Issue 11 Summer 2009

ISLAND �

SUMMER 2009 Issue 11

€3

Inside a VenetianMansion

www.islandmagazine.gr

Cricket inCorfu

In association with CV Travel

SUMMERgardens,

decor,travel

& food

... and much more inside

� ISLAND ISSUE �� ISLAND �

Hello......and welcome to the summer is-

sue of ISLAND magazine, which has been produced in association with CV Travel, Corfu’s premier villa com-pany. This issue will be available in every CV villa across the island, and we think you will agree that it makes perfect holiday reading, for those who want to find out a little more about the island.

So, what’s in store this issue? Well, on page 22 we take you to the beauti-ful Corfiot mansion of Fundana, seep-ing with centuries-worth of fascinating history and showing you a different side of Corfu.

On page 13, learn all about the tiny island of Vidos, a short boat-ride away from Corfu town’s old port, but better still, why not visit it yourself?

On page 14, we explore the Ionian even further; if you haven’t already been to Cephalonia, our travel feature is bound to tempt you and being with-in easy travelling distance of Corfu, it makes a wonderful weekend destina-tion for all us busy Corfu residents needing a mini break!

On a more serious note, on page 30, we tackle the hot topic of rubbish and recycling in Corfu – we’ve all heard the rumours and seen the piles of rub-bish, so at last we find out what’s re-ally going on!

As always, there are many more fea-tures to keep you informed and enter-tained – we hope you enjoy them.

We at ISLAND will be taking a break for a while, due to our ex-panding family and decreasing free time. With daughter number 2 due in August, our editing skills will have to be put on hold, but we will be back next summer with a bumper issue, so please look out for us then!

Mia Daltas & Marcus Gondolo-Gordon

Contents

ISLAND magazine is publishedby:Tempest Publishing, Skripero, Corfu 49083Greece

[email protected]

26630 231746942 772 8846946 804 077

Editors:Mia Daltas & Marcus Gondolo-Gordon

Contributors:MonkeyRichard PineM.H.Katie HutleyWendy HolborowChris HolmesAngela Papageorgiou

Design / Photography:Marcus Gondolo-Gordon

Advertising:[email protected]

Terms and conditions: All material is strictly copyrighted and all rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of Tempest Publishing.

ISSN: 1791-1699

13 explore corfu

14 travel

30 corfu rubbish

32 decor

24 cv article

18 eat up wine down

34 poetry

36 ancient food

05 corfu news

10 monkey

39 politics

41 gallery 188

OLIVE GROVE HOUSE, Grigoratika, NisakiAn exciting, adaptable stone house in a stunning position in the hills above the popular village and resort of Nisaki. Wonderful views, peace and quiet, and some unrenovated parts giving scope to add your own personal touch - a rare find! NOW HUGELY REDUCED from 650,000 Euros to 530,000 Euros

LULU’S HOUSE, Kato KorakianaA stunning new villa, perched on top of a hill with breathtaking

mountain and sea views. In splendid isolation, offering supreme peace and tranquility, this is the only inhabited house in a totally unspoilt

valley, yet the sea at Ipsos and all everyday supplies are only five minutes drive away.

1,400,000 Euros

VILLA(S) ADAMANTIA - Roda, North CorfuTwo lovely modern bungalow-style villas built at right angles to one another, one with two bedrooms and one with three. There is a swimming pool and the gardens are fenced, gated and level for easy maintenance.Ideal for combined living and investment purposes. 270,000 Euros

MALARI, KassiopiLand for sale with building permits and plans for two large luxury

villas and two swimming pools in the hills above Kassiopi, north east Corfu. Wonderful views and peaceful setting. Project can be managed and

completed if the purchaser so wishes. JUST REDUCED FROM 350,000 TO 310,000 Euros.

VILLA VIGLA, Viglatsouri near NissakiExcellent north-east coast views, small pool, and

compact size make this villa - only just on the market - an excellent investment, filling the gap in the rental market for two-bedroomed

quality accommodation. 335,000 Euros

26610 33416 - [email protected] 70 70 81 / 6940 77 79 17 / 6942 06 40 02 We are soon moving to our new address:43 G. Markora Street (behind Markato Supermarket, San Rocco Square).

Or you can also find us at our Dassia office, just past the Chandris Hotels on the leftPhone: 26610 93557

More than just an Estate Agent

With so many estate agents in Corfu, why choose Corfuhomefinders? We have one of the largest selections of property for sale on Corfu, ranging from old village houses for renovation, land, apartments, off-plan new

developments, commercial investment property to spectacular villas.Give us the opportunity to help you find, or build, your ideal property in Corfu! You can find out more about us, and

Corfu life in general, with our blog www.corfubloggers.blogspot.com.

43 summer garden

44 girl about town

22 island style

07 corfu cricket


There is a way

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NEWSEnglish Imports is moving premises!

To pick up your English magazines and newspapers, not to mention be tempted by the attractive homeware, soft fur-nishings, linens, etc., look out for Eng-lish Imports at their new address:43 G. Markora Street (behind Markato Supermarket, San Rocco Square.

The Philharmonic Society of Skripero celebrates its 100th birthday!

Founded on 3 May 1909, the Philharmonic Society of Skripero is one of the oldest philharmonic orchestras of Corfu. Since 1957 it has been housed in an old mansion, which has recently been renovated and transformed into a modern concert-hall. The entire village partici-pates in the orchestra’s activities, with most of the chil-dren taking music lessons and joining the band at some point. The orchestra takes part in all the events of the village and the surrounding district and often performs in concerts and at large events in Corfu town. The first Philharmonic society in Corfu arose during

the period of the British Protectorate, when a Brit-ish military band performed at the island’s important events. In 1837 however, the British refused to provide musical accompaniment for Orthodox processions, as a result of which the Corfiots founded the Philharmonic Society of Corfu three years later. Today Corfu has 18 philharmonic orchestras. They are all non-profit mak-ing companies which provide musical education and perform at celebrations and events both in and outside Corfu.

AGIOT music festival – Glanstonbury in the sun?

There is something for everyone at the Agios Ioan-nis Music Week this September, whether they be young or not so young, locals or tourists, and whether they like jazz, blues, folk, pop or classical music. This year’s headline act consists of former and present members of Jethro Tull, Fairport Conven-tion, Little Johnny England and Steve Gibbons, per-forming under the name ‘The Dylan Project’. As the name implies, they will be performing Bob Dylan compositions, as well as their own and new work. Other acts include local Greek folk bands, Vas-silis and Georgios (local guitarists of note), Richie Henderson from Scotland and Russ Bartlett.The event is being promoted throughout Eu-rope and is projected in the future to become part of the recognised world music festival circuit – like a Glastonbury in the sun!Please show your support for this event, as if attend-ance figures are good, next year’s festival will be bigger and better, with leading musicians Europe-wide already provisionally willing to participate. Tickets for the 12th September’s main gig featur-ing The Dylan Project, among others, are priced at 20 euros. Please contact Philip Mawson on 0030 6943050593, or [email protected]

Hankering after British fashion?

A new store called UKFASHIONS has just opened and stocks men’s, women’s and chil-dren’s fashion from major high street stores in UK, including Next, Monsoon, Marks & Spen-cer, Bhs, Essentials, Principles and Wallis, to name but a few. Located on the Ethniki Lefkimmis road leading out of town towards the south (past Jumbo and before the post office and policlinic). Opening hours: 10-3, 5.30-8.30.


CRICKET THE WINNER

By Chris Holmes

It was hard to tell which caused the more nail biting: the hos-tile weather prior to Saturday, May 2nd, or the gripping finale to the cricket match between local stalwarts Gymnastikos and a visiting team from the UK, Lord Marland & Sons.

As it turned out, the sun shone on cue and there was a good crowd round the Liston to watch the expert play – including one gent who sat square to leg with his back to the action, puffing away on his pipe and right in line for a biff on the bonce from any meaty six.

The Marland team included some perfect examples of a breed I thought extinct: the polite, athletic young as only England can produce at their best. Aggressively keen with that genial thuggish-ness that marks a true sportsman. These were represented by the eponymous Marland sons, Marcus and Hugo, with added muscle from Henry Lamb and Jack Holmes.

I felt distinctly nostalgic for my own cricketing days but not that desirous to don bat and pads again when I watched Hugo Mar-land’s sizzling openers that started the day.

It’s always fun to watch the reaction of visiting teams who come over with their creased flannels and club blazers and chirpy banter straight out of Wisden.

Gymnastikos give off a slightly ‘motley’ air as if they’re a bunch of friends who’ve managed to get a few bats together and a token wardrobe of sporty garb and are willing to give it a go. They are in fact tigers with a winning track record.

I couldn’t actually see the ball as it sped from Hugo’s hand and I felt nervous for both batsman and the Marland XI’s own wicket keeper as the bowler found his fiery pace and direction on what is recognized by all as a distinctly ‘eccentric’ pitch.

Opening batsman Misfout played his usual game of letting the play come to him, seeing what the bowling was about and how the fielders measured, and then getting stuck in. He gave the visitors a bit of a runaround and it was a relief when the agile Isabelle Dun-can sprang into action with a deft catch that brought his innings to a merciful end.

The bowling was a good mix, Marcus representing the thunder-bolt school with perhaps a bit more air than his captaining dad might have wished for, and Tim Mynott delivering a good pace and calculated length from the Palace end.

I was intrigued by the visitors’ habit of applauding at regular in-tervals even when nothing much had happened. I thought it might be some devilish ploy to undermine the home side’s morale, but no. As it was explained, they were out of practice (could have fooled me) and were simply boosting each other with encouraging salutes of anything that showed a particular pulse.

Yes, indeed, the Marland Mob didn’t look too rusty to me and there were some thrilling displays of fielding, my favourite being nifty Henry Lamb zapping the ball in for a decisive run out on what

the Gymnas must have felt was a safe single.

Matthew Burt made an heroic leap that should have palmed the leather but did at least inspire his own splendid image of having ‘leapt like a salmon for that one’. Spot-on description and I wish I’d snapped Mr Burt’s arching grasp as he strained for the catch: it would definitely have made the cover of Trout & Salmon.

The Gymna’ batsman everyone was eyeing was diminutive 14-year-old Vasili who looked much too young to be playing with the big boys. But he wasn’t son of the team coach for nothing and he played some stylish moves before being caught out on a loose chip.

The Gymnastikos team left a respectable 158 on the scoreboard which didn’t seem to phase the Marland & Sons hearties.

The visitors showed fine style and one could see what the older players must have been like in their college hey-days: George Ste-venson delivered a model 15 runs and Isabelle Duncan and Mar-cus Marland set up a good partnership with one of many ace lines coming from the careful MM to the effect that, “plenty of time … wait for the bad ones.”

There was talk about Isabelle Duncan being the first woman to play on the pitch but this was put to rest by several locals, includ-ing me who covered a match between Gymnastikos and a team of over-50s who’d worked together on an engineering project on the island and used a match as an excuse to re-visit and reunite. I don’t recall anything spectacular from that lady but I was enchant-ed by Ms Duncan’s classic MCC school of playing, particularly in her precise handling of some of local bowler Gialourakis’ trickier efforts to unseat her. I hear that Isabelle has her own coaching school and very lucky they are too whose cricketing careers are starting on such a good footing.

Speaking of footings and pitches, I’ve long wondered about our 22 yards of erratic pitch and suspected it provided a distinct advan-tage to the home team who must know every pothole and ridge. Both Jack Holmes and Henry Lamb confirmed this, pinpointing an indentation at the south end precisely located to (literally) wrong-foot one if going for a confident off drive. While on the subject of the ‘environment’ the sight lines must be the devil to adjust to, from meandering pedestrians and the sun bouncing off cars as they turn to pass through the St George’s Palace gate to the camouflage foliage against which the ball simply disappears until suddenly at the crease.

Wides? Can we talk turkey? At this juncture I must make deli-cate diplomatic mention of what, over the course of the innings, became an increasing cause for muttered rumblings among Team Marland: the almost embarrassing disparity between what was judged a ‘windy’ ball for one side and pukka pitching for the other. Enough said; some of us live here and may be reporting on games in the future.

The endearing image of the game for me will always be the tense countdown as the visitors inched towards the 158 mark and Lord Marland standing on the boundary, the next man in, bat at the im-patient twiddle, shuffling from side to side. Never has a bridesmaid champed at the bit more obviously than our captain himself hoping for his turn to come.

And it did. At the eleventh hour, with a single to decide, Lord Mar-land strode in, had his day in the sun with a Pyrrhic run out that brought the day’s proceeding to a draw, the first for many years to which the usually victorious Gymnastikos had been fought.

Last word must go to that Bard of the Boundaries, Marcus Mar-land,“Cricket the Winner”.


6th km. Paleokastritsa National Road,Kontokali - 49100

Corfu - Greece

Tel.-Fax: +30 26610 99216e-mail: [email protected]

www.corfu-homes.co.uk

6th km. Paleokastritsa National Road,Kontokali - 49100

Corfu - Greece

Tel.-Fax: +30 26610 99216e-mail: [email protected]

www.corfu-homes.co.uk

www.corfuhomes.grwww.corfuhomes.gr

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Having a party, or simply want to stock up on drinks for your holiday?

GC

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We deliver a huge variety of soft drinks, water, world wines, beers, champagnes and spirits direct to your villa, anywhere in the North of Corfu, 7 days a week, free of charge! Perfect for parties, catering, gifts or families.Call Garnelis Cava on: 6946 019 110 / 6945 460 710Family business for 29 years.email: [email protected]

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�0 ISLAND ISSUE �� ISLAND ��

What about this weather, eh? Hot hot hot. Lovely.

Anyway, you’re all looking good, so aren’t you glad you stuck to that winter regime? Will power – well done.

In fact, so well done that I dedicate this issue’s Monkey column to all our generous visitors, here to spend their hard-earned shekels on our paradise isle.

I know why you’re in such good shape: all those naughty six-packs of Bud that none of you can afford back home have been translated into the rippling chiseled version round your taut midriffs.

Go on Red I love it when the season opens. Suddenly we’re re-minded what it’s like to share the road with courteous Highway Coders, not to mention all those trusting pedestrians striding out across those faded stripey bits on the road. Funny, I always thought they were there to remind me to go a teensy bit faster over that particular strip.

Go on green: There’s a lovely moment in Kenneth Branagh’s How to kill your neighbour’s dog when an old biddy takes more than a nano-second to move forward and Branagh calls out, “Come on, lady, it doesn’t get any greener!” Well, here in Corfu they do get greener because many of our lights go from red to … nothing. No light at all, which the locals know is the same as going to green.

Baybe Watch As regular readers know, this column has vowed to boldly scope wherever pulchritude is perpetrated and I’ve cho-sen the Kond-ouvia locale for the best of the best.

Heading north from town, don’t miss the entrancing Ms Annete, latest addition to the Hotel Telesilla’s Kompass Rose bar. And while you’re about it, have a laugh at their poolside bar where some joker has put up a very convincing sign forbidding kissing. There’s also a small fine for transgressors. Crazy.

