Corfu, Shopping

Post 3 of . . .

On October 12 evening, mighty Messina, where we made sure to check out the famous bell tower with its famous astronomical clock, the 12th century cathedral rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of 1908 and again in 1943 after the Allied bombing triggered a fire, and the majestic 16th century Fountain of Orion behind us, we maneuvered through the narrow strait of Messina, at its narrowest, just two miles from Italy’s mainland at its southern tip the boot, toward Corfu, Greece. In Corfu, we had purchased a tour offered by the ship. We were just a handful of us on this tour and it, after a short bus ride, involved hours of walking discovering the island. And every step was worth it. I even ran into a friend at the palace, my all-time favorite flower jasmine. Soon I discovered that jasmine was the most common flower in Corfu. We covered many Roman ruins in this historic island and let our imagination fly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corfu.

Corfu’s eastern side faces both southern Albania and southern Greek mainland. Our tour included the Old Town mainly. We had the option to return to the ship on our own and so this gave us some time to shop and I did find a compact (no more than 5"x6"), black leather, zipper-equipped, multi-compartment, accordion pocket book with adjustable strap that could hold all my stuff. In that labyrinth of a shopping mecca called Liston across from the Splianada Square (Esplanade) and the 19th century Palace of St. Michael and St. George or the Museum of Asian Art, I was thrilled to find this bag hanging right outside a leather goods shop as if it was waiting for me and for a reasonable price. It was time to retire my very old nifty black pocket book. I will post a picture of my new acquisition--a perfect blend of form, function and aesthetics. When it comes to buying stuff, I am very selective and so when I find something I love I do cherish it just like I value the special relationships in my life.

Our visit included the brightly colored Venetian quarters from the 17th century, the Roman baths from 200 A.D. across the crumbled 5th century Basilica of Paleopolis, the Mon Repos palace (birth place of Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Phillip) turned museum overlooking the Ionaina Sea, the rebuilt 17th century Town Hall (originally a theater and an opera house and also rebuilt after WW II)), and the church both across from each other, a hand-made soap factory, where I bought some olive oil soap and met the owner who gave an interesting lecture on soap making and on his 100-year-old factory. Such soap is available in many stores lining the crowded sidewalks next to the narrow winding streets heaving with traffic. Milling around on the sidewalks and across town were also a few Greek Orthodox priests sporting briefcases and looking serious and even a bit lost. Was Greek's faltering economy on their minds?

Since I take my smart phone with me only for emergency purposes, we use the local Internet cafes to check non-emergency e-mail from family, In Corfu, we found a great deal: One espresso coffee and fifteen minutes Net access for 1,50 euros! B is the coffee lover the moment he leaves home and so we took advantage of this deal. The owner spoke no English but was very pleasant.

The short return bus trip along the coast was marvelous, too. Onward to Istanbul!

Ciao!