We had to set an alarm. We usually like to wake up when we’re done sleeping on vacation, but we have a car to pick up and a 5-hour hike to do. It wouldn’t do to get up past noon and end up hiking at sunset.
The day starts with our now obligatory visit to 📍Starenio bakery. The bread (with honey), the Greek yogourt (with honey), and the cheese omelette do a great job of sustaining us through the day.
With our bellies full, the next challenge is navigating the bus system to get back to the airport. First is figuring out the schedule. The Corfu city bus website does list the itineraries of each bus line. Still, you have to figure out that the black text that is not underlined in the table is, in actuality, a link to the detailed schedule and route (otherwise, you get just the name of a handful of stops). I assumed that blue text costs more, and an underline is an option they didn’t take with their font. Anyway, turns out the schedule posted on the website is fiction. Bus #15 runs every 30 minutes, as observed, not just the 30 minutes posted on the website. We were in luck and only had to wait an additional 10 minutes for our bus.
Renting a car with Hertz is relatively simple, but having a Hertz account or using the North American Hertz app is not required. I even did the check-in the night before. All the human at the desk had to do was verify that the driver's license details I entered matched the ones on my physical driver's license, and we were good to go. We were picking up our basic package, a couple of years old Renault Clio. I was happy with the car as it’s the older brother to what we had in Italy last year, with just the right legroom for my 1,90m frame.
We got on what turned out to be a short but nerve-wracking drive to the hiking trail. Seriously, these people use the dotted line between two lanes as a guiding line, keeping it straight in the middle of the car. Scooters really only see lanes, safety guidelines and protection equipment as mild suggestions. All of this on some narrow roads, of course (including a couple of two-lane roads that should really be one-way). Hopefully, I’ll get used to the chaos this creates before we head out to explore the island tomorrow.
The hike itself was both beautiful and wild; it was not, however, marked with any predictable pattern. Where the trail is obvious, we’ve seen it blazed frequently, mainly on the ground; however, I don’t think snowfall hiding blazes is a big concern around here. From our starting point (📍Benitses) on Corfu Island, which is relatively narrow, we had views of the sea on both sides and could appreciate the island's inland cultures. We managed the 14km loop in a little over 4 hours (faster than advertised). I would not recommend the Mount Stravos Loop from Benitses without a fully charged phone and All Trails. While the views are gorgeous, the trail maintenance, like the marking, is done at random, requiring a detour through different (and numerous) trails. Having the topographic map with the trails saved us a lot of trouble and, by pure chance, allowed us to go around a 2km road segment through a beautiful upper trail.
Driving back was already less stressful, and the gate access and/or the automated tellers were out of order at the parking lot in front of the fortress. We got free parking! Note that the space is bustling, so parking spots are tight and will require some skill to back into them.
We got home for a refreshing shower, a light snack and some laundry. Two hours later, we headed downstairs from our apartment to 📍Taverna Ninos.
Ninos takes no reservations, so show up and wait for a table. Proving once again that our showing up 30 Minutes before the local supper time is the right way to go, we were seated immediately. The menu is geared toward pleasing everyone. While they offer traditional Greek fare, you’ll see a wider set of items on the menu, all relatively quick to cook, plate and serve. We had a salad, some fried cheese (not the sandwich), the Greek version of meatballs, lamb chops and pork souvlaki. All of it tasted good and was fresh. We were served relatively quickly. The only downside was waiting half an hour for the bill while people were longingly waiting for our table and judging us for not leaving, even though we were obviously done.
We’re hoping to explore the island tomorrow. The forecast is uncertain, with a thunderstorm warning for the entire Island chain, but both the hourly and daily forecasts show no rain.
Places
Starenio bakery · Gkilford 59, Kerkira 491 00, Greece
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Mount Stavros Loop via Benitses, Corfu, Greece - 63 Reviews, Map | AllTrails
Mount Stravros Loop via Benitses (Όρος Σταυρός κυκλική από τις Μπενίτσες) From the coastal settlement in Benitses, the route ascends intensevly through a green environment, to the southwest and the mountain range of Stavros. The course continues along the mountain, passing through the settlements of Dafnata and Komianata and going to the peak. The view is scenic to the sea and the coastline but also to the interior of the island with its natural relief and the villages. The return to the starting point goes further north, passing through Makrata and Agios Arsenios Church, before descending to Benitses.
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Ninos · Sevastianou 44, Kerkira 491 00, Greece
★★★★★ · Barbecue restaurant
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