Corfu

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Postcards from Corfu by Angelos Giallinas (and Corfu nature walks and hikes)

Monastery of Palaiokastritsa

Today, I am thrilled to share an original article by a gifted and highly knowledgeable author and journalist, Hilary Whitton Paipeti, who I am honored to call a friend.

Also, let me ask you. Do you enjoy Corfu walks and hikes? Scroll to the bottom of this article for an unmissable tip!

Hilary gave me the most beautiful gift when we met this summer – a bunch of reprints of old Corfu postcards by legendary artist, George Giallinas. It is a gift I will cherish forever.

I have chosen a couple to share with you here, and I will let Hilary tell you in her own words why these postcards and this artist are so special.

For one, I am enchanted by what I see in these paintings – a Corfu that is long gone since the emergence of organised tourism that irreversibly changed village life and the look of many of the island’s iconic locations.

Without further ado, enjoy Hilary’s article:

Benitses

Postcards from Corfu by Angelos Giallinas

By Hilary Whitton Paipeti

The best postcards of Corfu ever produced were reproductions of Angelos Giallinas’s gorgeous watercolours. They were printed in Corfu by the Aspiotis-ELKA printworks, which operated in a large building, now a school, located behind the Ionian University on Kapodistrias Street. The postcards featured mainly village scenes, and are now collectors items.

Angelos Giallinas (1857-1939) is generally regarded as Corfu’s foremost watercolour artist, and his paintings, immensely popular during his lifetime, command high prices. Transparent and full of light, they capture the charm of Corfu. Much imitated (though never matched), his work remains popular up to the present day. Giallinas travelled extensively in Greece and Europe, painting and exhibiting as he went. Among his most famous works are his views of Athens and its classical monuments, and a series featuring Constantinople; but his Corfiot landscapes remain the best loved. And it was these that he made into postcards.

Their publication, which date from the decade of 1910 and onwards, was a clever commercial move which netted the artist a good income. It was the heyday of the Angleterre Hotel (Bella Venezia), where Europe’s aristocracy comprised the main clientele. The hotel was located above the Orpheas Cinema on Zambellis Street, next to the existing hotel of the same name (it was destroyed by German bombs on the night of 13 September 1943). The Aspiotis-ELKA printworks was just over the road (and the artist’s town house faces the Esplanade nearby), so the Giallinas cards would not have far to travel to the individual who commissioned them!

The Old Venetian Walls (Mouragia), Corfu town

At the time, these cards carried the ‘wish you were here’ message out to Europe. How many people visited Corfu after receiving a card featuring one of Giallinas’s lovely views? Vlaherena with Pontikonissi behind… Paleokastritsa’s bays and hinterland from the Monastery… The Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George… a vista taking in Karoussades and the vale behind… rocks at Paleokastritsa… the Mourayia bathed in morning sunlight… the Peristyle of the Achillion with its statues… the Church of Agia Barbara in Potamos… view from the Pelekas summit… View of Pelekas village… the twin peaks of Pantokrator from the sea… the Old Fortress at dawn… Benitses (my own favourite)…and many more.

Agios Varvaros Church, Potamos

Giallinas almost destroyed the art of watercolour painting in Corfu. His paintings were so gorgeous (and popular) that every subsequent watercolorist tried to copy him. Problem was, Giallinas painted light, and the later artists couldn’t, however hard they tried. The trend led to a marked lack of unoriginality as no-one in this medium dared to try anything new.

Due to the printing process, the postcards really don’t capture the wonderful light of the originals.

Another artist whose work was reproduced on postcards was Vikentios Bocatsiambis (1856 – 1932: an almost exact contemporary of Giallinas). Also printed by the Aspiotis printworks, these cards appear to date from the 1940s and 50s, after the artist’s death.

In contrast to the landscapes of Giallinas’s cards, they feature portraits of peasant ladies in costume, and serve as a record of the island’s lovely national dress. At the time when Bocatsiambis was painting, the costumes varied substantially from village to village; now, on show at touristic ‘Greek Nights’, it is almost completely restricted to the Gastouri wedding outfit.

Hilary is pictured at the centre in this photo. Image source: https://walkswithtsb.blogspot.com/2018/06/no-blogs-for-couple-of-weeks-as-we-have.html

Hilary Whitton Paipeti, a resident of Corfu, writes for the FREE Corfiot e-newspaper, The Agiot.

She also enjoys taking tourists on group walks and hikes around the beautiful countryside of the island. You can visit Hilary’s sites, Corfu Walks and The Corfu Trail, for more information.

To check out her e-book, In the Footsteps of Lawrence Durrell and Gerald Durrell in Corfu, as well as her forthcoming publication, visit this page.

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Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. The story is inspired from the author’s love for Moraitika and its people. Now, also available as an audio book! Visit Amazon

Beach fun and sweet romance mixed with magic spells and bird shifters! The Raven Witch of Corfu is an original story that will rivet you with its unrelenting suspense. The final twist will blow your mind! Available in paperback , box set or 4 kindle episodes! Visit Amazon
 
For my delicious Greek recipes, go here. 
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out my  FREE guide to south Corfu!
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Haunting family memories from Corfu, captured in a short read

My Corfu Love Story is a book very close to my heart. It started as a short story, “My Holiday With Granny,” where I tried to capture the feeling I get every time I stay in my Corfiot grandmother’s house in the old quarter of Moraitika village, now that both she and my grandfather have passed away.

This tiny house in the old village quarter still talks to me, and I can hear their voices, I hear their laughter in every corner. Sometimes, the memories come flowing into my mind like an avalanche, and it becomes overwhelming.

Hence, it is an odd experience to stay in that house – it makes for a summer holiday that’s both delightful and sad each time, I guess, but this a price I pay with gratitude for all the love and care I have received from my grandparents since infancy.

I spent many three-month-long summers in that house as a youngster with my grandparents, and it is this hauntiness that I experience in their home now that has inspired so many of the scenes in My Corfu Love Story (just as it happened with my largely autobiographical novel, The Ebb, of course).

