"A Lovely Day......."

......"When I wake up in the morning, love
And the sunlight hurts my eyes
And something without warning, love
Bears heavy on my mind

Then I look at you
And the world's alright with me……."

The season is well under  way now,  more tourists are arriving each week onto the island; amongst them  were our friends Katherine & Shirley  (aka Pepsi  ‘n’ Shirley) who had opted to stay with us for a week.  We managed to cram 10 days worth of stuff into 7 action packed days and nights, and I’m sure they went home more tired than when they arrived.

We had several great days out with them, one road trip to Paleaokastritsa where we stopped at our favourite honey seller and then onto a beachside taverna lunch. 

This was followed by a trip up to the Monestary.  And for the first time since we’ve been coming to Corfu (over 9 years) the doors were open and we were able to walk around the beautiful gardens and buildings.  One of Pepsi’s favourite sayings was  “oooh its lovely here”… a phrase we heard a lot of for the next 7 days!

We were also treated to seeing a goat herder with his flock walking down the Paliokastritsa main street.

Keith had to visit a hotel in Agios George one evening, so we decided to combine the visit with a meal out in a restaurant overlooking the beautiful bay where we shared a fish platter, wine and an amazing sunset. To get to the taverna you have to drive along a narrow road that is crumbling into the sea and has some interesting sections where it hangs over an empty space left under the tarmac from the winter storms! Coming back seemed easier as we had all had a few scoops so getting back seemed to be plain sailing!

We called into the Golden Beach Hotel in Agios George on the way back that Keith works in.  We received the usual warm greeting and suddenly discovered that we were roped in to doing karaoke with the staff and owners.  The “girls sang songs from Mama Mia and Keith dueted with Dimitris (the owner) on the classic “sailing” with arms locking and lots of swaying in time to the music.

Of course no visit to us is complete without a Keith Mitchell gig, and a couple of hours before the Athens Bar gig we had an email and text contact from our friend and fellow musician Simon Hayes, who just happened to be on Corfu  for a few days  sailing a yacht  with 7 Dutch girls on board as crew.  As we felt sorry for him, we invited him to come over to San Stefanos  and drink beer and play some guitar!  Not really expecting him to turn up as he was based in Govia  30km away on the other side of the island but he appeared on a 50cc scooter having ridden over the mountain pass to get to us.

Being the rugged outdoor type and having sailed boats around the world for the past few years, it sadly hasn’t  improved his looks but Pepsi & Shirley were, to say the least, slightly in awe of actionman friend dropping in to see us, and certainly increased the enjoyment factor of the gig for the girls.

Another must do for our visitors is to visit the bar above the bay called Akritiri, which has the combination of superb views over the bays of San Stefanos and Arillas but also the best uninterrupted sun set views and………  fantastic red wine.  Another ‘Oooh this is soooo lovely’ moment for the girls.

It wasn’t all sun sea sand and ….. relaxing though, in fact the girls got to the beach just once in the whole week, we persuaded them to come on a long walk with us to Sidari via the olive groves and country lanes.  In fact it was the inaugural walk of the weekly walk to Sidari and we were the guinea pigs for the walk.   The girls decide to take part and splashed out on some proper walking sandals  for 6 euros each, so armed with correct footwear bottles of water ,we spent 6 hours walking (with a pit stop at a cake shop, lunch in a taverna and a beer stop just before the ferry home) we walked through lanes that hadn’t been used for years and saw some of the finest scenery in the area that you could never see from the roads, we caught the local ferry home, with sore feet and dozens of spectacular photos,  and it proved to be ‘another lovely day out’!

On the girls last day we planned another adventure, to Corfu Town.  We met up with our local friends Keith & Sue who caught the bus to visit the British cemetery.  In a quiet part of Corfu Town there is a cemetery dating back to pre-Victorian times and dedicated to British victims of wars in the area and other epitaphs to ex pats from days gone by to present day.  It is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places we have ever been, we were greeted on arrival by the gardener and curator “George” who at the age of 83 was the last of 3 generations who had looked after the gardens.  The grounds were full of rare orchids, tortoises and lovely trees and bushes, a most delightful place to visit. 

Thanks to Pepsi and Shirley for a great week.

..."Then I look at you
And the world's alright with me
Just one look at you
And I know it's gonna be
A lovely day......"

