To view them just click the links in the top right of this page. We’ll be adding more photos as we go along, and displaying photos sent in from our clients as we receive them……

Thanks!

In the square the post office has had a paint job and a new post box has been ‘delivered’ and is waiting fixing on the wall. Kafenion George has gone on a ‘fishing’ trip to Thailand for the next few weeks.

Only 2 restaurants/tavernas remain open and at weekends only. Nothing was open in the square last Sunday and Micro Café (the one with the roof top terrace) is the place to be seen in the evenings.

The football season has started and currently Tilos is 6th in the table.

Olive pickers are hard at work picking olives for oil and for eating. Many people seem to be planting and growing their own vegetables this year as regular supplies from Rhodes cannot be guaranteed in winter.

Most of the summer visitors have gone home, including ex-pats from across Europe and I have recovered from my family being here in mid October. Oh, by the way, Lynne and I had a quick visit to England earlier this month just for good measure (and a curry or 2).

About a week ago we had 2 and half days of constant rain. Low cloud covered most of the island with Faros and Marina Beach restaurants not visible from the village of Livadia. Although this is not the first of this year’s rainfall (we had 4 rain days in October), what made this different was the amount of water that fell from the sky and the strong winds accompanying it. Don’t ask me to quote the amount in millimetres, please, but to give you some idea of the force of nature, all passenger ferries were grounded for a couple of days and our resident ship which has been moored in the harbour for the past year or so is now sitting comfortably on the sea bed! Don’t panic!!! It’s not the Sea Star, it’s the wooden Turkish boat involved in the people trafficking in September 2010. There really was so much rain that the boat kept filling up and up until it could no longer stay afloat. We are waiting for a team to arrive from Rhodes with the intention to refloat her and then …… who knows? Just a quickie on the people trafficking offences – all 5 of the crew involved with the 2 wooden boats were found guilty and sentenced to 625 years each in prison.

The 4 rain days in October were totally unexpected, unwanted, and unusual so early in the month and more or less finished off the season. Many of the locals commented they had never seen anything like this in October in living memory. Due to the weather some of the tavernas closed early, many sun beds were taken in and the outdoor cafes in the square became indoor cafes, which is quite cosy really. However, the Nissia clients were not to be deterred by a few days of rain. As it was still warm, swimming in the sea was the most popular pastime. Walking in between the showers came a close second and eating early at night was the third. I have never seen the restaurants and tavernas so full so early in the evening. During the last week of September and the first week of October, booking a table to secure a place in your favourite restaurant was essential, as I found to my cost a couple of times. Of course, between the middle of May and the beginning of October the weather was fantastic with a few really hot weeks dotted about here and there and on the whole a very pleasant summer indeed.

Another story on the weather front if I may …… the mini tsunami!!
One lunch time Lynne and I were at Armenon (other restaurants are available on request) when one of the ‘gin palaces’ upped anchor and left the bay. A Turkish wooden boat was anchored about 30 meters off shore and several people were swimming in the sea, as usual.
A few minutes later and the gin palace was being tossed about far out to sea. A passing comment was the only conversation until a few minutes later when the wooden boat was tossing about so much it nearly capsized. Before anyone had a chance to react, the wave hit the shore with several large breakers crashing onto the beach and sucking anything in their path back out to sea with them. Towels, bags, shoes, sun beds and of course, PEOPLE. The stronger ones were able to stand up and walk out of the sea but 1 or 2 small children had to be picked up and carried out. Fine if your mother or father was able to enter the water to do so. One small child was clearly struggling to get out of the water and her mother was panicking. Let’s introduce ‘super rep’ (from Nissia of course). Leaving his lunch on the table, he ran across the footpath, leapt onto the beach, into the sea and plucked the child from the raging waters and delivered her safely into the arms of her mother, who promptly shouted at her for being something or other. OK, I joke a little but the story is true! I was then told off for sitting on the restaurant chair wearing wet shorts!!!

The animal welfare fund has superseded all my expectations this year and Harry the vet from Rhodes will be coming again this winter to help our programme. A big thank you to all for your most generous contributions. None of this would be possible without your support.

My bees have settled into their new winter location and, thanks to the early rains, are out collecting pollen from the new flowers. The island is very green already and the cyclamen, clematis, anemones and geraniums are in bloom as well as the rosemary and many other wild flowers. Bumble bees were in my garden the other day and the black bees are back too. This years’ thyme honey was ‘wow’ – the best.

