A Suggested 'Short' Excursion To Paxos From Corfu

Background
We originally published this article for family and friends in the form of a 'newsletter'. It has been slightly modified for our purposes here. The images that we originally included with the newsletter are now available in our image gallery accessable either by selecting the 'Image Library' button or by clicking here.

We have been contemplating a number of quick forays to various islands and the mainland since we arrived. This is an account of a trip undertaken towards the end of the 'season' during September 2002 to Paxos.

If you are visiting Corfu as a tourist and would like a 'special' day out, this may well fit the bill as this trip was undertaken entirely by public transport. All you have to do is get to the port in Corfu Town. Buses or a taxi will suffice but if you have rented a car, this is preferable.

We left it as late as we could so that the number of tourists were down to levels that would give us the opportunity of sampling as many delights unhindered, in as short a time as possible. In truth, we only wanted a taste of the place to help us decide whether we would like to make a longer trip another time. Also, by leaving it late, we could also give Tricia's sister, Sandra who was staying with us, the opportunity of joining us. As it turned out, this was a good move as Sandra, unbeknown to us, had wanted to visit there for some time.

Don't expect any detailed accounts as this was a one-day flying visit, totally reliant upon public transport. It was arranged and conducted very much 'on the hoof'. I guess that with a little planning, we may have got to see more - however, I very much doubt it! Apart from that, since retiring, planning is becoming something of an alien concept! It's much more exciting this way!

The Role of the Weather!
Those unfamiliar with the weather patterns of the region may not be aware of this, but the weather during September cannot be relied upon. This year seems to be more unpredictable than most. Because of this, we kept a close watch on the various weather forecasts that we monitor via the internet. Tuesday, 17th and Wednesday 18th September were looking promising.

Booking the Trip
Armed with this information, we went into Corfu Town on the previous Saturday to book our outward journey on 'The Flying Dolphin' - the hydrofoil. We have had previous experiences aboard a hydrofoil which were less than straightforward to say the least. Why 'beat about the bush', they were a shambles! Undeterred and willing to give it a second chance, we made our way to Petrakis Lines office in the main road by the port.

They were closed for refurbishment! We were then called upon to exercise our command of the Greek language twice. Once to fend off the nice gentleman from the car hire office next door who was convinced that our lives would be enriched if we hired one of his jeeps and once to read the note on the window directing us around the corner!

Having found the makeshift office, we promptly booked three seats on the 7am sailing on Tuesday 17th September and crossed our fingers that a) the weather would be fine and that b) if we made it to Paxos that we could get a return hydrofoil! The concept of a return ticket is alien to Greek ferry companies. I guess the reason is that if you don't have a ticket, they are not committed to get you back. They are notorious for not sailing and apart from the occasional breakdown, they seem quite keen not to sail for a variety of reasons ... too many fish in the sea .... water too blue etc! Coming from a nation of seafarers, I must say that the modern Greek day shipping company does not seem possessed of the same adventurous and courageous spirit as their ancient forefathers! Then again, maybe they aren't so daft!

The fare quoted was 11 each way but turned out to be 12 on the day! Not bad though for a one hour high speed sea crossing. (In our humble opinions!) The tickets were to be collected from the kiosk by the New Port entrance any time from 06:30 on the morning of departure. All we had to do now was while away the days until Tuesday.

The Outward Journey
Being unsure of where we were going to park the car, I decreed that we should leave no later than 05:45. This necessitated a very early awakening! I can say without any fear of contradiction that 4.45am is definitely not Sandra's usual time to get up! Still we all made it out of the house pretty much on time and arrived at the port early. There was acres of on-street parking opposite. Should anyone care to follow in our footsteps I wouldn't guarantee that there would be during high season though.

Tickets purchased, we wandered into the port and milled around the dock with a few other would-be passengers. We could see the hydrofil moored about half a mile away but were assured that when the crew arrived, they would bring it to us. They did!

