Th e
Ionian www. t h e i o n i a n . c o m
FΔΩRΡΕEΑEΝ T A KE ON E
Mesaria bread and bougainvillea - Andy James
The Ionian
Travel, yachting and lifestyle magazine for the Ionian Islands and adjacent mainland Greece. Vol. 5, Issue 5 – Sept. 2014 Publisher and Editor Barbara Molin Advisory Board Yannis Dimopoulos Justin Smith Layout Ryan Smith Advertising advertising@theionian.com www.theionian.com
We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of each issue. However, we cannot be held liable for any errors or omissions. The contributors' opinions are their own. Printed in Greece.
Back To School
Editorial
September is already here! How quickly the summer passed. Children are returning to school and the retired who escaped the summer's heat and the crowds up north are back to enjoy the quiet anchorages and slower pace at their favourite tavernas. This month we have Maddie Grigg and Andy James writing about Corfu Island. Maddie's contribution is The Achilleion Palace describing one of the island's famous estates, while Andy lets us in on some of his favourite haunts in Corfu's Most Beautiful Village. Our cover photo is by Peter Jeffrey. He tells us that when he took the image it was early morning in July, when the sun hadn't quite risen over Albania and so gave a warmevenlightofKassiopi's beaches toshowtheIonian's greatclarityandcolour. Happy reading... ≈≈_/)* Barbara Molin
The Achilleion Palace
the palace’s glory days seem long gone. There is an air of shabby melancholy about the place, as if the building is quietly saying ‘I was much more MADDIE GRIGG beautiful than this in years gone by.’ It’s a place people either love or hate. The palace was built between 1889-1891 at the top of a Often described as an over-the-top piece of German hill in Gastouri, a village just inland from the coastal kitsch, the Achilleion Palace is one of those places on resort of Benitses. It was created for Elisabeth, the your must-see list if you are in Corfu. Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, who was also I, for one, like it very much. Its opulence is overwhelming known as Sisi. The architect was Raffaele Caritto, an in places. Its great staircase hits you as soon as you enter, Italian who built it in the Pompeian style. a celebration of Greek mythology, with statues of Zeus Sisi named her palace the Achilleion because she greatly and Hera and other deities playing supporting roles. admired the Greek hero Achilles. He was the one who Outside, you are surrounded by statues of all shapes and famously turned the tables at Troy by killing Hector but sizes, the most valuable of which is Dying Achilles by died a tragic death by an arrow to the heel, fired, German sculptor Ernst Gustav Herter, who was professor according to some sources, by Paris. Sisi considered that of sculpture at the Berlin Academy. Achilles combined Greek divine beauty (he was Whilst a visit to the Achilleion is worth the effort, descended from the sea nymph Thetis) valour and tragic particularly if you get there before the tour buses arrive, fate.
Pride of place in the Achilleion gardens is the Dying Achilles statue, along with a larger-than-life sized bronze of the hero which was installed by the Kaiser, the German Emperor Wilhelm II. Sisi spoke fluent Greek and visited the Achilleion twice a year until 1898 when she was killed in Geneva with a dagger wielded by an Italian anarchist. After her death the palace was closed for nine years until it was sold by her daughter to the Kaiser, who used it as a summer residence. He visited it until 1814 when World War I was declared. During the war, the Achilleion was used as a military hospital by French and Serbian troops. By the end of the war, the property was passed to the Greek State. During 1941-1944, it was used by the Italian and German occupation forces as military headquarters, returning to the Greeks’ possession at the end of World War II. In 1963, a private company leased it and turned the upper floors into a casino, the first in Greece. It features in the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only in 1981. Two years later, the palace came under the management of the Greek Tourism Organisation. It was restored in 1994 and has been used as a museum ever since. Maddie Grigg writes a blog The World from My Window, recounting tales from Corfu and Dorset.
