Camping Despanos
Summer is almost with us again as we head north toward Albania. Temperatures hitting the mid to late 20s and beer is back on the menu. Camping DREPANO is our home base overlooking the Port of Igoumenitsa. The Greek island of Corfu is our pitch view and only a short ferry ride away. Tickets booked.
Corfu Island Ferry
We hadn’t planned to visit Corfu so it was a bit of an afterthought before leaving our campsite for Albania. We also like to be a little unpredictable. And without doubt, our plans always seem to get knocked around a bit anyway. Corfu Island
Camping Drepano where we were staying is only a fifteen-minute drive to the ferry terminal in Igoumenitsa. We decided to take the car so we could see a bit further afield and we were up early (set the alarm!!) for an 8 am ferry crossing (cost 74Euros return).
These ferries are very busy and I was a little rattled by the loading officer. He was under pressure to load quickly so seeing I was driving a UK-registered car he told me to retract my rearview mirrors and reverse in. Would you believe it after driving this car for many years I have never done this manually before so I couldn’t do it, he just give up and endeavored to get me in as close as he could to the row of lorries adjacent.
After the stress of loading, I climb up to the passenger deck for a well-earned coffee and to take some pictures. Alas – left the camera in the car. Good thing the weather was overcast. On the bright side… the crossing was smooth.
Palaiokastritsa (meaning: old castle place)
We had prearranged that Palaiokastritsa was to be our first port of call. Twenty minutes drive from the ferry port. This is where all the action is, great beach and rocky coastline. Palaiokastritsa beach is the only accessible beach on this part of the island hence it is busy during the summer season.
There are other beaches nearby but you need a boat or water taxi. There is no historical old white-wash village here but no shortage of hotels bars, cafes and restaurants. The sea has an amazing array of colours blue-green as you can see. Corfu Island
Monastery Paleokastritsa
Just up the hill from the beach is the twelve-century monastery of Paleokastritsa, rebuilt in its present form in the eighteenth century. The walk up the hill gives you sweeping views of the beach areas and rocky coastline.
Corfu old Town
If you come into Corfu by ferry, as we did it’s only a short walk to the old town. With no map and no preparation for the task ahead, we entered the old town which winds its way through narrow streets filled with churches, novelty shops, and restaurants.
It is interesting to know that Corfu found its name from the Greek nymph Korkira, the daughter of the River God, Aesopos. According to the myth, Poseidon, God of the Sea, fell in love with Nymph Korkira, kidnapped her and brought her to this island. Corfu Island
Corfu Jews
The first thing that struck me as we entered the township was this statue. A Memorial to the deaths of 2000 Corfu Jews during the WW11 holocaust by the Nazis.
They were transported to Athens and then to Auschwitz where most were gassed during the night. It is a terrible and moving reminder.
The main person responsible for the deportation of Corfu’s Jews was Anton Burger, who managed to escape justice after the war. He was sentenced to death in 1947 in the People’s Court in what is now the Czech Republic but escaped from detention before the scheduled execution.
He was arrested again — and escaped again — and survived under false identities until his death in 1991.
Prior to WW11, there were some 75,000 Jews living in Greece. By 1945, between 83 and 87 percent of Greek Jews had been murdered by the Nazis, one of the highest proportions in Europe.
Sadly, following World War II, surviving Jews faced obstacles in regaining their property from non-Jews who had taken it over during the war. About half emigrated to Israel and other countries in the first decade after the war.
The Holocaust was long overshadowed by other events during the wartime occupation but gained additional prominence in the twenty-first century.
The Durrels
The Durrells is a British comedy-drama television series loosely based on Gerald Durrell’s three autobiographical books about his family’s four years (1935–1939) on the Greek island of Corfu.
the storyline centres on the mother, Louise Durrell, who was impoverished in the UK after the loss of her husband and the money ran out., moved to Corfu with her four children. Corfu didn’t even have electricity at that time but it was cheap.
The bonus was an amazing island paradise. The Durrells were rich by local standards and generous to boot. The local impoverished children always returned home after visiting with food and sweets. Corfu Island
The Forts
In recent years the British reached the Ionian Islands including Corfu in 1854 which they took control of. The period that followed was good for Corfu because the Greek language became official, new roads were built and the water systems were upgraded.
The first Greek university was founded in 1824. On the 21st of May, 1864, the Ionian Islands were donated by the British to the new King of Greece. Corfu however, suffered greatly during the two world wars. Corfu Island
Opposite the Palace and Spianada Square, you will find the local posh restaurant area. Here you can dine adjacent to the parklands and overlooking the old fort. We enjoyed lunch there with the local beer but beware of the prices (ouch).
After lunch and six hours of walking it was time to head back to collect the car and catch the ferry back to the mainland. On the way back decided to find the entrance to the new fort we got a bit lost again and added more km to our visit. Anyway back on the ferry, we headed back out to sea and found we weren’t the only boat leaving.
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