Sands of time
Paul Henderson revisits old haunts and relives golden memories in Corfu
On balmy evenings in Glyfada Bay, memories of the Greek Islands drift into the magnificent panorama.
We recall blissfully backpacking many moons ago on £12 a day, playing water cricket with a bunch of fun-seeking Aussies in Paros, making enduring friendships with restaurateurs Mike and Sonia Venios on the pristine sands of Ios and old men popping fish into their mouths, then pulling out the tails with all bones intact on
Santorini. On one of these
Glyfada nights, we are eating fish (with knives and forks, I might add) on the beach terrace of Topos at the Domes of Corfu creating yet another joyful moment. The sun is setting behind one of the many high cliffs guarding Glyfada Bay.
The golden globe is setting the sky ablaze first in red, then in hues of pink and blue. The water is also filtered with a pink luminescent. One wonders if the Greek god of the sky Zeus is conjuring up this breathtaking scene. Life couldn’t be better.
My wife Katherine and I are savouring delicious grilled and fried calamari to start and grilled sea bass and croaker fish for mains. We laugh at the cost of Retsina. It’s €52 a bottle on the wine list of this luxury resort; a far cry from the last time we drank it. On our backpacking budget, deeply aromatic Retsina was always the cheapest and strongest at two and sixpence in old money. That’s 12p today. Hard to believe I know. And we paid in drachma. Clearly, this Retsina is a refined vintage.
Domes has chosen incredible raw materials. The long sandy beach runs up to a dramatically rugged coastline on Corfu’s western side opposite Italy. It’s a perfect place for those who love to sunbathe to the sound of rolling waves and cool down in the crystal waters plus there’s a privately-run water sports place for boating, water-skiing and many other activities.
Swimming southeast to the end of the bay where boulders have fallen from cypress and olive-covered higher ground I’m searching for underwater wildlife. I’m not wearing a snorkel, just goggles, while carefully navigating jagged rocks above and under the water line. It is the way to avoid nasty