pinkbirdflies

Spent another leisurely day at Ben’s Bar at Monodendri Beach followed by dinner on the waterfront at Aris Fish Restaurant in Lakka.

Mongonissi beach…Paxos Beach Club…Lacertus Bar and Koyini Taverna….

A gorgeous sunset (if a little windswept!) on the western side of the island at a thoroughly modern and very cool restaurant called Erimitis. 

A really lovely beach bar and Taverna owned and run by Ben with his mother in the Taverna…nice deck with sun beds…a wonderful day …

Took aboat to the small island of Antipaxos with its white sand beaches. Spent the day at Vrika Beach and lunched on seafood at Spiros Taverna on the beachfront with its drying octopus and chargrill at the front!

Coves, Bays, beaches, small harbours, rugged cliffs, sea caves, blue water and the sandy bays of Antipaxos, a little neighbouring islet near Paxos. 

Paxos is a small island covered in pines and ancient olives planted by the Venetians….rocky bays and pebbly beaches, turquoise waters, sandy bays and Venetian architecture. The small Capital town of Gaios is a maze of little streets and a cafe lined waterfront where yachts pull in for the night. Its a great vibe with little shops, people, restaurants with lovely Greek food including octopus, fish, Tzatziki, olives, greek salad, saganaki and calamari. I hired a tiny Fiat Panda to access the hidden coves and little harbour towns and on our first exploration we drove passed the olive terraces, ruined houses and olive mills, Greek churches, wells and little tavernas to reach Lakka at the northern end of the island. It is a beautiful bay and we swam before lunch on the harbours edge. Coffee and a swim at Loggos on the way back to Gaios.

Took the Despina ferry from Corfu to the small island of Paxos where we were picked up and  taken to Pithari Villa in the small town of Gaios…very picturesque, very hot and humid! Unpacking, swimming and a stroll through the town before Chris and Ros arrived followed by Floyd and Amy….so good to see them! A drink on the terrace before dinner at a Taverna. 

Transferred to Ataturk airport in Istanbul with Jo-Anne, Chris and Ros for our flight to the Greek Island of Corfu via Athens with Olympic airlines. Jo-Anne and I are staying in the older part of Corfu Town which has an Italian, in particular Venetian, style of Architecture. We wandered the streets and shops before dining in a wonderful Greek Taverna…Tzatziki, Saganaki, salty olives and prawns in a tomato and feta sauce..the Corfu beer was refreshing in the warm and humid evening!

Crossed the Dardenelles returning to the European part of Turkey and the Gallipoli Peninsular. The beach and cemeteries of Anzac Cove are now serene but it is very moving to imagine the horrors of the battle in 1915 during the First World War, especially when perusing the graves and seeing the ages of the dead..18, 19 year old boys. The Lone Pine memorial was poignant as was the Turkish cemetery near the Ataturk memorial. The treasures of Turkey tour finally ended back in Istanbul with a visit to the lovely Grand Bazaar..