skippingthesurface

[skippingthesurface]

The Netherlands: Week Two

We packed up the cars and our friends drove George, Saskia and myself to the local train station where we hopped on the next train departing to Amsterdam. We got off at Amsterdam Central station and caught the tram to Leidseplein, the location of our hotel and where Saskia would be collected by her friend who she would be staying with for the next week. We said our goodbyes and made our way to the ‘King Hotel’ to check in.

Not the most attractive of hotels but in the best location for tourists! We were right on the canal (with a canal view room), a mere 60 seconds from the centre of Leidseplein and the tram stop. Everything we needed was on our doorstep, including Vondel Park, the Bulldog, the Heineken museum and much more. 

I’ve left this part of my blog way too long to remember everything clearly but i will tell you the highlights and what i would recommend. First of all the hotel is perfect for travelers on a budget and the location is perfect for both food and drinks and also for quick travel around the city.

Leidseplein has a wide range of eateries all within walking distance. My favourite for general cuisine was ‘In De Buurt’, a very modern and classy restaurant with complete wine list and bar also available. They served fantastic rustic food for a reasonable price. The other restaurant i cannot forget is about 20 minutes walk from Leidseplein square or 10 minutes on the tram and goes by the name ‘De Bekeerde Suster’. This one is great for people who love beer and BBQ ribs as much as i do! They have a generously sized menu consisting of honest, hearty meals and a huge range of beers, ales and lagers on both draught and by the bottle.

When it comes to drinking, the famous spot to be is ‘The Bulldog’. Once you go you will understand why. This place is jam-packed full every night of the week and open till late. They have many around the city but the biggest is in Leidseplein square. It’s a place you can go for live music, cocktails, sports and beers on the ground level or the place you can go to smoke your favourite seed alongside freshly squeezed juice, closely followed by a mountain of pancakes in the lower level. They also have cafe’s under their brand name where you can go for special brewed tea and space cakes. The best night we had in there might even have been on a supposedly ‘quiet’ Monday night (even though to our virgin eyes it seemed full) to listen to a live Jazz band. Fantastic atmosphere! If your style is a little different to mine then fear not as Leidseplein square has something for everyone, from comedy clubs, to dive bars, to live rock music, to swanky cocktail bars playing lounge music. The majority of these places also have outside seating with overhead heating, perfect for a romantic glass of wine and people watching.

As for museums, site seeing and excursions, here are my top 10;

1. ‘Anne Frank’s Huis’ is of course a must. People all over the world, when they think of Amsterdam, connect it to Anne Frank (give or take a few other attractions!) and are eager to feel the history behind it. When i say ‘feel’ i mean feel... the aura inside is enough to make your hairs stand on end. The building now, due to the influx of tourists is remarkably big as far as Amsterdam houses go but only because it’s been extended to fit in a reception, cafe and gift shop. However, the house itself is preserved and is the absolute original. We paid a mere €9 each for a full tour plus the extra optional costs in the cafe and gift shop.

2. A canal cruise was also one of the best things we did in the city. It’s called ‘100 Highlights Cruise’, costs €15pp and lasts 60 minutes. The description is in the title but i’ll tell you anyway! It takes you on a guided tour along some of the canals, explaining what you are seeing along the way through headphones. (These headphones are included in the ticket price and give you the option to select which language you desire). We were lucky enough a witness an unusual and rather funny occurrence on our trip, as half way along one of the canals we narrowly had to squeeze past a water skip. It was obviously supplied by the council to do some canal cleaning, much like a road-sweeper but the range and peculiarity of the objects they were retrieving from the bottom of these canals were incredible. I’m sure there are more bicycles 6ft under water than there are in the Tour De France! The local joke when tourists ask ‘How deep are the canals?’ is for the locals to answer 'Three meters; one meter of water, one meter of mud and one meter of bikes’. Only in Holland.

3. Vondel Park! This was such a beautiful part of the city, full of lakes and grassy pastures and is again only about 10 minutes walk from the ‘King Hotel’. It became clear that this must be the place-to-be in the summer months, as scattered around the park where huge stages and remnants of concerts and festivals. However, even in February the park was beautiful and full of life, both wildlife and human life. Many people jogging, walking the dogs, busking, feeding the ducks, taking photographs. It really is a hub of life all year round. Take a stroll with your morning coffee and breathe in the fresh air, i assure you it won’t be a waste of time.

