Tuesday, 12. January 2010
Hi everyone, sorry it’s been so long since I have blogged on here, I know I have still got to finish my holiday report from September, post my thoughts on the X-sccks trekking compression socks that I recieved for review, give you an update on my coast 2 coast planning and generally get back up to speed.
There have been a number of reasons that I’ve not blogged on here for a while but it was mainly down to Work and a couple of home projects really taking off.
Work wise I have worked on some big projects, one of the most exciting probaby being Iexerci.se which has involved a huge ammount of effort from me and guys at work in order to get it handed over and launched, which according to this article should be within the next couple of weeks. I will probably do a seperate blog post on it at some point in the near future as it probably deserves one.
Home project wise i’ve been busy working on Beer reviews and Chilli Up North. Beer reviews has got a new look and I am slowly but surely catching up with reviewing more beers along with attending some great beer related events, we also launched a new Meet the Brewer feature which has really taken off, providing some interesting answers from brewers around the world.
Chilli Up North, hasn’t had the attention it deserves, but it will soon be getting some as the new chilli growing season is nearly upon us and the proper website is nearly complete, I’ve also been sent loads of chilli goodies that need reviewing so there should be plenty of new content very very soon.
Other than that it’s just been really hectic, trying to fit in walking, DIY and other bits and bobs, so hopefully 2010 will be full of exiting posts on here….
Posted in Other Stuff by Moggy -
Tuesday, 6. October 2009
No trip to Greece would be complete without a few pints of Mythos or Alfa.
Now those of you who know me will know that I am not a massive lager fan, yes I drink the odd Pilsner or Euro beer now and then but I generally drink Ale. Lager however is one of those drinks that I just can’t seem to get enough of when on Holiday.
It’s not full of flavour nor is it particularly cheap now, but there is just something about it when it’s served up in an ice cold glass, it hits the spot and goes down a treat, It works even better when teamed up with a Gyros Pitta.
Beer in Greece usually comes in a number of different servings, these are:
- Draft, either 25cl or 50cl although I have had a 2litre boot before.
- Bottle – 330ml or 500ml – If you get them in the supermarkets you can take the empties back for a refund.
- Can – either 330ml or 500ml – Handy for taking to the beach.
Personally I like the draft, especially when served in a frozen glass so that the beer just under the head freezes a little, creating a bit of a beer slushy. Quite allot of the time the draft in the bars was simply labelled “Draft” which usually turned out to be Mythos, Alfa or Amstel, either way its quite hard to tell the difference (nor does it really matter) when it’s icy cold.
While in Parga I also managed to find Mythos Red, which was a new one on me, I was expecting to prefer it to Mythos as it looked closer to a proper ale, however I was left disappointed as it wasn’t that different it just had a little bit more of a sweet malty flavour and a bit of an odd after-taste.
I also found another new beer Hellas Pills – This came in a 500ml can from a local supermarket, it was 30 cents cheaper than the Mythos so I thought it was worth a try – however after the first sip, I wished I had bought the Mythos instead, it was pretty insipid stuff, which i won’t be buying again.
There were also a few other beers available that are the staple of most Greek destinations and all beers I had sampled before, these were Amstel, Heineken, Kaiser Pills and Guinness.
I did bring a few cans of Mythos home but it never taste’s the same really.
Anyway enough words, time for some pics of a few of the beers.
Bottled Mythos
Draft Mythos
Mythos Red
Mythos in a can
Mythos with a view
Mythos and Gyros Pitta
Pills Hellas
Alfa Beer
Mythos in Paxos
Posted in Beer and Drinking, Holidays by Moggy -
Monday, 5. October 2009
Parga has a great mixture of beaches, some sand, some shingle, some quiet and others more lively. We decided to try as many as possible so here is what we thought.
Parga Town beach/Krioneri - This was the beach that was right at the end of our balcony, this meant it got rather busy as it was the closest beach to the town
Krioneri Beach
It was predominately fine shingle with a little bit of sand. The water was clear and warm, there was a little bit of seaweed once you got a bit further out but this seemed to attract some rather large fish so it was good for snorkeling.
The beach was very clean as the sunbed owners used to clean it every morning, this was probably reflected in the price for 2 beds and a brolly being 8 Euros per day which is the most expensive we came across.
Piso Krioniri - This was a small cove 2 minutes walk from our room
Piso Krioniri Beach
This was a lovely little cove, the beach was mainly fine shingle and there weren’t that many sunbeds (6 euros for the day here) on it so it didn’t get too busy, The sea was lovely and clear, and for the most part it was nice and flat so made for excellent swimming and snorkeling although there was a fair bit of seaweed.
The beach was complimented by stunning views of the surrounding hillside and couple of nice tavernas, one did wicked take away pizzas.
There also seemed to be a lot of locals fishing from the rocks at the end of the cove, next time i might try taking my fishing rod and see what happens.
Valtos Beach – This is the biggest of Parga’s beaches and was located about 20 minutes from our hotel, we walked to it via the castle on the hill.
Valtos Beach
Because it was end of season Valtos was quite quiet and the sunbeds only cost 5 Euros, as a result most of the water sports weren’t on so it was quite nice, i can imagine in the summer season it gets very busy and noisy.
The beach was quite sandy and the first few meters of the sea were sandy too, but after that it was mainly seaweed, it wasn’t quite as good for snorkeling as the other beaches, probably due to it’s size and the number of boats passing.
