Corfu

I don't say you should go to Corfu, but if like me you were obsessed with it because of reasons I'll explain later on, then here are some of my impressions.

First and probably also second reason I was obsessed with Corfu: the book "My family and other animals" by Gerald Durell(which is one of my favourites). He lived on Corfu with his family in the 1930s and the book is basically a collection of his childhood memories on the island. The book just made me nostalgic for childhood innocence and fun and made me dream of sorrow-free summer days. Why this is also my second reason you ask? Because then I saw the tv adaptation("The Durells") based on the book and that made me want to go to Corfu even more. No clue where you could watch it, I saw it on HBO Go.

So based on this fictional research I did, I decided that this year I'll go to Corfu. I really needed a break from the sitting in my house 24/7 Corona routine. And although I was really anxious about travelling in these uncertain times(what if I get tested there and need to go to quarantine? Do I need extra insurances in case I get sick there? etc.), I did not regret it. Greece was a pretty safe destination this summer, the island was pretty empty(I can imagine that it could be unpleasant to be on the island when it's full of tourists) and the locals were keeping to the Corona distancing and hygiene rules.

What I most loved about Corfu and I cannot really describe in words(not even the pictures do it justice) is the fact that you are always near to the water. Although you have lots of high points from which you have a great view from above like on other greek islands I visited, here you drive by the sea, you eat by the sea. The road to my hotel in the south of the island was pretty impressive, you drive 45 minutes with the sea on the same level as the road. Also unusual is that on most of the island, when you look at the sea, there is some land to see on the horizon, which in some cases is Albania in some cases not. As my geography knowledge is not so good, I always said I am seeing Albania, no matter on which part of the island I was.  

My recommendation is to rent a car. I used to go by bus on other greek islands(Skyathos, Santorini) but on this island I had the feeling that a bus wouldn't fit on the road(although I must confess I saw some busses on those narrow streets). As usual on islands, driving is a lot of "fun" because of the narrow steep roads where only one car can fit, but this for me is "usual" island driving, all islands I visited until now were like that.

What should you see?

I totally loved Notos beach and would recommend it. All beaches are beautiful on Corfu but if you are looking for something different and unusual, Notos is the place to go.

Corfu town is really pretty and has lots of shops and restaurants, so you can easily spend a day there. Also Corfu town is part of the UNESCO World heritage.

You should definitely go to Paxos and Antipaxos by boat. Antipaxos is really good for swimming, the water is beautifully light blue and very clear.

Paxos is a typical nice small idyllic greek island.

There are lots of places where you could watch the sunset and I totally recommend doing this. You could either watch it from Corfu town or have a picnic at the beach at sunset. Either way you won't regret it!

I also did an olive oil tasting at The Governor olive oil mill and I was pleasantly surprised. For a long time I was asking myself how do you know if an olive oil is good. Everybody was telling me about how good one or the other olive oil was and I was just wondering from where do they know(but apparently I was too lazy to just Google it). Turns out you can smell it(it should smell like freshly cut grass) and taste it(it should taste bitter and should burn in your throat), so I would recommend this tour to everybody who is passionate about food and doesn't know how to tell if an olive oil is good. Bonus: I learned here about "spoon sweets", sweet preserves, served in a spoon as a gesture of hospitality. I really liked the concept that something as simple as greek yoghurt with some preserved fruit can be so delicious. Don't know why they didn't have them on the other islands, or I just ignored it at that time.

What to eat?

You should drink some ginger beer as it is the typical local drink. I thought that the one from "Corfu beer" is the best(lower part of the bottle can be seen in the picture below).

I stayed in the southern part of the island, so if you stay there or visit, I would recommend to eat at Taverna Limnopoula in Petriti. Very delicious octopus which according to the staff there is local.

Apparently the kumquat is the typical fruit of the island (The Durells were also eating it in the tv series), but I saw no kumquat trees in the southern part(according to our guide there are some in the north). But anyways there are lots of kumquats products to buy, even kumquat liquor which for me tastes like Ouzo with kumquat juice, but some people like that and it's good for cocktails.

Greek salad is always a good idea and is very delicious, I ate that almost every day.

Also I really enjoyed Spanakopita and other pitas with cheese and the one with vanilla pudding and sugar and cinnamon is my new favourite(imagine pasteis de nata in XXL)! If you go to Issos beach, try the ones from Stefanos Bakery, they are the best!

Anyways, greek websites are saying that the greek summer is a state of mind and I totally agree. I enjoyed my vacation in Corfu a lot and if you want a relaxing vacation, with lots of great places to swim and good food, you should go to Greece!