Category: Island Life

Winter Newsletter

Another year has flown by and once again winter is upon us. Hopefully, we can revive some sunny Ionian memories.

Our new Ionian Villas website appeared in October – bigger pictures and easier to navigate.

It includes a great new feature where instead of scrolling through a long list of villas based only on price or group size, you can now filter your search by ‘holiday type’. Whether you are seeking a ‘romantic hideaway’ or a ‘waterfront property’, it’s now easy to narrow down your options. We have also introduced a new ‘My Booking’ area where you can conveniently access all your booking details and holiday information.

Find out more

IV Team news:

Alex competed in the Rout Classic 100 Miler in Greece. This is a prestigious and tough adventure footrace for experienced runners who compete over 100 miles. The course is set along abandoned paths and trails through the tremendous scenery of the Rodopi Mountains National Park in Northern Greece.

The Rodopi Mountain range is spread across Greece and Bulgaria. Its beautiful, untouched mountain trails date back to the prehistoric age where runners cross some of the original paths and bridges Alexander the Great used!

He finished the race in under 32 hours, securing an impressive 5th place out of 95 runners!

Back in the summer, Sophie Kempson joined our team, she will be working alongside Alex in Sales and looking after our PR and marketing.

Natalie had her second child, Ottilie in June and will return from maternity leave in March next year. We cannot wait to have her back in the office – as she keeps us all organised!

We say farewell to our fantastic intern, Amariah. Hopefully, we will have you back working with us again in the future.

Alex and Cat have moved house and have been exploring some exciting new destinations and properties for 2025!!

Here are some of those great new properties…

2-bedroom villas:

On Kefalonia, Brunella has a peaceful setting amongst olive groves, just inland from Fiscardo – a sumptuous retreat.

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On tiny AntiPaxos, Morpheus is walking distance to two beautiful sandy beaches – a private escape.

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On laid-back Ithaca, Odyssea Villas are a rare find for those wanting a swimming pool – big sea views.

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On pretty Meganissi, Silvia Villas overlook the little islands of Kastos and Kalamos – escape the crowds.

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3-bedroom villas:

On Lefkas, Pikermi is a 15 minute walk to the beachfront tavernas of Mikros Gialos.

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The Setting Sun Villas on Lefkas have a gloriously dramatic location above sandy west coast beaches – to infinity and beyond!

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Also on Lefkas, Tassia is just a 2 minute walk to the sea – plunge from your doorstep!

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4-bedroom villas:

On Paxos, Jo’s House hides away in an olive grove close to Monodendri beach – amazing outside kitchen!

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Also on Paxos, Savra is a stylish & spacious villa on the west coast and a 10 minute walk to the sea – a swish escape.

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On Corfu, the 18th Century  Olive Mill has been brought into the 21st Century with stylish, elegant, modern comforts – a unique experience. Villa Bliss overlooks the bays of Kouloura, Kalami and Agni on Corfu’s north east coast – stunning sea views.

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7-bedroom villa:

On Corfu, Claudia hides away in a sleepy village with local tavernas just a short stroll away – 19th Century meets 21st Century.

Find out more

Watch this space:

In 2025 we will be introducing some new island escapes (not in the Ionian!) so if you might be tempted by some out the ordinary holiday options on mainland Greece, the Aegean and the Caribbean – ask us for a sneak preview!

Get in touch:

Despite an overhaul and redesign of our website, we realise that it is still difficult to find a property to tick all the boxes so please get in touch if you would like some personal recommendations to suit your requirements – we’d love to hear from you.

Contact Us

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Eliot Villa

In 1962 Eliot Watrous happened upon the little island of Paxos. He returned two years later and bought a small plot of land, just outside the capital village of Gaios, and a local team of builders constructed a small, simple house above the sea – based upon a design drawn on the back of a cigarette packet.

In 1965, Eliot and his wife and four sons, spent the months of July and August in their half finished Paxos home. In those days the island’s electricity was produced (sporadically) by a diesel-fuelled generator, the ferry journey from Corfu took up to five hours, provisions were limited and it was just two years before a military dictatorship overthrew the Greek government.

Over the next few years the Watrous family spent long summers in both work (on the house) and play (deserted beaches and more donkeys than cars).

