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"There's always a plan, but unexpected things happen and we just go with the flow. Though I do believe that fate and destiny often play their part"
sailing blog
Ferragudo is a spectacular traditional fishing village, with tiny cobbled lanes and gorgeous little houses painted in a variety of bright colours. As you wander up the hill you arrive at a church perched on the top with amazing views to the massive manor house on the beach. It's occupied by some very lucky person indeed. The following pics speak for themselves.
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After the wind reduced on Sunday morning, we slipped our lines at 13:00, with Portimao as our first destination. This was the beginning of our journey to Greece. How long will it take....don't know? What's our route....don't know? We're not in a hurry and the only real plan at the moment is to make this the journey of our lifetime.
Up went all the canvas in anticipation of a great sail, but unfortunately the wind dropped even further and we had to motor-sail half the journey. We had two nights in Portimao giving us time to dinghy across to the wonderful beach and village of Ferragudo. Pics will follow - it's a stunning place in every way. Then we sailed to Albufeira to do a little repair job and pick up a fresh gas tank. On the way we decided to catch a tuna for supper. Alas, our first attempt at fishing from the boat ended in the loss of my tackle, as I snagged the bottom. Oh well! better luck next time. Instead I opened a tin of Tuna for a salad as a nod to the one that got away. Next stop is the anchorage at Culatra Island near Faro. It's Sunday morning and we're due to head off shortly for Portimao. The forecast for very strong winds overnight didn't materialise. instead it looks like they've been delayed until now. It's blowing 25 knts from the North, which is fine providing it does't get any stronger. Being the cautious skipper that I am, I've delayed departure from 10:00 until 13:00 hours. In truth, I'm not sure at the moment whether we'll be slipping our lines at all. Also, Nicki has yet to surface from the aft cabin and I'll explain why. We invited the neighbours over for drinks to toast our last night in Lagos, but one glass led to another. We were all getting on so well that we ended up ordering an Indian takeaway. Before we knew it, midnight had come and gone - so much for an early night before a sailing day. However, John and Sheenagh were a blast and such great company. Hopefully, we'll see them again somewhere, someday. That's the thing about this sailing lifestyle, you're constantly making new friends and then having to say goodbye. Here's a few pics from our time in Lagos. Yesterday was meant to be washing day. This coincided with the arrival, the day before, of 20 boats that had just sailed for three weeks from Plymouth, across Biscay, to Lagos, on The Rally Portugal. And what do you think they wanted to do after they sobered up.......do their mountains of washing of course! So, we left the laundry queue and headed for the Spa to have a sauna and jacuzzi session instead. A much more sensible way to spend an afternoon I think.
Talking of washing, I bought a washing machine to help reduce the cost of laundrettes. It's a real mod con and so very simple to use. You just put the powder in the bottom, fill it from the hose pipe, scrunch the clothes with your hands and then rinse with clean water from the hose again....fantastic. If you're thinking it's just a bucket, then think again. It's a "special" bucket, with two handles on either side to make it easier to carry. This could mean clean undies at least once a week from now on.....only kidding. Regarding future plans, we're set to leave Lagos on Sunday morning after 21 nights here. We'll decide the destination nearer the time, when we can get a more accurate feel for the weather/wind. Because we have some minor boat repairs to sort out, Albufeira will be a stopping point at some stage. I must now go and attend to my "smalls" - I think the new washing machine is leaking already - Nicki turn that bloody hose off will you! Emily-Jane and James departed yesterday after a wonderful week of laughter and fun. It was the first family holiday we'd had all together for a long time. A few tears were shed as they boarded the coach to the airport....actually, my wallet was quite glad to see them go! Happy days..... we'll be catch-up again soon, I'm sure. With access to a luxury hotel pool and spa complex, courtesy of passes loaned to us by a friend, we'd had some days there rather than the beach. James took particular advantage of the Gym, Sauna and Jacuzzi, but both of them went home tanned, toned and well fed. After they left, the boat was an absolute tip. I therefore needed to unleashed the full force of my OCD in order to make Comino neat and tidy again. Everything was meticulously stowed in its rightful place until we were completely ship-shape. I now feel at peace with the world once more, but not for long. Today is washing day, which means any moment now the boat will look like a bloody Chinese laundry. After our week with the kids, we feel like we need a bit of a lie down. So, we're heading for the pool sun loungers later to chat about possible next steps for our adventure. We both feel the time to leave Lagos is soon, otherwise we'll end up here forever. They call Lagos "the Velcro port", because it's difficult to tear yourself away. I know of one chap who arrived here 20 years ago and he still hasn't managed to sail away. But Spain beckons us loudly......particularly the Tapas. Em sorted out the photo upload issue - apparently I was trying to put pictures on the blog with file sizes bigger than the entire internet. The word plonker was uttered. I'll spend an hour or so tomorrow getting pics sorted. The temperature here has risen big time in the last few days. Writing this has exhausted me........is 10.30 too early for a cold beer? Nicki says yes and has poured me a lemon squash. Cheers! We've been liveaboards for just over a month now and with a lot of hard work and dedication Comino has become a shining example of order, discipline and tidiness. Everything lives in a precise place, which means when you want something, you know exactly where it is.
