Unexpected Corfu and a quick visit to Albania
It’s only a short flight from the UK and this was just before the season was getting into full swing. We were aware it’s not exactly an ‘undiscovered’ island but then there is always something new to discover for yourself and we were not to be disappointed. It may be a restaurant with a romantic ambience or a handmade shoe shop tucked away in an alley of Corfu Town or a day trip to a spectacular setting but Corfu certainly surprised us.
It all started with a visit to the aforementioned Corfu Town, which I found to be small enough to wander around and get lost in the shopping lanes between the fantastically imposing Old and New Fortresses that dominate the beautiful yellow roofed Venetian style skyline. The port is also here allowing for some enjoyable day trips (or longer) to some other special places and making multi centre holidays a possibility too.
One excursion took us to two beautiful places - Parga and Paxos. Parga is actually on mainland Greece and although it takes a while to get there the pleasant ferry ride and stunning arrival makes it worthwhile. The bulk of the town is a riot of colourful homes spilling over the small hill down to the harbour and it is another place to get lost in winding lanes and find a café to while away some time. When arriving to Paxos the main town Gaios has a sophisticated vibe and it has a lovely protected marina and some undeveloped bays around the headland that have the turquoise coloured sea that you think only exists in brochures.
The other excursion by sea was to Albania! An unusual destination for sure, as a recent communist past had meant that visiting this country had been a bit difficult in times past but as changes have been happening it is becoming easier to visit. I enjoyed the short tour that took us to see the UNESCO World heritage site of Butrint with ruins from the Greek, Roman and Ottoman periods.
Back to Corfu and mixed in with some relaxing around the pool came a visit to Paleokastritsa, a beautiful hills and cliffs area that drops down to small bays and marinas and with a prominent but attractive monastery on one of the last outcrops to explore too. A memorable episode along the way was the shepherd manoeuvring his herd along the road oblivious to all the traffic, showing that the old ways are still yet to completely disappear from this part of the world.
Achilleion Palace was another short adventure out and is Corfu’s number one attraction for several reasons, the setting being the primary one, on a hillside with views to Corfu Town, over the countryside and over the sparkling sea to mainland Greece. The Palace itself is a spectacular building dreamed up by an Austrian Empress and dedicated to the mythological hero Achilles and although it is invariably busy it will still bring you back to a bygone age.
Corfu is the sort of place that you can visit in just a few days for a short break as it is relatively near but the things to do, the weather, the Greek food and the friendly feel makes you want to stay longer or come back again soon.