Travel Writing: Corfu

The CD's didn't play music, or hold data, and I certainly didn't pay to put my images on them in TESCO. The silver discs look tacky when you see them at home, where they rid birds from play areas and farms. Here, however they look in place, and mirror the mirror image of the sun sparkling off the sea in the distance, as they dangle from the balcony ceiling.

Here, you overlook the long concave beach that is Agios Stefanos. Unlike its namesake on the opposite, most Easterly point of Corfu, this town is busy, but never feels saturated.

The long walk toward the valley town meanders past houses similar to the one at its peak. These houses have been turned into simple apartments that provide enough privacy for the tenants, whether you're there for a few days or several months.

The town offers what we would consider pubs rather than clubs. Nonetheless, dancing is encouraged, your own freeform or an opportunity to become part of the entertainment with traditional Greek dancers. Dancers, of whom seemed to please the majority of female traveller, for some odd reason unbeknownst to myself.

Back at the CD's, the view of the beach offers an inviting change of scene - as opposed to sitting privately, poolside in your peaceful villa, watching the birds as they feel comfortable enough to sit with you at the water's edge, and take a drink - the sea, sand and serene views of miniature islands a few hundred metres off-shore, cause even the most imaginative travel writers to fall back on mundane, mediocre metaphors... or alliteration as the case may be.

The path directly from the apartment opens up onto a part of the beach more peaceful and relaxed than that of further down. Although slightly more populated, this busier part of the beach has more opportunities for the tourists. The beach bar sat next to the beach volleyball court is twenty yards from the beach ice-cream van that nearly hides the beach sign offering some fun for the more ambitious fun lovers.

I met an older gentleman in the pub/club the previous night. He made me an offer. Unfortunately he was not interested paying a million pounds for my wife but instead offered a boat ride for the equivalent of about 20 pounds. No ordinary boat ride, this involved sitting on a rubber ring that was tied to the back of said boat as he hurtled around the quay.

They may not be from TESCO but the CD's do hold images of some sort. These images represent the family that own the house you stayed at, and their home downstairs. They are of the Greek Dancers, or being dragged along the water by a tugboat that looks like it can't reach 5 knots, let alone leave you shaking when you get off. These images are of Corfu, Greece and they will most definitely come up when scrolling through that ever-growing list, of where you'll want to retire.