Wild Wood

"....High tide - mid afternoon
People fly by in the traffics boom
Knowing - just where you're blowing
Getting to where you should be going......"

With the summer season in full swing, the temperature is rising and many of our friends are turning up in San Stefanos for holidays; including Enid and John from Preston and  Dee and Paul Woodruff from Lancaster (‘Woodie’ to his friends).

Woodie and Dee stay in San Stefanos for a few weeks and then go to Kalami  for a few  weeks.  It was their recommendation that got Keith the superb gig in Cocktails and Dreams in Kalami, so we took them with us to the Tuesday night gig!  Half way through the gig, Woodie was ‘persuaded’ to get up and sing! ‘Reluctantly’ he did, and with a great rock’n’roll performance he went down a storm!

\Woodie being great fun as always

Enid and John have visited us in San Stefanos for the last 4 years and have completely fallen in love with the place!  And they have made many friends here, whilst staying at the Romanza Hotel

We always try to go out walking with them at least once during their holiday.  We (Keith) had planned to do the 17k walk to Paleokastritsa with them but the weather  suddenly turned hot and we opted to revisit the Sidari walk, a mere 7k!

At 9.30am prompt, five went forth to walk to Sidari.

Keith, Sue, John and Enid

Leaving Liz in charge of the village and on standby to do an emergency pick up;  if (a) anyone couldn't complete the walk, (b)  the ferry home wasn't running or (c) too long had been spent in the various pit stops along the way, resulting in missing the ferry or being too drunk to be allowed on board!  Liz reluctantly agreed to stay at home and put her phone next to the bed and retired to her office!

Coincidentally, the first people we saw at the start of our walk, were Woodie and Dee on their balcony,
catching some early sunshine before their own adventures with a beach buggy.

Woodie and Dee travel in style

After exchanging a few pleasantries, we trekked up into the steep olive groves above the village.  At this time of year there is still lush vegetation everywhere and plenty of wild life to spot and photograph.

Beautiful olive grove

   

Up in the olive grove an Eco-friendly house is being built and since last summer significant progress has been made in completing the structure made out of mud, recycled materials and a wattle and daub principle of rendering.   We scrambled down to take a closer look and some of the ingenious art and glass work used in the construction.

After an uphill hike we arrived in Avilotes and meandered the quaint and interesting back streets, viewing parts of the village tourists seldom see, which is largely unspoilt or changed by modern life or tourism.  Stopping by the local chemist in Avilotes, we again bumped into Woodie and Dee, now with their beach buggy; a few more pleasantries exchanged and onward again.

Doing her washing on a scrub board in the garden

We walked on to Peroulardes  for lunch, firstly taking a detour through the village to visit the Lagos beach resort with  The 7th Heaven Cafe Sunset Bar's spectacular viewing platform!

  

It was a must have photo opp for John and Enid but as we turned round to leave, who should we bump into?  Yep Woodie and Dee, looking very chilled, sitting at a table drinking cocktails!

We headed off back through the village towards Yiannis Taverna for lunch; passing houses festooned with colourful window boxes /old feta tins / and pots with an array of bright flowers and coloured grasses.  And of course during our very pleasant lunch stop we saw Woodie  and Dee ‘flying’ past in the buggy and into the distance.

We followed lunch by visiting a must see café neon with an enchanted garden, one of Keith and Sue’s discoveries; it is an oasis of wild plants and flowers in a garden constructed in the shell of a old collapsed building.

The next section of the walk is the hardest, up the long long hill to Cape Drasis ........

......for the most magnificent views of the coast and the beautiful blue/green waters in the cape.  Again many flowers and butterflies around, also an abundance of ‘critters’, either locust, grasshopper or crickets about the size of a cigarette packet.

This is a walk that Keith and Sue often do during the summer, as an organised day out for tourists for San Stefano Travel  and this was the trial first outing of the year.  We had some reservations about whether the paths may not have all been cleared yet, and as it turned out we were right to be concerned.  The path we needed down to Canal d’amour was completely overgrown with  long grass, and brambles,  so using  some local land marks and John’s in built sense of direction we followed a farm track, arriving on the main road ½ a mile up from our expected  arrival point In Sidari for a well-earned beer stop.

