A Day In Corfu / What To Visit In Greece

Location: Corfu . September 3, 2015

When we arrived to Corfu Island, I wanted to see everything. There are so many things, and I wanted to take it all, not wanting to miss a single thing. 

First place to see is, of course, the town Corfu (also known as Kerkyra), beautiful place with so many little alleys and colorful streets that are lined with the cutest restaurants and hundreds of shops just waiting to be discovered. Of course, the most popular is the Liston street, one of the loveliest promenades in Europe. The design of the Liston street was inspired by the Rue de Rivoli, Paris, built in 1807 by the French imperial commissioner Mathieu de Lesseps.

Kada smo stigli do Krfa, želela sam odmah da vidim sve. Postoji toliko mnogo stvari koje treba videti, a ja sam htela da upijem sve i da ne propustim nijednu stvar.  Prvo što smo želeli da vidimo je naravno grad Krf (takođe poznat kao Kerkira), prelepo mesto sa puno uskih i šarenih ulice duž kojih su načičkani simpatični restorani i stotine prodavnica koje samo čekaju da budu otkrivene. Naravno, najpopularnija je ulica Liston, jedno od najlepših šetališta u Evropi. Dizajn ulice Liston je bio inspirisan čuvenom Rue de Rivoli, Paris, a sagrađena 1807. od strane francuskog carskog komesara Mathieu de Lesseps.

We also visited the Serbian Museum of Corfu. It houses rare exhibits about the Serbian soldiers' tragic fate during the First World War. Then we have a bout trip to a Vido island. During the First World War, the island Vido served as an island hospital and quarantine for sick Serbian soldiers. Over 5,000 people were buried at sea near the island of Vido. As a sign of respect, we throw roses into the sea at a place known as the Blue Tomb.

Posetili smo i Srpsku kuću, naravno. Ona čuva retke eksponate koji svedoče o tragičnoj sudbini srpskih vojnika u Prvom Svetskom Ratu. Onda smo se brodom prevezli na ostrvo Vido, koje je služilo kao bolnica i karantin za naše bolesne i ranjene vojnike. Zbog nepristupačnosti terena, preko 5.000 ljudi je sahranjeno u moru, na mestu poznatom kao Plava Grobnica, gde smo, u znak poštovanja bacili ruže.

Back in town, after stopping into one too many shops (I just have to see everything!) we were getting a little lost in the little streets...

Po povratku u grad, nakon obilaska ko zna koliko ulica i prodavnica (a ja sam, normalno, htela u svaku da zavirim!) shvatili smo da smo se potpuno izgubili u tom nepreglednom lavirintu...

But, finally we made our way to the most amazing restaurant with a domestic food and vine (Retzina, of course) and had a great lunch.

Naposletku smo pronašli put do restorana koji smo ranije tog dana videli i gde smo hteli da ručamo. Domaća kuhinja, hladna Retcina = savršen ručak.

After the break, we decided to go to famous Palaio Frourio (Old Fortress). Constructed by the Venetians in the 15th century on the remains of a Byzantine castle and further altered by the British, this spectacular landmark offers respite from the crowds and superb views of the region. Climb to the summit of the inner outcrop which is crowned by a lighthouse for a 360-degree panorama. The gatehouse contains a Byzantine museum too!

Nakon pauze, odlučili smo da odemo do čuvene Stare tvrđave. Izgrađena od Mlečana u 15. veku na ostacima vizantijskog zamka i dalje izmenjena od strane Britanaca, ovo spektakularno obeležje grada nudi predah od gužve i fenomenalan pogled na čitav regiona. Uspon do vrha krunisan je svetionikom koji pruža savršenu, 360 stepeni panoramu. Da ne zaboravim, tvrđava ima i vizantijski muzej!

I even found a little friend up there! :)

Pronašla sam i jednog divnog prijatelja na vrhu! :)

Here we are, made it to to top! 

Evo i nas na vrhu!

If you are to tired to walk after all that, you can go around with a tourist bus or (if you are more on romantic side, like me!) by carriage.

Ako se umorite od sve ove šetnje, grad možete obići i turističkim autobusom ili (ako ste nepopravljivi romantik, kao ja) kočijom.

Then we pay a visit to Church of Agios Spyridon, Palace of St Michael & St George and Museum of Asian Art, and I was so tired. To be honest, we must have walked, at least, 10 kilometers to see all that. Even one of my sandals couldn`t take that much.., she snapped, so I had to buy slippers!

