Ionian Sea
This morning we sailed along the south coast of Albania and about noon passed through the Corfu Strait, which separates the resort island of Corfu from Albania and mainland Greece. The day was sparkling, a perfect Greek day here in the Ionian Sea. After lunch we made an unscheduled stop at the sleepy little fishing village of Sivota where we spent a lovely afternoon. Some of us went kayaking along the white limestone cliffs, others enjoyed swimming at a little isolated beach. We went into the little town to walk around or just enjoy a cool drink in one of the little waterfront tavernas. Yachts from all over the Mediterranean were anchored in the protected coves in the islands just offshore and in the small marina in town. This was our first stop in Greece on this voyage and we immediately were able to feel the warm and welcoming nature of the Greek people. These are a people who have lived thousands of years in this beautiful land and whose culture is so ancient and so powerful that Greeks today can tell you the tales of classical times as though they happened yesterday. This little fishing boat, which fishes in the same way today that the Greeks have fished for centuries carries the name, Panathinaikos, which is the name of the Athenian soccer team, bringing the ancient and the contemporary together in a way so natural in Greece. As we sailed south and watched a glorious Ionian sunset, we looked forward to our next stop in Greece, tomorrow, when we will visit Olympia, home of the Olympic Games.
This morning we sailed along the south coast of Albania and about noon passed through the Corfu Strait, which separates the resort island of Corfu from Albania and mainland Greece. The day was sparkling, a perfect Greek day here in the Ionian Sea. After lunch we made an unscheduled stop at the sleepy little fishing village of Sivota where we spent a lovely afternoon. Some of us went kayaking along the white limestone cliffs, others enjoyed swimming at a little isolated beach. We went into the little town to walk around or just enjoy a cool drink in one of the little waterfront tavernas. Yachts from all over the Mediterranean were anchored in the protected coves in the islands just offshore and in the small marina in town. This was our first stop in Greece on this voyage and we immediately were able to feel the warm and welcoming nature of the Greek people. These are a people who have lived thousands of years in this beautiful land and whose culture is so ancient and so powerful that Greeks today can tell you the tales of classical times as though they happened yesterday. This little fishing boat, which fishes in the same way today that the Greeks have fished for centuries carries the name, Panathinaikos, which is the name of the Athenian soccer team, bringing the ancient and the contemporary together in a way so natural in Greece. As we sailed south and watched a glorious Ionian sunset, we looked forward to our next stop in Greece, tomorrow, when we will visit Olympia, home of the Olympic Games.