My Corfu Love Story is set in Moraitika and Messonghi in south Corfu – two quaint villages that still remain my corner of heaven on Earth. This short read is one of my most popular reads to this day, and it goes to show that clean stories about family still touch people out there.

So, what do you think? Would you like to escape to this blessed island for a couple hours, if only with your mind?

Hit the button below to check out My Corfu Love Story now!

VISIT AMAZON

 

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A clean romantic suspense short read with an unreliable narrator that’ll keep you guessing!  Visit Amazon
For my delicious Greek recipes, go here. 
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out my  FREE guide to south Corfu!

 

 
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A personal account, pertaining to an obligation toward my late grandmother from Corfu

Today, I am pouring my heart out, folks, to share a personal account about my late grandmother. Those who have followed me for a while or read my novels, know what she and my late grandfather meant to me.

This summer, like we often do, my husband, Andy, and I spent a little over a week in Moraitika, Corfu. As always, it was a mixture of different things. During that short time, you try to do what you can – you don’t always relax but rather live on the clock. We managed to see only precious few people out of all those we wanted to see, in between trying to get one swim a day and to shape up my grandparents’ crumbling old house as best we could.

This tiny house in the old quarter of Moraitika on the hill is where I used to stay with my grandparents, Spyros and Antigoni Vassilakis, as a young girl, mainly in the 80s.

I aspire to be able to stay there for longer periods in future and make it a comfortable place to stay in. We hope to manage it as of next year when my husband retires from his job. Luckily, me being a writer means I can take my work anywhere.

This summer, Granny’s old fridge packed in from the first day. It was an interesting experience, if anything, to have to shop daily so we could cook and consume the food in its entirety each day.

But, on top of everything else, this odd vacation will forever stay indellible in my memory because I brought to Corfu with me my granny’s old bones. Yes. Literally. Her bones.

Last year, when I visited my father’s homeland – the island of Limnos – I brought Granny’s bones along with me back to Athens in a special metallic box. I kept it in my mother’s grave here all winter.

 
 

Granny had passed away in 2016 while staying with my parents on Limnos and was buried there, despite her wish to be buried on Corfu. It was a terrible time for my family, the timing of her passing truly abysmal. Basically, my granny suffered a fall and was commited to hospital on Limnos just as my mother got diagnosed with cancer and had to rush to Athens to start chemo.

I guess, if I ever wrote this in a book people would hound me. They’d never believe these things can happen, and yet they do. At the time, I lost the earth under my feet and felt like the whole world had conspired against me to make sure I would be away from my granny when she needed me the most… I had to be here in Athens for my mother.

And thus, Granny died alone on Limnos while in the care of strangers. The day she left Athens, I even had a premonition I wouldn’t see her again, and as it were, I never did.

All I got as a goodbye was to manage to speak to her on the phone a couple days before her passing. Her blood had been infected after the fall, and she didn’t communicate well verbally. She mumbled that day on the phone a lot, and I couldn’t understand a word she was saying. But then, just as I lost hope, as if it were an act of mercy from Heaven, she spoke a single coherent phrase that I will always cherish:

“May you always be well, kyra mou, may you always be well.”

(“Kyra mou” means “my lady” – it’s a popular term of endearment in Corfu.)

I knew then that Granny was saying goodbye. She had also told my mother a couple days earlier, “Don’t come visit me on Monday, I won’t be here. I’m going to Corfu.” I knew then, too, that she was getting ready to go.

In the evening of Easter Monday, my granny passed away alone in a room having been fed her last meal by a stranger. I can only imagine how sad or afraid she must have felt, despite her confused mind at the time.

But I console myself with the thought that my grandfather, her dearest Spyros, if not her beloved parents too, had come to escort her on her journey to Heaven at her dying hour.

My parents were on Limnos at the time, planning to leave two days later to resume my mother’s chemotherapy in Athens. In record time, they could only arrange for a quick funeral at the village of Lychna, near our family home there. Transportation of Granny’s remains to Corfu was going to take time, effort and personal attendance there – for all of us, at the time, these things were impossible because of my mother’s illness.

Tragically, my Corfiot granny couldn’t have died any further from Corfu since Limnos is on the diametrically opposite edge of Greece – in the northeast Aegean, opposite the shores of Turkey.

Granny, who adored her home in Moraitika and her island, literally used to say, “I don’t want to leave my bones on Limnos.”

And yet, she stayed buried there for eight difficult years, while I took care of my mother in Athens, then my father too, who both suffered greatly with cancer.

Finally, this blessed year, having lost them both, I was able to fulfill my obligation to my granny, this time, to return her bones to Corfu so that she could be buried in the family tomb with my grandfather, who died back in 2010. This was where she wanted to rest.

I placed their wedding wreaths in the grave with them, fullfilling her wishes to the letter.

My inability to complete this task all these years had been a longstanding thorn inside of me, and as it’s all dissolved now, I feel I can share this painful account with you all.

I thought it might provide comfort to anyone who may also feel guilty after the loss of someone dear to them, for whatever reason. Really, we always do what we can do. And no one, not even God, ever expects us to do the impossible.

But even so, after the passing of a loved one, we can still do a small act to honor them and to provide rest for their soul, not to mention solace to our own.

Which brings me to this glass jar that has been very important to me since Granny died…

 

At the first opportunity after Granny’s passing, I left this jar at her grave on Limnos. Inside it, I placed a handwritten note, as well as dirt and pebbles from various places my granny loved on her island, such as Corfu town, Moraitika, Messonghi, and even from her front yard.

In my note, among other things, I expressed my wish that these contents would help her find comfort in that foreign ground until she could lie with Granddad in Moraitika, as she wanted.

This summer, my trip to Moraitika has been healing for me, and I like to think that it was the same for her soul too. Granny “spent” two nights in her home, the home she always longed to return to, until the priest of Moraitika called me to perform a blessing at the grave where Granddad was buried.

After that, we put Granny’s remains inside.

