Cor-phew on Corfu

Saturday 19th & Sunday 20th October 2013

We both slept well after our journey the previous day and so didn't make a particularly early start. There was a little bakery immediately across the road from the Barras and it was to here that we went for our breakfast. Coffee, and a feta cheese pie was enjoyed,  and together with fresh fruit was to become a staple breakfast for us.

We attended the Thomson welcome meeting and met some of our fellow guests. Rob, our representative was a pleasant lad but was showing the signs of a long season about to end. I felt somewhat sorry for him in so much as most of the listed excursions were no longer operating, which left him with little to sell and earn himself any commission. As an ex holiday representative myself, I did find myself comparing his welcome meeting to those I conducted and did feel he could have told us more about the local area. What restaurants, bars, supermarkets, etc. were still open, and information about the local 'green' bus route to Corfu Town and onwards if you wanted to see the island using public transport. We did book a day trip to Parga on the Greek mainland and then onwards to the island of Paxos (no not the chicken stuffing product). This was to depart the following day at 7.15am. There was an excursion to Albania scheduled for the following Tuesday, however, being the end of the season it seemed reasonable to assume that Albania may well also be closing down, so we decided against booking this. As it turned out this excursion was subsequently cancelled.

After the meeting we found a small cafe serving various snacks, soft drinks and beers and decided to have a Pita Gyros(a pita bread rolled into a cone shape and filled with lamb or chicken, salad and chips). Delicious and cheap but not exactly on Slimming World's syn free list of foods! Still I was on holiday.

Our swimming pool looked mighty inviting, so we decided to have a swim and then relax by the pool in the sun. We hadn't actually seen anybody else in the pool, but then again there were not that many guests staying there. Those that were in watched as we plunged in...by goodness it was cold. Having gotten wet we decided to brave it out and complete a few lengths, but in all honesty it didn't get any warmer and I was first out to warm up in the sunshine, a bit like a crocodile or a snake basking to warm their blood. (In my case more like a Manatee).

On our exploratory reconnoitre of the village we had noticed a nice looking Restaurant/Bar by the attractive name of Summer Dream and decided to give it a look as a potential dinner venue. Set in a nicely landscaped garden complete with Palm trees and comfortable looking padded chairs around the bar area, the diner had the option of outdoor or indoor dining. It was difficult to let other patrons guide us as we could only see one other couple seated outside, but near to the indoor dining area. Pleasant music was being played to encourage...err, well us I guess, or was it for the benefit of the owners? Michaelis or was it his brother Dimitris, greeted us by the bar and explained that they were co-owners and were indeed open for business.
It transpired that the other couple dining here were George and Rita, a lovely couple who were also staying at the Barras. We waved to them and decided to take an adjacent table on the outside terrace.

Ian relaxing at the Summer Dream Bar

The meal was good and afterwards Michaelis (well at least I think it was Michaelis) told us that he would be remaining open until the weekend as there were still tourists about, albeit, not many. Looked like Ian and I were going to have to cross this off our list of venues shortly. Michaelis also told us that he would be spending the winter months in England, in Swindon to be precise! In previous years he has worked as a meter reader amongst other jobs, but just loves the U.K. Unlike many Corfiots, who harvest their olive crops during the winter, he preferred to spend it in our cold and damp climate. Good for him I say, but give me some of Corfu's sun and warmth at least for a couple of weeks please.

On our way back  we called into another small bar adjacent to the Barras, the El Greco. As we had an early start the next day for our excursion to Parga and Paxos we intended only to have a night cap before retiring to bed, however, this turned into a few night caps as we watched one of the big Greek football teams playing live in the Champions League.

We were to be collected from outside the nearby Aspa Supermarket at 7.15am and so set our alarms for 6am, in order to have a shower and a cup of tea before leaving. Horror of horrors, upon rising we discovered that we had no water supply. We couldn't flush the toilet let alone flood the bathroom with a shower. This occurrence is not perhaps as unusual as you might think on a number of Mediterranean islands but it is still awkward when it does happen. Still there was little we could do about it then and made do with using our supplies of bottled water to boil a kettle and have a brief wash. We were also able to make a cup of tea, our concession to 'self-catering'.

It was still dark as we made our way to the pick-up point and it was pretty chilly at this early hour. Was our cavalier attitude of donning shorts as opposed to trousers to be a wise one? It certainly didn't feel like it then but I was confident that our decision would prove to be the right one as the sun rose. What was that strange clicking noise? My knees knocking together I think! Brrr!