Corfu's Most Beautiful Village ANDY JAMES
Browsing the internet for inspiration as to which of Corfu's delightful villages I should visit during a short holiday in early June I found several sources. One stood out in its simplicity and boldness, seeking "the most beautiful village on the island" based upon recommendations from local people. To those people; a heartfelt "thank you." Such has been my pleasure in following your guidance I feel compelled to share it. I trust my simple review does your charming homes justice. Just 7 km south of Corfu Town, Kinopiastes nestles among olive groves and orchards. Perhaps best known for Trypas Taverna's Greek nights, visitors who don't stroll through Kinopiastes before dinner miss a treat. Traditional stone houses with faded shutters and half-pipe tile roofs stand in harmony with modern dwellings in cream, peach, ochre or pale yellow. Houses without flowers either in pots or a garden are rare and bougainvillea abounds. The 17th century monastery is being restored yet the magnificence of its interior is already a joy to behold. In the village square ladies in black talk conspiratorially on shady benches offering a cheery response to any who take the time to smile and say "kalimera", while cats dozing in the heat stare quizzically before resuming their slumber. The hillside overlooking Palaiokastritsa is terraced with olive groves and vines; perched on a ledge in the middle of which is Lakones. The road narrows dramatically in the middle of the village and as the terrain is steep there are few side streets. Narrow steps give access to old stone houses with fading whitewash lending the village a timelessness. Newer properties built sympathetically and often in pink, cream or pastel yellow, intermingle with traditional buildings. Popular with visitors, many only visit the tourist haunts and miss the delights of the real Lakones and the friendliness I experienced. Where better to marvel at breathtaking views over the sapphire sea and misty hills beyond than from a cafe or snack bar in the village? Little more than 3 km over the headland north-west of Lakones as the crow flies, yet over 6 km by road due to the steepness of the terrain, rests the tiny village of Prinilas. With glimpsed views over Agios Georgios and the bay to the east this traditional hamlet exudes peace and tranquility. I found myself wincing at my footfall crunching on gravel as I walked to the well preserved 14th century church of Agios Nikolaus with its pastel-shaded bell tower. With no shops or cafe Prinilas seems rarely disturbed by the traffic more
N ym fe s
common elsewhere. Along a fascinating alleyway I encountered purple bougainvillaea of breathtaking profusion and vibrancy; my pleasure heightened by the elegance with which brimstone butterflies capered among the blooms. Arriving at the village square on a track through olive terracing and having seen several dancing fritillaries I was already well-disposed towards Nymfes. Well known for its kumquat orchards some of which rest in a narrow green valley between the main village to the north and the smaller southern part, there is more to Nymfes than fruit. More even than the springtime waterfalls where legendary nymphs bathed. Drawing my eye away from a circling buzzard I saw traditional houses and newer developments, many in white but with stone and pastel shades too. Red roofs among trees and palms enchant under a cloudless azure sky. Crisscrossed with narrow paths, forays into the village beyond the main road reveal an artist's delight of picturesque houses and shady gardens. Appearing from a distance like a patched ochre cap on a richly wooded knoll, Mesaria discretely welcome visitors. Yet with no shop or cafe few see beyond the main road. Although an impression of gentility may be gained from here with the sympathetic proximity of original and renovated buildings, real gems lay behind. Ancient stone barns, narrow whitewashed houses and tiny gardens thickly planted with flowers and vegetables intermingle like a complex jigsaw. While I admired her display an old lady, greeting me with M esari a "calla, calla" (beautiful, beautiful), picked a red geranium for me to savour. Nearby a swallowtail rested delicately on a pink bloom. Was beauty ever more refined, or an old lady's greeting more apt? So which village earned the title "most beautiful" on the website that inspired me? Perhaps recalling Plato's oft quoted view that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, it chose not to be that courageous. Having found beauty in each of these places in different ways, I do likewise. Although Corfu is blessed with many beautiful villages, most beautiful are the people without whom a village would be but a museum. Thank you all for making me so welcome.
足 Our Ads Work 足 Reach Sailors, Tourists, Expats, and Locals Advertise your business or event in The Ionian magazine. advertising@theionian.com