No one is talking about Jeremy Corbyn over here in Corfu – well, except me, obviously – but no one is talking about Greek politics, either. If I hadn’t seen the BBC website, I would never have known that Syriza, the fiercely anti-austerity party as was, has called another general election. No wonder the country is skint, what with all these elections and referenda. They must be costing the country a small fortune.
The general view over here is that what happens in Greek politics has nothing to do with what happens in the islands. A good friend tells me, “It doesn’t affect my life at all.”
And it is true. Nothing is any different to last year, or the year before. Apart from the windier than normal days and the irritating clouds that occasionally get in the way of the sun – and it is hard to blame these on the IMF or the EU – Corfu keeps getting better.
It’s much better than when I first came in 1985, for example, when the Bay of Garitsa around Corfu Town was little more than an open sewer, Benitses had been transformed from a peaceful fishing village into a crass 18-30 resort, all vomit and public urinating and other good resorts were being overdeveloped. No more.
I am very grateful that someone got a grip because the island was on its way to hell in a handcart. It felt that soon there would be no reason to come at all.
Now the water around Corfu Town is clean and fresh, Benitses has been restored to its former status, the mad development has all but ended and the 18-30 nonsense moved to the charmless strip of Kavos, away from everyone else.
The Corfiots are no fools. They know how to welcome, they know how to bring us back. Where we are in Arillas, every single taverna, bar and cafe gets it. They are an incredibly warm and generous people, too. I suspect they do really like the visitors beyond the money they put into the local economy. It is not all an act, I am sure. But even if it was, how could we really complain? I think it is more of a “give a good quality service and they will keep coming”. Not a bad business model.
I took about a day to get into the swing of things in Corfu. I can tell my heart is beating slower and I am walking a bit slower, although the latter could be down to the lazy, long evening meals and the splendid Royal Ionian beers, brewed about 400 yards up the road, incidentally.
It also feels like the beginning of the end of an era too. We have been coming to Arillas since 2004 when our sons were 10 and 6 and have been coming back ever since. They are 21 and 17 now and we know the day is rapidly approaching that they will want to do other things with other people. I have been dreading that day for years from a selfish point of view. I love the fact that they still want to be away with their parents and I would not have it any other way. But we all know that time waits for no woman or man. And with our children, we cannot hold them back if they want to do other things.
Not that we will stop coming back to Corfu. It’s printed deep into my DNA now. Although there are other places to explore – and I intend to explore them – it is not a habit I want to break.
“Yammas!” to the good folk of Corfu. It really is better than ever now, believe me.