The Sea Star is still running several times a week and together with the Blue Star Diagoras and the Dodecanese Express/Pride, we are enjoying good ferry connections with Rhodes, for the next few weeks at least. The Dodecanese Seaways company has introduced a new vessel, Panagia Skiadeni, and we are awaiting news of its proposed route and schedule hoping that it will serve Tilos as well as other small islands.

Finally, I could not sign off without mentioning politics. Don’t worry; I’m not on a soap box.
It seems that Greece is united in backing the new Prime Minister, Lucas Papadimos. Being here all year round and listening to the opinions of the local people on Tilos, they want to keep the Euro and feel that a return to the Drachma is just not feasible. Greece relies so much on the income that tourism brings and Tilos needs YOUR support for 2012 and beyond. Nissia Holidays continues to provide an excellent service on Tilos and as an added bonus you get me as your number 1 rep!

Ian Hogg

On behalf of Lynne, Peter, myself and all the Nissia Holidays team I wish you well until the next newsletter and we hope that you all have a wonderful and healthy festive period.

Well, well, well, who would have thought my winter newsletter would have been received so positively by the Nissia clients. By popular demand, here is the follow up …… the spring newsletter!

At my welcome / information meetings here in Tilos, I start by saying not much has changed over the past year or so. About 2 hours later I am still bringing people up to date with the changes, new openings and closures and the general comings and goings of the island, etc, etc ….. so maybe there have been some changes. Come to the meeting and you will here all about it.

Meanwhile, Easter was the first busy period this year. Many Greek relatives came here for the weekend and the island came alive once again. My wife, Lynne and I enjoyed our roasted goat Sunday lunch as guests of, not one, but three families here in Livadia. Stuffed or what? Well I was, even if the goat wasn’t !! Later in the church the effigy of Judas was suspended from the tree before being burnt in the traditional style. For good measure he was also shot several times with a shotgun before Pavlos the bus driver put the hosepipe on him to douse the flames.

The first Nissia Holidays clients arrived on 4 May. Congratulations to Marion and Trevor for being the first to pass through the arrivals ‘lounge’ at Rhodes airport. A smooth passage to Tilos followed and all went well without any hitches.

The same could not be said the following week. 11 May brought the first of this years’ general strike. Air traffic control went on strike from noon until 4 pm which meant many of the flights were arriving late in the afternoon. Imagine the scene in the arrivals ‘lounge’ with luggage everywhere and our clients expecting to catch the 6.30 pm Sea Star to Tilos. At 6 o’clock everybody was at Mandraki relieved to have a few minutes to relax before departing ….. everybody except Barry and Judith. Still waiting for their luggage and Michalis the taxi driver sitting outside with the engine running, Meni started making phone calls to the captain of the Sea Star. 6.10 pm and the taxi is on its way to Mandraki. Meni’s phone is red hot hoping to delay the departure for 5 minutes or so and the traffic is heavier than usual due to the delayed flights. 6.25 pm and Michalis is giving it all he can to reach the Sea Star when he receives the phone call that says its too late, you won’t make it. Feeling dejected, Michalis slows down (a lot) and bang on time at 6.30 the Sea Star leaves for Tilos. It’s a scheduled service so must leave on time or the Captain receives a fine from the Port Police.

Not one to be beaten so easily, Meni made THE phone call to the powers that be on Tilos.
Meni’s next phone call was to Michalis the taxi driver telling him to get a move on, ‘THE SEA STAR IS COMING BACK TO COLLECT YOU’ she shouted and, not needing to be told twice, Michalis resumed maximum speed and safely delivered Barry and Judith to the jetty. It was Judith’s birthday the following day so we all enjoyed the local champagne whilst the story buzzed throughout Livadia. Apart from that, each and every transfer has been smooth …… so far!

Harry the vet from Rhodes came for 3 days at the beginning of April. With yours truly as temporary assistant, 53 cats were our guests and received the customary ‘tipped ear’ upon their departure. In addition, your donations have paid for 3 cats to be taken to Rhodes for operations following ‘mishaps’. One climbed into the engine bay of a car with the engine running, one appeared with a broken leg and the third managed to shatter his knee in a very bad way. All three are recovering back on Tilos and you will no doubt see them around the square with their crutches and wheelchairs. Thank you all for you donations and please keep them coming so we cam invite Harry back in November.

A quick round up of news. Blue sky restaurant is still waiting for papers before it can open. The new gift shop at Oasis is now open. The new gift shop in the square will be opening soon as will the ‘local products’ shop in the square. Also just off the square, the fully refurbished Taverna Nikos is open and receiving some very good reviews of the new menu.