4. I am not a massive fan of museums in the true sense of the word as i tend to enjoy other attractions a lot more but having said that the ‘Rijks Museum’ might have been an exception for me. This place was truly stunning inside and out. Even at first glance it is a treat for the eyes because of it’s enormous size, regal design and the big ‘I AMsterdam’ letters outside it’s front door. The entrance fee is  €17.50pp for a one day ticket allowing you to stay as long as you wish and includes a floor plan.

5. The Sex Museum was possibly the most entertaining. I’ll leave this to your imagination but it is definitely worth a visit and cheap entrance fee. It’s located in ‘Damrak’ the area exactly where the central station is.

6. The Heineken was also one of the few museums i enjoy, one where it is 100% acceptable to drink whilst inside the building. It is actually a distillery turned into an interactive tour in the heart of the city. It’s an 8 minute tram ride from Leidseplein and costs  €16pp entrance and tour, if booked online.

7. The Red Light District is a real eye-opener and a 100% must see! The district is located between Nieuw Market and Dam Square and very close to the central station (15 minute by tram from Leidseplein). We visited here in the night time, purely because we thought it was the logical thing to do so i cannot tell you what there has to offer in the daytime. However, in the night time, the long street with the canal running through the middle, is lit up exactly how you would imagine in neon lights and offers you everything you could want. There you can wander through the side streets and admire the gorgeous women behind the red doors, peruse the sex shops, attend a live sex show or one of the countless strip clubs. The hidden gem is the VIP area on one of the side streets. Inside here are again beautiful prostitutes behind red doors but the most expensive and elite ones. Spoiler: 75% of these ones are actual men and i swear they are more stunning than the regular women!

8. A flower market may sound boring to most people but I personally adored the famous one they have in Koningsplein! The edge of the canal is laced with floating stalls selling thousands of different types of flowers and seeds, whilst on the other side of the walkway you have many tourist and souvenirs shops, so taking a walk down there will definitely keep you entertained for a few hours. This is only a short 10 minute walk from Leidseplein and is open everyday, normal working hours, even on Sunday.

9. Dam Square lies in the historical district of Amsterdam and is a lovely day out to take in the sites of the heart of the city. It’s a short walk from central station to Dam Square, a place filled with beautiful architecture, a combination of highstreet and designer shops, cafes and restaurants. Here is the perfect place to do all your shopping at once, souvenirs, gifts for the family and a quick stop in H&M or Zara along the way, interspersed with pit stops at quaint cafes within easy reach. Here the buildings are magnificent and include structures such as, the Royal Palace, the National Monument, Madame Tussaud’s and many more. The square is never quiet and always has some kind of event going on. Whether it be a fun fair, a market or just full of some of the many street performers. We saw an incredible magician the day we passed through!

10. The Albert Cuyp Market! This for me was one of my favourites! It’s located in De Pijp, a 12 minute tram journey from Leidseplein and is open every Monday - Saturday. This place is incredible, doused in stalls selling everything from antiques to clothes and serving up street food. Here you can buy local fish from the mongers, real Dutch cheese or watch them make traditional baby pancakes or stroopwafles in front of your eyes.

That sums up our busy week in the city! We stayed for 7 days and for us it was the perfect length of time but if you are organised (people who wake up early!) or on a budget I would say you can easily do Amsterdam in 3 or 4 days and manage to squeeze in the highlights. It’s a fabulous city and has something to offer for all walks of life.

One other important tip i should mention is to purchase a travel card. You can get these from the kiosks or at central station and you choose how many days you want the pass for. The prices change depending on which deal you select. This card includes trams and buses and you just swipe the card at the available machines once on board your form of transportation.

One day i hope to return and see it familiar, not with flustered eyes. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Here are my personal favourite photos of the city break...

[skippingthesurface]

The Netherlands: Week One

       George and I had never been on holiday together and weren't planning to until his mum rang and said she was going to Holland for a couple of weeks, would we like to join her and George's sister Daphne. How could we refuse? George is half Dutch on his mum's side so it was lovely for him to see his friends and family and also for me to visit his second home. (We were still a couple at this point, just to save any confusion).

