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I have lived in Acharavi for 22 years and witnessed it change and develop. I have clients who continue to come because although the village has grown, it has not lost its character. The local people continue to display the tremendous “filoxenia” (hospitality), for which Greece is renowned.

Knowing that Acharavi has a dedicated following of people who return regularly I thought a ‘news and review’ page would appeal to those who have maybe had to miss a year, or just to keep abreast of the times.

Acharavi News 2002

Well, the biggest change this year is international, not just local; the introduction of the Euro seems to have gone very smoothly despite predictions to the contrary.
(Some of you  may have spotted yours truly on BBC Breakfast TV giving her opinion on the Euro!) Most people seem to be showing a remarkable adaptability and are just getting on with mastering it. The old folk are not so fortunate, and struggle to understand the money in their pockets, they are very much in the hands of shop assistants etc who take the money they need from outstretched palms.

The actual currency is simple; 1 Euro being divided into 100 units of what are called here Lepta, the one lepta coin is very small and there is little doubt that it will disappear in short shrift now that we are not making an exact conversion from the drachma. Generally speaking, there is a fair amount of rounding up, though I do witness daily cases of rounding down too, but no prizes for guessing which happens most often!

A Euro is currently worth approximately 61 pence. The notes come in 5, 10,20,50,100,& 500 Euros which are therefore worth £3,£6,£12,£30,& £300 respectively. Bear in mind that this time the locals everywhere are nearly as unfamiliar with the currency as you are! The problem is keeping the value of your payment in mind so you will notice if there is a mistake in your change or your bill. Think …give a taxi driver a 500 Euro note, if you need some 467 Euros change he certainly will not have enough money! 

It seems fairly certain that British visitors will still find it best to bring sterling cash or travellers cheques to change as they go, bring a credit card to cover emergencies and that gold ring you just can’t resist. Credit cards are an expensive method of obtaining cash, and when there are the frequent break downs of communications between Greek and British computers you are often left in the embarrassing position of having no access to money.

Acharavi continues to grow. A new grill has opened opposite the bakers; “To Ellinikon” (The Greek)  Prettily decked in blue and white it has brightened up a empty building. Another is being built behind the Dimitra supermarket.  There are some changes, Electric Blue has changed hands , good luck Yiannis and Sandra. The Pumphouse has an attractive new wooden roof over its outside terrace. The Acharavi Restaurant, Nikos has closed, whether it will re-open under new management is unknown at this point. Nikos is starting a new venture, he is converting an olive press into a restaurant, near Strongili, to be called Monolithos, The Millstone. We now also have a professional optician in Roda and a Physiotherapist in Acharavi. Soon we will not need to trek to Corfu town for anything.

I was right the 299 drachma shop is now a one Euro shop! That is inflation!

Hydropolis the new Water Park opened, eventually, and provided a diversion for many families. Though not a patch on Aqualand it is walking distance and has a good selection of slides, a lazy river and a toddler pool, there is also a pets corner for those who have had enough water.

Acharavi is about to see the opening of a rare commodity in Greece, a dog and cat pound. It will be run by a charity called the “Hope” set up just for this purpose. It will be under the eagle eye of a local vet and will rely heavily on volunteers. There will be a surgery . It will be entirely funded by contributions from the public. WE NEED YOUR HELP TOO. This is a revolutionary idea here.  Its goal is to rescue strays from the street and try to rehome them,  there is a subsidized speying and neutering programme to try and break the cycle of dumped unwanted puppies. It hopes in this way to educate locals in animal health and welfare, a huge task in a poor country where animals have to earn their keep.

On a more personal note for the benefit of regular visitors:

I seem to have attended one wedding after another this winter as many of Acharavi’s younger members move onto to the next part of their lives. Anna and Georgos from the Captain Aris Bar, Natalie and Andreas from Sonic Bar, Georgia and Christos from the Acharavi Beach hotel, Napoleon once of Captain Aris Boats and Captain Aris Bar has finally settled down, Kiki  from Villa Tzambiris,  to name but a few. Good luck and best wishes to them all. For next winter……Jo and Panos from Yammas Bar have announced their engagement!

Thank you to those of you who have added comments to the guest book, I hope more will do so, and that many will find useful tips.

Still News from 2001

Some will have seen our new stone pavements lined with lime and hibiscus trees (thank you George, the mayor). It is a much more pleasant place for an evening “volta”, or stroll, and for pushing the pushchair.

For those who have tried to call for a taxi from the phone with no dial at the rank, (which is only there for the taxis to receive calls!) there is now a radio taxi service on the north of the island tel: 0663 32400.

The much mourned Gloo Gloo restaurant has become a scooter and car rental office, AND in 2002 will have a new clothes shop too. In fact two more international car hire companies have opened here, giving us more rental cars per head of population than anywhere else on the island!.

The Palace coffee bar, near the pump, now has an internet service too. That is a boon who need to check and send e mails.