Then Emily-Jane and James arrived........crash, bang, wallop....... what a mess! Those two have no concept of "putting it away when you've finished with it". But seriously, what a joy to see them both and on such good form. I'll suffer the chaos for a week just to enjoy their company, although Nicki and Em already look like they'll be sneaking off every five minutes for "girly" catch ups. The general feeling amongst our new crew is that partying takes preference over sailing. Bustling nightlife is favoured over remote isolated anchorages. People watching (or in James's case ogling at you know what) is preferred to glorious uninhabited beaches. So, it looks very much like we'll be staying in Lagos for another week then! Last night was epic. A whole spit roasted pig was on offer at the local beach restaurant. A Samba band played, the sun set and people danced the night away. It was a rather hedonistic atmosphere, enhanced by the arrival of several crews who'd just arrived, having sailed across the Atlantic. Naturally, they wanted to party, and they did. It was all you could eat and drink for 15 euros a head and that's exactly what we did.....eat and drink all we could. The walk home was...well...a bit wobbly to say the least! Today will be a quiet day.
I've just returned from the weekly farmers market with a bag laden with wonderful local produce, including a big bunch of fresh basil that's now wafting a hypnotic smell throughout the boat. I shall cook pasta tonight and the basil will be the star of the show in my tomato sauce. I know we're not doing much sailing at the moment, but Lagos is a place to be enjoyed and we wouldn't want to offend by departing too soon ! My word, have the winds blown! Not quite the 40 knots as forecast (completely unreliable as ever) but still, the last couple of days have been "hang on to your hats" and whatever you do - "DON'T go sailing"!
Very sunny, very windy and very lazy sums up the situation here in Lagos. Chuck in a bit of fresh fish last night at a little gem of a restaurant on the village ramparts and you've got the whole picture. Today, and for the next week, it look like being seriously, seriously hot, so I'm thinking it's beach time. We're staying in Lagos for a while because the excitement is mounting for the arrival of James and Emily-Jane on Tues/Wed respectively next week. And, we're happy to hang out here for a while because quite frankly it's such a great place. Can't wait to see the kids in the flesh......Skype is fantastic, but not as good as the real thing. This will also herald the start of uploading new pics.....at the moment I've got challenges with my new Mac, but Em is the Mac wizard, so she'll sort it out. Watch this space. We set off on Saturday, a day earlier than planned and slid down to Portimao with a force 4 wind behind us. It was a gentle Genoa only sail all the way, with the sun shining, so the mood aboard Comino was well chilled. Friend Adrian, and two of his relatives (hello Mike and John when you read this), were in close convoy aboard Teal. Once safely moored up, we took the dinghies across to the wonderful Ferragudo beach, but us lads soon retired to the beach bar for cold beers, leaving Nicki alone to soak up the rays on our behalf. It was her choice to stay just for the record.
On the way back in the dingy the water was a bit choppy and Nicki got drenched by a couple of rogue waves - or was I going too fast ? Either way, if looks could kill! Nicki doesn't do a wet bottom. Our plan was to head down to Culatra Island on Sunday to anchor up for a few days in the lagoon, but what a shock we got when we looked at the forecast that morning. The next couple of days were expected to blow up big time with gale force winds - not the right weather to be sat at anchor in somewhere really exposed to the elements. So, after a strategy meeting, we decided the sensible thing to do would be to head back to Lagos Marina to sit out the storm, which is where we are now. As I write, the dark clouds are above us and rain is spitting. If the 40 kn winds actually arrive today, it's going to be one hell of a blow. What a good excuse to find a bar and watch the England match on the telly later this afternoon. Having said that, we all lead ourselves astray last night with far too many vinos for common sense, but with all of us in a bit of a party mood, it was difficult to stop the stuff flowing. Much more restraint and discipline required tonight - what do you think Mike and John ! I said to Nicki that we should regard Monday and Tuesday as proper holiday and take some time out, just like we would if we were back in the UK. Therefore, we did things like lazing around in the cockpit reading, going to the beach and strolling through the old town eying up dilapidated old houses that we might want to do up and live in for rest of our days (Lagos does that to you for some reason). Not one chore or bit of boat maintenance was done in the whole two days........... plus, as a treat, we allowed ourselves wine with lunch!
