Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Kérkyra/Corfu is our third Greek island, the largest island in the Ionian Sea.
Corfu's Old Town is widely considered one of the 'best-preserved' medieval towns in Europe.
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Our morning included shore excursion took us up on Mount Kanoni that took its name from the cannon that was installed by the French in 1798 after the fall of the Republic of Venice
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Mount Kanoni view of the Ionian Sea to the left and Halikiopoulou Lagoon to the right, as well as ... |
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Holy Monastery of Panagia Vlacherna (17C) that was a nunnery |
On the way back to the city of Corfu, we passed Mon Repos Estate where Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark was born. He married Princess Elizabeth of England in 1946 and took the title of Duke of Edinburgh. Elizabeth became Queen in 1952.
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The clear waters of Garitsa Bay with mullet perhaps |
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The Old Fortress (15C CE when the Venetians replaced the 12C Byzantine fortifications) |
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The Venetians dug a moat to separate the Old Fortress from the mainland |
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Statue (1718, by Antonio Corradini) of Matthias von der Schulenburg, the last great general of the Republic of Venice |
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Palace of St Michael and St George (1819-1824, by George Whitmore in Neoclassical style) is now the Corfu Museum of Asian Art |
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Spianada Square (16C) is the largest square in Greece and the Balkans |
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Spianada Square Cistern once supplied fresh water to the city |
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Liston Arcade (1807-1814 during French occupation) is a located on a pedestrian street of the same name |
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French influence is also seen in the balconies |
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Shards of terra cotta are seen on the streets after the smashing of Botides/clay pots filled with water on Holy Saturday as part of Easter celebrations; most of the pots are thrown from the balconies |
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Narrow streets have multiple clothes lines stretched from building to building |
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Catholic Cathedral of St James and St Christopher (early 20C after being bombed in 1944) |
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Catholic Cathedral of St James and St Christopher interior |
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Old Town Hall (1663-1693) started as a meeting place for Venetian noblemen |
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In 1720 the building became the first Greek opera house, then in 1903 the Town Hall |
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Vrachlioti Square, the location for the Easter Mastela tradition where a barrel is filled with water and passers-by drop in coins; after the tossing of Botides, church bells announce the First Resurrection and the start of a race to reach the barrel, dive in, and retrieve the coins |
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Shop window |
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Butcher shop |
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Paving stones in black and white; the story is that the black stones are a gift of gratitude from the city of Naples after the people of Corfu raised money to assist the victims of the 1906 eruption of Mount Vesuvius |
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Greek Orthodox Church of St Spyridon (1589-1590) holds the relics of St Spyridon (no photos allowed), and Belltower, the tallest in the Ionian islands |
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Candles are lit outside the church |
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Balconies with laundry and flower pots |
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Ice cream |
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Bakery |
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North Gate (15C) |
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Ginger kumquat soda |
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Corfu Beer (much better than Mamos) |
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One order of grilled sardines |
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New Fortress (1576-1645) |
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Holy Church of Kyra Phaneromeni/Virgin Mary of the Foreigners (1869, for refugees from Epirus, Greece who were persecuted by the Turks) |
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Iroon Square with a statue of Greek Prime Minister Georgiou Theotoki |
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Back on Viking Saturn, we finished another 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle
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Departing from Corfu, we can see the Old Fortress on the left, and the New Fortress on the right |
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Sunset over the Ionian Sea |