Philosophical post in a moment of change

Happiness

...that great word that nobody knows quite well what it is... Love? Career? A balance between several factors...

For those several philosophical moments, or those long nights at work, here is a reading material that i recommend:

...But are we too busy chasing money to give our relationships the attention their importance to our happiness merits? Unfortunately yes – and we are working longer hours than ever before to earn enough to pay for the stuff that we think we need.

Striving after bigger, newer and better while going deeper and longer in debt keeps us fearful and awake nights.

It doesn't do much for relationships either when jobs and careers come before love and family.

I see this every day in marriages and families torn asunder by up-side-down values. ...Even psychiatry knows that the best buffers against stress are caring human (and animal) attachments.

As a friend of mine told me: "sometimes i just feel like leaving everybody and go to some Carabbean Island to teach tourists to sail".

Do we need so much material things?

Couldn't we make a simpler life? Living much more with much less...

Maybe i will not buy that new camera that i've been dreaming of for such a long time... Or maybe not...

Is incredible how often we forget what is really important in this life...

Here is the link to the website:

Sustainable living

Croatian beaches

Texts, photos and movies created and shared by Pedro Costa:

The fun of traveling to destinations of sun and beach is to compare the details between them: the sand, the water, the vegetation, the bars and of course the people and how they behave.

In Corfu one of the reasons of being always on the move it was due to the fact that we didn’t found any beach, good enough, that met our expectations. Beaches of sand but with doubts about quality of water, or others where one have to walk 300 meters until having water to waist level, or with too much garbage, or without infrastructures, or just too busy.

So when going to Croatia, we expect it to be the perfect escape to an higher level of beach quality!

Due to the group experience, we knew that the beaches in Croatia are very beautiful and makes us think about our Arrábida. Mountains near the sea, clear and clean water and a lot of vegetation.

Getting to Hvar Island with blasting heat, after 2 days of traveling in ferry boats with a train trip in the middle, only a nice bath in the beach would make us forget the tiring trip.

Water

The water is simply perfect, warm at 26º, not very salty, with an amazing transparency, the real aquarium full of fishes, perfect for those who like to spend some time inside water swimming, but a disaster for those who prefer waves. People used to open ocean, Adriatic Sea is like a big clean lake.

As the real aquariums, you don’t want to step on everything that lives there. The main danger in Croatia waters are the black thorn and spiking sea hedgehogs therefore is important to be careful and see where you step. The solution are to buy rubber sandals that are sold quite well everywhere.

Sand

Well… the “sand” is something that our adaptation skills were put up to test. The first reaction is to criticize and miss out white sand beaches in Portugal, but after some days in Corfu the adaptation was much easier.



Forget your concept of sandy beach cause it doesn’t exist there. Irregular calcareous rock platforms or round shaped pebbles are the available places to lay your beach towel. As you can easily imagine is hard to find a piece of rock with the size, shape, and orthopedic standards to lay down our bodies, so the best option it to pay for a plastic bed or bring your own air filled mattress. The parasol also can be rented and are set on cement base, although the pine trees shadow are never too far.

Another solution is to find a place with access to the water like in swimming pools, with the typical ladder or a direct dive to deeper waters.

People

Beaches are full of tourists, being the majority from Scandinavia, then Eastern Europeans and Americans and of course Croatians. Hvar’ atmosphere is sophisticated, flashy and fashion, with young, beautiful bodies and a lot of topless. Several bars with lounge music help the environment to be more fun and sexy all the way until the sunset.

As additional sport activities, volleyball games, football and others are technically impossible to practice as one can imagine. The fun has to pass to the water: para-sailing, jet skis, diving, wind-surf, floating donuts or bananas pulled b motor boats, canoeing or tours on boats to surrounding islands.



Below there is a movie of the first beach that we tried in Dubrovnik. Look how every little space of rock is used and the aquatic polo game that is going on at sunset:



Look at the pictures from the famous "sandy"beach. See how the postcards always look better than the real thing.

In case somebody wants to convince you to visit the beautiful beach of Bol, Zlatni rat, do not believe in the “the sand beach of Croatia” bullshit, is another small pebbles beach in a fantastic location and with a peculiar shape.