        So come February 10th there we all were at Rhodes International Airport sipping much needed coffee before hopping on our first flight. Anyone who lives on Rhodes will understand that holidaying in the winter is not just a matter of getting on one flight for a couple of hours and hopping off at your destination, it’s more often than not a long drawn out process. For us it was three flights and a nine hour journey. It’s a good job I love flying and people watching! It was a gorgeous day weather wise and on each flight one of us had a window seat which made it all the more enjoyable. First, we flew from Rhodes to Athens with Aegean Airlines, a short 45 minute flight looking down on the beautiful Greek Islands soaked in sunshine. Luckily we only had a short wait in Athens before catching our Swiss Air flight to Zurich, during which we had stunning views of the Swiss Alps, followed by another short stop in Zurich before continuing with Swiss Air to Amsterdam Aiport Schiphol. We landed at night and descended over a city that was all lit up and glistening like a Christmas tree.

        On arrival I was met by my Amsterdam-born best friend, Kim, who I met working in Rhodes two summers ago. I had no idea she would be there to meet us, as we had spoken a few days previous and planned to meet up later in the week in the Capital but unbeknownst to me, her and George had sneakily arranged it and I couldn't of been happier to see her! After a quick catch up and lots of hugs, Kim headed on home as George, Daphne, Saskia and I had a quick bite to eat before catching our airport transfer to Alkmaar where we would be staying for the next 5 days with Saskia's father. It was pretty late by the time we arrived at Yaan's house so we dumped our suitcases, had a glass of wine and a natter before heading to bed.

       The next day we awoke full of excitement for our first day in the Netherlands but were unfortunately greeted by heavy rain and harsh winds. I suppose we shouldn’t have been surprised! We didn't have anything specific planned so thought we'd spend the day doing something indoorsy... shopping. We caught the bus into the centre of Alkmaar and dashed into the nearest shop. We had a leisurely day spending money and managed to warm up a little for lunch at a nearby cafe. We made our way back to the house for a cosy evening in, complete with Chinese takeaway, more wine and more chatter.

      The second morning we awoke to a horrible 8 AM alarm but luckily to slightly better weather. We had planned a day trip into Amsterdam to go to Artis Zoo and wanted to get an early start. We caught the bus to Alkmaar train station, got the train into Amsterdam Central Station, which only takes about an hour and then hopped on a tram to find Artis. We bought our tickets and an essential map as the zoo there is huge and has so much to see. We studied it over an energising coffee and snack and then took our time wandering around the zoo taking snaps on George's fancy new Canon and making sure we saw all there was to see. We stopped for lunch at the on-site restaurant and enjoyed our meal with a lovely view out towards the Giraffe section in front of us and of one of Amsterdam's famous canals behind us.

These guys below are cuddling for warmth by the way, we weren't catching them in the act!

       It was a lovely day and as we're all such big animal lovers, the day was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Afterwards, we met a school friend of Saskia's outside the zoo who took us on a personal guided tour through the streets of Amsterdam. George and I were paying close attention and trying to get our bearings as the following week we had a hotel booked for just the two of us in the centre. We enjoyed seeing the city at night in all its glory and were getting very excited about the week to come. We stopped at a cosy pub by one of the many canals for refreshments and had a good chit chat over drinks. Afterwards Saskia's friend took us to a restaurant she knew well for dinner. The restaurant was called 'De Bekeerde Suster' and is somewhere I would definitely recommend, particularly for their BBQ ribs!

       After our long and lovely day out we then caught the tram, train and bus back to the house in Alkmaar where we had one last glass of wine and slept like logs.

      The following day was a chilled out and rather uneventful day consisting of grocery shopping in the morning and then a trip into Zaandam with another one of Saskia's friends for an afternoon shop at good old Primark and a coffee afterwards before the drive back to Alkmaar. We then spent the evening in and at midnight cracked open a bottle of bubbly to see in George's grandad's birthday.

      We awoke on February the 14th to glorious sunshine, perfect considering it was Yaan's 93rd birthday and also Valentine's day! Saskia had arranged for friends and family to come over in the morning to celebrate the occasion. It was a busy household, full of drinks and cakes galore! We had then planned for everyone to go out for lunch to spend some quality family time together, which Yaan definitely enjoyed and was the perfect way for him to spend his birthday surrounded by loved ones and laughter. After all the celebrations and everyone had gone home, the four of us were not done for the day and decided to meet up with Saskia's friend again at another watering-hole, a quirky bar called 'De Pilaren' for our last evening in Alkmaar before heading south to Rotterdam for the weekend. There was a great atmosphere in the bar due to it being Valentine's and the drinks went down very easily that night, interspersed with lots of laughter. Lovely end to our first part of our holiday!

