22 Oct 1985, Posted by Scott An Chora in Travelogue, No Comments.

10/22 Corfu, Greece

Even though all the other guys had paid for a room joining the ladies outside became a priority.  Good looking women typically have that effect over men.  We all traded stories and passed around a few bottles of alcohol.  By the time we reached Corfu we had assembled into an interesting group of travelers.  Once we hit Corfu’s dock an elderly lady persuaded us to check out her hotel.  I used our group’s size as a bargaining chip and obtained a better rate for the group.  We all ended up in a large pink hostel not far from the port.  We hit the showers and re-grouped for dinner.  In one of the local bars I met a couple of young Dutch sailors.  They couldn’t have been more than sixteen years old.  I inquired if that beautiful sailing ship docked in the harbor was theirs.  I had noticed a beautiful three masked vessel that had to be a Sovereign of the Seas docked alongside the ferry landing.  “Hey, can you guys get me on board for a tour?” “No, we’d get in trouble” they responded in chorus.  Paying for beers ended up getting me a ticket for a late night tour.  I guess the risk could be tolerable once they were drunk.  Even though it was dark I noticed it had that solid used look, with old paint and worn rails, used but gorgeous and its uniqueness made it special.  There I was standing on the boat whose picture I had engrained in my head from movies I watched as a kid.  I could almost imagine Charles Laughton coming through the galley door.  What would it be like to wake up in the morning in one of those beautiful Mediterranean coves.  I could imagine such dreams.

I took advantage of the dollar breakfast and met up with two young ladies from New Zealand and a gentleman from Italy.  We began comparing notes and discovered the four of us saw eye to eye on driving mopeds around the island.  We shopped around for reasonably priced mopeds and the four of us headed out to attack every road on the map.  This is freedom.  I loved traveling that close to the road where I could feel the air, stop anywhere I wanted to and every so often I discovered a view that would have been neglected if traveling by any other means.  I stopped in the middle of the road at one point to review the map and let the others catch up.  At that moment an elderly woman ran out into the street and pointed to my map, “You are here”.  “Ten K that way and fifteen K that way” At one point I wasn’t quite sure what she said.  About the time the other three caught up, her husband had come out into the street with a bottle of wine and four glasses.  “You like? I make” and began filling glasses.  The two girls couldn’t leave without buying something, which would only lead to another reason to rest our bikes.  We had met up with a couple of others who were also on mopeds.

We relaxed under a grove of olive trees.  It was there where I met a new friend.  I rubbed his ears and it was like I had adopted him.  I was most surprised at his dedication to keep up with me while on the moped.  I discovered a beautiful bay where I stopped and bummed a cigarette from a local.  I could see from there the shortest swim between Albania and freedom.  I waited up for the group prior to heading back.  I noticed that we were one short, so I retraced our steps until I located one of our young ladies about a mile or two back.  She was pushing her bike along the side of the road.  I first offered to switch bikes but she wouldn’t have it.  It was her bike and she was the only one who would push it back home so I accompanied her on her long walk.  Since there were still a few hours left on my rental agreement I let a few of the younger girls at the hostel take my moped for short spins.  I took one long hot shower and then wandered into one of the local bars and met up with the others.  We lined up the beers and began sketching out the groups next steps.  That was one long day and I consumed a lot of alcohol the previous night so I watched how much I consumed and headed off to bed early and alone.  Over an early breakfast I managed to persuade Dawn and Heidi that renting a moped to explore the island was the way to go.  I planned on repeating the adventure of the prior day if the company included those two young ladies.  But our plan of doubling up on the mopeds was a bad idea.  I decided to wait behind, relax and catch up on my journal instead.  Stromboli was still on my mind and I wanted to get those thoughts down on paper.  Our little drinking group’s faces began to change and it wasn’t as fun as the night before.  Four of us had decided that the next morning we would head toward Athens.  We were warned that if we wanted food for the next day we had better buy it now.  The next day was Sunday and buying groceries would have been difficult if not impossible.  I suppose pitching in money for the next day’s meals officially made us a group.

When the sun comes up, from another day, when the clouds have passed, an gone away
Will you stand by me, or will you say, it’s not like yesterday

When the night has passed, from another dream, when the days turn strange, against the seams
Will you still be and will you say, it’s not like yesterday

When it all comes down, an it’s all so clear, when the moon returns, yet it disappears
Will you ever see, or will you always say, it’s not like yesterday