Once it was all done, the relief I felt was tremendous. I didn’t know what to do with the jar, which I’d brought with me to Corfu. I wanted the contents to be released into the world in a meaningful way that I could remember forever with equal relief.

After much deliberation, I poured the jar contents at our favourite spot on the beach in Moraitika, where Granny used to take me and my sister swimming. Most of the pebbles I had taken from there, anyway.

As for the note, I took it in the water with me folded up in my palm as I swam on my last day. Once it soaked into nothing, I simply opened my hand and let the tiny bits sink down to the seabed. Truly, it made my heart sing, as this jar had become the symbol of my unfulfilled obligation to Granny, the symbol of my pain in a wound that kept gushing open for so long.

And with that, I’ll explain why this is important.

You see, the Greeks have a history of honoring the bones of their dead.

When the Asia Minor Catastrophe took place in 1922, the Greeks who fled from the now Turkish shores (Greek towns at the time), took with them, along with very few belongings, the bones of their dead. They didn’t want them left behind, the graves desecrated by a non-Christian, barbaric enemy.

In the same vein, there are people today who bring back home the bones of their ancestors, who died as emmigrants in faraway lands, even as far as the United States or Australia.

Why? Because in Christian Orthodox belief, the bones are alive–or, rather, have the potentiality to come alive again.

This is a deeply rooted belief in the hearts of the Greek Orthodox.

For one, we believe that from the bones we will rise again at the Second Coming. This is why burial continues to be the number one choice at funerals in Greece and why very few (non-believers, mostly) choose cremation.

We also believe that the dead do not find peace unless their bones rest where they wanted to be buried.

Here, I think it’s apt to refer to the vision of Prophet Ezekiel (chapter 37). During the vision, the prophet walked through a valley filled with dry bones. God spoke to him, and intructed him to talk to the bones and bring them back to life.

Soon, the bones began to come together, nerves and flesh covering them, and then skin formed around them too. And then, came The Holy Spirit and blew life into the bodies, and they rose, alive anew.

A reference to people coming alive from their bones is also made in the Book of Matthew (27:52-53). The moment Jesus died on the cross, an earthquake caused saintly people to rise from their graves, enter Jerusalem and begin to walk among the living.

So, yeah. Bones are important according to the Greeks. Just as the dead are still very much themselves and alive, just not in the physical.

From the plethora of accounts of visions, miracles, and even near death experiences that I have listened to all my life, I actually believe that, in the spiritual realm, the dead are even more alive than we are, and way more powerful than we’ll ever be.

 

Since the day when I fullfilled my long-standing obligation to my grandparents, I had a dream one night. I was walking to their house, and when I got there, they welcomed me together.

Just as they’d done hundreds of times before, they hugged and greeted me, and kept on laughing with exceptional gaiety. I then looked down at myself and was shocked to find I was naked from the waist up. It caused me great shame to think that on my way there people had seen me in that state, but my grandparents seemed amused by my shock, as if my shame was unfounded, as if they couldn’t see my nakedness.

Needless to say, I awoke with a light heart that morning. The dream signalled to me that they’re happy and I no longer need to feel bad, ashamed, or guilty towards them because they had to wait for so long to rest together, or because I wasn’t there to hold Granny’s hand on her last days.

 
 

Finally, now, they lie together as they wanted. And now that I’m back in Athens, I think of their grave on that serene mountainside of Moraitika, and for the first time, I can smile…

To read more about my grandparents and to see old photos, you’re welcome to visit these posts:

A Lifetime of Corfu Summers

Remembering my Grandparents

And, in this post, you can read more about the beliefs (and the Orthodox rituals) of the Greeks pertaining to their deceased:

What is Psychosavato (Soul Saturday)? Learn all about the Greek Orthodox traditions and beliefs about the dead. Wheat berry offerings, the knots bracelet, the soul’s journey to heaven and more

 

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For my delicious Greek recipes, go here. 
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out my  FREE guide to south Corfu!
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A serene walk around The British cemetery of Corfu town. Victorian graves and fallen heroes.

A shady and quiet part of town that was immensely interesting to explore

During my short vacation on the island of Corfu this summer, my husband and I visited The British Cemetery of Corfu for the first time. After a delightful but increasingly uncomfortable wander around the old town and its marvelous lanes because of the extreme heat, my notion to head to the cemetary for some shade and serenity, away from the crowds, proved to be an excellent choice.

The British Cemetery of Corfu is situated on Kolokotronis street, near San Rocco (Sarocco) Square, about a fifteen-minute walk from Liston.

At Sarocco, we stopped to ask for directions, and, lucky us, the woman we asked randomly turned out to be an Irish lady who lived in town. She eagerly provided directions, and even gave us information of the cemetery’s current, and rather unfortunate status. But I’ll tell you all about that in a minute. Let me start by giving you an idea of the place, and a bit of history…

 

The British cemetery of Corfu was opened as a military cemetery in about 1855, while the island was under British occupation. During the First World War, the island was used as a naval base, both by Great Britain and the United States. The cemetery contains 13 First World War burials and 16 from the Second World War. The latter are mostly casualties from two H.M.S. destroyers, Saumarez and Volage, that were mined by the Albanians in the Corfu Channel, off the coast of Albania, on October 22, 1946 (The Corfu Channel Incident).

I found the burial site from these two naval catastrophes particularly moving (see the top two photographs among the four above). A contemporary color photograph of four people, probably, all related to each other, lies inside a frame at the bottom of the memorial plaque. It makes it obvious to think that the heroes buried there are still being honored and remembered to this day by the later generations of their families. You can see a wide view of this burial site above, on the first set of photographs (I am pictured standing before it).

At this particular burial site, the Christian inscriptions at the bottom of many of the tombstones were particularly moving to read out–using beautiful rhymes, they express sentiments of heartache, and a hope for peace – both for the deceased and the living. Here are two of them:

“Time cannot change or even dim, the loving memories we have of him.”

“Peace, perfect peace, with loved ones far away, in Jesus keeping we are safe and they.”