      The next day we were up in good time in order to say goodbye to Yaan before Saskia's friend Chiel came to pick us up and drive us down to where they live in Rotterdam. It was a beautiful drive as we got to see the countryside of the Netherlands in all it’s glory! I started to realise how flat and how much water there really was in this country. Yes, they really do have many windmills

.     Once we arrived in Rotterdam we went to our friend’s house where Saskia would be staying for the weekend and had coffee and cake before being taking just a few minutes down the road to where George, Daphne and I would be staying, to get settled in. Danny, the guy we were staying with, had a gorgeous, modern apartment in an area of Rotterdam called Spijkenisse right on the river where the cargo ships go up and down and with a surround view of Rotterdam's sky line! The apartment had ceiling to floor windows in the living room, dining room and bedrooms with no curtains or blinds so George and I were very excited to get settled in as we knew this was going to be a luxurious weekend. It was lovely going to sleep looking out over the river and skyline all lit up at night and waking up to the glorious sunshine bouncing off the buildings and water.

      That evening after getting settled in at Danny's we headed back over to Saskia's friend’s apartment, as that evening we had planned to have an 'Ideal Bar' reunion. For those of you who don't know, George's mum owns a very successful bar in Kremasti in Rhodes called the ‘Ideal Bar’ where we had holidayed and where I initially met George. Anyway, the people we were having dinner with had all met each other, and us, through the Ideal Bar and were all looking forward to meeting up in their own country. They had all driven from their respective towns and cities to meet us in Rotterdam for an evening of dinner, drinks and music. It was a truly fabulous night!

      The next day Saskia and her friends came to pick the four of us up from Danny's apartment to show us a day out in Rotterdam. First of all we went down to the harbour to buy tickets for a boat tour called the 'Spido'. We waited a while until the boat was ready and then queued with the other 600 people to board. It was a 60 minute tour of Rotterdam's shipping industry and industrial area. It was incredibly interesting and as it was such a lovely, sunny day, it was a great way to see more of the city. Rotterdam’s city centre is very modern in regards to architecture as the city was almost completely destroyed during WWII and had to be rebuilt. As a result of this, the buildings are very innovative and striking to look at. On board the Spido they had a cafe, 3 decks and also an audio recording available in many different languages. This feature helped to explain what you were seeing as the boat went past and to relay information and history about the shipping industry. Turns out Rotterdam has the third largest shipping port in the world after Shanghai and Singapore but was once THE largest. It is still, however, the largest in Europe.

Below is a photo of the bridge 'Erasmus' (nicknamed 'The Swan'), in Rotterdam which links the Northern and Southern regions of Rotterdam. Along with it being huge and impressive to look at, it is also a state monument as it's named after a famous humanist philosopher.

        After the boat tour and after we'd had lunch at a lovely restaurant on the water called 'De Swann', we made our way over to the next tourist stop on the list, the Euromast. The Euromast was at one point the tallest building in Rotterdam, the first floor stands at 87ft and the very top of it is 180ft! We went into the reception area at the base of the mast and purchased our tickets. To get to the first floor you take the lift and there they have an area around the mast where you can walk all the way around and admire the view. They also have an extremely plush restaurant there with ceiling to floor glass where they hold wedding receptions... what a venue! We had coffee in the restaurant area after we had explored the mast and got a stunning view of the sun setting over the city. To get to the second floor you can either take the open metal staircase or a lift and on the second floor is a circular dome made entirely of glass where, if you wanted to, you could get in and it would slowly rotate whilst rising on a mechanism to the very tip of the mast! I have to admit all of us chickened out of this one, except George and Danny who said it was amazing. I was feeling brave that day and tried to pluck up the courage to do it but whimped out after attempting the metal staircase... Vertigo is not a good companion to take to the Euromast. However, the views were spectacular, even from the first floor!

       That evening we decided to go out for dinner as it was our last night in Rotterdam and we had definitely worked up an appetite after a busy day being tourists. We went to a Turkish restaurant called 'Atlantis' just a few minutes walk from where we were staying. Danny knew the owner very well and had let him know we were coming so we could get a good table reserved. On arrival we were informed that a special meal had been organised just for us and would be a surprise so there was no looking at the menu and no idea of what was in store. Danny had told the owner we were from Rhodes (just across the water from Turkey) so the chefs had made a Turkish/Greek mix. The food was incredible and so authentic, even down to the olive oil on the Greek salad! It was superb and a little reminder of home and of course there were left overs... wouldn't be the same if there weren't! After we had stuffed out faces we left the table to be cleared and joined the owner at a private booth where we enjoyed Ben & Jerry's ice cream on the house and copious amounts of red wine, interspersed with hilarious stories and card tricks on behalf of the owner. All in all it was a great ending to a great weekend and by that point we were all feeling very full and sleepy, so headed home for a good nights sleep, excited by the prospect of what the second week of our holiday had in store!

