Corfu has two fortresses, thew new and the old. We pulled in at dawn again and saw the city from afar. It was an early start to the walking tour and we started at the market with the fish and veggies. We got a good whiff of fish and then kept going through the old town. We Walked along the walls for a while and then entered through the Lion Gate. From there we walked along the main street which starts our small but gets wider and wider as we walked along it. The old town is basically a pedestrian zone but cars are allowed for 2 hours in the morning for loading and unloading. There were old buildings and half demolished buildings from WW2. We were shown examples of Venetian buildings where the stairs are exterior to the building. Many cats roamed all through the town and a dog or two. The town was started in 800 BCE. The old fort is first mentioned in the twelfth century. In 1718 lightning struck the powder magazine which caused a chain reaction with three more ammunition facilities to explode. 100's were killed and in the aftermath two new forts was started. The walls of the city were beefed up and 2000 houses were demolished to create a buffer zone that was one cannon shot wide. The British took over Corfu after Napoleon the new fortress was build in earnest. 700 cannons were added to this fort and the range supposedly reached to the shores of Albania. So much history on this island.
The pink light of dawn
Tall misty mountains in the distance
Two large cruise ships were already docked
Our pilot has arrived
The old fortress to the right and the new one is on the right
Huge monolithic stone forts
Corfu emerges
The old town
The loneliest tree
Soon we will be having breakfast
The new fort is massive
The fish smell in the market was massive
A big red snapper
The red thing in the mouth of the fish on the left is a mystery
Sword fish
Stick your head in the ice
Brain freeze
Cat on the wall
Zucchini flowers
The market is getting crowded
The penis tower
Red fish dead fish
No elevators in these 6 story buildings
Many colors
Here are the remains of a building that was destroyed in WW2
Another missing building
It is doubtful that this build will be renovated
The only remaining Synagogue
There used to be two synagogues in the town but 2000 Jews were snatched up by the Nazis
Only 80 returned after the war
Give to me Vodka silly capitalist
The only domed church int he city
A statue dedicated to the families ripped apart during the war
A tree growing out of the fort walls
The man hours that had to go into building this huge structure
The lion gate
A skinny lion at that
Bronzed and bold
The scale of the new fortress
The only remaining gate int he old city walls
We have breached the walls and are now in the old town
A coat of arms
Five story walk up
Arches are on the oldest buildings
We walked the main street
Sleepy pooch
Here is a fancy gate
Crowded main street
Sophia Loren
More grand columns
Still on the main road
Some big heads on the walls
Nice cinnamon rolls for hair
Nothing a good night cream couldn't fix
Art galleries
Side alleys
More of the main street
A Jenga type tower
So very elaborate for a hair salon
Arched ceilings inside
'
This comb has seen better days
Some old buildings have not been restored and the oldest building is from 1497
Looking through the hole in the wall
More stairs
The serious clock tower
Ladies on pilgrimage. Some come from Ukraine, Belarus and eastern Europe
Very fancy upgraded building
Saint Four Eyes
The entrance to the orthodox church
The British build a big fancy building
It is now an Oriental museum
Friends, Corfuians, Countrymen
The Brits put in a cricket field in the "cannon shot length" buffer zone
The grand promenade built along the place where the wall used to be
Nice lantern
More and more folks are in the streets
Two building is one
The steeple through the arch
All arrows point out
Great railings
Yes it is so fancy
No pictures!
The town hall turned theater
Built in the 400 years of Venetian rule
Beautiful local limestone
Lots of highlights
Even some inside
A seriously beautiful door
Mosaic tables
Out for streetside dining
A bit over the top
A hat big enough to put your extra hair up inside it.
Zip up the hood and you can still see
A chocolate fountain
Penis liqueur
Another church unattended
22, 82 and 84 are all by the door
The gold that I like
The old fort
Bigger and nicer buildings on this side of town
The Venetians dug this moat
The boats like it
The mohawk duck
Looking through the wall
At the old fort
Kris is the new tour guide
A pirate boat!
A new guide!
Parked with the big boys
We have returned
All of these sailboats seemed to be in drydock
Another shore side dry dock
Some brightly colored buildings on the dock
Sinking boats
Working on the ladder for the harbor pilot
The Greek Navy is here to make sure we leave
