Old Friends

Each year that we visit Anghistri we have our first evening meal at Taverna o Fotis. Our first holiday there was in 1988 when we purchased a package holiday with Sun Med. At that time the tavernas were patronised chiefly by English tourists. Taverna o Fotis was no exception and it was noticeable how those with a good sense of humour congregated here. The taverna looked much as it does today except there was then no wall between the tables and the street. Today it looks more modern but yet is still the same in most ways.

Our first impression was that it appeared to be very traditional from what we had heard about tavernas. For instance, there was no printed menu, so when you were asked by Dimitri, the son of Fotis, if you would like to see the menu, you were being invited into the kitchen to see the food before preparation. Dimitri was then 12 years old and used to work in the taverna with his 8 year old sister, Vassu, because they spoke good English and their parents had very little English. This continues to be the case, but over the years I have realised that Fotis himself understands English quite well but has difficulty speaking it.

His wife, Katerina, presided over the taverna, and reminded us of "Bloody Mary", the character from South Pacific with her loud cackle and the severe bun in her hair. As we looked at the food in the kitchen, we chose veal. Katerina was in the kitchen and said, "Is very good - in Greek is polikola." When the veal came to the table it tasted very good and we were pleased with it. The following night we went there again and ordered two "Polikola". This caused puzzlement for Dimitri who was taking the order. The answer was that Katerina had said the previous evening that the Greek word for very good was Polikola! We were asking for two very goods!!!

Over the years we became used to Fotis and Katerina and the noticeable thing about Fotis was that he always wore denim jeans and the crotch was very low indeed. Whenever we arrived there for our first meal he would come and shake hands with us. One year he actually spoke English, "No watter!" There were obviously water supply problems on the island. On one occasion I stopped by the taverna to say hello and asked where Katerina was. The answer was, "Katerina oregano." Waving his arm in a certain direction, he was telling me she was picking oregano. It turns out that there is a church service each September to celebrate Holy Cross and all the worshippers turned up at church with bunches of oregano. That was why Katerina was picking some.

One year we were invited to a big feast at the taverna to celebrate the 21st birthday of Susannah, wife of the watersports man, Robert. Fotis had spit roasted a full lamb on his barbecue and it was shared out among about 30 diners at tables set in a line down the side street. On another occasion we held the annual Petanque match down this street and kept ourselves fortified with beer from the taverna. The match is stilled played out each year between the English tourists from Skala and Megalohori each September.

The photo at the top of this blog shows Fotis sitting at the door of the taverna. This year he became 70 years old and Katerina 62. I discovered this from talking to Vassu, herself now 29 years old. Each year when we arrive Fotis and Katerina make a great fuss of us as they welcome us home! Vassu speaks excellent English so she is our interpreter. This family have now become a true part of us. One year when we arrived to stay in the house of Athena, our friend Dina's sister, we sat on the terrace as a funeral procession went by with an open coffin. In the crowd of mourners was Katerina who was waving and smiling to us as she walked by! It made it feel like a carnival event.

Another regular feature of our visits to Anghistri is my trip each day to the bakers for a loaf of fresh bread. The bread we buy there is wonderful to taste. I always get a welcome from Vangellis, the village baker when I go to his shop for the first time. Sometimes, in the evening, he sits outside with a friend. "Kallispera, Vangelli!" I call and he smiles and reciprocates.

My greatest friend there though is Taki who rents bikes and motor bikes opposite Taverna o Fotis. Taki always gives me a special greeting and allows me special discount when I hire a motor scooter. When I call at his petrol station for fuel I get an invite to the office where we sit and share a Greek coffee and have a long chat. Last year we arrived in the port from our visit to Rhodes and needed a lift up into the village. I couldn't raise Christos from our hotel so I rang Taki and he picked us up in his small petrol tanker.

All these people we count as important friends and it is wonderful to meet up with them each year. We now say it is a visit home rather than a holiday. This so very true.