Gouvia’s Netcafé wi-fi bar sees the return of my favourite Hungar-

ian, leggy smokey-voiced Eszter. Even further up, in the ‘supermarket’ next to the Morfes bar, the

perfectly proportioned Ms Ran will sell you every conceivable bling from beach to bar and I’m told there’s a discount for anyone mentioning this column. Try it.

Names of things you never knew had names: CHANKING - Spat-out food, such as rinds or pits. You’re in olive

country now. You need to be specific when you ask, “I say, do you mind flicking your kalamata chankings down wind?” Talk about an onomatopoeia that instantly conveys its meaning.

OBDORMITION - The numbness caused by pressure on a nerve when a limb is ‘asleep’. As in, “Sorry to wake you but could you move your head a tad? Got a bit of obdormition in my left arm. And what was your name again?”

SCROOP - The rustle of silk, as in “Here she comes now. Darling, you look gorgeous. I’d recognise that scroop anywhere.”

WAMBLE - Stomach rumbling. Sort of useless trivia that wins bar bets.

ZARF - A holder for a handleless coffee cup. You know, I’ve al-ways wanted to tell that barista, “Double decaff, 2% fat and don’t worry ‘bout the zarf”.

Theodorakis My tip for unbelievable value. Beautiful 108-page documentary album of the work of Mikis Theodorakis, English and Greek text, masses of photos including unpublished gems from MK’s personal collection; three music CDs including the soundtrack of Zorba the Greek, songs of MK, Maria Fantouri and others; soundtrack from Cacoyannis’ Ifigenia. And get this, a DVD worth the paltry price alone. The whole package, €19. How does Katherimini newspaper do it? It’s the real deal. It’s C.O.D. and a mere €4 for courier and packing. I give Diellas supermarket for my rendez-vous, the courier service calls my mobile as they get there and it works like clockwork. In case of difficulty, email to [email protected] .

International Keyboard: We all need those foreign currencies or accents or whatever. Check out the compressed URL I’ve made for you – http://tiny.cc./orisg

Fiddle Sticks Monkey doesn’t do politics. Quite enough mon-key business in Parliament without me poking my simian snout in where I can’t claim on expenses.

But that Anthony Steen, MP for Totnes, outed for claiming £87,000 of your money to maintain his multi-million-pound home in Devon. Quoth he on BBC radio: “What right does the public have to interfere with my private life? None.”

Reminds me a little of when harridan hotelier Leona Helmes was nicked for unpaid taxes. Her retort: taxes only applied to “Little People”.

Well, Davy Cameron soon gave him his marching orders – or “lose the party Whip”, which set me wondering what that currently over-used phrase actually means?

It turns out that a “Whip” is not just a party ‘enforcer’, concerned with ensuring desired attendance for an important vote. It also describes a party’s endorsement of a member of parliament, so to “withdraw the whip” is to expel the MP from his/her political party.

Dept of People Needing a Life. Pringles: crisps or cakes? Real Plato stuff. To you and me, Pringles taste like a crisp and crunch like a crisp, right? Three judges agree, overturning a ruling last year that the snack was “more akin to a cake or chocolate biscuit.” Eureka! But a costly decision for manufacturers Proctor & Gamble who now face a tax bill of £100 million for past VAT and £20 million a year in the future.

Under UK law, most food carries no VAT. Bad luck for P&G, coated biscuits and “potato crisps, potato sticks, potato puffs, etc” made from the potato are subject to a tax of 15 per cent.

Pringles contain corn flour, wheat starch, maltodextrin, emulsi-fier, and much else that Nanny wouldn’t let us eat, but just 42 per cent potato content which is where the argument raged - over the

“potatoness” of the product. Potatoness? Governments are tumbling, Darfurians dying, the

bailiff’s at the door… and Learned Counsel is splitting hairs over cake or crisp?

Tell you what, browse the rest of Corfu’s coolest quarterly and I’ll have Spiros bring you over a brace of Mythos and oodles of junk snack as you work on that big-bellied tan. Kalés diakopés!

MONKEYBUSINESS

�� ISLAND ISSUE �� ISLAND ��

Why choose eco-friendly construction?After seeing some environmentally friendly

houses in Agios Georgios Pagi, I decidedto find out more about them. In my quest for further information I spoke to Roula, the managing director of PIXIDA CON-STRUCTION, the company responsible for building the houses I had admired.

By Ioanna Kampi

Ioanna: So, Roula, how did you arrive at this idea of environmentally friendly dwellings? Roula: The idea for my business venture started some years back, when I attained environmental aware-ness. I am a Corfiot and love my island so I noticed that as the population of Corfu grew the need for hous-ing also grew. The new building sites that appeared made me soon realize that they were not environmen-tally friendly, so I decided to do something about it.

Ioanna: So do tell our readers, what your company builds.

Roula: We build structures that are beneficial or non-harmful to the environment, and are also resource efficient. This type of construction uses local and re-newable materials, with less energy required to build, therefore generating less energy for day-to-day living. Ioanna: So what does PIXIDA CONSTRUCTION actually do?

Roula: Pixida helps our clients to realise their dream home in a dream setting by building them an eco-friendly home that will ensure character, quality and credibility with impeccable results. Constructed with care and atten-tion to detail, using eco-friendly materials. Ioanna: Do these houses have anything more to offer than a conventionally built home? Roula: Naturally they do, because the buildings are healthy to live in, offering a better quality of life. Ioanna: How about style and design, can you offer a variety to suit different costumer needs? Roula: We can create and build anything from an ultra modern design to a rustic traditional Greek design, as well as having expertise in renovation projects. Our team of architects and engineers with the highest of qualifications gained throughout Europe, some with over 30 years expe-rience, work together with our clients, to create their own design.

Ioanna: Does this perhaps make a house more expensive?

Roula: On the contrary, we are about 20% cheaper with first class quality while building faster than other construc-tors. This allows the client a little extra in their pocket with which they are able to enhance their dream home.

Ioanna: So what materials do you actually use? Roula: The main material is basically wood and we do not use harmful metals or materials, thus allowing the building to “breathe”. As wood is a natural product, it is healthy to live with and blends in well with the environment. Being a bad conductor of heat, in contrast to conventional build-ing materials, such as cement and metal, it offers 9 times more insulation than cement, 700 times more than steel and 2.000 times more than aluminium. It keeps a build-ing warm in winter and cool in summer, and is a natural sound proofing material. All other materials used are all either natural or friendly to the environment, such as slates of HERAKLITY, rockwool insulation, three layers of plaster, French, Roman or traditional type tiles, etc.

Ioanna: How strong is such a construction?

Roula: The low weight of a wooden structure together with the high level of flexibility makes the buildings more durable and they have a much smaller chance of collapsing should an earthquake occur. This is why our constructions stand the test of time with carefully selected timber.

Ioanna: Should I want to build a home with Pixida, how would I go about it?

Roula: Together we can draw up the plans and construct your dream home. Unlimited decorative features, such as wood, tiles, decorative stones, marble, glass bricks, and whatever else you can imagine, can be added to the design, according to your taste and requirements.

Ioanna: Well, Roula, I would like to congratulate you on this wonderful venture of yours and to wish you good luck.

Roula: Thank you very much.

[email protected]

Tel: +30 26630 96230 Mobile: +30 6937 164 766

Newly constructed single storey 3 bedroom Eco Friendly house. Beautiful location. Fantastic coun-tryside views. Agios Georgios Only 240,000 Euros

ISLAND PROMOTION

Explore Corfu

Vidos Island

Glance across the water from the old port of Corfu town and you will see a small, wooded island known as Vidos. It is only

half a mile away and can be reached by boat – there is a regular service running from the old port. It looks pretty, but is it worth a visit when there is so much to do in Corfu itself?

Well, this seemingly tranquil little island, known in ancient times

as the Island of Hera (who was the sister of Zeus and goddess of marriage), has seen more than its fair share of turmoil through-out history. More about that later, but today, the island of Vidos is a peaceful escape where Greeks and tourists alike come to en-joy the historical points of interest, the secluded beaches and the quiet pine forest. Vidos also accommodates the Kerkyra Bird and Wildlife sanctuary, and you might well also see the wild rabbits, pheasants and goats who call this island home. There is a taverna looking out over the water towards old Corfu town, a great spot for resting and refueling on traditional food and a good excuse to make a day of your visit to the island.

Walk inland along pine-strewn paths and the history of this island unrolls before your very eyes. You may first stumble across the eerie remains of a prison and its solitary confinement area. When the Venetians ruled Corfu, from the 15th century to the early 18th century, tunnels were built linking Vidos with the main island. Criminals were tried at the old fortress in Corfu town, and then transported through the tunnels to Vidos, which was once Corfu’s

“Alcatraz”.

Walking along peaceful paths with the sound of the sea never far away, it is hard to believe that Vidos was for a long time such a stra-tegic point in Corfu’s defenses; in fact it served as the base for the

Ottoman attacks of 1537 and 1716 and following the departure of the Venetians, Vidos was fortified under French governance. The French also gave the island its name. The British, who were the next and last foreign power to rule Corfu, turned Vidos into an almost impenetrable fortress, before destroying their own and all the previous fortifications on their departure in 1864. By follow-ing forest paths, you are bound to also come across the haunting Serbian Mausoleum, monument to the Serbian soldiers who lost their lives while defending Corfu’s freedom during the First World War. Vidos then served as a refuge for the Serbian army, but many of the soldiers died from exhaustion, food shortage, and various diseases. More than 5,000 of them were buried at sea, hence the waters around Vidos are known by the Serbian people as “the blue graveyard”. Inside the mausoleum, all of the soldiers are commem-orated and offerings of flowers and candles are strewn amongst the photographs and memories.

Another point of interest is a beautiful old house, which was

used in the filming of ‘Fedora’, a 1970s film set in Corfu and star-ring Michael York.

The island being less than a kilometre in diameter, one can eas-

ily explore it all in one visit. Yes, it has a lively and sad history and some might feel a tinge of melancholy in the air, especially around the mausoleum, but it is a pretty and quiet place to which to es-cape Corfu’s busy beaches in mid-summer and very much part of Corfu’s history.

By Mia Daltas

Agios Georgios Pagi,49083, Corfu,Greece


TRAVEL

Kefalonia: where Myth becomes Reality

Sarah Button discovers an island that thrills, entertains and fascinates;

leaving her reluctant to leave.

If it hadn’t been for Odysseus, maybe we’d have a different name for a journey that involves adventure; an ‘Odyssey’. For myself and husband Pete, sailing ‘Tighmara,’ our 40’ sloop,

gave us a chance to follow in the wake of the ancient Greek hero.

The Ionian Islands are a splendid location for leisurely travel by boat and we left Corfu with our sights set literally on Kefalonia; the largest of the Ionian islands and its bustling harbour at Sami.

As we sailed south down the Ithaca channel, Kefalonia to our

right and Odysseus’s fabled homeland to our left, I was reminded that recently, archaeologists and historians claim to have found ev-idence that the hero’s home was actually on the Paliki peninsular on the western side of Kefalonia. It may once have been a separate island; if so, it would fit Homer’s description of being low-lying, furthest out to sea, and with no land visible to the west. Added to the possibility that the hero truly existed, Kefalonia becomes utterly intriguing.

Styled by ancient history – mythical and otherwise – the island is blessed with variety; an eclectic collection of attractions and dis-tractions. Geographical events, the scars of war and the pressures of modern life have sculpted a place where traditional living meets the curiosity of an inquisitive visitor with welcoming arms.

Sami played a welcoming host for the filming of Captain Corelli’s

Mandolin, which starred Penelope Cruz and Nicolas Cage. The

locals were signed up for a huge cast of extras, the ex-perience poignant for the town’s elderly population and the many who will re-member the horror of the massive earthquake – also featured in the film, that struck in 1953. The town is home to the largest port on the island and ferries run regularly between Italy and the Greek mainland. There are hotels, good shopping and tavernas that offer the delicious Kefalonian meat pie and freshly caught lobster.

Having tied our boat securely to the quayside amongst local fish-

ing caiques, we shook down our sea legs, hired a car and headed for the hills.

The mountains offer the highest peak in the Ionian, Mt. Aenos, at 1627m (5,330ft); you can drive practically all the way to the top, but if you are a keen walker there are well-marked footpaths that fol-low a higgledy-piggledy route through the pine-forested National Park. From the summit you can gaze across to Zakinthos, the most southerly of the Ionian islands. Below you to the south, vineyards unfurl onto a central plane. This is the home of the grapes that pro-duce the famous Robola wines. Buffs can sample from a diverse range at the winery in Omala, which includes a delicious cava. Our visit left us clutching a few bottles of the light dry crispy Melam-bus, which goes down a treat with seafood.

If it’s fish that tickle your taste buds you can’t miss a visit to Fisk-

ardo, a traditional fishing port famous for its pretty and cheerfully painted quayside tavernas. Here you will find Tassia’s restaurant, named after its celebrity TV chef. Indulge in mouth-watering fish dishes as you watch out for the rich and famous who moor their yachts in the harbour. Most of the island’s Venetian influenced buildings were razed to the ground in the 1953 earthquake, but Fiskardo escaped the worst of the carnage, and the town retains its traditional architecture.

Argostoli, the island’s capital, is on the other hand, modern.

Nothing remains of the original buildings, but it is well laid out and accommodating. A cosmopolitan shopping promenade lined with pavement cafés is ideal for a spot of people watching over a frappé or a delicious locally made ice cream. This is where you come for a night out clubbing, or a day mooching round the Archaeological Museum and the Folk Museum. Here you will find many clues to the cultural past of life on the island, from Mycenean gold, to hand crafted lace and traditional furniture.

The airport is just a few kilometres away; charter flights buzz in and out of here for much of the summer, making the island acces-sible from many European cities.

Topping up the tan can be achieved in style. Myrtos beach is

probably the most photographed in Greece and has some of its rewards in the thrill of getting there, lying at the bottom of a series of hairpin bends. You can park near the beach tavernas, then dip your toes in gin-clear water. On a calm day yachts anchor off, send-ing a crew ashore to replenish their fridges with the ice-cold beer available at the tavernas.

Our last day was spent on the tree-covered hillside of Ag. Pha-nentes, to the south of Sami. Here we found the remains of the settlement of Ancient Sami. Aside from the gigantean walls that can be spotted on the hillside, there are the ruins of a pre-historic settlement. A short distance away the remains of an ancient thea-tre and, beneath the strewn rocks, various tombs have been found. A Roman bathhouse with mosaic floors and a bronze head dating from AD 3000 has also been excavated here. The head is on dis-play in the Archaeological Museum in Argostoli. But for me, the site offers more than just history. Here, one can touch the soul of this beautiful place and almost feel the presence of the people who have lived here. It is a place that demands your respect, and a place you want to thank for the privilege of being able to share it. Next to the ruins of the monastery of Ag. Phanentes is a church; here I met an elderly lady; she was dressed in black and carrying flowers, which she placed on the altar. Then, she joined me in enjoying the spectacular view across a sparkling sea, ‘Ah, very beautiful,’ she said, and we both sighed and smiled, sharing our appreciation.