The house was known as Eliot Villa. It was sold to one of Greece’s most famous folk singers, who converted and modernised the property to make it one of the most comfortable retreats on the stretch of coastline just outside Gaios.

Eliot Villa can now be booked through Ionian Villas. It has 4 bedrooms, a pool, privacy and is just 100 metres from a small beach.      

Visiting Paxos in October

You might feel hesitant about an Ionian holiday in October. Will the weather be ok? Will sufficient ferries be operating? Will tavernas and shops be open?

A few of us from the office travel to the Ionian in October in order to see property owners, take new photos, find out what changes are planned for the following year and then to check the local cuisine, sample new wines and gauge sea temperatures!

This year we spent the second week of October on Paxos.

A few wispy clouds on the last day but otherwise clear blue skies and temperatures in the late 20’s. We stayed on the west coast – hypnotically vibrant sunsets.

West coast sunset

With the good weather, nearly all of Paxos’ tavernas and café bars planned to stay open until the end of October. Supermarkets and shops were well stocked. Fruit aplenty: fresh canary melons, peaches, nectarines, grapes, pineapples, kiwi fruits, bananas – to name a few.

Sea temperature seemed warmer than August and we tested it every day – such is our dedication to getting our facts right!

Marmari beach

Morning temperatures of early 20’s make for perfect walking conditions. The sides of roads and donkey paths bordered by swathes of wild cyclamen and crocus. Branches of olive trees starting to droop with the weight of ripening olives. Black olive nets ready to catch the winter crop.

Roadside cyclamen
Paxos Cats

Village cats basking in the afternoon sun. Local islanders enjoying the peace and quiet of a waterfront cafenion. Hire boats being taken out of the water to leave village waterfronts with colourful wooden fishing boats. Gaios fish market selling an abundance of freshly caught fish. The opportunity to commandeer deserted beaches. The beautiful blues of the sea within sheltered coves below hillsides of olive and cypress trees.

And then, all too soon, the wake-up call to leave and return to colder, greyer shores.

Departing Paxos at sunrise

Corfu airport comparatively busy but a recently opened airside lounge offers a peaceful escape with comfy seating, complimentary snacks and drinks and even a porter to escort you to the lounge via a fast track security check. Ask us for details!

New Corfu Airport Lounge

Try an October break to the Ionian – the perfect tonic to prepare for winter back home.

What’s all this about cracking red eggs for Greek Easter?

(A glimpse into the traditional festivities of a Greek Orthodox Easter)

Over 90% of Greeks identify with the Greek Orthodox Christian faith. Their church has played a strong part in their history and religious traditions are important to them. One of the most celebrated events of the calendar is the Orthodox Easter and this year their Easter falls on 16th April.

Festivities begin about a month before Lent with Carnival Season (“Apokries”):  celebrations of street parties, parades and masquarades – originally pagan rituals worshipping Dionysos, the God of wine, agriculture, fertility, dance and fun.

Easter Fireworks above the ‘Old Fortress of Corfu’

Clean Monday (“Cathara Deftera”) marks the end of Apokries and families mark the start of Lent, when the fasting begins, with picnics of seafood, taramasalata, halva (a corn starch sweet) and unleavened bread (“Lagana”), traditionally accompanied by kite flying.

Those observing the tradition of Lent will abstain from consuming meat, dairy products, alcohol and sugar.

On the eve of Easter Sunday village communities gather with lit candles and wait for the priest to declare that “Christ is Risen”. Church bells and fireworks then celebrate the hour and then “Magiritsa”, a soup made from lamb offal, is served.

Easter Sunday is the day of the greatest feast of all. Lambs are roasted on outdoor spits and the groaning Easter table welcomes family and friends for a day of indulgence.

On the table will be bowls or baskets of bright red eggs. The eggs are dyed red on Holy Thursday, a custom which goes back to the early Christians and symbolises the sacrificial blood of Christ.

A young Alex on Paxos at Easter

Alex, Vivienne & family friends enjoying Easter in the early 90’s

The cracking of the red eggs has its own symbolism. The hard shell of the egg symbolizes the sealed tomb of Christ while the cracking means that the tomb has been broken and that Christ has been resurrected from the dead.

