The coach waited for us outside the hotel at 8:30 to take us to Lefkada. Two of our party still felt unwell so didn’t join us for the walk.
Once the coach arrived on the island of Lefkada it began to climb. We arrived at the village of Lazarata where we stopped at a lovely patisserie called To Paradosakio. Maggi bought a cake which we shared along with an excellent cappuccino.
We moved on up the mountain side and the driver stopped where the road petered out to a gravel track. We all jumped out enthusiastically and picked up the trail leading us higher. For the first time I walked with and chatted to Richard whose company I found entertaining. I hope he enjoyed my chat.
We stopped at a sheltered spot and Maggi took a remarkable photo of the tree we stood beside. At the same time Jonathan read out a passage from Durrell about the Pan God.
We walked on and arrived at a derelict chapel. Jonathan again spoke about how this church probably stood on the ground of an ancient pagan site. He claimed that standing on a particular stone he could feel certain vibrations. I tried and couldn’t connect.
The chapel was the highest point on our walk and we began our downhill journey in silence through this tangle of trees. At the end we arrived at a dirt track exposed to the midday sun. The heat made the descent uncomfortable.
We arrived in a very small village where an elderly lady ran the only taverna for miles. We sat down for our meal and our hostess seemed a bit miserable as she laid the table. She was the cook, the waitress and the washer-up. Quite a lot of work when you are feeding 15 people!
Following a nice Greek salad our hostess presented slow cooked lamb and chips with other vegetables. The 15 of us could never possibly eat the amount of meat set in front of us.
I led a clap for our hostess and tears welled up in her eyes. I and others helped by carrying out some of the plates to the kitchen, because she carried just too much weight, and like other fat people she found walking difficult.
On leaving I gave her a kiss.
From our mountain cafe we returned to the coast. Jonathan had us stop for a drink in a seaside bar with the idea that some people might want a swim. In fact we all remained dry, even Fiona, who loves to enter the water.
We drove back to Preveza for our last evening meal.