Corfiot interlude

I woke up at 4:30, half an hour before we had to get up for a some breakfast and the trip off to Gatwick. A bit tired and a bit sorry for myself. But we met no problems, and simply flew smoothly to Corfu, with only isolated moments of existential unease. Nobody sitting next to Lorraine meant we had more elbow room. Very cheery stewardess. 

Once through the airport, we were spirited off to the nearby Corfu Holiday Palace, with two other couples who were both pleasant. A few days ago we learned that the ferry times had recently changed, and we were too late to travel to Paxos. A 4 star hotel, and our room had a nice view down on the pool and the sea and the coast of the mainland. I crashed out for a nap, then once revived, Lorraine and I set off for a walk. There was a novelty funicular from the poolside which went down to the beach below. Walked around the coast for a minute, and found ourselves looking at Pontikonisi island, aka Mouse Island, and The walkway across the water to the Holy Monastery of Panagia Vlachercha, which is visible from the plane as you land, and a bit of a famous spot in Greece. The airport runway is just the other side of a fence nearby.

We popped in the tiny Monastery, and walked about meeting lots of cats. On the rocks around the monastery was a cat that looked very much like Calliope.

We had two small cold beers in the bar, and then went to the big dining room where there was a huge buffet style dinner being served. We had big plates of salady stuff and picked at all kinds of odd main courses -- not much Greek food on offer. We later found out it was Oriental food night. It all felt a bit industrial. 

However the beds were very comfortable, and after the early start, and still feeling a big buggy and tired from the migraine, and also having to get up early tomorrow, we crashed out at about 9:30pm local time.

Below Lorraine and I enjoying the flight, the view from our room at the Corfu Holiday Palace, looking out of the funicular, the bay and monastery, a calliope lookalike on a rock, inside the monastery, and a view of the tiny monastery with the little island of Pontikonisi behind it.