Corfu – October 31st

Our next stop was the city of Corfu on the island of Corfu.  This island is the northernmost Ionian Island and is off the west coast of mainland Greece.  Its history began in 734 BC when the Corinthians colonized it.  It was governed by Rome from 229 BC to 337 AD, and then the Byzantines took over. In 1267 the Angevins moved in and ruled for 120 years that were rather unpleasant for the natives.  So unpleasant, in fact, that the locals sent representatives to Venice to ask for

The British Governor's Palace

protection.  The Venetians were more than happy to oblige and ended up ruling for over four centuries.  In 1797 the French and the Russians took over.  After the fall of Napoleon, the island became a part of a British Protectorate for 50 years.  (A part of the British legacy is a cricket pitch where games are still played most Sundays in summer.)  Then in 1858 the British ceded the island to Greece.  Got all that?  There will be a test at the end!

Again, the weather was lovely, and armed with a great map and tourist guide, we decided to wander around on our own.  There was a lot to see and explore!  We checked out the Old Fort with

The Old Fort

its gorgeous views of Corfu town and then explored the “New” Fort which the Venetians built in the 16^th Century.  The New Fort still has heavy gates bearing the winged Lion of St Mark of Venice as well as tunnels, and dungeons.  But, its most dominant feature is the British barracks on the top of the hill in the fort.   We also walked through the Palace of St Michael and St George, or the Royal Palace.  And, we made sure to walk through the town of Corfu and the Spianada, a lovely, large park

Anna with the New Fort in the background

complete with bandstand and the aforementioned cricket pitch.  (The Spianada is said to be one of the largest squares in Europe.)  After that we treated ourselves to a leisurely lunch in one of the charming, small cafes located at the edge of the park with a view of the water.

Then we took our time returning to the QEII.