A Pinay in Europe

Walking around Corfu town is a feast for the eyes! And with Christmas just few days from now, it’s fascinating looking at the xmas decorations in shops while shoppers walk about doing their Christmas purchases.  Truly, people-watching is a great delight, what with Corfiot women not having the slightest intention to fall behind their French and Italian sisters in the fashion scene!

The little girl could easily grace the cover of a novel book or a magazine.  I think I’ve seen a magazine featuring Madonna’s daughter, Lourdes, in the same outfit.

I suppose it’s the twins’ first-ever Christmas shopping!

Greece is where I have seen the most number of boots-lovers!

A family that shops together stays together…

A corner shrine

Simple but very effective Christmas decoration

Love those pavement stones!

One minute you are in the High Street and the next minute, you find yourself trudging through residential alleys.  You get a lot of housekeeping ideas though, like, how to dry socks in tight spaces!

The mountain range of Albania as seen from Corfu town

Just goes to show that a car can be a good pot for giant plants!

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We went driving to the hills today and were truly impressed by the glorious sight of the olive trees heavily laden with fruits and the black nettings underneath them.  The harvest season starts in October and lasts till the early months of the following year. 

Climb this footpath at your own risk!  The olives dropping on the ground slowly excretes  their precious oil making this pavement dangerously slippery for walking!

These black nettings laid out under the tree collect the dropping olives.  When the harvest season is over, they are carefully folded out and stored away, to be taken out again next season.

The dropped olives

A majestic olive tree standing golden and proud at sunset.

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Our ferry boat approaching the port in Venice. It takes the 24-hour trip from Venice to Corfu

The boat crossing the Lido channel

Piazza San Marco as seen from the boat.

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By burning, I don’t only mean figuratively but literally as we saw on the ferry tv news that over 120 fires have broken out across Greece the last two days! 

Good grief… and I thought the 45 - 50deg C was normal to the islands, little did we imagine that a heatwave was happening!  I felt it really bad as we were only living in a very small boat, and there was no breeze at all, and I was forever bathed in sweat and to cool me off, I had to jet-hose myself every few minutes. Mid-days were like holidaying in purgatory especially  that the air conditioning compressor of our car hasn’t been working for the last five years!  Thank heavens the nearest hotel in the marina has wi-fi facilities so we passed the hottest hours of the day surfing in the air-conditioned lobby, spending only 3euros for a big mug of Mythos (Greece’s one and only beer).  I am telling you,  an icy-cold beer can satisfy your thirst more than water or coca (that’s how the French call “coke”)!

No wonder, few times we saw on tv (while lunching at a taverna) that a program showing almost all day long has the tv presentors, in their swimsuits/trunks, interviewing people in the beach and at the bottom right corner of the screen, island temperatures are shown - from 42 to 50degC. A video clip is inserted every now and then giving demonstrations on what to do when the mercury rises to the highest level.

For example: at 45deg, one must keep drinking water; at 50deg, to include water-hosing one’s head to keep from dehydrating.

You won’t believe it if  I tell you that our water thermometer meant for the boat but accidentally left in the car actually exploded (its maximum threshold was only 50) spluttering bits of mercury all over the seat and the car floor.  One day, I found my plastic haircomb in the dashboard warped in the shape of a letter C! (I lost it anyway…)

I was actually counting the days to our departure! The island is very pretty but never again we will go there in June-July-August or even September!

The last 3 days, we were in the company of husband’s couple-friends from way back university.  They arrived from 20deg-raining-on-and-off London and what a big shock especially for dear Priscilla (the wife) to be practically frying in Corfiot heat.  Instead of us showing them around, half of the time we were taking refuge to their air-conditioned holiday apartment, dipping into their sun-heated pool which was a real delight!  But of course, we did some swimming in the Adriatic Sea accompanied by husband’s now-becoming-most-requested grilled fish and Greek salad prepared on the boat!

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We can’t believe that we are finally in Corfu!  It’s been our dream to come here for a holiday but it just remained as that - a dream, until today.   Two reasons why we are finally doing it.  First, to check on the Marina where we could relocate our tiny boat which is currently moored in Saint Laurent du Var in France.  Second, to de-stress.  H has just finished a long and stressful assignment,  he badly needs a holiday.

 The first time my husband set foot in Corfu was when he was in university.  He passed his holiday on this tiny Emerald isle with his bestfriend and it left wonderful memories.  He promised himself that he would return someday.

The trip to Corfu takes 24 hours by ferry originating from Venice…..

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Day One -

The next day, we took a drive around the island.

Kentroma.  We saw the sign “Way to the Beach” so we parked the car and started the descent towards the beach.
 

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The next village we went to - Nimfes

As a self-declared floriphile, Nimfes took my breath away..

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The beauty of sailing is being able to get to places impossible to reach by car or by foot.

Found this jewel of a bay and decided to moor here to have our bbq and a little swimming.
in just few minutes of arriving, swarms of yachts and tour boats started mooring….

cooking lunch…..in the boat!

we will be sailing this way SOON! in the meantime, our tatty and hole-y sails need replacing!

Kalispera (Good afternoon)!

Corfu is just blowing us away! it’s the emerald isle of the whole Greek islands because of the color of her bays, .so sparkingly emerald! and it’s the greenest of them all, too!Everything grows here! Plants which I have never seen before in Western Europe, and if there are similar ones, they are much much bigger, thicker and really growing more beautifully! What is it in the soil here? i wonder..

Now, since I am a plant fanatic, I can see myself living here! Well, H is already toying with the idea especially that his dream of sailing the Greek islands is close to happening!

The way of life here is so relaxed, no stress, a bit disorganised and unkempt, with holes, very narrow. In fact, I have already labeled the island as the “one-laner” capital of Europe! And you or the other incoming car has to give way to let you pass the very narrow stretch. But that’s exactly the reason why it is so easy to live here! No rules. Everybody takes their time! Nobody is in a hurry! Their lunch hours are from 2pm to 5pm!

And it is sooo hot! The temperature in the car yesterday was 50degC and outside was 45deg! if not for the seabreeze, it would have been like the Mid-East!

Corfu is the stronghold of the British! Many British families already have their second homes here and if they are tourists, they try to visit several times a year!

As to the buffet, we went for a 20euros per head buffet dinner the other night. good grief! 18 courses and the table was endlessly being re-filled with food! the price includes half a liter of wine for a couple, a fruit buffet afterwards and long hours of Greek dancing, music and everybody dancing afterwards. I imagined, it was not a buffet-for-profit after all but just a big Party! The Greeks sure know how to throw a big party, everybody had lots of fun and fill that night!

Greek men love to gather and talk in cafes….

Greek women are very chic!

Greek dancing.
If you have seen the men dance together a-la-Aristotle Onassis, you will cry - in regret -
why the heck you did not marry a Greek!

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