It turns out that the tavern is perched on the mountain sea cliff and looking out to the blue Ionian Sea. Fantastic views! I personally loved the thick trees giving shade to the diners, they bid a very cosy and romantic ambience, and oh, the birds happily chirping away from tree to tree. Well, what can I say? In this restaurant, you do not need man-made music to accompany the beautiful view.So I told the Dutchman—this is it. We are not going anywhere else for lunch =)
When we came back from holiday I did some research on the restaurant and it turns out that its specialty is seafood and the owner is Italian who migrated to Zakynthos, Greece. This restaurant is very popular among the locals and the tourists as well. That is why it took us a LONG TIME to be seated. Guests came pouring in and we have to wait patiently in line. Dutchman was grumbling and ready to leave but I put down my foot and told him to be still.
Eventually we got our table with a nice view. Because the restaurant was buzzing with diners, ergo overcapacity, it took a while for them to take our order and for the food to arrive. I didn’t mind, I am enjoying my view with a glass of wine while waiting. Plus they gave us free bruschettas. That was a surprise indeed and it was lovely.
Dutchman ordered Greek salad and for me steamed mussels. We were going to order more but when the bruschettas arrived we decided to just leave it as it is. The food is enough already for both of us. Food here is 4.5 stars out of 5.
At the back of the tavern I saw a garden and an infinity swimming pool. It looked like a perfect place to hold a party or just to privately chill out. I wonder if the owner lives here as well? Well, one thing for sure they have a gorgeous property with breath taking views.
Waiting for our lunch to arrive...
There were lots of birds chirping from the trees and we noticed as well that there were many bird houses hanging above us.Finally, lunch has arrived!
Bruschetta came first.
Greek salad never tastes the same outside Greece. Take note, onions and tomatoes here are sweet.
My steamed mussels and half a lemon.
Another angle foto of the taverna's terrace.
The verdict: food wiped out clean.The taverna has its own private infinity swimming pool as well:
From our table we can see South Xigia Beach where we swam in the morning:
A boat came to unload its passengers for a swim:
Garlic and pine corns, they seem to be the theme of this tavern:
Next: More beautiful remote beaches!
The Georgia Guidestones in Elbert County, Georgia March 14, ..
Every time we travel up and down the east coast we crack up at the 999 billboards advertising South of the Border. For the longest time we only knew of this place from driving by it. At some point we actually stopped and stayed at the campground. To say this place is bizarre is truly understatement.
Then as you look around, it seems dated and a bit strange.
If you look closer, you can see what begins to be really strange.
When we stayed here, Auburn joked that it looked like the set to a really cheesy horror flick. The fact we were the only people we saw, beyond the workers, made it seem even more that way. There is just no other place like this unique little complex.
The last time when we visited, I forgot to snap any pictures. I'm glad I remembered this time.
I don't know, Ava. I just don't know!
Living the life in SC!
With the excellent modern dynamo hubs that are now available on the market, it might seem that using a "bottle" generator is a hopelessly outdated and clearly inferior method of powering bicycle lights. We imagine crusty old bottle dynamos making high-pitched hissing noises, powering feeble halogen lamps. Surely such a system cannot provide sufficient illumination. At least that was my thinking, until I actually used a bike with a bottle dynamo to get around in Vienna earlier this year. It was not a totally ancient bottle, but a couple of decades old and definitely crusty from use. And to my surprise, it powered my bike lights just as well as the dynamo hub on the modern Pashley I had back in the Statesat the time.
The vintage Gazelle I now ride as my main transportation bike has a bottle generator as well - this one from the 1990s. It is well-used and worn out, but works fine - both before and after we converted the lights on this bike to LED.
Because my vintageGazelle's bottle has seen some wear, I will soon replace it with thisNordlicht HQ thatan acquaintance has sent from Holland - which is both a more modern, and a more classic-looking model.