To see more photos click in:

http://islandbrac.blogspot.com/

The important is always to look for the positive side of things. The warmer water, the beautiful girls and nobody needs to get rid of the irritating feeling of sand in the body. Special in windy days with sand on the eyes and on parts of the body where the sun doesn’t shine. Eheheeh!

Wild Arrábida sunday

It was last Sunday!

It was an huge group!

Almost 20 canoes!

A lot of energy! Amazing good mood!

The started cloudy and finished sunny and warm!

It was the Wild Arrábida!

Back to kayakes and paddles, the Barreiro city gang and a some outside guests rowed till Portinho, passing between rocks, inside caves and doing risky maneuvers, almost reaching Espichel Cape, visited Anicha rock and finished in the rabbits beach!

5 Hours of rowing leaded to a relaxed afternoon back to snacks, ice creams, snails and beers and included some siesta in the sand in the late afternoon.

Far from the adrenaline of going down tumultuous rivers and rapids, it was rewarding for the friendly atmosphere and for the group dynamic in such a big group of boats. And of course… the natural beauty of Arrábida national park… simply fantastic!

Here are some photos of the event:

Exploring Corfu - heading south

After another night on Corfu, where the barmen always give priority to beautiful girls, we stayed awake till 7 a.m. to take the breakfast in the hotel, where we weren’t so well received… mainly after a forbidden bath in the swimming pool out of schedule.

A few hours of sleep and another exploring day was starting. We picked our friend Jimmy and we went pointing south. We had been heard that Cavos was the city with the best night on the island and we wanted to investigate.

As we arrived to the city in middle of afternoon we were surprised by a small ghost town with long streets filled with bars and discos totally empty, giving a old west style to the place.

We managed to get a room for 8€, comparing to the 25€ in Corfu city, we understood that the market there was much more competitive.

After seeing that the nearby beaches were too dirty after previous night parties, we decided to go to a distant one making a nice rally on the bumpy road to get there.

During our short stay, André tried to make a small siesta which was interrupted by the local colony of bees. Compared to other islands in Greece, due to the massive amount of tourists and the totally lack of construction planning, the beaches are dirty and nothing special. Therefore and once again the experienced team of the East Pilgrim brought light to the less informed tourists. So here is our recommendation – Corfu – as a beach destination – doesn’t worth the visit.

Talking about the nightlife… in a sarcastic tone we all say it loud: “The night of Kavos it’s something precious!”. If the Greeks are similar to us in how they have fun and enjoy themselves, English are another story, another world.

98% Of English from 12 to 18 years old that take control over town, scream, jump, break, drink, fuck, throw up and drink more until they fall. The Greek alphabet disappeared in Kavos, McDonalds is back, stores renting everything, satellite transmitions of football matches… you know… Go to Greece and have everything you have back in England.

The health centers are totally full and with waiting lines: Several injuries from street fights, motorbike and car accidents, and alcoholic comas. Even couples with a scared face asking for the next day saving pill!

We really tried to adapt! We really tried to make an alcoholic “warm up” in the flat before going out, but is just too much for us! The drinking until drop, that energy, isn’t for us. And I can tell you, English that go to Greece to see football matches, for sure they are eager to meet other English and we felt interested to meet really few of them.

Me – “Where are you from?”
Lady – “Southampton. And you?”
Me – “Lisboa.”
Lady – “I went to Algarve some years ago! Albufeira”
Me – “Do you know something in Portuguese”
Lady – “Vamos bailar” (in Portuguese would be “vamos dançar”)

One night was enough! Back to capital of Corfu on the next day, this time to catch a boat to Italy. The photos of Kavos are gone… but here I leave some taken in the last day in Greece, in a beach full of Bulgarians and Ukrainians, Benitses.

Note: This text was written together, with close colaboration of André Coelho.

Exploring Corfu - 1st days

Corfu – Island on the Ionian Sea in the top northwest Greece. From the east shore of the island is possible to see the dry mountains of Albania and several boats leave daily to Italy.

