Levkas Town

During the night, Mike made his way on deck to sleep in the cooler air. And thankfully woke up feeling much better than yesterday. We both found ourselves anxious to get to Levkas so pulled anchor at 10am and reached the canal an hour or so later. The canal was dredged in between Levkas Island and the mainland and cuts right through the salt marshes. At times it felt like we could have been in southeast Asia.

We were happy when we were able to turn into the harbour and leave the narrow and shallow canal, especially when we saw electrical/water boxes on the quay and could avoid the 65 euro a night at the marina. After getting tied up we plugged in but nothing was happening. We then discovered that the only working plug ins are at the fuel station (all 3 of them) which is about 300 feet down the quay. Mike attempted to sweet talk an Italian man into letting us share his connection but was denied. A bit of a bummer because we were both really looking forward to electricity - for fans, the computer, to run the shop vac and tools to get some work done. Also for water so we could wash off the once white decks which are now a grayish-brown in color. And water so we can have some decent drinking water in our tanks. The water that we filled our tanks with in Galaxidi is a bit hard to swallow, even for Mike which is saying something. After getting settled, we started to explore town to find the chandleries, a laundry, a good place for a gyro. And I found that we need to break down and buy some water in plastic bottles after realizing that I am not keeping myself hydrated after getting really dizzy on the walk through town. Again, since it was siesta, our only luck was finding an open laundry at the marina. After walking all the way back to the boat, grabbing all of our washables (clothes, sheets, blankets, towels) and lugging them back to the marina we got to pay 15 euro for one load! The most expensive and sweat inducing laundry ever. At least the cute little lady crammed the washers full and we were able to get away with 3 loads! But the result of clean laundry will be so worth it! We then returned to the boat and started to clean the cabin. We shook out all of the cushions, we swept, wiped, mopped! And I will never complain about cleaning the bathroom at home. For some reason, marine bathrooms get funky really fast. And we even found a nice woman to donate Lucca’s dump truck, swim raft and beach toys to. But no taker for the adult diapers…those ended up in the dumpster! After getting work done, again thanks to our neighbors, we found the nearby hotel with a swimming pool…and showers. As long as you order a beverage you are free to swim and shower all you want! The pool was cool and shaded, the drinks were cold and the shower was hot! It was the first real shower (and real shampoo, I am finally rejoicing in my mane of hair simply because I am lucky that I don’t have to wash it that often) I had in about 3 weeks and the first hot shower in longer than that. It’s amazing how different the air feels against your skin when you are clean and not sweat and salt encrusted!

A tourist company I was be hesistant to use.

For the evening we took a walk around town and came upon surprise after surprise. At first glimpse, the town appeared to be a bit industrial and run down but then revealed so much more. Another entire waterfront with more trendy cafes, an abandoned community center which looked like a teenager’s paradise, a walking promenade lined with shops and restaurants and then shooting off were tiny alleys which wound through charming homes (old and new) with beautiful gardens and courtyards. For dinner we tried another gyro shop, then walked some more, were forced to make decisions at an amazing bakery, stopped off to watch part of a soccer game (Suarez again!) and then finally back home. Oh, but now we are lamenting no electricity, this boat is hot.