Beautiful Corfu

Many years ago at age 9, my Aunty Doreen gave me a book of Greek stories for my birthday.

Here began my love of the myths and legends of the Ancient Greeks.

The next book that fired my imagination was "My family and other animals" by Gerald Durrell. I read it at age 14, having had it recommended by my good friend Lark. We borrowed it from the school library.

I had never read a book that made me laugh so much.

In 1968 whilst at teacher training college, I spent six weeks that summer hitching all round Europe with my boyfriend Andrew. The main aim of this holiday was to get to the Greek islands.

It seems quite incredible now but I did this whole trip on £50.

We went to Cos, Mykonos, Rhodes and Crete.

The following year I was Morocco bound but my love affair had begun.....with the Greek islands that is.

Since then I have visited many times.

It took some years for us to get to Corfu.....I don`t know why.

But it was Corfu that we chose for my first holiday after I semi-retired. Indeed on the first day of the new autumn term, I was to be found by the pool with my glass of wine, with a stunning view of Corfu town, laughing my socks off yet again, for more than one reason, with the very same book.

(Finding that second copy of the book is another story in itself)

So here we are back in 2013, for a late holiday.

Corfu is a truly beautiful island. 

Agni.....in the north western corner, where there is a treasure trove of small fishing villages, 

 deserted beaches 

and pebbly bays with liners and yachts passing majestically by.

Minutes later the wash appears on the beach....

From the beach there are stunning views to Albania....

In Agni there are two restaurants ...Agni`s and Nicholas. We tried Agni but stuck with Nicholas...a friendly and family run restaurant.....excellent food too.

People often arrive by boat mooring at the jetty, which makes interesting people-watching, especially young girls wearing high heels on the dodgy decking or those going home after Pericles "Mountain Tea"!!!

The Greek evening was great fun with an incredible bouzouki player, traditional Greek dancing and the inevitable "conga" out to the jetty and back, several times.

We walked to the beach down a steep, rocky path lined with emerging cyclamen.....think they needed a bit more rain. The path edges were littered with the remains of the sand daffodils...a kind of lily.

Eremurus (the foxtail lily) were still in evidence.

Think this sign has been used as target practise.

The path gave us lovely views of the bay at dusk.

We walked to the next bay several times..... up and down precarious but well-used paths with edges plunging away to wild rocky areas.

Here the locals set up their fishing lines, perched high on rocky outcrops.

The next bay was fringed with swathes of sun-bleached driftwood. 

I was in my element and came home with a carrier bag full.

My creative juices are mulling over.

What a place to be laid to rest.

Incidently, I was overjoyed when the Ancient Greeks came onto the primary curriculum because it allowed me to pass on my passion for all things Greek.... the legends, the pottery and masked plays.

I hope that many of those children have been sparked and become Greece`s future tourists.

This will not be my last visit to this beautiful island.