Then a quick trek across the ‘smelly bridge’ and the beach, to the harbour just as the ferry arrived.  We were greeted warmly by Nikos the boat captain and seconds later we were on our way home with some spectacular views of the walk we had just done.  We phoned Liz on route and she was waiting quayside as we disembarked and ran us all home, enough walking for one day.

As we pulled into the harbour,  on board a boat next to the ferry berth, two guys were  making steaks from a large freshly caught monster fish,  using what seemed like a hacksaw, a priceless’ living in Greece’ moment. 

Many people come to Corfu for the walking and there are various resources and marked out walks to do.  

Here are some useful links:-
The Corfu Trail.com
The Arillas Trail
Corfu Castaway Serious Walks
The Complete Book of Corfu Walks
Corfu Villages

......Back home, a quick siesta, then I sent Keith off to his gig in Roda … well he says he’s not on holiday! 

".....You're gonna find your way out - of the wild wild wood
Said you're gonna find you way out - of the wild wild WOODIE!….."

Distant Sun.....

"....When your seven worlds collide
Whenever  I am by your side
And dust from a distant sun
Will shower over everyone....."

As we settle down into our work routine it’s nice to take a day out and do something completely different, and last week we had a day off! We took our local friends Keith and Sue to the airport, as they were flying back to the UK for a quick family visit and to collect their car and drive it back to Corfu.  Coincidentally on the same morning our friends from Preston, Lynda and Steve, who are on a Mediterranean cruise, arrived in Corfu Town for the day as part of their itinerary.

On our way to the airport, we made our usual pit stop at the Emeral bakery, which is the best pit stop/ coffee shop/ transport café you’ll ever visit here.  All the world calls in there, either on a lunch/coffee break or to pick up sandwiches/cakes/pastries or a delicious ice cream treat, it’s also a fabulous people watching location.

We had arranged to meet Lynda and Steve at midday on the Liston.  We arrived in town early knowing it was a bank holiday and celebration day, some of the main roads were closed due to the processions being held around the Liston and sea front areas, but with a bit of skill and local knowledge we have picked up over the years, Keith managed to steer us via some back streets to the old port.  Parking was difficult because of the bank holiday and all the car parks were only letting the parade ‘band’ members park.  Luckily we found one small space just outside the car park and in any other city we would've been causing an obstruction and had the car towed away but when Keith asked a policeman if it was OK, he just shrugged, nodded and walked away, so we took it as a yes!  We abandoned the car and set off on foot through the streets of Corfu Town to the Liston.

Fruit and veg shop - Corfu Town

It was ‘Unification Day’; marking the unification of the Seven  Ionian Islands with Greece in 1864. You’d have thought the Corfiots would be ruing such an event, in the current circumstances; however the streets were full of marching bands, local dignitaries and thousands of tourists, all in all a great atmosphere, not quite like the Easter celebrations we witnessed last year but a great sense of occasion.

There was one point when local MPs /officials/high ranking clergy, walked through the main street flanked by paparazzi and police armed bodyguards, followed by hundreds of scouts and guides, it was a scene straight out of the Godfather movies!

We met Lynda & Steve on the edge of all this chaos in a café on the Liston, and after a quick planning meeting over a cheeky red wine and ouzo meze we decided we should explore out of town because it was so crowded.  Lynda & Steve have stopped off in Corfu a couple of times before and we wanted to try and show them something of the island they wouldn't get by following a tour guide off the ship!

This time we went out of town and up to Kaisers Throne. 

Keith, Lynda and Steve

A place of interesting history and some of the best views of the middle of the island, dominated by the 2 huge cruise ships anchored at the port in Corfu Town.  Between 1908 and the first world war, Kaiser Wilhelm II spent his summers at Achillion Palace but his favourite location was the village of Pelekas.   It’s not difficult to understand why.  Standing at his ‘throne’ you have a 360 degree panoramic view of the island and one of the most impressive sunsets.

