Found It.....

Today we went into Old Corfu Town, this time with the intention of buying groceries and Baklava, after all it is always good to have something sweet in your kitchen for those munchy times!

So off we went on the old faithful number 6 bus.

Soon we were walking through the great streets of the Old Town looking for a supplier of Baklava....sounds like we are looking for a drug dealer doesn't it, well in our own way I suppose we were...lol!!!

Baklava!!

It was not long before we stumbled across a bakery (I think they call it that) supplying all good Greek sweet and sticky desserts, so we stocked up on Baklava and other sweetly delights and kept exploring the town.

The Lane Ways Of Old Corfu Town

We came across a Supermarket, so we purchased some really nice and fresh Fruits and Vegetables to get us through the next few days...but even better than that, they had a fridge full of the local brewery's beer, Corfu Beer. So being an important part of any healthy diet I had to buy some of their Real Ale and Bitter...my contribution to the well rounded and healthy diet that Lesley was looking for!!

Ziq Down One Lane, Zag Down The Other

A few narrow lanes later we stumbled across a very interesting little restaurant. It was just a few lanes away from some of the tourist areas and really seemed to be undiscovered by them, the only people in the place appeared to be locals as everyone seemed to know everyone elase. We had a look at the menu, it was all fresh local produce, mainly Corfuian, and very reasonable prices...decision made, we are having lunch here! We had found it.....the best little secret in Corfu!

Only The Locals Seem To Be Here

We Intend Working Our Way Through This Menu...Eventually

Lesley was craving for healthier food and found it here...she had the Gavros (marinated anchovies) and one of the best looking Greek Salads we have ever seen.

A Healthy Tasty Lunch

I on the other hand went for the Loukaniko (a beef and pork sausage served with a mustard, cheese, and dill sauce) and of course how could I resist the Moussaka.

A Very Very Tasty Lunch

What made me even happier was the fact that true to the owners claim of only serving fresh and local, he had Corfu Beer...the perfect beverage for my meal selection!!

When In Corfu Drink What The Locals Drink

Lunch lasted a good hour and a half and came to a grand total of under 28 euros....if you are ever in Corfu, you must come here...all we have to do is work out the English translation of the restaurant name. Anyway we will be back and will let you know.

 

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Lounge Around Day

Just chilled out taking it easy..snacking, lunch, sunbathing, dinner.....all in all not a very stressful day.

Ready For The First Course

Main Meal...Oh, Yum!

Sunset and Waiting For Dessert

Had dinner about 200m away at Restaurant Nisos. We went full on local as much as we could....Pickled Octopus, Tzatziki and Taramosalata Dips, really fresh Greek Salad, and a great selection of Seafoods, and of course beer from the local Corfu Brewery. Dessert was some wonderfully sweet Baklava, the perfect end to the meal.

Restaurant Nisos

Back To The Apartment

We stretched dinner out over a few hours and then made our way back to our apartment and bed.

I know that I keep saying it, but here we go again...this is the life!

 

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Exploring Old Corfu Town

Today we caught the number 6 bus from Perama to Corfu Town with the intention of exploring Old Corfu Town.

Old Corfu Town might be a very old Greek town, but it has been run by everyone from the Venetians, to the French, and the British over its history, all of whom have left their mark on the town in regards to architecture, it really is quite an amazing place to walk around.

The bus dropped us off on the edge of the new town, and we could have been in any busy city in Europe, but within 200m the scenery changes from new non-descipt buildings to a wide variety of older buildings with a lot of character.

We made our way to the Spianada, a big park on the east side of the old town. There are some great looking buildings along here which are full of cafes, bars etc referred to as the old Liston buildings.

The Liston Building To The East Of The Spianada

Buildings On The Edge Of The Spianada

Believe it or not, on some weekends they actually play cricket in the the northern park, or Upper Square of the park (Ano Plateia), a legacy of the British being here obviously, we will have to come back on the weekend and have a look and see if they are playing. Apparently the Corfu Philharmonic practice in the southern park, or Lower Square (Kato Plateia) on weekends as well, and it is free to come and sit and listen to them....sounds like a good idea.