Other than the burial site with the casualties from these two lost destroyers, the cemetery also features a collective grave of unidentified victims from the collision of H.M.S. Orwell in 1903.

We were surprised to find some German graves in the cemetery! No idea who and why, so if anyone has any info about this I’d love to know more. They were laid out together, about four or five of them. They weren’t marked by gravestones but by big wooden crosses, dating as far back as 1897.

Also, I’d like to mention that there is a small ossuary in the cemetery (see above, it’s the edifice on the lower part among the four photos, on the left).

 

 

“Sacred to the memory of…” was the beginning of most inscriptions I read from the 1800s. It was heart-breaking to read about the loss of so many lives at a young age, including those of newborn or small babies and of women losing their lives during labor. Such was the case for Sarah, the wife of Major Brandreth of the Royal Artillery. According to the inscription on her tomb (see above), she died “Beloved and Lamented” in 1819 during delivery at the age of 35, along with her baby.

 

 

In this photograph, perhaps you can make out the tiny frame at the bottom of the tombstone on the right. It contains the actual Victoria Cross medal awarded to the deceased, Private John Connors, for “conspicuous gallantry at the attack on the Redan” during the Crimean War. Connors, a private in the 3rd Regiment of Foot, died in 1857 “from the effect of a fall from the battlements at Port Neuf.”

At the bottom, the inscription reads, “Ye know not what shall be on the morrow. James chapter IV:14”

The remnant of the attentions to this hero by his surviving family members is hard to miss. If you look at the small empty tub that surely was once left at the grave with fragrant blooms inside it, perhaps you will see a spot of red color. It is a faded fabric poppy, the symbol of rememberance that the British still wear on their lapels once a year to honor their dead during the wars.

 
 

Other than the military graves during the two world wars, the cemetery also has a staggering 400+ non-war military and civilian graves.

Up until recently, the cemetery was still under the jurisdiction of the British War commission and it was well-maintained. Both flora and fauna thrived, and the gardens were well-clipped and lush.

Sadly, things changed back in 2023, when the British Ambassador to Greece announced that the complete jurisdiction of the British Cemetery was going to pass from the British War Commission to the Municipality of Corfu.

The latter committed to maintain the site and to continue to allow access to the relatives of the people buried in the cemetery.

However, once they took over, a ban on new burials was introduced with the exception of people who already had family plots there. Another newly applied restriction related to the visiting hours, which are now limited to 8:00 am to 1:00 pm, Monday to Friday, except for holidays.

This is particularly distressing to the British who wish to visit the graves and honor their dead out of this time window. Some of the Brits on the island who work are not able to visit on weekday mornings, and in general, the ban stops them from following some Orthodox traditions too, such as Psychosavvato (Soul Saturday) which calls for a blessing given by a priest at the grave, as well as other actions that honor the dead – i.e. lighting a candle at the grave, burning incense, or leaving some kolyva (wheat berry).

Note: To learn more about the tradition of Psychosavato and Greek Orthodox beliefs pertaining to the deceased and the afterlife, you are welcome to read this post on my blog.

Sadly, these are not the only inconveniences the British families of the deceased have to navigate. The place itself seems to be in a state of ruin and neglect these days compared to how it was before the take over. The situation is worse in the winter and the spring when the weeds grow waist-high and it becomes hard, if not impossible, to approach some of the graves. The British community on the island continues to push the Municipality of Corfu for a more effective gardening service, as well as for the care of the creatures that live in this beautiful natural space.

For many years, the British cemetery used to be under the care of the Psaila family, who lived in the residence inside the cemetery. The last caretaker before the take over by the Municipality of Corfu, was Mr. George Psailas, who took extra care of the orchids and other rare flowers in the gardens, as well as its living creatures, including many tortoises.

The cemetery used to be a paradise for the naturalists at the time. You may also be interested to know that some of the rare trees have been planted by none other than Mr. Theodore Stefanidis, the polymath and mentor of Gerald Durrell.

During my visit, I saw some cats at the lush, picturesque entrance of the cemetery, where the residence I just mentioned still stands. Outside, stood a friendly female council worker, who welcomed us cordially. In front of the building, I saw dishes with dry pellets left out for the cats and flower pots that were well-watered, so maybe some steps are being taken to the right direction.

Note: If you plan to visit the cemetery, please note that there are two entrances to it. The main one that has the sign with the opening hours was locked when we arrived. Thankfully, we noticed to the right another small entrance which was open and we used that to get in and out. Make sure to look for it if you also find the main gates closed!

Having visited in the height of summer, there were no weeds on the paths and the plots, though some of the graves in more remote parts could have been tidier. But, in general, the ground was clear. The two of us and the few other visitors we encountered wandered about on smooth ground. Sadly, all the trees (mostly, cypress trees) looked wilted, and, in some parts, so scorched, as if burnt by fire. Granted, it’s been a fierce summer, but hopefully, a more frequent watering would give new life to those poor old trees.

I hear the cemetery still has a tortoise population, but I regret to say I didn’t see any. Maybe, next time. I’ll definitely return to explore it further. The cemetery proved to be bigger than we thought and we ran out of time!

GO HERE to see all my photographs from The British Cemetery of Corfu.  

How to get there:

From Sarocco Square, take Methodiou street (toward the airport). Just before the junction, take a sharp turn left into Kolokotronis street and you will see the cemetery on your left hand shortly. If you’re coming from the airport or the bus station, you pass the legendary Villa Rossa on your right hand (which is currently covered by scaffolding, by the way – finally, some maintenance work?). The junction is shortly after Villa Rossa. Turn right at the junction and then sharp right again to get to the cemetery. It is situated a short walk away from Sarocco and about half a mile from the bus station.

Please note: I do not know if you can drive according to my directions. I always park away from the center in the area of Villa Rossa. There’s parking on the residential streets across from it and a free municipal parking area too.

A final note: Many thanks to my Facebook friend, Jan Manessi, who provided some of the information I provide here. 