The Kaiser's Throne

After a few photo opportunities we came back down to the small town of Pelekas for lunch.   The location of one of my all time favourite films, the 1964 film Zorba The Greek, starring Anthony Quinn! Across the road from the taverna is a blue and white painted old 2^nd WW mine which featured in the film!

Pelekas now

Anthony Quinn 1964

After a pleasant lunch we still had some time on our hands before they had to be back on board no later than 5pm.  We checked the map and satnav and decided we could do a quick trip to Paleokastritsa;   ½ hour later we were sat on the waterfront in Paleo, beer in hand, basking in beautiful sunshine, watching people jumping on and off boats and swimming in the sea, which could only be icy water  at this time of year.

Palio Bay

Fixing the windows on the submarine in Palio

Beer drunk and no time for souvenir shopping, we piled back into the car and returned our guests back to their ship!  We made our way home leisurely via the east coast taking in Ipsos, Kalami, Kassiopi and Roda en-route.

We are now looking forward to our next day off, which will be this Monday, 3 weeks since our last one and Keith’s first night off since 22^nd May!
(Keith made me put this.... I think he is looking for some sympathy?) (*shrug*)

Corfu flowers in May

.....You're still so young to travel so far
Old enough to know who you are
Wise enough to carry the scars

When your seven worlds collide……

'Guitar Man'

........“Who draws the crowd and plays so loud?  Baby it’s the guitar man”

Last week we went out and about knocking on doors for gigs, as is our custom every season.  Although we arrive hoping that all the places that booked Keith last year will be doing the same again this year, the reality is that nothing is certain. Sometimes the owners have changed, bars have closed down or it’s too early in the season etc. With all of this in mind, we drove over to visit a couple of last year’s venues in Acharavi and Kassiopi and finished up in Kalami on the North East coast.

We had stayed overnight here last year with Paddy & Lorraine and Woodie & Dee and had been recommended to try one of Woodie’s favourite watering holes “Cocktails & Dreams” as a venue and unknown to us they had been recommended Keith as an act for their bar!

Keith and Sue had joined us on our gig hunting trip out, so we also had a wander round Kalami, and a spot of lunch and a beer. Kalami is a beautiful, peaceful, getaway which maintains its Greek character.  A former fishing village nestling between the sea and a mountain backdrop of olive and pine trees which has 3 tavernas, 3 cocktail bars, 3 minimarkets and 2 gift shops.  The sheltered beach is covered in white shiny pebbles and is a perfect spot for a swim in the stunningly clear water.

Here a white two-storied house on a rocky promontory was for several years the home of Lawrence Durrell and his Wife Nancy. Lawrence, (brother of Gerald – ‘My family and other animals) poet and novelist, is the well-known author of Prospero's Cell and several other books which have Corfu settings as their background. In this same house Henry Miller, perpetrator of Tropic of Cancer, was Durrell's guest during the summer of 1939.

Kalami has also been used as a James Bond location, in ‘For your eyes only’

We called into the hotel bar, Cocktails and Dreams, to negotiate the gig for the following Tuesday.  Then we had a delicious, leisurely lunch at the Thomas Taverna on the beach.

Tuesday soon came around and it turned out to be Keith’s first gig of the season. Which, as a new venue, in a new location, plus a new song sheet, it could have been tricky.  But as usual, Keith set up, plugged in and played for 2 ½ hours, with loads of requests and CDs sold at the end of the gig!  Despite a thunderstorm at the start of the gig, a good proportion of the audience were outside dancing on the terracing in front of the bar, a cracking 1^st night!

On Sunday nights Keith has negotiated another lovely new venue, “Nino’s on the Beach” which is a hotel in Roda.  It’s a small family run hotel with a large bar and dining area. Run by Nino and his son Danny.  It has the benefit of being independent, so unlike a Thomson hotel, they don’t have mass changeover days and they also have regular guests who return year upon year. As the name suggests it is on the sea front which will provide superb sunsets whilst Keith plays a chill out set for the guests during their evening meal!

