You may have a post with absolutely no photos. I have no idea what the problem is - Jess sent some from the day and I sent mine but they emails are not showing up.
We are currently in Petalidi, Greece.
Greece - that word was the reason for one of the most ridiculous outbursts I have ever seen and that was our "You had to be there" story...but more on that later.
As I typed that, one email came in - sent like half an hour ago.
We got up this morning and pretty much took our time in getting ready. We had another late check in, got an extra hour at the place we were at and so decided to make an easy day of it. We probably got in the car around 11 and headed off towards Petalidi - about a 2 hour drive. The internet is being a real dick and there is a scary shower in Neil's apartment - this is the Europe I remember!
Still refusing to upload.
Anyway on the ride, me, Glenn, Neil and Malcolm in the car. Glenn was talking about Ireland and how it was all green and lush and soft. And then he started talking about the Greek landscape that we were driving through and that it was dry and rocky and hard...he was kinda doing this word recognition/connection thing like in the diner scene in Reservior Dogs, where Mr. White says, "For the past fifteen minutes now, you've just been droning on with names. "Toby...Toby...Toby... Toby Wong...Toby Wong...Toby Chung...fuckin' Charlie Chan." I got Madonna's big dick outta my right ear, and Toby Jap I-don't- know-what, outta my left."
Then he bursts out dying laughing so loud, he's laughing for about 30 seconds, eyes tearing and shit. Me and the boys are looking at each other and I say, "What the fuck is going on?" When he composes himself, he proceeds to tell us a story about his parents driving his four younger brothers out to visit him in Arizona. "My dad pulls up to a gas station because there is a problem with the car and the four younger boys are in the back and he says to the guy, 'Hey buddy! You got any grease for my rearend?' and the boys start dying." The youngest doesn't have any idea what's going on. We then proceed with the jokes for the next ten minutes, There was a plug you had to take out in in order to get the grease in....there were a few hard jokes, some Greek jokes and at least one connection to prison. We are all laughing uncontrollably at this point, and "Hey buddy! You got any grease for my rearend" will be a staple around these parts. You had to be there.
We arrived at the Polylimnio Waterfalls - and the parking was a mess. Jess continued towards the front and I took the first spot that I saw. She had to come back. We walked down to the little snack shack so that people could use the can - and I say, "Looks like there are a lot of people in their bathing suits - not just hiking." I'm told that we were hiking. After speaking to the guy in the shop, it was decided that we should go and swim - so everyone waked back to the cars and got changed to get ready for the hike.
The opening part of the hike was down the dirt road. You could tell on the walk down that it was going to sub on the way back. It eventually opened up to a rock covered path - and then a natural one that moved its way throughout the woods. It wasn't terribly far but the terrain was difficult. It was made more so when it was getting wet. The rocks were well traveled and slippery from wear. I was in front with Neil and Malcolm and then we lost everyone else. I suggested we wait at one spot and they decided that we should keep going, which we did. As we got further up there were a couple of different paths to take, some completely worn out and boards needing replacement over the water. We got to another spot near the waterfall and I waited for them to catch up and Neil and Malcolm continued on their merry way.
As with most waterfall hikes, you start to see smaller pools on your way up. Now after they caught up, Jess had her parents and I had Isla and Duncan. At one point, I busted my ASS - caught my hip and the side of my right knee on the rocks - it was a slower fall - as Duncan put it, "Like a cartoon." I almost caught myself and then my leg went out from under me again and blam. Isla came to check on me and then she fell. It was all quite comical. I can't be doing that shit at my age, I'll break a hip! I think this is the pic I took when I hit the ground...
The falls were nice - but when you got there, they were packed there was no place around them to really hang out. When you wanted to get down to the water you had to go on the rocks barefoot and that was pretty uncomfortable. The water was cold - but after the initial shock (which wasn't that was bad) it was very refreshing - and it is certainly needed after the rock scramble in to the place. You'd think that they would do something to make the sides a little easier to deal with and more comfortable to get to the water.
Of course, Malcolm makes his way over to the rock where the adults are jumping off. It is way higher than yesterday's and there is a pretty difficult rope to climb up in order to get to the spots. Another young kid went before him and jumped right from when he got up - not my Malcolm. He got tot the spots that the adults were jumping from and had he seen the higher spot he probably would have done that one instead. I'll admit - I was a bit worried on this one - he's strong and determined when it comes to this stuff and he's well prepared but the slippery rocks make it difficult at best.
This is where the pictures of Malcolm on the top of the rock and the video of him jumping should be - if I can get them on here, I will edit so they are there - check the FB post for updates - so disappointing. Well - the video finally came so here you go...
Of course, everyone had to start jumping from the side spots - not Neil, he's feeling like shit, and I have a feeling it is Coldvid. So he has his own apartment in the place we are staying at the next two nights - not that it will matter or that I didn't have it first.
When our time was up, we started to head back. Glenn and Chris left about 10 minutes before us then Jess, Neil, Duncan and Isla and Malcolm and I brought up the rear for the walk back.
The swim kep your body temp in really cool condition for the walk back until the last part - the uphill bit that I mentioned earlier in the post. That was hot and my ashtma kicked in a little and the out of shape but it wasn't too bad.
After the falls, the kids grabbed some ice cream from the shack and we got back to the car for the half hour drive to Petaldi. The town is very small - it is one of those places you see in movies where you can barely make it on the street with the other cars. We find our apartments but there is literally no place to park. I go down the road and find some space and park so that I can unpack. Some old malacca comes out of her shack and tells me I can't park there it's private. I tell her that I am unloading only and will move it as soon as we are done, just getting the stuff out. When I do all that and come back down the other lady who's building it is if hanging off her balcony so she can yell down at me. Babbling in Greek - really fast. So I reply, "Yeak ok - just moving it now, I was unloading the car." She say something else and then waves her hand to another part of the street and I say, "Yeah, ok, thanks." My ride or die, Malcolm jumps in the front seat and wants to start flashing her the bird. I have to make him stop - even though he was right. I get it - it probably happens all the time - but we were less than five minutes, no one came and as soon as I got back I moved the car. These old bats were waiting - like they had nothing else to do but fucking be on the lookout to be a nosy old goat.
The slab of apartments - each with its own patio or balcony.
Ah, Europe with the, "Shit a shave and a shower" set up.
Poor Glenn tried to order chicken bites which we assumed were nuggets of some kind. This instead of the chicken meatballs he got the night before. Well, they come and they were cheese bites in the shape of balls. He almost crapped because he thought it was chicken meatballs again. He actually liked the cheese but then opted for a chicken gyro - thus losing his gyro virginity in of all places the Greek seaside. I suppose that this could match his. "Hey buddy! You got any grease for my rearend?" theme today.
After a good dinner and some well behaved kids - yes, you heard that right, they were pretty good at dinner. Must have been the Coke (a-Cola), we went back to the apartment so that they could shower and then play iPads, the adults took a stroll on the waterfront, which wasn't too large and it was a small sized beach again - not sure how that is going to work for us, but we will figure it out.
August 16, 2025
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