Among the places around Corfu island that tourists will always be recommended, Paleokastritsa offers more than a short tour would be able to show. That was exactly our sentiment when we were about to visit it with my girlfriend. We would be doing it in one day, only. But that would still be more than what our travel agents offered at the time.

So we decided to split from the main group and explore more than just one of the beach strips and the monastery that crowned the once fortified hill.

We started on our own, catching first a bus from Kavos, a resort to the South-East of the island, to the capital Kerkyra (also known as Corfu Town as we, foreigners, would call it). Then another bus which would cross the island abreast to reach the western shores and Paleokastritsa itself.

I don’t know about you but it is easy for Bulgarians to pronounce the name. However, we had fun listening to people at the information desk at the bus station, trying to mention it to the staff.
The name translates as Old Castle.

The bus trip ends just before the road starts the ascend towards the former castle where the cloister now rises to meet tourists. We arrived about more than an hour before noon so it was time for visiting the beaches first. We picked the one with finer sand and more people on it.

As soon as we brought out sandwiches so that we can finally have a breakfast, some wasps came out of nowhere, rushing to our help. They would literally land on my lips and try to help me chew. Very polite. I wouldn’t like to burden them with my own job, though, so I went for the salty waters of the Ionian Sea.

The bad thing about travelling as a couple is… one of us should be always left behind, close to the shore so that our luggage could be observed at all times. Almost. So we explored the bay one by one, swimming for a few minutes then coming back to take the watch.

It was getting hot already when we decided to rent a canoe, leave our stuff to the people who gave it to us and then go paddling along the shores. We knew they were quite interesting with lots of curves, bends, niches, caves, small islands and rocks all around. We could explore for hours but we had only two. And I asked my girlfriend to take some of my stuff in front of her at the front seat and leave the paddling to me.

So off we went, circling around the cliffs below the monastery first, all the way to the beach on the other side. Stopping here and there to take in the sights of the jagged shoreline. Lots of the cliffs near the water looked like the works of termites.

We would hold our breaths and try to take a perpendicular position each time a motor boat would pass tens of meters away - that would be enough to send a wave to rock our canoe hard. At the end of that phase I had sustained ridiculous diagonal sunburn lines across my upper legs due to the way my swimming shorts had clung tight to them, always soaked with water in the canoe.

Now it was time to invite the wasps to lunch and then go visit a monastery. The peaches a couple of guys sold up there cost 1 Euro a piece, that would be… what, 5 or 6 STEEM now? Well, special peaches were special. No, that was nod madness. That. Was! PALEOKASTRITSAAA!!!

Kind of difficult to shout, no?

At the entrance of which women were required to take some kind of an apron and cover their legs. However, my sunburned hips continued burning proudly.

Shade! Finally! Coolness, vegetation, even tunnels and rooms which stood open as museums. We were able to have a look at where and how they made olive oil.

Stairs, the bell tower...

And cats. Lots of cats.

We got tired, alright. Even if we had more time, we would have probably called it a day, anyway… Oh, wait. My bad. We did not call it a day but we went to the other beach, the one with the pebbles. And swam some more in the azure waters. We made friends with fish and rock.

One small bottle of Starbucks coffee and a large bottle of mineral water to wash down all the salt I tried to eat again while taking underwater pictures. Because… swimming and taking pictures do not go well together at the same time. For me, at least.

Maybe we could call it a day now?

We caught the last bus to Kerkyra just before sunset. Just when a beach party was about to start, some DJ warming up near the shore… Just when we would have liked to stay.

Well, plan better next time, by a house near Paleokastritsa, for example. That would be the way to do it. Or bring your own canoe so you could paddle all the way back to Kavos. Eventually.

Thanks for being with me, have a splash of salty water and stay healthy on your travels!

Yours,

Manol