Palace of Saints Michael and George

Panagia Mandrakina

We made our way to the eastern edge of the Spianada is the Old Fort (Palaio Frourio), which has built on and over by many people, but originally by the Byzantines in the 6th century. Close by is the Palace of Saints Michael and George (Palaia Anaktora) with lovely little gardens and great views.

Old Fort

Views Around The Sea Side Road

Looking Back At The Old Fort

Wew made our way around the perimeter of the Old Town on the sea side road to the New Fort (Neo Frourio), which was built in the 1500's.......coming from Australia makes all of these dates sound incredible. We are so used to talking about Australia as a convict colony of Britain and that is only a couple of hundred years old...I think we need to study more about Aboriginal history which dates back thousands of years, just a pity they were so nomadic and there are not the old buildings we are all look for when talking about history.

Hallfway around the sea side road we stopped for lunch, Dips, Stuffed Peppers and Tomatoes, and Octopus, all washed down with local Beer and Wine......great food and great location with views across to Vido Island, the Greek mainland, Albania, and the highest point in Corfu, Mount Pantokrator.

Lunchtime

Vido Island and Mount Pantokrator

After lunch we continued our walk around to the New Fort and the Port of Corfu.

New Fort and Harbour

From the New Fort we just weaved our way back through the old narrow streets of the Old Town. It was like walking through a maze of narrow laneways that kept opening up on small squares with restaurants and/or churches.

We had a great day walking around here and we will be coming back here quite a bit during our stay, this place is great.

 

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Staying Local

Today we got up to no electricity (it finally came back on around 1:00pm) so deciding to make the best of things we decided to do an explore of the local area.

Views Down The Coast

Yesterday when I walked down to the grocery stall there was a feeling about this area that I could not put my finger on...Lesley nailed it this morning by stating " This place has a similar feel to Ubud in Bali the way a lot of buildings have fallen into disrepair, but you still feel comfortable being here".....that was it, in a nutshell!!

Buildings Past Their Best

We headed south in the opposite direction that I went yesterday and within only a few hundred metres had found a few more small grocery shops and a number of places to eat. What was really exciting about the eateries was that a number of them were advertising a variety of "fresh seafood" dishes, and you know how much we like eating local dishes!!

After walking a bit further and checking out a few of the other "beaches" (will have to hire a car and go for a drive around the island to find some nice sandy ones) we decided to return to one of the tavernas that was advertising fresh seafood that we had passed earlier for some lunch, Avra Taverna.

Avra Taverna

The Bad News....you may have guessed it by now...no electricity, the Good News...this was not going to stop them and they had a limited menu of fish dishes that could be prepared on the BBQ.

We ordered the Sardines and Green Salad, and the Octopus and Green Salad. The fish was fresh and smokey and tasted great, however, the real surprise was the green salad...it was great with heaps of greens including fennel, bitter greens, a mixture of lettuces and quite a bit more...wow what a taste. I would have to say the Italians have a thing or two to learn from the Greeks when it comes to a Green Salad!! All of this was washed down with some cold local Alfa beer...a perfect and very tasty lunch.

Caught In The Morning..Eaten At Lunch!

A Great Meal With A Great View

An Even Better View...lol

After a relaxing lunch we made our way back to the Pontikonisi Cafe just over from our apartment and sat enjoying the views while drinking Iced Lemon Teas......this is a lot better day than yesterday and we can just see each day getting better as we settle in to being here.

Plane Spotting..Our New Hobby

Plane Spotting...Oh by the way, the winner today is Thomas Cook Airlines...far outscoring the opposition.

 

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First Day In Corfu

Today has been a long day and we have packed a lot into it. It is times like this when you realise what a big country Australia is, and what a small continent Europe is with so many countries in it.....

This morning we were up and getting ready in our hotel room in Rome at just after 3am. We checked out, and picked up the breakfast boxes from reception that the hotel had kindly put together for us, and we made our way to the bus airport transfer stop about 10 minutes away.

