1. The People :)
We had friends popping in from the very first day we arrived. Our neighbours in the village are awesome, people we met on our visits last year popped in to say hello and we got invited to a local perma-culture meetup and met even more amazing folks. Nobody does hospitality like the Greeks (and the expats who choose to stay here).
2. Our House!
We can't believe we live here!!! I keep squealing with joy so loudly that the neighbours must either think Ben is trying to murder me... or is up to 50 shades of something.
We spent the first 24 hours floating around the mansion like a pair of jellyfish doing bizarre things like just touching the walls and just smiling or calling each other over to look at the same view at different times of day :)
By day 2 we had snapped out of our state of useless awe (slightly) and had begun the marathon of DIY.
No-one has ever felt happier chipping off old plaster and painting walls!
3. The Nature
Magoulades is an incredible village. Within 2 minutes walk we are in fields of olive groves and wildflowers. Pretty much any route you take from the village will take you on a nature trail.
We've tried to take a different route each day and have been bimbling around the Corfiot countryside like Gerrald Durrell.
The plants are amazing here- think of plants and flowers you've seen in England and multiply their size by 3 add to it cacti and olive trees and you've got it! We have jumbo clovers, nasturtiums growing like dandelions, orange trees in our garden bearing enough fruit to keep a whole navy from scurvy and chamomile flowers growing out of the ground like weeds.
A quick drive into our nearest useful town (Sidari) has us stopping in the middle of the road because the views of the mountains are so gorgeous from a different angle. It took us all of 7 mins to drive to the beautiful sea to dip our feet in the water at Arillas Beach.
4. Having Not One, But Two Gardens.... Say What?!!!
It's been an odd adjustment getting used to having so much space. Especially after living aboard boats for so long. I now spend about 1/4 of my day wandering around looking for things I have lost in the house or garden!
But having space- especially out door space is incredible. We have a front garden looking out on to the village. Picturesque cobblestones, crumbly ancient villas, a and a large and fancy Church (it's one of the biggest in Corfu and the inhabitants of our village are very proud of it.) Oh and there's a giant torpedo in the village square...you know, because we are in Corfu and so why not?!
Our front yard has orange trees, lemon trees, a little separate building that will soon become my music room. We have edible flowers and plants and loads of space for tables chairs and chill spots- it is all going to get a radical paint job soon so watch this space.
The back garden however is my favorite. It has the magical views of the mountains and trees. We think we have one of the most enchanting sunrise views on the island. I love pootling around our little lawn, can't wait to plant up our veg plot and Ben and I spend a fair amount of time scratching our heads about what we are going to do with the rustic, crumbling old olive press building.
(The plan is that one day soon it will convert into a pool/hot tub area!)
It is so sweet seeing Sosage running around in all her new outdoor space and I must say it is rather nice not to have to walk her first thing in the morning if we don't want to!
5. The Weather
The Greeks have been moaning as it is the rainy season right now. The weather is definitely not hot yet but compared to the crippling cold we left in the uk it feels practically tropical.
We had a few warm days of sunshine and a bit of occasional drizzle but it beats the Beast from the East any day. Sending our love and commiserations to anyone in the UK or cooler climates- bring on the sunshine for all of us!
Feeling intensely grateful for all of it- none of it is lost on us.
Big Love!
-Sacha Heath
www.mandalayogabnb.com
www.gofundme.com/launch-the-mandala-yoga-bnb
We had friends popping in from the very first day we arrived. Our neighbours in the village are awesome, people we met on our visits last year popped in to say hello and we got invited to a local perma-culture meetup and met even more amazing folks. Nobody does hospitality like the Greeks (and the expats who choose to stay here).
2. Our House!
We can't believe we live here!!! I keep squealing with joy so loudly that the neighbours must either think Ben is trying to murder me... or is up to 50 shades of something.
We spent the first 24 hours floating around the mansion like a pair of jellyfish doing bizarre things like just touching the walls and just smiling or calling each other over to look at the same view at different times of day :)
By day 2 we had snapped out of our state of useless awe (slightly) and had begun the marathon of DIY.
No-one has ever felt happier chipping off old plaster and painting walls!
3. The Nature
Magoulades is an incredible village. Within 2 minutes walk we are in fields of olive groves and wildflowers. Pretty much any route you take from the village will take you on a nature trail.
We've tried to take a different route each day and have been bimbling around the Corfiot countryside like Gerrald Durrell.
The plants are amazing here- think of plants and flowers you've seen in England and multiply their size by 3 add to it cacti and olive trees and you've got it! We have jumbo clovers, nasturtiums growing like dandelions, orange trees in our garden bearing enough fruit to keep a whole navy from scurvy and chamomile flowers growing out of the ground like weeds.
A quick drive into our nearest useful town (Sidari) has us stopping in the middle of the road because the views of the mountains are so gorgeous from a different angle. It took us all of 7 mins to drive to the beautiful sea to dip our feet in the water at Arillas Beach.
 |
| A view of Magoulades Church taken about 3 mins from home :) |
4. Having Not One, But Two Gardens.... Say What?!!!
It's been an odd adjustment getting used to having so much space. Especially after living aboard boats for so long. I now spend about 1/4 of my day wandering around looking for things I have lost in the house or garden!
But having space- especially out door space is incredible. We have a front garden looking out on to the village. Picturesque cobblestones, crumbly ancient villas, a and a large and fancy Church (it's one of the biggest in Corfu and the inhabitants of our village are very proud of it.) Oh and there's a giant torpedo in the village square...you know, because we are in Corfu and so why not?!
Our front yard has orange trees, lemon trees, a little separate building that will soon become my music room. We have edible flowers and plants and loads of space for tables chairs and chill spots- it is all going to get a radical paint job soon so watch this space.
The back garden however is my favorite. It has the magical views of the mountains and trees. We think we have one of the most enchanting sunrise views on the island. I love pootling around our little lawn, can't wait to plant up our veg plot and Ben and I spend a fair amount of time scratching our heads about what we are going to do with the rustic, crumbling old olive press building.
(The plan is that one day soon it will convert into a pool/hot tub area!)
It is so sweet seeing Sosage running around in all her new outdoor space and I must say it is rather nice not to have to walk her first thing in the morning if we don't want to!
5. The Weather
The Greeks have been moaning as it is the rainy season right now. The weather is definitely not hot yet but compared to the crippling cold we left in the uk it feels practically tropical.
We had a few warm days of sunshine and a bit of occasional drizzle but it beats the Beast from the East any day. Sending our love and commiserations to anyone in the UK or cooler climates- bring on the sunshine for all of us!
Feeling intensely grateful for all of it- none of it is lost on us.
Big Love!
-Sacha Heath
www.mandalayogabnb.com
www.gofundme.com/launch-the-mandala-yoga-bnb
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