Black bees and walnut cake.

The visit to the morning market in Corfu town was a failure, the traffic on Sunday had lulled me into thinking I could park the car just outside the centre, not a chance it was the Whacky Races with cars jammed in every parking space by half past nine. I investigated Gouvia marina where Odyseus Yachting also have a base, it is huge. I will be checking out possible mooring locations on the island with a view to sailing from here in the future. The coast north of there is heavily touristified so it was nice to get up in the hills to the supposedly restored Venitian village of Perithea, the only parts that have been restored are a couple of houses that are obviously holiday homes, a really lovely building that is now holiday lets and of course the four tavernas. Having said that it was good to wander around the village looking at the buildings and also visiting the 'bee man', he had over fifty hives in his garden and the bees were black, a first for me. I went fo a walk along a track that contoured the hills and when I saw the top of Mount Pantokrator above me I was tempted to climb but I don't think fitflops are the ideal footwear for such a task so I retired to the quietest taverna for walnut cake and coffee. I was listening to Jan's iPod on the way back Played through the car's sound system and il Divo's version of Amazing Grace with full bagpipes was on as I was threading my way through the traffic in town I certainly got some funny looks. Breakfast yesterday was Lena's eggs scrambled, I have never seen such deep yellow yolks even when I kept hens myself, she has also given me home made goats cheese and promises me goats milk tomorrow morning. The lump of cheese she gave me was huge, it is very mild and a bit like mozzarella it was good with my sausage Bolognaise. Last night I went out for dinner for the first time here, I couldn't face Corfu town and my local taverna was closed so I ended up in Benitses and went to the taverna of the same name which is in a line of four restaurants facing the sea. The owner Dimitris came and sat with me, his only customer. When I asked him why one of the restaurants was busy while the other three were empty he told me about the Pigeon Syndrome, the first table that gets settled attracts other pigeons which thinking about it is often the case. Myself I avoid the busier places because they get so loud unless of course they are full of locals then it is worth it because the food must be good. Zorba was played again.