Skiathos HolliBellyWedding 1

First the flight from Manchester arrived...

then the luggage came up the hill in the truck...

and this was the view from the Skiathos Palace Hotel.

One kilometre of golden sand, Koukanaries Beach.

We'd been up at 3.15am to catch our flight so we were happy to stay and eat at the Palace(!) on the first night .......while it thunderstormed and rained.

Thunderstormed and rained??

But we had faith.

Four days to go yet.

Weddings don't just happen though, they need a "meeting", so next day the officials of the wedding party caught the bus to Kassandra Bay  for a chat with our co-ordinator, Constantina.

It was going to be brill.

Constantina was cool and chilled and organised. YAY!

And they served good tea. Excellent.

Sorted! 

Wedding planned. 

Time to hit the beach.

We were so lucky, Koukanaries beach was a stone's throw away from our hotel and it was delightful. It actually ranks as one of the best beaches in Greece...totally unspoilt, a crescent shaped vast expanse of golden sand and water that mirrored the colour of the sky. Just gorgeous. 

And perfect for bat'n'ball.

And handstanding.

The grown ups were very grown up and did a lot of grown up digging to Australia.

With castles!

We also planked.

and handstood, getting up an appetite for tea at Michael's.

Oh Lordy!

Tea at Michael's!!!

This place had been recommended to us by another Michael,

who had possibly had a similar experience and sent us there as a wind up. HA!

 It was pure entertainment. 

Like a child who doesn't take a blind bit of notice in what you say. Michael himself was going to cook us fish whatever we ordered. I cook you fish. I do fish. We have lovely fish. I cook you fish. Which bit of I cook you fish do you understand...he was cooking us fish. And after an hour's wait he brought the fish. the fish that he cooked. with every single bone still in it. It couldn't have been more intact! He cooked us lovely fish. Though not before bringing us a loaf of cakey bread, and wine in a type of chalice that we haven't seen since the days of the school canteen.

Hilarious evening.

But what the actual heck was going on with this weather?!?!

We nearly got drenched walking back to the hotel.

GREECE IN THE SUMMER?

The drizzle, the next day, gave us a perfect opportunity to visit Skiathos Town as there would be no bat,ball,plank or handstsanding on the beach.

The gift shops made a fortune selling capes!

I think virtually the whole high street of Skiathos town was wearing one.

AND THUS, WE HAD OUR VERY OWN JOLLY GREEN GIANT.

And Drake managed to pop her studs within ten minutes of wearing hers.

Lids and Natasha were having their nails done for Tuesday so team HennaHolliBelly nipped into a tarverna for lunch and promptly ordered 2 burgers,2 salads,a pasta and a toastie with no mayo.

1.Hot meals arrive

2.Waitress drops a tray full of glasses on the floor.

3.Waitress announces "Sorry no salmon for the salad, can you chose something else?"

4.The men finished their hot food.

5.Salads arrive.

6.Salads are demolished.

7. Broken crockery still on the floor.

8. Ali still waiting for her toastie..

9. Everyone else has now eaten and is ready to go.

10. Waitress "Sorry but he's just dropped your toastie"

11. Toastie arrives smothered in ghastly mayo.

12. Groan. Depart. 

HA! Things like this just make a holiday. =)

We walked round this little "island" 

and planked where the postbox was filmed in the film Mamma Mia.

Greece in Summer indeed. 

But we had faith that the sun would be out on Tuesday (and we were right)

So....back to base because the Gatwickers were about to arrive.