Lovely Outliers

Any “top tourist tips” for Corfu will include the recommendation to visit the Canal d’Amour on the North-west edge of the island. Since we had rented a car, it was easy to zip up the coast to visit this iconic site. Years of wind and the relentless Ionian sea have carved out the sandstone to create a truly unique natural masterpiece out of the rocks.

Not only is the Channel of Love visually stunning, it comes with the ancient legend that any couple that swims the length of the channel will be together forever, while if the channel is shaded and you go for a swim, you will be lucky in love. The meet-cute Hollywood version of this legend is that any unmarried girl who swims the Canal d’Amour thinking of her dream man will bump into him on the same holiday (although this version sounds less like something of the ancient gods, and more like something crafted by clever Greek lads who want to charm the pants off visiting tourists). I could do with some luck in love, so I did splash some of the water onto my hands, just in case a hint of the magic will seep into my being. (Although the last 8 months suggest that perhaps I did not reach adequate saturation to ensure this would indeed come true. That is the only logical explanation, right?). I may not have braved the March water in order to ensure I find my forever love, but I did get to share this spectacular place with one of my most enduring friends. So maybe, I have been lucky in love after all.