Greece: Corfu

Greece: Travelling to Corfu

Monday- We had to get up horribly early at 4AM to catch our plane to Athens.  We arrived to a nearly empty terminal then realized (after 30 minutes) that we were in the wrong spot!  Off to the correct terminal next door and the long line we went.  We flew to Athens then on to Corfu arriving around 11AM.  We were met by Mr. Alex and his wife Ellen who led us in our rental car to our lovely villa in the Corfian countryside.  No view of the ocean but a large backyard with a beautiful pool.  

 

After a quick lunch at home, we went in search of a pharmacy for Sandy S. who was a bit under the weather.  After procuring drugs (the legal kind), we drove to the port in Corfu Town and got on the hop on/hop off bus for a tour.  The tour took us by the old fortress of Corfu built in the early 15th century as well as the "new" one built from 1572-1645.  We went by ruins of Roman baths and an early Christian church as well as the birthplace of Prince Philip.  We stopped off at Anemomylos to have a cold drink in a cafe and enjoy the views of the planes landing at the airport, Mouse Island, and a couple of monasteries.   Beautiful!  From there we spent some time exploring the shops on the little streets and then eating a delicious meal in a restaurant on the Esplanada between the imposing arches of the Liston and Spianada Square which is the largest in Europe.  

 

 

 

 

 

Finally to end the day, we (except for one who shall remain nameless) had a refreshing swim in our private pool.

Tuesday

After a leisurely morning where we caught up in out blog and social networks we headed out to explore the North west coast of the island.

Sandy S took the wheel for the day and did an awesome job through some challenging bends, curves and steep inclines.

Upon advice from Mr Alex our host at the villa we headed towards Canal D'Amour......on the any we looked through some various other bays and small beaches including Sidari. So many amazingly picturesque places that one could stop at for a while or a long time.

We arrived at Canal D'Amour and decided whilst it had paddle boats (which Sandy C was still keen to try) it looked a tad shallow and we would travel further to other beaches for our dip. We stopped there for lunch at a gorgeous spot right at the top called 'The Rock'

 

 

We journeyed on and found our way through some windy roads to Agios Georgios.......Sandy S did a great job in a small village of backing down a road to an intersection as a truck was blocking our way....super effort! We took the opportunity to have a dip where 3 seas meet - the Segean, the Adriatic and the Ionian. Cathy and Sandy S took the Greek way and changed into their bathers / swimmers / togs by the side of the road. Sandy C talkedher way into a restroom (WC in Greek terms) nearby to get changed. Very refreshing and not too cold for the Sandy's.  Trish was first in the water! We had fun taking selfies with Cathy's waterproof camera.

We then made our way up towards Palaeokastrista...Mr Alex has told us this was an awesome spot for a lookout over the coastline....well it certainly was BUT not the easiest road to navigate and traverse. We found a lookout and did a Uturn to stop but had a slight mishap in a ditch. The artist who had a stand selling his and his wife's products on the curve helped along with other tourists push and list our car out and we were soon on our au again (after Sandy S and Cathy purchased a few things from his collection).

As we continued we found a fantastic local taverna ( The Verandah) with a view where we decided to stop for dinner and had the best time meeting the local owner (and his pretend twin brother as he changed clothes) along with the cook / chef who told us many times she was not his wife or his sister BUT also advised Sandy C not to have the lamb (which she was committed to for her last night in Greece) as not the best on the menu..we appreciate the honesty.

 

 

After a relaxed meal and yet another gift of desert (yogurt and grapes soaked in liquor) we said farewell with hugs and hand shakes and made our way back to Villa Poulades.  A few night caps then off to bed........a tad sad at this being our last night!