Sunrise approaching Monemvasia
Compared to a rather windy week last week in the Aegean this week so far has been a lot better. It was breezy in Monemvasia where the wind rose to 30 knots. This little lady passed by, blown I suspect from her foraging grounds. Being something of a beekeeper myself I was delighted to see her. I gave her a few drops of water which she sipped and flew off to carry on her duties.
Worker bee from one of the many hives lining the hills at Monemvasia.
Once we rounded the bottom of the Peloponnese peninsulas the weather changed entirely. The temperatures soared as the wind dropped. At Katakolon which is the port for Olympia 32C was the order of the day. A light Nly wind did its level best to keep some semblance of freshness about the place. It failed. Utterly. This was a sticky shirt day. Time to retreat inside.
The following morning we arrived at Nydri on the island of Lefkada which lies to the north of Cephalonia. There was not a sign of air movement. Nothing. The sea was glassy and the sky was clear. A light haze lay on top of the water along the beaches.
Sunrise over the hills approaching Lefkada island.
The thermometer climbed to 34 C. Could it get any hotter? An area of high pressure lay over the stiletto of Italy. A ridge extended its reach over us ensuring calm seas.
Early morning arrival into Corfu.
The pilot boarded us at the entrance to Corfu harbour. He said we were lucky as yesterday was 42C in the town. I asked why we were lucky. He said it will only be 41 today! It was. Now I can stand the heat. The humidity is a different beast altogether. I spent the day in the air conditioned interior of the ship. At the gangway, one of our guests was applying sun tan lotion before venturing out. Her wedding ring slipped off her finger, bounced twice on the quayside and disappeared into the dock between the ship and the quay wall. She was understandably mortified and left on tour resigned to the fact she had lost it. Whilst she was away we hired a diver and retrieved it for her. When she returned I gave her the ring back. She calls me Hero whenever she sees me onboard. Her husband thanked me for saving him the nightmare of dealing with an insurance company. Men!!
We are now in Dubrovnik. It is another hot day. There is a breeze coming off the hills behind us so it is not as much of a sizzler as yesterday but it is still hot. It should be another good day tomorrow. I hope so. It is marina day tomorrow.