I went to the commercial fish market in Lagos yesterday. It's where the restaurants and hotels bid for the days freshly caught catch, which comes straight off the boats moored just a few hundred yards away. I noticed how old locals lurked in the background, waiting for the right opportunity to quickly move in and buy a small bag of Sardines for next to nothing in price. I followed suit, only what caught my eye was a Tuna that had been skinned, filleted and cut into a giant oblong of solid red fish. I asked if it would be possible to just have "two small steaks please". What I got were two pieces each about as big as a dinner plate - which is precisely where they ended up last night aboard Comino, pan fried to perfection, with a little bit of pink in the middle. Today the holiday is over. There are a multitude of jobs to be done, including some much needed polishing. We're slowly preparing to set sail on Sunday for a few nights along the Algarve, followed by our first venture into Spain. Let's hope Wi-Fi will be available so I can upload some pics. Oh.....was there some kind of royal thing going on in blighty......one of the marina bars had Union Jack bunting up for some reason ! We've moved address to Marina de Lagos and we're now safely tucked up on C pontoon with a great view. The morning sun beams into our cockpit just in time for the first coffee of the day - very pleasant indeed.. We set sail at 09:15 yesterday, arriving four hours later in strong winds, a choppy sea, but with the contents of our stomachs still intact. It was great to blow the cobwebs away and finally get out on the ocean, albeit always in sight of land.
We really like the feel of Lagos with its bustling marina, lively town centre and historic old houses. To celebrate our arrival, we headed for a very authentic taverna type restaurant that holds hundreds of people in a big rustic barn. Being Saturday night it was full of locals, which is always a good sign, creating that typical hustle and bustle that you get in countries where people like to speak loudly and gesticulate a lot. I ate fried baby squid swimming in garlic, whilst Nicki went for the grilled piri piri chicken. It all came with potatoes, chips, fresh salad and a jug of wine so big you could drown in it. All this for 10 euros each - truly magnificent. Sorry, I must stop commenting on the contents of our plates every time we go out to eat. The plan is to spend a week here enjoying long beach walks and local fayre, although some of those walks will turn into sit downs and swims. We're still in Albufeira, mainly because I've spent the week role playing an engineer. Actually, my efforts with the spanners have paid off because to change the oil, various filters and carry out other bits of engine maintenance, would have depleted our funds quite considerably had I called in the marina chaps to do the work. And, the weather has been a little unpredictable in the last 24 hours, with a big storm overnight. If we'd been at anchor in a bay, as planned, it would have been like Alton Towers in the aft cabin. So, I'm keeping a close eye on the forecasts and the expectation is that we might head off first thing in the morning. To be fair, the only deadline we have is to be in Lagos by 8th June to meet up with friends. Now there's a word I haven't used for a while "deadline".......how very strange that feels.
Both Nicki and I are pretty brown now, so lord knows what we'll look like in four months time. I expect you'll be able to make a pair of stout walking boots out of my skin, it'll be so leathery! One of the real pleasures here is watching the sun go down whilst relaxing on deck with a chilled glass of white wine. It's even more enjoyable because the wine only costs 2 euros a bottle....and it's really not bad - honest. And what do we think about being on-board full-time? It's only been a week, but it's safe to say we really like it…a lot!
We are, nevertheless, keen to get away from Marina de Albufeira after the weekend. That's because our spirit of adventure has well and truly kicked in and we want to broaden our horizons. To be fair, this has been a great place to settle in and do the final jobs that would most likely remain untouched once we get underway. We've only eaten out once so far, at our favourite fish restaurant in the Old Town. The budget side of things is therefore still on track. I actually love cooking and eating on board anyway, particularly when I time dinner to coincide with the setting sun. One thing that's going to have to change big time is our water consumption. The 150 lt tank is only lasting two days before a re-fill is needed. This is no good once we start spending days at anchor, given that we won't have the luxury of a tap at the end of the pontoon like we do now. I know the reason.....it's all this endless washing up. We certainly don't drink the stuff (only bottled) and we use the marina showers. After much thought, I've made an executive decision - we're going to eat out more and stop dirtying our own plates. I've made another decision too. You can spot tourists a mile off due to the brightness of their clothes. Therefore, I'm hanging my entire wardrobe in the sun until everything is bleached to the merest hint of its original colour. The next time I write, I may have gone completely native! The list of jobs to do is growing by the day. We're working up until about midday, after which it's just too hot to slave away. We've therefore decided to hang around in Albufeira for a few more days, so that we can get Comino fully prepared for the seasons sailing.
