Avrio does come

Volume 2, Issue 5

November 2009

Avrio Does Come

Front Page

Most visitors to Corfu know and understand the meaning of ‘avrio’ – the Greek word for ‘tomorrow’. The old joke is that it is a bit like the Spanish ‘mañana’, but without the sense of urgency! In fact, ‘avrio’ is usually closer in meaning to ‘not today’ and we all know that tomorrow never comes.

of the local business owners and their staff ever seem to have a day’s sickness between May & October?
With so much at stake during the summer, when customers have to be provided for around the clock and income stockpiled to sustain families throughout the winter months, there is simply no time for

‘time management’ as all business issues are condensed into the summer, and all other issues dealt with in the winter.

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The last few weeks of the season have seen both a marriage & a baptism in the village but these are unusual events at this time of year. Has anyone

wondered why, during the tourist season, there are so few births, baptisms & weddings – and what about illness, how is it that none

any of these ‘luxuries’. Once the season ends, however, the floodgates open and all the normal things of life are addressed. For most of us, health

& family issues are ongoing and, together with work, form part of the colourful tapestry of daily life. In Roda, there is a severe case of

We are now entering the family time of year and

there will be numerous weddings, countless baptisms & endless parties for those most important family members - the children, most of whom were born in the winter! Doctors will be visited, knees replaced and hernias corrected, and all in good time for the start of summer 2010. It would seem that ‘avrio’ can only postponed for so long!

We all like a bit of luxury once in a while but we sometimes let our pre-conceived ideas of what that means stand in the way of real pleasure. Take the five-star hotel, for example – just what is it, and what can we expect? There is no doubt that standards around the world vary considerably when one considers that Roda Beach and the Dorchester in London both receive the same accolade. At a five-star hotel you can expect at least to have a high level of personal service, luxurious surroundings, landscaped gardens, mini-bars, trouser presses, luxurious beds, quality furnishings, classy cosmetics and

towels that would grace the trophy room of the most expensive house. You should find nearby, a quality golf course, and expect to have on site a fitness centre, award-winning restaurants and a 24 hour porter & concierge service. The fact is that many people stay at ‘impersonal’ hotels because the grading of those hotels implies that they will have more pleasure.

On the ‘personal’ side of the balance sheet, we have a concept of a heartfelt welcome that is hard to describe in English; a welcome that is a blend of Greek, ‘filoxenia’, or hospitality to strangers, and Welsh ‘hiraeth’, a longing or

yearning for home. The latter has been described as being in the mountains where the wind speaks in many tongues and the buzzards fly on silent wings. It's the call of a spiritual home, it's where ancient peoples made their lives. This is a real pleasure of a welcome that feeds on memories of an ancient past, celebrates the traditions of today and extends its hand unconditionally to all visitors – it is a five-star welcome without comparison. This vacation is only available when staying with real people, local people, those that have lived for centuries with established traditions.

When you choose your next five-star vacation, which one would you prefer – a five-star hotel, or a five-star welcome?

Five Star Vacation

“A welcome that … extends its hand unconditionally to all visitors”

Jane & Alex' Greek Wedding, Traditional Greek Customs,

Angeliki's baptism, Greek customs, orthodox religion