And I also have this modern B&M dynamo that I acquired second-hand and plan to install either on my Bella Ciao or on my Raleigh DL-1. I am curious how these will perform in comparison to each other, as well as in comparison to the older AXA that is currently on my Gazelle - though I suspect I will not feel a difference.
At this season they were turning their fall shade of yellow and the leaves were flying off. In one place it was like driving down a road under an archway of pecan tree branches. There were several other cars stopped to take photos. In the 1st photo you can see the irrigation ditch that takes water to the trees in the spring and summer. The pecan nuts had already been harvested. I couldn't find even one nut laying under the trees. The machines that pick the nuts are very efficient. There are lots of shops that sell all kinds of pecan candy, cakes, muffins and other goodies made with the nuts. I have heard that the pollen from the flowers can cause a lot of allergies for some people and that the insecticides used on the trees bother a lot of people.
Meet Rodney, the Raleigh Roadster! According to the date on the hub, he was produced in 1972.
Rodney is a tall gentleman, with a 24" frame and 28" wheels. The Co-Habitant likes big bikes, and one of the reasons he chose the Roadster over the Sport is the larger frame size and wheels.
The original Raleigh grips have been replaced with cork grips, which will soon be shellacked. A Japanese bell was added.
The Brooks B72 saddle had hardened with age, but it has now been treated and laced. The bicycle itself was in great shape. No parts needed to be replaced. Cosmetically Rodney looks excellent. The vintage black saddlebag was included in the purchase. CatEye Opticube LED Bike Light have been added (see front wheel).
The Co-Habitant says that the vintage Raleigh Roadster feels considerably lighter and "sportier" than his Pashley Roadster Sovereign. The Pashley, however, is a more comfortable ride (and can be safely ridden in the rain).
I had a brownBrooks B66 S ("S" indicates the shorter, women's version) on my previously-owned Pashley Princess, which I rode for over a year. And I recently bought the same saddle for my vintage Gazelle.
I haveBrooks B72 saddles on two of my current bicycles: a brown one on my Royal H. mixte, and a black one on my Bella Ciao 3-speed. (I have also owned several vintage B72s, but will leave those out of this discussion).
In terms of experiencing the saddles, the main differences are the springs, the shape, and the texture. The B66 has large springs that provide quite a bit of suspension. The texture of the saddle's surface is pebbled. And the edges - including the sides and the nose - are rounded. To me, these features make the B66 particularly comfortable on a bolt-upright, heavy city bicycle. The substantial springs provide excellent cushiness when most of my weight rests on the saddle. The pebbled texture keeps me from sliding around. And the rounded edges make it easier to slide off the bicycle when dismounting - which is convenient when making frequent stops in the city. On the other hand, when I try the B66 on sportier bicycles (with lower handlebars and steeper geometry), I find some of these comfort features distracting: The springs are too much and the pebbled texture is annoying when I am always shifting on the saddle.
In comparison to the B66, the B72 seems like a more versatile saddle to me. The B72's springs are tighter and smaller - still providing suspension, but not to the extent that it interferes with a more forward lean. The surface of the B72 is smooth and the edges are squarely tapered - which I find more comfortable for long distance cycling, during which I slide around on the saddle more, but get off the bike less frequently.
Some readers notice that I always have the front brake lever set up on the right handlebar on my bikes and ask me why, since the opposite arrangement is more typical in the US. The quick answer is that I find the "right front" setup more intuitive and more convenient. I have owned bikes with both "left front" and "right front" setups, and consistently began to notice that I prefer to have the front brake lever on the right handlebar. So at some point we rerouted all of my bikes to have the front brake on the right side, and I've been happy since.
Some reasons why I prefer the "right front" set-up:
There are different views out there regarding which set-up makes the most sense, and Sheldon Brown has a nice write-up about it here. Ultimately, I think it is up to the individual cyclist to determine which feels more natural to them. And if the setup with which your bike came from the store doesn't feel right, be aware that this is something that can easily be changed by re-routing the brake cables.