New Years Eve, time to head back to Corfu

  Acharavi, Greece
Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Wow am I glad I had that sleep yesterday evening, it's 8.30am and the alarm starts going off, I'm thoroughly on Greek, Greek time, 2 hours difference plus the day to night shift.

Katerina greets me, the morning is bright and sunny, I pack everything ready for the car and there is not sign of Nikoleta, I don't think I mentioned, we have decided today is the day to try to get back to Corfu, the news shows that the weather is good, the snow has been cleared from the mountain road and if we're careful we should be able to make the crossing. Yes England it really is like this where I am, one main road over the mountains from the coast on the West to Larissa the other side. If it snows heavily it becomes impassable and believe me according to reports it has been very difficult to pass, snow chains have been necessary, if you don't have to don't try to drive the road. Our concerns today are more for ice on the roads.

I am still very excited from the previous evening and it's not long before my laptop is cracked open and I'm happily absorbed in photo editing experiments when everyone else appears.

Georges demonstrates how the snow chains fit, I feel really relieved, it's not so hard, we joke that now I've seen it done then I'll know if the coerced young man who fits them has done it right.

Farewells are bid and Nikoleta depart for Corfu, it's a bittersweet departure, I felt I could stay with my new friends in Larisa forever and not run out of fun and stimulating ways to occupy the winter, but dear Kerkyra has got under my skin and I'm excited to go back.

I set off with a small degree of nervousness, not sure what to expect from the mountain road. The sun is shining and we have such a beautiful drive back through the plains with the mountains looming in the distance. Once we start climbing into the mountains it becomes clear that the roads are clear, salted and the journey then becomes a complete joy. Where we can we make stops to take photos, why not, we have all day to get to the ferry, it's not everyday you get to see views like these. Again we stop at Metsova for sausage sandwich and fill as many bottles as we can with water from the stream with cold, not freezing, soft water.
We manage to get back to Corfu just in time for a quick shower and to see the new year in with Nikoletas parents, over the traditional meal. I was struggling to stay awake but was coerced into playing cards until I was nodding at the table.