[skippingthesurface]

Making Paper

Next on the list.. Job! Now, I will have been in Rhodes for 6 years come April and so far I've had four jobs, all completely different but all great experiences for one reason or another.

1. A Votre Sante!

  Considering we moved in April, it didn't take me long to land my first job. By the beginning of May, I was working as a waitress and bartender in a cosy Greek taverna called 'Sante'. I worked for the loveliest Greek man, Tasos who was a very generous, sociable, laid back guy with a great family to match. He was everything you would want from your first boss in a foreign land. It was mostly just the two of us, so we worked very hard keeping everything up to his standards but we also found time to relax in the quieter business hours, sitting out in the sun together, watching the world go by with a beer and cigarette in hand. Typical Greek style. There was a bit of a language barrier but we got by, he taught me my first bit of Greek and I taught him some English sayings (which he laughed at often). Tasos' children would also help out at the taverna after school so I really got a taste of Greek family culture. It’s admirable. However, despite this lucky break, I'm afraid to say it was short lived due to financial reasons on the owner's part and only lasted a couple of months. I was surprised by how quickly I had settled in and become attached. It was a shame to say goodbye but I will always remember it fondly.

2. Aegean Blue

From working at 'Sante' I had got to know the regulars. Along with the Greeks that came in for their daily dose of caffeine, there was also a large group of English, who all worked for a sales company just around the corner. They were very nice people and exactly what you would imagine from a sales team, loud, brash but always up for a laugh. I got on well with both the Sales Director and managers, as well as the other staff, so getting my foot in the door at their company 'Aegean Blue' was no hassle! Turns out it is 'who you know, not what you know'. It was a great opportunity and I met people from all over the world, which in itself broadens your horizons. I worked within a small group of people from all over Europe and Scandinavia, similar ages to myself. We all got on extremely well as we were all experiencing a summer away from home and enjoying it to the fullest! Our work hours were not to be sniffed at either, it allowed to take advantage of lunch time BBQs on the beach and some very messy nights out. As it happened, the job in the end just wasn't for me and despite being there only a short while, I was amazed at how many life lessons and skills I had acquired. I have to admit actually that the best part of working there was the staff party. A mere four days after I had started, it was time for their annual staff award party, which everyone was invited to. I had no idea what to expect. Turns out I hit the jackpot, when it ended up taking place on the roof terrace of a 5* luxury hotel, complete with professional photographer, ball gowns and tuxes, 5 course champagne dinner and all paid for on the company card. I rewarded my four days hard graft by stuffing my face with a gourmet dinner and watching the sunset over Turkey, champagne flute in hand. Cheers, Aegean Blue!

3. Luna Love!

        After discovering I was not best suited to sales at 'Aegean Blue', I decided to go back to what I know and started looking for a waitressing job. A Canadian/Greek friend of ours, whom we'd also met on our holidays, ran the 'Luna Bar', a busy and successful cafe-bar-restaurant in the beach resort of Ixia. I turned up unannounced one day and inquired about job possibilities, the conversation finished with the phrase ‘You start tomorrow!’ tripping off this tongue. I worked there for the rest of the season, returned there again the following year of 2012 and after leaving for another job for 2013 and 14, went back again 2015 and stayed consectutively until this summer of 2018.

          My job was the classic waitressing, with the occasional bar-tending thrown in. The premises catered for everything, from a daytime coffee hangout to an all day restaurant and sports bar. The seasonal bar job is exhilarating but often brutal. You work an average of 12 hours a day, 7 days a week stretching from the end of April till the end of October and your job becomes your life. It’s where you eat, drink, earn and socialise. Forget sunbathing or sleeping while it’s dark, as in the height of the season many workers including myself and the resident bartender, would be entertaining the punters sometimes until 6am. There may be the odd pack of tourists still there at those early hours (you know, the ones you drink tequila out of the bottle with) but most of them are fellow workers from the local hotels and restaurants, working the same ungodly hours as you and getting their night caps in before hitting the sheets.