We have not commented upon this before, but it never ceases to amaze us at how lax things appear in Greek ports. You just wander in! Incidentally, on the return trip, a Greek lady pointed out the duty free shop and confided that you can go in and buy from there without even travelling! We didn't try it, but who knows .... one day ....

I am delighted to say that the journey was uneventful. We left on time and the journey took one hour as advertised. By the time we arrived, the sun was shining and it was becoming quite hot. This turned out to be the pattern for the day. Why don't UK weather forecasters get it right? The girls were pleased that they wore shorts, despite having turned a delicate shade of blue whilst waiting for the hydrofoil. I, on the other hand, in my long Chinos was, well, how shall I put it ..... very sensible but also very warm! I never thought I would say this, but you do get used to high temperatures. Tricia and I now begin to feel quite cool at 21ºC/70ºF and to be honest, I didn't find it uncomfortable. If you are familiar with Greece, you will realise that the only Greek men you see in shorts are usually employed in watersports. I begin to see why, now.

Gaïos
The hydrofoil docked in the new port at Gaïos which is a kilometre from the town. Gaïos overlooks two small islands, Agios Nikolaos and Panayia. The entire port is in a large natural bay and in keeping with most Greek island ports/harbours it is really beautiful. We chose to walk into the town although there were some taxis waiting on the dockside. I am assured that during the height of the season, owners of rooms and apartments to rent come to meet the ferries although I didn't personally see any this time. As I started off by saying, this was late in the season.

As a service to our fellow travellers we can assure you that as you walk into Gaïos, there is a public toilet next to the Port police station! Mind you it might belong to the port police - who knows! The walk is not unpleasant and you pass a variety of vessels. In the first case, there was a Greek warship (very small!). This was followed by a number of serious sailing boats, then hire boats and finally fishing boats. The port is clearly a great favourite with the sailing flotillas.

As we got into the heart of the town, it was just coming alive. People, including the local Papas were queuing to buy freshly landed fish and slowly the shops, kafenions and tavernas were opening. We took the opportunity to walk the length of the bay and take a few photographs, all the time looking for a likely place to have breakfast.

The Plan....What Plan?
I have already referred to our somewhat ad-hoc travel plan. A chat with friends and reference to 'The Rough Guide To Greece' seemed to suggest that apart from Gaïos, Longos and Lakka were nice places to visit. The problem was that Gaïos is near the south of the island, Longos is about half way between there and the north of the island and Lakka is at the north of the island. This is a distance of about 8 kilometres by road. Without a car, we were confined to public transport - the bus. We didn't have a clue as to where they left from let alone what the timetable was, let alone whether they adhered to it!

We are pleased to say that the bus stop in Gaïos is really easy to find, being about 100 metres inland from the town 'square' that is visible from the harbour. Not only that, but the entire timetable is posted there and as far as we were concerned, they ran to time - almost to the minute! Having said that, we are sure that a large influx of tourists and their cars during the summer would probably screw that up! The roads are narrow and extremely winding.

We were conscious of the fact that timing was of the essence. Our return trip to Corfu was scheduled for 4pm and so we needed to be back in Gaïos at least 30 minutes before that to allow time to walk around to the new port. We placed our faith in the timetable and planned our day as follows (It was about 9am by now!):

08:00am Disembarked at Gaïos

09:00am Breakfast as soon as we could get it!

10:00am Bus from Gaïos to Longos to explore the village.

11:50am Bus from Longos to Lakka to explore and lunch.

2:15pm Bus from Lakka to Gaïos.

2:45pm Arrive at Gaïos in time for a last minute stroll and look in the shops before a leisurely stroll to the port for our return journey to Corfu.

This was very much a 'whistle-stop' tour but provided us with enough of an insight to allow an informed decision about any further visits. It may have been possible to do more, but I doubt it unless you have your own transport.

