17 September 2025 (sunny and hot 30C) 42km

It was a restless sleep for me. Between turning the air conditioning on and off, going to the loo and too many thoughts rolling around upstairs, I was awake from 4.30am except for probably a half hour when I slept. 

Our gear was virtually ready to go this morning and by 6.20am the bikes were loaded.

True to form, Rasul and Nora were up to see us go. Took some photos and it was really very touching.

Hugs and kisses and we rode off into the morning light. 

Wanted to be on the road early for obvious reasons. All went well on the ride into Sarande, except for one VW Golf GT.

If there was two inches of space between myself and that car when he flew past, I'd have been surprised. Gave me a helluva shock. 

That aside, the rest of the ride went smoothly. We were stopping to take photos all the way into Sarande and soon we were grabbing some breakfast from a supermarket and riding along the very nice prom.

.

Decided, even though it was only 8am to go and buy the ferry tickets for the 10am ferry.

Having seen tickets for Euro 10 and 13, we ended up paying 20. Not uncommon for their website not to match reality.

Back to eat breakfast on the prom, with a beautiful view of the sea, Sarande and a huge cruise ship tied up just alongside the ferry that we would be taking. 

Had a little bit of Albanian money left, so bought two coffees from a small beachfront cafe. Probably the worst of the whole tour. 

Just after 9am we cycled to the ferry terminal and joined the coachloads of others heading for Corfu, in a huge queue, which did move quite rapidly.

Tied the bikes firmly to the bulkheads and found a seat upstairs.

The hour long trip was pleasant, highlighted by dolphins riding the wake of the boat.

Everyone stood up and ran to the left side to have a look. We resisted the urge and just stood on our seats to help stop the ferry from capsizing!  

It's amazing how such a simple act of nature can unite people in happiness and wonder. The entrance to Corfu Town harbour was magic.

There were four big cruise liners all tied alongside and with the old Venetian Fortress standing strong off to the side, it was a great beginning to our time on Corfu. 

After docking, all those hordes on board had to go through customs, so it was a slow process, but eventually, after the customs guy had gone through every one of our passports stamps, we were done. 

So....first up.

Check out bike boxes.

Rode into town along very busy and chaotic main roads. Found Bike and Roll, a shop we had researched and messaged but not heard back from.

No bike boxes, only plastic wrap. We haven't transported bikes within Europe, only to and from New Zealand. Have heard of people who have used plastic wrapping and not been impressed with the protection it provides.

Also, when we pack our bikes in boxes, we put other gear in with the bikes. Things like the crank spanner, tubes, spare tyres, tent, sleeping bags, bike bags etc, so we really needed boxes rather than wrapping. Out of curiosity, we asked how much this service would cost. 45 euro for each bike. We asked how long he would need. Forty minutes per bike. Not a bad hourly rate. Oh and we can give you a lift to the airport too, he says. Oh really? How much? (Cos we're pretty sure he ain't going to “give” us anything). 

Twenty euro he says, per bike.

So at this point we're looking at $260NZ to get our bikes wrapped and to the airport, which is less than 3km away.

Plus RyanAir specifically states that you must use a box or proper bike bag, so we don't want to chance the plastic wrapping, despite the bike shop guy's assurances. After all, he'll have done his job and got his money whether we're allowed on the flight or not.

Decided to go to an Intersport shop. These are all over Europe and a lot have a big cycle department. Heading in the opposite direction now.

On our way we came upon “The Cycling Route" another bike shop. Very nice guy by the name of Dimitrius who was super helpful.

Only had one bike box, but feels he would have another by the time we get back on the 23rd Sept. We have his WhatsApp number and he has a friend with a van, so we'll be keeping in touch. 

Just to keep on our toes, we then rode to the airport, also busy roads, to see if they had bike boxes.

Did a few laps through the arrivals and departures so got an idea of the airport.

Absolutely manic...!

This whole pack up will be an experience. 

Sat in the shade outside the airport, eating lunch and watching the hustle and bustle of various nationalities.

No bike boxes. 

Decided to head up the east coast and that meant going past the fortress and the cricket wicket.

Forty years ago a group of us parked up for ages in the only green space in Corfu Town.

Although it was a cricket wicket, we were all footballers and had a great time playing against all comers, from various parts of Europe on that patch of grass.

The field had restaurants and bars down one side, so we always had a good crowd watching us play.

Played against some good players, but from recollection, the Spaniards and Italians were always a bit lazy. 

Really want Julia to see the Old Town over a couple of days, so today we just took shots of some of the most visited sites surrounding the town. 

Mid - afternoon and the wind was up as we headed out along the coast. Kept using as many smaller, parallel roads as possible to keep us safer.

At a supermarket we encountered a huge amount of small kittens all hanging around the store.

Food was sprinkled over the floor outside, but it was only dry food, so they were probably looking for some juicy stuff. 

Not too much further on and about 5pm, we reached our camp.

EURO 17 with a pool.

Set up tent and hit the water.

Really good size, close on 25 metres and good depth too and we were the only ones in it.

Did some lengths, then into the shower before eating dinner.

As I was opening my can of tuna, beans and corn, the tab came off in my hand.

Took the tin to a man and woman in a camper just below us to see if they had a tin opener. They didn't, but he pulled out this big knife and did it with that.

Turns out he was Greek, but had lived in London for seven years and she was born in Lithuania, but married him and learned Greek.

Good luck with that....

Great couple and such a good laugh. 

Back to the tent to do today's scripture before snuggling up on Julia's deflated mattress, which now, doesn't even pretend to hold onto any air, for any time at all. 

 But there's nowhere to buy a new one.

Goodnight sore back, sore bum, sore legs.