Plakias Forums
Ostraco's Bar => Gossip => Topic started by: Greecemad on January 24, 2004, 11:29:43 PM
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The following link should take you to some photographs of Plakias/Damnoni. Any suggestions as to which year they were taken?
Greecemad's Webpage (http://mysite.freeserve.com/greecemad)
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What's the prize for the one who gets it right?
My guess is 1982
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seems so long ago! i reckon 1984, wish i had a few more of the old pics!
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There isn't a prize, it's just a bit of fun.
You are both wrong, but thanks for the attempts. I'll announce the correct answer when we've had some more attempts at it.
The time of year was late April/early May so whether there were umbrellas on Damnoni later in the season, I don't know.
Greecemad.
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My guess is 1987, although I remember Amoudi without sunbeds in 1992.
Yvonne
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I've added some more photos now, not that these will help you with identifying the year.
Most of the rest are either not very good, are unknown bits of countryside or are groups of people I met, and I'm sure it's acceptable to publish them.
I would have thought that the partially built sea wall would give some of you a clue, but I suppose with it being Greece it could have been like that for several years - there was no actual work going on whilst I was there.
Greecemad.
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It is 1990 and I claim the prize!
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Congratulations to Compage, who is correct - it was 1990. All the other attempts were much too early.
Did you work that out from the photographs or from my previous postings?
Greecemad.
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I was there in '91 and have some pictures that show the front in a similar state to that in your picture. But the clincher was the fact that your earlier posts show you as having been in Plakias in 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2002. After that it was easy!
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John, could I hear nah nah na nah nah?!!!
Yvonne
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As if I would! (bottom lip dragging on the floor).
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Looks like the good ol days anyway, as everything looks at our age.
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[span style=\'font-size:14pt;line-height:100%\']CONGRATULATIONS[/span]
and sounding applaus from the audience to
Detective Sherlock Compage
Rocky
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[span style=\'font-size:14pt;line-height:100%\']Yippee! [/span]
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Wow - those pictures bring back memories. No HapiMag! What a difference it has made to Damnoni bay! I remember struggling back across that rough terrain from Taverna Akti one night in the pitch dark after a meal with the rambling group (SunMed) and trying to negotiate a rickety little bridge across the stream. Did I say bridge? It was more like a plank of wood thrown carelessly across joining the path on each side. Those were the days!
Mind you, even now HapiMag is there, you still have a blind scramble up the side of the complex to get back to the track above on account of how HapiMag's owners don't like non-residents walking through their patch and so keep the little gate at the top locked!
Taverna Akti has changed almost beyond recognition - does anyone remember when the three brothers used to be on hand there and there were a few rooms to rent? And the old boy (the father) used to have a little allotment across the road and you'd see him pottering among his vegetables. The lads, Giorgo and Manolis spend their time now down at Kri Kri and I haven't seen Thanasis in years though I'm told he is still in town. One thing's not changed though - the food at Akti is still fantastic!
Karen
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On the basis that I thought the plank of wood over the stream was a public right of way I've been known to walk through the gate at the top of Hapimag, or climb over it, then just walk through their reception as though I was staying there. More recently, though, there is a more substantial gate that is always locked so you can't do this.
I didn't know anyone else still walked to Damnoni. Gone are the days when you would see several people walking through the olive groves. Nowadays everyone seems to go by car. Last time I was there I scorned the road round the headland from Damnoni to Mikro Ammoudi and walked over where the old path was over the top, then climed down the rocks at the other side onto the beach - my legs got scratched in the prickly undergrowth though as no-one goes this way any more.
Greecmad.
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We used to hop over the gate at HapiMag too but as you say, it isn't possible any more. I think I've probably said this before, we generally stay at Ifigenia which is the building behind Oasis Pension (along the same road, next door in fact ignoring the olive groves, to Sharon). Although we take the car when we're heading for the beach (we use Ammoudaki too) due to amount of baggage we usually have with us these days with two kids, we generally walk if we're only going as far as Akti as we don't want to have to drive back.
The old path from Damnoni to Ammoudaki is still just about visible although the bulldozed tracks have taken parts of it away. I suspect the paths we used on rambles from Skineria, past Ammoudi are even more eroded!
Karen
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Last year we walked to Damnoni several times - very pleasant. Fortunately we no longer have kids in tow. Uncertain about the route through HapiMag, we've kept to the road to the left of HapiMag. We'll try going to the right this year.
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From Plakias village walk along the road out of the village. As you get to the top of the hill there are two roads to the right. Take the second (which is now surfaced), with an olive grove on the left. Eventually it bends to the left and meets the Oasis to ? Hotel (the one that used to be nudist) road at 5 or 6 lane ends. Here take the track almost straight ahead that goes downhill. This point is what I call 'windy corner' as it's where the Meltemi seems to blow strongest, especially when you are coming back. You will pass Hapimag on the left (noting the locked gate). After passing Hapimag, follow its boundary fence round to the left down a very steep rough path to the beach.
There is another route from the 'far end' of Plakias beach, but this is very difficult to describe and I've sometimes forgotten it between visits to Plakias because of changes to the vegetation.
Greecemad.
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Thanks Greecemad - Can recommend the route from the far end - we were fine, finding that part of the route as we happened to meet someone coming the other way.
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The hotel that was nudist was called Calypso.
I think it is still operating, but now is all-inclusive and clothing required.
You sometimes see a minibus from there in town.
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I suspect the paths we used on rambles from Skineria, past Ammoudi are even more eroded!
Karen
For some reason, I've just been re-reading all this thread. It brings back memories. On my last visit to Plakias (nearly 2 years ago now), I walked (or rather scrambled) over the rocks from Ammoudi to Skinaria and back. It really was a scramble, not to be recommended, and I had to unfasten the 'gates' in the fence at each end - they were fastened with bits of wire. I'm sure we walked from Skinaria back past Ammoudi back in SunMed days and I'm sure it wasn't so bad then.
Greecemad
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I suspect the paths we used on rambles from Skineria, past Ammoudi are even more eroded!
Karen
For some reason, I've just been re-reading all this thread. It brings back memories. On my last visit to Plakias (nearly 2 years ago now), I walked (or rather scrambled) over the rocks from Ammoudi to Skinaria and back. It really was a scramble, not to be recommended, and I had to unfasten the 'gates' in the fence at each end - they were fastened with bits of wire. I'm sure we walked from Skinaria back past Ammoudi back in SunMed days and I'm sure it wasn't so bad then.
Greecemad
we do this route at least once a visit, usually on our first day as warm up to try and get used to walking in the sun and because we can split the day with a little beach
the route via the far end is easy enough to find, just to the right of the plakias bay hotel, there's a path that leads up (not towards the headland, you keep to the hotel edge) a small incline and leads you to a wire fence on the left, follow it to where the where a path leads right thru the olive groves, this bears left, through some fields and it leads you to the road to kalypso, cross over to damnoni
cross damnoni..look for turtles swimming in the river under the bridge, up the other side of the bay, turn right for the small bays ( too crowded for us) and onto amoudi beach cross the beach.
on the far side of amoudi, look for the signs which show you the gates, immediately to your left there's the first cairn, these are the key to an easy route over the head!! but they are not easy to spot amongst the other rocks. there is only one place where it is necessary to climb and its only six foot or so up a stepped rock. if you find yourself in difficulty or in a dangerous place , you have gone wrong stop, retrace your steps and look for the cairns!
the path leads you off the rocks and through the scrub to the side of shinaria beach where you can rest and recuperate, with the help of the Libyan Star restaurant
we usually go up the road to lefkoyia and come back past the amoudi hotel to damnoni
chris