The Islands Again

Hello Everyone,

Earlier this week our roommate moved out, leaving us once again with the house to ourselves. We have enjoyed the extra space, especially considering Jon and Alex will be here in less than three weeks!
I've been super-busy. Maria has a new friend, a little boy who is 5. They have had a blast chasing each other around the coffee table, singing 'Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush.' Maria sings, and the little boy tries to copy her. His pronunciation is pretty good, even though he has no idea what he's singing.
Last weekend we went to the islands again. This time, we went to the smaller, less populated, less touristed islands. The first island was almost completely deserted except for the many, many stray dogs and cats. First we went looking for food, and stopped at a half-closed grocery store where we got some bread, cheese, tangerines, dried fruit and nuts, and plenty of chocolate bars. We hiked up the hill to a little bench with a good view of the water and had our snack. The houses on this island seemed old and tired, most had cracks in the walls or peeling paint on at least one side. We found one house with an interesting mosaic on the wall, made from sea shells and rocks. It had a dinosaur shape and we got a picture of it for Alex.
Avoiding the dogs was rather difficult on this island, and we had to turn back several times. At the top of the hill we found an old, possibly abandoned playground, and Maria enjoyed trying not to fall through the gigantic hole in the walkway as she crossed from one slide-tower to the next. A little exploration revealed a high cliff just a few feet from the playground, behind some shrubs. From there we got a good view of the sea, some sail boats and the other islands.
We went back to the docks and took the ferry to the next island, which was a little bigger, less dog-infested and with prettier houses. This island seemed really well-cared for, although also nearly deserted. We tried to eat at a restaurant which had been recommended, only to discover that they weren't actually serving any food, even though the door was open and they had seated us. The only thing on the menu was fish and chips. We went on to another, also closed restaurant, before sliding down the muddy slope to the beach and consuming the remainder of our snack items. The beach was long and empty, with broken red roofing tiles and trash mixed into the black sand. There was a small cave near the water line, but since we were already cold and it had started to drizzle and was getting dark, we didn't try to explore. We walked back to the main part of town where we finally found an open restaurant. We drank some lukewarm soup, then went across the street for dessert, coffee and tea at the pastry shop. A man in the pastry shop was carrying on a Skype conversation in English, in a loud voice, and we were entertained by his little anecdotes about his experiences on the islands. Our ferry finally came, and we made our way back home for a hot cup of tea and some warm blankets.
Thanks to all our faithful readers! Pictures will be added as soon as I can find my camera again.

This is me, signing off...