Corfu

We're in Greece - yassou!
We chose a tour that we hoped might take us out of the city and into the local towns - four wheel driving in convoy. Yes that's right. Fifteen Suzuki Vitaras left in the hands of some 30 odd tourist who had no idea of the challenged ahead of them this day.

The Convoy!

We had previously experienced the narrow and sheer cliffside roads of Dubrovnik in the comfort and skill of our competent coach driver.
Today we're in the hands of another (American) tourist who has as much  experience in driving the even more narrow streets than any others of us in this group.  
There are four people allocated to each jeep, those nominating to be in control not realizing that in their rush to get to a vehicle and sit behind the wheel, their skills in negotiating hair pin bends whilst doing hill starts in manual gears is going to be tested to the hilt.

Needless to say there were a lot of macho men who ran (walked very fast - similar to a "race Around the World" episode) who got the job.


As it turned out, we hit the jackpot with our new buddies Fred and Carolyn, Fred very happy to be our chauffeur for the day, and Nigel and I in the back with the top down, able to soak up the sensational scenery as we climbed higher and higher along the goat track roads leading us through tiny little villages where the houses were literally on the roadside, the little old ladies at their doorways waiving us in greeting as we waived royally from our motors.  What a sight we must have appeared. But all we felt was welcoming hospitality as we enjoyed their spectacular place in the islands of Greece.

The sea is the azure blue that we only experience when the sun is blazing on the Mediterranean waters.











Corfu or Kerkyra in the Greek form, is a stunning island in the Ionian sea, just off the coast of Albania.  The architecture has an Italian influence, choosing to colour the homes in hues of red and ochre. The windows all have green shutters and the property is passed on generation to generation.  The main income is olive oil and tourism, in that order, as evidenced by the olive groves on every hillside and the teeming tourists on every road.


After a couple of hours winding our way up the mountainside we stopped at a little town where we were greeted and seated to a yummy sample of Greek hospitality - locally grown olives, olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh based bread with Greek salad, local salamis and all to be washed down with home made ouzo and rose wine!  Oooh I'm glad we picked this tour!
We then headed off again through more olive groves, curbside towns winding us back down the mountains, this time a quick stop for a spot of souvenir shopping then on again for an ice-cream or beer.

Bet you can guess which we chose - yes of course a good Greek beer to quench a hot dry throat.  Back in the jeep - good on Fred - and the convoy return to base at the port.
Highlights: watching our poor guide in the lead jeep try to back up local traffic as we'd gridlocked the road with our convoy combined with a ship tour coach. It took a lot of greek cajoling, the bus driver, our guide, a vespa rider, and a couple of local spectators to do it, but after about 20 mins, we all joined back into the pack and continued on our way.
The wizzened old ladies having a neighborly chat to each other - instead of being across their back fence, conducted at their front doors, only divided by the narrowest of roads running through the middle.
The amazing flavours of locally grown tomatoes, cucumber, olives and feta.
What a day!

Some local history, as quoted from our tour notes: "the Greek name Kerkyra is to two powerful water symbols: Poseidon god of the sea and Asopos, an important Greek mainland river.  According to myth, Poseidon fell in love with the beautiful nymph Korkyra, daughter of Asopos and river nymph Metope.  Poseidon abducted her, as was the custom among gods of that era, and brought her to the hitherto unnamed island, and being in marital bliss, offered her name to the place, Korkyra, which gradually evolved into Kerkyra.