Corfu, Greece

"Corfu (Kérkyra) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece.

The island's history is laden with battles and conquests. The legacy of these struggles is visible in the form of castles punctuating strategic locations across the island. Two of these castles enclose its capital, which is the only city in Greece to be surrounded in such a way. As a result, Corfu's capital has been officially declared a Kastropolis ("castle city") by the Greek government.

Unlike the rest of Greece, Corfu never fell under the Ottoman oppression. Due to the successive dominations of the Venetians, the French and the British over the centuries, the island has primarily become part of the Western rather than the Levantine world. Their culture wielded a strong influence in the city: it was here that the first Greek University (the Ionian Academy), the first Philharmonic Orchestra and the First School of Fine Arts were founded."

Another beautiful hot day in Paradise!  We took a shuttle bus from the port which dropped us in town at the Spianada (Esplanade) which is about 3km from the cruise ship dock.   From here we walked and walked and walked some more - all of 5-6kms - along the esplanade.

Our route along the esplanade

Nature calls!

 

Neo Frourio

The new citadel or Neo Frourio (New Fortress) is a huge complex of fortifications dominating a part of the city; the huge walls of the fortress dominate the landscape.  A moat surrounds the whole fortress.  It later became the Old Fort.  All is derelict now - even the Greek chapel of St George where Prince Philip was christened has been abandoned.  This little white church can be seen in the photo below.

A view back towards the Old Fort

 And on we walked.....

The Venetian influence is apparent in the tall houses and narrow streets of the picturesque old town. 

Some of the streets are arcaded as a decorative protection against the sun and the rain, both of which can be extremely fierce!

By now we were looking out for a beach where we could swim.  At last we came to a really small stretch of sand, large enough to accommodate one family, so the next best was a swim in the Ionian Sea!

The 2 Daves!

Contemplating....

Dave after his swim

Barb and myself

That was great to cool off and now for some refreshments and you guessed it - Wifi!!

 

A panoramic view after leaving the restaurant

We returned on our long walk back into town, through the old town, to catch the shuttle bus back to the port.

Shuttle bus

We have come to the end of another exciting day and boy did we walk for miles looking for this beach! Watched a juggling comedian after dinner; actually didn't know whether to watch the comedian or watch Russell in hysterics.  We watched the band playing on the top deck for a short while but didn't want to push my luck too far in the chilly breeze as I am left with a dratted cough after my bout of flu.  Dave and Les danced till the wee hours.......

Music and dancing under the stars

Another "sea day" tomorrow.  Good night!