The city of Corfu, or Kerkyra as the locals call it, and some interior villages, are the only real Greek stuff. All the other locations in the island are tourism resorts like in Ibiza, Lagos or any other part of the world where the Anglo-Saxon tourist already domains!



Just after landing on the island we felt 2 shocks:

1st – Temperature shock, from 20 degrees in London to 40 degrees in Corfu.

2nd – The massive amount of English and Danish tourists that were in the airport with all the suitcases arriving at one unique place for all flights.

Nevertheless the good mood was automatically restores after being well received by André with his XL smile, our new rented jeep and some beer crane. Cheers for the hosting skills of my host friend that even prepared some snacks when we got to the hotel room.

Previously planned made it happen! Hotel near the discos and far from the beaches. Therefore we explored the island during the day and at night we could walk to the nightlife.

The nights in the city of Corfu were really nice. Greeks are really a beautiful people that take a lot of care of their looks. Girls and boys, very “produced”, flashy and trendy clothes, tanned skins, a great atmosphere. Au bar and Prestige were the names of the places we hanged out. Pretty faces, mainly techno music scene with the occasional local top of the charts.

Generally speaking, Greeks are very similar to Portuguese. The meals schedule, the rhythm of life, the way of being and the nice way they receive and treat tourists.

2nd Day – Exploring the north and centre of the island

We left Corfu in a rush pointing north and there we started our first day on the beach.

Dassia, Barbati (famous English resort with a long rocky beach extension), Nissaki and we start to climb the northern mountains.

Impossible not to make comparisons between Corfu landscape and Arrábida Mountains in Portugal and Portinho beach. The narrow roads on the green mountains, finding down there small white pebbles beaches with amazing blue water. Olive trees and ciprests dominate the flora, as the fig trees and Mediterranean bushes.



And it was finally in Kalami that we made our baptism on the Ionian Sea. Water? It’s more like a warm chicken soup at 26 degrees. But how nicely those rocks and pebbles massage our feet while getting in and out the water…

Arriving to the north coast, we stopped in a sand beach near the port city of Kassiopi. Dark sand and big distance to reach water to waist level.

Going along the north coast we went to check a place recommended by all guides. Sidari! With a peculiar sandy rock formation, there is a legend of the channel of love! A tunnel between the rocks that people say that have the power to make 2 lovers keep together forever if they pass under it.

Once again, what is recommended in postcards and guides, just disappointed us. The channel is so much “touristilized” that there isn’t a piece of rock which doesn’t have someone laying down catching sun.



The day advances really fast and we advance our adventure more to the interior of the island. We arrived at Paleokastritsa and we stop to by fruit. In the photo below the sign informs of 4 minutes to wait for the green light sign that lets us climb to a mountain top in a road with only one way. It worth to wait! On the top, a panoramic restaurant, a church and a cemetery. All with a incredible view at 500 meters high.

Curious and funny the column of bells shape that all the orthodox churches have. And if inside the churches are humble and simple in decorations and gold, the surrounding gardens are extremely beautiful and full of good taste.

And it was in the beach just below the mountain that we had our last swim and we watched the sunset before returning home, where a nap would follow to regain energies for another going out on Corfu Town.

Holidays!

Luton - "The Town"

To fly from Lisbon is always more expensive than departing from London or any other central European city. Portuguese peripheral location destroys my compulsive tourist pockets.

The first seen from sea but also the last ones seen from land. At least he have the best weather of all Europe!

Of course that buying the plane ticket to Greece so close to the date, it got cheaper to go for a indirect flight trough Luton, London.

For those who travel a lot, Luton’ airport is already a common transfer place as well to sleep over night before catching next flight.

But how many of you already spent the first day of holidays in the town of Luton? Very few…

We check in the Red Lion Lodge, pub, restaurant and inn. Problems with the reservation made on the web sent me and Pedro to share a small bad in the first day of holidays. Real together like a couple! Haha

The funny, small cozy rooms all in wood with a old wood noisy floor. And of course, we had black tea waiting for us on the room.

After a lot of discussion we were “compensated” with a free English breakfast. Wow! What a breakfast! I really recommend the fried bread slices! So healthy food!

