Happiness is to moor in the middle of nowhere
37° 19′ 39.1500” N 23° 9′ 5.4480” E
5th october
Can you get tired of going to a restaurant? Yes, indeed. Some of our best meals are those that we get mooring in the middle of nature, close to scenic banks, far from the city lights and the traditional but also in the long run trivial Greek cuisine.
Right now we are mooring in a small bay off Porto Kheli. Our closest neighbors are two or three herons that have annexed a small island south of our anchorage. Otherwise there is no life as far as the eye can see. Only nature. Secret beaches and wooded hills. We swim out and see if our anchor has stuck properly. We enjoy the sunset and prepare a simple but tasty meal.
We had actually turned our bow to Porto Kheli, which is also part of the marketing package “The Greek Riviera”. But here they are even further from living up to that status. It is a Riviera under construction. A large marina has been built, but a guard sends us away. “This is private property”. Back is a city quay. It’s not inviting.
So back to nature, the swims and the simple meals. We chose one place. But there are plenty of opportunities in the area.
We would like to moor this way a lot more, but when we have been hoding back a bit, it is because we still do not have full confidence in Ronja’s energy supply after the 14 months of shutdown alone on land. The fridge puts out occasionally. The battery level drops, we feel insecure, whether the anchor winch and starter motor will obey. We must have seen it all through when Ronja is going ashore for the winter in Almira Shipyard, a little north of Corinth.
Corsican Calvi has a unique charm
42° 33′ 49.7556” N 8° 45′ 27.3384” E
12-16. April, 2017
If you are in Corsican Calvi on a Good Friday, then you should experience Granitola, the annual Easter parade where barefoot culprits wearing Ku Klux Klan masks carries three relics – a wooden cross, a recumbent sculpture of Jesus Christ and an upright sculpture of the Virgin Mary – down through Calvi city. The parade starts at the cathedral on top of the citadel and winds in long rows down to a church in the city. And then return to the cathedral again.
In front of the procession walks brothers from local churches with banners as they sing the hymns that are linked to the ritual. It is dark, there is a crowd of hundreds, it may seem strange in a the head of a rational nordic person, but you do feel that you witness something big and important.
Calvi is an exciting city. Allready in early April you sense how the city will explode into a true vacation paradise in the summer with its long sandy beaches, beach bars, sunbeds, boat rentals, playgrounds, diving excursions, anchorages and a town center where a good part of yt rises sharply on top of an ancient citadel.
Helen climbing the citadel of Calvi
The city is remarkably rich in shops and restaurants. “On a daily basis we live only 5,000 people in Calvi. But in the summer months increases the number to 45,000, “says a Danish-speaking employee at the tourist office. She is from Amager in DK but lives in Calvi, because her husband works in the Foreign Legion, which has large barracks outside the city.
If the city is overrun in the summer, then is is very accessible here in April. We are only three guesting boats in the harbour and we all get a visit by armed customs officers who want to see the ships documents and hear about our business in Calvi.
Calvi is outstandingly favoured by beautiful scenery. On both sides of the city’s you find bays. One bay has fine sandy beaches and dry, fragrant pine plantations. The other bay has blooming maquis and rocks. Hiking for every taste.
Facts: Calvi takes a high price for a berth in summer. But in low season the price is lowered to 25 euros per night, even with the addition that we can stay for free on Saturday and Sunday, when the port office has closed. “If you are gone by Monday morning at 9:00, then weekends are free,” more than suggests the helpsome girl at the port office.