New Years Eves

For us, it’s not all about the climbs and the grades. It’s about the feeling, the ambiance and the environment. Having walked into our chosen cliff (Hot Rock), this morning, we found so many people at the base of the climbs that we turned around and walked away. Plan B (Twin Caves), also had its parking area overflowing with hire cars. We moved in again. Spotting a small cliff with a 25min walk-in, we managed to escape the crowds completely. The slight extra effort to get there seemed to have put most people off. 

We spent a tranquil last day of the year enjoying some great routes, all to ourselves. And with an impressive vista behind us too.

When we lost the sunshine at 15:30, we tried our luck back up at Twin Caves, where there are some great routes, but the vibe was completely different. All different nationalities were represented and there were probably still at least 40 or more climbers all jostling for routes! Not our scene at all. I climbed a couple of out of the way pitches, then we legged it! Even then, someone nearby almost swung onto my route when they fell off. We carried on up the hill to catch the last of the 2017 sunlight from a view point on top of the highest cliffs. A stunning place to watch the sun set on the year.

Back home, another cake had mysteriously appeared on the kitchen table for us! ‘Traditional Greek Cake’ we were later told. Luckily, it was no where near as tasty as the previous ones, otherwise I’d have probably polished it off and made myself ill!

To celebrate the New Years Eve, we treated ourselves to dining out at Margarit’s restaurant at the Port, (a few mins walk away from the house). It was as delicious and hilarious as we’d both expected and hoped! No menus were offered, but we were given the choice of a few dishes which all came with the description of ‘very nice’. We were very happy that we got to try some traditional ‘Musskka’, which was indeed ‘very nice’, especially when washed down with the bottle of local beer that we were offered to share! And of course, obligatory sugar coated cakes to finish. In the unique ambiance of the room, we had a very fun evening. 

Under a bright and clear moonlight sky, looking out to sea, we toasted in the year on the balcony, with the chink of a champagne glass feeling very happy.

Arésos:

- Agrodinami, 5c

- Terpnon, 6a+

- Vervesos, 6b

- French TV (+ extension), 6a

Twin Caves:

- Peripatos, 6a+***

- Nanaki, 6a+