Waiting till the flight of 16h we went for a walk in town. There was several small street concerts trough town centre. Hundreds of people walking around, all under a weak wet drizzle.

I get far from Pedro to take some photos and when I come back searching him in the crowd; he is chatting with a tall man with Indian roots, strong voice.

This dialog took place:

Stranger – “Do you believe in God?”
Pedro – “yes!”
Stranger – “Do you believe in Jesus then?”
Pedro – “yes also!”
Stranger – “Does He help you?”
Stranger – “Do you feel like born again?”

I don’t remember much more from the bizarre conversation, but we were explained that local Catholic Church organized musical and cultural events to call people into prayer. Concerts, some people chatting and spreading the Word and even … A MEGA BARBACUE! FREE! And blessed!

When we said goodbye to the “stranger” we got a paper coupon to get a free burger, being fried in that moment in a gas grill under rain.

The XL size of the waiting line made us quit, but it worth for the atmosphere and for the songs being played, a mix of POP and church songs all over centre.

No doubts that, nowadays, a city from London’ suburbs must have a big polish emigrants community, due the big number of last years emigration.

One can hear polish language everywhere on airport and in Luton town. But still I was surprised by the stores with polish delicatessen! Incredible how emigrant communities move so quickly. From the bread, passing trough the sausages and vodka and finishing in Jogobela yogurts, everything is there.

And so it finished our first and last rainy day of vacations and with below 30 degrees temperatures. And we went to Greece.

Holidays - Objects

Survived the holidays

Two weeks away it feels like the world should've changed

But I'm home now

And things still look the same

I think I'll leave it to tomorrow till unpack

Try to forget for one more night

That I'm back in my flat on the road

Where the cars never stop going through the night

To real life where I can't watch sunset

I don't have time

I don't have time

I've still got sand in my shoes

And I can't shake the thought of you

I shake it all, forget youWhy, why would I want to

I know we said goodbye

Anything else would've been confused but I wanna see you again

A Dido’s sorrow song is just perfect to start writing about my past holidays that finished this week. Like Dido, I still have sand in my shoes, in the case of Greece and Croatia; I still have pebble stones in my shoes. Even harder…

Holidays were just great!

As all the plans were made to suffer changes, this holidays plan wasn’t an exception. The map from last post suffered some changes as you can see in the red line:

Due to some logistics problems that I will write about soon we had to go up part of south Italy by train to catch the ideal ferry boat to take us to Split in Croatia.

A good title to this year holiday would be: “The 3 island hoppers of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas!”

Me, André and Pedro, formed an demolishing team where fun was the main goal! The fresh new acquisition of this season brought a new breath of energy on the long summer nights.

Everything as a price… and that energy was payed by a dislocated shoulder after an acrobatic wrestling flying scissor made at a party in south Corfu already with high levels of Ethanol!

Instead of the usual chronological description of what happened, in the next days it will be told the most hot episodes of these adventures in a randomly way in this blog.

To tease my readers here are some shocking sentences said by people with whom we interacted in some way during this holidays:

“See you in another life when I’ll be a man” – said by a Scottish woman, owner of a beach bar, after a chat about woman discrimination in a macho country as Greece still is.

“This bed is good sex! I tried this bed!” – Amazing expression told by our landlord in Dubrovnik, Croatia, to “sell” us her flat and its qualities.

“4 minutes by bus, 10 minutes walking” – The biggest myth of all! When arriving to a city, locals try to rent private rooms in their houses to tourists, but they lye a lot about the good location of their houses to the city centre… After checking in our own was: 15 by bus and 25 by foot..

“Come back tomorrow for coins” – The typical trick in discos or bar in tourist resorts. After buying a water for 12 kunas (1,5€) I pay with 20 and the waitress tell me that they don’t have coins. They only work with bills… That’s what happens in markets already beaten by the American and English tourist.

“Portugal?!? Fado! Azulejos! Fernando Pessoa! Luís de Camões!” – When we say people that we are Portuguese, 95% of the cases they say something about football. Example: Are you Portuguese? Figo! Figo! Well… was with surprise that a Croatian girl, now our friend, Dina, made us smile with this sentence.