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In Which I Realise I Forgot To Pack A Clothes Iron
July 1, 2008 by Mike
Marina di Calounia Marina
Happy birthday to yoooooooooooou
Happy birthday to yoooooooooooou
Happy birthday dear Frankieeeeee
Happy birthday toooooooooooo you
x
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Three days in Marina di Calounia to recharge the batteries.
It's not somewhere you'd necessarily think to stop, especially after rattling through the glories of Sicily, but in a way that's exactly what I needed. Peace and quiet and nothing to distract me.. such as anything worth seeing or doing.
And what's more, there were two good reasons to stay for a bit, quite apart from needing to rest the bits of me that come into close contact with the bike when riding all day. Please don't ask me to be more graphic.
1. The Orient-Express Cafe
Antonio and Agata had set up a huge screen on the pavement outside their cafe to show the Euro 2008 Final. In the end it was just us, their next-door neighbour and Antonio's nephew watching. Not much of a turn out, but I guess Italy weren't involved. No Germany fans to be seen either, mind. Viva Espana!
Agata is Polish. "Dzhinn-k'wee-YAAY", I said, as she poured me a beer. The only Polish I can remember: 'Thank you'. She was impressed. But she had to translate it into Italian for Antonio. They've been together for three years and he hasn't even learned to say Thanks in her own language. Blimey.
And they had wi-fi. Double blimey! I can get online for the first time in what seems like weeks. (The Guardian website is still slow. I still blame Berlusconi.)
2. Camping Afrodite
.. or to be more precise, Bruno - who runs the place. A lovely man -- funny and sad, at the same time, which can be a hard one to pull off. He does it very well. Fascinating to talk to an intelligent, educated, travelled, thoughtful, charming, *frustrated* man about life here in the deepest Deep South. Ask him about Berlusconi; ask him about the criminal gangs; come to think of it, ask him about English women. A very interesting man.
Here's a picture of Bruno. You looked exactly like this once, dear Reader. Don't believe me? I can prove it: this is the exact moment Bruno first laid eyes on BesideTheSeaside.eu. The hesitant disbelief in his eyes: you probably had it too.
I fashioned a goatee for myself in his honour: no pictures here, mind.
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I spent the rest of the time here ironing my clean clothes.
Didn't really. I was on the beach and in the sea. So turquoise. But the other people on the beach? SO LOUD. WHY DO THEY HAVE TO SHOUT? THEY'RE SITTING NEXT TO EACH OTHER. AND IT'S NOT JUST HERE, NOT JUST ON THIS BEACH. IT'S A NATIONAL EPIDEMIC. IT'S DRIVING ME ROUND THE TWIST.
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