Corfu is a location I’d often heard of people travelling to for pool holidays. It’s not a destination I had ever really considered visiting, but after a 16 month sabbatical of not leaving Ireland/the UK, I didn’t hesitate when Amy suggested visiting Corfu, and there was enough sightseeing to do to keep me happy.
Our hotel was located about a 15 minute drive from the old town where most of the life around Corfu is based. A €10-15 taxi got us back and forward, which isn’t the worst. On our first might we wandered around the Old Town, visiting various bars and getting a head start on souvenir shopping – we passed the Agios Spiridon church just as a service was ending inside.
As people were filtering out, we were able to light a candle with some locals in memory of our loved ones who have passed.
Afterwards we resumed our pub crawl and stumbled (not literally) across a bar filled with locals within the old town, and the prices are significantly lower within local bars. I had a great time sampling many of the local beers, and Amy was content trying local wines. All this in addition to the bar generously providing nuts, crisps and cheese as snacks.
We had spent a few hours at the bar filled with locals (which oddly had a photo of Kim Jong Un on the toilet, below that of Jesus) before venturing back to our hotel in a taxi.
The following morning, we awoke moderately early and ventured down to the hotel’s pool. Here we encountered a German couple who were able to work remotely, and they were content working from the poolside. I struggle remaining focused at times in my apartment whilst working, nevermind in scorching heat beside a swimming pool.
We waited a bit for the temperature to drop before going to explore Corfu’s Old Fortress.
The fortress dates back to the 1400s when it was constructed during Byzantine rule and it has many features within its’ walls, including being home to the temple like Church of St. George and host to some wonderful viewpoints and a vast vast history.
Throughout history, the fort has been in control of the Byzantine Empire, the Venetian Republic, France, the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Empire, the British Empire, Nazi Germany who used it as a prison for local Jews prior to sending them to Birkenau, and ultimately Greece.
The views from the top of the fortress were breathtaking.
After climbing to the top of the old Fortress, we didn’t particularly fancy doing too much walking that night, and when we ventured across the bar “Sway” we weren’t up for leaving it. It had lively music, a good drinks menu – and the bar staff kept supplying snacks for us, so we were well settled.
The next day our plan was to visit the New Fortress (such an original name) and climbed to the top of it too for additional views. It wasn’t as informative as the Old Fortress – but it was free in, so I couldn’t complain, where as the Old Fortress was €5.
The Old Fortress was constructed by the Venetian Republic in the 1500s and was elevated to its current status under British occupation from 1815-1864.
After admiring the views of Corfu from atop the fortress, we returned to sea level and found a delightful little hidden stone beach where it seemed like time passed more slowly. The water was lovely and warm, and we were able to get covered by the shade of the town’s walls to stay cool.
The beach is called φαληράκι, which Google says translates to Faliraki.
Being totally honest, the food wasn’t my favourite exactly – I found it rather hit and miss.
Of the local dishes, I tried tzatziki, which is essentially Greek yogurt with olive oil and bread. Moussaka on the other hand is great, it similar to a Lasagne, but with eggplant instead of pasta. Baked feta is a nice starter, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. I had also tried Souvlaki, which is basically just a kebab skewer. And of course we tried baklava for dessert (it’s like a pastry style Christmas cake – I did not like it). A friend had recommended that I try some local seafood, and a seafood stew was probably the highlight of Greek cuisine for me.
All in all, I really enjoyed my first experience of Greece, I was pleasantly surprised by the beer, the locals were extremely friendly and could not do enough to assist you – and hospitality staff went the extra mile to ensure you had a good stay. And I’m not going to complain about the custom of being given food with your drink order – you could almost have a free meal throughout your night of drinking. Corfu is a lovely town, and I really enjoyed seeing it, too late into my trip I learned about day trips to the Albanian town of Sarandë, so I would have liked another day to visit there – but I guess it’s an excuse to visit Corfu again sometime.
