One of the joys of cruising is not having to really worry what you look like but every now again, you catch sight of yourself in a shop window and see this wrinkled old person with stripy blond and grey hair and realise you’ve got the misery of finding a hairdresser again. it’s bad enough in regular life to get a hairdresser that you like but cruising you just have to take pot luck and comfort yourself with the knowledge that it will grown out eventually.

I quite enjoy getting the legs waxed in strange countries by different nationalities. Those of who have read my blog over the years may remember a particular good one called Waxings of the Caribbean!  But getting someone to not hack too much off your fringe and not dye your hair orange using mime and three words of Greek is always going to end in tears.

So it was with the usual trepidation I set off to a salon last week in Corfu. The hairdresser turned out to be an older Greek man  which had me on edge immediately.  I don’t like to stereotype but I wasn’t sure it was a profession that many Greek men would be going in for. However, he quickly discussed what I wanted and I was soon settled in the chair swathed in towels.  It turned out Tasos had amazing English and we chatted about where I came from, where he came from,  his new first grand-child and what hopes he had for him.  He told me that there are three important issues you must get right to have a good life. Where you live. Who you marry. What job you do. Now I’m used to having a hairdresser who says “Are you going somewhere special tonight?” or “Had your holidays yet?” so this was all a bit different.  He then told me a story about a thief who escaped into the mountains and was never able to come back to see his family.  This thief found a new born baby abandoned under a tree.  What would the thief do? He could leave the baby where it was.  He could take it back to the town and risk being caught. Or he could keep it and raise it himself.  What did I think he would do?  I was left for half an hour to ponder the  answer to this while my colour was on.

During the cutting and drying phase he told me that he thought the Ancient Greeks got up as far as Scotland because in Ancient Greek ‘scot’ meant ‘dark’, ‘ayr’ was ‘windy’ and ‘orkne’ was ‘lazy or sleeping’. Turned out this was one of his interests and he continued with fascinating facts until I was finally finished and unfortunately had to leave!

So if you are looking for a hairdresser in Corfu, I can recommend Coiffure Anastazio  between the A&B supermarket and the cheap Chinese shop in Kontakali on the Paleokistritsa Road.  Ask for Tasos.

The hair do cost 41 Euros. The conversation was priceless.