There were no other people about and as we had arrived just after 7am to be sure we were not left behind, we stood alone in the early morning chilly air. 7.15am came and went with no sign of a coach and it was just before 7.30am when a taxi pulled up beside us. "You get in", said the driver. "No thanks, we are waiting for a coach ", I replied. Apparently, he was our coach! He had been sent to take us to the nearby resort of Sidari, where we would join the coach for Corfu Town New Port and our ferry to Parga. Upon arrival in Sidari he stopped outside a restaurant named 'The Three Little Pigs' and told us that the coach would be here in 5 minutes.I don't know about Three Little Pigs but we were two little pigs (sorry Ian) and in the middle of what looked like a deserted resort. Time ticked by, 10 minutes, 15, 20 minutes and still no sign of anything let alone a coach. We didn't have the Thomson 24hr help-line card with us, so just had to wait it out. Eventually, a coach arrived and to our relief pulled up for us to board. The driver had our names on his list and so we gratefully found a seat and tried to get warm having been in the cold for the best part of 2 hours.

Sunrise in Sidari

The journey to Corfu Town's New Port took about 1 hour 15 minutes from Sidari and took us over the mountainous interior of this part of the Island, with some spectacular views as the sun began to penetrate a heavy mist. Once at the New Port we were met by a representative of Sarris Cruises, who were operating this excursion, and after a short form filling exercise, by which we had probably agreed to waive any rights to future complaint (only joking), we boarded and were soon ready for embarkation (nautical term for leaving). I think they were probably waiting for us actually...the Agios Stefanos duo! The vessel had two decks with inside and outside seating both fore and aft (another nautical term for front and back). By the way, man overboard is a nautical term for man overboard (I jest!). Most of the outside seating appeared to taken so we contented ourselves with a seat in the inside cabin and a coffee to revive ourselves. Once under way, the brisk sea breeze that was ripperling the Greek flag soon drove lots of people to seek a less windy vantage point. This was our turn to move outside and view the fast disappearing Corfu Town in the distance. Despite the clear blue skies and a bright sun it was still advisable to wear a jacket or similar. Like the macho men that we undoubtedly were, we merely smiled and rubbed our bare legs to increase the circulation!  We managed to secure a couple of seats at the very rear of the deck and sat back to enjoy the cruise to Parga.

Corfu in the distance

Ian and me chilling (literally)

Once we left Corfu Town we sailed along the north east coastline of the Greek mainland. This region is called Epiros and borders Albania at its northern extremity. The journey time to Parga was about an hour and a half and the sun had certainly started to warm us up. Ian and I met a delightful young woman called Ann-Katherine (Anka, as she liked to be called) and chatted amiably with her during the journey. Anka was from Hanover in Germany and was taking a break on Corfu on her own. Initially, with her olive complexion and dark hair, I had pinned her as either Greek or Italian but she explained that she took her colouring from her father's side of the family, which is Italian.

As we approached Parga we were rewarded with a delightfully picturesque vista of brightly coloured houses rising from the port of Panagia. An old Venetian castle sits at the top of the town and in former times provided the area with protection from invading armies. We had a couple of hours to explore the town, swim or simply sit in one of the many restaurants along the quayside. Anka accepted our offer to explore with us and we set off up into the small, tight alleyways. The buildings were quite high and housed small shops as well as home dwellings. A short way up through the streets and we came to a large Greek Orthodox Church. The interior was quite something to see with beautiful, vivid coloured decorations, depicting various biblical scenes. Even the ceiling was richly decorated and there seemed to be not a single undecorated or carved area.

We decided against walking as far as the castle and returned back towards the quayside and went in search of a restaurant for some sustenance. We walked away from the boat landing area and found a pleasant looking restaurant with nice views out onto the bay. Over a leisurely lunch, we got to know Anka better and it soon seemed we had known her for some time. She was prepared for a swim whereas Ian and I had not come prepared, and this was beginning to seem a missed opportunity as the temperature had risen appreciably and the shallow, crystal clear waters looked so inviting. Anka decided to wait until we reached the island of Paxos to bathe, thereby sensibly letting her lunch settle.

Parga 

Wish we had our swimmers with us

With Anka at Parga

Back on the boat we were able to reclaim our seats at the stern (back) where we were now enjoying lovely warm sunshine for the shorter journey to the island of Paxos. Another couple, Lorna and Martin, had also secured their seats from the first leg of the cruise and chatting with them (who me?)it transpired that they came from Norwich. What a small world as Ipswich and Norwich lie only 42 miles apart in the UK. Now, I was shamelessly trying to promote my book and having a captive audience (barring jumping overboard or more likely, me being thrown overboard) it was too good an opportunity to miss. Where better to promote a book about travelling than to fellow travellers? I was remiss in so much as I had left my business cards at the studio but fortunately, Ian had a notebook and pen with him so I was able to pass on my details. I know I am biased, but it is a good fun read and I hope that some of the people I have met on this holiday will consider buying a copy. (If you look at my previous blog posts then you will see a link to my author page at the publisher where you will be able to obtain a copy...PLEASE).

