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Published: November 2nd 2006
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Chapter 30
Corfu - Time to chill with not a pizza in sight
Corfu
They finally arrived in Corfu at 7.00am (an hour late) and were awoken just after 6.00am with a gentle knock and a timid voice pronouncing just one word “Corfu”. Maya was absolutely shattered and looked worse for wear when she joined Martin up at the breakfast bar. Cheryl had been telling Martin a little about her life on the island, pretty much selling the island to him yet warning him that out of season, Corfu is very much in a state of hibernation. They walked up onto the deck as Corfu welcomed our two with open arms as they pulled into the harbour surrounded by hills and mountains.
Corfu is the largest and principal island of the Ionian island group which consists of Paxos, Lefkas, Ithaca, Kefalonia, Zante and Cerigo. Wedged between two fortresses, the old town occupies a peninsula on the island’s east coast. Century after century has seen foreign raids, plundering and pillaging, all endured by the local inhabitants.
No sooner had they stepped off the boat, they were approached by two reps offering accommodation. One of them represented
the Pink Palace, a youth hostel on the other side of the island. They politely took the details but refused to commit as they walked up the hill with Cheryl. Within minutes several dogs started to follow them, they seemed to be acting as guides as soon as tourists get off the boats. Cheryl informed them that she would have to leave and left our two searching for the tourist office.
This became quite a task, as the tourist office seemed quite elusive, so elusive in fact that it had actually moved completely out of town. Italy had not been too much of a problem as far language was concerned, however Corfu was already proving more difficult as the signs were all in the Greek alphabet. (Martin had not yet mastered this). The travel agency wasn’t open for another hour so they went to taste their first Greek coffee, which wasn’t as bad as they had expected especially having come from Italy where it has to be said, the coffee was excellent.
Upon arrival at the travel agency “ Always Travel”, a large bearded gentleman informed them that getting an apartment with heating was very unlikely. They had
both wanted to rent out a flat for two weeks in order to save on hotel bills, but in February this was just not going to be possible. He suggested the Pink Palace or a hotel in Corfu town. The Pink Palace had the reputation of being an all out debauched orgy fest in summer, totally isolated and not really what out two ere looking for. Maybe in the winter, things calm down a little, though it just didn’t appeal to them as they intended to spend a quiet couple of weeks.
They chose the hotel Ermes in town instead.
(H:- Hotel Ermes. Very simple 1 star. Cheap and cheerful.) The hotel was very basic but did have an en-suite shower and the wallpaper was very 1960’s depicting blue, red and yellow tulips. (very groovy) The curtains were equally gross, right out of the middle ages. But it was cheap! After the last two nights they were both absolutely exhausted and slept through until 14.00.
Having rested a little, they were keen to explore this new island, knowing that things would be very new to them having spent a whole month in Italy. Corfu town however had a
very Venetian feel to it, not surprising as the Venetians ruled the island for over 300 years. The old town consisted of small winding roads, interspersed with many churches and shops. It’s a very pretty town with a certain charm. They had some lunch and headed towards the old fortress and harbour.
Tourist Site 1: The old fortress History: The old fortress stands over the Esplanade (Spianada square) and is linked to the town by a fixed iron bridge . The bridge used to be wooden and was drawn up to isolate the fortress from any enemy. The first fortifications were started about the 6th century AD after the destruction of the ancient city of Corcyra by the Goths, who had forced the population to abandon the ancient city to settle on the rocky promontory with its two peaks. The Byzantines fortified one of the two peaks, the one that in Venetian times was called “Castel Vecchio” os “ Castel a Mare”.
Later the Venetians fortified the other peak, called “Castel Nuovo” or “Castel a Terra”. Between the 6th and 13th centuries the town of Corfu lay within the walls of the fortress. In the 15th
century the Venetians replaced the old fortifications and built bastions with winding galleries and tunnels. The large Esplanade in front of the fortress was planned by the Venetians as an open space between the fortress and the ton proper. It was the rule when building fortifications to distance houses from the fort as this space was approximately the firing range of a gun at that period.
Martin’s comments: A stunning place to visit and to get a feel for the possibility of an ambush on Corfu town. Most of the fortifications that are still standing are actually from the British rule. The harbour around the fortress contained crystal clear water and stretched right out to the surrounding small islands, with the Albanian snow capped mountains further still. Truly stunning, very different to the Italian coastlines but worth the time to look. They continued their walk a little further, watching grumpy old men with little fishing lines trying to catch the tiny fish that were very visible in the waters. (You would need to catch a substantial amount to feed the family) The stroll took them past the museum of ancient art and towards the old port, which considering
the usual standard of ports was actually very pleasant. Apart from Soracca square, the rest of Corfu town exhudes an eclectic charm not spoilt by the club med boom of the 1960’s. (though this was the beginning of March).
In the evening they announced to their friends and family that they had reached the next stage of their journey via the internet. And whilst strolling around they came across a quaint little restaurant which provided some onion soup for Martin (the best he’d ever had) and some savoury meat crepes for Maya (the best she’d ever had). All set in a cavernous Anglo/ French/Greek surrounding, truly fabulous. They finished the evening off with a Whisky and a Baileys at a café near the hotel and headed for bed. Corfu was already providing a delightful change of scenery and atmosphere! Highlight: The views and the onion soup (it really was that good)!
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