Corfu Greece

Corfu, Greece (August 21 - August 24, 2007)
Since I found myself in southern Albania, I could not resist the temptation of visiting the Greek island Corfu based on the legendary reputation of the Pink Palace hostel. Unfortunately, the stories were old as the Greek myths, and the place has since become embarrassing, deserving to be renamed the 'Punk Palace'. Thankfully, three days of cheap scooter rentals allowed me to explore this beautiful island during some very hot weather (~44C).

With the wind blowing through my hair, I sped past olive groves along steep winding roads and puttered through quaint little towns on my search for the best beaches on the island. The soft greek sand was certainly welcomed after the pebble beaches of Albania and Croatia. Each beach seemed to have its own character and appeal, whether it be a hip/popular place, wide-open sand dunes, or a secluded spit of sand among the rocks and hills.

On my last day on Corfu, I decided to add a little adventure to my adventure, and show the world something it has never seen before! Days earlier, I had spotted a secluded nude beach nestled amongst the rocky cliffs, and I decided to see what it was all about. As I sat on my straw beach mat still wearing my board-shorts and peering around to check out the scene(ry), I suddenly felt very conspicuous in my clothing. Deep breath... Ok, ready? I figured that there were are least two factors that would work in my favour... 1) nobody on the beach knew me, and 2) since I had a rather deep tan by this point, the sheer contrast of my pasty-white untanned bits and pieces would surely cause retinal damage to anyone daring to see what the source of the blinding white light was... don't worry... I will spare you the picture (other than the mental image already burned into your memory)! It was an interesting experience to watch families, couples, and random other people be happy with their bodies and enjoy their own little bit of freedom.



Corfu. Scootering around Corfu with Kiwi Ritch in the background.



Corfu. One of the popular beaches with me posing...


Corfu. View of islands, boats, and beautiful water.


Corfu. Silhouette of the cliffs from above.


Corfu. View of bay from atop mountain pass.



Corfu. Alleyway in small town.


Corfu. Graffiti wall along 'highway'.


Corfu. Beach silhouette near sunset.


Corfu. Corn drying on colourful stairway.


Corfu. Small town doors.


Corfu. Slippers, doorway, and high-tech-locking device.


Corfu. Misleading sign... further down this road was the clothing-optional beach.


Corfu. The clothing-optional beach from above.