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Friday, September 27th - Kerkyra, Corfu to Vatos - 12,169
The ship I am on is approaching the north coast of Corfu when I go to breakfast in the dining room. We have left the Adriatic and are now in the Ionian Sea between Greece and the sole of Italy. Corfu is a hilly island, and quite large. White
crystalline ridges of rock reach out from the shore, keeping the ship a safe distance away. As the ship rounds the north-east corner of the island, we are less than a kilometer from the coast of mysterious Albania, which until last year has been communist (allied with China, not Russia) and off limits to travelers. I go on deck so I can say I’ve seen it, but it is too poor and unstable at the moment to tempt me go inside its borders.
We have entered Kerkyra Bay. Kerkyra is the capital of the province of Corfu, and the only city on the island. It is built on a headland that juts out deep into the bay. It is impressive because its multi-story buildings are built up to the water edge on a shelf above the water. It looks a bit shabby and run-down. It looks old, more than historic.
The ship docks at 9 am. I wander through the old town, take a few photographs and find the inevitable tourist office and pick up maps of the island. For me, ideal cycling is by a sunny, winding coast with warm weather, low traffic and beautiful seascapes. Corfu fits the bill. I don’t linger long in the city as I am itching to get out along the coast road.
From the city centre, I move inland past the airport to avoid a rock headland that the city’s fortress dominates. I circle behind a small bay beyond the airport and through the small village of Chrysiis to get to the edge of Kerkyra Bay again, but instead of staying on the coast road I follow one that climbs on top of the bluff 140 m above the water to the town of Achilleio, named after the legendary warrior. There is beautiful palace in this town, overlooking the ocean, and a statue of Achilles dying with a poisoned arrow in his heel. A road switchbacks steeply down to the water’s edge and I follow the coast road south through the village of Benitses, St. Ioannis Peristeron, Mesoggi to Psaras. I stop for lunch here as it is now noon.
There is a distinct Caribbean-type feel here. Everything is casual, except perhaps the hotels that cater to the north and western Europeans. Oil drums and crates are thrown out the backs of restaurants and left there to corrode and rot. Grass and bushes are allowed to grow uncontrolled in areas off the highway. Wild cats wander the streets. It’s as though no one really has the time to care. It is a perfect place to let go of one’s worries.
From Psaras, I stay on the coast road as far at Petriti. The road goes inland here to Agios (Saint) Nikolaos before retuning to the shore. My original idea was to circumnavigate the island along coastal roads, but this isn’t possible. To reach the southern tip of the island, I would need to return, for several kilometres, along the same road I arrive on. To avoid covering the same ground twice, I only go as far as the village of Perivoli. That saves me a 30 km round trip to Kavos at the south tip.
The main road on the west side of the island rides along ridges a couple kilometres inland with access roads running down to villages on the shore. Most of these look like tourist villas, but they are not built up densely like the south coast of Spain or Portugal. I follow one access road down to the shores of Lake Korisia - lovely, undeveloped and about five kilometres long. Then the road returns to the middle of the island to go around a high, rocky ridge at St Matthaios.Immediately north of St Matthaios, the road splits to go on either side of the next ridge. I choose the outer one above the Ionian Sea. The road stays fairly level about one quarter way up the steep side of the mountain. I rejoin the other road at the village of Pentatio and continue north to the fishing village of Agios Gordios.
It is 4 pm by this point but I am not quite ready to call it a day. The coast north of here is mainly cliffs so the road climbs 200 m to get above them. It is another 15 km before it returns to the shore at Ermones, but shortly before that I reach the town of Parelia, and next to it the village of Vatos.
I pass a lovely pink hotel here, called Hotel Elena. It looks too expensive but it has a single room that isn’t, since it is two kilometres from the beach at Ermones. I take it and make myself at home, eating at their restaurant and reading on the patio after dinner. I meet a couple of Brits in their late 20s, Gregory and Brian, taking a badly needed break from their busy work schedules. They might be a couple, or just colleagues and friends. It is hard to tell. They have just arrived earlier today and will be staying five days here. They seem quite friendly. I had planned to move on tomorrow but with their company I might stay longer.
PHOTO 1: north coast of Corfu with Albania in the distance
PHOTO 2: the fortress outside of Kerkyra
PHOTO 3: arriving in Kerkyra harbour
PHOTO 4: Kerkyra streetscape
PHOTO 5: shabby Kerkyra tenement
PHOTO 6: detail of another apartment building
PHOTO 7: Kerkyra market street
PHOTO 8: Achilleio Palace
PHOTO 9: statue of Achilles dying
PHOTO 10: colourful old house in Benitse
PHOTO 11: at Pontikonisi
PHOTO 12: at Meliteieoi
PHOTO 13: passing through a dense olive grove
PHOTO 14: view of the west coast of Corfu
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