Lorna and Martin had a little friend with them by the name of "Little Charlie Mouse" (LCM) who they religiously take with them on all their travels. This cute little mouse is by all accounts  very well travelled and is also well photographed on his various jaunts. During my travel career I have come across these well travelled cuddly animals but usually where an airline or tour operator is asked to take them and have a 'passport' stamped from an overseas destination in aid of charity

LCM with Anka

As we approached Paxos it was easy to see how pretty the capital town, Gaios, was. Situated only 11 km from the Southernmost tip of Corfu, Paxos is the smallest of the Ionian Islands and in common with many Greek Islands it is covered by olive groves. These would have provided the Island's main source of income in past years but I would suspect that tourism is now rivalling if not exceeding this. The town of Gaios is centred around the pretty harbour and a number of small tavernas, restaurants and shops fan out from the main square. Off the square, narrow alleyways can be explored easily and you get the feeling of the real Greece with of course the ever present Greek Orthodox Church. The buildings offer a fair representation of both the Venetian and British influence in their appearance.

We wandered along the harbour front and found a small shingle beach where Anka decided to have her swim. The temperature had risen nicely and Ian and I were both ruing our decision not to bring swimming gear with us and had to make do with a paddle in the crystal clear waters. As there were a number of different sized pebbles (well big stones actually!) lots of people had erected small Stonehenge type heaps. My attempted heap was just that and not a very good heap either!

Ian had wandered back towards the square in search of a cold drink, whilst Anka completed her dip and we walked back to find him seated at a shaded table sipping a beer. I had read somewhere that Paxos was renowned for its super-duper ice cream latte coffee and that was what I wanted, and that was what I ordered. When it arrived it was indeed super-duper..emmm!

We had time to wander the back alleys of Gaios before it was time to return to our vessel. The journey back to Corfu Town was enjoyed with a still hot sun shining down on us. I met another lovely couple, the lady who actually lived even closer to us in Ipswich coming from Hitcham, Suffolk. As luck would have it, I have a few books lodged with The Idler bookshop in Hadleigh, Suffolk, which is only a few miles from Hitcham, so hopefully she will be able to obtain a copy from that outlet.

The sun was setting as we neared Corfu Town and we were rewarded with some splendid sunset vistas of the Old Town and the Fortress. In many ways the trip was all but over, and the many lovely people we had met would be going their own ways. I do hope that some will stay in touch but, if not, wherever you are I wish you well and am glad I had the opportunity to meet you.

Gaios harbour, Paxos

Gaios

Loitering without intent in Gaios

Beer o'clock in Gaios

With Anka

Sunset on arrival at Corfu Town

The Old Fortress, Corfu Town

So with our goodbyes and hugs over it was back on the coach for the journey back to Agios Stefanos. Where would we be thrown off this time? Sidari seemed the obvious choice since that was where we joined the coach some 12 hours earlier. How wrong we were, just as I was getting into the Manic Street Preachers on my MP3 player, so the coach stopped on a hair-pin bend in the mountains and we were ushered off. Fortunately, a taxi was waiting for us and the young driver proceeded to take us back to the Barras in Agios Stefanos at breakneck speed. He did stop briefly in a village on route to speak with an attractive young lady who seemed less than pleased that this chap was taking two tourists to Agios Stefanos when perhaps he should have been with her. Personally, I would rather have been with her also but he drove on ever faster, albeit with consummate skill one handed whilst undoubtedly speaking to his lady on his mobile.

We were back at the Barras in under 45 minutes, shaken but not stirred. So ended an excellent day where we had seen some lovely scenery and met some lovely people. Dinner at the Barras and a few drinks before bed, Yammas and goodnight.

Cor-phew on Corfu

Friday 18th October,2013

Pool rules at the Barras Studios

 The Barras three, Dimitri, George and Spiro

Barras Friendly Family Studios

4.30am anywhere in the world is not a good time

Agios Stefanos beach

and so it will come as no surprise that as my alarm chirruped annoyingly I decided it was not a good time either. That said, it was the start of my holiday break to the Greek Island of Corfu, so the incentive to actually get out of my warm bed and ready myself was somewhat greater than it would normally be.

Together with my friend Ian and after a cup of tea and and a shower (not with Ian), we awaited the arrival of my sister Sandra who had kindly agreed to drive us to Stansted Airport for our 9.15am  flight. It's only a 50 minute journey but we needed to check-in 2 hours prior to departure, in order to pass through the security checks now so essential for all flights.