Where to stay

Hotels:

There are many, and a quick search on the web will spoil you for choice, for example;

The Emelisse Art Hotel in Fiskardo (www.arthotel.gr/emelisse/) is a chic boutique hotel decorated in minimalist style and with amazing views of the Ionian. Their website shows no prices, but they throw in free diving lessons and the loan of a bike.

Self-catering:

A well-equipped two-bedroomed villa at Skala, where you can pick fresh herbs and lemons from the garden, is available from £550 per week, excluding fights. Check out www.travelfactfile.com

Something different:

A one week retreat with Holistic Holidays, including meals, ac-commodation and excursions, costs from around £400 excluding flights. Add another £100 and you can partake in courses for the mind, body and spirit.

The Kritonou centre is protected on three sides by the powerful energizing presence of surrounding hills and mountains, whilst the fourth side offers spectacular views, down a wooded valley, to the sparkling blue waters of the Gulf of Argostoli.

www.kritonou.gr

Sail your own Odyssey:

You don’t need to be an expert to join a flotilla and explore the Ionian by sail-ing-boat.

Help is given as you sail your own yacht in support-ive and convivial company.

Prices start at around €650 per boat for a week (prices for skipper and to join a flo-tilla are extra)

www.pinnacleyachts.co.uk

Myrtos beach


Seville cathedral

One day in January, during one of Corfu’s wettest and most inhospitable winters, a shivering, starving dog turned up on the doorstep of a house in the country near Kato Korakiana. The owner of the house knew

all too well that taking on a dog, especially one in this condition, was a far-reaching commitment, one she was not sure she was in a position to embark on. Her house and garden were already called

‘home’ by a small community of cats and other domestic animals. She had heard of the animal welfare charity called CARE, and ar-ranged to take the poor animal to the charity’s premises near Sidari and hand her over to them for some much-needed help.

CARE was started six years ago by passionate animal lovers who had a home on Corfu and who one day found eight starving pup-pies dumped in a rubbish bin and close to death. All were nursed back to health and since that time four thousand dogs have been rescued and re-homed in Greece, Austria, Germany and the UK. Not without disappointments and difficulties – ‘foreign’ efforts like this, inspired only by compassion and pity, are often regarded with suspicion by local people and authorities. CARE receives no gov-ernment aid – it runs on voluntary contributions alone, and until funds allow for the setting up of a more formal arrangement, the animals are cared for at the home of the Corfu Head of Operations, Cheryl Graham.

When the little stray Boxer was taken to Cheryl’s shelter, there were 26 dogs currently awaiting treatment and re-homing. (Today, as I write this, there are 35). The person to whom the dog had en-trusted herself decided that it was unfair to expect CARE to take on another dog when, with a few adjustments, she could cope. So the Boxer acquired a name – Molly – and a new and very loving home. Like any dog, Molly gives more than she receives – undying affec-tion, loyalty, trust and companionship seem to be a disproportion-ately rich reward for the offering of a warm basket, a regular sup-ply of dog biscuits and the feeling of ‘belonging’. This, and an end to loneliness, are all any dog or cat needs. This is what Molly has found, and what CARE tries to provide for less fortunate animals.

With a substantial and, it seems, ever-growing population of stray dogs, Corfu has a way of pulling at the animal-lover’s heartstrings every day. There just aren’t enough facilities to deal with the prob-lem of unwanted dogs, not enough money to fund the shelters that are so badly needed. A dog pound was set up a few years ago near Acharavi, but funds and interest dried up. Keeping pets was never a priority for the local people, animals such as dogs had to earn their keep, and perhaps the only really pampered animals were the very expensive dogs required by hunters. Even then, the pampering lasted only as long as the dog was useful. Things have changed considerably, as the number of pet food stores and pet grooming establishments indicates, but while pedigree dogs fare well enough, mongrels don’t do so well.

Stray cats proliferate too, but they are far less depend-ent on humans once they survive the first few months of their lives. Left to their own devices, it is very much a case of ‘the survival of the fittest’, and it is only when a soft-hearted human gives in to the appeal of cats and starts to feed them that they begin to reproduce and become dependent. Neutering cats is the most efficient and kindest way of controlling their numbers and this is something that, here in Corfu, is done voluntarily by a number of concerned individuals and small animal wel-fare groups. Perhaps this is a good place to mention that Greek cats are not always as undernourished as foreign visitors assume – they are descended from a species peculiar to the Mediterranean and Middle East – long and very slim.

Stray dogs, however are another matter – a bigger problem in every way. Local people shy away from having dogs neutered – if you really delve into the reasons for this you find a natural abhor-rence of interfering with the natural processes – an abhorrence that goes very deep and has nothing to do with the practicalities of life. So unwanted puppies proliferate and are dumped without hesitation, to fend for themselves or not. Finding a bag or box of abandoned puppies is heartrending – finding homes for them near-ly impossible. Corfu’s animal lovers only have so many homes to offer – saturation point has been reached time and time again.

During the summer months the stronger, cleverer and more ap-pealing strays survive by gathering in the holiday resorts and play-ing on the emotions of the tourists. But there is no such source of food in winter, the animals reproduce twice a year, and helpless puppies need attention all year round.

Local vets are sympathetic , kind and helpful, but they have to make a living and while they have no hesitation in treating sick or injured strays, or in putting down doomed puppies or adult dogs too sick to survive, they have to be paid for their work, even though they will often take the minimum amount of money. One or two local animal welfare groups have come into existence in recent years, and all of them depend on financial contributions in order to carry out their work and pay the vets.

One of these is CARE, who, with limited space and facilities, very limited funds, but an endless supply of determination and love for the animals, manages to make a difference.

With a very successful programme of neutering, the setting up of feeding stations for animals for whom they have no room, and a high rate of success in re-housing animals, CARE deserves the support of everyone who comes to Corfu and is touched by the plight of so many stray animals.

CV Travel is one of the charity’s leading sponsors, and one of their initiatives is to place envelopes in every one of the villas in their Corfu programme, and to encourage their clients to donate whatever they can to help support CARE. The current economic climate has affected donations to charities as much as anything else, but every little helps.

To read about CARE and all its aims and activities, go to the website: www.carecorfu.com

For information about adopting a dog or cat, call Cheryl Graham on (0030) 6972 072 155.

To make a donation, contact Cheryl, check the website, or contact CV Travel in Kassiopi(0030) 26630 81100/81800.

CARECorfu Animal Rescue Establishment

‘A splendid year-round destination’

‘First-class food and service in a dramatic setting’

How to find us: take the newly paved road down to Kassiopi har-bour. At the harbour, turn left and continue along for 400 - 500 m.


When it’s hot outside, the last thing you might feel like do-ing is eating a heavy meal, or cooking it for that matter! But summer in Corfu is the ideal time to enjoy long, lazy

meals, eaten outdoors under the shade of a vine during the hottest part of the day. This must be why the traditional meze came to be in the first place – what better way to eat in these circumstances than to pick at a selection of small tasty snacks? They are convenient for the cook too, as they needn’t all be brought out at the same time, nor need they all be cooked at the last minute – some cold meze may be prepared in advance. Of course, tavernas offer a wide vari-ety of meze, which we are all familiar with, although they do tend to be a bit samey; fried calamari, tzatziki, cheese pies, etc. When making your own meze why not attempt something a little more unusual, something you can’t easily find on taverna menus? Here are some ideas to make any summer gathering a sure success. Just make sure there is some fresh bread, olives, a salad made out of juicy summer tomatoes and good olive oil, and perhaps a good old tzatziki. All recipes serve 4-6 as part of a meze selection.

EAT UP / WINE DOWN

Lamb meatballs with feta and mint

500g lamb mince1 thick slice of white bread, crust removed1 small onion, grated1 handful mint leaves, chopped1 handful parsley, chopped1 egg50g pine nuts, lightly toastedSalt and pepper200g feta2 tablespoons flour Olive oil for frying1 lemon

Soak the bread in water until soft, then squeeze all the liquid out. With your hands, mix it with the lamb, onion, egg, pinenuts, herbs and seasoning. Cut the feta into 1cm cubes and mould the meat mixture around the feta cubes to make even-sized, small meatballs.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan until very hot. Coat the meatballs with the flour and fry (in 2 batches if necessary) until brown on all sides. Serve with lemon wedges.

Flaming saganaki with chilli

Saganaki is named after the two-handled pan (sagani) in which it is made; a frying pan or sauté pan will do just as well though. The classic version has no chili or brandy, so feel free to leave either of these ingredients out.

500g kefalotyri or kasseri cheese (or smoked metsovone, for a change)1 tablespoon of olive oil2 tablespoons of flour1 small red chilli or a pinch of dried chili flakes2 tablespoons of brandy2 lemons, quartered

Cut the cheese into large slices or wedges that are about 1cm thick. Moisten each slice with cold water and dredge in the flour. In a small frying pan (cast-iron is best), heat the oil over medium-high heat, and sear each slice, sprinkled with the chilli, until golden-brown on both sides. Pour the brandy over the cheese and ignite immediately. Serve straight away with lemon wedges.

Stuffed courgette flowers

You are very unlikely to find courgette flowers at the supermarket, but if you go to the market in Corfu town or to a good vegetable store (the one at Diellas, Gouvia is a good bet), you should get lucky. Don’t bother buying them unless they are crisp and healthy looking; the overly limp, brown-at-the-edges flowers simply won’t do for this dish.

For the stuffing150g ricotta or soft mizithra100g feta, crumbledZest of ½ lemon1 small handful of mint leaves, shreddedSalt and pepperFor the flowers12 courgette flowersVegetable oil150g self-raising flour260ml fizzy waterSea salt and lemon segments to serve

Gently open the courgette flowers, cut out the pollen stems and give them a quick rinse. Drain well on a tea-towel. Mix together the ingredients for the stuffing, then carefully press a ball of the filling into each flower and twist the flower closed. This stage can be done up to a day in advance.

Heat 2cm of vegetable oil in a saucepan (or a deep-fat fryer). The oil must be hot enough to sizzle a small cube of bread, turning it a deep golden brown in a couple of minutes.

Mix the self-raising flour and fizzy water to make a light batter. It should be the consistency of thin double cream. Dip the stuffed flowers in the batter, being careful that they don’t open, and fry in the hot oil, 3-4 at a time, depending on the size of your pan. You may need to turn them over to make sure both sides cook. It should take 2-3 minutes for the batter to become crisp and pale gold in colour.

Drain on kitchen paper, patting off any excess oil. Season with sea salt and a squeeze of lemon before eating.

2006 Domaine EvharisEva Rosé Sparkling Wine12% vol

Order from your local CavaWe use Cava Garnelis: 6945 460 710

Cair is generally the sparkling Greek wine of choice. However we at ISLAND are sparkling Roséfans and have sought out this little sparkly gem which will be a welcome accompani-ment to any entertaining we do this summer!

The multi award winning wine estate of Evharis comprises of 400 sq. meters in the foothills of the Geranian mountains. It lies between two seas, the Corinthian and Saroniko, at an altitude of 380-400m. The estate is less than one hour from the city of Athens.

The grapes are hand-picked and brought to the winery in small plastic crates. Following careful sorting of the grapes, they are fed into the destemmer where the stems are separated from the grapes. After this they are fed into state-of-the-art pneumatic presses where they are gently pressed at low pressures. This is followed by debourbage and then after eight hours the must, which has cleared naturally, is collected. No pumps are used during processing of the grapes. Vinification is done using the sealed tank method.

The wine has a rich rosé hue, with a delicate fruity bouquet, pleasant sweetness and long-lasting bubbles – perfect for long hot summers and light meals.

by Mia DALTAS / Marcus GONDOLO-GORDON


WHY DID WE COME TO CORFU?

More importantly, perhaps – why did we stay?

Some very personal reflections on what

Corfu means to me – and probably you, too.

By Angela Papageorgiou

It’s that time of day that the Greeks call ‘the little evening’ and the English call ‘late afternoon’. It is mid-May and while it is warm for the time of year, there is a hint of evening chill to

come. I am sitting outside the house, writing. Three cats, two gin-ger, one grey, all tabbies, are sprawled comfortably on the patio tiles, watching warily for the first sign that I might be heading for the Whiskas cupboard. They are not strays, not quite feral, they simply live within my boundaries. I have never given them names. We simply co-exist. They give me the pleasure of their company, I give them food.

It is the time of day when the swallows are out swooping on in-sects, foraging. They return to the same nesting places each year in March, greeted with the same affectionate enthusiasm by the local people as the first tourists and for much the same reason

– as a sign that winter is finally over, and the darkness is departing. Every evening at this time I sit outside and each time a single swal-low perches on the power cable overhead, cleaning his feathers and emitting a non-stop commentary of chirrups, chatter, warbles and trills that seem to be for my ears only.

Apart from this, there is little else to disturb the peace – the odd fly buzzes busily in the garden, a huge and seriously clumsy car-penter bee crashes yet again into the wind chimes, and a dog wel-comes someone home with a series of excited yaps. It is too early in the summer for cicadas, though the mosquitoes are already making their annoying presence felt. As dusk approaches, the fire-flies switch on their lights and sparkle amidst the bushes.

At this time of year, when Nature runs riot, the sound of strim-mers is much in evidence, but with the onset of evening they are si-lenced and the felled weeds smoulder on the bonfires that are not yet forbidden, leaching their fragrance into the air. I have drunk the last coffee of the day and my taste buds tell my brain that an ouzo would be nice right now, with a handful of smoky flavoured olives and a piece of pungent feta.

Why did I stay in Corfu? Partly for this, I suppose, the feeling of truly being alive, of seeing more clearly in this shimmering light, of hearing more acutely, even the sound of small insects. Tastes

become as vivid as colours, smells as evocative as sounds.

Over and over again people refer to the ‘magic of Corfu’, and for every one of us the magic is different, yet just a part of the great spell that the island casts over all its visitors. That magic has been named and hinted at by many people. Shakespeare is said to have referred to it in The Tempest, everything written about the Apollo Line mentions it, two books entitled ‘This Rough Magic’ were about Corfu (one of them, not by Mary Stewart, placed it at the heart of a demonic empire), and just about every travel writer has mentioned it at least once in his or her articles.

It doesn’t take long for Corfu’s magic to enter your bloodstream, never to be shaken off again. Victorian travellers were ‘hooked’ as soon as their ship rounded the northeastern headlands and entered what looked, and still looks, like a vast lake, defined by the shores of Albania, mainland Greece and Corfu itself. There is surely magic in that juxtaposition of ancient empires and civilisa-tions? Today’s visitors are more likely to be intrigued by their first glimpse of Corfu’s unique shape from the air, apparently floating on a glittering sea. Seeing it is not enough however. You have to meet its people, walk its streets, swim in its waters, taste its food and hear its music to even begin the enchantment and even then

– there is much that cannot be put into words.

