greece – Travels with Ali

Exploring Corfu – Sidari and Kassiopi – Day 2

Our man from Friendly’s Rental Cars was ready and waiting for us at 9am in the reception as planned and drove Anthony back to his office to complete the paperwork. We had hired a car for two days to explore more of Corfu.

My Chauffeur with the same red Fiat Panda I drive in Perth

Our first stop was Sidari which is at the Northern end of the island. I had read a blog that this shouldn’t be missed. It didn’t take long, around 45 minutes.

We stopped only for a drink and a quick walk along the beach. It was packed with English tourists and the street was lined with bars, cafes and restaurants many with English names. Although the beach was nice and sun beds seemed to be free if you ordered from the bar or cafe behind. Good for a week’s holiday if you just wanted to relax.

Fancy canopied sunbeds

Kassiopi was our next destination, but we stopped for lunch first. We found a traditional taverna on the side of the road, not too far up the mountain. We enjoyed a delicious lunch. I love finding small gems like this taverna. The place was empty of customers, making me think it was closed. There was a group of men smoking and chatting and when I asked if they were open, they said of course and jumped to attention!

Full and replete we pressed onto Kassiopi. It was only a 15 minute drive there but finding parking was difficult. As usual though my trusty driver managed to find a spot.

Kassiopi is situated on the North East coast of Corfu and was once a traditional fishing village. Now the bays are surrounded by holiday villas and apartments. It’s still a charming and picturesque place though.

There is an old Byzantine Castle up on the hill which we walked up and explored.

This castle dates back to the 11th century but was largely destroyed by the Venetians in the 13th century. They removed many of the large stones to the old town to fortify the fortress there. It must have been hard work!

The views were amazing and the climb up worth it.

I definitely preferred Kassiopi to Sidari and could easily enjoy night or two here.

~ Day Two over ~

~ 3 Days in Paleokastritsa, Corfu – Day one – Corfu Old Town ~

I had booked four nights in Paleokastritsa, giving us three full days to explore. Arriving late, we checked in surprisingly quickly and went off in search of a restaurant for a very late dinner. It was past 10pm and the first two places were already closed, so a search on google maps came up with one more. Luckily this one was still open. For us it was still only 8pm.

On waking the next morning, I opened our doors onto the balcony to the most amazing views. We were staying at The Odysseus Hotel, somewhat off the beaten track but fortunately with a bus stop across the road.

We took a Green Bus to Corfu Old Town for a day of exploring, shopping, eating and drinking.

Maybe a Grandpa sharing a book with his granddaughter

Narrows alleys in the Old Town

After lunch I wanted to have a look at the Old Fortress, I did get a shock when I realised how high it was and what a long walk up there it would be. That wasn’t the worst of it though, as I was silently congratulating myself on reaching the summit, huge black thunder clouds rolled in.

Looking mighty pleased at reaching the top

We just about made it to the next level, with Anthony warning me not to hold onto the metal rails. I tried hard but was too worried about slipping on the wet stairs. The only shelter was a grove of pine trees where we stood with about 20 other people. Not a great choice with lightening flashing and thunder crashing above. Everyone came away drenched to the bone. I’ve never heard such loud thunder before, maybe because I’ve never outside in a storm before.

Making a dash for it when there was the teeniest break and just about reaching the next level where we ran to an old tunnel. Finally we walked back to the Old Town and reached the nearest bar before the next onslaught, where we enjoyed very welcome beers and wine.

We did find a fantastic place for dinner that night though, and apparently it hadn’t rained in Paleokastritsa!

I’ve written this post on my iPad and it’s been the most annoying process ever. Every time I wanted to add a photo the whole post moved up to the top. I should have brought my laptop, but trying to travel lightly 😂.

Over the Hill and Faraway

This week Donna from Windkisses is hosting Lens-Artists Challenge with the theme “Over the Hill”. This phrase is most used for people getting on in life but it can also mean what is over the hill. Is the climb worth it you think standing at the bottom, and so you start to climb and often when you reach the top there is another hill, tantalising you to keep on climbing.

I searched my archives for hills climbed and for hills driven up, the views are incredible and worth every step from my aching legs.

**Coalseam Conservation Park, Western Australia**

**Loch Lomand and The Trossachs National Park, Scotland**

The view is always better at the top, but I think I’m over the hill for getting over the hill!

My A – Z travel challenge – Places I have been – 😎🌍 – A

I thought it would be a fun idea to write an A to Z of places I’ve in the past, as travelling in the present is not an option at the moment. Also it will certainly keep me occupied during this isolation period. So here goes … A is for Alcatraz, Amundon Island, An Bang […]

A is for Alcatraz, Amundon Island, An Bang Beach and Athens

Alcatraz, San Francisco

During our trip to USA a few years back we did the tour of Alcatraz. We were actually very lucky to go as I didn’t realise how popular this place is and I managed to book the last spot on the last day of our stay in San Francisco.

Alcatraz was an operating prison from 1934 to 1963 and was “home” to the infamous Al Capone. Before 1934 it was a US Military prison from the late 1850’s. No-one ever managed to escape from “The Rock” although many attempts were made.

It certainly looked a bleak place and no attempt has really been made to restore it, for historical purposes. There is an exhibition room there and at the time we visited was showing prisoners’ stories about why they were sentenced.

🔫 💣 🔪

Amundon Island, Sweden

My trip to this nature island was very recent, just last year. We went to Gothenburg for three days to visit my cousin and his family. It took a while to reach the island, first a tram and then a bus, around an hour’s journey. Then at my slow pace of walking another hour of walking around the island! This island is great for snorkelling and camping, during the summer months of course!

At the start of our walk

Ominous looking clouds

My mum looking very glamorous in her Russian hat

This is where I walked the plank

🌳 🌳 🌳 🌳 🌳

An Bang Beach, Vietnam

This has to be one of my favourite beaches. Just a short drive from Hoi An town or just borrow one of the many bikes the resorts offer and cycle. When we went there were a few casual cafes along the beach, although I think it must be more built up now. If you bought a drink you could get a sun bed, not a bad deal at all! The only thing was the closeness of the beds, they were so close you had to crawl from the end of the bed. Very easy to eavesdrop on your neighbour’s conversations. The service was five star, with the staff from the cafe serving you on the beach. There was also free wifi – on the beach! Some people go to Hoi An without ever realising that there is a fantastic beach there.

🏖 🏖 🏖 🏖 🏖 🏖

Athens

Athens was one of our ports of call on a Mediterranean cruise we took a few years ago. We did the obligatory tour of the Acropolis and then wandered around Athens on our own. I first went to Athens when I was 18 when it was allowed to walk and climb over the ruins of the Acropolis. I suppose due to the wear and tear of this ancient site they have had to stop this and it is now tightly controlled by security guards, shouting and whistling at sightseers not to step out of line!