          The Luna Bar was so much fun, I earnt good money (plus generous tips), worked alongside people I now call my ‘Greek family’ and served happy, relaxed holiday makers. Some of my most valued friendships were been made during my years at Luna, some of them fellow colleagues, some seasonal workers and some tourists-turned-friends, or more recently tourist-turned-boyfriend! All in all it was and remains to be one of the best jobs I've ever had. 

4. www.yourholidays.com

           By this time it was 2012 and a job had been offered to me working for a travel agency in Rhodes all year round. This was not an opportunity to be dismissed lightly, finding 12 month work on a tourist dependent island is like finding a needle in a haystack if you are not Greek. An acquaintance of mine had stumbled into the job herself and recommended me to be an addition to the team. The company was ‘yourholidays.com’ which was an online broker, selling worldwide holidays to UK residents. One of the managers had recently relocated to Rhodes and decided to set up a small team on the island and manage it from here, somewhat of a franchise. This job opportunity was something I couldn’t pass up, so reluctantly I said goodbye to the Luna Bar and embarked upon what happened to be a thoroughly enjoyable and lucrative two years sales experience as a travel agent. I met with the manager, James, in December 2012 for an interview and to see what the job entailed. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I had no clue about the industry, no experience with office work and had always been below-average at geography, so it’s safe to say this was out of my comfort zone and area of expertise. I don't remember anything from that interview apart from being baffled with figures, overloaded with information and leaving there feeling completely out of my depth. After mulling it over and realising that the biggest part of living abroad is to take opportunities and find out what you're capable of, I decided I was going to give it a whirl. Despite forgetting my own name during a trial phone call for getting the placement, James decided to take a leap of faith with me and did a brilliant job at tutoring me and getting me to a pretty decent standard of sales where I was making more money than I could have imagined. Along with job satisfaction, I believe it's of massive importance to have a good boss and this experience definitely handed me both. James was a fantastic motivator and not too scary to approach at times when the job baffled you. I would probably still be there to this day, if I had my way, but unfortunately circumstances arose which lead to James and his family returning to the UK, therefore taking our jobs with it. It was an enjoyable experience and massive learning curve but most of all for me it was the job that got my self confidence and self belief off the ground, so for that I will be forever thankful. After this I went back to what I know to be my employment home, the Luna Bar.

5. Serafinos

     The newest addition to my lengthy employment history is a little place called ‘Serafinos’. It is a quirky, local pub situated in the heart of the traditional village I now reside in, ‘Kalithies’. A few winters ago I popped into this watering hole one afternoon to have a beverage with some friends. The owner was very charming and warm-hearted and after being introduced, asked about my work situation. It was during a winter when I was still working for the travel agency but being a ‘regular’ job I was only working five days a week, leaving two days free. After a brief chat with the bar owner, Manolis, I took up his offer of part-time winter-only work there on my nights off from the agency. It didn’t take much convincing as, although I loved my sales job, I was desperately missing waitressing and the social aspect it entails. It’s fun, breaks up the monotony of the winter season and pays the rent, why would I leave?

Footnote: It’s now 2018, the first winter after four consecutive winters I will not be working in Serafinos, so in answer to the above question... TO MOVE TO ITALY! Story to follow...

[skippingthesurface]

I stumbled across this link the other day and it's spot on with my own ethos. Makes for an interesting read and might even make you take a spontaneous trip!

[skippingthesurface]

The Fairy-tale Romance

        ��I was 16 when I first met George. It was during our 2008 holiday to Rhodes in the bar we frequented, which was owned by his mother, a pleasant Dutch lady called Saskia. He worked there as the handsome resident barman. I don't believe in love at first sight but I do believe in fate and this it definitely was. We spoke occasionally on the evenings I went to the bar and started getting to know each other. I will admit that I made this a very slow process, as every night I would spend an obscene amount of time building up the courage to even go and say hello to him and even after I had, not many words followed... However, we kept in touch via MSN and Facebook, as it was at the time, in-between my visits to Rhodes and gradually spent more time together when I returned for holidays. Our relationship was treated as nothing more than a holiday romance because as great as it was while we were together, we both knew it would soon be over when I had to return home to the UK. Our relationship never got to the point where doing the long-distance-thing had been considered but when he took me to the airport at the end of our 2010 holiday and kissed me goodbye, I realised I was in deeper than I thought.         

