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September 1999

Greece (Nafplio), Crete (Matala and Rethymnon), Italy (Tuscany and the Cinque Terre), Monaco and the South of France.

Jvi
2004-09-14 11:44:18

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told me he had to leave but was hoping I would be back the next night. Before he left he made sure the bar staff knew we were to get special service and we did. The next night Ioannis stayed after his shift ended and with some others we partied. Ioannis always has a word or two of wisdom, listen carefully. We ate both nights in the Lions Cafe restaurant downstairs. The bar is over the restaurant and overlooks the Matala beach. The sunsets are fabulous and the food is very good. They serve peanuts as snacks in the bar. A very friendly place. Ioannis’ cousin, Georgio, owns Georgios bar further up the street. Matala has many bars and tavernas and restaurants. It’s a fun place. Many buses come into town during the day but at night there are not as many people. Grandmas rooms were a 5 minute walk out of town. There is only one road into town and it stops at the sea.

During the day we walked south over the hill to the Red Beach, we also swam later from the Matala beach. The Red Beach has red sand, a nice gentle slope and most people swim in the nude. It’s not crowded at all so you will not feel uncomfortable (Except if the German couple with the perfect bodies are on the beach playing with their paddle and ball). You have to walk over the hill to the south of town and on a hot day it is not an easy walk so few people do it. Take some water, it’s about 40-50 minute walk. Sometimes there is someone at the Red Beach renting umbrellas (1,000 Drachmas per day), sometimes not. It’s probably the nicest beach I have ever been at. Alas, Gerard, the last hippie from the 60s is no longer there. I asked about him and was told he had moved further south. He was a naturalist who rented umbrellas and made rock gardens at the base of the cliffs near the Red Beach. We referred to him as Donkey Dick and I had seen several shy girls staring at him when he would approach them to rent an umbrella.

We had lunch at the Lions ...