Egg cracking (“Tsougrisma”) is a bit like a game of conkers! Each player holds a red egg and one taps the end of their egg against the end of the other player’s egg. The goal is to crack the opponent’s egg without cracking yours. When one end is cracked, the winner uses the same end of their egg to try to crack the other undamaged end of the opponent’s egg. The player who successfully cracks the eggs of the other players is declared the winner and, it is said, will have good luck during the year.

Traditionally, when tapping the egg, the first player would say to his opponent “Christos anesti” (“Christ has risen!”) to which the second person responds “Alithos anesti!” (“He Truly Has”).

Filippos & Alexandros with their painted eggs

Watch out for the occasional cheat, who moves a thumb nail unobtrusively and quickly over their egg tip just as their opponent delivers a tap!

An understanding of simple physics helps: the pointiest egg should perform better.

Hold your egg in a grip as close to the tapping end as possible, so that it can only be hit at the curviest/pointiest spot on the top while the sides are supported.

Kalo Pascha,

David

Ionian Environment Foundation – a piece from Victoria Turner

My name is Victoria Turner and I have a home and family on Paxos. As such I care deeply about the people and the environment of this island, and their relationship with each other. I have seen that, despite the spectacular environmental beauty and warmth of the communities here, the island faces many challenges. From improving water, waste and road infrastructure that meets the ever-increasing demands of tourists, to balancing economic development with land/marine conservation, these numerous pressures are shared across much of the Ionian region.

I feel extremely privileged, as the Executive Director of the Ionian Environment Foundation, to be able to work with some incredible NGOs, passionate individuals and determined action groups towards addressing these challenges and activating lasting change in the region.

Local beach clean Paxos

Using the tried and tested, non-bureaucratic approach of the Conservation Collective, the IEF seeks to raise funds from people and businesses who love the Ionian Region and care about its protection and restoration. We distribute those funds predominantly to local communities and environmental initiatives to empower them to promote and support conservation actions that achieve comprehensive results in the fields of nature recovery, environmental protection, sustainable development and the circular economy. My job is to find the people who love and cherish the Ionian Islands and ask them to either support our work with funds – or build an impactful local project that we can support!

The work is not always easy, but I am an optimist who knows that, even with small steps, positive change can happen. One such theory of change is as follows:

If the IEF can support and promote the immediate actions of the best hands-on local projects, then the culture of conservation will evolve. This is because, over time, these activities will serve to inform people’s mindsets and change their attitudes towards the fragile environment around them. For example, we supported an educational project that promoted conservation through awareness raising of the 75 species of Corfu Butterfly. 8000 posters of the butterflies were distributed to the islands’ 54 primary schools and into the hands of every pupil. 897 teachers also received teaching resources to promote respect and intrigue for Corfu’s butterflies. Via the symbolic flagship example of the butterfly, the wonders of biodiversity and the importance of conservation were widely communicated.

Corfu Butterfly Conservation Project

Many of the projects we support are excellent showcasing examples for how people can be actively engaged with protecting the local environment and tackle the issues head on. For example, any observant visitor to the islands could not fail to notice that waste management is a pressing issue that needs addressing. We are working with small and large action groups to fuel a change both in how waste is managed effectively, as well as how waste can be reduced at source. The Social Enterprise group SinPraxi works together with over 25 local businesses to see recyclables separated and delivered to a sorting unit where the items are sent back into the circular economy via effective recycling plants on the mainland. In this way SinPraxi have successfully diverted over 600 tonnes of materials away from Corfu’s overflowing landfill where it would inevitably end up severely polluting the surrounding ecosystem. By supporting and celebrating their successful operation, we hope that their showcasing actions will fuel awareness and inspire similar actions that directly tackle the waste crisis.

Clearing abandoned fish farm waste- Ithaca
Waste management Recycling Unit- Corfu

I am thrilled to have gained the support of Ionian Villas. As a significant sector of Greece’s tourist industry, villas, with their owners, guests, managers, gardeners and chefs, can all play an influential role in making waves for change though their efforts to tread more lightly on the environment. Together we are working towards making such changes through the IEF Villa Alliance.

For more information on our work and projects for 2023, please see our latest NEWSLETTER and visit our website. To donate directly, please do so HERE. Your support would be greatly appreciated – where even small amounts will help fuel a positive and impactful change for the Ionian Islands.

