The Drachma is Gone!
Warm summery greetings from Corfu.
Little baby Aphrodite is growing more wonderful every day - I have added a couple of short videos of her to this newsletter, so that you can see what she is really like. Thanks for the many presents and gifts that we have received.
Now, in my haste last month, I forgot to mention how we are coping with the Euro. This is my report:
For the first two months of this year, Greece (and the other EU member states who have Euro opted), have been operating a duel currency system. We have had the choice of paying in either currency. From March though only Euros are to be used - old Drachmas can still be changed at the bank. Since last year all prices had to be displayed in both currencies. But now being able to pay in either one has caused
unimaginable chaos. Supermarket queues doubled in length as angry shoppers quibbled over the change given - by law, all change has to be given in Euros. Consider the following scenario: You purchase items totaling 3 Euros 75 Cents. You give the cashier a 10,000 drachma note, who uses a calculator to workout that the Euro price is equivalent to 1279 drachmas. (Special 'Euro calculators' have been given to all shopkeepers to assist with this process.) The cashier then calculates the change to be given (8721 drxs) and coverts this to
Euros (25.57 Euro). Then, sorts though the till to find the change. This happened to me and I ended up with 255 Euros - I was honest and gave back the money! You can imagine though as a customer, trying to work out if you have been given the correct change - no easy mental arithmetic task - and super market queues have been horrendous.
Many had commented that the Euro introduction would cause price increases due to the 'rounding up' of prices. I am not so sure that this has proven true. Every morning, I go to our local
Kafeneon for a Greek coffee. Chandos the owner, charges me 350drxs. The Euro equivalent is 1.03. If I pay in Euro, I am charged 1 Euro. During the afternoon, I
often pop in for a beer - 700drxs but the Euro equivalent is 2.05. Again I am charged just 2 Euros. Some newspaper reports, have suggested that the average weekly shopping basket is now actually 2% cheaper. It remains to be seen if prices are increased this month - I will report next month!
Web Site News
During February, I was able to spend many hours updating the web site. This was due to father-in-law having to go to the mainland for an operation. Mother-in-law and myself accompanied him to Ioannina on the mainland. We were there for two weeks. He has completely recovered you will be pleased to hear and the even the doctors were impressed at his speed of recovery - years of eating hauta and olive oil he puts it down to! (If you would like to
read my report about this visit and Greek hospitals in general:
click here
- the report is not as scathing as you might think!) Greek hospitals allow the relatives to stay at the hospital - to assist in the nursing. During the time there and in-between looking after him, I sat with my trusty laptop and attended to the ongoing website update - to the amusement of the doctors. I have completed a new
Property
Guide - everything you need to know about owning a holiday home on Corfu. Also a new section for
Regular Corfu Visitors. This part of the site is for the many who return year after year to Corfu, to help stimulate ideas for the next trip
here! The new real-time Chat Room is proving hugely popular. Eleni and I try to be there every evening between 8-9pm GMT, joined by Chris and Donna the web site admin team! - if you have not yet tried it then you must - it is very addictive - I have not watched TV for ages! Before you can enter the chat room, you will be asked for a 'chat' name - use anything you like. Then the following chat
room will download to your computer:
Taverna Agni 'chat room'
To the right are those already in the room. To the left the current conversation. If you would like to say something then just move your mouse pointer over the message bar and select it. Type your message and press your keyboard 'enter key'. Within a few seconds you will hear a sound and your message will be displayed for others to read. If it becomes to busy in the main chat room (the Taverna) then you can easily move into a quieter room: the beach or the kitchen! Simply select the menu, and
view the available options. If you wish to send a private message to one on the 'chatters', move your mouse pointer to their name and select it. A popup box will appear for you to enter a message - only you and the chatter you selected will see the message. We look forward to talking to you there - if you have any problems, then of course you may email me for help!
Other News
If you are familiar with the Agni Bay, you will have noticed the old 'boat shed' at the bottom of the road (to the right as you come down) - next to Olga's cottage. Well she has had it pulled down and made a little parking area for her cottage. It really has improved the area as it was the only blot in the bay.
Also, the Greek telephone company OTE, has changed the phone numbering system. If you have been trying to contact someone in Greece and failed then this is the reason. They have added a 0 to the end of all the area codes. Also, if while you are on holiday you want to make a call from a local phone, you must now always include the area code - even if phoning a local number. So to phone the Taverna you will now need to dial 06630 91142.
Athens News: The Greek traffic police, have just unveiled new speed trap cameras. There have been many protests by drivers saying that they are unethical and what is the world coming to! - the money should be spent repairing the roads. The first ones erected were immediately vandalized - spray-paint over the lens! Lets hope though that the fines collected are put to good use.
Well that is it for this month - not sure if during the hectic summer the newsletters will be quite so long!
'Kalo Minna'. (The Greek expression meaning have a 'good month'.)
Nathan, Eleni and the now sleeping baby Aphrodite.
XXx
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Our recent trip to the mainland.
Aphrodite with boyfriend - Tom Jones from Kouloura.
Baby Aphrodite with her dad!
Accommodation Offer
I mentioned last month about the building of our new fish-shaped swimming pool. Well, work has been progressing well and we hope to have it finished mid May - we are also including a cocktail pool! Adjacent to the pool is a large BBQ area.
View from the villa.
The villa is located in the quiet village of Loustri - just above Agni bay, and has four bedrooms - sleeping 4-8 - fully air-conditioned. There are two bathrooms, a fully fitted kitchen - what else would you expect from Eleni! - with dishwasher and washing machine. The villa is on two separate levels - with two bedrooms and one bathroom on each level - Ideal for two families or a large family with teenagers - who want to be a little bit separate from the
parents (or is it parents separate from the teenagers?). A maid cleans daily.
Three large verandas for alfresco eating!
If you are interested in renting the property, then contact CV for further details. As the villa is new on CV travel's books - and was not ready for inclusion of their 2002 brochure, it can be rented at a bargain rate.
This months competition
Last months competition was a photo of Kouloura. Many will be surprised to discover a tiny chapel there. 'Hilary' sent an email with the answer - only a few moments after I had sent out the newsletter - so well done. Incidentally as she does not drink she has asked to trade her winning bottle of Boutari for a 'Red Snapper'!
For this month's competition - where on Corfu is this Church? We are offering a top prize this month - a meal for two including a fine bottle of 'Hatzimichali Lefko' wine - for the first correct answer.
(Thanks to Chris and Donna for the photo.)
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