It’s nothing short of an understatement to write that it’s a weird time right now. It’s already late-September and I’m struggling to think of anything that’s happened in 2020 that didn’t involve coronavirus. It’s become so ingrained that I catch myself watching old movies and tv shows and thinking, for a split-second, why aren’t they social distancing? I find myself reluctant to give up home-working, which I’ve grown to love, and the gift of time it’s brought to what I now realise was a hectic, exhausting lifestyle that really didn’t need to be. I find I’m well rested every day, having slept the optimum number of hours every night. I eat properly three times a day and drink more water. I have time to read for pleasure. I’ve taken up running.
It looks as though things won’t be rushing back to “normal” any time soon, so I’ve realised I need a creative outlet from the pandemic and my day job (which tends to revolve around writing about the pandemic), now that I have the time. I wish I had started this sooner, but I’m glad I enjoyed the sunshine and the heat while they were here. As it happens they’re still here, at least for now, but as we head into autumn and winter, now seems as good a time as any.
That was pretty much our attitude when we booked a very spontaneous, last-minute trip to Corfu a couple of weeks ago – let’s go now and catch the end of summer, get away while we can. While several other Greek islands are now subject to quarantine rules, Corfu remained a safe option. We booked on Saturday and touched down on Sunday. This corner of the motherland was hot, mountainous, covered in olive groves and grapevines and orange trees, and the air dense with the busy racket of cicadas in summer.
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By the time we had checked in, unpacked and wandered down to Kassiopi for a little explore, it was time for dinner. I had a plate of (okay) swordfish with delicious chips and salad at Old School Taverna. The others had the sea bass, which went down a treat.
After dinner we pottered around the shops, which were strict about ensuring customers wore masks and all had hand sanitiser at the door for you to use. What we really wanted, to help us forget we were still very much in the midst of a global pandemic and the reason we had travelled all this way, was the sea.
Loupe leather sandals • Dune • £85
We wandered down to Bataria Beach, the west side, as the sun started to set.
We hadn’t planned on going in the water, so I didn’t have my swimming costume on underneath my dress. So I borrowed my brother’s t-shirt, Mum held up a towel to help me change, and I went into the turquoise sea like that. It’s pure struggle walking barefoot on the pebbles but the soreness is washed away once you’re in. Mum stayed on the stony beach, taking pictures and videos of us as we swam around like children at the seaside for the first time.
As the sun dipped, so did the temperature and we dragged ourselves out of the water. We still had the beach to ourselves, so watched the sunset and the gentle lapping of the waves.
