sySpringDawn

So, we sit poised, ready for the off (hopefully tomorrow if the weather holds), to start making our way back to Sicily and ultimately Marina di Cala del Sole, Licata where Springy's winter berth awaits.

We've spent the last few days anchored once again, in Ormos Garitsa in Corfu Town and this morning we crossed to Mourtos on the mainland where we're waiting for a weather window to allow us to make the 266 mile crossing to Siracusa, Sicily. It's now time to reflect on our summer in the Northern Ionian.

I haven't touched on much history in my blog posts, it's just too vast a subject, it's such an ancient culture and everyone seems to have had fingers in the Ionian pie – Minoans, Myceneans, Romans, Byzantians, Normans, Venetians, Turks and of course, the good old British – all of whom have made their mark on both the mainland coast and the nearby islands.

Our experiences of this area are overwhelmingly positive. The coasts are so very pretty and although there is a lot of tourism, we've not really felt that it's intrusive (unlike some other places we've visited since we've been cruising). The sea is blue-green, that beautiful azure/lapis blue that you don't see anywhere else in nature, the land is fertile and green, covered with olive and nut trees and fruit orchards.

The people are so, so kind, welcoming, helpful, friendly and happy – nothing has been too much trouble and there's a laid back feel to life. We haven't seen any signs of economic depression but, of course, we've been in tourist areas the whole time and, where there's tourism there's an income. We chatted to a man in Lefkas on the day we joined the crowd to see the President and he told us that the islanders will always survive, they have family values where they all help each other out. The problem, he told us, lies with the folk who live in the cities who are 'soft' and that's why there's a financial crisis right now.

We've tried to learn to speak some Greek, after all, it's only polite to do so but everyone speaks English! The alphabet is a jumble to me although Cap'n Robbie insists, if only I'd paid more attention to Maths lessons at school, it would make more sense....uhhh?? We met a cafe owner in Vliho, George, who told us that we knew how to speak Greek, we just didn't realise. He then started to explain how a lot of English words have their roots in the Greek language, for instance 'dyspepsia' and 'kleptomania' – really handy in day-to-day conversation!!

The food, wonderful food, glorious food! Yes, it's simple and unfussy but what's wrong with that? Fresh Greek salad with a huge lump of wet feta cheese plonked on the top, juicy olives, creamy, thick yoghurt, sweet honey, garlicky tzatziki, spinach pies, honey-laced baklava, pork souvlaki over-powered with oregano, zesty dolmadas, deep fried courgette and aubergine, rich beef stifado.....shall I go on? Not only is it good (it's wonderful actually) but eating out is really cheap, cheaper than anywhere else we've been in the Med. All this good food can be washed down with a glass of iced ouzo (you do develop a taste for it, honest) or local wine (it's best to stick to the white or rose as the majority of wines are very young).

From a boaty perspective, everything is easily obtained, if you want to tie up on shore, just go to a town quay and do so, there's no reservation system so it's first come, first served and generally speaking, there's no charge to tie up. Sometimes there's an electricity and water supply for a small fee, sometimes not. This is so different to the mind-set of other Med countries (Spain and Italy in particular) where their marina fees are outrageously high in the summer months and the options for mooring on town quays are few and far between. Yes, if you tie up your boat outside a particular taverna, one is expected to spend some money in that taverna – just a couple of drinks will suffice. Of course, there are nice, shiny, bright marinas here but in three and half months, we've had no need to use them.

The weather is predictable – sunny and hot! The wind is also predictable, it gets up in the afternoon from the north-west so you can plan your journeys with ease. Also, the sea state is gentle, there's no real room for big seas to build up into anything that's uncomfortable. If people tell you that the Med's too hot in August, then believe them! A lot of full-time yachties tie up their boats in marinas for the months of July and August and go home. Not a bad idea. August in particular was scorching and on some days, the heat was a little too much for us – although we're told that this August was not typical, it was cooler than normal!

During the last two weeks, the weather has become a tad autumnal at times, there's been a definite change and so, it's time to leave these lovely islands behind. Thank you, Northern Ionian for a great summer!