Jacket required, no cash

Although I’m a morning person sometimes I have to go to Kos for the evening and if it’s August then the earlier the better. The heat of the day has started to dissipate and the tourists have returned from the beach and are either taking a shower or a nap before the night’s entertainment. Young families are taking advantage of quiet Tavernas before it gets too busy and Shop Keepers are opening up for the evening if they’ve managed to get away for a siesta.

I always park on the waste ground near The Odeon and cross over and walk up the alleyway in-between the ruins and come out at the top end of the Old Town Lanes. It’s easier going in but coming back can be a bit hairy as the wide, rough cobbled and white concrete pavement is badly lit and overgrown in places and cats dart back and forth as some of the locals feed them.

My husband true to his Star sign Gemini takes the same route, visits the same people and aims to buy the things he likes most on his way down to the Seafront. This isn’t my style but does have its advantages sometimes.

So year in year out we visit Apostolis our friend in the leather shop. He’s always pleased to see us. We’re welcomed in with an Ouzo or two and sit while he discusses the world at large. As a keen Thespian he holds court, and we his audience are treated to his views on politics, economy, education, Climate Change and his family. All he knows of us is, we’re Ron and Sally, we stay in Kefalos, we come from England, we visit him every year and Ron buys suede waistcoats. This particular year Ron bought a suede jacket, unfortunately he’d left his wallet back in the village. So we couldn’t buy it and asked him to keep it for us for the following week.

 

But Apostolis wrapped it up and gave it to us saying “take it and bring the money next week, I know who you are and trust you”. Would this happen in the UK? I very much doubt it. So we went back the next day not the following week which was our compromise. We still visit for Kos News but after 23 years we no longer buy Waistcoats.