Victoria Turner- Executive Director of the Ionian Environment Foundation

Favourite Ionian Dish: Gigantes in the oven with fresh feta;

Favourite Beach: Akoudakis

Favourite Hang-out: Theofrastos Kafeneon, Lakka

Favourite Time of Year: October

Foraging on Antipaxos – From Guest Writer & Chef Andrew Hindley

Legend has it that Poseidon, lord of the seas, spotted the Sea Goddess Amphitrie dancing on the island of Naxos. He immediately fell in love – of course he did – and after chasing her to the ends of the world he broke off a little piece of paradise, dragging a fragment of Corfu south, just for them. Paxos became their refuge…and Antipaxos…one can only imagine!

The small, mostly uninhabited island of Antipaxos lies roughly three kilometres south of Paxos. The interior of the island remains traditional and undeveloped but comes with a rich biodiversity. Artichokes and broad beans grow wild and free, spreading unchecked in the sun. Grapevines thrive here with the local wine highly regarded and the island is rich in flora and fauna. But this just scratches the surface. In previous summers I had heard stories of all manner of treasures hidden in its castaway rock pools and I was aching for an opportunity to check.


My approach to food on Paxos has always been driven by the seasonality of local ingredients. There is something so organic about walking through the square in Gaios to choose ‘fresh from the sea’ fish. There is no form or order. No polystyrene boxes, no filleted fillets sitting on ice and faux vegetation. Fish fall from the bag: a large cuttlefish, a small lobster, a couple of sea bream perhaps and anchovies. To know you are using freshly picked or caught food is at the centre of what we try and do on Paxos. It is not always possible but the provenance of ingredients has always been important. The story behind when, where and by what means something was picked or caught adds a level of narrative to the preparation and presentation of our food, something we are always keen to pass on to our guests.

I will take advantage of any and every opportunity I get to better understand the ecosystem in which we work and the seasonality of the ingredients we use. Whether it’s free diving for fish on the west coast (more of an observatory capacity if truth be told) or beating down trails in late autumn in search of blackberries – I enjoy making use of what exists here on Paxos. So when another opportunity presented itself in early May to head across to Antipaxos I could hardly resist.

I had heard stories of caper berries, samphire and persillin, wild leeks and blackberries, and it was my
intention to investigate such claims. We boarded Niko’s new boat – a purchase from the previous autumn that he was very proud of – in the late morning. The day was a typical mid spring occasion, the sun beating down on, let’s say refreshing Ionian waters, a breeze in the air and distant clouds looking to ruin the party.

The group was a mixed crowd of good friends but international in complexion. Two French brothers who have grown into close friends over the years were joined by Federica and Makis both from the island as well as two friends from England, over to enjoy the early season. We left the harbour behind at speed, skimming the flat calm waters of Gaios and heading south. We crossed the channel with beers open and passed by Vrika beach, Niko blasting his horn to a small gathering on the otherwise empty beach.

The beaches of Vrika and Votoumi are unparalleled in the region. Expansive white sand stretching across wide bays, extending into crystal clear shallow water. The summer months see a swell of holiday makers, cruise boats come and go and yachts anchor precariously in the fine sand. But for now the beach was empty and we were headed elsewhere. We motored past the port and tied up to a rock outcrop, offloading beers and personnel. Keeping a close eye for snakes we cut a rough track through the shrub making a beeline for Makis’ place and the old lighthouse. Along the way we found collections of gently perfumed salt collecting in dried up rock pools, somehow palliative and sweet.

We returned to the boat a little while later in good spirits. The clouds were growing in confidence as we headed for the rock island of Dascalia. Exiting the boat we struggled to keep our footing on the slippery shoreline, Makis the only one able to somehow make it ashore gracefully. He immediately set to work, a small pair of pliers strapped to his ankle, dislocating limpets and small sea snails from the coastal rocks. I left him to it, making the short swim in the cool water to the main island and scrambled barefoot up its rockface to the grassy top. Seagulls alerted by my presence swooped like Stuka dive bombers to protect their nest. Among the rough roots, caper leaves reached sunward growing amongst flowering rock samphire. Sea persillin, acidic and salty little leaves were everywhere – a foraging dream.

With my pockets full of sea herbs I eventually conceded to the increasingly persistent demands of the gulls and retreated to the cliff face – diving into deep blue water to make my escape. By the time I had returned Makis had filled a bucket with the sea molluscs, picking the limpets from the shells and eating them raw. ‘Let’s go’!