The spring weather has matched its winter counterpart. Strong winds, more thunder and lightning, chilly at night and on 28 May we had four and a half hours of torrential rain with thunder and lightning thrown in. Wow, it was great to look at but not ideal holiday weather. Then came three days of hot, hot, hot. Almost 50c in full sun and 36c in the shade. It has now settled down and is very pleasant indeed. Of course all this rain means more plants, flowers, pollen, nectar and of course HONEY. The Tilos thyme plants are in full bloom and it looks like a bumper harvest this year.

So, there it was the spring newsletter. If you like it maybe, just maybe the summer edition will follow. Until then – goodbye from Tilos.
Ian Hogg

Since  our last Halki newsletter, Easter came upon us very quickly and it was enjoyed by all here in Greece and abroad on the same day this year as the religious calendar permitted and now as we have reached June, the hustle and bustle of the Easter preparations, baking of the koulouria (Easter biscuits), the dying of red eggs and the cooking of the lamb have all been forgotten as the locals now prepare themselves  for the summer.

Parents, children and teachers alike count down the days for the exams and school year to end.  Most grandparents are looking forward to spending more time with their grand children by taking them for swims during the day and walks in the cool of the night which normally end at the local café for a soft drink or another ice cream which has probably been promised out of the earshot of  the children’s parents.

Beautiful Halki does not differ from any of the above.

Nissia Holidays is now well into the summer season having just had its sixth arrival to the island.  During May, Margaret Wiles tutoured another very successful painting group on the island which ended with an exhibition of some beautiful water colours.  Many of these were sold but some are still available for sale. Once again, Margaret has donated a painting for Nissia Holidays to raffle so that we can raise money for the island.  This year our aim is to purchase medical equipment for the surgery.  Our clients response has been overwhelming and we are well on the way to reaching our goal for the first piece of medical equipment.

As promised by Mihalis the Mayor before the beginning of the season,  the cement base  has now been laid in the school ground for the swings and slide that Nissia Holidays clients   have kindly donated from money collected from raffle tickets  over the last two years.  For the safety of the children, Nissia Holidays has ordered and will pay for the green grass matting to be laid under the swings.

Following a written request to the Halki council on the 12^th May  by Nissia Holidays for the local mini bus service to start its schedule, our request was answered and the summer schedule started on the 16^th May.  Nikos the driver will continue to drive the bus for this summer running the schedule to various spots and beaches on the island.

Greece had a scheduled census for 2011 and this was held in the middle of May.  The staff of the Halki council spent one day to register the tourists who were staying on Halki at the time and with the help of Lynne & Meni all of the Nissia Holidays clients who were on Halki at that time were listed for the census.

The Halki hotel  has been leased  and has been taken over by Mr. Mihalis Nikolaou and family.  It will function from June for this summer under the  new management.

New to Halki this year is the pharmacy which is situated on the harbour front will assist the locals and visitors for various medication and sundries.

The Mayor of Halki, Mihalis has promised a close co-operation and will do his best to keep Halki comfortable and clean for the locals and the visitors  to the island.  Mihalis and his council members have a development programme at hand to implement a recycling scheme for paper, aluminium, glass and also a compost plant for food waste. The island is awaiting special bins and bags and as soon as they are available Nissia Holidays has promised to help instigate the scheme and we will advise our clients as soon as they are available so that we can be part of the inaugural teamwork required to get such a programme running.

We thankyou for your time and continual support and look forward to a great summer.

So until our next newsletter, best wishes from us all.
Lynne, Meni, Peter and the Nissia team.

Despite the international economical crisis and the continual outcries of doom and gloom from the mass media we all look forward to welcoming you back to Halki for the 2011 summer.

In comparison with the harsh winter weather over the  rest of Europe , Halki experienced quite a mild winter with only a few electrical storms with lots of lightning and thunder and good downpours of rain.  However following a warm February we did have two exceptionally cold days at the beginning of March which meant all the locals rummaging through their wardrobes looking for their thickest coats and gloves to make themselves warm.

In November all of the Greek people were at the electoral polls to vote for the new Mayors under the new Kalligrati law which basically means less mayors over a larger provincial area compared to the previous council system.  Halki’s Mayor for the last 8 years Elengo Panagi decided to step down and Michalis Patros was voted in as Mayor.  Many of you will know Mihalis from his Taverna Nouris and during the last 4 years he played a major role on the council.  We wish him all the best in his new position.

Those of you who did not visit Halki in 2010 will not know that the Nissia Holidays library has moved to new premises.  Our long standing agent closed his travel agency in September and we have now made a long term agreement with the owner of Villa Nikolas(which is in the town centre  very near  the waterfront) for our own private use.  We look forward to greeting you in our new library in 2011.

