last day

Today is our last day and we are packed up and enjoying the last few hours in the sun. Corfu is an excellent place to come and hike!

Site Seeing

Between hikes and during days off from hiking we take in the local sites on the island of Corfu. Corfu has had a long ancient history so we've seen castles, palaces, forts, monestaries, churches and museums. We have also been out in boats twice to get a closer look at the coast, the caves and in one boat we were able to go down below into a glass submarine and watch the fish. Very enjoyable!

On the Corfu Trail

We have been on 6 hikes so far and have 1 more to go. In total we will have hiked 96km. Besides spectacular views, fresh air, interesting foliage, donkeys, cats, dogs, birds and pleasant company, the hikes are physically challenging. Usually we start by going up hill, with some relatively flat lags, then when reach the peak we have lunch, then head back down via a different route. One hike our leader called "the buns of steel hike" but I think that they all are in this category. The trail itself is sometimes flat, sometimes along a road and other times is very rocky and difficult to navigate- you need to have alot of agility -especially if the rocks are wet due to the rain. Occasionally we have had to "bushwack" our way through and a few times we have had to help each other through tough spots (see photo above - with my group leader waiting to help me down an 8 foot gully). So far I have only fallen twice and both times I automatically shot my right broken wrist straight up into the air and did not land on it!

Greek Food

The food here is pleasurable - alot of my favourite flavours: lemon, olive, feta, yogurt, honey, tzitki... plus the best prepared meats, fish and poultry. I even tried lamb and liked it. When we hike we take in the aroma of lemons, oranges, and thyme, and see olive trees everywhere.

Paleokastritsa

The group has travelled to the west side of the Island of Corfu and changed hotels (only a 20 minute drive). We are now in a small beach communmity and all of our rooms overlook the sea. The pictures above are taken from my room and outside the hotel. It is absolutely stunning here- the many shades of the green and blue ocean, lava rocks, cliffs everywhere and interesting lush vegetation. We will be spending the next week here doing 4 hikes up and down the hills and visiting local sites. I am going to enjoy sitting on my balcony and watching the Ionian Sea.

Greek Dinner and Dancing

Last night we took a drive to a quiet little town to enjoy a Greek meal (all you can eat, all you can drink) and traditional Greek dancing. There were two men an two women who entertained us with their athletic abilities and interesting Greek dances. One man, picked up a table in his teeth and danced around with it. More than one person from my group went to pick it up later to see if it was a real table (it was). The dancers also got all of us involved and taught (or in my case tried to teach) us the dances. They led us out to the streets of this no longer quiet little town in a long line and we shouted "OPA" as loud and as often as we could. What fun.
For those of you who want to see pictures of me dancing, you'll have to wait until they are posted by my hiker friends on Facebook.

Costal Hike

We took a beautiful hike along the west coast of Corfu Island. The trail was undulating and we enjoyed views of coves, beaches, the costline and Albania. In total we walked through 13 coves and beaches (looking rather out of place)and the trail actually goes right through a bar on one of the beaches. We picked up a dog along the way, who followed us for most of the 12 km. According to some of the locals, he apparently adopts people hiking the trail often and lives with a family somewhere near the trail.
At the end we enjoyed a cool drink in a quiet little village.

Greece

Hi All
I have finally arrvied in Corfu for a full two weeks of enjoying hiking and the sun offered on this beautiful island. Our trip over was ok, although we did have to take a detour around the volcanic ash which added 2 hours of flying time to Paris. The group I am with is great, there are 15 of us, one male, one couple and one spring chicken (me). It was easy to find my group at the airport as most of them were wearing their hiking boots, hiking clothes and Tilly hats and thus looked ready to leave for a hike right then. I, on the other hand, looked like I was ready to curl up with my cats and a book. However we had previously introduced ourselves over email and everyone knew my wrist was broken so they knew exactly who I was.

Since we arrived we have been quite busy with two full days of hiking, and one day to visit the town of Corfu. The hiking is challenging, but the pace is fine for me (slow and steady). We go through small little towns, stop at cafes and say hello to the locals. We also see lemon trees, orange trees, poppies and other wild flowers, sheep, goats, cats, dogs and tons of olive trees. We've climbed up mountains (ok maybe just large hills) and have seen gorgeous views. In total there are 9 hikes and two and half days of free time. I am expecting to be very tired!