I put the new 25 kg Rocna anchor on this morning, which thankfully arrived safe and sound from the UK yesterday. I think I'll feel happier sleeping on the hook now that we've got something more robust attaching us to the seabed. Time to wander into town now to buy Nicki a new pair of sunglasses - they went over the side yesterday and sank before she could do anything about it. Need to check my insurance as they cost a fortune. A grovelling call to an old colleague at Endsleigh may be in order. Well, here we are........in the sunshine at last with all the time in the world to chill. Isn't it just unbelievable! As I said to Nicki "we're not on holiday you know.....we live here now". Don't you just love it when a plan comes together.
Yesterday was a bit showery, although because the day was spent unpacking and finding places to store everything, it really didn't matter. By contrast, today is bloody scorchio! When we arrived, Comino looked like she'd been through a sand storm, half buried in so much muck and grime you could have planted spuds on the side decks. After a good wash and scrub she now looks like brand new again. We're just back from the hypermarket where a taxi brought us home laden with all manner of goodies. The fridge is overflowing, the wine cellar is full and yes.....you've guessed it.......it's garlic king prawns for supper. The forecast is thirty degrees tomorrow, so the engine service will need to be done at the crack of dawn, otherwise I'll skive off and go to the beach on the grounds that it's too hot. Having said that, the beach sounds like a good idea when the work is done. This has been our first postcard from Portugal. We're still pinching ourselves. Is it really true that we live on a boat in the Mediterranean. Actually, Portugal is on the Atlantic, but let's not split hairs! Today is Sunday. It's bright, sunny, but chilly here in the Cotswolds. This time next week we'll be waking up on Comino in Portugal and the odds are it'll be bright, sunny and HOT.
I reckon it's going to be a long, long week, but well worth the waiting. I went to Albufeira last week on my own to graft for long hours in dirty blue overalls. My normal working attire is a sharp suit, silk tie and highly polished brogues.
I arrived onboard late Saturday night and went straight to bed. Sunday was a day of rest, so I strolled on the beach in brilliant sunshine to work up a healthy appetite. Lunch was long, large and included a glass (or two) of wine. Just the right ingredients for a good siesta. Monday, I watched the crane lift Comino on to the hard and then got stuck in doing the hull pressure wash, followed by polishing the prop until it glistened. Late afternoon, I strolled back to my hotel in Albufeira Old Town feeling tired, but good. Tuesday was horrific. In blistering heat, I spent 5 exhausting hours rubbing down the hull, which was a messy patchwork of half peeled antifoul. By mid afternoon I came to my senses and realised that this wasn't going to work. Mark, from Celtic Marine, came over to utter the brutal truth - the whole hull needed to be scraped back to the gelcoat in order to create a nice smooth final finish. I was completely gutted and incapable of spending another three or four hours doing even more hard labour in the heat. Mark offered to make a phone call and twenty minutes later the scraping was underway courtesy of an English guy who was looking for days work in the marina. That was the best €100 I have ever spent. So, Wed and Thurs I put on the primer coat and anti-foul. Friday, the topsides were polished till they gleamed. At about 4pm, looking brand new again, Comino was lifted back into the water. As I motored out of the slings and headed for my berth a potential disaster occurred. The engine spluttered and stopped. Despite desperate attempts, it wouldn't start again. Comino had no power and was drifting on a collision course with other boats moored nearby. With a bit of quick thinking, I steered slowly onto an empty pontoon a few yards away, aided by a light following wind. Mark quickly came to my rescue along with his engine specialist and diagnosed that the exhaust pipe had come away from the manifold, resulting in many gallons of water being pumped into the bilges. It also filled the whole boat with thick black smoke. I honestly thought the engine had caught fire. The pipe was reattached easy enough, but Friday evening was spent bailing out the foul, oily bilges. However, I did manage to end what had been a rather fraught day with a great meal at the authentic Portuguese restaurant in the marina. Saturday, I flew home completely whacked, but determined to educate myself about every aspect of diesel engines and their workings. And that's the key learning from this trip - my knowledge of boat maintenance, in all departments, needs to be significantly improved ready for the big trip ahead. In that sense, what was a bad experience, served as a useful lesson. OMG...now I know how Gollam felt when he touched the ring!