As we made it back to our island home a plan had formed and I was keen to get back to my little kitchen. While the limpets are delicious raw, tasting like the sea from where they came, I wanted to cook them. Olive oil hit the pan first, followed by garlic, white wine, and samphire. The little shells were then cleaned and added to the mix. With the lid on they steamed slowly, releasing their liquor and after ten minutes the limpets had released from their homes falling into the broth. The snails were more difficult and I set about popping out the sweet flesh with a small fork. As the broth reduced I added a pinch of Greek saffron bringing a delicate note of spice to proceedings. The dish was finished with some of the salty caper and sea herbs. Delicious!


This was by no means a quick meal but it was a solid return on our investment that day. We had found our dinner, we had climbed, dived and slipped our way to a meal that was entirely free and provided by the land and sea. We left behind only footprints and took only what was there in abundance. Practically speaking it will be hard to replicate this dish over the coming months, time constraints will limit such free time to the margins of our season but I will no doubt be back on Antipaxos soon … and I might just take a bucket!

Check out Andrew’s amazing food on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/supperonpaxos/

Website: https://ahindley1983.wixsite.com/paxoschef

Life & Food on Paxos – From Guest Writer & Chef Andrew Hindley

My name is Andrew and I am a self taught private chef, working and living on the small Greek island of Paxos. I first met Alex and Cat from the Ionian Villas team when I moved to Paxos in 2015. At the time they were residing full time on Paxos and now having left the island they remain good friends. This is the first of a number of blogs working in collaboration with Ionian Villas to illustrate the finer details of life on Paxos. The stories, the food and the people that make this island life so special!

Some time in 2015 after years of early morning commutes, uninspiring career choices and very little free time, I made the decision to swap the tube lines of London for the donkey tracks of Paxos on a permanent basis!

What followed in those first few months on Paxos was a passion to better understand the processes and traditions of the island and specifically, its food. Almost straight away I found myself cooking simple dishes; grilling just caught sardines over charcoal in my small yard, slowly roasting lamb and herbs in the cottage oven and assembling fresh salads with peppery local olives and hunks of sharp creamy feta. I absorbed information wherever and whenever I could, learning about the subtleties of foraging for horta, the many ways one could make taramasalata and the simple pleasures of allowing ingredients to speak for themselves.

Andrew & Fotini

It was through meeting my partner Fotini in 2017 that I began to understand from her family the importance of food and how central it is to life in Greece. Over time her grandparents shared their knowledge around the production and of food on the island and I began to better appreciate the importance of seasonality and the significance of local ingredients. I helped the family collect olives, make wine, and spent evenings picking whitebait from their fishing nets and in return they shared their home and their dinner table with me. In the spring of 2018 Fotini and  I decided to set up a small catering business offering simple food cooked on site at people’s villas. Fotini’s vigour for all things Paxos and her unbridled passion for hospitality inevitably proved popular. She would chat to guests over dinner, sharing stories of Paxos winters and our future plans and in the process made good friends.

The food itself drew inspiration from the island, offering modern alternatives to the familiarity of traditional taverna dining while still harnessing local ingredients at its core. Dishes like our black garlic lamb with broad beans and artichokes picked from Fotini’s land on neighbouring Antipaxos and the lemon tart and rosemary ice cream, – in which everything but the sugar and flour comes straight from our garden – are just two examples of our approach.

Today we continue with the business, each season drawing on our surroundings and experiences and connecting with new and returning guests alike. Now in the winter we have an opportunity to prepare and plan, but also in writing this, to share some of our favourite recipes and the stories that have inspired them. We hope you enjoy them!

For more information or to book for a private dining experience in your villa, contact Andrew & Fotini via the website Supper on Paxos or follow on Instagram @andrewhindley

An Ancient Footpath to Erimitis Spring

Paxos has three ports and the central village of Magazia. Magazia means “shops” and was once the main shopping centre of the island (it even had a ginger beer maker!). In surrounding valleys and on olive-clad hilltops are family hamlets consisting of a cluster of houses and a family church or two.

When the island was more self-sufficient (important when winter bad weather could prevent any supplies reaching Paxos for weeks on end) and the olive was king, a well-trodden network of pathways connected villages and hamlets with olive groves, vineyards, pasture land, terraces of wheat, schools, shops, friends and a supply of water.    