People say Corfu is a paradise, but just as everyone’s Hell is a different place, so no two people have the same expectations of Paradise. I would say that Corfu is a place where anything is possi-ble, where people discover themselves, or a new and unsuspected version of themselves. It teaches you to be self-reliant instead of depending upon some faceless ‘nanny’ figure to provide for you. It teaches you to question who you have become and to have the courage to change. It teaches you to value the simpler, older things in life – the joy of conversation, the company of friends, the beauty of natural things, the satisfaction of cooking with, and for, the people you love, watching your children grow up.

Life in Corfu can be frustrating and disappointing, difficult and unpredictable, ridiculous and even farcical at times. People get ‘is-land fever’ and feel the need for wide-open spaces and anonymity. If they leave, they usually come back, hungry for that feeling of belonging, of being someone, of being alive. Many of the children of marriages between foreign wives and Corfiot husbands leave and go away for educational opportunities and careers in wider fields than Corfu can offer. The parting is rarely permanent. Oth-ers are happy to stay and carve out a life of their own here.

Someone told me today that when she came to Corfu, thirteen years ago, she had the feeling of ‘coming home’. She felt like a snake that had just shed its old skin and was ready to start afresh. These days people make plans to come to Corfu, buy a property, settle here. Things were not always so organized. Back in the 60s, that great era of rebellion, against parents and governments, people used to wash up upon these welcoming shores much as Odysseus once did. Hippies, Scientologists, writers, artists, actors

– Corfu was tolerant of everyone and absorbed them all. Some of them are still here. The 70s ushered in the great age of package holidays and Corfu saw the arrival not only of holidaymakers in force, but of reps, au pairs, car hire drivers, doctors’ reception-ists, hotel workers, chefs, gardeners, yacht skippers, teachers of English, handymen, builders and many others, all from mainland Greece and abroad. Tourism has had its ups and downs, but so many of those people stayed on in Corfu, unable to shake off the feeling that they belonged here. Few of them ever planned or even imagined that they would one day call Corfu ‘home’. Somehow it just seemed inevitable.

Staying here is not without its problems – though entry into the EU has solved some of them, somehow it has exacerbated others. It sometimes seems as if, in order to do anything, from buying a car to collecting a parcel from the Post Office, you need an unrea-

sonable amount of paperwork, stamps, signatures, affidavits and photographs. Rest assured that this is not because you are British, or Dutch or non-Greek in any way – the Greeks them-selves have to endure the same pettifogging bureaucracy. Just join the queue, fill in the forms, and console yourself with the thought ot retreat to the beach, or the hills, or wherever else you find your own magical Corfu.

I beg you to read the poem ‘Ithaka’ by Cavafy, or listen to Sir Sean Connery recite it on YouTube to music by Vangelis. Though it speaks of a journey to Ithaka, as an allegory for the journey through life, it has al-ways made me think of Corfu. The journey through life that brought me to Corfu was a memorable one, too.


When the mansion of Fundana was built, on a ridge over-looking the Skripero valley on one side and the Ropa val-ley on the other, over 400 years ago, the only existing

road was that from the Venetian port in Gouvia to Angelokastro, high above Palaiokastritsa on the west coast. It was only in 1828 that the High Commissioner Lord Adams ordered the Corfu-Pal-aiokastritsa road to be built, allegedly as a gesture of love towards his Corfiot wife, to whom he wanted to show the sunset on the west coast.

Not a lot seems to have happened around there since then; it remains one of Corfu’s most unspoiled areas, with 18 lakes nes-tling in the Skripero valley, inhabited by small green frogs who serenade Fundana every night, and who have given Skriperiots their nickname: “frog-eaters”. Around the lakes grows two-metre high papyrus, only found in this area of the island; it was once used for building the traditional boat “papirella”, in which Corfiots would travel as far as Italy (an example of which can be seen at the folklore museum in Sinarades).

Fundana itself manages to both reside over the surrounding coun-tryside and nestle discreetly into it, as if the passing centuries have cancelled out its man-made status and increased its dignity. A long, winding drive ribbons its way through olive groves up towards the mansion, occasionally rewarding the visitor with glimpses of the intriguing building ahead.

On arrival, an ancient stone staircase sweeps gently up to the main house amidst tumbling honeysuckle, rambling roses and fra-grant myrtle in full bloom. The lack of any ostentatious landscap-ing, gates or other fixtures is refreshing and somehow allows the natural charm of this place to shine through, like a beautiful woman wearing no make-up. Indeed, in the grounds of Fundana the owner has counted 24 of the 55 species of wild orchids growing in Corfu

– it would be criminal not to let nature take its course here.

If the entrance looks strangely familiar, cast your mind back to the 1987 BBC production My Family and other Animals, in which Spiros leads the Durrell family up these very stairs and proudly announces “this is the villa with the bathroom!” The mansion’s old kitchen too, seemingly untouched by the passage of time and on-slaught of modern appliances, is very recognizable from the series. A second BBC production of the same story was also shot here in 2005 and the garden still boasts the strawberries planted by the crew in 1987, because they were needed for a particular scene, as well as two trees planted by the second crew as part of the set.

The oldest part of the house is the Venetian building, the “fonte-go”, meaning “a storeroom for wheat”, which was built in 1570 and has 90cm-thick, Venetian porcelain-clad walls and the intertwined metal bars over the windows which are typical of medieval Vene-tian architecture. When, in 1668, Crete was taken by the Turks, many families fled to Corfu, including the Byzantine-descended Giallina family. Because of services to the Venetians, this family was awarded a large piece of land between Skripero and Liapades, containing 4,000 olive trees. It is here that the main house and ol-ive press of Fundana was built, around the old storeroom, in order for the family to supervise the agricultural work, although they officially lived in Corfu town. The mansion still features the walls that were built around it then for protection, as well as the elegant main entrance, linked from the building’s south side to what used to be the old road to Gouvia, but now leads to the area’s beautiful Saint Onoufrios monastery, one kilometre away.

In around 1880, the oldest of five children, Innocente Giallina, whose portrait still hangs in the drawing room, inherited the house. His daughter married the current owner’s grandfather, Spiros Spathas, also his namesake. Fundana was declared a protected monument in 1981 by the Greek Ministry of Culture, and has since been run as a traditional hotel by the Spathas family, who built a large swimming pool and converted the mansion’s outhouses into 12 holiday cottages. The family also continues to produce olive oil,

Fundana main house

ISLAND goes back in time to visit an historic mansion

Written by Mia Daltas

from the estate’s remaining 500 olive trees, as well as almonds, wine and even artichokes.

Although the guest cottages have been fully restored and offer high quality accommodation, the main house where the Spathas family lives is literally crumbling. Inside, the rooms may be full of beautiful things that speak of former glory – Venetian, British and French antique furniture, an Austrian 19th century piano, rare oil paintings, including three by the well-known artist Angelos Gial-linas – but the framework of the house is showing its age. Flaking, patchy paint and rickety woodwork are just the visible signs of this mansion’s state of disrepair; who knows what the full extent of the damage is?

The good news is that a much needed facelift is expected to go ahead fairly soon, once an EU grant has been secured. Mr Spathas, himself an energetic and enthusiastic man who has clearly taken much pride in doing everything he can to maintain his family home, beams with pleasure when he tells us that his son will soon be fin-ishing his studies and returning to assist with running the family business. They plan to start a small but “very special” taverna in the mansion’s beautifully preserved olive press, serving traditional Corfiot fare. They also hope to sell the estate’s own olive oil, which would be a wonderful string to Fundana’s bow.

A place like Fundana takes some fighting for, as Mr. Spathas knows all too well; in 1981 he lost 400 olive trees to a forest fire,

which came close to burning down the mansion itself. In more re-cent years, there have been other threats to the area – plans for a road, a rubbish dump and a prison have all been seriously consid-ered and furiously fought against by the Spathas family. Let’s hope their sheer determination and their faith in the protective powers of the area’s patron Saint Onoufrios are enough to safeguard this unique piece of paradise.

STYLE


Tony Kennedy draws CorfuTony Kennedy’s intricately detailed drawings of Corfu are

immediately eye-catching and seem to perfectly capture the elegant beauty and faded colours of Corfiot architecture. A typical example of his work features on ISLAND’s front cover in this issue; other examples are featured on this page. His work involves drawing in fine detail using water soluble pencils, a method he also employs at home in England to draw beautiful house facades by commission.

Tony was brought up as a child in Africa, but returned to U.K. to study art at St. John’s College, York. He later be-came a teacher of children with learning difficulties and then of young offenders. He has always used art as an al-ternative means of communication with people and, since retiring from teaching two years ago, has concentrated on drawing and painting. His work has been exhibited in vari-ous galleries and was featured in Art of England magazine earlier this year.

During the first week in May 2009 a couple who arrived to stay at one of CV Travel’s lovely villas in the north-east of Corfu mentioned to their rep-resentative that they first visited the island 33 years ago. They were also guests of CV Travel at that time, though the Company was then called

Corfu Villas. Whereas today they would have been met at the airport by one of an ef-ficient team of Airport Representatives, back then they were met by the Cooksons, the original owners of the Company, in their jeep, and whisked away to a villa....cont.

Prosilio, Kassiopi

Holiday in style with CV Travel


Everything was on a smaller scale in those days, not least the airport building itself, which today houses the Corfu Flying Club. Shortly after Corfu Villas began operations, a new airport termi-nal was opened, the runway was lengthened for the first time, and the first arrivals of large jet aircraft were scheduled. Half the town population turned out to watch the landing of the first big Boe-ing, convinced that the runway would collapse under the weight, or the aircraft would roll off the end into the lagoon.

When the Company first started opera-tions, there were just a few handmade brochures that would be sent out to prospective clients with a polite re-quest to return them. These were soon followed by slender printed bro-chures that became collector’s items.

Villas were not expected to provide

anything but basic, simple accommo-dation, but then – as now – they were always in the very best locations. Then, a fridge and a gas cooker were the basic items of villa equipment, supplemented by a selection of cooking utensils. Today’s brochures, however, list as villa facilities such items as microwaves, air-conditioning, iPods, satellite TV, Internet access and, of course, the ubiquitous swimming pool.

Self-catering in those pioneering days meant making toast under a wonky gas grill and boiling water for tea in a saucepan. Certain villas, however, were able to benefit from the services of a CV cook

– British girls, qualified Cordon Bleu cooks, who would spend a season in Corfu working exclusively for CV. (Those were the days of the ‘Sloane Rangers’ – for whom ‘The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook’, published in 1982, recommended a Cordon Bleu cook-ery course as further education, followed by a summer cooking for CV in Corfu as a suitable job.)

In 1983, Corfu Villas Ltd changed its name to CV Travel Ltd to reflect the Company’s growing programme of villa rental destina-tions into Italy, France, Portugal, Spain and the Balearics. Since that time, there have been other changes – notably, changes of ownership resulting in CV Travel becoming part of the prestigious Kuoni Group in 2007.

Over the past 37 years, the Company has grown from a small operation arranging holiday houses in Corfu for friends and fam-ily of the owners, to become one of the world’s most esteemed villa rental companies. Now there are seven incredibly glamorous brochures and a website, featuring hotels and villas in Europe, the

Caribbean, North and South Africa, the Middle East, Brazil, Thai-land and New Zealand. Sister-company, Ski Verbier, is renowned for the last word in catered chalet sophistication, while CV’s new-est venture is closer to home with a collection of exceptional prop-erties in the British Isles.

The qualities that made the Company what it was, and always will be, remain unchanged however. Everyone who travels with CV is an individual and will be treated as such from the first tentative enquiry to the final moment of the holiday. There is nothing ‘pack-aged’ about the CV service.

In Corfu, this means being able to call upon local staff who live on the island and know it well. They are friendly but never intru-sive, and more than willing to share their knowledge. They are adept problem-solvers and always keen to meet a challenge. When the daughter of Russian guests required a piano for her daily prac-tice, CV was able to hire one for her. A nervous lady decided she wanted to learn to scuba dive, and an instructor was found to teach her – in the villa pool. Party-mad guests demanded – and got – a band, extra chairs and glasses, two pretty waitresses and three lo-cal butchers to oversee the expert barbecuing of several lambs. No request is ever ignored, whether it is for a massage by the villa pool, private water-ski lessons, a supply of children’s books, or – as once happened – the replacement of the coloured sofa cushions

with a set of white ones.

The services of a cook or chef are still much in demand, but the days of the Sloane cooks

are but a fond memory. Now CV employs Thomas, a kindly and adaptable Corfiot

chef, Linda, an Englishwoman with a flair for Italian cooking, and Gary, a Scottish chef with years of experi-ence in Corfu and aboard yachts. CV offers, also, the services of a wedding organizer, finds nannies and babysitters, arranges private boat trips, and has at times assisted

in getting dogs and even donkeys back to new homes in the UK. A very

comprehensive welcome pack is pro-vided on arrival, containing sufficient sup-

plies to make it possible to create an evening meal for that first evening without having to sum-

mon the strength to leave the villa. Smart pool towels with the CV logo are also supplied.

During their stay in Corfu, CV guests have the opportunity to

attend the now famous ‘CV Drinks Party’, a weekly event, held at Damianos Bar in the pretty village of St Stephanos. This provides an opportunity for guests, CV staff and villa owners to meet each other in an informal and congenial setting, and is another example of the unique CV service.

The travel industry is well-known for the movement of staff, from one company to another, but CV has loyal and enthusiastic staff, many of whom have been members of the Corfu team for an im-pressive number of years. Those who have left and gone their vari-ous ways invariably retain a connection of some kind with the Com-pany – often returning as clients themselves. Travelling with CV or working for CV – there is something unique about the experience.

This year the Corfu Team is once again headed by Kate Eales, who has been with the Company for nine years. In her role as Op-erations Manager for the Ionian Islands, although she is kept very busy here on Corfu and also travels to Paxos, Lefkada & Kefalonia, she still finds time to enjoy the qualities that make Corfu so special, and to spend valuable time with her children. Elaine Conway, with CV for ten years, heads the team of representatives and occasion-ally finds time to indulge her enjoyment of cooking and reading. In

“No request is ever ignored, whether it is for a

massage by the villa pool, pri-vate water-ski lessons, a supply of children’s books, or – as once happened – the replacement of

the coloured sofa cushions with a set of white ones.”

Outdoor kitchen and dining

Vinita, Kassiopi

Kaparelli House, Avlaki


the office in Kassiopi, Julie and Sarah cover every eventuality with great enthusiasm and tact – both are ‘old hands’ in Corfu and have years of experience to call upon. Angela has been with the Com-pany the longest, and reckons she has seen and heard everything that goes on – useful experience when engaged in copywriting for the CV brochures. Julie, Sue, Jo and Anneke cover a great deal of ground as the Company’s representatives, visiting the guests, dispensing advice and recommendations. Long hours for the team don’t leave much time for hobbies apart from a Sunday swim and the occasional meal with friends or family, but winter, when Corfu’s tourist industry is idle, is the time for favourite activities, amongst which walking the dogs and reading feature strongly. Interestingly, members of staff who have pets have almost always given a loving home to one of Corfu’s stray or abandoned animals.

The Team is most ably backed up by Giorgos, the CV handyman, whose gentle smile and perfect English make even his most neces-sary visits to a villa a pleasure for the guests. Pools and some of the maintenance jobs are covered by Joseph and his team, Roger, Nick, and Apostolis. All of these handy guys have associations with CV that go back many years.

