Recently, I was sitting with a mate in Xristina’s taverna, one of our four summertime Kamini dining establishments (in winter it’s down to one), when a pair of middle-aged couples wandered into the local and sat down. I recognized the one of the gents; he had a familiar, friendly face, and I felt I had known him for years. (Out of context, whether socially or not in their shops, it is often difficult to place locals’ faces).

So, I nodded, smiled, and doffed my hat. He smiled and nodded back. My friend, a swarthy local builder, Pavlos, was grinning.“Do you know who that is?” he asked.

“No,” I said innocently. “I know him, though. Does he have a house or gold shop here”?

“Oxi,” laughed Pavlos. “That is Kosta Simitis, our last prime minister.”

Ah, yes, the man who managed to get Greece on the euro in time, amongst a host of other legacies the country now enjoys.

A week or two on water does wonders for the mind and soul.

And for getaways a little closer to the Rock …
how about a village outside Patras?