THANK YOU FOR READING! MAKE SURE TO DOWNLOAD MY 3 FREE BOOKS BELOW 🙂 YOU WILL RECEIVE THEM INSTANTLY WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO MY FUTURE POSTS!

 

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The British cemetery of Corfu, a serene place steeped in history #Corfu #Corfutown #Corfuisland Share on X

 

3 FREE books for you! Sign up below to receive them instantly!

New! Clean Christmas romance. Two broken hearts. One magical holiday. A Santorini farm where anything can happen. 
Check it out on Amazon     Read a FREE sample!

Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. The story is inspired from the author’s love for Moraitika and its people. Now, also available as an audio book! Visit Amazon

Beach fun and sweet romance mixed with magic spells and bird shifters! The Raven Witch of Corfu is an original story that will rivet you with its unrelenting suspense. The final twist will blow your mind! Available in paperback , box set or 4 kindle episodes! Visit Amazon

A clean romantic suspense short read with an unreliable narrator that’ll keep you guessing!  Visit Amazon
For my delicious Greek recipes, go here. 
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out my  FREE guide to south Corfu!

 

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Beautiful Kastoria and Granny’s pasta sauce with spetseriko

GO HERE TO SEE THE PHOTOS

Happy people, happy waterfowl

I am telling you, I had the most serene walks in Kastoria. Sitting on a bench and gazing out at the stunning landscape became my number 1 favourite pastime during Greek Easter, earlier this month.

And I envied the locals so much, for having these alluring paths to walk on, at the edge of Lake Orestiada. The lakeside front is 15-kilometre-long!

Out of town, the lakeside path is often pedestrian, beckoning as an earthly paradise to nature lovers. Plane trees everywhere, the bird song rich, and the ambiance is magical.

Kastoria is a town in west Macedonia (northern mainland of Greece) and it is famous for its fur merchants. It is a town of vast history. Firstly inhabited in neolithic times, it was first conquered by the Romans, then the Byzantines, the Bulgarians, the Normans, the Franks, the Serbs, and the Turks, before finally becoming part of Greece in the beginning of the 20th century.

The old quarter is called Doltso and it is built on a hill. Its lanes with many antiquated estate mansions and old buildings with black wooden beams made it a pleasure to explore.

Sadly, our tour saw us out of town in the mornings and back to Kastoria in the late afternoons every day at a time when the folklore museum and other places of interest were closed for the day. But we did manage to visit the town’s aquarium, which is the largest freshwater aquarium in the Balcans. It exhibits fish and other organisms that are indigenous, endemic or foreign to Greece, living in lakes and rivers.

I will post photographs from the aquarium and the tiny yet quaint and historical Monastery of Panayia Mavriotissa another day. Both are situated on the lake.

We missed the chance to visit the ‘Dragon’s Cave’, a cave by the lake with rich stalactite and stalagmite decoration, underground lakes, halls, corridors and tunnels.

Oh well, I am not all that gutted, though, since we managed to visit the neolithic settlement by the lake that depicts life in the area some 7,500 years ago! It was enthralling to visit the little huts, some of them on stilts over water. Inside, there were human figures made of clay and replicas of everyday items that have been found at the excavation site nearby.

Enchanting and educational stuff. Go here to check out my post about this amazing place!

Just like Granny Antigoni used to make…

I’m still amazed. Last weekend, I managed to recreate my Corfiot granny’s pastitsada! It tasted just the same with Spetseriko and a couple extra spices. Pastitsada is a traditional Corfiot dish made with pasta, beef and carrots in a tomato sauce.

I went for spaghetti instead of the traditional pasta number 2, though. A personal preference, and it was just as yummy. I’ll have to make it again with the proper pasta and blog the recipe for you, guys. Watch this space! And, see below for more info on the secret spice mix from Corfu!

Here’s something you may not know…

There is a secret spice mix dating from Corfu’s Venetian occupation days, and it is called Spetseriko! It is delicious and aromatic in tomato sauces, such as in pastitsada, and also in pastichio.

This secret spice mix used to be made by the pharmacists on the island, and there is one pharmacy in town today that still makes it from an original recipe!

GO HERE to read my post about Spetseriko. It contains a recipe to make it at home too. And, if you plan to visit Corfu town, you’ll get to hear which pharmacy you need to go to to get your own bag of genuine Spetseriko!

 

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FREE books, a rare spectacle and pumpkin soup

Now, I wish I could say these were my shoes and that these photos are mine, but I can’t. I found this photograph online, overcome with a deep sense of jealousy!

It’s not often that the Northern Lights are visible from my country and never in my nearly (ahem!) 60 years have I had the excitement to see them with my own eyes.

But the people living in the north of Greece were lucky enough to see the sky and everything under it seemingly on fire with this vibrant red color on the night of November 5! People posted them on social media from Salonica, from Serres and other parts in the north of my country.

There were talks beforehand that Aurora Borealis might be visible from Corfu αs well, but I found no evidence to attest to that.

However, while searching, I bumped into a very interesting superstition on the island of Corfu concerning the Northern Lights. A Corfiot posted on their Facebook page an old text recording this phenomenon as being visible from Corfu back in 1530. According to that text, the phenomenon was visible for two consecutive nights and it colored the sea, making it look like ‘a basin of blood’.

Three years later, in 1533, a great famine plagued Corfu and according to the locals, St Spyridon, the protector of the island, appeared in an apparition before the crew of a boat. It was filled to the brims with wheat, sailing past the island, headed for Italy. The saint commanded them to change course and dock in Corfu and this is what they did, awestruck by the sight. This miracle is celebrated to this day as the wheat fed the starving Corfiots. Back in that time of utter ignorance, the Corfiots, mystified by the earlier sign from the heavens, connected the two events.

This superstition was solidified in their psyche when in 1940, the Northern Lights amazed the Corfiots in the sky once again, and then WWII began! Furthermore, the bombs falling from the sky during the air raids didn’t hurt the city but kept falling miraculously into the sea instead…

To this day, the Corfiots see the Northern Lights as an omen for either an impending intervention from St Spyridon or a catastrophic event.

