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On this page I am going to tell you some of
the history of the bar and of our family.
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Just a little something to add. Myself and Helen are now proud parents of a baby boy called SEAN
RYAN YATES. He was born on the 21st of October 2004 and weighed in at 3250g which is about 7 pound in our money. I have put a couple of pictures on the site for you to have a look at, I have also put a small video on there of when we were in the hospital. To see them just go to the photo's page. Anyway that's about it for now so if anything else happens I will post it. If you want me to send you an email if anything happens then just join our mailing list... you wont get rubbish every week, you will only get things about us and the bar.
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As some of
you already know myself
and Helen are now married. I would like to say thank
you to all of you who turned up to the wedding - we really appreciated
it - the date of this brilliant day was 8th October 2003. We first met
2 years ago. Her greek friend is a mutual friend of ours ..... Helen
and Yannis stayed friends after she left to go back to Ireland. Anyway
Yannis invited her over here to become a partner in a bar he was planning
on buying. Yannis brought her in here for a drink one night and I didn't
even notice her as I was on the computer :( . They came in again the
next day and we started talking and well the rest is history. We were
together about 6 months before I proposed and to my surprise she accepted. I have since been to Ireland for the first time to meet the in-laws
and brother and sisters so I was a tad nervous :). I was lucky because
they did actually like me ( I think ) so that was good. Anyway that's
it really. I love her to pieces and I would do absolutely anything for
her.
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Tommies
Internet Cafe - Bar
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Tommies Internet
Bar was established 9 years ago ( 1998 ) , and every year thankfully
we have been getting busier and busier. We took over the bar when it
was an old mans cafeteria ( A Kapi in greek. ) Where it was covered with
trees and stuff and well. an old mans cafeteria. Over the years we
have done things to it like changed the roof, chopped down all the trees
because although they were nice they were a pain as we had to sweep
the floor every 1/2 hour because the petals kept falling off. We re-paved
the floor outside and put some carpeting down, changed the tables and
chairs to try and make it more homely. We also changed the inside of
the bar by lowering the roof, adding a roof to the bar itself, and my
dad made a little snug in the corner which also makes it look a lot
more homely. While he had the wood he made 3 benches outside which not
only allowed us to fit more people in, it also makes it easier for people
to talk to one another. I think that one of the reasons that we are
so busy is because of the actual layout of the bar outside as no matter
where you sit you will always be sat next to someone. We have had a
lot of people leave here and tell us that they have met more friends
in the two weeks they were here than many years of being back home.
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The
Tommie's
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Ok where
to start, I ( young Tommie ) am an only child, and before you say
it no I wasn't spoilt! well no more than anyone else, I was born on
the 25 July 1977. I think I had a good upbringing and was well loved.
Of course we all do little things that we wish we never but you cant
bring back the past to change them so you have to look forward and
remember those mistakes so you don't make them again. Before we moved
here to Rhodes I was 15 years old and had just finished my GCSE's
as I was one of the youngest in my year. My parents have always wanted
to live abroad so when they wanted to go they asked me first. But
seriously asking a 15 year old kid if he wants to go live abroad in
the sun for 6 months with not a lot to do apart from lie on the beach
getting a tan and watching all the young ladies go by......lets just
say I didn't actually hesitate too long before I said yes. When we
got here we were all working doing different things. I was renting
bikes and cars out for my first 6 months while my dad was working
in a restaurant as a waiter, my mum was working in a little coffee
shop come restaurant as a waitress. After the first 6 months we went
back home for the winter and then came back the next summer and did
the same things. We went back and forth for about 2 years, and then
when we realized we could live out here we decided to sell the house
in England and move out here for good. Just before Tommies Internet
Cafe-Bar was established we were thinking about going back to the
UK. At the time I had been going to internet cafe's quite regularly
and actually got hooked on the chat lines so I proposed that we open
an internet cafe, where I thought all I would do is sit behind a computer
and be happy as larry playing on these chat lines, ha yeah right,
didn't quite work out like that. Any way with a little persuasion my
dad finally said "you go find the place and I will put the money
down", so there you go that is how Tommies Internet Cafe-Bar
was born.
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Ok now my mum
and dad. my dad unlike me is from a big family, he has 5 brothers and
2 sisters, he was born on 25 October 1956. My mother has 2 brothers
and 1 sister, she was born on 25 December 1954. Apart from bringing
me up very well they have also done very well themselves. No matter
what it is my dad does he always seems to be successful in it. When I was younger he and my mother used to work in a dairy factory and within
a week he was a supervisor. Before we came here we used to have a burger
van which basically was like printing money and I think if they ever
do go back that's what they will do. The thing about a burger van is
the location, if you can get the right location then you have cracked
it. We used to be the only ones on Northallerton high street so we used
to get very busy on market day. Anyway when we came here like I said
before they were working as a waiter and waitress for a couple of years
before we got this place and basically that's it.
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Its a lot harder
than people think as they look at us and think that we are on a constant
holiday but we only wish it was like that. In the winter its very relaxed
but in the summer as soon as we wake up we are getting ready to go to
work and when we stop we sleep. The good thing and the bad thing about
having a bar in greece is that you get to meet a lot of different people,
some you can never forget and these are the ones that you don't want
to leave so when they do its hard. A lot of people say they will come
back the next year but its a lot easier to say it than to actually do
it and we understand that. Its always nice to see people when they actually
do come back as it is like seeing an old friend again.
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Anyway
that's our history!!! |
