Calimera! After our wonderful vacation on this beautiful and charming island, of course, I have to share the photos with you. Those who follow me on Instagram may have already seen a few individual photos. Here we go now with the extended version.

First of all, I must say that we enjoyed that week to the fullest in many ways. First and foremost, it was because the whole family was together, including my mom. It is not a given that our adult children still come along. When they were little, it was fun with them, but now that they are adults, we had a big blast. In any case, it was an unforgettable experience, for which I am grateful to put in my memory box.

Let’s start with some views from the hotel area to the beach and the small bay below the hotel and some night photos. I also had the first time ever the opportunity to see a blood moon.

I have to admit that I felt very safe at this hotel regarding the Corona situation. I never experienced such a clean hotel in all spaces (room, restaurants and bar, pool area).

For two days we rented cars. We were suggested to rent two smaller cars instead of one big car (we were six people). What great advice that was. Whether in the city, on the narrow mountain roads, or any roads, even with a small car, it was difficult to pass oncoming or parked cars. Thank God, my son did not mind (but loves) driving. After my first attempt in the city, he drove for the rest of the time. What a relief! But let’s turn to our first point of interest: The capital, Corfu Town (Kerkyra).

There are two Venetian fortresses: the old fortress, and the new fortress. In between both, there is the old town. We parked at the new fortress (gosh, it took us ages to find spots for both cars), walked through the old town, visited the old fortress. The first photo shows the new fortress and in photo #19, you can see the old town and the new fortress:

The next stop was my daughter’s and my favorite: The Achilleion. Here are some facts taken from Wikipedia:
Achilleion is a palace built in Gastouri on the Island of Corfu for the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi, after a suggestion by the Austrian consul Alexander von Warsberg. Elisabeth was deeply saddened by the tragic loss of her only son, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria following the Mayerling incident in 1889, and a year later she had this summer palace built as a refuge.
Achilleion is located about ten kilometres south of the city of Corfu and provides a panoramic view of the city to the north, and across the whole southern part of the island to the Ionian Sea.
The architectural style was designed to suggest an ancient palace of mythical Phaeacia.The motif centers on the hero Achilles of Greek mythology, from which the name is derived. Corfu was Elisabeth’s favourite vacation destination and she wanted a palace to gratify her admiration for Greece, its language and its culture.

The last stop of our first day exploring the island was Kanoni and mouse island. It has its name because of the shape of that small island. An interesting fact is that the runway of the airport for incoming flights begins right after Kanoni. It is pretty impressive when the planes are coming in, right above your head.

Here is some information from greeka.com: Kanoni, the church of Panagia Vlacherna and the Mouse Island in Corfu: The location of Kanoni with the church of Panagia Vlacherna below and the Mouse Island (Pontikonissi) are the most famous and photographed spots of Corfu. Kanoni is actually a quarter of Corfu Town, just a couple of km from the city center. It took its name from an old cannon that stands on top of the hill.

More in post #2 later this week.

In Love and Light