Habits of the Corfuiots

Drivers in Corfu fall into one of two categories, they can be overly considerate like the man who slowed down so that the small puddle he was driving through would not splash me, to others who look completely normal until they get into their cars right beside you.  They then screech off as if they are auditioning for a part as a get away driver in a Bond movie, and you ask yourself, 'was that for my benefit?'

My iphone will not do the view justice

Conversely, Corfuiots are very relaxed about certain things.  Meal times for instance, and this is a bit of a shock to Julian and I who have been trained in the French way of doing things and eat small breakfasts in anticipation of lunch that is eaten very much at lunchtime.  If you turn up in a French cafe or restaurant after 1pm, you are late, after 2pm forget it.  Here, they will cheerfully serve anything and everything at whatever time you arrive.

I have never given Greek salads much thought.  You sometimes see 'Greek Salad' advertised but as I'm not a great fan of cheese in salads it has never appealed.  Now I am becoming educated about what a 'Greek Salad' actually is.  Lots of delicious and fresh cucumber, tomatoes, red onion or spring onion, lovely soft feta, (not hard and salty) bits of fresh lettuce or anything really that is crunchy except the tomatoes which are beautifully smooth and delicious.

In fact the Greeks, or am I generalising, and should say on Corfuiots,  offer a lot of vegetables in restaurants; courgette fritters and stuffed aubergines to name but two as well as all the various salads. This is in contrast to what we find in French restaurants where vegetables are largely absent from menus, although prolific in markets.

I am trying very hard to stop myself taking photos of overflowing wheeley bins and their environs, only because I know that as soon as I find the most disgusting overflowing set of bins with accompanying fly-tipped builders rubbish plus a few fridges microwaves and TV's thrown in, I will find the mother of all rubbish heaps a few km down the road, which will require an updated photo.

Plateau which looks fine from a distance but there are shanty town and rubbish dumps along the sides of the roads and in the ditches

It's funny how difficult it is when you book somewhere to stay to get a sense of exactly what it is like.  Many could unsuspectingly end up on this plateau near all the rubbish.  If you look at a potential B&B on the internet, the rooms may look OK in the photos, but it is hard to get a feel of the setting.  In Corfu there are some nice villages with truly spectacular views, and I would feel cheated if I booked somewhere with no nice outlook.  Pelekas is an old town in central Corfu near the West coast.  High up and facing South East it overlooks craggy hills, pine woods, lush valleys, olive groves and gardens towards Corfu town.  You you can see the fortresses and over to the mainland beyond.  In the middle distance are blue seas with boats and the bays and beaches of Corfu all laid out before you, it is a view that is ever changing and completely satisfying.  A view that has everything.

Part of the fabulous view, but my iphone could not capture the sea and mountains beyond

Corfiots are well used to the habits of the Brits and black tea taken with cold milk it something they are completely familiar with.  Almost everyone we met spoke some English although I'm afraid that I only picked up one Greek word, 'Kalimera' which means hello, which I used liberally.