During the British occupation of the Ionian islands in the early 19th Century, tracks (wider than the goat paths) connecting the three island ports were turned into a central road – donkey tracks became a donkey road!

During the earlier, four centuries of Venetian rule, cisterns to collect rainwater were introduced to island house building. River and stream beds still traverse the island with fast flowing waters in the winter but the only source of natural spring water was and still is just above Erimitis beach on the west coast.

A series of stone-floored pathways, bordered by dry stone walls, lead from the hamlet of Boikatika (the hamlet of the Boikos family) down a wild valley of untended olive groves to a point above Erimitis Bay where soaring limestone cliffs look down onto a chalky turquoise sea.

A steep, stepped path winds down to the spring’s source and a well, enclosed by stone. Even in the heat of summer, water oozes and seeps through the rock face to give life to a variety of small wild plants, just above the sea.

In 2008 a large chunk of limestone cliff broke away and slid into the sea. What was a rocky inlet beneath the cliffs suddenly became a beautiful beach of limestone and pulverized stone – now turning into golden sand.

Look carefully at the surrounding hillsides of maquis and myrtle and you will see the remains of stone houses and overgrown terraces, which were once cultivated – a perfect place to live with fresh water on your doorstep. Prime position is now given to two modern villas at the top of the last flight of steps to the beach but there is still a dominant feeling of a rich, green wilderness, framed by the Erimitis cliffs.    

First glimpse of Erimitis cliffs

There is now a road down to the last flight of steps but parking is nigh impossible so choosing one of the ancient footpaths is the advisable (and more interesting) alternative. Tall olive and cypress trees provide a canopy of shade and the first views of the cliffs and blue sea are breathtaking. A good path to choose starts close to the cat feeding station on the track leading from Magazia to Erimitis Sunset Bar.

Old untended olives
Start of the last section
Final flight of steps to the spring

Take a stick to carefully detach spider webs and a non-plastic container to drink from the Erimitis well (you will find a bucket & rope attached to the well’s lid). On my last visit I saw “I was here” styled graffiti on the rock face close to the well – resist the urge to leave any mark of having been there and enjoy its natural beauty – one of Paxos’ many treasures.

Remember to take a spider stick
Descent to the beach
Erimitis Spring

On Paxos there are 2 organisations dedicated to the preservation of the island’s heritage and culture Volunteers of Paxos and Friends of Paxos – they work with the Paxos Municipality to open, clear and maintain the network of ancient footpaths on the island.

Kalo Pascha

We just wanted to wish you all a very happy Greek Easter!

If you want to visit the Ionian Islands for Greek Easter 2020, we recommend visiting Corfu Town where the Easter festivities are spectacular. With colourful processions, Philharmonic bands, dancing and even a tradition of throwing ceramic pots from windows and balconies to ban bad spirits from the house. A unique, cultural experience – not to be missed.

We have some fabulous apartments, villas and hotels available in and close to Corfu town – please get in touch for further details.

Paxos Ferries Over The Years

The only way of getting from Corfu to Paxos in 1965, my first visit, was aboard a weather-worn, wooden caique called “Aspasia”. A central deckhouse cum cockpit provided hard bench seating for around 40 passengers. The Aspasia’s crossing time varied between 5 and 7 hours depending on the weather.

The journey south from Corfu Town, hugging Corfu’s eastern coastline until Cavos at the island’s most southerly point, is along a channel, sheltered by the coastline of the Greek mainland, and is usually comparatively calm.

In those days, Cavos was a small fishing village with just a few houses above the beach and a simple taverna run by the Roussos family. The Roussos taverna is still there but engulfed by a confloption of holiday accommodation. 

Photo from google images of Corfu Town in the 1970’s

If anyone missed the Aspasia’s departure from Corfu Town’s port there was the opportunity to take a taxi to Cavos and wait for the caique to arrive there. Quite often there would be passengers plus barrels of wine waiting to board at Cavos – and on one occasion, I saw a donkey plus boxes of chickens waiting their turn.

When the Aspasia could be seen from the Cavos jetty, one or two small boats containing people, animals and provisions would be rowed out and helped up on to the waiting caique. A small man-powered winch would hoist up donkeys and barrels.

