THE ISLAND OF CORFU
At the northwest part of Greece, the most beautiful island of the
Ionian sea lies. Its name Kerkira (Corfu).
Corfu's coastline is surrounded by crystal clear waters, so what could
be more natural than a host of watersport activities? The less energetic
can soak up the glorious sun on pebble, shingle and soft sandy beaches.
Corfu is an island of plenty activities abound. Watersports, horse
riding, walking and climbing are possible in an essentialy subtropical
paradise. With 42 beautiful and individual resorts, Corfu really does have
something to offer everyone.
Corfu Town is a multi-cultural paradise from the center (Liston
,Spianada square) out to the bars on Ethnikis Antistasseos. Corfu Town's
major influences are displayed in microcosm in Spianada square where to
the north , the Palace of St.Michael and St.George remains as a monument
to British rule. To the west the Liston, Corfu's Rue de Rivoli is a relic
of the republican and Napoleonic eras. Above Spianada Square, two Venetian
fortresses stand guard over the town. A five minute car ride to the north
of the town is where discos line the streets. Ethnikis Antistasseos is
the swinging street of Corfu and the night life always lasts into the early
hours. Life in the 'disco lane' can be surprisingly sedate in some places
and many bars and restaurants provide a flavour of Greek culture by music
and dance shows which can be combined with dinners.
Locating traditional souvenirs in Corfu is certainly not difficult.
The bustle of shops not only in Town ,but all over the island, offer a
wide variety of quality items. Corfu is home to many talented potters and
craftsmen, so pay particular attention to the ceramics and the items made
from olive wood. Gold and silver are both good buys in Corfu. Many of the
jewelry designs are based on traditional patterns that reflect the development
of Greek civilization. Designer fashions are widely available .
Agricultural products offer a broad spectrum of gift opportunities.
Corfu olives and olive oil are readily available and appreciated worldwide.
Koum Kouat liqueur ia a local speciality made from koum kouats. Corfu has
its own wine producers and the local shops will have a number of selections
available. The richness and variety of flora on the island give Corfu honey
a unique and distinctive character. More on various places
around Corfu island
COMING TO CORFU
You can come to Corfu by a lot of ways:
The first and easiest one is by charter flight.There are daily charter
flights coming from about everywhere in Europe. British flights are the
most frequent, because the island is very popular amongst the British.
London, Luton, Edinborough, Glasgow, Cardiff, Newcastle are some of the
airports serving such flights, which are very cheap,especially night flights.
Other destinations in Europe include Germany ,France, Italy, Belgium, Sweden,
Finland, Austria, Nederlands, Chech Republic, Russia, Hungary, etc.
Of course you can arrive from another destination to Athens and get
a flight to Corfu with Olympic Airways.There are 3-4 flights to Corfu daily.More
details and Olympic Airways schedules.
There is also Aegean Airlines, another domestic operator which currently
serves the route Athens- Corfu -Athens with 3 flights daily.
Another way to reach Corfu is by ferry boat from Italy. Every day there
are a lot of ferries coming from Ancona, Bari and Brindisi .If you don't
own a car you can reach these ports by train. The ferry time is 22 hrs
from Ancona ,12 hrs from Bari and 8 hrs from Brindisi.
If you want more details, check Ferry
boat timetables and fares from Italy.
There is also a hovercraft (no cars transported) covering the trip
from Brindisi in just 3,5 hrs.
Now ,there is a possibility that you want to travel around Greece ,see
some more of its unique spots and then visit the island. Then you will
have to cross from mainland Greece by ferry boat.The trip from the mainland
port of Igoumenitsa ( the closest ) lasts 1.5 - 2 hrs. Fron Corfu you can
also catch a ferry to Patras, reducing your driving time if you want to
go to the Athens , Peloponissos, Aegean islands etc. This trip lasts 8
hrs and there are night trips leaving Corfu at midnight arriving in Patras
7:30 - 8 next morning.Check the timetable
and fares. If you are travelling by Eurorail, you can go to Athens
by train from Patras. There are express and slow trains, so it might take
you 4 -6 hrs to reach the capital of Greece.
More about train schedules and fares.
MYTHOLOGICAL CORFU
In ancient times Corfu was known as Corcyra. According to mythology , Corcyra
was a lover of the god Poseidon and she bore him a son on the island. The
son was named Phaex and he founded the Phaecean race. The only Phaecean
king we know about was Alkinoos, whose daughter Nausica found Odysseus
when he was shipwrecked and washed up naked on the shore. She took him
to her father's palace and the king lent him a boat to take him back to
his home Ithaki, south of Corfu. This meeting forms an episode in Homer's
"Odyssey", the semilegendary story of Odysseus' wandering after the Trojan
war. We cannot for sure know whether the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey" were
based on real events ,but enough Trojan and Mycaenean remains have been
found elsewhere , exactly as described by Homer, to suggest that there
is some truth to the fiction. As Homer's portayal of the Phaecean realm
describes Corfu well and as traditionally they are regarded as being the
same place, it is possible that Corfu was Homer's Scheria.
More details on the island's mythology
and history.
Pictures of Corfu in the Corfu
Photo Gallery
Another useful site with more details about the island is the
Greek
National Tourist Organization
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