Today was to be another split day, like the past two. Here is the scenario.
Of the ten stages of this hike, we are on stage 9. To do this stage, we should hike from Sokraki to Old Perithia and spend the night there. Problem is, Old Perithia is a high end place with only one place to stay and it exceeds $300 a night. It is kind of weird because Old Perthia is the oldest settlement on Corfu, a collection of old stone buildings set in a valley 1500’ up in the mountains above the sea (it was established there so pirates marauding around the Ionian Sea could not see them where if their village was on the shoreline the pirates killed the men and raped the women). The buildings are centuries old, mostly in ruins, yet the one that someone gussied up is very expensive.
Anyway, if we skip Old Perithia, the next place to stay is at the end of the trail, another 5 or 6 miles on, making a 15 or 16 mile day-plus the trail climbs over the highest mountain on its way to Old Perithia. So we decided to break it up this way-hike 3 miles from Sokraki to Spartina, then leave the trail (1500’ elevation) and hike down to Barbati on the coast to spend the night (no accommodations in Spartina). In the morning, take a taxi back up to Spartina, hike up over the mountain, drop into Old Perithia about lunch time and continue on to the end of the trail making the last day about 12-14 miles.
The hike to Spartina was nearly flat on dirt and paved roads past farms and allotments brimming with grapes, fruit trees and vegetables.
We reached Spartina in about two hours. Walking down this one lane road town that clings to the side of the mountain we had spectacular views south to Corfu Town as we started our descent. On a narrow corner, only one vehicle wide, a white van passed us and I heard banging on the inside of the windows. It was our German group of yesterday busing back to Spartina to start their day of hiking to Old Perithia. We chuckled at the coincidence as we had just hiked past the trail where they would be let off.
I stopped at a small grocery for a couple bananas and an apple and mentioned to Sally that we could catch a ride in their van as it returned back down the mountain. A banana later, their van came creeping around the corner. I flagged down the driver
He stopped and said sure, he would be happy to give us a ride to the bottom. That just saved us 4 miles and 1500’ of descent, not to mention 2 or 3 hours. The road switchbacks down the hill 10 or 15 times to reach the bottom. At the intersection with the main coastal highway he was turning right, going back to Corfu Town.
We were headed left to Barbati and our room at Ranata Apartments. We thanked him for the ride, offered to pay him (he refused) and he was gone. We were about 2 miles from Ranata. The coastal road is narrow and twisty with very narrow shoulders, where it has any. We debated hitching or walking, which was worse. We settled on walking and began our death defying stroll down this narrow road.
Fortunately, there was little traffic due to the pandemic and we were able to switch sides of the road to be on the outside of corners and avoid the side with the guardrail that would pinch us between car and the railing.
We arrived at our room about 10:00am. They let us in! Sally showered and we considered our gift-an unexpected whole day. We had wanted to come north later in the week between wedding activities and search for Durrell Family residences. This we could do today. We decided to seek out a scooter rental and look for Larry Durrells “White House” and the families first or second home just north of Corfu town. But first, I walked back up to the grocery store on the highway above us and asked the manager to order a taxi for us for 6:15am tomorrow morning to get us back to Spartina. He also knew of a scooter rental place half a mile further north on the main highway. We gathered a few items in my daypack and headed up the highway.
The rental place would not rent me a scooter. No motorcycle certification on my driver’s license. No International Drivers Permit. However, he would rent us a car. We drove away in a Suzuki, heading up to Kalami Bay, where Larry’s White House sits right on the water.
Traffic was light, yet I was again contending with Greek drivers, this time on a narrow, twisting road clinging to the mountain side along the coast. Before cell phones and GPS Sally was an awesome navigator using road maps. But, with the advent of GPS, the duty partly rests with the driver watching the GPS screen and listening to the directions and partly with the co-pilot I. The passengers seat. We had a few mishaps along the way as we fine tuned our roles, but it was all good and we soon turned down to Kalami Bay.
We parked after passing thru the narrow tourist shop district and walked to the White house it is fitting that Larry’s house is an upscale restaurant and place to stay as Larry always considered himself and intellectual and a cut above the rabble.
Of course, with England not allowing its citizens to travel to Greece, the restaurant, capable of seating about 100 had two customers.
We snapped some photos and then drove off for Old Perithia. It was not what we expected, but interesting. We walk through most of it, knowing we would be hiking through tomorrow.
In the car again, we retraced our route and headed for the northern outskirts of Corfu City to locate the Durrell family house and hopefully the house they used in the TV series.
We wound back down the mountain and stopped at a restaurant in Perithia at the bottom. Again, the restaurant was empty except for two ladies. We ordered souvlaki and a Greek salad. It was really slow in coming, but delicious when it finally made its way to the table. With bread, pita bread with a dipping sauce and a 1.5 liter bottle of water, 14.00. Amazingly inexpensive.
We drove the 45 minutes south, Sally searching the web on her phone for information as to the location of the Durrell’s former houses, me trying to avoid contact with everything outside the car.
Sally found some key words that pointed us where to look, and soon we were on a side road on a pennisula just north of the city. I guess it wasn’t that hard because the house they lived in has a plaque on the wall adjoining the driveway and gate “Durrell Villa”. It is for rent as a B&B or long term. Now to find the house used as the set for the show. Where to look. Where to look. I started to drive away and Sally went back to her research. We hadn’t gone 100 yards when she read, “The house used in the TV series is two doors down from the Lemon House the Durrells stayed in.”
The abandoned looking property we had parked in front of was the place we were looking for. Of course, the gate was locked, but if you have seen the series you know it sits right on the sea with a big rock wall abutting the salt water. We drove a little closer to the beach access, walked down the beach and BOOM-there is was.
The rock wall, the house sitting on top, beautiful. When I watched the series I truly admired the house’s setting and the yard and grounds around it. Seeing it in the flesh did not disappoint. I had to wade out into the water to get back far enough to get a decent picture. With mission accomplished, we headed back to Ranata to return the rented car and prepare for the hike tomorrow.
I dropped Sally off at the room, then drove the extra 3/4 mile north to drop off the car. On the walk back, at 6:00pm, I passed restaurant after restaurant-hundreds of tables, all empty. Poor Greece and in particular poor Corfu.
Their economy is total based on a tourist industry that does not exist right now. I am truly concerned for the people of this island. I do not know how they can make it through. We heard the EU is opening to tourists next week, but with the English unable to come to Corfu, these people are in serious economic trouble. One of our cab drivers was pointing out the restaurants that were closed and would not be reopening.
Back in the room, I blogged, Sally read and researched, we watched a few nights of Stephen Colbert and with a 6:15am taxi coming in the morning, we were asleep.
Finding the Durrell’s homes and the movie set house reminded me of locating John Muir’s grave near Martinez, CA. It is fun to research, then search and be successful. What a great day! We scored a knee saving ride down a big hill, giving us a full day we wouldn’t have had without it and got to explore a little bit. We both agree, we prefer walking to driving any day, hands down. But today, the couple hours of driving served two purposes, let us find the Durrell homes and remind us how much we dislike vacationing via car. A fruitful day.
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