Photo from Pinterest of a 1963 Hydra Island transfer with a donkey

From Cavos to Paxos (around 9 miles) an afternoon swell could make the 3 – 5 hour journey seem even longer. A sudden winter storm would either cause the caique to turn back or would test the stomachs of even the hardened crew.

Despite the possibility of a rough crossing it was important to bring adequate food and drink to help you through a good part of a day. Many of the crew felt that a pack of cigarettes was ample. 

The Aspasia’s single loo was a small hut on the bow deck. Facing the entrance to the hut was a wobbly bench, where 2 or 3 Paxiots would sit (usually men with worry beads while the women sat inside crossing themselves as each wave hit). I once watched an unsuspecting female passenger (a non-Paxiot like me) enter the hut just as the Aspasia left the sheltered tip of Corfu’s south east coastline and the first waves of the open sea hit the caique’s prow. The hut door swung open to the hut’s side – out of reach of the enthroned lady, with her skirt around her ankles – and in full view of the audience on the bench.

During the summer months the Aspasia would make the return journey about 3 times per week but in the winter, Paxos could be cut off for several weeks.

A large car ferry (called the “Kefalonia”), connecting Patras and Corfu and calling in at Kefalonia, would appear about half a mile offshore from Gaios on a Friday night. Small fishing boats would take Paxiots, wanting a faster journey to Corfu, out to the ferry. A large net was hung over the side of the ship and passengers would climb up and on board.

The arrival of the Kefalonia, with its lights splaying across the calm night sea, was often the highlight of the week.

I cannot remember when the first car appeared on Paxos. There were no car ferries between Corfu and Paxos in the 1960’s so island transport was boat, donkey, foot and the odd scooter.

A Paxiot with his donkey

The Aspasia (and future ferries until the age of the internet) brought newspapers to Paxos to keep islanders abreast of outside news. The islanders thronged at the port when the ferry arrived – a dockers’ union (6 burly fishermen) reserved the right to offload all items (if I was carrying a suitcase, it would be snatched away and a charge made for carrying it all of 20 feet to the quayside). A bag containing the newspapers would be taken to the village’s two “periptero” (kiosks) in the main square.

Local fisherman & Periptero in background

Greece was under the rule of a military junta from 1967 to 1974. All news was fervently censored to the extent that often the pages would only have a few small columns of print, leaving large empty white spaces.  

In the event of bad weather and no ferry from Corfu, Paxos winters could be hard. The electricity supply (powered by diesel at the station in Gaios) would cut off sporadically if the diesel ran out. I remember fridges run on gas but no freezers (the first fridge on Paxos was bought by Peter Bull, the actor who lived on the hillside above Lakka Bay). As nothing could be frozen, the island’s staple winter diet tended to be fresh sardines and squid; soups of bean and lentil; salted cod stored in large wooden barrels and feta stored in brine. Occasionally a caique from Parga on the mainland would bring fresh fruit and vegetables to be sold on the village waterfronts.

Fruit & Veg Caique

In the 1970’s and 1980’s the ferry boat “Kamelia” started taking passengers, donkeys and cars between Paxos and Corfu. There was also the smaller “Aetos” which was just for passengers and provisions. The two ferries would depart at exactly the same time, despite being only half full, and would race each other to reach their destination. Journey time was around 2.5 hours and their rounded boat bottoms usually meant adding extra time to avoid uncomfortable rolling. The Aetos’ bottom was the roundest and would usually limp in second to the Kamelia.

Kamelia

The Kamelia had room on its deck for 3 small cars, wedged in so that any late arriving passengers would have to climb over the cars. Repainting of the ferry, when there was more rust than metal, was done in spurts so that its appearance took on an oddly camouflaged look. The ship’s bar served thick Greek coffee, ouzo and cognac (recognised medicinal remedies for bad weather – together with pungent cigarettes called Stukas) and Tam-Tam (a sickly Greek version of Coca Cola).  

Greece’s version of Coca Cola

The present day hydrofoils, fast boats and speedboats (and who knows, a possible return of the 10-minute seaplane hop) have introduced speedier communications between Paxos and Corfu. For most visitors however, life on Paxos is still led at a comparatively slow pace and long may that continue. 

© 2018 Ionian Villas Limited

Call us on: +44 (0) 1243 820928    ..or email enquiries@ionian-villas.co.uk

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