Which means I am not sure if I am deflated or relieved that they didn’t get to see it this year, LOL!

I am Greek, so I don’t really celebrate Halloween, but I live with a Brit who likes a little something to mark the day 🙂

So, once again, I went for a pumpkin meal to do just that.

And this year, I made the best Hokkaido pumpkin soup ever. The boiled chestnuts and the cheesepies went down very well with it.

Get the recipe here

 

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A boat trip from Corfu to Paxos and Parga

Pleased to share today photos from a boat trip my husband and I did last August during our stay on the island of Corfu. The excursion boat you see in the photo took us to the island of Paxos first, where we had a cooling swim a short walk away from the port of Gaios. The quiet little bay where we swam was as magical as I remembered from our first visit there in 1998 during our honeymoon vacation on Corfu.

SEE ALL THE PHOTOS HERE

The water is so crystal clear in that tiny bay that you can see every detail on the sea bed. And the rustle the water makes as it laps on the shore and scrapes the shingles makes this pleasing sound to the ears that I can never have enough of… Here is a short video I took to show you, guys. Have a listen!

You’re welcome he he 🙂

After our swim, we barely had time to grab a quick bite to eat before it was time to leave. Leaving Paxos, we set sail to the seaside town of Parga in the mainland of Epirus.

The beautiful architecture of Parga and the picturesque island at a short distance away from the shore made up a perfectly quaint landscape that just begged for photographs. Parga is such a stunning town for a vacation, with beautiful beaches nearby that can be visited by boat. I regret to say we didn’t have time to visit the island or the castle. We only had time for a quick lunch at one of the many tavernas on offer and a quick wander around the beautiful lanes before it was time to head back to Corfu.

Though the boat trip was fun, filling our senses with sheer delight, it was rather exhausting. We spent a good part of the day on the boat as the distances are great.

What I really wanted to do was visit Parga and head straight uphill to visit the castle, but as I said, there was no time. Plus, it was 3 pm by the time we arrived and the sun was hammering. What can I say? I am just a Greek – haha. So I ran towards the nearest awning for shelter (and a very nice souvlaki) 😛

 

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Beautiful Corfu town and… spetseriko, Corfu’s secret spice mix!

The vaulted street of Liston in Corfu town was modelled after Rue Rivoli in Paris

Hello, All! I am back from Corfu, where I spent 10 wonderful days, and I am thrilled to share with you today a few photos from the old town. Also, I am about to spill the beans on Spetseriko–the traditional, delicious AND secret spice mix of Corfu! Below, you will find out where you can get the real deal while in Corfu town AND how you can make it at home on your own too! Sounds good? Let’s go!

A sea view from the grounds of the Old Palace

My husband and I spent a sunny morning around the capital of Corfu, visiting the old quarter.

Our day started with the must-have coffee at Liston–the famous vaulted street which was made during the French Occupation of Corfu. The French modelled it after Rue Rivoli in Paris. The old town quarter with its stunning antiquated buildings and the large square of Spianada remain silent witnesses to the history of Corfu.

In succession, the island was occupied first by the Venetians, who made the Old and the New Fortress, then the English, to whom we owe the beautiful greenery at the Old Square (Spianada) as well as the cricket green before Liston where the Brits taught the Corfiots how to play cricket!

Finally, the French, the last foreign occupants on the island, decorated the Spianada with gorgeous architecture. I’ve already mentioned Liston, which they constructed, and they also made the round edifice with the colonade all around it that still stands at the end of the square beyond the bandstand.

Speaking of Liston, did you know that in the old days there was a thing called Libro D’ Oro which is Italian for ‘Golden Book’? The names of all the aristocrats were listed in it. And only people whose name was in the Libro D’ Oro were allowed to walk along the street of Liston! Talk about keeping the riff-raff away, LOL. Things were pretty strict back then!

Anyway… During our visit, we enjoyed the generous sea views from the garden of the Old Palace such as the one you see above. All around these grounds, there are marvelous vistas that compel the visitors to use their cameras. This summer, there were two art exhibitions housed on two different sides of the palace. Buying one ticket gave you access to both, and they were delightfully diverse, which was a bonus.

My favourite was a homage to the Greek Revolution in 1821 which depicted in paintings mostly prominent figures from that time. The other exhibition involved paintings of contemporary themes by a single lady artist. I loved the flowers she painted especially. Stunning stuff. I don’t know for how long these exhibitions will be at the palace, but if you are on the island, they are well worth a visit.

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Sssh! I am about to disclose a secret! The secret of Spetseriko!!

During our day in town, we made sure to visit this old pharmacy… to buy a spice mix for pasta!!!!

During my long summer stays in Moraitika in the 1980s, my granny was forever taking my sister and me for a walk around Corfu town and for a spot of shopping too. She never missed visiting this old pharmacy just off Sarocco Square. It’s situated on the right side of the road, just after Sarocco, heading towards Liston and the old town quarter.

I hadn’t been in there for many years, but I never forgot Granny referred to it as ‘the Pitsilos pharmacy’. As I stood at its facade, I realised at once it had been heavily renovated and guessed it was under new management too. Going inside, I saw the antiquated cabinets I recalled from the old days where no longer there, but I have to admit the new decoration was just as beautiful and paid homage to the pharmacy’s long-standing tradition on the island.

Before I knew it, I was asking the owner about the name ‘Pitsilos’ and he didn’t seem to know it in relation to the property. Then again, he was very young, in his 30s I would think, and if my granny was alive today she’d be 99 years old. So, she probably had seen this place change hands more than once during her lifetime. The kindly owner, other than selling me a large sachet of spetseriko much to my delight, told me that, as far as he knew, the pharmacy was owned previously by a lady called Carmella. When I asked around later on, other locals confirmed that name and some still refer to it as ‘Carmella’s pharmacy’.