The flight was comfortable and the 3 hours or so duration passed fairly quickly in the company of a couple who were taking a Cruise and stay holiday commencing in Corfu. It also became the first opportunity for me to unashamedly push my book and these poor souls left with my business card and a promise to purchase a copy. (http://bit.ly/TMdIWF)

For anybody who has visited Corfu before you may well remember the runway at the airport heads straight for the lagoon and on more than one occasion in the past aircraft have not quite made it before ending in the water! Our pilot however was a consummate professional and executed a textbook landing and we were soon stepping out into that lovely, hair-dryer warmth of a Mediterranean climate. Passport control was somewhat haphazard and we were waved through before I could fully extract my passport from my hand-luggage. Likewise the baggage was soon appearing on the carousel and as usual I was relieved when my bag chugged its way along for me to collect. Touch wood, I have yet to need to make a claim for lost or delayed baggage in all my travels.

The Thomson holidays representatives were waiting to direct us to the correct coach for transfer to our resort. This was my first package holiday for many years and I was reminded vividly of my stint as an Overseas Representative on the Greek Island of Crete in 2003, and the many hours spent waiting at the airport seeing off departing passengers and awaiting the next incoming batch.

We were staying in the resort of Agios Stefanos, on the North West coast of Corfu and the advised transfer time from the airport was 1 hour 45 minutes. This is to allow for drop-offs at other resorts and the twisting and mountainous roads on this part of the island. As we sat on the coach waiting to depart, I realised that I had been bitten by a mosquito. That was possibly a record for me, less than half an hour after arrival...how sneaky and my deet spray repellent was inside my suitcase!

In actuality, the transfer was about 1 hour 20 minutes as we only dropped off passengers in the resort of Sidari en route to Agios Stefanos. As we approached our resort we were treated to a spectacular panoramic view of the coast and the resort laying below us down the narrow, curving road. I was surprised to see that the wind had whipped up the sea into a series of white-topped breakers despite the very pleasant air temperature. Being mid-October and the last couple of weeks of the season we had been expecting the possibility of cooler and wetter weather conditions but so far things looked great, with a cloudless blue sky and warm sunshine. Apparently, the previous week, Corfu had experienced heavy rain and strong winds, so our packing had reflected that particular climate possibility.

We were met by our host at the Barras Family Friendly Studios, George, and directed to our studio where the keys were in the lock. I was impressed with our room, clean and simply furnished but larger than I had expected. Our balcony which looked out onto the Barras swimming pool, was bathed in bright sunshine. It was apparent that the accommodation was only moderately occupied but, again with it being the end of season this was perhaps to be expected.

Having selected our respective beds, Ian and I part-unpacked and hung trousers and shirts in the wardrobe, had a quick freshen-up, read our welcome note from our holiday representative advising us of a welcome meeting the following day, and then made for the bar and the time honoured ritual of first beer of the holiday...cheers or yammas in Greek. George seemed like a nice chap and one beer turned into a few as we relaxed after the journey and asked George a number of questions about our locale, which he seemed more than happy to answer.

We decided to go for a walk around the resort, and checked out the beach first. It has a wide, hard-packed sand surface and was relatively empty.The sea-weed that had been deposited in fairly large quantities along the shoreline was evidence of the previous weeks stormy weather. It was noticeable that many restaurants, shops and accommodations were closed for the season and, some looked like they had been closed for some time. Had we come to a partial ghost town? There was definitely a lack of people about, but what the hay, the sun was warm and we were not about to let this upset our holiday. In some ways I had a feeling that this would be ideal for a quiet-ish (if you know me well, you will be raising your eyebrows about now!) autumn break.

Back in our room, getting showered and changed for dinner, we discovered the joys of Greek bathrooms. Unlike many previous bathrooms I have experienced in 'modest' Greek accommodation, this one did have a shower curtain and a tray. However, this did not prevent a mini flooding of the room after each of us showered. A handy mop and bucket were provided in the room for just such occasions and so we were able to dry the floor somewhat.

Now that darkness had fallen, the temperature had also fallen somewhat also from a pleasant 26c to something approaching 17c. Not cold by Northern European evening temperatures but cool enough to bring out a pullover or light fleece in my case. As we were tired and the prospect of finding alternative eating possibilities were limited, we decided to eat at The Barras. There were about four other tables occupied but we were made to feel very welcome by George and his sons Dimitri and Spiro, and we were soon tucking into a Beef Stifado (beef stew with onions) for Ian, and Lamb Keleftico (slow cooked Lamb with a seasoned sauce) for me. The meal was delicious and as we discovered later was prepared by Dimitri's wife, hence the 'Friendly Family' tag. Obviously, in high season other staff would be employed to cook and wait tables but at the tail end of the season it fell to the 'family' to keep things running. George had already renamed us, Yannis and Andreas to give us our Greek names. A few beers and to finish off, a couple of Metaxa 5* Greek brandies, and we were ready for bed at the relatively early time of 11.30pm.

So far so good...I was more than satisfied with everything thus far and went to sleep with positive thoughts about the rest of our holiday to come.