Corfu, The Ionian Emerald Isle

Mike had been obsessed with Corfu for months, pushing us on and on to this island of mythical proportions. The more he gabbed on about it, the less interested I was in going there. Yawn.... what's so special about Corfu, there are some lovely islands we are missing in this annoying quest to visit a place over-run with tourists. (cos of course, I'M not a tourist...)

I was an idiot. Just the once.

Corfu is indeed special, and was a total surprise to me. To start it's very green, in fact it is known (to everyone but me apparently) to be the greenest Greek island of all. The beautiful landscape is characterised by soaring hills, sparkling bays and outstanding views from the top of the many peaks.  Add to this Venetian castles and forts, cobbled streets and gardens. While it is a popular destination, it didn't seem at any time to be overun with tourists, there's just so many places to explore right around the island.

Having crossed over from the mainland in half a day, but expecting some winds and rain later, we stopped off at the bottom of the island in Lefkimmi Bay, a wide shallow bay where the landscape is a bit flatter than the rest of Corfu. While we had a bit of rain and wind, which required resetting the anchor 'to be sure to be sure', we watched with interest an intense lightning storm over Preveza, which we had left 2 days previously. We lazed around with no worries, until we tried to lift our anchor - we had dragged a little bit the day before - straight into a submerged plastic container, which was attached to a line attached to another container, attached to a rope that was tied to a (probably illegal) octopus pot. All of this was wrapped around and around our anchor chain. Long story short, when Mike jumped in the dinghy to sort out (cut away) the offending ropes, the outboard wouldn't start. This was just another  example of Sh*t happens, and we stayed another night while we sorted both anchor chain and outboard.

Might as well relax in Lefkimmi Bay

Preveza somewhere in the distance,  octopus pot lurking underneath us

Time for a little bit of civilisation, so our next stop was only 8nms away, at Benitses. Corfu offers the opportunity to stop at so many bays or towns, it can be a little hard to decide where to stop - too many choices. There are boats sailing or MED sailing (Motor Every Day) backwards and forwards between the mainland and around Corfu,  lovely boat-spotting as you go along. That evening we listened to a variety of Greek musicians and singing, the music floating across the water from the many bars lighting up the sea with flickerings lights. We even heard an excellent rendition of what we know as the music from Zorba the Greek. 

Beach side Bar, Benitses, Corfu

Again, time for a car trip. As we are sea-based travellers, we tend to drive around to see what the land is like, and only visit a few places. So there were many attractions or sites we didn't see in our limited time. Driving to the north-west peak of Corfu took us through the middle of the island to one of the 5 castles of Corfu, Angelokastro.  To see this Byzantium castle, which is really the ruins of walls, acropolis and church, you have to follow the steps up 305 metres, in the heat. Why do I choose these places?? But it was a lovely path, and the view from the top across to the mainland, and taking in the southern part of the Adriatic sea, was breathtaking. Or perhaps that was just me, unable to stop puffing for quite a while.

Beginning the climb...

Mike ready to catch me on the way down

Back down the steps, negotiate the tiny roads hugging the hillsides, and it's time for lunch. Oh look, a hilltop restaurant, with balcony views across the valley to blue sea and a great menu... don't mind if we do. (sorry....). 

Someone is looking pretty smug....

Just another view of more bays and (rocky) beaches

I heard there were some lovely gardens we could see at the Achilleion Palace, on the eastern side of Corfu, so that was our next stop.  We expected to see sumptuous well-planned gardens filled with flowers; surprisingly the gardens were a little sad and forgotten. However, the palace and statues were absolutely amazing, not expected at all. The Achilleion Palace was built for Empress Elizabeth (Sissy) of Austria in 1890 as a summer residence and refuge from her unhappy life at court. Unfortunately she was assassinated in 1898,  and the palace lay empty unitl 1907 when it was purchased by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. 

At the entrance of the grounds of the Achilleion Palace 

Unfortunately many statues did not have an explanation, and I have been unable to identify these while researching...

The palace is closed for renovations so we had lots of time to appreciate the of many classical statues honouring Greek gods, goddesses and muses, which are placed strategically around the grounds. Sissy, also known as the Melancholy Princess (unfair, she really had a bit of a rough time before being murdered), had a particular fondness for Achilles, hence the name Achilleion Palace. She commissioned the statue of Dying Achilles, lying down attempting to remove the arrow from his heel.

Apparently the Kaiser was't impressed, and removed it at one stage to build his House of the Knights for his garrison. He then had a more heroic depiction of Achilles created,  which stands majestically on the tip of the garden looking down onto the sea below. 