There has been a delay in erecting the swings and slide at the school due to the council  elections and some bureaucracy.  We have been advised that the school grounds are an official archaeological site due to the small church within the grounds.  However, the Mayor has promised us that he will place this item as Top Priority on agenda and they should be in place before our first arrivals on the 4^th May.

Halki has managed to keep its magical charm and the same beautiful postcard view awaits to greet you as you enter the peaceful harbour and Nissia Holidays look forward to greeting you as they proceed into their fifth year of operation.

Meni Hadzigeorgiou

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People often ask me about the weather in winter on Tilos and, just like English weather, it can be unpredictable. Up to the end of December 2010, the days, though shorter, were warm enough to sit in the square, Lynne with her coffee and me with my Mythos, watching people coming and going about their daily business.

January and February brought a lot of heavy rain and some spectacular storms with the most amazing lightning displays I have ever seen!  The reservoir up at Megalo Horio is holding more water than usual and the road to Eristos resembled more of a lake than a road.  Huge rocks blocked the road leading to Aghios Pandeleimon monastery.

When gales come from the south east the beach decided to cover the road along the bay of Livadia. This has happened a couple of times making the ‘prom’ impassable from Micro Café to Bozi.  The council sent in their JCB to clear the path as well as removing any fallen trees.  The big tamarisk tree that is Captain Stelios’ office is not looking so big anymore and another huge tree in the field next to Oasis has gone too.

The coldest weather of the winter was in early March when we experienced daytime highs of only 4c.  Add in the bitterly cold northerly gales  it felt more like several degrees below freezing.  There were even snow flurries, a rare occurrence on Tilos.  We were wearing so many layers of clothing I could hardly reach my shoes to tie the laces!  Nothing unusual about that I hear you say.

All the rain means that the island is currently very lush and is likely to stay green well into May this year, wonderful for those of you who enjoy the wildflowers.  At the moment everywhere you go you will see great drifts of cyclamen, poppies, daisies, and lupins.  The air is full of the scent of almond blossom and of many herbs including sage, rosemary, oregano and the famous thyme used in the production of Tilos honey.

On the subject of Tilos honey, my bee hives are strong and healthy this year and there should be a good harvest of the famous Tilos thyme honey for you to enjoy later in the season.

We were all happy to welcome home the Sea Star recently following her annual service in Piraeus.  Boats have been in short supply this winter and for several weeks we were not able to have a return trip to Rhodes on the same day.  The Sea Star makes this possible and its winter timetable provides an essential lifeline for businesses as well as shopping for items not available on Tilos. Due to the efforts of Nissia Holidays and their close co-operation with Tassos the Mayor, the timetable will change soon to ensure that those of you arriving in Rhodes on Wednesday afternoons will be travelling to Tilos on the same evening, arriving in time to enjoy dinner by the sea in your favourite restaurant.

Talking of restaurants, the Blue Sky down at the port will be re-opening this year under new management and with a new name.  As well as all your favourite dishes there will be fresh whole chickens available to take away – just the thing for dining al fresco on your own balcony or terrace.

Also new for 2011 is a traditional style Greek ouzerie, Gorgona, serving lots of little dishes – mezedes – along with local wines, beers and ouzo. A welcome addition to the Tilos dining experience.

In the square we now have a well stocked Pharmacy, which as well as the usual medicines also sells a range of natural beauty products including Korres the famous Greek range of skincare and cosmetics.

What about Tilos Football Club I hear you cry?  Well, we are doing well mainly due to the visiting teams not coming here to play so they forfeit their 3 points!  If we can finish in the top two then we have a chance of promotion.

At the end of last October, Tassos the Mayor and our doctor, was re-elected for a further term in office.  Following a very exciting build up and victory party in the square, Tasos has set about delivering on his election promises.  The roads around the island will be re-surfaced and a new nursery school is being built in Livadia above Faros Restaurant on the steep road to Aghios Yannis.

For those of you looking at flights to Rhodes please note that there are more options available for 2011.  Easyjet has a route from Liverpool operating from the end of March.

Ryanair will also operate in 2011 from Liverpool and Stansted from mid April onwards.

Following discussions with the accommodation owners, Nissia Holidays have achieved  lower  prices for the 2011 season.  So Tilos will be  good value for money for this year’s holiday and it is  not yet too late to book……….

I look forward to seeing you once again this year.

With your help I expect to win the rep of the year award for the sixth year running!

(Even if I am the only one)

Ian Hogg

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