http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Greece , Ionian Islands en-us Tue, 05 Jan 2010 06:43:00 +0000 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 06:43:00 +0000 I started my latest European sojourn with a trip to the ancient city of Olympia. Although most of it is in ruins if you consider how long its been around it is remarkably well preserved. The first stadium is really quite remarkable. A depression in the ground surrounded by grassy hills on 3 sides is quite an ideal natural setting to watch sports. All modern stadiums are modeled after this one. T http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/Zakynthos/blog-450346.html Hey everyone out thereSorry that this post has been a long time coming. School has picked up and is surprisingly demanding. I've been having a blast in the city but I also have been on two weekend excursions that have been a lot of fun. Round about the 15th of Sept I went down to Sorrento on the Bay of Naples and then I just got back from a long weekend trip to Corfu Greece. Because I have bee http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/Corfu/blog-442431.html Wednesday 15thArrived at Santorini but no chance we will go ashore no dock ashore by tender.The island was formed by a volcanic eruption the worldrsquos largest ever eons ago the resultant tidal wave estimated 200 feet high wiped out the Minoan civilization and is believed by some to have caused the disappearance of AtlantisIn any event the main town is situated on the top of the cli http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/Corfu/blog-437891.html Location Corfu Weather Sunny 33 CCorfu is definitely somewhere I want to return to this island is part of the Odyssey The Paleokastrtsa Monastery was well worth the visit as it had some of the best icons I have seen I have made a point of going into the Orthadox Churches while wandering around on my own as Mum said the icons in the churches are fantastic and she has not been wrong. I ev http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/Corfu/blog-434413.html Some pics of my sister's wedding in Corfu. A whole week of celebrations and partying. It was great to meet my new family and an unforgettable week for everyone. Congratulations to the happy couple and thanks to the family for their generous hospitality. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/Corfu/blog-432709.html Itrsquos back again Dribblers A Sort of Homecoming is my alternative way to tell a story and it only happens when I go back to where my father was born. Greece and more specifically Kithira a tiny island off the Peloponnese coast. It is a special place for not only Greeks but for the backpacker who is looking for traditional Greece. In most Greek islands real island life has faded into the di http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/blog-428172.html Wersquove written our cruise blogs all at the same time on our last day at sea and we would like to end them on a nice note as our first 4 blogs are possibly more negative than positive and we are indeed having a great time.Cruising has been a learning experience for us and we have met some really nice people. We have to mention another Canadian couple wersquove hung out with quite a bit Pet http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/Corfu/blog-422272.html Saturday 4th JulyWe are on our way to Bari today to catch the overnight ferry to Greece.... We have been told we can only take our day pack onto the boats and that our main lugguage will remain locked within the bus on shore so to make sure our valuables are with us....eeep I only have a TINY day pack so end up having to take a massive plastic bag as well.. sigh We leave Rome around 945am http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/Corfu/blog-417128.html Corfu Island belongs to the Ionian cluster of islands. It is one of the most spectacular tourist destinations in all of Greece. The island opened its doors to international visitors and touristrsquos way back in 1970s. It has been more than three decades now that the islandrsquos tourism infrastructure has drawn people from far and wide. The beguiling landscape lush olive plantations thousan http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/blog-415725.html It was about in the late 1970s that Corfu developed its tourism facilities and was getting ready to welcome the millions of tourists who would come to the island. Corfu out of all the Greek islands was the first to develop such amenities probably due to its geographical location which is very close to Europe and its cultural background. As Corfu had been long ruled by the Venetians and the Bri http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/blog-415723.html Corfu Island is known around the world for its exceptionally beautiful landscape and exotic beaches. The island generally experiences warm summers with light sea breezes in the afternoon which has contributed in the development of summer tourism. Many hotels and tourism facilities have been built around the beautiful beaches of Corfu and in fact many visitors choose their Corfu Hotel to be clos http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/blog-415722.html Corfu is the northernmost island among the Ionian Islands situated to the west of Greece. Its close proximity to Europe made Corfu an important mercantile center and that is probably the reason why the island was raided and dominated by so many different cultures in the past. Each of these cultures brought with them their respective traditions and influenced the island a lot. This influence is mo http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/blog-415720.html It is not surprising that Corfu is one of the most developed islands in Greece taking into consideration its long history rich culture and natural beauty. In fact as Corfu was under the Venetian and the British rule from the 13th till the mid 19th century it is not to wonder that the inhabitants have been used to a Westerner culture that allowed them to develop tourism earlier than the other Gr http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/blog-415717.html The holiday started slightly ominously with one of those annoying arguments where you're told off by your wife for something they think you haven't done you feel innocent of the charge but for whatever reason you can't be bothered arguing about it but go into a 24 hour huff as a precaution. Considering we only had a couple of hours sleep as we had to be up at 2.30am to catch the flight that ad http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/Kefalonia/Katelios/blog-410289.html Important notice to all our clients Due to the current economic crisis affecting buyers and sellers of property world wide we are reducing our commission on sales by two and half percent for this interim period we will not be charging commission from buyers thus generating a more positive and lucrative investment opportunity to those hoping to buy property on Corfu Island.We are a new unaff http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/Corfu/blog-409019.html It was a windy night last night and I kept thinking about the ferry crossing and the waves that the wind might bring. On one of our previous ferry trips in Thailand there were major waves and everyone was getting sea sick. We hope that won't be the case tonight.It is a kind of odd departure for us today as we don't have to be up especially early. Our taxi is coming around 11 and we have done most http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/Lefkada/blog-403335.html We were down to our final packet of instant cappuccinos this morning It was sunny again today and the streets were full of the smell of baking bread as I headed out trolling for a wifi signal so that I could download our email. Eventually I found one outside a coffee shop though I felt a bit conspicuous standing on the corner downloading messages. We still haven't heard from the place where we http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/Lefkada/blog-403333.html We wake up to a beautiful sunny morning. We have breakfast quickly as we want to catch the 10 am bus to town. Based on our last experience with this bus we arrive well before the departure time and are relieved to find that there is a an older lady also waiting a good sign that we have got the time right today. In spite of the language barrier the Greek lady kindly introduces herself in Greek http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/Lefkada/blog-403201.html It was still raining on and off this morning. A friend of Helen's died a few days ago and she is meeting with the man's daughter this morning to help with the funeral arrangements. By midmorning the sun has come out. Evy and I decide to head out to use the INTERNET in order to book the ferry for Italy as well as a place to stay in Sorrento for Thursday night. By the time we finish up an hour on http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/Lefkada/blog-403199.html The storm seems to have blown itself out overnight and the weather is calm though cloudy this morning. Without a proper coffee maker we have resorted to ldquoinstant cappuccinordquo mix which has some resemblance to the real thing and seem to fit getting a slow start to the morning as we read the papers we got yesterday and gaze out over the harbour.About 1030 Aunt Helen calls. She had http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Ionian-Islands/Lefkada/blog-403198.html