I went into an Apple Store, laid my hands on a MacBook Air and within seconds I was completely consumed by the desire to own it. And here I am, writing my first blog on one. No will power, that's me! It's now MY PRECIOUS. In just over a week, I'm heading off to Comino to do the lift out and antifoul thing. In typical OCD style, I've already packed, unpacked and re-packed. It's not just hand luggage this time; Ryanair let me remortgage the house to allow a whole 20 kg of extra stuff to go in the hold. As you'll see in future photos on the beach, I bought us a pair of the most exotic, hip, comfortable beach mats money can buy. They are just the dogs........trouble is they're quite big hence the hold luggage expense, but I really do think all the effort will be worth it. So, that's everything I need......a comfy beach mat and a shiny new Mac. Oh...and I forgot to mention, I had a Kindle for my birthday last week. Sorted !! This week was a big-un. And I mean BIG.
I announced to my company that my departure from gainful employment would be happening in three months time. Having managed to secure voluntary redundancy, after 34 years bloody hard work (but loved almost every minute of it), I was finally going to do something that had been in the planning phase for a long time. Nicki resigned from her post as well and we went public with family and friends with the news that flights were booked for our departure from the UK on 14th May. We would shortly be heading off to "live the dream". Yes, our dream to live on Comino for about six months of the year was finally going to happen. The plan is not to have a fixed plan, other than to live on the boat for as long as we want, in the knowledge that we'll never be that far from airports allowing us to come home for short breaks or longer spells depending on our mood. WOW.... can someone please pinch me....I can hardly believe I'm saying all of this. Time to go shopping for flamboyant swim shorts and funky flip flops. I'll also pick up a pair of scissors to take to my suits and ties! The thought of not having to wear shoes anymore is very exciting indeed ! At this stage our thinking is to sail around the Algarve for a bit, then slowly hop down the Spanish coast towards Gibraltar and then decide at what point we go through the Straights into the Med. After that....who knows....our route will be largely determined by wind and weather, but I do have Spanish, French, Italian, Maltese and Greek courtesy flags on-board. We arrived back from Albufeira on 3rd Jan. I've since been in hospital having what I hope will be the last bit of surgery on my left hand.
So, how was it in Portugal? Let's start with the 5am dash across the car park at Bristol Airport on 30th Dec in sub zero temperatures and a biting wind. Once inside the terminal we thawed out thinking of the warmer weather ahead. Stepping off the plane a few hours later in Faro, we most certainly weren't disappointed. What a contrast in temperatures. Then, after the thirty minute transfer, I was in shorts and T-shirt within minutes of stepping aboard Comino. And that's how it stayed during the daytime for the duration of the trip. This brings me to New Years Eve and the monster party on the beach. We kicked off in a Chinese restaurant with a magnificent buffet meal and then headed for the big stage. Having said we would stay back from the mosh pit, we ended up right in the thick of it. AUREA, a well known pop star in Portugal, came on and delivered a great show with her highly polished band. At midnight the air filled with a shower of bubbly as thousands of corks popped all around us. We got absolutely drenched, but loved every minute of it. Fireworks exploded above our heads to a chorus of ooh's and aah's and I thought to myself, this was a proper way to see in the New Year. Nicki and I took a "nip" from my hip flask and hugged along with thirty thousand other partygoers. The atmosphere was electric and as we wandered back through the packed old town the clubs and bars were revving up for a long and noisy night ahead. We strolled to the marina and opened a bottle of bubbly aboard Comino to toast what we hope will be a very interesting 2012. Watch this space - big news is about to be revealed soon! Just booked Ryanair flights to Portugal for the 3rd-10th March, so Comino can come out of the water for a scrub and get new antifoul on her bottom. Amazing price of just €44 plus €12 for paying by card. You couldn't get a train ride to London for that !
I haven't got a clue yet where I'll stay during this week of hard graft, but hopefully apartments near the marina won't cost a king's ransom during low season. I'll be all on my own, but with so much to get done, in such a short period of time, there'll be no opportunity to enjoy myself.....yeah right ! It's Monday morning and I must admit I'm feeling a touch of the blues.
