Corfu to Paxos

 Last night I walked everywhere I needed to go without looking at maps. Now that I’m comfortable, it’s time to go. Earlier on this trip I was reading Job by Heinlin, I find myself relating more and more to the protagonist drifting through ever changing versions of earth.

Today is a ferry trip from one island to another. In the high season this would be relatively simple. Take a bus from Corfu town to the southern tip of the island and zip on a hydrofoil to Paxos. Since it is Sunday and the low season, I have to take a ferry back to the mainland and then to Paxos. Annoying but at least it’s cheap and comfortable. 

Paxos

Ferries aren’t typically part of the transportation landscape in the US and it’s taking me a while to get the hang of how things work in Greece. The boats in the states are small. The only car ferry I’ve seen in California is The Balboa Island ferry which only holds 3 cars at a time. These monsters swallow semis all day long. Small wonder then that the ports are huge. Unlike a train station or airport there’s no departure board. Your ticket just had the name of a boat. If you’re on foot you simply wander the port until you see it and walk aboard. This can take a while in a large port with a large bag. The boats only dwell for a half hour or so which means if you start looking too early you may not see it. If you start too late the inevitable happens.

The sailing was uneventful, barring one old man who decided he needed to yell at his travel partner in the middle of the lounge. As the island came into sight I started to read a bit about it. Corfu is small, Paxos is smaller. The total population is about 2500 people, even less than Catalina back in California. Going from Igoumenitsa to this was like stepping into another world. Old buildings peek out from the wooded landscape. The port only has room for one ferry at a time. It’s just as well, that’s all they need.

Welcome to Paxos

It was a mile walk from the port to my room and I decided to hoof it. I had been sitting for about five hours and could go for stretching my legs. The weather is warmer here and today is sunny. My jacket came off and I rolled up my sleeves to stay comfortable. What a pleasant change. I walked past rows of small boats as I got into the main town here, Gaios. Fishing boats, sail boats, pleasure boats, and basic transportation. No massive yachts in the harbor, at least not as far as I could see. The town is peacefully quiet. Almost all the shops are closed for the off season and there are only a few people walking around. I can’t explain why but it doesn’t feel eerie, just peaceful.

I check in to the hotel and get a further rundown on just what kind of spot I’m in. Don’t drink the water and don’t flush toilet paper. Okay, we’re properly in the country now. I settle in and go out to a local scooter rental spot to, well, rent a scooter. The hotel has connected me with them and says they should be able to help even though it’s a Sunday in winter. No dice, they’ve uninsured their bikes for the season. Frankly I’m impressed by the business savvy to cut costs like that and the integrity of not putting a customer on an uninsured bike.

I wandered into the main square to take stock of where I am. There’s been rain here and I can’t help but notice that the water in the afternoon was starting to lap up against the top of the seawall. Seawall is a generous word, it really is just the sidewalk abutting the port. It’s not worrisome, in fact the infinity pool effect is very relaxing. I also noticed that many houses have a small two foot tall waterproof gasketed door they can close on top of their front door to stop flooding. Water is just part of life.

Small island just off the square

I settled in at a local cafe with a cup of coffee and more horror stories from Armenia’s brutal dictatorship. I got about two pages in when I noticed something peculiar, an American accent. Here I am at the end of the world and I’ve run into a damn Yankee. That’s as good of an excuse as any to strike up a conversation with someone. She’s from New York and equally surprised to be running into an American on Paxos this time of year. Her family has had a house on the island for some time, she spends her winters here and is currently enjoying the island in the company of her finance. She and her friend were kind enough to give me recommendations and even invite me to the afternoon run club tomorrow. What a time.

Dinner was simple enough to figure out. Walk into town and find the one place that’s open. Eat there. It was fantastic, light, and just what I needed. Overall. A good first day.