Nautilus Daily Cruises, Corfu: Hello from Corfu!A very hurried 'Good evening' ...

Nautilus Daily Cruises, Corfu:
Hello from Corfu!

A very hurried 'Good evening' ...: Hello from Corfu! A very hurried 'Good evening' from the golden Corfu mountainside on a gloriously sunny late afternoon. I was ...

Hello from Corfu!

A very hurried 'Good evening' from the golden Corfu mountainside on a gloriously sunny late afternoon. I was hoping to put up a photo of  'The 2013 Launch' but it is on another computer...my only just updated (at great length)  phone...some fancy 'cloud' or other; in a nutshell...the photos are 'Elsewhere'...so I will have to upload or download or sync or such like to get them into the right place and then hopefully share with you in full colour one of the most stressful  (for me...Iakis is always remarkably cool and collected) days of the year!  Nautilus perched precariously on a trailer all shiny, scrubbed, and painted as good as new being gently manoeuvred into the sea in Ipsos generally with a small eclectic crowd of onlookers...none of whom are any where near as nervous as me!

As always she skimmed slowly into the crystal water with pure elegance and perfect timing (with the skilled driving of George and his able lorry) and within a few moments came that deep satisfying Bbbbrrrmmmm! as her two engines kicked in and Iakis took her off for her first spin.

It is ridiculously busy everywhere at the moment with Greek Easter just around the corner and all the people working in tourism (just about everyone) furiously painting and cleaning  trying to get everything spruce and pretty for the first major arrivals on Friday.

It is also just about the most beautiful time of year with all the flowers in full bloom, fireflies dancing in the dark quiet evenings the first wheeling swallows twisting and diving between the creamy buildings of the town and the wonderful new fresh warmth and promise that comes with every Spring....

Kali Arhi! as they say...'Good Beginning'

Good rather late evening,

I missed posting on 'Clean Monday', 25th March (both big celebrations here) and even European Easter!...my how time flies, and the Summer has not yet arrived....

I have discovered pinterest and Googleplus but am not entirely sure how they work...and I have seen a local expat pantomime, (one has to admire anyone that gets dressed up in silly cossies and performs in front of such an eclectic audience)...we saw a wonderful show of Greek dances in the most beautiful traditional costumes...I had no idea there were so many talented Greek Dancers and schools on the island...about 32 schools in various villages I think.

We also saw several bands in gale force winds on 25th March along with a slightly odd wreath ceremony with the local dignitaries all standing rather windswept and awkward to sombre brass band music and a group of about 30 students chanting something about closure of their university behind well over 30 riot clad policemen looking easily as awkward as the politicians. It left a rather odd sensation of an uneasy balance between old and new.

And Easter here, is yet to come....

Life is rarely dull on this vibrant little island, it houses many hidden talents  and traditions amongst its olive groves and ancient walls....and each year I am here, I discover a few more. The journey continues....

Good morning!

Hello again!

Happy Spring time at last!...it has been a very long wet Winter but today the sun is out and it is absolutely beautiful.  One always knows Spring is here with the arrival of Spyros, who for several years has helped Iakis get Nautilus ship-shape and sparkling for the coming season. Every year she is taken by trailer out of the harbour for servicing, maintenance work, and improvements. There is always quite a team helping out in both the dry docking and relaunching including George who is an expert lorry driver and guides Nautilus gently into the sea, Yiannis, the bulldozer driver and general expert who is always on hand to help out, Danilis the mechanic and several others who help with ropes, washing down etc. Plus of course there is me. I am always on hand with ample supplies of beer and souvlaki...and very often handed a paintbrush or hose to help out!

So. The whole island is gradually waking up from its long hibernation.  The curbs are lined with a myriad of multicoloured wild flowers and the sea, is calm, serene and the most wonderful luminous turquoise blue after weeks of battering and storms.

I hope that by later today we will have our new website launched! It has taken a lot of patience and time and I want to offer my sincere thanks to Jon from www.allcorfu.com for his excellent work in putting it all together.

We look forward to the warmth and bustle of Summer and to some lovely days out by sea!

Enjoy the sunshine, I think I will go out and do some gardening...it is far too nice to stay in.....

Happy St Davids Day!

Happy St Davids Day! and Kalo Mina from Corfu.



Hello there! the first of the month is upon us.  March. One of the most beautiful months of the year and one of the busiest for everyone here as we start to prepare for 'The Season'. 

After an exceptionally wet Winter the sunshine and warmth is welcome, the banks of wild flowers are already starting to bloom making one smile at each turn in the road, and the Summer will be here in a glance.

Enjoy the day, enjoy the Spring and 'Hello' to far away Wales. It shares with Greece a rare rugged beauty, a tradition and history of song & suffering, warm hospitality, wonderful hillsides and one of the most beautiful coastlines in Europe. 

Noswaith dda

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LFxK003nlA

Well, good evening from Corfu! I imagine I should try and write something inspirational for this, the first Nautilus Daily Cruises blog!...All I can currently think of however is WHEW!...what happened to simply enjoying the real things in life?...so...this is our/my attempt to keep up a little with modern technology.  Iakis is far more sensible and concentrates on boats and fishing in the Winter.

So, Welcome to anyone inclined to read, I am not sure what will be the course of this latest stroll into the world of 'Social Media' but I am sure it will be fun. I will try perhaps to share with you the great privilege of  living in Greece, of being involved in a vibrant and sturdy community, in the joys and beauty that this little island paradise holds to anyone who chooses to visit and, I will try to be brief.  That is why I like twitter. It forces one to be concise.

With that thought in mind...Good night! from the currently wind swept mountains of Kerkyra with their wild  beautiful and all embracing views.  We look forward to welcoming you aboard Nautilus in the just beckoning Summer.....it comes around very fast once February disappears...