The Kassiopi Office is supported by CV’s agent, Eleni Sarakinou, with her staff Eleni and Helen. Richard Cookson, now resident in Corfu, continues to play an important role for CV with the compa-ny’s contracting and photography requirements.

The moment of arrival at the airport is when the skill and deter-mination of CV’s Airport Representatives is so appreciated. The airport team – Tish, Lisa and Candy - is headed by Carole, who has been shepherding people through the airport experience for many years.

2009 sees the 37th year of operations in Corfu for CV Travel. From a handful of properties at Nissaki and Kommeno, the pro-gramme has expanded to number about 120 carefully selected vil-las, for the most part along the north-east coast, from Barbati to St Spiridon, in locations that vary between beachfront and moun-tainside. There are a few stunning villas in the centre of the island, amd west coast, and an entire village of restored stone houses is to be found at Rou. From small hideaways for two to spacious vil-las accommodating one or more families, from cosy stone conver-sions to modern, spacious and luxurious – all CV properties have one thing in common. They represent 37 years of commitment to providing the best possible holiday for a loyal clientele, nearly 60% of who return again and again.

CV Travel, Greek Islands, also has a collection of hand-picked villas in Paxos, Lefkada, Kefalonia, Crete and Mykonos. For further information, or to request a brochure please call 00 44 (0) 207 401 1054 or visit our website www.cvtravel.co.uk

Alternatively, please visit our Corfu office, CV Travel, Kassiopi (next to the petrol station), telephone 00 30 26 63 08 11 00/08 18 00

Angela

The CV Travel Corfu Team

Since 1 9 7 2

V9979

EAT OUT

By Susan Daltas

Lunch in Corfu town can be a relaxed, holi-day affair – next to the sea at Anemomilos,

perhaps, or under the arches at the famous Liston, where watching the world go by is almost as important as the meal itself.

On the other hand, it can also be, as it is for many locals on a daily basis, an essential fea-ture of a working day – a complete main meal of home-cooked food washed down with local wine, to be followed by the essential siesta in a cool bedroom until the heat of the day has passed.

Having been asked to write the restaurant review for this issue of ISLAND magazine, I spent a few joyful hours imagining a Michael Winner type experience of haute cuisine in 5 star surroundings, with the bill being picked up by someone else. Needless to say, real life in Corfu was never thus and being, in fact, a lady who works rather than one who lunches, the local taverna around the corner tempted us inside simply because it wasn’t too far to walk and we wouldn’t have to wait too long to be served.

Merianos Taverna is situated on Dimoulitsas Street, the road that leads out of San Rocco Square towards the Psychiatric Hospital, and eventually Villa Rossa and the airport. It is an unassuming sort of building

– just a shop front, with a simple menu displayed outside and basic tables and chairs, covered with the ubiquitous paper tablecloth of the traditional taverna. Other tables were oc-cupied by single men (one was the local lottery ticket seller), groups of men, a mixed group of friends, and the staff were obviously all related. I’m guessing here, but I would say it was mother and father in the kitchen and son waiting on the tables.

On display behind the glass counter top leading into the kitchen was an array of tempting – huge – pots and cas-seroles with the choice of the day. And what a choice! We could have chosen legs of roast chicken, pastichio (macaroni pie), fish “blanco”, yiouvalakia (meat and rice balls in egg and lemon sauce), thick and juicy hamburgers, oven baked sardines, roast vegetables, chick-pea stew or stuffed pep-pers and tomatoes. What we did choose was the roast beef with potatoes accompanied by a “salad” of boiled courgettes and potatoes, and feta cheese.

When the plates arrived on the table we were silenced by the sheer size of the portions! Just the hunk of feta was twice the size of the normal “tourist” portion, and we had to ask for a doggy bag at the end, into which went enough beef for tomorrow’s lunch. All this, for two people, plus a large beer, bread and water, and the bill came to a mere 26 euros, and we didn’t need to eat anything for the rest of the day!

During our lunch, there was a steady stream of customers for the take-out service, including a friend who wished us

“kali orexi” and told us “My wife’s in Athens for the week,” as he carried out a bag full of take-away meals.

An excellent lunch, served with friendly smiles in a relaxed atmosphere. No airs and graces, just a taste of traditional Corfu at its best.

The Rou Estate

�0 ISLAND ISSUE �� ISLAND ��Cellar

Living room

What A Load Of Rubbish?

Words and photographs by Katie Hutley

It’s not how I normally spend my Wednesday mornings. And I have to say, in the 30 degree heat, it wouldn’t be my first choice of something to do with any regularity.

But having visited Corfu’s waste management and recycling plant in its top secret location (only joking... it’s in Templo-ni), I left pleasantly surprised.

Waste disposal is a hot topic in Corfu. There can’t be anyone, resi-dents and tourists alike, who hasn’t rolled their eyes in frustration at seeing, once again, rubbish bins overflowing on the streets be-cause of strikes (more of that later). Or sighing in exasperation at seeing the blue recycling bins, containing our carefully sorted re-cyclable rubbish, being collected by the same truck that takes away the ‘regular’ bins. And with this in mind, I was wondering just how closed, guarded, Andreas Grammanendis, recycling manager, and Kostas Panaretos, technical manager of the recycling plant, would be when I was dispatched by ISLAND to grill them on just what in the name of Bono was going on here. Would I be chased back out onto the streets if I mentioned these previous... difficulties, let’s say?

Not a bit of it. In fact, Andreas brought it up before I did, also dispelling a few urban myths. As informed, or not, as the next person, I had al-ways believed those uncollected bins were due to strikes by rubbish collectors; not true. As Andreas explained, “Of the seven or eight times in 2008 that rubbish went uncollected, only two of those times were because of striking rubbish collectors. The other times were due to locals picketing at the gates of the plant, resulting in its closure, because of the proximity of the landfill site to the surrounding houses... the irony being many of those houses were built after the landfill site was already established”. Frustrating indeed. And what of that landfill site? Having heard ru-mours that rubbish wasn’t being collected because the landfill site had filled up (and the resulting – reasonable – cries of, “Didn’t they know it would fill up? Did this come as a surprise to them?!”), it was tentatively that I brought up the subject. Luckily, both Andreas and Kostas – possibly because they are both relatively new to their positions – were not only happy to speak openly on the subject, but shared our frustrations at what had gone on.

“When the landfill site was first opened in 2002, big mistakes were made. The proper licences weren’t applied for and the correct pro-cedures weren’t followed, creating a lot of problems. Needless to say, we’re not going to make those same mistakes again, and the new landfill site, which will open in 2013-14, is going to be far more efficient.” Investments have been made; a compressor (the lack of which, when he took his new position, had Kostas tearing his hair out) and a slicer have been purchased, as well as a machine which turns organic waste into compost. This last is part of a three year

plan which is going to make an unbelievable difference to the way Corfu disposes of her waste; after being sorted for recyclable ma-terials, the rubbish which makes its way to the landfill will also be sorted, and 90% of this will be turned into compost, to be used as fertiliser, with just the remaining 10% going to the landfill. Impres-sive progress indeed.

But what of the here and now? Andreas and Kostas both agree that the key factor in any recycling programme is the people whose waste they are recycling; yet how are people supposed to commit time and energy to a system they have no faith in? In short, why should we bother sorting our rubbish, when the same truck is just going to ship it all to the landfill? “This happened in the early days for several reasons”, Andreas explains. “We had to start by educating our own workers because, as rubbish collectors, if they

see bins overflowing on the street, their instinct is to collect it. We tackled that, and also the fact that we realised the key to encouraging people to use the bins effectively is to keep them clean and regularly emptied. We made that a major part of our work and we were able to overcome those particular problems. Once we had got our sys-tem properly established, we had no more simi-lar problems, but in 2008, the state Environmen-tal Agency came to Corfu to take a look, as the whole programme was originally conceived and invested in by the state. They looked at our re-cycling bins, which were covered with their lids with holes for each section of recyclable material, and ordered us to keep them open and uncov-ered.” Uh oh. A disaster waiting to happen, sure-ly? Just as people are starting to adjust to putting their rubbish in its allocated place, along comes the government to uncover the bins. It stands to

reason that people would just start throwing whatever they wanted in the blue bins, a sort of rubbish free-for-all, right? Surprisingly, wrong. “They felt that having to separate things so carefully, and in the case of, say, a cardboard box to have to crush it into a small enough size to go through the hole, discouraged people from recy-cling, but of course when they told us to uncover the bins, we were worried that people would just disregard the whole system. So we were really surprised when the figures started to come through about what people were throwing away. Of the greater volume we were collecting with the bins open, only about 10% was being sent to the landfill site, showing that the people who used the blue bins had already understood the concept of recycling and were commit-ted to using it”.

But what of those who don’t use them? Andreas estimates that only about 20-30% of the people of Corfu are regular recyclers, and says that about 50% of what goes in the normal green bins is actu-ally recyclable. This is pretty disappointing, especially when you

take into account that, unlike at the recycling plant where rubbish is sorted and unsuitable waste is sent to the landfill, the system is not reciprocated from the other end; no sorters are employed to send waste over to recycling, and everything that is sent to the landfill stays there. Although the new composting technology will help this from a landfill point of view, surely the point is to some-how make people aware that they have to do this themselves, and use the system effectively for the general good? So how do they plan to target this estimated 70-80% of people and spread the recy-cling word?

“For me, the key to the whole concept of recycling is in the kitch-en”, says Andreas. “If people can sort their rubbish at that stage of the process, we will see some really effective results, and of course the key to that is educating people. Last year we had a team who went round to schools in Corfu town and gave talks to the children, some of whom came to the plant on field trips. Unsurprisingly, the younger the children were that we spoke to, the more enthusiastic they were – I suppose teenagers have other things to worry about!

– and so we plan to continue with a publicity campaign. Not only in schools, but also going round door-to-door to explain to people what changes they can make in their own homes, as well as adver-tising campaigns”. This doesn’t sound cheap, and I was wondering how well-funded this programme was; but it turns out that with a combination of EU grants, and a system which sees each of the four Municipality groups the island is divided into being charged €21 per tonne to dispose of their rubbish, the money is there. In fact, €1.3million of the money Corfu collects in tax each year is spent on waste disposal – quite a healthy figure.

Part of the problem of people’s reluctance to get involved could be down to the fact that, in Greece generally as well as in Corfu, the bigger environmental issue is not as visible, because on the whole, Greece is not seen to be so polluted, and certainly Corfu has no major industrial areas, or visible air pollution, for exam-ple. Beaches and water quality are the main problems other than waste disposal; the large hotels have standards they have to ad-here to, but the system is not perfect and there is evidence they don’t stick to them. Maybe that’s the reason the Greek people have been slower to pick up the baton of recycling, because they don’t see the reason for doing it all around them, as other parts of the world do? Slower on the uptake maybe, but from the figures that Andreas and Kostas showed me (see box), there is great comfort to be derived.

Although the figures are impressive, Andreas is not sitting on his laurels, and has huge ambitions for how he sees the programme going. By 2013, he wants to see 10 million kilos of Corfu’s waste being recycled, and from having spent a couple of hours with these two people, I am fully confident that they have the ambition, drive and – dare I use the word on such a pragmatic subject – desire to succeed. They will keep plugging away, getting their message across and lobbying for funding to carry out their plans until they are satisfied. In this converted sceptic’s opinion, Corfu’s residents, and indeed Bono himself, can all sleep soundly tonight.

What Can You Do?

• Trust the blue bin system and use it effectively• Talk to your children about why you’re recycling• Encourage bar and restaurant owners to recycle• Refuse plastic bags in shops and supermarkets – AB Vasilopoulos has already implemented a points scheme for using their reusable bags

Year Total Collected Rejected waste Rejection % Amount recycled

2006 1,067,500 kilos 115,360 kilos 10% 952,140 kilos2007 3,273,590 kilos 500,000 kilos 15.2% 2,773,000 kilos2008 4,342,760 kilos 785, 536 kilos 18.1% 3,557,224 kilos


YOUR SUMMERRETREATBy Liana StaphilidesOwner of Andreadis Homestores in CorfuStylist for Interior Decoration magazines

The colours and scents of spring have given their place to a ‘summer is in the air’ feeling, with sunny days and warm-er nights, that are getting us out of the house more and

more, with a need to restart, refresh and renew ourselves and our homes.

COLOUR THEMES

I personally love summer houses that are pure white, with col-ourful accents springing up happily in each room. However, I also adore the mix of white walls and floors with powder blue and soft beige in the rugs, fabrics or decorative objects. And occasional-ly, when I think of my travels, I simply cannot resist a home that is decorated in totally tropical taste, with colours and materials that coordinate with original hand-painted pieces of furniture, giv-ing that bohemian look, with souvenirs collected from all over the world. That always gives a home tons of character.

OUTDOOR ENTERTAINING

Summer is the time to revamp your outdoor space, whether it’s a tiny veranda, or a lush garden. Think dining tables and director chairs made of heavy duty wood, like acacia or teak wood, for can-dlelit evening entertaining; sun loungers, for long summer days by the pool; outdoor seating sets made of durable pvc rattan in bril-liant white; perhaps even a wooden swing for relaxing on your ve-randa. Team them up with pretty seating cushions in bright col-

ours, add storm lanterns or candles in glass holders and voila, the atmosphere is complete.

Place some floor cushions in bold brights on a deck, some sea-shell-shaped candles with pebbles in a platter, put your favourite photos in wooden picture frames, hang wooden lanterns in the gar-den, and you instantly change your mood from winter gloom to summer glory.

DECORATIVE DETAILS

For an instant summer feeling inside your home, start by remov-ing dark rugs, carpets and throws, and replacing them with hand woven cotton, lighter ones in bright shades of yellow, green, or-ange, pink, or neutral shades in beige, ivory and powder blue. Mix decorative cushions in various textures and colours, to add bold statement on sofas, beds, or wicker chairs.

Change your curtains with light feeling voile that breathes the summer breeze. Get some fresh crisp bed sheets in vibrant mon-ochromes or playful prints, to spruce up the look in your bed-room .

GREEN FINGERS

It’s the perfect time of the year to visit your local garden centre for a bit of green retail therapy. Whether you are buying for a win-dow box or a back garden, spending a morning looking at plant va-rieties is always inspiring.

Get lots of fresh-looking flowering plants, creating a green area on your veranda, placing them in pretty white tin pots in various shapes and sizes. Alternatively, use whicker baskets to show off your summer finds on the beach, like pieces of driftwood, sea-shells, pebbles or other paraphernalia, to give character to your home.

Summer Decor

KITCHEN AREA

It’s easy to bring the summer feeling into your kitchen, with col-ourful porcelain plates and cutlery, and large handmade glasses for long drinks and cocktails. Style them with linen runners and napkins, add jugs with freshly made sangria, and lounge out in the sunshine. For a special dinner outside, team linen placemats in greys ,beiges or whites, with ceramic plates in matching colours. A bunch of wildflowers in a simple glass bowl will complete the el-egant look.