Among the many other statues are the Three Graces or Charites - Thalia, Euphrosyne and Aglaea, who represent Beauty, Grace and Charm,  and the Nine Muses - Clio, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomeni, Terpsicore, Erato, Polymnia, Urania and Calliope (see my note at the end for more information).   If you want to see more of the palace, it was the location for the movie 'For Your Eyes Only', yes a James Bond movie, so Mike was having a great day...

My favourite, the Charites Euphrosyne, stood a little bit differntly to the others and is responsible for joy, mirth and merriment

Strategically situated in the Ionian Sea while looking over the Adriatic Sea, Corfu started out as a Byzantium city in 8 century BC, but since then has seen the Ottomans, Venetians  (for 4 hundred years) then the French, British and Germans, before Greece claimed it. All this I didn't know, and so was stunned to see how beautiful the location of our marina in Corfu was - right under The Old Fortress (called that because there's a newer, old fortress). It was constructed and amended over a period of 15 centuries. To reach the city, we had had to walk a cobbled stone path under an ancient arch, through the fortress grounds, past the building now housing the university music school (queue students practising the piano..), and over the moat. And because we were in the marina, we did all this for free! Magic. Combined with the New Fortress, the Old City of Corfu, the Old Fortress is a UNESCO heritage site.

Rounding the peninsular looking at the Old Fortress, marina tucked in on the right

The view as we walked (tottered) along the marina wall towards the Old Fortress and the Old Town of Corfu

Looking back over the moat bridge

The moat - with massive, unscaleable bastion walls, the city of the right hand side

The Church of Saint George inside the fortress complex

The old town section of Corfu is a joy to explore. Wide promenades, meandering laneways and staircases, beautiful buildings more like Italy than Greece (in our limited experience). I saw somewhere Corfu town described as an open air musuem, and it is, with the addition of many cafes and shops to savour as well. So naturally, I spent valuable  tourist time finding a phone shop to unglitch Mike's phone. Such is the life of a cruiser, that while on land, you have to deal with real life as well. Ce la vie. But we also had time to enjoy some lovely food, swim off the walls of the marina, contemplate our journey so far and prepare for our next adventure.

Corfu was the last stop of the Greek part of our Odyssey. Up to this point we had sailed, or 'MED' sailed, 1237 nms since leaving North Cyprus. We revisited favorite spots in Turkey, had a hiatus while I returned to Perth for a month, then crossed the  short distance over to Greece, travelling onwards through the Agean, the Saronic Gulf, Corinth Canal and Gulf of Patras and finally the Ioanian. 

Now it was time to leave. We had booked Kirrikie into a marina for winter  in Montenegro, a non-Schengen country, where we could leave her and spend time with family in Australia. To get there we needed to travel via Albania - less than 30nms away, but almost another world away from Greece. The adventure continues....

Our journey through Turkey and Greece in 2024:

And a little extra info:

The Nine Muses each guided and inspired a specific creative or intellectual field:

Calliope: The Muse of epic poetry and eloquence. She is considered the chief of the Muses and is said to have inspired Homer in writing The Iliad and The Odyssey. She is often depicted with a writing tablet, scroll, and pen.

Clio: The Muse of history. She is responsible for preserving memory and the knowledge that comes from discoveries and investigations of the past. Clio is often depicted with a scroll or a book. She is also credited with introducing the Phoenician alphabet to Greece.

Erato: The Muse of lyric or erotic poetry. Her name means “lovely,” and she is said to make those who were guided by her desirable and worthy of love. Erato is often depicted with a lyre, hymns, and a wreath of roses.

Euterpe: The Muse of music, specifically lyric poetry and flute playing. Her name means “giver of pleasure”. She is credited with developing various musical instruments, including the aulos (a double flute). Euterpe is particularly associated with wind instruments. She is often depicted with a flute.

Melpomene: The Muse of tragedy. She is often depicted with a tragic mask, leather boots, and a knife or stick in her hand.

Polyhymnia: The Muse of sacred poetry, hymns, and religious ceremonies. She is also associated with geometry, meditation, and agriculture. Polymnia is often depicted wearing a tunic and veil, appearing thoughtful and serious. She is credited with explaining the origin of the name of the month of May.

Terpsichore: The Muse of dance and choral song. She is often depicted with a lyre.

Thalia: The Muse of comedy and idyllic poetry. Her name means “rich festivity” or “blooming”. She is often depicted with a comic mask and an ivy crown.

Urania: The Muse of astronomy and astrology. She is often depicted dressed in blue, holding a globe and compass, and wearing a star diadem or having stars on her dress. In some accounts, she is identified as the eldest of the Muses.