Solo mum adventures in Corfu
I am writing this in the back room of a little Greek restaurant – it’s just me and seven old Greek men putting the world to rights over their tiny coffees. They’re paying me no mind, and the restaurant don’t seem to mind me sitting here typing away, making my own coffee last for as many hours as possible.
Before I had my twins, I was an avid traveller. I lived close to the airport and would book flights at a moment’s notice, especially when there were trips to be had for just £5 each way. I’ve always liked travelling alone, and loved the freedom of being able to do exactly what I want on my own time. When I first found out I was pregnant, I was adamant that I would be able to strap my baby to me and travel the world with my little one. When I found out I was having twins, things started to get trickier, and then Covid hit, and all prospect of travel went out of the window.
Like most of us, I felt alone and restless through the UK lockdowns, but I muddled through. I loved every moment of motherhood, but it was hard, and there were moments when I felt like I’d lost myself.
Fast forward to 2022, and while the pandemic is still a thing, travel restrictions have started to lift. I’m a freelancer, and can work pretty much anywhere, so decided to just have a look at flights to see what was available. My ever-supportive husband was amazing when I told him I wanted to take a solo trip away for a few days. He was happy to look after the twins in full on dad mode, and I looked for flights that would coincide with the days the twins were at nursery, to take a bit of pressure off him. I ended up booking myself two nights in Corfu.
I packed my bag and left for the airport. The moment I stepped into the airport, I felt a little bit of the old me return. I felt the excitement of travel bubbling in my tummy, and embraced every second of it. After a few years with no solo adventures, I found that mixed in with the excitement was a little pang of sadness. Sadness for not being with my children for two days. Throughout my trip, my children have always been on my mind, but it’s not stopped me from adventuring as I know they’ll be having a wonderful time with their daddy and at nursery.
Despite my trip only being a very short one, it’s been exactly what I needed. I checked into a lovely seafront apartment, where the proprietor, Costas, gave me a ludicrously in depth induction to the coffee machine and light switches, despite it being midnight when I arrived. After a good night’s sleep, I thoroughly enjoyed wandering through the labyrinth of streets in Corfu Old Town, and also found my way down to a tiny secluded beach. Here, I made the ill-judged decision to actually try and take a dip in the sea. I managed to fall on about a hundred sea urchins and fill my knee with spines. After a quick google to confirm that they aren’t poisonous and I wasn’t about to drop dead, I headed back to my apartment to find something sharp to extract the spines with. The best I could find was an enormous kitchen knife with which I proceeded to carve the spines out of my skin. I can only hope nobody looked through the window while I was busy butchering my knee!
After some more wandering and a meal of Greek salad and souvlaki, I headed to bed for another great night’s sleep. Today, despite it being springtime, the weather has been grim. It’s windy and rainy, and I am living up to the stereotype of ‘stupid British tourist’ since I failed to bring a coat with me, which is why I’m tucked away in this back room with a load of old Greek men.
I’ll head back to the airport in a few hours and be home tonight. I have had a wonderful time, truly feeling like myself, but I cannot wait to hug my babies. This trip has been the prompt I needed to start the process of sorting out their passports, so I’ll have the option of travelling with the, in future.