Corfu

28. Juli – 02. August 2011

We are sitting in the train to Brindisi with mixed emotions. Would we be able to travel to Greece without Aren's passport? Our plan is to catch the ferry to Corfu, Greece. It's a huge ship that travels 6 hours over night, and we have booked tickets for the Deck with no assigned seats, because they were the cheapest. Before check in we are enjoying a refreshing shot of “Limoncello”.

We were told that the police hardly checks papers but still it's a funny feeling as we enter the ship. So here we go, fighting for two deck chairs and realizing that we should have brought some food and drinks. The entire night there was a light drizzle, a little uncomfortable since we are sleeping under the stars.

And really, no one is checking the papers and there we are the next morning – IN GREECE!

We are told the taxi drivers are on strike so we walk to the bus station. The bus is already standing there but it is supposed to leave around 7 am so we have an hour and sit opposite in the park, as Aren sees

the driver getting into the bus and starting the motor. We jump up and run and find out, there is a one hour time difference, it was already 7 am…! Our ignorance...

The ancient bus brings us through green hills along idyllic coast lines and tranquil land to a sleepy little town called Pelekas. The only irritation was that the bus drops us in the middle of nowhere. We had no idea if we should walk up or downhill, no signboards at all. I decide to call up Elvira and Petros from the guest house that we booked, and Petros picks up immediately.What a sweet couple they are! 70 plus, but very active, joyful and loving. Elvira is like a mama to us and Petros is a man with a constant smile on his face. His favourite saying is "mach ma langsam". Both speak German, as they have lived for 10 years in Bayreuth.

After checking into our tiny but comfortable room we are taking a walk into the village and decide to hire a scooter.Seriously, a scooter is the best way to get around in Corfu! Pelekas is a small typical Corfu inland village with narrow streets and traditional churches, close to a series of spectacular beaches on the island's stunning west coast, some of which we discovered with the scooter. Aren went fishing, and Elvira and Petros were excited to taste Aren's indian style fish curry.

One of the best beaches of Corfu we have visited was Glyfada. It is a wonderful sandy beach surrounded by hills covered with olive and pine trees and crystal water. I have never seen a beach as clean as this. This is how I imagine the Caribbean. We stayed until evening and enjoy the most beautiful and spectacular sunset.

The last afternoon and evening we stroll through the streets of Kerkyra, from where we catch the ship back to Brindisi. Pelekas is a great place to relax, and we had a very slow and quiet weekend.