Upload
barbara-molin
View
238
Download
5
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Travel, yachting and lifestyle magazine for the Ionian area of Greece
Citation preview
IIoonniiaannTThheeFFRREEEEΔΔΩΩΡΡΕΕΑΑΝΝ
TTAAKKEEOONNEE
wwwwww.. tthheeiioonn iiaann ..ccoomm
Mesaria bread and bougainvillea - Andy James
The Ionian
Travel, yachting and lifestylemagazine for the Ionian Islandsand adjacent mainland Greece.
Vol. 5, Issue 5 – Sept. 2014
Publisher and EditorBarbara Molin
Advisory BoardYannis Dimopoulos
Justin Smith
LayoutRyan Smith
www.theionian.com
We make every effort to ensurethe accuracy of each issue.However, we cannot be held
liable for any errors oromissions. The contributors'
opinions are their own.
Printed in Greece.
September is already here! How quickly the summer passed.
Children are returning to school and the retired who escaped the
summer's heat and the crowds up north are back to enjoy the
quiet anchorages and slower pace at their favourite tavernas.
This month we have Maddie Grigg and Andy James writing about Corfu Island.
Maddie's contribution is The Achilleion Palace describing one of the island's famous
estates, while Andy lets us in on some of his favourite haunts in Corfu's Most
Beautiful Village.
Our cover photo is by Peter Jeffrey. He tells us that when he took the image it was
early morning in July, when the sun hadn't quite risen over Albania and so gave a
warmeven lightofKassiopi's beaches to show the Ionian's greatclarity andcolour.
Happy reading...
≈≈_/)* Barbara Molin
Back To SchoolEditorial
MADDIE GRIGG
It’ s a place people either love or hate.
Often described as an over-the-top piece of German
kitsch, the Achilleion Palace is one of those places on
your must-see list if you are in Corfu.
I, for one, like it very much. Its opulence is overwhelming
in places. Its great staircase hits you as soon as you enter,
a celebration of Greek mythology, with statues of Zeus
and Hera and other deities playing supporting roles.
Outside, you are surrounded by statues of all shapes and
sizes, the most valuable of which is Dying Achilles by
German sculptor Ernst Gustav Herter, who was professor
of sculpture at the Berlin Academy.
Whilst a visit to the Achilleion is worth the effort,
particularly if you get there before the tour buses arrive,
the palace’s glory days seem long gone.
There is an air of shabby melancholy
about the place, as if the building is
quietly saying ‘ I was much more
beautiful than this in years gone by.’
The palace was built between 1889-1891 at the top of a
hill in Gastouri, a village just inland from the coastal
resort of Benitses. It was created for Elisabeth, the
Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, who was also
known as Sisi. The architect was Raffaele Caritto, an
Italian who built it in the Pompeian style.
Sisi named her palace the Achilleion because she greatly
admired the Greek hero Achilles. He was the one who
famously turned the tables at Troy by killing Hector but
died a tragic death by an arrow to the heel, fired,
according to some sources, by Paris. Sisi considered that
Achilles combined Greek divine beauty (he was
descended from the sea nymph Thetis) valour and tragic
fate.
The AchilleionPalace
Pride of place in the Achilleion gardens is the Dying
Achilles statue, along with a larger-than-life sized bronze
of the hero which was installed by the Kaiser, the German
Emperor Wilhelm II.
Sisi spoke fluent Greek and visited the Achilleion twice a
year until 1898 when she was killed in Geneva with a
dagger wielded by an Italian anarchist. After her death the
palace was closed for nine years until it was sold by her
daughter to the Kaiser, who used it as a summer residence.
He visited it until 1814 when World War I was declared.
During the war, the Achilleion was used as a military
hospital by French and Serbian troops. By the end of the
war, the property was passed to the Greek State. During
1941 -1944, it was used by the Italian and German
occupation forces as military headquarters, returning to
the Greeks’ possession at the end of World War II.
In 1963, a private company leased it and turned the upper
floors into a casino, the first in Greece. It features in the
James Bond film For Your Eyes Only in 1981 . Two years
later, the palace came under the management of the Greek
Tourism Organisation. It was restored in 1994 and has
been used as a museum ever since.
Maddie Grigg writes a blog The World from My
Window, recounting tales from Corfu and Dorset.
