Paxos Part II: Man-eating Goats and Fried Cheese

July 2016

The next day we decided to find a beach (our usual quest) and of course took the most impossible road we could find. There was always that moment where I wondered if the car would actually make it around the next bend as we crawled through gravel, too stubborn to turn back. Luckily we were rewarded with one of my favourite beaches from the whole trip. The tiny bay was secluded as it was gorgeous. 

Goats roamed the hillside as a shepherd wandered after them with his staff, below him an equally impossibly stereotypical Greek man worked on his little fishing boat (featured in the photo above) occasionally shouting up to his friend on the hill above (I couldn't help but wonder if they were brothers, living in some rural house on the mountain side). Aside from the bleating of the goats the bay was entirely peaceful, and we had a very relaxing swim (with so many sea urchins you couldn't not step on them, leaving me rather glad for our horrendously dorky aqua shoes).  

On our way back we saw another road which looked suitably adventurous and turned down it. Unfortunately this one dead-ended on cliffs, affording us a spectacular view of pristine beaches across the other side, inaccessible by foot. Imagine the places you would find with a boat! One day I will come back and explore the Greek islands by yacht. I can't imagine a better (or unfortunately more expensive!) way to do it. 

Returning to Loggos for lunch due to how pretty it was, I couldn't help but notice this statue of Aphrodite, perched on a door leading to ruins along the harbour. Apparently once a soap factory made with the residue of local olive presses, it was extremely picturesque. 

 But enough of history, time for beer! Although sadly nothing could beat our much missed Corfu red, we settled for ice-cold Alpha beer instead. Nothing special, but refreshingly cold. 

 I was delighted to see goats wandering freely across the roads, and took some photos before backing away, mindful that goats eat everything!

We took full advantage of our little private bay, going for a number of swims (and of course the all important morning swim to start the day). We hadn't had the chance to return to Gaios, the town where the ferry had deposited us, so we decided it was high time to check it out. The views heading into the town were breathtaking, and the little harbour town was pretty cute too.

Parking was a nightmare due to its popularity, and we often had to park a great distance away and then walk in. However the weather was fantastic, so I couldn't really complain. It was lovely to wander the waterfront and see all the yatchs parked up, their occupants reclining back with wine or wandering into the town for dinner out - no wonder it was so busy!We also had the most amazing meal in the main square which I usually would have worried about tourist traps, but ended up being a fantastic place! We finished it off with a complimentary shot which ended up feeling like a cinnamon bomb had gone off in my mouth, I quite enjoyed it but to someone who doesn't like cinnamon (dad) I imagine it was rather unpleasant.

Where's Wally!?

On our last morning before the ferry departed, we stopped for a quick lunch by the roadside restaurant with fantastic views of the ocean and delicious Saganaki (fried cheese with lemon juice. So. Good.) I know I probably rave about it a lot, but Greek food is ridiculously delicious. 

You may notice my posts on Paxos don't show much site-seeing or history, but that's because Paxos is a place perfect for good food and beautiful beaches. There isn't all that much else to do there, and I for one am certainly not complaining!