5 Places You Should See in Corfu
Corfu means more than sandy beaches and lush valleys to me after I could spend my holiday on the westernmost island of Greece. Despite the click-bait headline, this post is about my personal view of Corfu with many pictures. Come with me on a journey.
1. Paleokastritsa
I have been told that Paleokastritsa is the most astonishing place on the island due to its rocky coves and crystalline sea and I cannot argue with this opinion. The sea looks different shades of blue in every little bay near the village and I felt that the heavy cliffs would tell me fairy tales if I carefully listened to their voice. The best way to admire the beauty of nature is taking a boat trip along the shoreline.
A monastery founded in the 13th century stands on the top of the hill, the yellow building is surrounded by a little flower garden. There is a small museum where Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons are displayed. According to the tourist guide, seven monks live currently here with tons of cats who literally lie everywhere in the garden and the staircase. The view from the hills is superb near Paleokastritsa, especially from Lakones village.
Before I travelled to Greece I was quite sure that Greeks will not show their feelings about the current political and mainly economic crisis which their country suffers from. At the beginning of summer, the international press published many articles covering the debt crisis and experts guessed what the chances are that Greece was going to go into bankruptcy, in addition, leaving the eurozone. Then, the government of Greece accepted a brutal austerity program in exchange for renewing its debt and nowadays, the everyday life is seemingly normal.
Greeks were kind and helpful, they wanted tourists to enjoy their holiday and spend their money, of course. Ioannis, the owner of the motorboat in Paleokastritsa was one of them; an easy-going, talkative guy. But unlike the locals, he put the global politics on the table all of a sudden when he showed us a peculiar rock near the village resembling a monkey head. He tried to make a joke and asked us who the monkey was while pointing to the rock. ‘Angela Merkel’, he answered afterwards. The chancellor of Germany is apparently not his favourite European leader.
2. Old Town of Corfu
On the days, we travelled to Corfu Town children were playing at the main square of the city, called Spianada. This is a huge park and considering that the Greeks loves soccer, I expected the kids were going to kick the ball. But instead of kicking, they bowl and hit the ball, because they played cricket. In the heart of the northwestern part of Greece. I was dumbfounded. Then I got to know the history of Corfu and understood the reason.
The Old Town of Corfu was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. The landscape of the city was determined by those 400 years when the Republic of Venice occupied the area. Two fortresses with massive walls and a picturesque Venetian Quarter remained from that time. Old Citadel and New Fort remind us of the era when Ottoman Empire invaded Southern and Eastern Europe. Corfu was then a strategic location for Venetians to defend both their territory and the Western part of the Mediterranean Sea against the Muslim conquerors. The mission was successful; unlike other islands and the mainland Greece, Corfu could repulse the Ottoman offensive and has always been a Christian stronghold.
After the Venetian rule, Corfu was dominated by the French for a short period and then the green island with the six other Ionian Islands were united as a state under British protectorate in 1815. The British control has lasted for only 50 years in Corfu but that was enough time to root the love for cricket. There are fourteen cricket clubs in Greece now and only three of them is outside of Corfu, which clearly means that the island intertwined with this sport.
I had a feeling that having a drink under the arcade, the French-style terrace on the edge of Spianada and watching a cricket match next to the tiny old alleys of Venetian Quarter unveils the true face of Corfu Town.
3. Achilleion
Achilleion is a neoclassical palace located near Corfu Town, in the village of Gastouri. It was built in 1890 as a summer residence of Empress Elizabeth of Austria (known as ’Sissi’) who was obsessed with the green island and the Greek culture. The name of the palace comes from the Greek mythology; Achilles was the greatest warrior of the Trojan War depicted in Homer’s heroic poem Iliad. Thus, the building was decorated with sculptures and frescos inspired by the Greek myths. Sissi tried to escape from the reality of her tragic life and find solace in Corfu after her only son, Rudolf had died at the age of 30. Her melancholy mood had an impact on the ornaments and the most valuable sculpture at the castle portrays the pain of the dying Achilles.
After Sissi’s death, the castle was purchased by Kaiser William II of Germany who also adored the classical antiquity. In contrast to Elizabeth, he preferred to focus on the triumph of the Greek hero and ordered an impressive sculpture of Achilles in a victorious pose. According to an anecdote, William used to compare his own achievements to the Greek warrior’s acts and sometimes crowned himself with a laurel wreath before he was starting to work. Now, the visitors can see the statue between two laurel trees at the main spot in the beautifully green and lively garden. The huge date palm and cypress trees caught my eye, particularly after it cleared up that they were planted by Sissi and William.
4. Museum of Asian Art
It seems to be a strange suggestion to visit a museum dedicated to Asian Art in a Greek island but I must say it is worth coming by and looking around. There are quite impressive collections of Chinese and Japanese Art. Across the rooms, we could see a wide spectrum of artefacts from ancient Chinese ceramics to sculptures of Hindu gods but a Samurai warrior’s armour is also displayed. Beyond the artworks the building of the museum is remarkable; it was the luxurious residence of the British Lord High Commissioners between 1818 and 1864.
5. Canal D’Amour
On the coast of Sidari, there are three magnificent inlets. One of them is called Canal D’Amour (channel of love). According to the local folklore, if a couple swims together through the channel they will stay together forever. Well, in this case, a picture is worth a thousand words.