We have always liked Roda, it was the first place we stayed on our very first visit to Corfu in 1998, at the Coral Hotel.  It’s an old fishing village on the North West coast and a small, friendly, family beach resort; which is mostly used by British tourists. There is a pretty sandy beach and you can walk all along the sea front to Acharavi which is close by.  The original town has developed, but you still see locals continuing their traditional everyday life.

Keith’s first gig there went really well, more Cd’s were sold and they have asked him to do 2 gigs a week all season, Sundays and Wednesdays.

Now, a week later, The Athens Bar gigs have started every Saturday night, unless there is a football match on the TV or a wedding (which there will be next week) This is Keith’s 8^th season playing in this bar and it’s our favourite and our local gig, so Keith has been flexible.  So far it’s been 1x Saturday, 1x Friday, and 2 x Mondays in this month’s schedule! Keith has also secured a bar in Acharavi and a hotel in Sidari every week, so it’s keeping him out of mischief!  But I’m still not convinced he’s not on holiday.

 ........“Something keeps him going miles and miles a day to find another place to play”

Run for home.....

"....I've travelled the land with a guitar in my hand
And an eye ever open for some fun......"

Hello world…… after a hectic and sometimes stressful winter in the UK, we are now back on the tranquil island of Corfu.  We have been here for 10 days now and feel completely chilled, leaving all our worries from our UK winter behind us.

Our journey here was just as eventful and interesting as previous years.  Since the ferry has stopped sailing from Venice to Corfu a few years ago we have varied the route on our road trip to Corfu.  This year we sailed P&O from Hull to Rotterdam, then drove through Holland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Italy.  We have visited and explored bits of these countries before except Slovenia.  We had 2 overnight stops in Heidelberg with family; Paul & Milena, warmly welcomed us as always and treated us to a now familiar traditional meal with the seasonal asparagus washed down with German beer. Wonderful as ever!

We left Heidelberg at 9am after we stocked up in a German wholefood supermarket with enough food and drinks for our 26 hour ferry crossing.  As our ferry didn't sail to Igoumanitsa (Greek mainland) till 6am, we had plenty of time. We drove leisurely through the scenic countryside of Germany and Austria to Slovenia to visit Ljubljana for a few hours of sightseeing before a quick hop over the border into Italy to Trieste.  It was well worth the detour, the capital of Slovenia is a beautiful city on the river, with many ancient land mark buildings, beautiful shops and pavement cafes and bars.

Ljubljana

We arrived in the city just as it was going dark, managed to park in a 24 hour underground car park in the heart of the old town and walked out into a beautiful park/square surrounded on 3 sides by old buildings.  

Ljubljana

We walked to the river 100 metres away and crossed one of the 5 ornate bridges situated in the heart of the town.  On both sides of the river there were cafes/bars/restaurants and as it was going dark all the prominent buildings and bridges were illuminated to further highlight the stunning architecture.  We walked through tiny winding cobbled streets around the area, spoilt for choice of outdoor bars, which were filling up rapidly, as people settled down to watch the champions’ league semi-final between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid on the large tv’s that seemed to spring up outside every bar.  We sat down and soaked up the atmosphere, and the local wine and beers for a couple of hours.   

Ljubljana

Ljubljana

Ljubljana

Ljubljana

Then to complete the evening on the way back to the car spotted a street café that sold the most amazing chicken kebab (maybe we were just hungry) but it could have been the best kebab in the world ever!

A short 35 minutes later we were in Italy and within the hour at the port of Trieste.

