Nassos Arvanitis 1961-2004

It is with great sadness that we report the untimely death of Nassos Arvanitis, who you will have known from Pelekas Café which he ran for many years.

Nassos suffered a heart attack in the early hours of 30th October and was buried two days later. His funeral was one of the biggest ever seen in Pelekas, reflecting the affection and respect of his many friends. In the square outside Pelekas Café hundreds of candles remained lit over the next few days.

Nassos will be sorely missed, not only by his family and friends here in Pelekas, but also by the friends he had made over many summers. Their lives were enriched by his warmth and generosity of spirit, and by the welcome that always awaited them at Pelekas Café. Pelekas will never be quite the same again. Rest in Peace Nassos.

A Book of Remembrance has been opened at Pelekas.com. You can leave a message by clicking here.
 

Special Interest Holidays

Bored with the beach? Jaded by clubbing? Avoiding the high season? Well, here are some alternative holiday ideas.

Diving - From June onwards the sea is warm enough for comfortable diving in Corfu's fantastic underwater landscape. If you hold a diver's certificate, Corfu is one of the few places in Greece where scuba diving is permitted without restriction. There are diving schools at both Ermones and Agios Gordios.

Painting - Corfu has long been a popular place for artists. The island has a remarkable range of scenery and architecture in a relatively small area. Discovery Tours organises regular painting holidays based in Pelekas.

Walking - By far the best way of appreciating any environment is to walk through it. Wander through meadows, olive groves, forests and fields and visit ancient hill villages where families have lived for generations and life has only taken a nod at modern day tourism. For more information contact Lemonhouse Walks.

Sailing - Corfu and the Ionian islands offer a superb location for a sailing holiday. Navigation in the area is simple, there is little tide or current, the cruising area is relatively sheltered and the winds are normally gentle. There are many picturesque anchorages and ports, welcoming tavernas and friendly local people. You can find out more about yacht charter from Pinnacle Yachts.

Golf - The Corfu Club's beautiful course, close to Pelekas, has been praised by many as one of the best kept in Europe. It blends the natural resources of the lovely Ropa Valley with man made hazards to make the course a good but fair test. The tree-lined fairways and the sandtraps combine with the several lakes and meandering streams, to make an attractive picture against a backcloth of high hills. It is equally enjoyable for the scratch player as it is for the long handicap one. For details click here.
 

Season's Greetings

Everyone connected with Pelekas.com would like to take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful festive season and a peaceful and prosperous 2005.
It would be great to see you here next summer!
 

Seaplane Service Update

As reported in the Summer edition of Pelekas News, the new seaplane service from Corfu has started with daily flights to and from Paxos. A full service to Ioannina, Brindisi, Patras, Kefalonia, Lefkas, etc. will come into operation early in the new year. Meanwhile, for information about schedules and prices click here.
 

Cookery Corner

We thought maybe you'd like the opportunity to re-create some of your favourite Corfiot taverna recipes at home. This issue, Tiropita (Cheese Pie).

Ingredients

1 kg milk. 8-10 eggs, beaten. 1 kg Feta cheese. 250 gms Kefalotyri cheese. 250 gms butter. Pinch of dill. Pinch of nutmeg. Half kg filopastry. 250 gms fine semolina. Salt. Pepper.

Instructions

Pour the milk and semolina into a pan and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly until you have a thick cream. Add the butter, the beaten eggs, salt and pepper. Finally add the grated Kefalotyri and Feta cheese, the finely chopped dill, the nutmeg and mix well. Put layers of half the filo pastry in a baking tin, brushing each one with melted butter. Make sure that the edges of the pan are lined with the pastry so that they can be folded over the filling later. Spread the filling evenly, fold any overlapping edges over it and add the remaining filo pastry on top, brushing each pastry sheet with butter. Cut the top layers of the pastry in square shapes with a knife and bake the cheese pie in a medium oven, until its top is golden brown.
 

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Editorial

There appears to be little doubt that the tastes of holiday-makers are changing.
According to a survey earlier this year by the market analysts Mintel, British holiday-makers are increasingly put off by crowded and noisy package resorts in traditional hotspots.
Two out of three Britons blamed rowdy resorts abroad for blighting holidays, with UK families more than twice as likely to be deterred by a resort being taken over by fellow Britons as holiday-makers from other countries.
Of those questioned, 62 per cent also highlighted the fear of crime as a problem, and 53 per cent said they were concerned about the perceived threat from terrorism.
"Once the mainstay of the holiday market, there is now overwhelming evidence that holiday-makers - including families - no longer always opt for the packages offered by the major tour operators," said Amanda Lintott, a consumer analyst.
The birth of the low-cost airlines and easy internet booking has also caused a change in habits, with increasing numbers of tourists arranging their own holidays.
An increasing number of people are buying holiday homes and enjoying residential tourism, so they no longer have to book package holidays.
All of these factors have combined to make the traditional resorts less popular. Which is good news for Pelekas! Ê

(We would like to apologise for not putting together an Autumn edition of Pelekas News. The truth is that September and October were so hot and dry this year that our normally hardworking staff couldn't be dragged away from the beach!)
 

A Pelekas Wedding?

It's official! You can get married in Greece; official being the operative word.
It is becoming increasingly popular to married abroad and civil and church weddings are possible in Greece, civil weddings being more commonplace for non Greek nationals.
Despite the easy going and laid back culture here, there are many bureaucratic hurdles to overcome before the big day. All documentation must be translated, legalised and certified by Greek authorities before a wedding licence is granted. Civil weddings then take place in local town halls, the rule being that you must use the town hall nearest to your place of residence. (For holiday weddings, this is your holiday accommodation, and you must be there for at least 8 days before the wedding).
Your own national consulate should be able to give you more advice and information. For British nationals there are several UK tour operators that offer a wedding service. This may cost a few pounds more than doing it yourself, but gives you the reassurance that the whole process is carried out in accordance with the local requirements. The companies also provide a representative here in Greece to handle everything for you and ensure that your big day is truly one you will always remember.
If you would like further details about getting married in Greece click here.