1. The abundance of thin, stray cats. Very sad, although a local charity IS working to raise money for abandoned animals by selling donated books at a kiosk on the waterfront. Along with this comes loud nightly cat fights in the street outside my window (and I really mean cats fighting, not girls).
2. The fact that, unlike in Turkey just across the water, there are no bargains to be had here & no real hand-crafted "local" souvenirs. Tacky potholders, coffee mugs, toothpick holders & other crap with the word Skopelos on it abound. Groceries at the small markets are pretty pricey too. ($5 US for a jar of peanut butter, $10 for a 5 lb. bag of cat food!)
3. My loud Greek neighbors just below... one with a barking German Shepherd confined on their roof, the other whose loud voices and music carry right up to my window some evenings. The father belches, groans and walks around in his underwear. Eeeek!
4. My cramped, un-air conditioned, cluttered accomodations with ancient half-size fridge & washing machine, a spray hose for a (cold) shower, and numerous non-working appliances: the oven, living room fans (both ceiling AND plug-in), DVD player, cold water knob in the tub, various lamps, etc.
5. Not that I should even be watching TV here, but since the satellite dish seems to have been disconnected for the summer, there are only a few free English-speaking channels, and CNN Europe stinks! Apparently, they load a continuous loop of day-old news early in the week, delivered by glib British reporters, and they don't seem to update it for days.
Unrelated to the "Top 10", here's another fisherman... (the photo ops always remain good!)
6. The oppressive heat in July and August... need I say more?
7. The steep hills and steps, although this could actually be a bonus for fitness and exercise purposes.
8.The frequent power outages caused somehow, I'm told, by fires and this years lack of rain.
9. The poor exchange rate from US dollars to Euros, and it's getting worse by the day. This really has nothing to do with Skopelos, it's just a negative about European travel in general this summer.
10. I still haven't met my "Mr. Holiday Romance" yet. The good news is that Fridays are rental property change-over day, which I have now dubbed "fresh meat Fridays" (ha-ha). I guess I'll stake out the ferry terminal and see who steps off the boat ;-)
1 comment:
I'm glad you suggested we read about the good things too. I might have found myself feeling sorry for you. Poor Dana. It sounds like you are having a great time. Your photos are beautiful. It really reminds me of Mykonos - white buildings, long-windy lanes, and of course, all the hills. I have enjoyed your discriptive food dialog. It makes me hungry just reading about it. Although, I think I have put on 5 pounds just looking at the food photos. Thank goodness for the Loop--flat, but right outside my door.
Enjoy. This Friday may bring the man of your dreams.
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