Our Ferry departs from Trieste at 6.30am and we had arrived at midnight in plenty of time to get our tickets, park the car in line ready for loading (which was anticipated to be at 3.30am) and a quick snooze in the car before boarding!  We hadn’t allowed for the chaos of Greek/Italian check in and technology;  checking in was slow, but we were 3^rd in the queue …….. 12.10am now and we were next in line and as they printed off the tickets for the people in front of us the computer went into meltdown.  We waited……… the Greek staff went off for a coffee and a few fags, came back shouted a bit, went off for more coffee,  then disappeared upstairs,  away from the growing agitated queue, blaming Italian telecom for the problem.  We didn’t want to lose our place so queued patiently, as brits do. Finally at 2.30am the computers spluttered into life and we got our tickets, got back to the car and 15mins later started to board, got our cabin, poured ourselves a gin & tonic and went on deck to see some of the usual boarding mayhem, then went happily to bed.

 

A Selfie on the ferry

Trieste to Ancona

Leaving Ancona

With a police escort

May 1^st, arrived refreshed in the port of Igoumanitsa and drove to the Corfu ferry ticket office only to find it was Mayday, a bank holiday and a 1 day strike NO Ferries till tomorrow!

What do we do?  Stay in Igouminitsa? Or have an adventure and find somewhere on the mainland? …….yep adventure it is! Heading south along the coast, with beautiful scenery and empty roads we stopped at Loutsa, a small sea front of a village overlooking the island of Paxos.  We spotted a taverna that all the locals were using, which turned out to be a great choice, a swift drink with a complimentary meze of whitebait and fresh tomatoes covered in oregano followed by our order of fresh fried calamari with chips…. 17 euros the lot!

We travelled on, heading towards our chosen destination of Lefkados.  As we have discovered before, when you see a sign depicting a cow, it doesn’t mean there is a farm near by and the farmer might be crossing the road with a few cows  from field to farm.  Nope, it means there are cows grazing on the roadside or even in the middle of the road if they choose to.

A sign for cows

Actual Cows

Not actually cows

The local landscape was amazing; whole valleys flooded and a couple of serious river deltas with huge areas of land, either under water or irrigated with canals and streams.  At Prevezia, we experienced a Greek phenomenon, a tunnel under a river (can the Greeks build these?) and we emerged 3 euros lighter for the experience but it saved us a detour of 75 miles.  As we arrived at Lefkada, we were greeted by a beautiful outcrop of land overlooking the island of Kefalonia, populated and frequented by the young, rich and beautiful people of mainland Greece and a yachting fraternity.

Our hotel room

View from our hotel room

Lefkada is several miles of sea front with pavement café’s and bars, a few hotels and a main street that went on forever with shops of all types of designer goods.  We found a hotel right on the sea front 50 euros inc breakfast, with a sea view and wifi and settled into our room.   “perfect”  using our supply of duty free gin and beer we sat on the balcony and watched the world go by…..A coach driver trying to negotiate a car park with double parked vehicles and every man on or off the bus giving “expert” advice on how to manoeuvre the coach out of the space he was in.

We had a pizza in a local restaurant run by an Athens Greek and his son, who sported (much to his dad’s annoyance) a Jimi Hendrix tattoo!  We had long chats about politics/music/food; he even gave Liz a present of a miniature ice bucket and tongs, to use for ice in gin ‘n’ tonic servings.

The following day, after a reasonable continental breakfast and a Lavazza in our room (one of the delights of our trip to Corfu this year is that we brought our portable espresso coffee machine.  So on the ferries and in the hotel room we could avoid the dire Nescafé serving and have fresh lavazza  every morning)  We got on the road headed for the port and arrived in Igoumanitsa with 10 minutes to spare for the next ferry.  Keith had to climb out of the car as it loaded whilst Liz was forced to park hard up against the bulkhead of the boat (no concession made for  right hand drive cars) and had to climb over the passenger seat to get out!

1 ½ hours later and into a thunderstorm, we landed in Corfu.

1 hour later and WE ARE HOME!!!!!! Driving down the hill in San Stef to our home again for the next 6 months is one of the priceless sensations we never lose, as the village unravels before our eyes at every turn and bend till we reach the main street

...... then up the hill to our home and then ‘that’ view from the balcony Yamas!!!