Friday morning dawns and I’m still in a lot of pain in my chest, my breathing hurts and the cuts on my hands and arms are still pretty raw. We head to the local medical centre after breakfast and are soon seen by the very efficient doctor. After a number of physical and medical checks he’s satisfied that I’ve not broken anything, so don’t need an X-ray, but can tell I have some internal bruising and the muscles around my left ribs are in spasms.
I’ve been taking regular doses of ibuprofen but he prescribes a strong muscle relaxant, while the pharmacist also recommends an antibiotic cream with super fast healing properties for cuts. It’s pretty miraculous stuff!
Sadly our time on Kefalonia is coming to an end, so we drive to Sami and stop at a cool coffee shop called Manifiko by the bay to drop off the car, before whiling away a few hours over a long lunch at Adonis next to the quiet port. Only the odd sail boat comes into dock while we gaze over the waters but at 4pm it’s all change as a large yellow ferry pulls up and disgorges lorries, coaches and cars, along with a steady stream of foot passengers.
Coffee & juice at Manifiko in Sami
It’s followed moments later by a smaller white ferry and then at 4.30 we board an even smaller passenger boat called the Lefkada Palace for our three hour crossing to Zakynthos. We settle ourselves on the open top deck and sail down the eastern side of Kefalonia passing plunging coastlines, hidden beaches and tiny little coastal huts, continuing on past Poros and then Skala before we enter open waters and the wind and waves pick up.
After 40 bouncy minutes we start cruising past the Zakynthos coastline and as the sun sets we pull into Zakynthos Town itself and disembark. Our destination is a cab ride away, and we eventually pull up at Rodis Suites in Tragaki where Alison, the yoga teacher for our week ahead, has already gathered our fellow yogis for the welcome dinner. We drop our bags in our room and go straight down to join them.
On board the Lefkada Palace
As expected, we’re the only men on the retreat and are seated next to Val & Bev, retired sisters from Glamorgan, who we chat the rest of the night away with, finishing off the carafes of wine together well after the others have retired. They’re our kind of gals!
Next day we’re up at 7am for yoga and after an initial group chat, Coman completes the session while I sit on the sidelines, joining in on the meditative practices but unable to do the physical poses. However swimming on the beach later, proves easier than before and, confident now that I don’t have a fracture, I’m able to move my upper body more freely.
Morning yoga
Fortunately the retreat features a slower pace of yoga than we’re used to, which would in other circumstances be frustrating but proves beneficial, and as the week progresses I participate more fully in the practices, although anything strenuous makes my chest injury flare up and requires plenty of rest and an increase in painkillers.
I do, however, manage to give 100% commitment to the eating, drinking and relaxing also on the retreat menu, as the owners Kate and Gerrard, a couple from Windsor who quit the rat-race five years ago, lay on delicious brunch and dinner banquets most days.
Dinner at the retreat
The retreat is 200 metres from the nearest beach where there are both an array of bars and restaurants, and a multitude of tourists from across Europe on a wide variety of package breaks. It’s a very different experience to the relaxation and sophistication of Kefalonia and takes a bit of time to get accustomed to.
The nearest bar, Abra-cat-abra, has a grassy area with sun loungers overlooking the sea and a patch of beach with very shallow, gorgeously warm waters. It pumps out disco hits and provides its punters with food and drink, and through proximity ends up becoming a frequent spot to spend a few hours most afternoons.
Abra-cat-abra
The nearby town of Tsilivi exists solely to serve the tourist economy and is a strip of souvenir shops, 2-for-1 cocktail bars boasting tribute acts, pubs showing football matches, various quad bike and moped hire outlets, daytrip and water sport operators, fairground and crazy golf parks and a stack of eateries, many of which serve a “full English breakfast”.
However there is a very nice vegetarian and vegan restaurant called Jasmine, where Coman and I are joined by most of our other retreat guests when we book it one evening. And Makai, a sea front cocktail bar and restaurant, provides a more chi-chi style experience with a lovely little beach to people watch on.
Makai
Our last morning of yoga takes place on the beach in silence, witnessing the sun rise and swimming in the early morning rays. It’s like a warm bath and is reflected in the warm goodbyes we share with our fellow yogis and Alison later that day. We go for a final sunset dip the following morning, staying on for another day to soak up 24 more hours of Mediterranean joy before returning to a Britain still in mourning for the Queen.
But our time on Zakynthos hasn’t all been about yoga. We have had further adventures…
