It’s Saturday , 6th September and we’re still in Abelaki Bay, with long lines ashore, and pondering where to go next. Maybe nowhere? It seems a shame to go through all the paraphernalia of untying shore lines, raising anchor and losing our lovely spot next to Minas taverna. As we sip coffee in said taverna and think about ways our family at home might visit us, we have a brainwave (Kerry and I often share brain waves, which can be annoying as we both wish to lay claim to them), why don’t we try out the ferry to Nydri on Lefkada Island? This seemed a great idea until we realised we were about one and a half hour’s walk from the ferry terminal at Porto Spilia.
We asked Maria, the taverna owner about public transport on the island. It seems that there is a minibus, but it does not have a published timetable. Meganisi, being a small place, meant that the minibus driver was, of course, Maria’s cousin (Manolis), so she phoned him to check he could pick us up. The answer must have been vague, presumably due to the lack of a schedule. No doubt Manolis would be made to suffer for this later, as Maria is not one to be trifled with. In the meantime Maria’s husband, Tele, overhearing the conversation, offered us a lift to the ferry. It turned out he was going there anyway to collect oysters, but he didn’t tell us this at the time.
Tele turned out to be a good driver (in his little Nissan Micra), but even so the roads were windy and narrow, so it was an exhilarating experience. He seemed to know everyone he drove past and shouted jovially to them out of his window. Tele has the most amazing deep, guttural laugh! We got to the ferry in plenty of time, “great” we thought, but then Tele drove on past it and kept going along the coast road, for what seemed like ages. Kerry got a little tense after a while and politely asked, “Where are we going?”. Tele said, “Do not to worry, I am showing you the island.” We could see the ferry coming into port and he judged it perfectly to get back there and drop us off as it lowered its bow ramp towards us.
We shuffled on with all the other foot passengers as big lorries and cars drove on beside us. It cost all of €1.70 each, to take us to Nydri. What a bargain! It was a beautiful trip, standing high on the deck and watching the scenery.
Once we arrived at Nydri we had a job, just one job, but nevertheless, not a job to be underestimated. We needed a stamp from the Greek port police on our transit log (essential paperwork for British boats after Brexit 😭). How difficult could it be? Google told us they were a few minutes walk from the ferry terminal so off we went. We knew their office would be inconspicuous, as this seems to be set as a challenge for visiting sailors, to test us when our brains have overheated. It was a good test, but after asking directions many times, and Kerry being almost knocked over by a moped in the pedestrian zone (it clipped her!), we found it.
We had to be literally taken to the door to find it though. And even then the door had a no entry sign on it, which made us reluctant to pass through it. Finally we found the port police (up several flights of stairs) and they duly put on their serious faces and stamped our log. Kerry often brings out the best in people and this seems to apply even to dour policemen, one of whom she managed to get a wee smile out of before we left!
The rest of our short time in Nydri was spent in a cafe under cooling fans, enjoying a well deserved nibble, before walking along the seafront to see it we could remember anything from our previous visit here, over 30 years ago — we couldn’t.
We ended up in a yacht chandlers that did all sorts of old, secondhand stuff, which must have been retrieved from abandoned or even sunken boats, by the look of some of it. I got very excited about this, as Barberry is also old, so maybe there is stuff that would suit her. I got carried away and, when I eventually looked up from all the cheap junk, I saw that Kerry was slumped on a bench, looking somewhat overheated. Time to go, while she still has a little energy, I thought, so off we went back to the ferry.
Fortunately the ferry had air conditioning inside, so Kerry eventually cooled below boiling point, helped by a little iced tea. When we arrived back at Porto Spilia we made a made dash for the minibus, not trusting Manolis to wait for us. We did make it and paid him the €1 fare back to Nydri. What a drive through Spartochori, a little hilltop village on Meganisi. The streets were so narrow that nothing larger than the minibus would have fitted through. Even then Manolis folded back the wing mirrors and drove at less than walking speed. Thank goodness we did not meet a car coming the other way. There was literally an inch either side of us, with scrapes and gouges along the walls of many of the houses. We dived straight in the water for a refreshing swim as soon as we got back to Barberry- lovely!
Sunday was a sunny day (again). We had coffee at Minas in the morning and, after a long conversation with Tele, Kerry felt inspired to start writing a story, based in Meganisi. Can’t wait to see how it turns out! I went for another long walk, to explore more of the island, this time bringing my new fancy camera with me. I hoped to get some nice shots that one of us would feel inspired enough to recreate in watercolour over the winter.
We met up with Lin and Frank for dinner that evening. We first met them while cruising last summer and it was great to catch up again. Our evening ended when the wind got up and we became nervous about our boats at anchor. Everything was fine but there was a lightning storm that night and we heard of boats, not far from where we were, dragging their anchors. Scary!
We headed back to Preveza Marina on Monday, about four and a half hours cruising. A lot of boats followed us through the opening bridge at Lefkas and there was a real armada then racing for Preveza. We weren’t first, but not last either! All the boats arriving at once meant a long wait for fuel (which we needed for our cruising when we get back at the end of September) and our berth. By then we were hot (ter) and ready for food. I was a little grumpy with the heat (surely not?). I now need to make a confession. With all the heat and hunger I broke my bread vow and ordered bread with my lunch. I know it’s bad and I do feel guilty, but it was really yummy!
We caught up with a few boat jobs on Tuesday and Kerry phoned EasyJet as she is desperate to bring a replacement bike battery back to Greece with her. Did I mention that she has an electric bike and therefore shoots around the place without getting tired? Unless the battery is broken of course, which it is (he-he). It seems that a battery is allowed on the plane if it is for a mobility aid. I can confirm that the bike is definitely a mobility aid for Kerry, but let’s see if the airport sees it that way too! We are busy sticking a label on the old battery saying ‘battery for mobility aid’, and we will take it on our flight back to NI to see what happens. At least then we will know!
So today (Wednesday) we are getting all set for our flight home to see the family for a few days as our daughter, Laura, is over from Canada. It would be an interesting transition, in terms of the temperature!
Lovely post and can confirm you’ll be in for a shock as autumn temperatures have now arrived in the UK.