up!’. The shopkeeper was having none of this, and scuttled off to blow it up with his compressor.
After lunch in the taverna, we spent the rest of the afternoon splashing around in the warm water with the lilo. Although the purchase had been my idea (largely because I thought I could avoid the jellyfish, by floating on it), as ever, Howard mastered it much better than me. He was able to propel himself around, and watch the fish swimming around about him. The water here is so clear, that you can see all the marine life below you.
After our exertions in the water, we showered ourselves down, and celebrated our lazy day with a Caorunn. The words of one of my Dad’s favourite songs came to mind,
‘I’m busy doing nothing, nothing the whole day through,
Trying to find lots of things not to do.
I’m busy going nowhere, isn’t it just a crime?
I’d like to be unhappy but, I haven’t just got the time!”.
We finished off the day with a return visit to the taverna, for a salad and grilled aubergine. Very tasty. We had planned originally to leave tomorrow, but have decided to stay one more day. I’m sure by then, our boredom levels will be rising. There’s only so long you can spend camping by a beach in the Aegean, isn’t there?!!
Oscar Goes To Europe 