Acharavi, Corfu - in pictures

Now, on to one of the local resorts you can visit (as frankly Ag. Spiridonas really only amounts to one (small, part-time) travel agent, one (mini-mart sized) supermarket (although they do promise to inflate anything rubber you purchase there as many times as you like "it go down on first day? Bring back and we make pump again!") and 4 tavernas (of various levels of quality)), however, all is not lost, book at reception onto the free minibus (here you see it waiting outside the hotel)-

- trips from the resort to the nearest town to the west (Acharavi) leave at 0900hrs and 1800hrs and return at 1100hrs and 2100hrs (each trip taking no more than ten minutes), but unless you are out for an evening meal, two hours is *way* more than enough time to see the best this town has to offer...unfortunately, three hours in the evening (unless you know exactly where you are going) might be cutting it a bit fine to actually find, eat and waddle back to the meeting point, so not ideal transfer times, but you can always grab a cab back to the resort -beware though, they are rather on the scarce side...

Arriving in Acharavi, you are dropped (and picked up) by the "famous pump" in the centre of town (ahem), which really just looks like a mini roundabout...in case you miss it, it's next to "Lollas Junior Smoking Accessories"-

- stocking such wonders as "Cigars in Special moistend container" and "Nautical Goods" (making it probably a slightly more memorable landmark)... ;) Anyway, having got here, carefully skirting some poor, prone biker who had tangled with a coach (to cries of "Kids, No look!" from our bus driver), we set down, a little unnerved, but none-the-less, decided initially to explore the "old town" (following a battered sign from the pump roundabout) -

- which actually didn't look that much older than the rest of it, was pretty much 100% closed, and the only life we encountered was an aged gentleman slowly filling a cement mixer, so -

- we gave up, walked back the way we came and then and headed off down the (apparently only other) street in town (the high street), first up passing the "Lemon Garden", not a restaurant (as it appears to be), but (in fact) a "Barbeque Collection"...whatever that may be... ;) Then past lots of other small shops (all tourist stuff), restaurants and bars (it might actually look quite nice at the height of the season, but with half the places closed and the rest completely empty, it was a bit like walking through a ghost town)...

- spotted a lovely blue 1303s beetle (that actually looked like it had seen quite a lot of investment at some stage, most of the cars here look like they have been in at least one accident)-

- and then we found the first really good reason to actually visit Acharavi - the supermarket - it's actually a proper sized affair, packed out with locals (good sign, even if they don't understand how to queue) and the prices were absolutely rock-bottom, I got a large bottle of island fresh extra virgin olive oil which I placed next to the largest bottle of Ouzo in the world (ever) in the picture above just for comparisons sake...not sure you would even be able to lift it, let alone drink it! ;)

- the second really good reason to pay a visit to town is on one of the little roads to the beach, clearly signposted from the main road is one of the best little Olive wood workshops we found and it was also one of the cheapest, Flyingpops bought a shoe-box sized carved Olive wood VW Beetle (with working doors) for about £3! It even came with free authentic cobwebs... ;)

Just towards the end of our walk (not far on from the supermarket actually) we started to see some interesting old architecture, but by then we really had to stop exploring and go back to meet the coach...so, an interesting little place, for about two hours, but it would probably be more bearable in high season... ;)