21 Corfu – Portrait or Landscape, that is the question

Todays tour of Corfu was fairly laid back, with the biggest decision being, do I take that photo in portrait or landscape.

Our driver was Dimitri, who happens to be the CEO of Corfu Taxi Private Tours, . Well I am not sure of how much of an honour it was, as all his other drivers chose to take the route most taken (no pun intended), covering the traditional Corfu Highlights tours. 

We had done this previously, so we chose to do the advanced tour. Dimitri structured our day based on the photographic beauty of the island. This meant not fighting the traffic of the main tourist traps which made this tour laid back for everyone, including our driver… 😊, hmm maybe there was a method to his madness.
Dimitri's biggest claim to fame would be that he has the reddest hair on the island, which he says came from a distant English descendant (I am thinking maybe Scottish!! ).
This tour was so laid back that I really forgot to pay much attention to the names of where we visited, so If I have made a mistake, forgive me…

Our first stop was at Gouvia, here stand the remains of an old Venetian Ship yard. From there we moved around the bay to the village of Kommeno. Depending of which angle you look at it, this simple little stone whitewash church seems to float on the water. Another angle it sits on the beach like one of those exclusive seaside properties.

We now headed up into the mountains following a winding road full of hair pin turns, which wouldn't be so bad if the roads weren't quite so narrow. Not to worry, as were rewarded with beautiful views of the valley at every turn. We had forgotten how prevalent olive trees are on Corfu. Growing on
the side of the roads, with trunks so thick, you know they have been there for hundreds of years. Wild maybe, but the nets strategically placed beneath to catch the falling olives means that someone is enjoying their fruits.

Up on the mountain Dimitri drops us off at the start of a small village called Ano-Korakiana. He leaves us to our own devices to stroll and take pictures of the picturesque stone houses, that have either been given a pastel coat of paint or left in their original stone-grey colour.

Narrow lanes thread around the houses, where cars are slowly maneuvered, and scrapes are not an option.

At the next beautiful village of Sokraki we stopped for coffee and managed to purchase a large grazing board made from the trunk of a 500-year-old Olive tree. Lucky we are cruising back home

 

We continued to weave our way around the mountains until we reached the other side of the island. We waved to all the Princess tourists as we drove past the commercial tourist trap, which did come with a view. We stopped at a small niche in the road, and a man jumped out from under an umbrella and let the rope down so we could walk out and enjoy spectacular views of Paleokastritsa, small island that looks like it is tethered to the mainland by the road and the surrounding sandy beach.  The whole vista is of Liapades bay and is edged by beautiful beaches and resorts. So clear are the waters that you can see all the reefs below.

Now back to that little man under the umbrella, who Dimitri calls his personal jukebox - drop a coin

onto his table and out comes the piano accordion. Now you have a view with a tune, a lively zorba, that as a Greek makes you feel like breaking into dance. if only my cousin Victoria was with us.

It was now time for lunch and close by was a wonderful village bakery. Not just a bakery, but corner store, deli and coffee shop. We sit out the back on a balcony that seems to precariously overhang the house below. But this is forgotten after the first sip of coffee and the first mouthful of their freshly made feta and home grown tomatoes smothered in olive oil. Nothing remains on the plate as the last of the liquid is lapped up by the moreish fresh bread.

Now I didn't know this until I just googled it to work out which stop it was, but before heading back down to sea level we had one last panoramic view to enjoy. The village was Pelekas, and the spot is known as Kaiser's Throne. In the past this was the observatory where Wilhelm II came to find privacy and to relax looking at the beautiful view. Here the ruins still stand, and you can climb the surviving stairs to enjoy the same view.

Back down at sea level on the same side of Corfu town is the village of Kanoni. With the planes taking off and landing in the background, little Pontikonissi (Mouse Island) looks like it is scurrying from one side of the bay to the other. And here the Vlacherna Monastery seems moored alongside the pier along with the little boats that surround it.

With enough time to take a few pictures we returned to Old Corfu Town. It was a wonderful, relaxed day full of amazing photographic opportunities. 

Hitting way over target with 447,117 steps..