The Detail!
We settled upon 'George's'  just by the church in the square in Gaïos for our breakfast. The church, incidentally sports a clock tower and the clock chimes the hour and half hour. Unfortunately the time shown was in excess of two hours slow! Don't be fooled! I have this vision of people ambling back to the port to find their ferry had departed some two hours earlier!

Breakfast was cooked for us - individually! As a result, we got to the Bus stop with about three or four minutes to spare! The bus left on time.

Gaïos to Longos - The Journey Not To Mention Some Thoughts!
The journey was made at a sedate pace due to the terrain and the fact that our driver had to slow down to greet everyone that we passed in true Greek style! This section of the journey cost us 2 each for a 4 kilometre journey. The scenary is rugged and the views excellent.

As I am usually the driver, this made a very pleasant change. Tricia has commented that with a car, you would be able to deviate from the main road. I am not sure that this would be an enormous advantage, particularly if you are a keen walker. (I suspect that in the fullness of time I may become one although I am not sure of the 'keen' bit yet!) The bus travels most of the length of the island and a good bit of the breadth. Much of the west coast appears to be accessible mainly by boat.

The terrain is hilly to the point of being almost mountainous and very rural. Sadly, the number of properties for sale are increasing. We suspect that as in many parts of the world, the locals have realised that their land, their heritage, is a very sort-after commodity.The wholesale selling up of land formally used for agriculture is another of my pet hates!

In a former life I used to think that the legal 'profession', with their ability to gain the freedom of those who were so obviously guilty of some heinous crime , were the lowest of the low. I now recognise that I was truly misguided.

<rant on>
That title is now claimed by property developers and in particular that well known 'Prince of Darkness', the estate agent! It is amazing how only a couple of such animals can destroy the feel of a place. In my humble opinion, they have a far more detrimental effect on a small island than tourism ever has. 

I must come clean and say that I have a particular dislike for those 'foreign nationals' (ie non-Greeks) that purchase properties at exhorbitant prices, thereby forcing the prices up beyond what us mere mortals could ever afford (not to mention locals) and then only spend six weeks a year living in the property.

Of course, my dislike might also be interpreted as shear jealousy! What am I saying I AM jealous! We would both like to buy a property here! The difference would be that Greece and in particular, her islands, would be our first home of choice, - our base - the place to which we would always return.
</rant off>

Having got that off my chest, I suppose I ought to return to the plot! As I said, the bus is an excellent form of transport. It is clean, cheap and surprisingly punctual! It affords an excellent vantage point by nature of its size. The roads, as I have already hinted at, are narrow in the main and littered with bends sharp enough to allow the driver the opportunity to practice that ancient Greek art - horn blowing. Did I say horn blowing? That should read, horn (single-note, two-tone or musical), klaxon, siren, or whistle blowing! It seems that a Greek bus driver's prowess is measured by the variety and volume of their audible warning instruments! All joking aside, we are in awe of their ability to negotiate the most terrifying terrain, day in, day out. ...... Just don't argue with them about who has priority!

Longos
Longos, 4 kilometres from Gaïos, comes as something of a surprise! It creeps up on you. You come down a steep hill swing right and you are there! The bus drives along the front of the harbour, so close to the roadside tavernas that you have to breathe in as it passes if you are seated outside. If you don't believe me, check out the photograph!

This little village is reputed to be one of, if not the most beautiful place on the island of Paxos. We haven't seen sufficient of the island to comment but can confirm that it is indeed beautiful and worthy of visiting.

There are plenty of properties for rental. However, we suspect that the cream has been scooped up by the villa companies. There are arranged boat trips available, both around the island and to the mainland (Parga). There is also the opportunity to rent motor scooters and boats. In the case of the boats, prices advertised were 60 for a 25HP boat and 30 for the 15HP boats.

For those wishing something less energetic, there are many waterside tavernas and bars with others just a short distance inland. There are at least 2 supermarkets for those wishing to self cater.

