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It’s getting towards the end of the season, and last night our adopted ‘local’ closed its doors. Thanks Beer o’clock, you were great.

This morning we’re up early to go to a place called Sidari. We get there by bus. Greek busses hark back to earlier times in the UK, in that you get on, sit down and a conductor comes to collect your fare. He also ensures that everyone gets off at the right place, and is generally a mine of information.

Sidari is, frankly, a dump. If you want karaoke, an ill-advised tattoo, or a fake designer handbag then you’ve come to exactly the right place. Fish and chips perhaps?

Lots of places selling excursions. If you come here on holiday there’s no doubt you’ll be queuing up to get out of town for a day.

However, none of this matters. We’ve come here to see the Canal d’Amour, a part of the coast that has been eroded into a series of stunning bays.

It’s spectacular, and the journey is well worthwhile.

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We expected bad weather yesterday evening, and sure enough by the time we headed out to the pub the wind was howling. There are no harbours suitable for sailing yachts along this stretch of coast, so this skipper has decided to anchor off the beach.

The crew won’t be getting much sleep, as the wind whips up the surf.

This morning the yacht was gone, and it’s still breezy. We had a walk out to the harbour.

San Stefanos church, and a glimpse of sunshine.

Coffee at a beachside taverna.

A unicorn!

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Last night we ate at a very nice restaurant called Fantasea. It’s on the road to the harbour, and has lovely views of the bay and the islands beyond.

Stopped at Manthos’ taverna for a few beers on the way home. There was a wedding reception here a few days ago, and the flowers are still going strong. Time for an arty portrait.

This morning was breezy and the weather forecast was warning of rain. We had a walk up through the olive groves, more for the exercise than anything else. The ground around the trees is swathed in netting to catch the fruit as it falls.

The olive trees are absolutely dominant. Nothing else grows underneath them. Olea Europaea is very hardy; drought, disease and fire resistant, and it can live to a great age. Many olive groves around the Mediterranean are said to be hundreds of years old, and some individual trees have been verified as being 2,000 years old.

These olives are quite small and will be used for oil. They’re not nearly as big as the ones you might find in your Martini.

Eventually the track through the olive grove meets the road which leads back down to the village. We wander down admiring the views.

Little shrines like this are everywhere.

After a nice brunch at Yiannis we do a big shop in the supermarket next door, and the owner gives us a lift home with all our purchases. We do some laundry and wait for the rain.

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Nice meal last night at a place called the Little Prince. The waiters took Greek dancing to a new level. Here’s one of them picking up a table and chair with his teeth. Naturally, the furniture is on fire.

This morning we’re off to a place called Porto Timoni, which is about 6 kilometres south of here. We start by going to nearby Arillas.

Despite the lateness of the season, the flowers are still spectacular.

After Arillas we climb to the hill village of Afionas. It’s a very pretty place. Note the torpedo behind the monument. This is a relic of the old NATO submarine base at nearby Paleokastritsa. When it was decommissioned about 15 years ago, the Greeks were given the job of safely disposing of the old ordnance. Of course they did no such thing, preferring to use the torpedoes as war memorials. There’s another in the village of Magoulades a few kilometres away.

Our goal is almost in sight, but first we must tackle a steep walk along the cliffs. After half an hour of scrambling we are rewarded with a lovely view of the double beach.

After getting our photos we climb back up to Afionas where we have lunch in the village taverna. Then it’s time to trek back to San Stefanos, though we did pause for ice cream on the way through Arillas.

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Fine dining, Greek style last night.

This is a pita giros. To make one, take a warm pitta bread and smother it with tzatziki. Then add pork, chips, sliced tomato and onions. Wrap it into a cone. Enjoy! €2.50.

This morning we’re off to see Logas beach, which is a viewpoint about 6 kilometres north of here. We begin with a stiff climb through the olive groves.

Glimpses of the sea as we climb.

We pass through a couple of small villages, and eventually we arrive.

Lovely taverna at the top of the cliff.

Views to Cape Drastis on the north western corner of the island.

Glass viewing platform.

A nice walk. We certainly enjoyed our pre-dinner beers.

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We had dinner at home last night, then popped down to Beer O’clock for a few drinks. A thunderstorm rolled in, winds were high and it rained heavily. A power cut hit the whole village. This is a common occurrence, and everyone just carried on.

This morning it’s still windy, but the rain has gone. Not many people on the beach.

The old harbour is gradually being reclaimed by the sea.

A little further along we find the new harbour, complete with the fleet of fishing boats.

The Greek alphabet can be a bit mysterious, and it’s fun trying to translate the boat names. This one, however, is very familiar.

The beach here is 2 kilometres long. We stop for coffee and set out along the shore.

At the far end of the beach a few square metres of sand have been cordoned off. A turtle has come ashore and laid her eggs here.

The eggs were laid on the 6th of August. They take about 45 days to hatch, so the baby turtles are due any day now.

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Today we’re off to take a look at Arillas, which is a few kilometres along the coast to the south of San Stefanos. First, we climb up to the headland which separates the two villages. At the highest point is a tiny church.

Inside, candles burning.

Great views back to San Stefanos from up here.

We retrace our steps and begin the descent towards Arillas. It’s steep, but the views take our minds off the difficult walk. Eventually we arrive back at sea level. Arillas is much smaller than San Stefanos, but very quaint.

We treat ourselves to omlettes for lunch. After Wengen, we find our money goes much further here. We stroll back to San Stefanos, explore the beach a little, and stop for a beer at one of the beachfront tavernas. A nice start to our holiday.