Kerkyra again

As promised, some more pictures from Corfu Town. It's a little jewel of a city, with the typical colour and cosmopolitan feel of a place which has seen a lot of different cultures (Venetians, Turks, Brits...) come and go. If you're curious, read about it here.
Traffic in the city is as crazy as it is fun. Two-lane roads are a luxury, therefore cars are all scratched down the sides. People seem to be very considerate and polite with each other when driving, but a lot less so when struggling for a place to park; I've seen a guy park his car in the intersection to go get some food. Scooters seem to be the vehicle of choice for the clever (and there are a lot of those!), zooming around on those little lanes barely wider than two people abreast.
This is a normal road:
This is my friend taking a picture of me taking a picture of him:
Lovely contrast between old and new (by new I mean fresh paint, not newly built) buildings at every step. Dwellings next to the Museum of Asian Art:
At the Museum of Asian Art again, having my stereotypical tourist picture sabotaged:
Even toilets are pretty here! Yes, this was a public toilet:
I think this is an iconic image, it's got a bit of everything that defines this city: a religious symbol, an old building, a bright colour, a scooter, and lots of sunlight:
Nice tower; when I decypher the Latin inscription on it I may tell you more about it ;) :

Me through a window through a window through a window at the entrance of the old fortress:
A byzantine floor mozaic from the 5th- 6th century. Surprisingly bright and cheerful, given its background:
View of the city from the top of the old fortress:
Um... unidentified nice old building (and identifiable nice not-so-old lady):

And, for those of you who didn't know it, I have a thing for photographic joinery; I love taking pics of windows and doors. So there, enjoy my boundless talent:

Corfu

OK, I now realise I will have to make this into several episodes, there's just too much to show you. Either that or it's just me getting over-excited about some things, but either way, you will take it and you will like it! :P

In today's episode, an outline of the journey. It took about as long as coming home from NZ, but infinitely more enjoyable.

Crossing the Danube into Bulgaria:
Driving through Bulgaria is rather boring: a looong flat bit of green land, and every once in a while this dusty gas station with grumpy people. However, nature can give you a nice treat even in a dull land like this; that was a truly glorious morning:

And the beautiful morning continued in the mountains of Greece. The thick fog proved to be a blessing, we couldnt actually see just how narrow the roads were and, were we to collapse in the abyss, how steep the way down was:

This is what people look like after a 26 hour long trip. We had caught a glimpse of the sea, which put big grins on our crumpled faces.
First view of the resort and beginning of day 1 of my Greek experience.
We left the bags in our villa, headed straight down to the beach and didnt move till the sun set.
Day 2: cruise with a glass bottom boat. Now if any of you still thought the whole "hairy Greek guys" thing is a myth, look below; it's not!
The lovely hairy skipper took us to an empty beach with incredibly clear and incredibly cold water, where we spent the rest of the day doing this:

and this:
When we were all turning blue and shivering violently, it was time for a group picture:
Day 3: lazing around on the beach till sunset. At which time we drank this:

Day 4: visiting Corfu town. This will have to be a whole chapter in itself, but just look how pretty it is!

Day 5: Romania vs Italy on a big TV in a bar. It was just the 6 of us and a Swede supporting Romania. Thanks, wrinkly Swedish dude!
Day 6: discovering another beach with nobody around (except a couple of Italian nudists, but they were harmless). Spent a busy couple of days fishing, building sand castles (despite the grandiose vision in my head, my castle ended up looking more like a birthday cake and got washed away soon after),
and generally being silly:
Day 7: hike through the forest and over cliffs to get to that lonely rock you can see in the picture below.
Found a beautiful lagoon and again had a very busy day fishing, reading, sunbathing and floating aimlessly on that wonderful clear water.
Last sunset on the island and compulsory foot picture, 2 in 1!
Day 8: Journey back on the same scary road. We could see down the slopes this time, I wished for the fog to return and give me some peace of mind.
This is what people look like after a holiday in the sun:
Will return with information on traffic in Corfu, culinary revolutions and byzantine vegetables.

You computer-illiterate buggers you!

It has been brought to my attention repeatedly that posting comments to my ramblings is a mission. So here's how:
1. Click on "comments" underneath the post you want to comment on;
2. Type comment in little box;
3. Type in the random letters to prove you're not a robot, spam beast or space invader;
4. Choose "anonymous" for your identity and click on appropriate little circle. In this case, also pls tell me who you are ;)
5. Click "publish your comment"
6. Congratulations! You are now one step further into the unfathomable world of the internet.

I'll post an account of my holiday in Greece as soon as I manage to pick only some of the 2000-odd pics I hold in my possesion :D

BLISS

This place rocks! :D

To father's cabin

This weekend finally felt like being home. Maybe because I was actually in the place I consider my home. If you (try hard and) go past the infestation with new buildings, the noisy neighbours and other grown-ups quarelling over childish issues like 50cm of land, it's the same wonderful place it's always been. Every rock, gnarly root and overgrown path are right where I left them, and I re-discovered everything with the same excitement as when I was 10. I'll let you do the same:
Our humble abode:

Bath tub, shower and swimming pool:


Sunlounger:

The world as seen from a sunlounger:

The neighbourhood:

Beyond the gates of our property:

Nice smelling stuff to roll around in:

And, if you weren't envious enough yet, I'm off to Greece tomorrow!

On a totally different topic, I wonder if anyone reads all this crap or I'm just wasting precious sunbathing time sitting in front of the computer. I have no comments and haven't yet figured out how to find out if anyone views my blog so... hello? anybody there?

On the generalised absence of beigeness

NZers, be prepared to cover your mouths and repress horrified screams: Romania loves colour!
The trend in interior (and exterior, for that matter) decor when I left was waves of green. Well, now it's all sunny colours, from my mum's persimmon and sunflower yellow kitchen, to the countless bright orange houses you see scattered all over the country side.
Not to mention it's ok for ladies in their 50s to wear bright green pants and shiny red shoes.
Or the shops overflowing with yellow lacquered shoes and handbags.
Or the multicoloured flowers in parks, hanging from power poles or adorning window sills.
I felt drab in my black clothes, so I celebrated my return to colour with the recent purchase of an outrageously colourful bikini with bright hippie flowers.

Make love, not beige! Peace!