Being keen to take photographs, I was a little disappointed to find that at our time of arrival, it was quite difficult taking photographs of much of the harbour due to the position of the sun. It was also extremely bright and the air was clear. However, there are many locations for some excellent photo opportunities. We hope to return to take advantage of them, maybe early next year.

There is a large, derelect building near the harbour. It is very large in comparison to the other buildings nearby and has an equally large chimney stack at the back of it. We took the footpath that runs up behind this building and found that it afforded excellent views of the bay. Well, to be truthful, it would if the sun had not been full in my face! - Definitely a place for that late afternoon shot! 

Whilst musing over my total inability to take a decent photograph, I had occasion to have a look at the derelict building and in particular, the enormous cracks that were clearly visible for most of its height! Oh what would the Health and Safety Executive say in the UK? They would turn cartwheels! There would be a total exclusion zone for a half mile circumference, notices proclaiming entry to be prohibited along with dire threats as to the consequences of ignoring the notice! Here, they seem to adopt the attitude that if you are stupid enough to mess with something that is clearly unsafe, you deserve all you get! None of this namby-pamby stuff here!

Tricia, Sandra and I split up here. Tricia climbed even higher up the path and succeeded in getting a better shot of the harbour than I could manage! Sandra went off to explore the harbour area and I contemplated my navel wondering how I could get some better photographs. .... If only I had followed Tricia! 

We met up back at the harbour and it wasn't too long before we had to make our way to the bus stop. There remained just time for that shot of the bus traversing the seafront to prove my earlier statement! The bus was punctual to within a couple of minutes.

Lakka
Lakka is about a 4 kilometre journey from Longos. Again the bus journey provides an excellent view of the surrounding area. The bus stops just back from the harbour front. It could not get any nearer!

Like Longos, Lakka is a compact village built around its harbour. It has several interesting little streets, many of which are little more than alleys. They are very picturesque and worthy of photographing. There are distant views of Corfu from the quayside. A walk around the large quayside will reveal numerous tavernas and eating places. All appear to be pleasant and we were convinced that there was something to suit all tastes. There are at least a couple of 'folk art' shops. The one that we visited had many interesting old photographs and prints that took my fancy.

Acrobatic Lobsters
Tricia and I had just finished perusing one such shop when we came upon a chilled display of various fish and crustaceans. Another visitor was engaged in conversation with the owner of this collection as we approached. The contents of the display were being described. There were a variety of fish, mainly red mullet and baby swordfish. However there were two particular crustaceans that we were all interested in.

One was described as a crayfish - totally unlike anything we had seen before and nothing like the crayfish that we have seen in the UK. The other was described as a lobster and was exactly like a crayfish that we would get back in the UK! The proprietor conceded that it was in fact a crayfish! Whilst this discussion was going on, the proprietor succeeded in annoying the crayfish/lobster to the extent that it suddenly leapt about three feet in the air and landed on the pavement. (It was still alive!)

Women screamed and the men, including me, took a couple of swift steps backwards much to the amusement of the Greek who was showing his wares! The intrepid Greek swiftly recaptured the frisky critter and promptly returned it to the display. Upon reflection, it was probably going to earn its owner a fair few euros by the end of the day and I can't imagine that he wanted it to over-exert itself in the meantime!

We thanked the demonstrator of acrobatic crustaceans and having been joined by Sandra made our way to look for somewhere to take refreshment. She assured us that she was glad that she had missed the lobsters act - wimp! We continued our wanderings around the harbour in a search for somewhere to take refreshments.

Now I don't know what it is about women! There we were standing within thirty metres of several inviting looking hostelries. The sun was blazing, I was parched and where did my fine female company head for? I'll tell you where! The furthest taverna/bar which was barely visible at the far side of the bay! Oh well, nothing for it but to grit my teeth and bravely follow in the footsteps of the fearsome sisters! I swear that they actually moved up a gear as they started to stride off to the distant watering hole, leaving me trailing in their wake!

