There's a path that goes from the village of Agios Stefanos in the north east of Corfu, to another village just beyond Avlaki beach, south of Kassiopi. At first the path follows the coastline, then it cuts across country, missing out the headland of Cape Varvaro.
On the first part, from Agios Stefanos, there are few trees and little shelter from the hot sun. The path then drops down to a small bay, part of it surrounded by shade-giving trees, and so an ideal place to stop for a swim. The beach is pebbles and stones, and heaped with driftwood, long branches like basking snakes.
Dried stalks of bamboo rustle behind a horse-head tree.
Across the channel of water, Saranda, in Albania, is clearly visible.
Just south of Saranda, on the first bank of hills, I can see a path winding up the hilltop – perhaps to the remains of some castle, maybe one of Ali Pasha's own (he had several) or it could be the remnants of a monastery (some of the 40 saints that circle the town). The next layer of mountains are more distant and much higher. Some of their peaks pierce the clouds (they do today) and the shadows of the clouds fall on their peaks and slopes and nothing moves, not clouds or shadows, all is still except (back here in the bay) a fussing flutter on the water surface. I am sitting on a log of driftwood, by the hissing sea.
Continuing on the path the next bay, Akoli, is bigger and also deserted.
Swimming here, I see lots of fishes underwater. Shoals of tiny silver ones, moving as one, like a swarm of starlings. Other ones are bigger, round, plump and solitary fish, with flashes of gold on their sides. They come up close but never close enough for me to touch them.
The outcrop of rock that forms one curve of the bay looks like a bird's head with hooked beak looking sternly out over the water.
A lagoon just behind the beach has several birds on its surface, at the far end, keeping their distance.
From here, some areas of the path are exposed to the hot sunlight, but often it is shaded by tall bushes or small trees. Sometimes the trees arch over the path providing a cool canopy, with just a few spears of sunlight slipping through.
sometimes on thick tree roots, with arrows if there are bends or forks in the path. Sometimes on a stone or boulder there's the customary sign of a leaping figure in black against a terracotta background.
Different scents pervade the path: at times sharp like pine at others perfumed with jasmine.
(Thank you to all the unknown people who have created and marked and maintain this trail. Such a delight to discover it and to walk it.)
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