       It took just 20 days of me moving to Rhodes in 2011 for George and I to become an item. However, despite being completely infatuated with each other, it was a more complex process than I had initially thought. In my head I still hadn't decided how long I would be staying in Rhodes for. For all I knew I would do a summer season, decide it wasn't for me and return home. Weighing up our feelings for each other against whether it was a good idea to get involved, knowing there was the potential to get our hearts broken at the end of it, was the most logical yet unnerving way I had ever looked at romance. In the end it came down to such a simple realisation, we are both here now, why not make the most of it and see how it goes. 

       As much as I would love to be able to validate that fairy-tales really do come true, i’m afraid I cannot. After three years, one house-building project and numerous pets later, George and I had a mutually heartbreaking awareness that it just wasn’t going to work out. We had an open heart-to-heart, face-to-face, tear-filled conversation expressing we still loved each other and always would but that as compatible partners we had just simply grown apart. The time we spent together was meaningful, adventurous and grand and although it’s over, I am still so thankful that it happened. He knows I wish him luck in all his future endeavors. 

Us at the 'Ideal Bar' for Saskia's birthday 2012

Us visiting a friend for a night in Pefkos 2011

[skippingthesurface]

Hunting for our humble abode

    Once we landed in Rhodes we were picked up by our friends, who generously let us crash with them for the first couple of weeks until we found our feet, bearing in mind we had no home to go to and no car to go house-hunting in. We had always holidayed in the next town to our friends, Jo and Trevor, a mere five minute drive away, so thought it made good sense to be in a familiar location while we get grounded. We began driving around with the help of our friends, later followed by strolling the streets ourselves, looking for rental signs. We saw some real dives to begin with and our enthusiasm was slowly wilting with thoughts of 'Oh dear god, what have we done?'. Honestly, some of the places we saw were horrendous! Tip for anyone who considers moving to Greece: when the advert says furnished.. it's not. Normally it means a table, old sofa, broken wardrobe and half a bed. However, we persevered and thank God we did as we found ourselves the most beautiful gem of a place. A two bed, second floor apartment complete with an orchard with lemon, orange and olive trees, two balconies, situated right at the bottom of the beautiful Greek mountain 'Filerimos' and just a 6 minute stroll away from the beach. Perfect!

Life's a beach!

As elated as we were at having found our new home in just two weeks, we didn't realise that that was just the beginning of a constant battle between hardships and happiness.

[skippingthesurface]

Missing the brother

       Although Adam, like me, decided Uni wasn't for him, he did however have a lovely girlfriend and a gorgeous new Labrador puppy in the UK, which of course swayed him to stay. After we left, he joined an insurance company working in sales, quickly worked his way up the corporate pyramid and is now managing a sales team of his own. I don't think any of us envisaged him as the suited and booted type but it seems he’s found his niche. His girlfriend, Emily, who has recently become his fiancé, Emily, is also doing well as a PA for a firm. They have been out to see us a couple of times in the summers since we've moved and it's always an enjoyable and humbling time, full of island adventures, beach days, meals out and of course all night singing sessions at our dad’s karaoke show. (I’ll come to that later). 

        It’s always a pleasure to see them, whether it be here on our rock we call home or back in the UK but we never stop missing them. We’ll be reunited again soon but in the meantime it leaves me time to buy a new hat! 

Adam and I at the 'Ideal Bar', Kremasti in 2009

[skippingthesurface]

Holiday makers to ex-pats!

To cut a long story short, here's how we found ourselves moving to Greece! 

We'd spent four years in a row family holidaying to the Canary Islands. We had some amazing times first in Tenerife, then Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and finally Fuerteventura until in 2007 we decided it was time for a change... but where to go? We thought we'd be spontaneous. So one day we wandered into Thomas Cook travel agents, having agreed before hand that we'd open a brochure and whatever random page it landed on, we'd book a holiday there and then to that destination. Page 134, Rhodes...

(^^Knobbly knees of 2007)!

We had the most wonderful two weeks and met some incredible people. Despite religiously saying for as long as I can remember that we would never holiday in the same place twice, 2008/9&10 were all occupied with two week holidays to Rhodes. Turns out we have no will-power! In short, we stayed at the same holiday apartments every year 'Emerald Apartments' in Kremasti (which cannot be faulted at all by the way) traveled all around the island and made tighter bonds with the friends we had already made. Every time we went, we all fell more and more in love with the island and every time we left the post-holiday blues grew longer and longer.