As it happened, it wasn't a bad walk really, if you disregarded the temperatures of 32ºC/90ºF! On our way around the quayside, we came across a flock of about thirty ducks. Some were taking a swim whilst their more sensible colleagues were taking a quiet nap in the shade. I bet those swimming were female and desperately trying to coerce the poor suffering males to take some exercise by swimming to some far flung stretch of the bay!

Anyway, I succeeded in getting a few photographs from an angle that I would not have otherwise and I was rewarded with a refreshing large Amstel for my labours! All that remained was the long walk back! It wasn't too bad really and the preceding paragraphs should be taken somewhat 'tongue in cheek'. I'm sure that the recovery period for heat stroke isn't that long really!

There was a little time left before the bus was due so we continued our exploration of the immediate vicinity of the harbour, pausing only for a well-earned ice lolly.

The bus arrived on time for our return trip to Gaïos. It did not retrace the route taken during the morning. Instead, it bypassed Longos altogether. Should anyone be tempted to retrace our steps, you need to be aware that occasionally there are deviations from the 'normal' route. They are, however, clearly shown on the timetable .

The Return Home
We arrived back in Gaïos with plenty of time to have a last look around and to buy a loaf of bread! (We don't skimp on souvenirs!) We took the casual kilometre walk back to the new port to buy our return tickets and await the arrival of the hydrofoil.

The hydrofoil arrived and disgorged its passengers who were clearly locals who had spent the day shopping in Corfu. It was like the 'Tardis' from 'Doctor Who'. They just kept appearing at the door! I would be amazed if it had not been 'standing room only!'

Before we had the opportunity to embark, Tricia pointed to a female crew member. "That's the same girl who was on the hydrofoil that we took to Kefalonia", she said. I visibly froze! Slowly, I checked. Yes it was the same girl who had not equipped herself too well. Worse was to follow. The vessel was the 'Santa III' not the 'Santa II' that we had arrived on.

The nightmare journey to Kefalonia was still etched in my mind. What to do? I sidled over to the young lady in question. "Have you been to Lefkas recently?", I enquired. She looked at me without a hint of recognition. "We were on the hydrofoil that went to Lefkas instead of Kefalonia", I volunteered. "Ah yes", she said, "I spent two days there." A little further interrogation by yours truly elicited the fact that there had (allegedly) been no further mishaps since.

Armed with this knowledge, it was with some trepidation that we boarded the hydrofoil. As it turned out, my fears were unfounded. We departed on time and had an uneventful journey, arriving in Corfu at 5pm, dead on time. The only fly in the ointment was that as in the case of the Kefalonia trip, we returned to the furthest point from where we had parked the car! Oh well, you can't have it all I suppose!

Conclusion
We all returned home convinced that this was a really good trip. I think Sandra particularly enjoyed it and I wouldn't be surprised to see her take a holiday on Paxos one day. (She'll correct me if I am wrong, no doubt!)

The trip was well worth the (limited) expense and we would recommend it as an excursion for anyone having a holiday on Corfu who wanted the opportunity to visit another island.

Travel by normal ferry boat is an even cheaper alternative, but the crossing is much longer. (About 3 hours). There are also less frequent crossings. However, if, as I do, you enjoy a boat trip where you can be up on deck and wander around, this may be a viable alternative. I suspect though that you would not have as much time on Paxos to explore unless you were to make a mini-break of it and book accomodation.

I will end this account of a thoroughly enjoyable excursion with a word of warning. Be aware that at the time that we visited (Mid - September) the number of tourists visiting the island was definitely diminishing. At the height of the season, I would suspect that things may get crowded in the more popular villages, particularly those which are favoured by the sailing fraternity.

We will certainly return to Paxos and I suspect that it will be for more than a one day visit. It was a great day out and I am sure that there are many more treasures to seek out there.

The Paxos Bus Timetable
Here is a copy of the bus timetable. It was accurate, to the best of our knowledge during September 2002. It is suggested that confirmation be obtained in advance from:

Bouas Tours
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