Corfy by 4x4

A new experience....back on the cruise ship....this time....a shorex doing a 4x4....we were a small group of 13 adults....that meant 6 Suzuki vehicles, of course open....fabulous...maybe i would get a little bit tanned. We chose the matt black which was the last jeep in the caravan. Kim and i hopped into the car andbefore the seatbelts were on, the other cars were already rolling...off we went....

The start was of course the new port in Corfu, the cruise ship terminal. Them the trip took us along the coast through Gouvia then Dassia and then up the mountains to Sokraki. Just before Sokraki we had a short photospot as there were some great views...unfortunately a bit hazy so the photos are not too great....but let me share a little bit anyway....

Photo stop

Me and our Suzuki

The next stop was in Sokraki....one of the oldest villages...very tiny....a small coffee bar, a small square and chapel and a little shop selling goodies made from olive trees. Kim and i bought an ice cream sandwich and enjoyed the sun before departing.

Olivewood

Grapes

The roads would lead us through beautiful mountain roads with amazing views. We could see as far as Albania, which in fact is only 2 nautical miles from Corfu island (at the narrowest part). We had another photo stop....

Photo stop

Kim and our Suzuki

The guide asked is whether we saw the nets underneath the olive trees....yes...and then she explained how they collect olives in Corfu. This was very interesting, because i thought there was only one way....pick them off the tree. Well, in fact that is how they do it in Italy in November. However, in Corfu, the trees can reach up to abput 10m, so they do not pick the olives off the trees in fact, they place large nets on the ground under the tres and let the olives fall by themselves, this can take from about october until about June. In the early month they will only produce about 10-15% of olive oil from the olives collected while the latest month they can produce between 20-25% of olive oil. I found this very interesting. The guide went on to explain that on mainland Greece, they shake the trees and let the olives drop, they shake and bang with branches...very interesting. Let me share a pic of the nets....

Olive trees and nets

After that it was time to make our way to the other side of the island where we would stop in Bellavista for a light meze (a typical Greek snack). It included a choice of red wine, white wine or ouzo and then a small platter consisting of cucumber, feta, tomato, olives, tzaziki, some potato and fish dip, an a triangular pastry stuffed with cheese....all rather yummie. Kim and i tried some white wine and some ouzo, the ouzo is a see through aniseed tasting liquor, but when you mix it with water it becomes milky...funky. For dessert there was baklava, kumquat cake or walnut cake (at a small extra charge), we chose to try the walnut cake with syrup...and wow..it was delicious....i would most definitely recommend it, it was light and sweet and just so tasty. Let me share some pics....

Meze and ouzo

Dessert

After that...it was time to make our way to our last stop which would be a Kumquat distillery. Once we arrived we wre shown a short 10min video of the collection of kumquats and what is made from them, the most popular the liquor and the candied sweets. Of course after the presenation we were allowed to try the various products, from the liquor to the candied sweets to the marmelade and even biscuits. There were three different liquors, one white and two orange. She explained that the white was made using the juices of the kumquat while the orange used the juice as well as the skins (the skins to give it the colour). For me, the best was the white one, loved it and yes, we did buy some to take home, as well as marmelade and biscuits.

After that...time to drive back to the ship...we had a nice trip outside and saw parts of the island we had not seen before. I also thought the lanscape with dense bushes/ forrests was interesting. So , that concluds my 4x4 blog about Corfu....next up....4x4 in Santorini.

 

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