Etoliki Island

Off again
Mark+Barbara
Wed 17 Nov 2010 15:54
12th November
Having spent most of the week doing jobs on the boat we decided to take a break and take a local bus trip to the nearby island of Etoliki which is joined to the mainland by a causeway and is known locally for its wooden boat building yard and Friday Market ..Annie and Matt decided to join us on this outing.We set off early in the morning to catch the 8.30 am. bus not sure as to where we would get the bus or purchase the tickets from!
Eventually we found the kiosk where bus tickets could be bought which was no mean feat at so early an hour and with no one  around that could speak English ! The Greek alphabet is something else and at present we really can't make head or tail of it,still time for all that!
The locals were quite bemused by us as we were travelling in light clothing and they were all wrapped up in heavy coats, jackets and boots,they would not have looked out of place on a bus in England at this time of year.
We weren't sure where we were going and the passing signs meant nothing to any of us so we decided to keep a sharp lookout for the causeway and anything resembling a market.
Eventually we alighted from the bus but needed to check with a local if we were in actual fact in Etoliki,with  relief he said we were!! It turned out that he was a tour operator who was visiting his mother he gave us some useful information and pointed us in the direction of the local boatyard
Etoliki is very pretty and one can walk around the town within 1-2hrs.. it is known locally as little Venice due to its flooding.This is a photo taken from a photo in one of the local restaurants.
 
      
 
 Pondering where we should go for something to eat, the local speciality is eel.
 
   
 
 
 
 
This was a really good fish restaurant where we had grilled eel which was excellent.The owner gave us a complimentary slice of Greek cake which was also good. After lunch we continued our walk aand passing through a square with several very local Tavernas we were hailed by the guy who had given us all the good info on the town and who then invited us all in to the bar for an Oozo.