BATHROOM SPACE

A pure white bathroom comes alive with vibrant colour accesso-ries and bath towels. Add a mirror made of driftwood to the wall, and watch it turn into a relaxing spa area, with candles and sea-shells off the beach. Alternatively, simply place a white pot with a pink rose plant in a corner for a boudoir effect.

CLEVER IDEAS

• Create a display of mismatched crockery in shades of white and cream on shelves above your kitchen units, or in a hallway.

• Make the most of a small kitchen, by adding banquette seating and pretty cushions.

• Add a bold statement round your kitchen table, by mixing different types of dining chairs, in contrasting colours.

• Intensify the glamour of a white bedroom with a brightly coloured crystal chandelier and an ornate white mirror.

• Showcase a brightly coloured, large sized original artwork above your bed.

• Create a vibrant living area by mixing pastel shades, and add large plants, for that tropical feeling.

• Add a floral rug as a focal point in your kitchen or bedroom.

• Use fish shaped bowls in white or blue terracotta, to display your summer findings, or to serve your salads and dips in.

• Interiors are all about flowers this season. Don’t be afraid to use bold blooms around the home, whether in tablecloths, wall-paper, rugs, cushions or a simple vase with a summer flower ar-rangement.

NOTE:Andreadis Homestores is now celebrating a year of life in Corfu, and offers its customers continuous special offers throughout the summer season.


Wendy Holborow makes regular contributions to ISLAND magazine on

the subject of famous Greek poets.

She has also written prize-winning short stories and poems, one of which is pub-

lished below. It won first prize at the Aber Valley Literary Festival in 2008.

CORFU HAS SETTLED ON ME LIKE AN OLD COAT

i

Corfu has settled on me like an old coat, though moth eaten now, and raggedat the edges. Once unfamiliar, fresh and new but growing into familiarity with each fetid day.

It has become too soiled and worn andI mourn the passing of the mornings whenI awoke to every new day’s dawn with joyand anticipation for the blank canvas on which

to paint the panorama of my life. Now,camera snapshots see my longing for something new.

Corfu sits heavily on my shoulders like a shroud I want to shrug off.I am like the clouds on mainland mountains,sheered from view.

ii

But if I have to leavehow can I live in a landwhere the men don’t greet each otherwith kissesthough they drive you crazy at every turnand traffic light?

And how can I live in a landwithout the certainty of summerthough it rains all winterinside my house and runs around my brain?

If I have to leavehow can I live in a landwhere the jacaranda doesn’t bloom in violent beauty each Juneand where the sun’s orange-dropsaren’t squeezed into the seaand into my blood?

BACK PAIN Written by :

Dr Alexandros Tsopelas M.R.C.G.P.General Practitioner (UK trained)Diploma in Dermatology, Medical Acupuncture, Diabetes39 Alexandras Avenue, San Rocco SquareSurgery tel. 2661024096, mob. 6945791120

Back pain is one of the most frequent complaints and in the US it is the largest cause of work-related absence. Back pain can

be very uncomfortable, but it is not usually serious. It can affect anyone, regardless of age, but it is more common in people who are between 35 and 55 years of age. About nine out of ten adults experience back pain at some point in their life, and five out of ten working adults have back pain every year.

Simple low back pain is the most common type. About 19 in 20 cases of acute low back pain are classed as ‘simple low back pain’. This means that the pain is not due to any underlying problem that can be found. In most cases the cause may be a sprain (an over-stretch) of a ligament or muscle.

In other cases the cause may be a minor problem with a disc between two vertebrae, or a minor problem with a small ‘facet’ joint between two vertebrae. Sometimes a pain may develop im-mediately after you lift something heavy, or after an awkward twist-ing movement. Sometimes you just wake up with low back pain.

‘Simple’ does not mean that the pain is mild – the pain can range from mild to very bad. Most bouts of simple low back pain improve quickly, usually within a week or so. However, once the pain has gone it is common to have further bouts of pain from time to time in the future. Also, it is common to have minor pains ‘on and off’ for quite some time after an initial bad bout of pain. In a small number of cases the pain persists for several months or longer (chronic back pain).

Nerve root pain is another cause of back pain. This occurs in less than 1 in 20 cases. This means that a nerve coming from the spinal cord is irritated or pressed on. (This is often referred to as a ‘trapped nerve’.) You feel pain along the course of the nerve. Therefore, you may feel pain down a leg to the calf or foot, and the pain in the leg or foot is often worse than the pain in the back. A common example is ‘sciatica’.

Other less common causes of low back pain are:

Arthritis (inflammation of the joints) of the spine sometimes causes back pain. Osteoarthritis is the common form of arthritis and usually occurs in older people.

Ankylosing spondylitis is another form of arthritis that can occur in young adults and causes pain and stiffness in the lower back.

Rheumatoid arthritis may affect the spine, but you are likely to have other joints affected too.

Referred pain is another cause. Pain arising from other organs may be felt in the back. Many intra-abdominal disorders – such as appendicitis, aneurysms, kidney diseases, bladder infections, pelvic infections, and ovarian disorders, among others – can cause pain to the back. Your doctor will have this in mind when evaluat-ing your pain.

What to do:Exercise and keep going!

With acute attacks of back pain, continue with nor-mal activities as far as possible. This may not be pos-sible at first if the pain is very bad. However, move around as soon as possible, and get back into normal activities as soon as you are able. As a rule, don’t do anything that causes a lot of pain. However, you will have to accept some discomfort when you are trying to keep active. In the past, advice had been to rest until the pain eases. It is now known that this was wrong. You are likely to recover more quickly and are less likely to develop chronic (persistent) back pain if you keep active when you have back pain rather than rest a lot.

Evidence suggests that the best way to prevent bouts of low back pain is simply to keep active and to exercise regularly. This means general fitness exercise such as walking, running, swimming etc. There is no firm evidence to say that any particular ‘back strength-ening’ exercises are more useful than simply keeping fit and ac-tive.

Kill the pain

If you need painkillers, it is best to take them regularly. You could try any of the following:

Paracetamol – usually two 500 mg tablets, four times a day.

Anti-inflammatory painkillers, like Ibuprofen or Diclofenac.

Codeine is an option if other painkillers do not suit or do not work well, but constipation is a common side-effect. Codeine is often taken in addition to paracetamol.

A muscle relaxant, such as Diazepam, is sometimes prescribed for a few days if the back muscles become very tense and make the pain worse.

You could also try physical treatments like physiotherapy and massage.

Acupuncture for back pain

Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine, which involves the insertion of very fine needles at key points (known as acupunc-ture points) into the body. In the UK, acupunc-ture is a popular and well-established therapy, with approximately three million people under-going this kind of treatment each year.

Acupuncture and especially electro-acupuncture (where the nee-dles are attached to a device that generates continuous electric pulses) can be very helpful in acute and chronic back pain. The results of a recent study published in the Clinical Journal of Pain provide further proof that acupuncture is a safe and effective pro-cedure for chronic low-back pain, and that it can maintain positive outcomes for periods of six months or longer without producing the negative side-effects that often accompany more traditional pain remedies.

The Doctor’s verdict

Even though back pain is a self-limiting illness, it can sometimes be chronic and cause a significant amount of distress. In such cases, a combination of exercise, medicine and acupuncture can provide great relief and prevent further bouts of pain.


Wine &Food ofAncientGreeceby Antonis LianudakisPorphyra RestaurantMakrigialos-Sitia -72055Crete-Greece

The gastronomic habits of the ancient Greeks are little re-corded in written documents today. Any knowledge we have on the subject is based on those few writings as well

as petrified food remains that have been found inside ancient cook-ing equipment.

From ancient times until the late 1980s, little changed in Greek people’s attitude towards food. Almost every island would call their neighbouring ones ‘kseno’ (foreign), while in places like Crete that expression even applied to the neighbouring villages. According to ancient writings, this tendency was common throughout Greece, hence everyone believed that the food and wine from their own home village or island was the best.

The Greeks, Vegetarians?!

Today, visitors to Greece could be forgiven for thinking that the Greeks were always a carnivorous sort. However, unlike what your local big fat Greek restaurant offers today, the ancient Greeks based their diet on fresh vegetables and pulses, such as chickpeas, lentils and beans, which was their main protein source. Red meat could only be eaten once or twice a month in prosperous areas, while poorer isolated ones like the islands, had to make do with fish, poultry and snails. Occasionally dried sausages flavoured some vegetable dishes too.

The powerful armies of Athens, Chalkis, Corinth and later Mac-edonia were fed on a vegetarian diet, partly because the majority of wars and conflicts happened during the summer months, when the weather was not an obstacle but raw food went off easily. A light diet based on beans, chickpeas, lentils, barley and dried bread meant the soldiers could digest their food faster (therefore an army could be more effective in case of a sudden attack) but also solved the problem of transporting the food and helped to prevent illness due to poorly preserved raw food.

A war could last several months or years and the general health of the army was considered top priority, as diseases could weaken

an army faster than any enemy and destroy its morale within days.

So what else did they eat?

Of course, the people that lived on the islands and around the coast ate more fresh seawater fish, while those on the mainland fished in rivers and lakes for crabs, fish and eels (the eels from Viotia were a famous delicacy, but the lake dried out hundreds of years ago) or used smoked, salted or dried fish. In order to provide a constant supply of fish even to small communities the ancient Greeks made sea water or fresh water tanks. Such tanks can still be seen in Ancient Thera (Santorini) or in southern Crete.

On the islands, where barley and wheat grew in limited quantities, people would bake bread only twice a year. Preserving the bread from excessive humidity was a constant problem, as were short wood supplies for the ovens. In mainland Greece and in the Greek cities of Asia Minor, bread baking was almost a daily task, under-taken by the slaves. Most bread was made from barley or faro and less from wheat, which is difficult to grow near the sea. Different types of bread were made and flavoured with olives, goat’s cheese, onion and herbs, such as rosemary, thyme or coriander, as well as spices. The Greeks loved bread so much that throughout their meals they would serve various different types. However, that was a privilege of the upper classes, while the lower ones ate mainly salted barley bread.

‘the sight of an intoxicated man was considered immoral in Athens,

while in the northern areas they had a completely different and much more lenient view of intoxication!’

Pheasants, wild boar and grouse were consumed in northern Greece, while hares, mushrooms and wild orchid bulbs were consumed in southern Greece. Lamb, beef and goat were seldom eaten, as mentioned earlier, while pork was more common in all re-gions mainly because dairy and wool products cannot be produced from pigs, so they were reared for slaughter only.

Lemons, oranges, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes reached Greece only in the last 300 years. The most highly regarded veg-etables were celery and leek, while the most common herb until the 1950s was coriander. Spices used were the highly prized carda-mom and cinnamon, followed by black pepper and cumin seeds.

Wild green salads are still popular all over the country and have always been eaten with olive oil and salt when boiled, or with goat’s cheese, honey and vinegar when raw. Considered for millennia as the food of the poor, according to recent research, wild greens are rich in minerals and vitamins and are beginning to be considered a delicacy.

The Olive Tree & the Vine

The two main cultivations of Greece, were the olive tree and the vine. Both require little water to grow and they played not only a vital dietary role but also a social and political one too. The olive tree and the vine delivered a variety of products that were not only useful to local communities but also for trading, which provided commercial links to other nations.

Olives were consumed at practically every meal of the day, as a side dish and for any occasion. Of course, olive trees also sup-plied the Greeks with precious, health-enhancing olive oil, which was used as fuel for the lamps, as well as for eating purposes. It

also provided the base for manufacturing soap as well as medicinal bandages.

Vines not only supplied the Greeks with wine (mainly sweet versions and always consumed diluted with water) but also with other precious ingredients. Vinegar was used widely in cooking for tenderising meat, or mixed with honey and sweet wine to pro-duce a very popular sweet and sour sauce. It was also used for the preparation of ‘garos’, a fish sauce made from fermented fish entrails, honey, vinegar and herbs. Garos was used to spice up al-most everything, in similar ways as we use ketchup today (original Indonesian Ketchup has no tomato and is a fish based sauce).

Wine was used for the treatment of internal wounds, while vin-egar was used for sterilizing wounds in battlefields, a tactic which was adopted by the Romans as a standard hygiene procedure for any wound (remember the soldier under the cross that gave Jesus vinegar and water). Vinegar was added to water in hot summer months to kill possible bacteria but also to give it a refreshing taste. Grape juice was boiled, reduced in volume and used as a sweeten-er, in similar ways that glucose syrup is used today. Finally, raisins were given to the soldiers as an energy-enhancing snack, while also providing warmth (when soaked in sweet wine). Even today the Greek navy supplies its sailors with raisins in winter months. Vine branches were used for roasting goat or mutton meat, giv-ing the meat a unique flavour, a tradition that is still kept in Crete today.

Spartan food

Sparta had different eating habits and traditions to the rest of Greece. Spartans ate small portions of mainly raw food, unlike the Athenian tendency to Roman-style greed. They believed that it

wasn’t the quantity of food that mattered but the quality of it. They would wash their newborn children in wine and their warriors drank ‘Melana Zomo’, a mix of pig’s blood, spices and pulses. They also ate an enormous amount of honey, as the local population still does today. Unlike the Athenians who were heavily involved in trading, the Spartans were just warriors, while their women were the ones that ruled the production and consumption of food. Spar-tan women proved to be tough workers, providing the army with everything from food to weapons. Some other regions of Greece, depending on whether they were enemies or allies with the major rivals Athens and Sparta, adapted their eating and drinking tradi-tions accordingly. Other regions such as Macedonia and Epirus admired and imitated the Athenian way of life, but drunk far too much wine and had longer feasts. As a result, the sight of an intoxi-cated man was considered immoral in Athens, while in the north-ern areas they had a completely different and much more lenient view of intoxication!

Outside influences

Many of the ancient Greek dishes changed name or ingredients throughout the centuries. Some others were imported to Greece during the Classical Greek, Roman and Byzantine times from for-eign lands, and the occupations by the Venetians and Ottoman Empire had a huge impact too. It did not really matter where the recipe came from; what was more important was if it fitted into the local diet.

None of all the above influences uprooted the ancient diet the way that today’s lifestyle does on a daily basis. Less free time for busy, working people means less time for food preparation while fewer and fewer restaurants still offer truly traditional, home-cooked food. American influences in fast food and unhealthy, nutritionally void eating habits are becoming the norm, while ancient recipes fade into obscurity.

CONGRATULATIONS to Samantha Selway in the UK for her photograph taken in the picturesque harbour of Kouloura. She has won €100!

Do send your entries for our next competition in 2010

PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION WINNER!


POLITICAL PROFILEby Richard Pine

ISLAND extols the beauties of Corfu’s landscape and culture. So why would its editors want to include anything as serious as a po-litical page? Well, think for a moment about Corfu’s history – its embrace of Italian art, music, cuisine, literature, which made it a cosmopolitan society when Athens was still a village under Turk-ish rule. Think of what the word polis means: the city, the place to which politics is central. Think of economy, oikonomia, the rules of the household, which extends to the way people organize them-selves not only financially but also socially and culturally.

