It was nearly a year to the day since I last managed to get away on holiday - my 3 week adventure in Australia which started this travel blog. A year is far too long to leave it for a break and didn't my body tell me that! Two days before I was due to fly out to mainland Greece with Martyn, my stress levels shot through the roof and forced me to shut down with two migraines in 24 hours. As much as I love traveling and exploring, the whole planning and stress of getting to places on time does get to me, and with Greece being our first holiday together I had become super worried about the trip - wanting it to be perfect etc that I had neglected myself. 
We arrived in Preveza military airport early evening on Sunday 5th July with a temperature of 29 degrees, and as we stood waiting for the transfer coach to fill I couldn't wait for the following day to be relaxing on a beach in the sunshine. Our transfer was about an hour and on arrival to our apartments, the Alexis Studios, we offloaded our luggage in our basic but very clean room and headed to the taverna next door for a well needed nightcap. There is something about sitting outside under the summer night time sky with a nice cold beer, candle light and the sound of the ocean. We sat is silence for a few minutes taking in the moment, feeling happy and together, away from the stress of life back home. All was perfect until, after a large Mythos and a Metaxa brandy, I lost my vision as another migraine took hold. I felt gutted. I had to wait for my vision to return and after twenty minutes, Martyn lead me back to the apartment and into bed but due to the intake of alcohol I couldn't take my medication and spent the whole night with the worst headache and sickness I have had for years. Not the way I wanted to start my holiday. 
But less about my troubles, and more about the location: Parga town is built into a sheltered bay with pretty buildings and a calm harbor with small fishing boats. With the stunning clear blue Ionian sea providing a naturally beautiful coastline with olive trees growing abundantly across the area. Our apartment was a 15 minute walk down through the pretty Greek buildings and shops that gave a real sense of traditional Greece. At the top of the town stands Parga castle; a Venetian castle now in ruins on a headland which divides the town with Valtos beach providing two sheltered beaches.
On Tuesday morning we walked up to the castle and wandered around it's ruins before the sun got too intense. The sound of crickets deafening but a real sense of tranquility as we explored the castle, climbing to the highest peak for a stunning view over Valtos beach. We walked through old rooms and down passageways which gave a sense of importance that the castle once held.
During the week, we spent the majority of our time on the beach relaxing in the sun, floating on inflatables (which were given to us) eating lazy lunches and reading books. On the evenings we headed into Parga town for some traditional Greek food (although Martyn missed his traditional dinners but he was happy with the mountains of kebabs and souvlaki) We ate dinner with George and Sally, a lovely couple from Bristol we met at the apartments. One evening and Sally and I shared stuffed vine leaves, spinach and cheese baked in the oven, Greek salad and spinach pies - delicious! The evening ended with a burning metaxa brandy which once cooled and the fumes gone was so sweet - perfect nightcap. It was a bargain meal too at 50 euros for 4 of us which included two rounds of drinks.
On Friday we went aboard the Vicky F boat and took a trip to the islands of Paxos and Antipaxos, the trip was a little bit of a disappointment in that it didn't live up to the expectation of what had been promoted. The boat stopped at the beautiful beach of Voutoumi at Anti Paxos where we all jumped over board to swim in the crystal clear turquoise sea (although apparently I belly flopped into the sea creating a big slapping sound. I thought I had dived so elegantly - even holding in my Greek food paunch!) After 30 minutes of swimming we went to the Blue caves on Paxos, I say we went there - we thought the boat was going to steer into the cave and crash. The captain of the boat left it a little too late to reverse leaving everyone a tad uncomfortable. So other than going in and out of the caves a couple of times, we didn't really see them. Next stop was the main town on Paxos - Gaios which is a pretty traditional Greek town but very much a 'honey pot' area so the cost of food, drink and the little trinkets was very expensive. With up to three boats full of tourists turning up every day with 3 hours to spare, it is bound to be but it ruined the atmosphere of what should be a relaxed waterside town. It was so hot so after a quick stroll around the back streets looking for hats and presents, we rested our burning feet and sat in a cafe in the square for a beer and a gyros whilst people watching. Before we got back on board the boat we made sure we cooled down with a ice- cream at the harbor and a spot more people watching. 
This holiday was meant to be a chance for me to be a little more adventurous and we had talked about doing some water-sports and a few activities but it didn't really work out that way which I was a little disappointed at but at the same time, my migraines proved that I needed a relaxing break with time to sleep and chill out. We did buy some snorkeling gear and I learnt how to snorkel (i had never done this before!) Although we weren't near any reefs to see amazing fish and bright coral, I did see a few pretty fish and with the water being so clear it was nice just to float around underwater (I was conscious of keeping by bottom below the surface as had visions of sunbathers on the beach just seeing a huge arse floating in circles around the bay!) I was able to see my name on the bottom of the sea too following Martyn writing 'JO' in pebbles on the sea floor. Very sweet and found myself searching for it most days. I wonder how long it will stay there. 
The other adventurous activity we did achieve is the hiring of a scooter/moped to explore the town on. After getting over the safety aspect - no helmet, wearing flip flops, bear legs and arms I managed to get on the back and enjoy the freedom of being out and about. We ended up having to change the first one due to having an old guy shout something that sounded like 'lastico.. lastico' at us as we made it up a steep hill. It turned out we had a flat tyre (not the elastic of my bikini stuck in the wheel which is what I first feared) Once we changed bikes, filled up the second with fuel and found the right road to be on (we ended up down a gravel road and being chased by hornets) we were riding along the coastal road through the mountains with amazing views of the sea, villages and countryside. On a few occasions I had to scream to slow down, my body tensing at the speed - which was about 40 mph! as we went down a hill. We found a beach at Arillas which was a quiet sandy beach where the tide was out and the water a welcoming warm temperature. After about an hour we headed back up the winding steep road onto the main road in search of Sarakiniko beach which is where you could visit using a ferry service from Valtos Beach. Again, after a hairy ride down mountain roads we arrived at the beach around 4.30pm in time to see the ferry leaving the choppy waters. Due to the location of this secluded bay the sea is usually quite choppy creating crashing waves and huge white horses - one of the reasons why Valtos Beach is so calm. We had a soft drink and some Greek tapas in the taverna as we watched the sea and the sunbathers and the group of children on the ferry jetty trying to stay upright as the waves hit the side. It reminded me of something out of Total Wipeout. We were both pleased that we decided to hire the bike - both feeling a sense of freedom and release on the mountain roads. It is something I don't think I ever thought I would do so thank you Martyn for encouraging me. Maybe it is something I should have added to my list here. Anyway, I achieved it and it was fantastic.
Parga was a beautiful town and a idyllic place for a holiday and getaway, there were plenty of Greeks holidaying in and around the resort - always a sign that an area isn't too commercial! And as a first holiday with Martyn, we discovered new things about each other - more likes and dislikes and had a lovely relaxing time together.
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