'Country Road.....'

".....Take to the highway won't you lend me your name
Your way and my way seem to be one and the same, child
Mamma don't understand it
She wants to know where I've been...."

May has now come to an end and what a full on month we have had! 2 lots of visitors, several nights of gigs each week and a series of beautiful walks in the countryside surrounding San Stefanos, organised by our friends and neighbours Keith and Sue.

Keith (big Keith) and Sue Stanton, who are living in San Stefanos all year round, work during the summer season for San Stefanos Travel and take groups of tourists on organised walks. We were invited to be guinea pigs for a couple of new walks.  The first one was from San Stef via Avilotes, Peroulades, Cape Drasis, Canal d’amour and finally our destination was Sidari to get the ferry home!  About 8k or 5 hours, with pit stops for cake, beer, a lunch and more beer.

We started the walk in San Stef at 10.30am with a small posse of holiday makers who had decided to try the inaugural walk and our friends Kathryn (Pepsi) and Shirley, who were staying with us to have a complete chill out week.  Little did they know we had several epic walks planned for them.  They had to go and buy a pair of walking sandals each. Unfortunately Sue couldn’t make it as she had damaged her foot from our series of beach jogging and aerobics but we promised lots of photos of the adventure.

We walked through the olive groves up the hills towards Avilotes  grateful for the shade provided by the tree cover. 

When we reached the outskirts of Avilotes, we decided to climb the steep hill to the church overlooking the village and the impressive views towards Sidari and the coast line.

We had our 1^st stop in a cake shop in the village, with coffees and cakes consumed we moved on again, off the beaten track and main roads towards the village of Peroulades, again through olive groves and beautiful farming landscape.  We had a great lunch here in Yannis Taverna,

where we consumed souvolaki , salads, beer, local pies and very local wine, whilst the locals played backgammon.

The old village of Peroulades is steeped in History , so “Big” Keith (our tour guide) told us some of the history of this fascinating village as we made our way to the breathtakingly beautiful CapeDrasis.

We were walking on old trails and footpaths that hadn’t been used for some time and the Mayor of the area had been informed we were doing this walk, so the previous day he had arranged for the paths to be strimmed of  all the undergrowth. 

Even so it was quite a treck along the cliffs and valleys that are just not accessible any other way but on foot. 

We arrived at Canal d ‘Amour on the outskirts of Sidari for a well-earned Beer before walking the length of the beach just in time to get the 4pm Ferry back to base.

Arillas festival
In the same week a festival was taking place in the nearby village of Arillas, again an organised walk was planned by ‘Big Keith’ for the usual suspects. It was a great little festival in a packed school yard with a live band, a BBQ and of course a beer stall.

We saw many familiar faces of local people who we have come to know over the years, hundreds of white plastic chairs filled the school yard

and the whole community joined in with the festivities;  the dancing and music were fantastic , an event not to be missed.

Sunday Stroll to the ‘church’
On the Sunday a walk to “church” was suggested, which translated into walking down to the harbour to the cantina for a coffee,

to watch the fishing boats and to soak up the atmosphere.  The 2 Keith’s decided to jog it whilst the girls strolled in their Sunday best. 

It was apparent that all the men in the village also “went to church” on Sunday, some tinkering with their boats, some drinking coffee or tsipereo, swapping stories and also buying some of the local catch as it was brought ashore on the boats that seemed to turn up every 10 minutes.

More walking blogs to follow......

".....I'd have to be some kind of natural born fool
To want to pass that way again
But I could feel it
On a country road....."

"First of May.........."

......"When I was small and Christmas trees were tall
We used to love while others used to play
Don't ask me why, but time has passed us by
Someone else moved in from far away....."

Here we are in Corfu in May and the old adage  ‘dont cast a clout until May is out’ couldn't be more true! May in Corfu, brings a mixture of rough winds, rain showers, but also hot days with blue skies full of brilliant white fluffy clouds. 

Flowers are blooming in abundance and we are starting to smell the intoxicating smell of honeysuckle and jasmine.  

And the swallows are back and have spent the first 2 weeks of May building their nest above our door (noisy little blighters !)  

We can also hear the noise of the frogs and toads, doing whatever frogs and toads do, in the local stream, creating a very loud chorus that can be heard every evening across the whole of San Stefanos.