Corfu's Most Beautiful VillageANDY JAMES
Browsing the internet for inspiration as to which of Corfu'sdelightful villages I should visit during a short holiday inearly June I found several sources. One stood out in itssimplicity and boldness, seeking "the most beautiful villageon the island" based upon recommendations from localpeople. To those people; a heartfelt " thank you." Such hasbeen my pleasure in following your guidance I feelcompelled to share it. I trust my simple review does yourcharming homes justice.
Just 7 km south of Corfu Town, Kinopiastes nestles among
olive groves and orchards. Perhaps best known for Trypas
Taverna's Greek nights, visitors who don't stroll through
Kinopiastes before dinner miss a treat. Traditional stone
houses with faded shutters and half-pipe tile roofs stand in
harmony with modern dwellings in cream, peach, ochre or
pale yellow. Houses without flowers either in pots or a
garden are rare and bougainvillea abounds. The 17th century
monastery is being restored yet the magnificence of its
interior is already a joy to behold. In the village square ladies
in black talk conspiratorially on shady benches offering a
cheery response to any who take the time to smile and say
"kalimera", while cats dozing in the heat stare quizzically
before resuming their slumber.
The hillside overlooking Palaiokastritsa is terraced with
olive groves and vines; perched on a ledge in the middle of
which is Lakones. The road narrows dramatically in the
middle of the village and as the terrain is steep there are few
side streets. Narrow steps give access to old stone houses
with fading whitewash lending the village a timelessness.
Newer properties built sympathetically and often in pink,
cream or pastel yellow, intermingle with traditional
buildings. Popular with visitors, many only visit the tourist
haunts and miss the delights of the real Lakones and the
friendliness I experienced. Where better to marvel at
breathtaking views over the sapphire sea and misty hills
beyond than from a cafe or snack bar in the village?
Little more than 3 km over the headland north-west of
Lakones as the crow flies, yet over 6 km by road due to the
steepness of the terrain, rests the tiny village of Prinilas.
With glimpsed views over Agios Georgios and the bay to the
east this traditional hamlet exudes peace and tranquility. I
found myself wincing at my footfall crunching on gravel as I
walked to the well preserved 14th century church of Agios
Nikolaus with its pastel-shaded bell tower. With no shops or
cafe Prinilas seems rarely disturbed by the traffic more
common elsewhere. Along a fascinating alleyway I
encountered purple bougainvillaea of breathtaking profusion
and vibrancy; my pleasure heightened by the elegance with
which brimstone butterflies capered among the blooms.
Arriving at the village square on a track through olive
terracing and having seen several dancing fritillaries I was
already well-disposed towards Nymfes. Well known for its
kumquat orchards some of which rest in a narrow green
valley between the main village to the north and the smaller
southern part, there is more to Nymfes than fruit. More even
than the springtime waterfalls where legendary nymphs
bathed. Drawing my eye away from a circling buzzard I saw
traditional houses and newer developments, many in white
but with stone and pastel shades too. Red roofs among trees
and palms enchant under a cloudless azure sky. Crisscrossed
with narrow paths, forays into the village beyond the main
road reveal an artist's delight of picturesque houses and
shady gardens.
Appearing from a distance like a patched ochre cap on a
richly wooded knoll, Mesaria discretely welcome visitors.
Yet with no shop or cafe few see beyond the main road.
Although an impression of gentility may be gained from here
with the sympathetic proximity of original and renovated
buildings, real gems lay behind. Ancient stone barns, narrow
whitewashed houses and tiny gardens thickly planted with
flowers and vegetables intermingle like a complex jigsaw.
While I admired her display an old lady, greeting me with
"calla, calla" (beautiful, beautiful), picked a red geranium for
me to savour. Nearby a swallowtail rested delicately on a
pink bloom. Was beauty ever more refined, or an old lady's
greeting more apt?
So which village earned the title "most beautiful" on the
website that inspired me? Perhaps recalling Plato's oft quoted
view that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, it chose not
to be that courageous. Having found beauty in each of these
places in different ways, I do likewise. Although Corfu is
blessed with many beautiful villages, most beautiful are the
people without whom a village would be but a museum.
Thank you all for making me so welcome.
NNyymmffeess
MMeessaarrii aa
Our Ads Work
Reach Sailors, Tourists, Expats, and LocalsAdvertise your business or event in
The Ionian magazine.