There was also a long strip of bars and restaurants, so you had plenty of choice for food and drink.
Lichnos - This was our favourite beach and was about 3 miles from the hotel, we walked there and back through the stunning olive groves. which was quite hard work in the heat as it was basically up and then down a rather large hill. For the less adventurous there were regular water taxis here.
Lichnos beach
Again the beach was fine shingle and a little bit of sand, the sunbeds were 6 Euros per day and the snorkeling was excellent.
The sea was really calm and really clear, it also got deep quite quickly but you could see evertything around you, there were lots of fish and they seemed to be quite brave, swimming up to you and nibbling your feet if you stood/floated still.
I can see the beach getting really busy in the peak seasons as most people will jump on the water taxis.
There were a couple of bars lining the beach which sold food, cold drinks and ice cream, we only bought drinks so can’t comment on the food.
Olive groves on the way to Lichnos
Overall we were really impressed with the quality and number of beaches, so if you like your beach holidays, snorkeling, diving or fishing then Parga could be the place for you.
There are also a few more beaches, further out of Parga but we have left those until our next visit we also visited a beach on Anti-Paxos but more on that in another post.
You can also check out all the pictures on flickr and all the videos on youtube.
Posted in Holidays by Moggy -
Friday, 2. October 2009
As it was dark when we arrived we couldn’t see much, we could however see the beach, it was literally at the end of our balcony. We could also see the lights of many Tavernas and bars stretching along and round the corner, to what we later found out was the harbour and town centre.
The apartment it’s self was one of the best we have stayed in (the best if you discount the one we stayed in for Emily’s sister’s wedding where we had our own private pool, jacuzzi and free bar, mainly due to a booking cock up so they upgraded us for free).
Our room @ Utopia Studios
The doors you can see at the end opened up onto the balcony which overlooked the beach, we couldn’t quite believe how close it was. This meant we could hear the waves lapping the shore all night long which made it extra relaxing.
The whole place was spotless and incredibly well looked after, which again was a bit of a surprise as it didn’t have a very high star rating, having staid that despite the fancy bathroom the plumbing was still like most of the places in Greece meaning that you had to put your loo roll in the bin, a bit yukky at first but you soon get used to it.
Below our room was a small cafe bar which was owned and run by the same people who owned the apartments, they were really friendly and helpful, they also server a nice array of hot and cold drinks and snacks.
The apartment was really well located, it was only a few minutes stroll into the town and only a few steps to a secluded cove called Piso Krioneri (more about that later). It was also close to a fab bakery and supermarket which came in handy for bottles of water and all sorts of lovely baked goods including the biggest croissants ever, not to mention bottles of Mythos.
The view from our balcony
In the photo above you can see a white wall just to the right of the lamppost, this is where the main row of Tavernas and bars started so you can see just how close the town was.
The resort seemed to be centred around the main strip but we found many bars and Tavernas all over the place, right up to and inside the castle at the top of the hill. The main attractions seemed to be the beaches, castles and olive groves to name but a few (but again more about those later)
With the exception of the climb up to the castle and the walk through the olive groves the resort was pretty flat, although both the castle and the beaches on the other side of the olive groves can be reached by road and boat so it would still be suitable for those with walking difficulties.
Parga as a whole was very clean and tidy, the locals seemed to take great care of their buildings and their surroundings, every morning the people who owned the sunbeds would clean them and give the beach the once over so it was in top condition for the day ahead.
Which brings me nicely onto my next post…the beaches, I’ll post about them very soon.
In the mean time you can check out all the pictures on flickr and all the videos on youtube.
Posted in Holidays by Moggy -
Wednesday, 30. September 2009
If you were wondering why my blog post’s dried up last week, it’s because I had taken a week off and popped over to Greece for a bit of Sun and some Mythos.
So to make up for it im going to post a FULL report of our trip and bore you all to death with my pics, having said that I am going to break it down into a few sections over the next couple of days so you don’t get too bored
We love Greece, especially the islands (we’ve “done” quite a few) unfortunately we haven’t been for a few years now…mainly because we bought and renovated a house so didn’t have the funds. This year we managed to save a few quid, despite me doing my best to spend it all on new beers.
The view from the plane
We had a list of places we wanted to go, but in the end plumped for a cracking deal that i found on the Internet, so we booked a week at the Utopia Studios in Parga, mainland Greece, It was the first time we had chosen mainland Greece so we weren’t sure what to expect.
After the usual trip to the airport, checking in and waiting around in the airport – which wasn’t too bad as there is a fair bit to do in Manchester’s Terminal 1, i even managed to find some decent beer (Brooklyn lager) and a wicked burger place that had a massive selection of chilli sauces, the pick of the bunch being smoked Tabasco sauce, check in was made easier as we only took the 1 bag – my shiny new North Face Basecamp Duffel which is way easier than lumping a suitcase round (I will post a full review of it after it’s had a bit more use).
Brooklyn Lager
On arrival in Parga we were greeted by a rather grumpy bloke who glanced at our passports, then picked up our bag (it was the first off and easy to spot…it being bright orange) jumped on the bus and were taken to the hotel, unfortuantely it was dark so we couldn’t see much.
What happened next you will have to wait until later to find out.
In the mean time you can check out all the pictures on flickr and all the videos on youtube.
Posted in Holidays by Moggy -