None seem to have heard of the name Pitsilos, though, but since Granny had a sharp memory till the day she died at 92, I can only give her the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps it was owned by a pharmacist called Pitsilos much earlier in time. After all, the place was founded in 1915 according to the writing on the facade. And a website I found claimed it was in operation back in 1850!

Chatting with locals on Facebook about this place, I found out that a few decades back, at least one doctor used to work from this pharmacy in the evenings. I can only guess that every day people didn’t have easy access to doctors back then. Visiting a pharmacy and getting some advice from a doctor rather than having to visit a remote hospital or a costly private surgery, may have been easier to afford and provided many with prompt access to medical care.

Apparently, in the old days, all pharmacists in Corfu made spetseriko and they were called ‘spetsierides’ because of this. The word ‘spetseriko’ has Venetian origin. It is derived from the word ‘speci’ which means ‘spices’. Every pharmacist had their own recipe for spetseriko back in the day, and, at least this specific pharmacy I visited, which still seems to make it, keeps theirs a secret to this day.

By the way, the owner of the pharmacy today is Mr Skiadopoulos and the address is Georgiou Theotoki 56, Sarocco Square – in case you wish to have your own sachet of spetseriko!

I put my recent purchase to the test the first time I made Bolognese and it was as divine as I can remember. I cannot wait to try it also in Pastichio like my granny did too. She also made the best Pastitsada with spetseriko. I urgy you to try it if you cook any of the aforementioned meals, or in any tomato sauce for pasta.

Just use very little at first, and see how you go. Perhaps 1/4 of a teaspoon at first. I once made a mistake of putting 1 teaspoon in my Pastichio and it made me VERY ill. Do not try this, folks, unless you’re sure you have the system to take a large amount. As it was proven, I don’t 🙂

And, hey, did I say you don’t have to visit Corfu to get spetseriko? As it turns out, there are recipes online! I found a Greek blog that shares an easy-to-follow recipe. I’ve translated it into English for you. Enjoy!

10 gr ground clove

50 gr ground cinnamon

50 gr ground nutmeg

70 gr sweet paprika

50 gr ground cumin

20 gr spicy chilli powder (i.e. spicy ‘boukovo’, ground)

100 gr sweet chilli powder (i.e. sweet ‘boukovo’, ground)

20 gr ground allspice balls (i.e. ‘bahari’)

30 medium laurel leaves (ground to fine powder)

25 gr ground black pepper

Mix the ingredients together well, and keep in a sealed jar in a cool place.

Sources for the recipe: SecretKitchenandTravel.gr and AtCorfu.com

Note: I found other recipes too, and each one had more or less the same ingredients but with different measurements and proportions, but it’s worth saying this: All the others I found omitted the laurel leaves and just advised to add 2 laurel leaves in the pot with the spetseriko. I would go for that option, personally, but it’s up to you!  

Interested to see more of Corfu town? Check out this post. Magnificent vistas in Garitsa & Anemomylos, the stunning old quarter of Campielo, and a traditional soap factory. Enjoy!

Get my pastitsada recipe here!

 

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FREE books, a beach vacation in Corfu and more Greek summer fun

Yowza! I had a hit of bad luck last month. I went on vacation to my granny’s house in Moraitika, Corfu for my annual summer break to find the old metal pipes had rusted and there was not a single drop of water! To cut a long story short, my intended 10-day vacation in Corfu (staying on my own for the most part at the house) ‘shrunk’ to the precious total of just 3 days staying at a hotel.

My husband, Andy, was planning to leave on the weekend anyway as he was starting work on Monday so I decided to return to Athens with him. At least, we know the house will be ready for us by next year as the plumber who informed us of the problem committed to changing the pipes for us this fall during our absence.

Best silver lining: We were lucky to get a room at Romantica at high season. Incredible! The owner, an angel of a man called Leftis, made us feel right at home. And he even gave us precious parting gifts of his own making. Low-acidity extra virgin olive oil and a skin cream made with organic herbs. A man of many talents!

We’ve enjoyed staying at Romantica so much that it actually makes me feel sorry to know I won’t be going back again. And for anyone who knows how much I value my granny’s little village house where I’ve been staying almost annually since the 70s that says a lot, LOL!

In the 3 days of our stay on the island, we had a couple swims in perfect, (jellyfish-free!) waters, including one in Messonghi, and enjoyed dinners at Jimmy’s (in Moraitika) and Bacchus (in Messonghi). Both, highly recommended if you visit the area.

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If you haven’t checked out my insider’s guide to the villages of Moraitika and Messonghi in south Corfu, go check it out now! They’re both small, idyllic and perfect for families and quiet couples. Lots of fun to be had, and they’re great starting points for exploring other wonderful areas too, even by pleasure little boats!

 

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Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. Visit Amazon: https://bit.ly/3pAP3rf

 

Kelly ran a marathon and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with delightful sweet romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
Summer love and a mysterious haunting in Corfu! Effrosyni’s debut romance, The Ebb, has received an award from Amazon! Check it out here

Beach fun and sweet romance mixed with magic spells and bird shifters… The Raven Witch of Corfu is an original story that will rivet you with its unrelenting suspense. The final twist will blow your mind!
Available in paperback , box set or 4 kindle episodes!
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out our FREE guide to south Corfu!

 

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Old village-life photos #Moraitika #Corfu

The writing says: Cultural center of Moraitika, a calendar of memories from our village. 2020 wishes for health, love and progress.

Late last year, I was contacted on Facebook by Mrs Aglaia Anthi, President of the cultural center of Moraitika, Corfu. She said she’d seen some old photos on my website and asked for permission to use them for the 2020 calendar of the cultural center. I was thrilled and, of course, I said yes.

Last January, she sent me a copy of this beautiful calendar which I am thrilled to share today. I meant to do it back then but, sadly, I was in a bad place at the time, caught up in my late mother’s daily cancer fight. When I received the calendar, I took it to her bed to leaf through, and she cried to see the photo on the first sheet, which depicted her grandparents, Stefanos and Olga Vassilakis. She kissed their faces on the photograph whispering, ‘i nouna mou, o nounos mou…’ (the Corfiot words for ‘my granny, my granddad). The memory still causes my heart to twinge with feeling. My mother passed away on February 12, and I am comforted to think she is in her grandparents’ and her parents’ arms right now.