Having arrived back from Portugal last night to a slap up roast dinner (nice one Nicky), I wish we were both able to be on-board Comino for at least a couple of weeks more before the end of the year. My short trip alone was a mix of work and play. The mainsail was removed, washed and packed. I decided to leave the Genoa on because it was a bit damp - my rather lame excuse to down tools and chill out for a bit. Comino did however get scrubbed from top to bottom and now looks like brand new again. A couple of hours were killed in the hyper-market getting lots of goodies ready for our five day visit over the New Year. The wine cellar is well stocked and we'll certainly not go hungry. Talking of eating...Friday night I chomped through a splendid dinner at the authentic Portuguese restaurant in the marina. The food is excellent. Saturday night was a bit like home from home. I wandered into Sharky's to watch Man U v's Swansea, followed by Strictly, followed by X Factor. At eight o'lock Lin brought out an amazing buffet for the small group of Brits assembled in the bar. Apparently this is her Saturday night treat for regulars during the winter months. So, summing up Saturday night... watched footy, watched trash, ate well, consumed a bottle of good wine, finished off with a brandy, and all this for 10 euros. Needless to say I slept like a baby. Torrential rain was poring down as I left for the airport at 10.45 am on Sunday, but I was feeling nicely refreshed and relaxed after another great trip. Starting to plan my "to do" list before I buzz into Albufeira on 17th November. Basically, I've got Friday afternoon and all day Saturday to get the sails off and do all the other odd jobs needed to bed Comino down for winter.
I'll be leaving for the airport to come home first thing Sunday morning, so it really will be a lightning visit. However, I might just slip into the old town Saturday night to see if the place has still got a little entertainment on offer! All work and no play.....etc...etc Flew in Thursday evening and left Sunday evening. Was that too short for a much needed break…absolutely not…it was brilliant. The sun shone, we had some terrific meals and there was much loafing around doing naff all other than topping up the tans. OK, we didn't sail, but we did have a wonderful time and that's good enough for me !
Oh, and just for the record, it wasn't all lazing in the sunshine. Antonio (Mr Fix It) has opened up his laundry in the marina at last. We did three whole machine loads, which was six months worth of washing. Comino smells sweet as a rose again. First night on dry land for three weeks and how strange it feels. A little sad that our trip to Comino is over, but we had some great sailing days and did some serious chilling. Ate some wonderful food, especially fresh fish, and spent some days frying on the beach, just like proper tourists. A dip in the ocean to cool down is still one of life's true pleasures. Some days were spent reading aboard in very hot sunshine, so we're quite proud of our tans!
There's a strong feeling between us that we'd like to get Comino heading East enroute to Greece and I'll be doing some online research into where best we might keep her from next April onwards. The area around Cadiz gets good reviews. These thoughts have been encouraged by Lynn and Roger Endenbrow (aboard VIS), who we met briefly in Albufeira. We enjoyed their company very much. They're heading to Turkey (very slowly), having done this voyage before. Hopefully, we'll bump into them again some time and have a few more beers. In the meantime, we'll both knuckle down at work until the next trip to Comino in September. Oh - sadly the camera broke on the third day, so pics are in short supply. |
A FEW PICS OF COMINO Click a photo to enlarge and use side arrows to scroll through. COMINO IS CURRENTLY HEREDID SOMEONE SAY SEAFOODOn our journey from Portugal to Greece we enjoyed amazing seafood almost everywhere we stopped. Finding the local fish market was always a priority because seafood was so plentiful and so reasonably priced. And, the displays were a feast for your eyes.
Locating a market sometimes meant pounding the pavements in searing heat, but if you kept your eyes peeled, you often came across a little clue. The pic below was a rather less than subtle advert for a fish market - it was eight feet tall.
Freshly cooked onboard, a plateful of giant prawns, baked in wine and garlic, washed down with a few glasses of local vino, was like heaven. Watching the sunset on the boat eating a meal like that was the epitome of "living the dream".
Now we're in Greece we've another favourite to savour. I'm talking about fried Calamari. It's usually good, but every now and then it's off-the-scale fantastic. At Natalie's Taverna on Kontokali Beach in Corfu, it was nothing short of epic.
We're based in Lefkas now and It's been a bit of a mission to find somewhere just as good. And we have. Rakias is a mere ten minute walk from the marina and this little fish market, with its very own taverna attached, is quite sensational.
Oh...and it's also worth mentioning that, on occasions, a bit of barbequed Octopus is on the menu at some of the tavernas we frequent. Can I resist....no. SUNSETS AND DRAMATIC SKIESNo filters, or any other monkey business, have been used to enhance these images.
OUR ADVENTURES FROM THE BEGINNING CATEGORIES
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