The evenings are still quite chilly; although Liz is now wearing only one pair of socks in bed instead of the usual 3 which must mean the temperature is on the way up!  One of the beauty’s of the May evenings is the fireflies which light up early every evening, particularly in the undergrowth alongside the paths and in overgrown areas of gardens and orchards, this dazzling display will last till early June then disappear as the summer nights get hotter.

The fruit trees are full of fruit and the roadside sellers have strawberries, cherries, oranges and melons for sale.

We have bought a string of garlic from the gypsy sellers who travel around the villages selling from the back of a truck.  It is something which has become an annual event for us; listening out for the sellers and haggling for the best price, I’m sure we could buy it cheaper in the supermarkets, but to have a string of garlic hung up outside on the balcony next to the tub containing fresh basil is esthetically very pleasing.

We are gently easing ourselves into our Greek lifesyle. We have planted our veg in the garden, which our lovely neighbour and friend Keith Stanton had already rotavated for us, ready for our return.

It is not yet summer but gradually we are starting to see the evidence of the charter flights bringing much needed tourists here.  We have had our first tentative dip in the cold sea! The sun is shining and the temperature is gradually getting higher – and everyone is ready to start work again after the winter. Everything is freshly painted, the taverna chairs and tables are out, new awnings and umbrellas up, and beaches cleared of winter debris.

The 21st of May was a Public holiday here, it is an important date in the calendar of Corfu as it is the date the Ionian Islands were reunited with the rest of Greece. After the Napoleonic Wars Corfu became the property of the United Kingdom until 1864 when the island reunited with Greece. Corfu celebrates in style with huge banquets and lots of singing and dancing. Or it used to do, in recent times the celebrations are more for a day off from work rather than being happy to be part of mainland Greece and all its financial troubles!

The 21st May was also the name day for all Konstantinos, Kostas, Konstantina, and Eleni.  Name Days, not birthdays, are celebrated in Corfu. Great significance is attached to the name given a child, and the process of choosing a name follows fairly rigid conventions. The idea of a baby being given a name just because the parents like the sound of it is unknown in Greece.  So there are no Kylies or Britneys!

The eldest son in a family is often called after his paternal grandfather and the oldest daughter after her paternal grandmother. Names are usually of religious origin, and they often don’t name their baby for several months. Each island or area in Greece has a patron saint, and people living in that area often name a child after its patron saint. St Spiridon in Corfu, hence the number of Spiros you are likely to meet here. 

Each saint has a special feast day. A person's name day is the feast day of the saint after which they were named. On someone's name day, open house is held and a feast is laid on for the friends and neighbours who call. They will give a small gift to the person whose names day it is.

Also on 21^st May we collected our next visitors from the airport, Pepsi & Shirley, so we have an excuse to behave like tourists for another week!

 Yamas!!

".....Now we are tall and Christmas trees are small
And you don't ask the time of day
But you and I, our love will never die
But guess we'll cry come first of May......"

Lily the Pink.....

"……..Here's a story, a little bit gory,
A little bit happy, a little bit sad,
Of Lily the Pink and her medicinal compound,
And how it slowly drove her to the bad……"

We have had our 1^st visitors of the season here, Lizzy’s daughters Pippa & Carmel came to San Stefanos and amidst all the sunshine and partying and with the smell of perfume and hairspray…. they managed to turn the place pink!

Living (in our house)

Swimming (pool side)

Synchronising (in the pool)

Matching (Pippa with roses)

Surfing (Windy day in the sea)

Walking (Afianos village)

Biking (New Avliotes by-pass road)

Eating (3 BrothersTaverna – Afianos)

Drinking (Sunset Bar- Akrotiri)

Cocktailing (Athens Bar)

Baking (Carmel's Banana Bread)

Laughing (Afianos village)

Exploring (Avliotes walk)

Beauty parlour…..ing (Sidari)

Fruit picking (Lemon Grove)

Gardening (at home)

Viewing (Pink lighting of the Sunset from our balcony)

Chilling (Arillas walk)

And a bit more chilling.....(Waves Taverna)

........Age old little old lady spotting

"……We'll drink a drink a drink
To Lily the pink the pink the pink

The saviour of the human race.
She invented medicinal compound.
Most efficacious in every case….."

Thank you for a fab week my gorgeous girls!!!