Without further ado, here is the calendar, sheet by sheet. I hope you will enjoy it.

January-February. Caption: The first priest of Moraitika and his wife (Stefanos and Olga Vassilakis).

My great-grandfather was also a teacher of Moraitika. The house he built for his family still stands on the hill near the church. Part of it was used as the village school at some point. He is buried in the church yard. For more photos and information, see my post about the two churches of Moraitika on the hill.

 

March-April. Caption: Kato Vrysi.

Or how the locals pronounce it, ‘Katou Vrysi.’ Loosely translated, it means, ‘The tap downhill’. It is situated on the side of the main road outside the dilapidated estate behind the Coop supermarket. There is also an ‘uphill tap’ called ‘Panou Vrysi’ which is at the edge of the village on the hill under a big plane tree. This is why the locals also call it ‘O Platanos’ (The plane tree). For detailed directions to Panou Vrysi, see my guide to Moraitika.

 

May-June. Caption: Old estate houses of the village.

The building on the left is the Papadatos estate house. This family also owns the little church of Agios Dimitris nearby (my great-grandfather is buried outside the main door of this church). The building on the right is the Koukouzelis estate house. Today, the grounds are used by the council for cultural events (concerts mainly). For more info and photos, see the same post about the churches.

 

July-August. Caption: Moraitika wedding of Kostas and Eleni Vlachos.

My uncle Kostas passed away a couple of years ago, but Aunt Leni remains active at her old age (born 1933), and still helps out at her seaside apartments of ‘Nea Zoi’ (beside Caldera on the beach). See my guide to Moraitika for these establishments. Here, below, follows an excellent commentary about this photo by my Aunt Leni as relayed by her daughter-in-law, Spyridoula Vlachos:

‘The wedding took place in 1953 in the village of Episkopiana. This picture was taken at the look out near the St Nikolaos church in Episkopiana that no longer stands. This is the area of the old estate home of Patsos that is now inhabited by the Tata family. After the wedding took place, everyone set off to Moraitika on foot, where the reception party would take place on the village square. On the front, walked the organ players and the priest who held the bible, then followed the bride and the groom, with everyone else behind walking them. Back then, the way to Moraitika was via the estate of the Kapodistrias family. In this photo, Stamatis Vassilakis’s daughter, Marika, is pictured beside the bride dressed in white. She had got married just a week earlier and was pregnant with her first child.’

Re my Aunt Marika (daughter of Great-Uncle Stamatis Vassilakis): She was one of my favourite relatives of the Vassilakis family. She had the heart and the soul of a child. I still recall so vividly the last time I saw her, visiting her in her house after a long while during my short stay in the village. It was a couple of years earlier, just months before she died. She was confused with dementia and didn’t recognize me when I approached her. Still, her good heart must have done, because she kept holding me, her eyes sparkling with love and delight while saying, ‘I love you! I love you!’ I’ll never forget her face that day; so innocent, so loving. Somehow, she is the only one whose name I didn’t have the heart to change in my largely autobiographical novel set in Moraitika, The Ebb.

Back to the wedding photo: Great-Uncle Lilis, a teacher, stands behind Aunt Marika. Behind Aunt Leni, the bride, on the right, is the groom, Uncle Kostas. To his right, stand Aunt Olga, and Great-Uncle Kotsos with Great-Aunt Rini Tsatsanis from Messonghi. The girl with the frizzy hair beside them is Maria, Lefteris Kosmas’s sister (he runs Leftis Romantica). My mother, Ioanna, is pictured further right as a little girl with her hands on her waist.  

September-October. Caption: Group photo of members of the Vlachos and Vassilakis family.

My great-grandmother’s maiden name was Vlachos, and her wedding to Stefanos Vassilakis bound the two families together as one with great relations. This photograph was taken outside the Vassilakis house (late 40s to early 50s). She sits at the center dressed in black, as befitted a widow at the time. My great-grandfather passed away in 1944, and she did in 1953. The building shown in the background is the Koukouzelis estate house as mentioned earlier. The mulberry tree they’re sitting under still stands today and so does the olive tree on the right.

Pictured from left to right: Back row: Great-Uncle Antonis Vassilakis, Aunt Olga (Lilis’s daughter), Great-Aunt Irini, Aunt Dina (or Beba, Lilis’s daughter), Christos Vlachos, Tsantis Vlachos. Middle row: Great-Uncle Kotsoris (Kotsos) Tsatsanis, Great-Grandmother Olga Vlachos, Angelina Vlachos, Great-Uncle Lilis Vassilakis and his wife, Great-Aunt Fotoula. Front row: Great-Uncle Stamatis Vassilakis. Behind them, the children Petros and Sofia Vlachos. Petros used to run The Crabs restaurant on the beach (now Caldera, run by his son Christos). On the right of my great-grandmother, you can see Evgenia Vassilakis (wife of Stamatis) and her grandchildren, Vasso and Stefanos Moraitis (both, Marika’s children).

November-December. Caption: Washing in the ‘mastello (old Venetian word for ‘wooden tub’).

If my memory serves me well, ‘Forena’ is a nickname for the woman pictured  here. I think she lived or had a shop in the old days on the upper square of Moraitika where the Village Taverna is. This square was always referred to by my grandparents as ‘Foros’ (a Venetian word meaning market or square, in my understanding).

The rest of the caption reads: ‘Open-air barber shop (Pippis, Kapouas, Tatsos, Lopi, Sofia).

For more photos and info on the Vassilakis family and my old summers in Corfu, see this post.  To follow my blog and be notified of my new posts, go here.

This is it for now, everyone. I wish you a wonderful summer, and hope you’ll get to make lots of new and exciting memories – be it in Corfu, or your own corner of heaven 🙂

 

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