Ep. 17: Greece - Corfu & Covid

Welcome back to our blog and hello to our first greek island: Corfu!

The ferry ride from Igoumenitsa to Corfu is only 1.5 hours, but still we enjoy being on the water and breathing in a fresh sea breeze along the way. After leaving the ferry in in the harbour we take a quick picture of Rosie, which just looks so tiny next to the ferry (see Blog Ep. 16). When driving through Corfu city to find a Gyros Pita place we get a first glimpse of this beautiful and easy going island. After a greasy but delicious pita we drive out of the city again as we want to look for a campsite. With astonishment we notice that it's the first time since we're in Greece that we're heading for a campground – it has been a week and is about time. We find a place not far from Corfu city at the eastern coast: Camp Dionysus, which is located in the middle of an adapted 400 year old olive grove. There are not many people around and the campground makes a deserted impression on us at first. To be fair we have to mention that it is hot and dry weather with 35°C which make everything looks as dry as it probably is. Good news is there is a swimming pool and before we care about dinner we jump right in. After settling in we get to appreciate this place with it's white facility buildings, relaxed owner and no hustle around. Perfect environment for us to concentrate on an important topic: our covid vaccination!

35°C and the campsite has a pool? Shut up and take our money!

Picture book Greece: Olive trees everywhere.

Not for sale. Trust me, I´ve asked.

Before we left home we did not get a chance of a vaccination because of the age restrictions and we hoped for an opportunity along the way. As nothing came up so far and vaccination proceeds in Germany we take some time to research whether it is possible to get vaccinated in Greece. Long story short: without a greek citizen number it is impossible to get a vaccination at the time. To save us further research and greek bureaucracy, we check for an appointment at home and flights from Corfu to Düsseldorf, which turns out to be easier than expected. Next week we're flying home – that's sorted, but one open question concerns us: where to leave Rosie? To leave our home on wheels behind is hard and of course you want it to be a safe and trustworthy place. We check for the long time parking place at the airport, but after searching the small area an employee tells us the parking lot doesn't exist anymore – fair enough. At Camp Dionysus we saw a camper parked on the side when we checked in and we decide to ask the owner about it and ideas to leave the car. It turnes out that the parked camper has been left behind for the same reason, the owner flew home for a vaccination. The campground owner offers us to leave our car here as well without any charge and we gratefully accept this generous offer. We are relieved to have this all sorted as we want to get vaccinated to protect ourselves and others and as a bonus it reduces travel restrictions along the way. Until we fly home we luckily have some more days to discover the pretty island Corfu.

Breakfast preparation, compact style. 

With goodies from a bakery and an iced coffee we drive along the coastal street towards the northwest tip as it has something special to offer. Cape Drastis - an impressive cliff formation in crystal blue water. We can confirm that this is a place worth visiting as the landscape is just stunning. Huge sandstone cliffs reaching into blue water of the mediterranean sea. It is possible to drive up to a small parking place on the top of the cliffs from which you can enjoy the view. When we reach this point one of the cars parked there looks quite familiar to us: our friends and their visitor are also at the cape, hello again! We decide to drive down the small sandy road with Rosie to a little bay where we enjoy a refreshing swim in this cliff scenery. Afterwards we decide to drive to a close campsite, Dolphin camping, and setup for the night. Also for this campsite the reviews we read online are quite divided in their verdict, but as we only want to stay for a night and there is not a great selection of campgrounds on Korfu we make out own experience. The owner shows us around and does not miss out on telling us about his 50 years of expertise with campers and that he 'knows them all'. Alright! Although we love simplicity we must admit this place is on the edge of authentic as it rather is neglected, at least at the time we were there. The sanitary facilities look like it has been a while since they've seen someone cleaning them. When taking a shower or go to the toilet you are watched by ten spider eyes minimum, no privacy. We do not let it ruin our stay though and enjoy a shady campspot on the grass and cook a delicious curry dinner. Let's hope the experienced owners make their place more pleasant for the upcoming season. 

Above Cape Drastis!

We like it.

Plants at full bloom in the north of Corfu.

Next day the crew drives to the south tip of Corfu. The Kite Club Corfu is located down there at Halikounas Beach and when we arrive we understand why. It is a long sandy beach between lake Korission and the mediterranean sea and side-shore wind from the north regularly arrives from midday onwards. An ideal spot to get our kite equipment finally out again. We are lucky to kite directly in the afternoon and enjoy a cold beer at the beach bar afterwards. There are some other campers parked along the dunes and we decide to spend the night here as well. We get warned by locals though not to leave the cars there during the day as you cannot see them from the beach and people get robbed here quite frequently. So we park them in sight the next morning and jump on our kite boards as soon as the wind comes up. What an awesome kitesurfing spot! Along this headland there are several options to camp and we setup for the night again. With grilled fish and a glass of wine we celebrate the birthday of our friend and the goodbye of their visitor, who is about to head back home the next morning. 

After a pancake breakfast we leave this nice kite spot behind, fill up our water tanks and head even further south to Paralia Kanoula, another beach off the beaten track. At the southern tip of Corfu there's not much, but only a few kilometres away from the campspot we choose is a beach venue. We get lost in the comfy bean bags and the Mojitos taste excellent so we take it easy this afternoon. Back at our campspot it is time for the ultimate camping leftover dinner: everything in a wrap. We can really recommend to have some tortilla wraps with you when travelling as it becomes a delicious meal stuffed with every kind of leftover food  and, optional, topped with cheese.

Breaking the travel budget with beachside Mojitos.

It is time to drive back to the city of Corfu and Camp Dionysus to get everything sorted for our trip home. We get a covid test, empty our fridge and clean up Rosie, which will stay here at the camp for the next five days. 

Rosie in "storage" at Camp Dionysus.

Before our morning flight we enjoy a dinner with our friends at O Mylos by Isla Cuisine – a super cute place up in the hills with view on the bay! With light baggage, one backpack and one jute bag, we step into the plane the next morning. It takes only 2,5 hours to get back home and it is incredible that it took us 3 months to cover the same distance – it makes us worship the way we are travelling and the experiences we already made even more. The five days at home are dominated by family time, homemade food and the reason we initially took the detour: our Covid vaccination. An unexpected reunion, which which makes it very precious, but we are also excited to continue our travels.  After 5 days at home we fly back to Corfu relieved about our vaccination and fueled up with love and support from our family & friends.

Airport Taxi!

Homeward bound on the fast lane...

Travel period: Beginning of July 2021