Nakon toga smo obišli i Crkvu Svetog Spiridona, Palatu Sv.Majkla i Džordža i Muzej Azijske umetnosti u istoimenoj palati bila sam zaista umorna. Da budem iskrena, tog dana smo prešli više od 10 kilometara da bi sve ovo obišli. Čak ni moja sandala nije to mogla da podnese, pukla je i morala sam da kupim papuče, ali nije mi žao.

Although we were tired, the next day we planned another trip, because we have to see one other thing, the Achilleion Palace. It can be found in the Village of Gastouri, 10 km’s south west of the town of Corfu. It belonged to the Empress Elisabeth of Austria (known as 'Sissi') and Kaiser William II of Germany. Empress Elisabeth built the palace to escape the tragedies of her life, and William II purchased it after her untimely death. William II, however, never had a chance to enjoy the palace’s beauty because of a war that broke out, from his own doing. After years of rebuilding and restoration, the palace was finally restored to its former beauty.

Iako smo bili umorni, sledećeg dana smo krenuli da obiđemo Palatu Ahileon, jednu od najznačajnijih znamenitosti. Nalazi se u selu Gastori, oko 10 km jugozapadno od grada Krfa. Pripadala je austrijskoj Carici Elizabeti (poznatoj po nadimku "Sisi") i nemačkom caru Kajzeru Vilhelmu II. Carica Elizabeta je kupila palatu nakon nekoliko tragičnih događaja u životu, a Vilhelm II nakon njene prerane smrti. Vilhelm II ipak, nikada nije imao prilike da uživa u njoj zbog izbijanja rata, za čiji početak mnogi veruju da je upravo on odgovoran. Nakon mnogo godina obnove i restauriranja, palata je napokon povratila svoju nekadašnju lepotu.

Then we went to Palaiokastritsa, village in the North West of Corfu and visited Theotokos Monastery. There is an arched inner courtyard with beautiful flowers, and a small museum with Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons.The view from the Monastery is superb!!

Posle ovoga smo otišli na Paleokastisu, selo smešteno na severozapadu ostrva, gde smo posetili Manastir Bogorodice. Unutar manastira nalazi se prekrasno dvorište puno cveća, kao i mali muzej sa Vizantijskim i post-Vizantijskim ikonama. A pogled sa Manastira je zaista fantastičan!!

Next stop was Golden Fox on the top of the Paleokastritsa. This is the place to enjoy the panoramic view from the veranda of swimming pool which overlooks the monastery and the green and blue bays of Paleokastritsa. In the restaurant you can enjoy in traditional Greek dishes or coffees, beverages and cakes.

Sledeća stanica je bila Zlatna Lisica, poznato mesto na vrhu Paleokastise. Ovde se može uživati u panoramskom pogledu sa bazena odakle se vide manastir i zeleno-plave uvale Paleokastise. U restoranu na donjem novou se služi tradicionalna grčka kuhinja a na gornjem nivou je pravo mesto za fenomenalan panoramski pogled uz kafu, piće i kolače.

After all that sightseeing you can have a lazy afternoon on the beautiful beach...
Nakon svih ovih obilazaka, može se uživati na plaži...

Or have an unforgettable underwater experience on the Jellow Submarine! This was the most amazing thing for me, I have to admit!! To be able to see sea-bottom, fishes, corals and stay dry and safe is definitely my thing! :)

Ili doživeti nezaboravno podvodno iskustvo na brodu-podmornici Jellow Submarine! Ovo je za mene bilo fantastično iskustvo i nešto najlepše što sam doživela. Biti u prilici da iz neposredne blizine posmatram morsko dno, ribe, korale, a ostanem suva i na sigurnom je baš po mom ukusu! :)

Our cruise continued along the beautiful coastline with lunch (made by our captain) on one of the many beautiful beaches we visited and adventures swimming and diving in perfect Blue cave and turquoise sea.

Naše krstarenje se nastavilo uz prekrasnu obalu uz ručak (koji nam je spremio lično kapetan) na jednoj od plaža koje smo posetili, kao i avanturističko plivanje i ronjenje u savršenoj Plavoj pećini i tirkiznom moru.

After a really long day out in the sun, we finally made it back to our hotel with just a few minutes before sunset. We ordered drinks and made our way to the pool to enjoy in the last views of the perfect day.

Nakon veoma dugog dana na suncu, napokon smo se vratili u hotel par minuta pre zalaska sunca. Naručili smo piće i smestili se pored bazena da uživamo u poslednjem pogledu na jedan savršen dan.