Unfortunately choosing Vinver Café was not the best restaurant in town for a light lunch. If we’d looked at the online reviews ahead of time we would have known to avoid this establishment, since the reviews were definitely an accurate reflection of our experience. It didn’t help matters that we’d barely sat down at one of the outside tables, when a smoker lit up right next to us; another bugbear we’ve endured throughout our travels in Europe. That resulted in a move to a table indoors and precluding us from enjoying the very pleasant weather and surroundings outside. It’s staggering to us that, in this day and age, the minority can ruin an outing for the majority in being allowed to smoke where food and drinks are being served, never mind the well documented health hazards. This has been a consistent issue throughout Spain after the implementation of a recent election promise removed the smoking ban.
With regards to our restaurant of choice, everything was hit and miss on whether or not sugar accompanied the coffee, whether the coffee was hot or cold, whether or not the meal we’d ordered arrived with a knife and a fork, never mind that everything arrived in drips and drags; first Elaine’s cold coffee without any sugar arrived, then her meal, but without a knife to eat it, then Roy’s meal with cutlery and finally his hot coffee, each delivered with at least a ten minute interlude in between. It was ridiculous!
Setting that experience aside, we then enjoyed a meander in the shade of the huge trees lining the walkway through the interspersed gardens, before stumbling upon the fresh produce market, selling everything we need; fresh fish, fresh meat, fruit and vegetables, cheeses, eggs, olives, dried fruit and nuts, etc. We were absolutely delighted to have found it. However, now we have to learn to count in Spanish. Counting in a foreign language was a big enough challenge in Türkiye, one we’d barely mastered by the time we enjoyed our last visit to the Saturday market in Finike.
In the afternoon, while Roy finished off his yacht tasks for the day, Elaine completed our second video of our adventures through Greece; Tilos and Astipalaia Islands, before starting the third one of our visit to Santorini Island. With our new sim card service, she was also able to upload the first two completed videos to our website. Enjoy!
Our day ended with yet another Rugby World Cup match, but a rather scrappy one at that, between the Springboks and England, ending in a 16/15 score, with South Africa winning by the skin of their teeth in the final minutes of the game.
Today Elaine spent most of her day chatting to family in Ireland, receiving phone calls from her sister and from her folks. Having the opportunity to chat to her dad was a rare treat and one she thoroughly enjoyed, given that he was in good spirits, in stark contrast to how he was yesterday when Elaine’s sister had seen him looking like death warmed up. We’ve no idea why his health keeps swinging so wildly from one day to the next, but he’s comfortable, which is the most we can ask for.
By midday we were ready to take a break and enjoy a coffee, before Roy started the task of packing away tools again and rinsing the deck; this was a good sign. It felt like we were eventually coming out from under a burden of yacht issues that has required attention over the past number of weeks, something Elaine puts down to the extreme weather conditions we’ve found ourselves in over the past few years, taking its toll on Paw Paw too. But, just when Elaine thought our cockpit table was back from the brink of remaining a workshop bench for the rest of its days, it was covered in supplies needed to redo the saloon sole.
On the upside of getting yacht projects completed, we’ve had cooler weather to work in these past two days and, indeed, we’ve had rain on and off overnight and throughout the day, thanks to the weather system to the north of us, packing very strong winds and high seas, the weather that was initially forecast to arrive last week, necessitating our departure from Isla de Lanzarote. The rain has been welcomed, though; something that’s definitely been needed to wash our rigging.