Let me tell you Rome does not look its best at 4am around the Rail Station.....lots of homeless people asleep on and under cardboard, prostitutes either trying to pick up or in the process of conducting business, drunks making their way home or to the next bar, and the constant smell of urine through the streets..the highlight was walking past what appeared to be an mostly male filled night club with the Village People's YMCA blasting out.....hmmm, Police Academy and The Blue Oyster Bar comes to mind.

Within a few minutes we were on the bus. Half an hour later we were at Ciampino Airport checking in. Our flight left at 6:30am and just under one and a half hours we were in Corfu...gees for that flying time back home I would still be on the plane flying from Melbourne to Brisbane.

One problem...when we got to the airport our prepaid ride to the apartments was not there. After a few phone calls and about an hour later (after everyone else had left the airport) we were eventually picked up by our organised driver to take us to the apartments in Perama. Wow, somebody got out of bed on the wrong side, he obviously did not want to be driving anybody anywhere...he soon decided he did not know where to take us so he was on the phone to head office abusing them. So we jumped into the mini bus and headed off in the direction of Perama, within 15 minutes we were driving past our apartment...STOP...he looked bewildered as we explained that we had just passed our destination. No reversing back or turning around for this guy, he just got out opened the door for us and put our bags on the roadside....now that's what I call service...lol....it was just as well that he only overshot the apartment by about 30 metres.

Where we are staying has the most amazing views. Our window looks across to a little island called Mouse Island, and further across the Ionian Sea to the mainland of Greece, quite stunning. Now you may have heard the expression "In life it is give and take" well, we understand that meaning staying here.....we have got the most amazing views, but.........Mouse Island is under the flight path for the airport (forget Train Spotting, one could spend a great day here Plane Spotting) and we face one onto the main road for north south traffic and that noise is constant.....hmmmm, Tranquility vs Noise....The great thing is we have access to the whole area across the road, the cafe, the hotel, the pool, the beach (of sorts, lots of pebbles and a concrete platform) etc. and it is quite a bit quieter over there, and we will be using it a lot.

The View To Mouse Island

View Over To XXX and.....The Runway!!

SPEAK UP I CANNOT HEAR YOU.......

What We would Call A Concrete Slab, They Call A Beach

Another plus we have is that we have a great little cafe/bar across the road that sells really great food, also the staff are very friendly which adds to the whole experience of eating there. So we had lunch and dinner there....we will go exploring tomorrow and see what else is on offer in the area.

Cafe Pontikonisi

No Street Noise Here

Now That's A Cold Beer

I think that we overdid dinner, we ordered a Variety Platter for two, what a great selection of really tasty Greek foods, it was like a big plate of Greek Tapas...yum! However there was one problem with it....it was just too much we could not get through it all.

A Great Selection Of Greek Foods

Then about 8pm all of the power went out in the area, we decided to stay in the bar until it came back on as what is the point of sitting in a dark apartment. Just after 9pm we were just too tired so we went back to our dark apartment...10 minutes later the power was back..oh, well time to sleep anyway.

My highlight of the day was when I took a walk down to the nearest grocery store to buy some fresh fruit and water. It took 10 minutes to get to this little store that had a good selection of goods for its size, the best thing was the freshness of all of the fruit and vegetables. Anyway I picked up a big shopping bag of fruit and six large bottles of sparkling water, when I paid the friendly old man who owned the store looked very concerned when he gave me the change...he asked me how far I had to go carrying all of this? I told him it was a short 10 minute walk away, no problems at all. Well, he obviously felt it was too far and insisted he give me a ride back to the apartment on the back of the scooter.....ahh what the heck!! So with the water bottles at his feet, me on the back with the bag of shopping, no helmets, off we went .... In hindsight I don't think our travel insurance would have actually covered me if anything had happened though!!!

10 minutes There, 1 minute Back

Footnote: We woke up Monday morning after a difficult night sleep...what with the road noise and the concrete slab that they call a mattress...to find that there was no electricity..again!! We went across to reception to find that the electricity will be out until midday, we hope!

So here we are in Perama on Corfu, where the majority of locals are very nice and friendly, the weather is just right (low 30's), the views are incredible, the food is very tasty, the beer is lovely and cold, the beds are rock hard, and peace and quiet is non-existent!

 

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