It’s important to always start a blog with a theme, so today was the latest start ever. We found a restaurant just down the road that did breakfast, and the owner promised that it opened at 8:00. So at 8:03, when we arrived, he was just opening the gate. Hopefully he was impressed at our British punctuality, we were certainly impressed with the eggs & bacon (and a nice toast surprise), good coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice.
It turns out we needed the breakfast, as the route headed down to the beach (where we had been for a beer last night). Crossing the beach, before our hardest scramble up a rocky outcrop, including a short ladder. The guide described it as getting to the high point – it certainly wasn’t the highest point of the day!
We are now used to completing the sentences in the guide, turn right into “OLIVE GROVES”, or at the next junction on the cement road “ASCEND STEEPLY”. Some times we are wrong, but not often! It was much busier out today. Initially, I thought it might be that the north of the island is busier, but it is probably because we left at 9am, along with all the people leaving there supported walk accomodation. Leaving at 7:30, we are normally long gone by the time the others wake up, have breakfast, put their bags in the transport and start walking. Our first stop, for second breakfast, was Lakones where we stopped for cold drinks and Boureko, a lovely cake made of custard wrapped in filo pastry. The others both had one today, after the issue around me eating the last one a few days ago, which threatened to split the group ;)
The walking was nice, as we ascended gently on narrow trails that contoured around the rocky outcrops. We passed, and for some reason re-passed, various groups on the trail, but it was easy to find your own space. The next town was Krini, where we stopped for a coffee. We had a potential diversion here to Angelokastro Castle, a Byzantine fort, on the highest peak on the Corfu coast. The first bit sounded good, Byzantine Castle, but the second bit about being high, put us off. It would have been over an hour diversion, and from my perspective getting into the sea quicker, sounded better.
The route from here, stayed high and we eventually walked through a gap in the rocks to an amazing view of the bay below. There were lots of people here, but I’ve no idea where they came from – there was only one car in the car park, so I guess they walked up. They made it impossible to get the most perfect Instagram-able shot, which was rather disappointing, also Paul refused to face the camera!
The track was an impressive construction as it hairpinned down the cliff, gradually descending into the forest and then to sea level. It was a short walk into Agios Georgios and our accomdation. It had been a nice shorter day, which allowed time to do all the washing, get to the beach and have a post walk beer.
On the subject of the beach and swimming. Just as I decided to swim back to the beach, I felt a painful sting on my nipple. I stopped straight away, but there was nothing there. I quickly thought that I must have imagined it, as the sting went quickly. Later this evening I decided to ask AI….
The sharp sting you felt was almost certainly real. It is highly probable that you encountered a jellyfish, specifically the Pelagia noctiluca (mauve stinger), which is a common marine creature found in the waters off Corfu and across Greece.
Because these jellyfish have long, nearly transparent tentacles that can float meters away from their main bodies, it is very common to get stung without ever seeing the animal. The sensitive skin of the nipple area makes a sting feel particularly sharp and sudden.
Don’t worry, I’m still alive :) But be careful out there, and keep your nipples covered!
