June 2
Corfu Town
My last full day in Greece started with a bang. A thunderclap so loud it woke me up. No small feat, by the way. We couldn't even see the bow of the boat through the deluge. The good news is that my dinghy-mishap clothes were getting a tremendous fresh-water rinse. I probably should have joined them for a shower.
When the skies finally cleared, Francis bailed out and pumped up the dinghy (which seems to be deflating with alarming frequency) and we headed ashore with Dodger in search of a few more old things. Unfortunately, the rains had overwhelmed the town's drainage system and the smell overwhelmed us. We'd be walking in the other direction.
In retrospect, following a massive rainstorm is probably not the best time to explore the mostly unpaved grounds of Mon Repos Park, birthplace of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh but our general lack of any real direction led us right to the park's entrance. The dirt paths were a quagmire, of course, but the grounds were beautiful and yes, home to quite a few old things.
Hopeful that the smell has dissipated a bit, I went off to the Old Fort while Francis & Dodger returned to the boat.
Detouring off the main road, I found myself at the local yacht club at the other end of the harbor. My search for a shower was sidetracked by this awesome dog looking for a match.
With my time on the boat now measured in hours, it was time for a final night out. Not surprisingly, we somehow ended up at a bizarre little bar with an even more bizarre host, who somewhat resembled Carles Puyol and would have been right at home in a Greek 80's hair band. When he visited our table carrying a tiny yapping dog our night was complete.
June 3
Corfu to Brussels, Belgium
Packing on a boat is not fun. Thankfully the procrastination possibilities were limitless: a group screening of the Albania song, followed by the "Sorry folks, park's closed" clip... a little jump in the water and of course... a last bit of fresh bread covered with the delightful Mister Choc.
When the big red bag was finally zipped up and ready to go, I realized the biggest challenge was still to come: three people, a dog and the bag all in the once-again deflating dinghy. Remarkably we made it to the tie-up with all of us still in the boat - although I did tempt fate a bit by wearing the same clothes (although now fresh water rinsed) that I had on the night of my unexpected late-night dip.
We were excited to see Alpha on tap at the airport parking lot beer garden but unfortunately the keg was dry. Instead we shared a final cheers and said our goodbyes with yet another variation of Freddo Cappucchino.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
Considering my evening arrival in Brussels paired with a 10:00 AM flight back to New York, I decided to stay at a hotel out by the airport. It was, in a word, depressing. After weeks of open seas, picturesque harbors and colorful villages, I found myself in a bleak and tiny room with barely enough space to walk around to the other side of the bed and a bathroom smaller than the one on the boat. Although, looking for a bright spot... I didn't have to pump the toilet.
My plan to call down to the front desk to see if there were any restaurants in walking distance was foiled by the lack of a phone in the room. The desk attendant was also MIA when I got down to the lobby. So at 8:00 PM, with the sun still shining, I went out in search of anything that wasn't the shoe box I'd be sleeping in.
From the main road I saw a church in the distance so with the towering steeple as my guide, I was off... cutting through through some fields (which I can only assume were growing sprouts!) and the residential area on the other side in hopes of finding the town.
Diegem, it turns out, is a town in which much is VERBODEN including, apparently, running with fish. And something at the stadium. And all of these other things.
I was tempted to find a fish, run across the field with it and park it in a car outside of a house but then I realized doing something VERBODEN might land me here...
Thankfully, I stumbled upon a great little restaurant and ended this year's adventure much the same way it began.
Verboden. Verboden. Verboden.
Monday, June 03, 2013
Brussels, Belgium
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