Emerald Aparthotel, Kremasti (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)

I think it was after the 2008 holiday that we realised we had stumbled upon something really special, the possibility of a brand new life and opportunities. We started talking with our ex-pat friends about why they had chosen to up and emigrate and how they had found the whole experience. Of course everyone said it was frustrating, stressful and the most difficult thing they had ever done but there they were loving their new life in the sun. Was all this achievable for us as well?! When we got home from that holiday, we sat down and devised a 5 year plan. My mum and step-dad had decided that for them it was definitely something they wanted to try and do, but didn't want to do anything until Adam (my step-brother) and I had gone through University, which at the time we were both planning to do. Some calculations were done and we started researching how we were going to pick up and move our entire life to another country. As the holidays and holiday blues continued, the 5 year plan became a 3 year plan and the 3 year plan became an 8 month plan as Adam and I, by then, had decided that University wasn't for us. However, although I had decided I wanted to move as well, Adam had made the opposite decision. After that had all been decided, it turned into a hectic mission to get our lives together and sorted in time to be on the (*screams inside own head*) ONE WAY flight, which we had instantly booked, that was due to leave London Gatwick on Saturday 2nd April 2011. I won't bore you with the details but anyone who has emigrated will understand when I say that it is not possible to express how infuriating, stressful and emotional those 8 months were. Sorting out bank accounts, mortgages, selling the cars, packing up the whole house, car boot sales, putting the house up for rent, moving our pets, redirecting post, cancelling phone/electric/gas, saying goodbye to our jobs, families and friends. Basically, saying goodbye to everything we had ever known and leaving it all behind. However, we did it! 

Just...

 I think we started packing our actual suitcases on the night of Friday 1st... We were ready to move. We cried the whole journey from our old home to new.

 Some holiday snaps!

Gorgeous view of beautiful Rhodes, Greece

[skippingthesurface]

A mind of mines

It dawned on me, driving around the other day, that I have been on this planet for just over two decades and saying it like that made it sound like a really, really long time. Yes, a lot has happened in those years but all at the hands of my parents pretty much. Only the last 7 years have I made independent choices and decisions that have lead me here. Until Year 9 of Secondary School, life is mapped out for us by our parents’ choices and the rigidity of English society and what it deems to be the normal procedure. Then all of sudden BOOM. Questions, decisions and confusion surround us on what seems like a daily basis... That's when I lost my train of thought and decided I should probably be focusing more on where I was driving.

However, I later thought more about how big the choices we have to make really are. The decision about whether or not to go to University was one of the biggest and most difficult decisions I ever had to make. (Apart from my decision to emigrate but I'll get to that later). I always had it in my head that I would go to University, I was an average achiever at school and college, so thought that as long as I got the grades I needed, I would absolutely go to Uni. I decided I wanted to go to either Brighton (Eastbourne) or Bournemouth to study Events Management. A career choice I decided on after working at Oakley Hall Hotel on a part-time basis for 18 months. I chose to apply to these Universities, as I was born and have always lived in the same little village of Overton in Hampshire, so for me these Unis were the perfect distance away from home. Far enough as to have my independence and freedom but close enough to still send my washing home to mother on the weekends. I went through the whole shebang of applying through UCAS, personal statement writing and waiting on rejection or congrats letters, (plus, I managed to get the required grades. How, I’ll never know!) only to decide, that this isn't really for me. Actually, my decision was not so blasé. I can be quite a rational and logical person (although everyone who knows me will laugh and disagree) when I put my mind to it. The truth is I was starting to get anxious after hearing the media's view on graduates, degrees and low job prospects. I don’t dispute that University is an amazing achievement and experience but for someone like me, who didn't know exactly what they wanted to study, it was a no-brainer. I decided that if I wasn't 100% sure or committed then it just wasn't worth the crazy amount of money or 4 years of my time. I figured that in 4 years from that moment I could have worked my way up a company ladder and be earning decent money at a job that interests and excites me, rather than be one of the horror stories you hear about graduates coming out of Universities with degrees but no money and no job. That thought really shook me up. I decided to take some time, figure out what career path I wanted to take and then make inquiries on how to get my foot in the door. People kept telling me, 'you can't put a price on experience', and from what I can tell, so far, they have been bang on the money. 

On a brighter educational note, I just wanted to say how proud I am of my best friends who did choose uni! In a way i envy them, they all know exactly what they want to do. Good luck girls!

[skippingthesurface]

Relocating the blog..

So, being the dither-brain that I am I have managed to forget my log in to my old blog. Never mind, Tumblr always did look more appealing than blogspot anyway. So here I am, no clue how to use this thing but let's give it a whirl!