We have a shop of our own, English Imports, recently renamed Corfu Homestore to reflect the wider household ranges - furniture, linens, throws, cushions etc. as well as the usual greetings cards, gifts, china and Christmas supplies. So you would think that when I needed things for our villas and apartments I could supply myself, after all we furnish complete homes for our Corfuhomefinders clients! If only I were that well organised. Theoretically I should plan, list and order accordingly when we order for the shop. However, it doesn't seem to work that way and by the time I get my brain in gear to do my own list, the shop order is already under way. I usually manage to find a few things from us, and a few more from other local shops, but never everything I seem to need.
This time, needing all sorts of bits and pieces for myself I decided a trip to IKEA would fit the bill. A good opportunity to cover the entire range of absolutely everything I would need to finish show houses and get the villas ready for the 2009 rental season. Well organised.
Not so simple. In England we get in the car and drive, and in 30 minutes we have IKEA, B & Q, M & S, Laura Ashley etc. Slightly different here. Plan several days in advance and find someone to feed the dog. Get up at 05.30 to catch the Lefkimmi ferry at 06.30. Drive for 5 hours - quite a bit of motorway but don't believe anyone who says it is 'almost all' the new road to Thessaloniki. Take care to avoid the seemingly hundred of car transporters on their way to Bulgaria. Take note - once you hit the 'new road' THERE ARE NO PETROL STATIONS - you have to leave the road, drive to the service area and then go back on. There are not even any once you get to Thessaloniki, you still have to leave the bypass and follow signs off and then back on. On the way I finalised my list, dimensions for blinds/mirrors/picture frames etc. Spiros, my husband, commented that we should be able to do everything the same day and leave early the next morning to come back to Corfu. (He is not one of life's shoppers and seems to think that everything arrives by magic).
Arrive IKEA 1.30 pm. Shop until 6.30 pm. Manage to buy a small sofa (not on my list), several bookshelves (not on my list), bathroom mirrors, lots of lamps, frames (not the ones I wanted), bits of kitchen stuff, rugs (not the planned colours), and on up to 1,200 euros. No curtains (the ones I wanted, only in stock in black!) no blinds, only the expensive ones and I wanted a LOT! No curtain rails - wrong sizes, and when I found the ones I liked they didn't have the fittings in stock. Quick snack stop - piece of pizza, prawn sandwich and coffee - only 6 euros, not bad! Oh yes, and a chocolate soufflé between us which definitely won the prize for sickly dish of the day - but a great energy boost.
At 7.30 having spent an hour paying/packing/arranging transport for the items that wouldn't fit in the car, we were on our knees as we went off to find our hotel, The Royal (above), only about 10 minutes drive from the store. It was supremely comfortable with a massive bath and oodles of hot water to collapse into. It is new and is worth every cent of the 95 euros (including breakfast). The restaurant wouldn't win many stars but the food was OK and the wine better! After a good breakfast and lots of coffee, the next morning we headed back to the store to finish the shopping in what was supposed to be an hour. The shop opened at 10 and 'just a few final bits' took until 12.30 at which point we totally emptied and repacked the car and set off in glorious sunshine, anticipating a quick trip home. Just for a change the weather was against us and after an hour the heavens opened and we got torrential rain, fog and storms far more suited to January than early October. Still, in spite of that we managed to catch the 5.30 ferry and arrived home at 7 pm, totally shattered, but having bought lots of useful things. I hope!
Diana
This time, needing all sorts of bits and pieces for myself I decided a trip to IKEA would fit the bill. A good opportunity to cover the entire range of absolutely everything I would need to finish show houses and get the villas ready for the 2009 rental season. Well organised.
Not so simple. In England we get in the car and drive, and in 30 minutes we have IKEA, B & Q, M & S, Laura Ashley etc. Slightly different here. Plan several days in advance and find someone to feed the dog. Get up at 05.30 to catch the Lefkimmi ferry at 06.30. Drive for 5 hours - quite a bit of motorway but don't believe anyone who says it is 'almost all' the new road to Thessaloniki. Take care to avoid the seemingly hundred of car transporters on their way to Bulgaria. Take note - once you hit the 'new road' THERE ARE NO PETROL STATIONS - you have to leave the road, drive to the service area and then go back on. There are not even any once you get to Thessaloniki, you still have to leave the bypass and follow signs off and then back on. On the way I finalised my list, dimensions for blinds/mirrors/picture frames etc. Spiros, my husband, commented that we should be able to do everything the same day and leave early the next morning to come back to Corfu. (He is not one of life's shoppers and seems to think that everything arrives by magic).
Arrive IKEA 1.30 pm. Shop until 6.30 pm. Manage to buy a small sofa (not on my list), several bookshelves (not on my list), bathroom mirrors, lots of lamps, frames (not the ones I wanted), bits of kitchen stuff, rugs (not the planned colours), and on up to 1,200 euros. No curtains (the ones I wanted, only in stock in black!) no blinds, only the expensive ones and I wanted a LOT! No curtain rails - wrong sizes, and when I found the ones I liked they didn't have the fittings in stock. Quick snack stop - piece of pizza, prawn sandwich and coffee - only 6 euros, not bad! Oh yes, and a chocolate soufflé between us which definitely won the prize for sickly dish of the day - but a great energy boost.
At 7.30 having spent an hour paying/packing/arranging transport for the items that wouldn't fit in the car, we were on our knees as we went off to find our hotel, The Royal (above), only about 10 minutes drive from the store. It was supremely comfortable with a massive bath and oodles of hot water to collapse into. It is new and is worth every cent of the 95 euros (including breakfast). The restaurant wouldn't win many stars but the food was OK and the wine better! After a good breakfast and lots of coffee, the next morning we headed back to the store to finish the shopping in what was supposed to be an hour. The shop opened at 10 and 'just a few final bits' took until 12.30 at which point we totally emptied and repacked the car and set off in glorious sunshine, anticipating a quick trip home. Just for a change the weather was against us and after an hour the heavens opened and we got torrential rain, fog and storms far more suited to January than early October. Still, in spite of that we managed to catch the 5.30 ferry and arrived home at 7 pm, totally shattered, but having bought lots of useful things. I hope!
Diana
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