By definition, we live in the homeland not only of philosophy but also of war and peace, debate, law-making and aesthetics (aisthe-tike) – the way we perceive the world. So this column, and maybe later columns under this heading, will try to draw a picture of how non-Greeks might approach the political issues that preoccupy the people among whom we live.

Perhaps those of us who are not Greeks, and who have come to live in Corfu for some or all of the year, tend to take Corfu and Greece for granted. Corfu gives us a variable, temperate climate, relatively inexpensive living, and an historic cultural background eclipsing almost anything in the rest of modern Greece. And when we discuss local affairs with Corfiots we are immediately im-pressed by the huge differences of perception of history, politics, laws and customs between here and the mainland.

But we would be very unwise to turn off our antennae in respect of Greek politics today. We live in a very fragile democracy, a coun-try largely in dismay at the paralysis of the administrative system, the urgent need for reform of secondary and third-level education, the unattractiveness of the two main political parties, and the cur-rent major corruption scandals – four of them. As the Athens-Plus journalist Nick Malkoutzis puts it, there is a ‘holy trinity of Greek graft: cash, property and the Church’. Dismay, because it seems that no-one knows how to solve these problems or to ensure that they do not recur.

I would be the first person to assert that, unless we have a vote in national elections, we should not air our views too loudly and cer-tainly should not harbour grievances against these manifestations of our host country. But at the same time, if we are not aware of them, we are not aware of the society within which we have chosen to live. After all, we are not on permanent holiday, and our property, standard of living and status may be affected by political change.

When I visited Greece for the second time during the military junta of 1967-74, the relationship between politics and society was obviously – painfully – intimate and intricate. Greece has never been happy with its governments. There is a civil war legacy still haunting the corridors of power and the mindsets of Greeks eve-rywhere, Corfu included. The highly visible presence of KKE in parliament and in society at large is one part of that legacy, and in

the village where I live it is strong and still divisive.

In the parliamentary vote on 4 May, Costas Karamanlis narrowly avoided the need to call for a general election, which was almost precipitated by the scandal surrounding former Aegean Minister Aristotelis Pavlidis and the alleged sale of heavily subsidized un-commercial ferry licences. But New Democracy’s one-seat major-ity remains vulnerable and an election now or later might well see voters who have traditionally supported ND or PASOK transfer-ring their allegiance to some of the smaller parties on the right or left, including the newly-formed ‘Drasis’, headed by former ND minister Stefanos Manos, and including the controversial Yanni Boutari.

‘the holy trinity of Greek graft: cash,

property and the Church’

I know and like Yanni Boutari, winemaker extraordinaire and generous sponsor of the Arcturos sanctuary for endangered wild and circus bears – he has spoken eloquently on both subjects at the Durrell School. Whether or not he can translate his undoubted skills from the sphere of local politics (he was nearly appointed mayor of Thessaloniki) to the national arena I don’t know. Maybe he should stick to wine-making and bear-hugging. But the fact that he and others are trying to break the mould of the national po-litical establishment is an encouraging sign and should alert us to the fact that, win or lose, they represent a centre-politics move for change.

What it would mean if one or more minor parties were to hold the balance of power in a hung parliament remains to be seen. The knock-on effect might generate a new sense of direction in Greece’s thinking about the economy, the trade unions, education, class distinctions, the diaspora, public administration, and external relations (especially with Turkey, Albania, Macedonia and Cyprus). Greece’s importance in the Balkans is already being questioned by the USA’s coolness towards this country in favour of Turkey, which is a difficult nut for Dora Bakoyannis to crack. As a key EU member, a sea-change for Greece, even if short-lived, might be very significant. Watch this space.

Richard Pine is Director Emeritus of the Durrell School of Corfu; he writes in a personal capacity.

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OST IN TRANSLATION!There is so much scope for amusement in other

people’s linguistic mistakes, so each issue we publish the ones that made us chortle! No names mentioned...

“Whilst looking over a potential rental property a few years back I ran my hands over the slightly grubby paintwork thoughtfully and asked the landlord if he would be prepared to baptise it (μπορείς να το βαπτίσεις:/boris na to vaptisis?) before we moved in. I suppose I should have asked him to paint it (μπορείς να το βάψεις;/boris na to vapsis?) instead…”

“A group of girls and I were walking past a group of young men, who were sitting and smoking outside a café, and they yelled out to us ‘Geia sas ko-ritsia’ (Hello girls). So I decided to turn around and yell back at them, say-ing ‘Hello boys’ (Geia sas agoria) in Greek. Except, what I said was ‘Hello

CUCUMBERS!’ (Geia sas aggouria) Needless to say, there were some snickers.”

A piece of Greek wisdom

“Από την πόλη έρχομαι, και στην κορφή κανέλα”Apo tin poli erhome, ke stin korfi kanela

“I’m coming from town, and on the mountain-top cinnamon”A surreal turn of phrase used to describe lack of communication.

L Gallery 188

An art gallery is the last thing one would expect to find in the

sleepy mountain village of Lakones. Mia Daltas finds out more from husband and wife artists Rod and Ann McCance.

Rod and Ann McCance moved to Corfu in January 2003, having visited the island (along with other Greek islands) over the previ-ous ten years. They had been thinking of relocating to a warmer climate and changing their lifestyle for several years and Corfu was their number one choice.

It was a combination of reasons that drove the McCances to make such a drastic move. Ann’s father spent most of his career in the forces, so she was used to living in hot places (including Gibraltar and the Far East) and travelling backwards and forwards to the UK. Rod comes from a similar background and spent quite some time travelling in his younger day. “Basically,” explains Ann,

“we both have itchy feet! Combined with a growing disillusionment regarding the way of life in the UK, not to mention the weather, it wasn’t a difficult decision to make! We did our homework and plotted for about two years before returning to Corfu in September 2002 for a ‘make our minds up’ holiday and to start looking for a house to buy.”

After viewing a few properties, they took the decision and bought number 188, Lakones village, on the west coast, above Palaiokas-tritsa. The property hadn’t been occupied for about 30 years and the couple had a real race on their hands to get it into a livable state. Having restored a number of period properties in Scotland, they were ready for the challenge of one last renovation project.

“Most of the local builders that we asked just wanted to rip it all out and make it modern,” says Ann. “We didn’t want that, as the house was over 200 years old and retained a lot of the original features. So we ended up doing most of the work ourselves and looking back, especially at the photographs we took along the way, we now know ourselves to be completely crazy!”

The McCances thought the house a good background in which to display their work and abilities, as well as letting visitors see what a traditional house is like inside. They also hoped that the move to Corfu would enable them to make a living doing the things they enjoy, rather than working to exist and not having much time to indulge their artistic pursuits. So, Gallery 188, where the couple’s combined work is displayed, came into being.

Rod is actually the great nephew (& former pupil) of the re-nowned Scottish artist William McCance and his wife Agnes Miller Parker; one of the finest illustrators and wood engravers of the 20th century. Following a career in design engineering, Rod started painting and sculpting on a full-time basis and has exhibited in ma-jor galleries throughout Scotland and London. His colourful work, which encapsulates the vortistic style of the 1920s and 30s, can be found in collections throughout Europe as well as in the USA, Canada, Mexico and of course, in his native Scotland.

In contrast to her husband’s work, Ann’s delicate watercolours

and subtle mixed media studies depict the Greek and especially the rural Corfiot lifestyle and surroundings. She creates under the name of ‘Pondiki’, which means ‘mouse’ in Greek! Ann’s varied ca-reer in the UK included several years managing a specialist artists’ materials retail outlet, among other creative ventures.

Since moving to Corfu, Rod has also developed his carpentry skills – so much so that he has been commissioned several times over the last few years to produce bespoke furniture, including cabinets, beds, tables, chairs and a complete kitchen. He has also become very adept at restoring cassellas – the traditional dowry chests – which locals, and ex-pats are now realising are of histori-cal and cultural value. Combining their skills, the couple also make distinctive bespoke business signs for tavernas, shops and apart-ments.

“So far,” Ann says, “we have been very happy living here, despite some ups and downs which occur regardless of where one lives. I think the main things we enjoy about life here is the ‘safeness’ one feels and the wonderful nature of the Corfiot people. We count ourselves very lucky living in Lakones where we have been easily accepted into the community and have made many friends.”

Gallery 188 is open all year round. For current opening hours or to make an appointment, please contact Rod and Ann McCance.Gallery 188, Lakones Village (just off the square), Corfu, 49083. Tel: +30 26630 49094Mobile: +30 6947 577390 e-mail: [email protected]


and steep areas, possibly border-ing on a driveway. Ivy is the solution here: it will climb up or scramble down, rooting as it grows and pre-venting minor landslides after heavy rain, and once established can be sheared back to base if it becomes too rampageous. It will cover flat ar-eas equally well of course and here you can add some variegated, cream or gold splashed species. It will also scramble up trees at the first oppor-tunity and if you don’t want this, sim-ply snip it off at the base.

In more obviously garden areas, a prostrate Juniper does the job very handsomely. It will in time build up a carpet of low arching green-grey branches and is known as Juniperus horizontalis. I planted one bought locally five years ago on a flat bank with very poor soil and it now covers an area almost two meters in diam-eter.

Periwinkle (see image to left) This rapid carpeter will very quickly cover difficult slopes or just places you don’t want the coarser weeds to take over. You can have it either with plain dark green leaves or a pretty variegated cream and green. Both have the same pretty light blue flow-ers. The leaves can make a benefi-cial – but bitter – healthy tisane.

Violets are slow growing but will in time make neat dark green cover on bare patches or between plants, even in deep shade.

Finally, what about using the deli-cious little local strawberry to fill gaps? They do need watering in order to fruit well, but a light daily spray in hot weather is enough and not a weed will penetrate.

The Perfect Glove I have found the perfect gardening glove, strong, flexible and in all sizes. Showa is the brand, ‘assembly grip’ gloves from Vietnam available from Rania’s of Gouvia, the hardware store below Diellas and next to the ER-Laz glass people. At €3.50, you can afford a new pair a day for the price of a cof-fee on the Liston.

where they might get some water-ing, they can grow to quite spectacu-lar heights.

Roses These are now out in force, but the heat soon gets them down and some of my bigger shrub varie-ties seem almost already over. Bet-ter to give them a light pruning, or at least a regular dead-heading, and look forward to the great autumn re-flowering after the first late sum-mer rains, making sure the ground around them is weed-free and heavi-ly mulched with compost, shredding and leaf sweepings.

Wild flowers The main indige-nous wild flower out now is Broom (Σπάρτα) clothing the hillside with sheets of bright yellow. The sweet

pea-like – and similarly scented – rounded bushes, seem to go all the way down to the sea – especially good from Kassiopi and northwards. One used to be able to buy kilos of seeds from the agricultural depart-ments to scatter over one’s new or barren property. I wonder if this is still possible?

Roses vs Conifers My garden is full of cypress trees and long ago at Chelsea a rosarian told me that roses disliked conifers nearby. The fire which destroyed all the huge border cypress trees has brought to life three wonderful climbers plant-ed along the boundary fence – long ago forgotten and invisible and now full of life and vigour with the potash-rich soil.

The Ivy Solution. Every garden has bare spaces which need ground cover, especially on newly-cleared sites where there may be difficult

Summer already – but what a glorious spring we have had.

All over the island the wisteria has never been so lavishly beautiful, es-pecially with the Judas trees in flow-er at the same time.

My bare and desolate banks, where the fire of two summers ago did its worst, were transformed into a sea of feathery green and gold – a sort of cow parsley. Another – most wel-come – visitor has been a similarly acid yellow Euphorbia – E. spinosa, I think.

I have been collecting seed heads for years, whenever I see a clump by the roadside, hoping they would naturalise, but no luck, until now. Now I hope they will be permanent fixtures. They are much neater and sturdier than their cow parsley-type neighbours and also good in flower arrangements, but you must singe the stems over a flame. Like all their tribe, the stems exude a poisonous milky juice. Hold the stalks over a flame – a gas ring works well – until it sizzles and dries. They will then stay quite fresh for over a week.

Top dressing Bracken is out now and this makes a particularly good chopped up top dressing – quite weed-proof and providing some nec-essary acidity which this strongly alkaline soil conspicuously lacks. I never spray my roses – there just isn’t the time to cope with sickly plants and I would be battling against Nature.

Now the hollyhocks are taking over and they can seed themselves as lavishly as weeds, all grown from seed heads I collected from plants growing wild on a hillside. The common magenta pink is the most usual which I cut down or root out as I don’t like the colour. But there are some beautiful pale pinks as well as white (very special), white with a pink eye, and a rich dark red.

I always collect some seeds of the more attractive colours to roll down the banks or any bare patches. They come in neat little pouches – easily stored and recognized. On good soil,

SUMMER GARDENM.H.

ISLAND ROSES


Take My Mother-in-Law...

Before you get excited, I have not been withholding the glad tidings of any Village Girl nuptials. Believe you me, read-ers, friends, should Village Girl be taking a stroll down the

aisle any time soon, you would be the first to know. No, it’s just that the other day, I got to thinking about the Greek habit of refer-ring to your boyfriend’s mother as your ‘pethera’, the same word they use for Mother-in-law. It always gave me a start when people would refer to my mother-in-law – as if I had accidentally married one day without noticing it. Those back home would, of course, be even more startled when I used the same term. My ability to sur-prise my loved-ones with unexpected news is legendary, and sev-eral times I had previously potential bridesmaids wiping away the tears, before I could explain that I hadn’t actually ‘done the deed’, but was just increasing my ever-expanding grasp of Gringlish.

An alternative title to this column would be ‘Mother-in-Laws I Have Known’. In research for these scribblings, I made a mental inventory of the various women who have held that title in my life. Wow. What a bunch they have been. Like snowflakes, each one unique – and in the case of some them, such an icy simile would be scarily appropriate. Especially in the case of my rela-tionships since moving to Greece, the word that springs to mind would have to be...formidable. A far cry from my first boyfriend’s mother, way back when in England; the lovely Jill. Ah, Jill. How this tiny, eccentric little bundle of energy managed to produce two such strapping lads was a mystery to me, until she took to me in her own unique way, a way which resulted in our first meeting ending in burning sausage rolls (her), falling over in the kitchen (me), and a rowdy and none-too-articulate end-of-the-evening ren-dition of The House of the Rising Sun (both of us, accompanied by the boyfriend’s father on guitar, while boyfriend sat watching, aghast, in the corner).

