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| View from our balcony |
Last week, Michael and I took advantage of the opportunity to meet up with some Atlanta friends in Corfu! We had really been looking forward to the chance to catch up with Nick and Angela, and to have a break from the intense work stress Michael's been under.
Our low-cost airfare option was Aegean Air, so we even got to sample a different airline along the way!
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| I loved the night-time shimmer of the water |
As it turned out, southern Europe is under the spell of a polar front, so it was rather cooler than we'd expected when we booked our travel. That said, it was quite pleasant to be on the cool side rather than roasting, and it made for very pleasant afternoons outside as long as you stayed in the shade. Swimming was not for the faint of heart, though, meaning only Michael got in the water.
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| This was the secret cove where Michael took a dip |
We went just south of Corfu Town one day to visit Mon Repos, where Prince Philip, consort to Queen Elizabeth II of England, was born. It turned out to be a Monday: the day that the house was closed. Sadly, we turned to a restaurant where we could enjoy a cup of Greek coffee together (more about that later), but Angela lingered to chat with a bus driver on the way over. She found out that, while the house was "never" open now, to his knowledge, the gardens are, in fact, open every day. We just hadn't gone far enough to find that particular entrance.
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Armed with that knowledge, we set off again, and found a driveway to a monastery! We were greeted by a guard goat, and then proceeded in through the small gateway and visited the chapel which was accessed via a delightful container garden. As we were making our way out, the goat decided that the garden looked rather tasty, and had made her way in and started to sample the merchandise. A little boy who was there and had been escorting us around turned into a goat-herd, and herded said goat back out into its pen from whence it had escaped previously. Snack time, over!
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| Convent near Corfu Town |
From there, we kept going, and did come across the entry to Mon Repos. After having gone up a long driveway through a woodland environment, we found the house. There was actually someone walking out the door, and Nick hailed him; we found out through Nick's conversation that he had a friend who had previously taught where Nick is currently a professor! Small world, indeed! After all that, how could he possibly resist letting us in for a quick look around. It's a lovely house that holds a small archaeological museum (which it turns out, is actually open for business...just not on Mondays).
Not wanting to presume, we didn't stay long, but we did continue our walk on the grounds. We came across a number of rather old/ancient ruins, and generally enjoyed the expedition.
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| Interior of cupola, Mon Repos |
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Mon Repos, where Queen Elizabeth II's consort
Prince Philip was born
(allegedly on the kitchen table) |
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| This olive tree was splendid! |
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The stinkhorns echoed the texture
of an olive tree's trunk |
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| An old chapel on Mon Repos's grounds |
On our way home, we stopped for another little jaunt out of the car to enjoy the scenery.
We had a lovely day expedition to Agios Georgios and various other spots whose name I have unfortunately forgotten...but this included a walk up to a monastery with a lovely overlook, and a marvelous lunch at I Delfini. Our waiter, Max, wanted to show us the fresh fish of the day so that we could choose our meal. We willingly agreed with this suggestion, and he led us through the kitchen and down a corridor, to confront us with a few styrofoam coolers containing fish on ice. He told us that the cod was the best (there was a small shark with the loveliest electric blue coloring on its sides, but Max declared that to be a bad plan, as it would be tough).
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| Our table was on the left |
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| On the way up to the monastery |
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| On the way up to the monastery |
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Kumquats are a local point of pride; they sell all sorts
of merchandise, including candied kumquats,
a sweet alcoholic drink like limoncello but made with
kumquats, and so on. |
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This was a kumquat tree outside our hotel. Our
host kindly let me pick some, since they weren't available
fresh in the stores for some reason. |
Gerald Durrell is an English zoologist who spent his youth in the countryside of Corfu. These experiences were chronicled in
My Family And Other Animals, which was later turned into the eponymous film. The Corfiots are quite proud of him, going so far as to name a park in Corfu Town after him, and having his statue (and various shops selling Durrell merchandise!). Having loved all of his books as a child, seeing Corfu was actually a long-term dream of mine!
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I loved how ornate the very flat bell towers were.
This church had been repurposed into apartments; if you
look carefully, you can see clean clothes hanging behind the bells
in order to dry them. |
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| This is a wider view of the church |
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| The things that look like stacked rocks are actually an aluminum sculpture |
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| It turns out that it's good luck to rub Durrell's nose? |
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| Durrell Park in Corfu Town |
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| One of the main promenades |
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Part of the pedestrian district, in many ways reminiscent of Venice.
This is unsurprising, given that the Venetians "protected"
Corfu from Turkish invasion for multiple centuries. |
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| I found this lamppost simultaneously funny and disturbing |
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| The New Fort, complete with protective seagull instead of a flag |
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| These were glorious with the sun on them! |
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| As in Italy, the Greeks love their roadside shrines |
And then it was time to go home. With love,
Alexandra
p.s. I have already sliced up my fresh kumquats in order to make marmalade....
