Wow! What a crazy day! We arrived in Corfu Greece at 8:30 this morning. Fog and rain not any different than what we saw the last few days. We were starting to get frustrated to say the least, however you can’t change Mother Nature! She was very kind to us about 12:30 and allowed the sun to shine in! The rest of the day was absolutely beautiful!
Before we started our self walking tour we checked the time to see how much time we had to tour around Corfu. Our ship was leaving at 2:30 so that gives us 2 hours ! Plenty of time to walk around and see some history and beauty of this island. Or so we thought.
Our ship wasn’t the only one here. There were a total of 5 ships in port today. The gentleman in one of the shops told us this happened 2 times a year. Well, aren’t we the lucky ones!
We decided a hop on hop off bus would get us to the main sites quicker. The girl that sold us the tickets said the entire trip around the island without exiting the bus was 1 hour. That was very doable. We worked our plan to get off at a couple of stops I had earmarked and still have time.
By the time we arrived at the first stop, due to massive traffic, it was already 30 minutes into our plan. So we stopped at one beautiful and crazy windy place and took some photos and then waited for the next bus to arrive so we could get to stop 2.
At 1:30 we are sitting in traffic getting a little nervous about our trip back to the ship by 2:30. We had to get off this bus and walk a ways to the terminal and then to the ship. That’s twice through security.
We made it and was standing in line with 100s of other passengers in our same situation. A very crazy day but a beautiful one. Now, let’s get to what we were able to see!
Corfu is a Greek island located in the Ionian Sea, off the coast of Albania. The island has a rich history dating back to the 7th century BC. and was ruled by a number of different civilizations over the centuries, including the Greeks, Romans, Venetians, and British.
They have two fortresses. An old one and a new one.
The New Fortress is a Venetian fortress located on the eastern tip of Corfu Town. It was built in the 16th century and is smaller than the Old Fortress but necessary because the old Fortress could no longer provide safety against their enemies.
The Old Fortress is a massive castle that was built in the early 15th century by the Venetians
The Holy Church of St. George was built in 1840 by the British during their period of rule over the Ionian Islands. The church is dedicated to St. George, who is one of the most important saints in the Orthodox Christian faith. It is located in the old Fortress.
The Holy Monastery of Palagia is a 17th-century monastery located on the island of Pontikonisi. The monastery is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It is known for its beautiful views of the surrounding area. We loved the view but couldn’t stay long.
The Basilica of Paleopolis is a 6th-century Byzantine church It is one of the oldest and most important archaeological sites on Corfu. The basilica was destroyed by a German air raid during the 2nd world war.
Overall, even though it was a rushed day due to lots of rain, it’s hard not to see how we had a very nice time exploring Corfu
May God bless you always!
Chuck and Lea Ann
WorldTravelReynolds 