But as everyone knows, puppy love is fleeting, and that relation-ship soon came to an end. Fast forward a few years to my first Greek relationship. Having met while I was on a visit to Thessa-loniki, Man-Rat (as my friends named him, the behaviour of the Greek male species being a mystery to them, and indeed myself, at this time) soon invited me to stay with him in Athens. Again, being unfamiliar with the Greek way of doing things, I was expect-ing this employed 25 year old to have his own apartment, a mis-apprehension I was blissfully unaware of until waking up on the first morning at his house by a knock on the bedroom door. “Oh God, it’s my mother. She wants to meet you”, he groaned. Thank-ful the door was locked, I was in no such hurry. Of course, the moment of truth finally came when Man-Rat got up to go to the bathroom, leaving the door unlocked. Before you could say “I do”, she was in the room, brandishing a tray of coffee and orange juice. Yours truly, not possessing a word of Greek, sat bolt upright in

bed, clutching sheets to preserve my modesty, while she came and sat beside me, beaming from ear to ear, and offered me a cigarette. Not knowing the etiquette about smoking in bed the first time you meet your pethera (I must have missed that sec-tion in Debrett’s), I took a cigarette, and that was how Man-Rat found us, sitting side by side on the bed, me smoking like my life depended on it, and her smiling at me like her face was going to break. He stood in the door and uttered an expletive that the good people at ISLAND wouldn’t dream of printing, before she let forth a babble of words which were, to me, incomprehensible. “What’s she saying?” I asked, panic in my voice. With an acute embarrass-ment which almost makes me look back on him fondly, he had to explain to me that his mother’s appraisal of me, from those first excruciating two minutes, was that I was healthy and beautiful and we were in turn going to produce strong, healthy beautiful boys. Not quite sure of the appropriate response to that, I carried on smoking, smiling and nodding. Which, to be honest, was pretty much the extent of our familial relationship.

Then came the move to Greece, and with it, the acquisition of a smattering of Greek with which to conduct these relationships. Now, I’m not saying that ignorance is bliss, but it does seem to me that, when it comes to meeting your classic Greek pethera, having the means of communication with her actually amounts to little more than providing someone with the rope with which to hang themselves. There is always the question of ‘sas’ and ‘sou’. With my ex, I knew his mother before I knew him – impossible not to know her in the village with her... how can I put this respect-fully? Active social life? The less said about that in print, the better. Anyway, having known her and used the informal ‘sou’, I was all at sea when she suddenly became my pethera. Social convention dictates that she should have been addressed AT ALL TIMES in the plural; but this was a woman I’d burned the midnight oil and drunk the bar dry with. How could I suddenly switch from the one to the other? And as for her husband, he is not only a lovely man, but a very respectable and responsible pillar of the community type character, whom, even if I’d have known him one hundred years, it would still feel natural to address in the polite form. This made mealtimes with the in-laws a nightmare, a minefield of me trying to think of things to say without having to address either of them directly, and thereby insulting one or the other.

Which brings us to the present day. Having been seeing some-one for a few months, but certainly not in an official, parent-meet-ing kind of way, I was invited the other night to go to the cinema with his parents. Again, I was in the position of knowing his father previously (an inevitable factor of village life), but I had never met his mother. And, having had the fear of God put into me by various ‘do-gooders’ about what a formidable (that word again) woman she was, I was, naturally, terrified. The night didn’t get off to a good start. Having acted casually, cool as a cucumber even, at the mo-ment of being invited, I ran into the other room to send my friend a message updating her on the news. The family being quite well-to-do, I wrote “Might be going to the cinema with his Lord and Ladyship tonight. Am terrified”. I pressed send. And I could only look in utter, utter horror, as I realised that I had sent the message to Man Of The Moment. So much for cool as a cucumber. After much mortification on my behalf, and mockery on his, we left the house to go to the cinema. The actual meeting itself went reason-ably well, until I, being left on my own with said Pethera, turned the conversation to cooking. I was proud because, lately, MOTM has been on a health kick, and I’ve been able to impress him with all manner of healthy stir-fry style creations. I was telling her of my most recent creation, and how I like using frozen vegetables rather than fresh, as they are picked at the moment of freshness and retain all that goodness until cooked with, when I noticed her face changing from one of polite interest, to one of disdain, at the thought of my feeding her darling boy frozen vegetables. Taking a long drag on her cigarette, and looking me up and down, she moved in, and with a look that will stay with me until my dying day, spoke the last words she would address to me that evening: “I only cook with fresh”. Conversation over. Ho hum. And so it begins...

Girl about town village

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ISLAND MAGAZINE


ISLAND DIRECTORY / CLASSIFIEDSCLASSIFIEDS uSEFuL NumbERS ESSENTIAL NumbERS

CASA LUCIA is an old olive press convert-ed into self-catering cottages set in beau-tiful gardens with swimming pool. Daily maid service in summer; long lets, central heating in winter. Yoga, t’ai chi, beauty treatments. At Sgombou, 12km from Corfu town off the Palaiocastritsa road. T: 26610-91419; 6979470571; [email protected]; www.casa-lucia-corfu.com

Port Police26610 30481 / 32655

Fire Brigade199 / 191

Ambulance166

Traffic Police26610 39294

Tourist Police171 / 26610 30265

Police100

Corfu International Airport - Kapodistrias26610 30180

Radio Taxi26610 33811 / 2

Main Hospital26610 88200

Information131

Breakdown: Elpa - 104 / 26610 39050Express - 154 / 26610 44244

Private General Clinic26610 36044

FREE CLASSIFIEDS EMAIL [email protected] Or PHONE 26630 23174

RIVENDELL Studio Apartments in Corfu are the ideal venue for a vacation in the sun away from the hustle and bustle of city life.Self-catering studio apartments, fully air-conditioned, sat tv, private balcony/patio and large swimming pool. T: 26630 22455 www.rivendell.gr / [email protected]

Dare to Dream - Get a life CoachLose weight, stop smoking, feel fantastic, improve your health / relationships. Need help with these or any other limiting decisions: Call me: Katrina Gica | Life Coach26610 58090/6978 276 629/[email protected]

KTEL green bus service26610 28927

KTEL blue bus service26610 31595

AIRSEA LINES26610 99316

Olympic Airways26610 38694

Apartments in picturesque village of Doukades available for holiday lets & retreats. 5 mins drive from local beaches & pools, great walks, central to all amenities on the island, set in an area of outstanding beauty. Well equipped self catering apartments, air con, TV, private balconies, sleeps 2/3.Also Private or group Tai-Chi & Chi-Gong lessons, Reiki sessions & attunements, vari-ous alternative & beauty treatments.For further details please contact: Susan T. 26630 22922 [email protected] JoAnn T. 26630 42134 [email protected]

International Life, for all your insurance needs. 2nd km, National Road Paleokastritsa, Corfu.T: 26610 36781.Email: [email protected] www.inlife.gr

DURRELL SCHOOL OF CORFU: LIBRARY3000 volumes on Greek literature and history, English-language fic-tion, poetry, biography, ecologyOpen Wednesdays 10-12.30. Membership details on request26610-21326 / [email protected] www.durrell-school-corfu.org

VILLA SECURITY & MAINTENANCESafegaurd your home whilst away.Regular visits and security checks.Prices to suit all budgets. Island-wide and year round service.We also offer garden and prop-erty maintenance services.CALL 26610 57389 or [email protected]

CORFU INSURERS & CONSULTANTSEnglish speaking insurance brokers with more than 25 years of experience and advice to offer. We cover all aspects of your life, from car to property inusrance.Offices in Corfu Town and Roda.For more information contact Mr SpirosVartholomeos: 26610 25254 / 255980030 6937 289 461 / [email protected]

FOR SALE:A beautiful modern, 3 bedroomed detached single story Villa, with po-tential building plot, space for a pool, Afra, less than 8 mins to Town cen-tre. 214,000 euros tel: 26610 58566 or email: [email protected]

Sue Cullen - Holistic TherapistTreating mind, body and spirit as one.A mobile holistic therapist located in Corfu, Greece. 0030 694 076 9020 www.holisticsue.com

OWN A PC? Why not put it to work? Up to 1000-2500 euros pm around your existing schedule. No experience re-quired. www.a.route-4-success.net <http://www.a.route-4-success.net> WANTED: 30 people to lose weight. No hunger, no exercise req. Go to www.healthchoice4u.me.uk <http://www.healthchoice4u.me.uk> or SMS feelyourbest to 6976843659.

Motivated Entrepeneurs. Learn to Earn. Online business opportunity in rapidly expanding US - based business. Run your business from anywhere in the world. Potential to make your annual income a monthly income. Applications being ac-cepted from serious candidates only. Not MLM.http://www.highprofitteam.com/DIVINE-FREEDOM

THE KEPKYPA SERIESAn historical collection of Six limited edition prints, with handmade gilt frames and mounts of high quality,showing rare and beautiful views of the Island of Corfu from the Nineteenth Century. For more info see: www.fjart.co.uk Or contact Theodore Johns +44 (0) 207 193 4549 / [email protected]

YOUR PROBLEMS SOLVEDCorfiot graduate Edinburgh UniversityM.S.c. PhD. Rare impeccable translator / interpreter. Also highly skilled in negotiat-ing, contracting, arbitrating and citizens advice. Fee €20 per hour.Alecko Damaskinos. Tel: 26630 91605 / 6946 225513

PROSPERO’S CELLExtremely rare first-printed edition - offers26630 41205

QUALIFIED ENGLISH TEACHER WANTEDby English language school “Fotini Tzekou”26610 44717 from 9am-1pm, [email protected] Please include CV.

ISLAND 39

ISLAND DIRECTORY / CLASSIFIEDSCLASSIFIEDS uSEFuL NumbERS ESSENTIAL NumbERS

CASA LUCIA is an old olive press convert-ed into self-catering cottages set in beau-tiful gardens with swimming pool. Daily maid service in summer; long lets, central heating in winter. Yoga, t’ai chi, beauty treatments. At Sgombou, 12km from Corfu town off the Palaiocastritsa road. T: 26610-91419; 6979470571; [email protected]; www.casa-lucia-corfu.com

Port Police26610 30481 / 32655

Fire Brigade199 / 191

Ambulance166

Traffic Police26610 39294

Tourist Police171 / 26610 30265

Police100

Corfu International Airport - Kapodistrias26610 30180

Radio Taxi26610 33811 / 2

Main Hospital26610 88200

Information131

Breakdown:Elpa - 104 / 26610 39050Express - 154 / 26610 44244

Private General Clinic26610 36044

FREE CLASSIFIEDS EMAIL [email protected] Or PHONE 26630 23174

English Carpenter - Kevin JonesBespoke fitted kitchens, Stair-cases, General Carpentry work.To view some photos of work online, follow this link: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/katomerios/ShortPortfolio1#or email: [email protected] call: 6942 253 192

For Sale, delightful 3 bed Detached Mod-ern Villa, set on the edge of the beautiful village of Afra, central Corfu. Large gar-den/plot plus parking for up to 7 cars!Just €175,000 for quick sale – all papers etc in place. See: www.dreamvilla.4t.comor contact: [email protected] or tel: 0044 1624 613778 for further details.

KTEL green bus service26610 28927

KTEL blue bus service26610 31595

AIRSEA LINES26610 99316

Olympic Airways26610 38694

Apartments in picturesque village of Doukades available for holiday lets & retreats. 5 mins drive from local beaches & pools, great walks, central to all amenities on the island, set in an area of outstanding beauty. Well equipped self catering apartments, air con, TV, private balconies, sleeps 2/3.Also Private or group Tai-Chi & Chi-Gong lessons, Reiki sessions & attunements, vari-ous alternative & beauty treatments.For further details please contact: Susan T. 26630 22922 [email protected] JoAnn T. 26630 42134 [email protected]

Need a Skip?Call ‘Bin and Gone’ on 6932 606 332anytime and speak to Garnet for a quote.

DURRELL SCHOOL OF CORFU: LIBRARY3000 volumes on Greek literature and history, English-language fic-tion, poetry, biography, ecologyOpen Wednesdays 10-12.30. Membership details on request26610-21326 / [email protected] www.durrell-school-corfu.org

VILLA SECURITY & MAINTENANCESafegaurd your home whilst away.Regular visits and security checks.Prices to suit all budgets. Island-wide and year round service.We also offer garden and prop-erty maintenance services.CALL 26610 57389 or [email protected]

CORFU INSURERS & CONSULTANTSEnglish speaking insurance brokers with more than 25 years of experience and advice to offer. We cover all aspects of your life, from car to property inusrance.Offices in Corfu Town and Roda.For more information contact Mr SpirosVartholomeos: 26610 25254 / 255980030 6937 289 461 / [email protected]

FOR SALE:A beautiful modern, 3 bedroomed detached single story Villa, with po-tential building plot, space for a pool, Afra, less than 8 mins to Town cen-tre. 214,000 euros tel: 26610 58566 or email: [email protected]

Sue Cullen - Holistic TherapistTreating mind, body and spirit as one.A mobile holistic therapist located in Corfu, Greece. 0030 694 076 9020www.holisticsue.com

OWN A PC? Why not put it to work? Up to 1000-2500 euros pm around your existing schedule. No experience re-quired. www.a.route-4-success.net <http://www.a.route-4-success.net>

WANTED: 30 people to lose weight. No hunger, no exercise req. Go to www.healthchoice4u.me.uk <http://www.healthchoice4u.me.uk> or SMS feelyourbest to 6976843659.

Bookbinding & Restoration, Victoria Drew, Georgiou Theotoki 68, Corfu town.Tel.: 26610 41570, 6934 052734

THE KEPKYPA SERIESAn historical collection of Six limited edition prints, with handmade gilt frames and mounts of high quality,showing rare and beautiful views of the Island of Corfu from the Nineteenth Century. For more info see: www.fjart.co.uk Or contact Theodore Johns +44 (0) 207 193 4549 / [email protected]

YOUR PROBLEMS SOLVEDCorfiot graduate Edinburgh UniversityM.S.c. PhD. Rare impeccable translator / interpreter. Also highly skilled in negotiat-ing, contracting, arbitrating and citizens advice. Fee €20 per hour.Alecko Damaskinos. Tel: 26630 91605 / 6946 225513

PROSPERO’S CELLExtremely rare first-printed edition - offers26630 41205

RIVENDELL Studio Apartments in Corfu are the ideal venue for a vacation in the sun away from the hustle and bustle of city life.Self-catering studio apartments, fully air-conditioned, sat tv, private balcony/patio and large swimming pool. T: 26630 22455 www.rivendell.gr / [email protected]

36 ISLAND ISSUE 1

THE ORIGINAL CORFU VILLAS

E XCEPTIONAL VILLA & HOTEL HOLIDAYS SINCE 1972

Our 2009 collection of stunning villas and hotels encompasses old favourites and new finds

in the most sought-after locations on Corfu. For personal service and villas with a

‘wow’ factor, we invite you to travel the CV way.

KASSIOPI ST STEPHANO KERASIA AVLAKI BARBATI NISSAKI KALAMAKI

AGNI KALAMI KOULOURA KAMINAKI WEST COAST & ROPA VALLEY……

For further information or to request a brochure please call 00 44 (0) 207 401 1054 or visit

our website www.cvtravel.co.uk

Or visit our Corfu office: CV Travel, Kassiopi (next to the petrol station)

Tel: 00 30 26 63 08 11 00 / 08 18 00

CORFU PAXOS LEFKADA KEFALONIA CRETE MYKONOSSince 1 972

CV_The Island Magazine May 09:CV_The Island Magazine Jun 08 8/5/09 12:28 Page 1

Issue 11 Summer 2009

Documents

Transcript of Issue 11 Summer 2009