Corfu, Greece

Greetings from the island of Corfu, Greece! Today we took an all-day tour of several locations on Corfu, a large island in the Ionian sea with around 140,000 inhabitants. The weather was very sunny and hot again today, with a high of 108 degrees. One of the places our tour took us to was the Monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a small monastery dating back to the 13th century, high on a hill above the small town of Paleokastritsa. The cove by Paleokastritsa was filled with vacationers bathing in the azure blue water, and there were signs pointing toward various grottoes and sea caves along the rocky coast. The sea looked so inviting and clear!

A view of the Corfu coastline

The drive up and down the hills was gorgeous and required an expert bus driver to navigate the tight turns and steep slopes. All around the island, the landscape beside the road is covered with olive trees, many of which are hundreds of years old - our guide told us that the oldest olive tree on Corfu is 2,000 years old. Once we got up to the monastery, we took a tour and looked inside the chapel, with its ancient icons covered in gold. There are still some monks living there.

A mosaic in the monastery near Paleokastritsa, Corfu

Later on in the day, we stopped at a viewpoint with a café to get a snack and take some pictures of the dramatic coastline. We both sampled the local beverage of choice, a non-alcoholic ginger beer made with ginger and lemon juice. It was spicy and just the thing to refresh us on a hot day! Items made from kumquats are another local specialty that's unique to Corfu; the Corfiots make kumquat liquor, candies, and preserves. We ate some kumquat cake, and later on I bought a jar of marmalade. Tomorrow we're off to Katakolon. Look for more photos and reflections on Corfu from my mother later on!

Lemon ginger beer, a local specialty on Corfu

A view of the old town in Corfu