Greece souvenir

Buying long sleeves.. Keeping the fact that I live in Minnesota in mind:) 

Lazy days

It poured while I was here at the cafe yesterday so I got a toastie while waiting for it to slow!! Spent all day reading and relaxing in my room. Relishing the quiet and privacy because it will be hard to come by when I start hosteling. Today there are sun showers which have been neat to experience here!! More lazy plans today! With Mother's Day and Dad's birthday, I am really missing home! But, in less than two months now, I will be home!! 

Routines

After my Meze meal and Greek coffee at the taverna on Thursday, I fell into temptation and ended up down by the beach swimming, snorkeling, and sunbathing! At this point, I don't really care if I turn to toast. I am just embracing it. The snorkeling went much better since I got to use Sara's mask instead of Chris'. It made all the difference. The other one leaked so bad because it was way to big for my face. Without having to worry about that issue, it was much more enjoyable and I got to see so much more. I spent the evening at the pool bar drinking Greek coffee and visiting.

On Friday morning, I woke up at 6:30 and watched the sunrise. It was a magnificent display of pastel colors over a cypress horizon. Just beautiful. It was an excellent way to start off the day. I headed down to Apollon Taverna and got Greek coffee. Yes, I know I know there seems to be a trend. Haha. I love the coffee here. It's like sugary mud. In the afternoon, I jammed out to my favorite tunes before heading down to the beach for some swimming, snorkeling, and sunbathing. What can I say, I am a creature of habit, just like my Mom! After I had my fill of sunshine, I came back to my room to fill my stomach with fruit and bread. A traveler's diet. Fruits carry lots of water, perfect when water can be scarce or undrinkable. Bread is cheap and lasts a long time without going bad.

Friday night, I went up to the pool bar and Nikos invited me for a free spaghetti dinner along with the other holiday guests. Also, I got to try a flaming crab dish. It wasn't just spicy , it was actually on fire!! It was like a small bonfire at the table for several minutes. It was delicious!

Saturday morning, I went hiking up to Bella Vista, Krini, and Angelokastro via the Donkey Trail. The views were well worth the trek. In the late afternoon, I had a siesta nap. Then, went to the restaurant for a snack and called it an early night after a chat with Chris and Sara. The hike was exhausting.

This morning, I had my usual at the Apollon to check up and check in using the Internet.

Well that's the run down about what I've been doing, but here is what I have been thinking. Sometimes as I travel I lose sight of what's important. It's not about where you have been or even what you see so much. It's really about what each place can teach you. One must be careful not to let it turn into a photo shoot with famous sights in the background. Being in Greece has taught me generosity. The people I have met here, especially Nikos' family, have really gone beyond what is expected. Overall, I am excited for all the experiences I will encounter throughout the rest of my travels. Of course, not every experience will necessarily be a positive one but that's all apart of the bigger picture.

As much as I love living abroad, sometimes I just long for a day at home surrounded by family and friends! :) Wishing you peace in your hearts.

Kerkyra palace

Built by the English!

Meze

This is a Greek lunch! Num!

Fun in the sun!

Tuesday I spent the day in Corfu Town. I walked through the Esplanade and along the Liston, sat enjoying the palace, hiked around the Old Byzantine Fort, explored the narrow streets lined with shops, enjoyed a sweet Corfiot pastry, and bought a sporty Greece zip up sweater. While out and about, I had never seen so many polo club or Ralph Lauren shirts in my lifetime. They were everywhere I looked! Chris and Sara also drove me up to the Bella Vista spot on Mt. Arakli looking over Paleokastritsa! It was stunning and quite an exciting drive to get up and down with all the hairpin bends.

After we got back to our apartments, I left for the super market and picked up a 1.5 litter bottle of wine. Chris and Sara hand me try it earlier and the dry red was so smooth and tasty. It is made just two villages away! I then made noodles with a red sauce with a side of bread and olives with tzatziki. It was a delicious meal. I walked up past the monastery to a viewpoint to watch the Ionian sunset. T of the monastery dogs followed me out and we played together. My face was thorough licked. I watched the sun sink in the sky with a horizon of golden cliffs and a shining sea. I returned to my room and sat out on the balcony as dusk set in while enjoying another glass of wine.

Yesterday was beautifully sunny. Perfect for spending the day on the beach! I first walked to another bay to catch a boat tour of paleo! It was nice to be out on the water in a boat. I got to go into three different sea caves and view the lion's head cliff outcropping. We were out for 35 minutes and it was only 7 euros. The rest of the morning and afternoon I spent on the beach. Platakia doesn't have any sand just pebbles so moment of the tourists go to a different beach, which is nice because it makes it more relaxing for me! I went snorkeling again and saw lots of fish! But I can't go for very long before the goggles start leaking because the mask is too big for me. I swam out to some rocks in the middle of bay and took in the view from there. I sorta became an attraction for the touring boats because they were taking pictures of me perched up high. So, I smiled and waved before I threw myself off and went crashing deep into the azure water below me. What a rush!

Last night, a storm came rolling in from the east. It was cool to see the lightning crack and hear the thunder rumble. It was peaceful to sit out on the balcony as the rain fell.

Today looks like its going to be sunny and hot. The glittering bay is calling my name and I wish I could spend the day on the beach again but I don't think my slightly burned skin would appreciate that. So, I am going to enjoy the view from the shade and hit a taverna for some wifi since I don't get any at the apartment any more! There is only one thing left that I want to do before leaving Corfu and that is to hike up to Bella vista and to Angelokastro which is the ruins of an old Byzantine fortress. But, I am not in a rush. I am in Greece for anther week:)

Hope all is well back home! Heard the weather finally is looking up for everyone!

Corfu Town

Spent the day hiking the old fort and exploring the capital of the island. I really enjoyed all the narrow streets and street shops.