Left the beautiful Adriatic Sea and now in the Ionian Sea...down the road the Mediterranean and east of Greece the beautiful and magnificent Aegean Sea-and don't forget about the Sea of Crete. Do you have a preference? Everyday I say this is THE prettiest and most clear and fav...
And now we are on the very busy and huge tourist spot Corfu. Yes, the last time Boca was here was 45 years ago- yes that Europe on $5.00 a day trip. I assure you Corfu was a sleep little island in 1972. So a bit of Greek History about Corfu
Corfu is mentioned frequently in Greek mythology . The modern Greek name Kerkyra comes from the nymph who was the daughter of the river-god Asopos . Posideon, the god of the sea fell in love with her and made love to her on the island, giving birth to the race of the Phaeacians. The name is also possibly linked to the demonic deity Gorgyra or Gorgo, whose image was found on a pediment of the Archaic Artemis temple. The more recent name Corfu is a corruption of koryphi, which means peak, after the summit on which the Byzantines began building a castle early in the 7th century, and where the main town was later re-established. The name Kerkyra is only used in Greece; to the rest of the world the island is known as Corfu, though the town is universally called Kérkyra by preference. In The Odyssey , the shipwrecked hero Odysseus is washed ashore with the help of the goddess Athena and awakens to the laughter of princess Nausikaa and her friends washing clothes in a nearby stream (widely thought to be somewhere on the northwest coast, possibly at modern Érmones). They bring him to the Phaeacian Palace and after revealing his identity to King Alkinoös he is given a ship to take him safely back to Ithaka. However during the return trip the Phaeacian ship is turned to stone by Posideon, still enraged because Odysseus’ men had blinded Poseidon’s son the Cylcops, in revenge for the Phaeacians helping Odysseus .
Beautiful Corfu? What's up with the garbage overflowing the bins?
Welcome to Corfu-Enjoy our Garbage! Opa
Per the BBC: Piles of rubbish have been mounting in cities across Greece since the start of the week in a dispute over thousands of refuse collectors' jobs.
Tourist areas of Athens were among those worst affected. Problems were also reported in the northern city of Thessaloniki and the island of Corfu.
Protesters marched on the interior ministry in the centre of Athens as a 24-hour strike took hold.
They fear up to 10,000 workers could lose their jobs as their contracts end.
At one point on Thursday, protesters set fire to rubbish outside the interior ministry and threw paint at the building. Riot police fired tear gas to stop the building being stormed, reports said.
For days, members of the municipal workers' union have blocked refuse lorries from entering the main depots as the dispute escalates, leaving some street pavements an obstacle course for pedestrians.
The temperature in Athens on Thursday was 32C and is expected to climb in the coming days. Authorities have urged residents and businesses not to put out their rubbish.
The problem facing the government is that its attempt to renew the contracts of temporary municipal workers has been rejected by the courts as unconstitutional.
Interior Minister Panos Skourletis has promised the unions to find a solution,
Oh joy, can't wait to get back to Athens in a few days.
Corfu, one of Greece’s favorite holiday destinations, is losing tourists because of mounts of trash filling the city after the main landfill saturated.
Residents of Temploni have blocked the saturated landfill of the area. They complain that it has been years since authorities have promised to solve the problem of saturation of the trash dump. As a result, heaps of garbage appear at many points throughout the city of Corfu.
During the recent visit of Interior Minister Panagiotis Kouroumblis, locals jeered at him for not acting to solve the problem.
The garbage heaps have forced restaurants and shops to close, with the owners complaining that the tourist season is blown for them. The NUvino pizza Resto closed after posting a note saying, “NUvino pizza Resto will remain closed due to the amount of trash that is across from our restaurant. Thank you for your understanding.”
Meanwhile, tourist agencies are threatening to cancel flights to the island that has literally “drowned” in garbage. Locals sound the alert asking for the Temploni landfill to reopen.
The interior minister had a meeting with local politicians and island authorities. On Monday afternoon he visited Temploni along with Corfu Mayor Kostas Nikolouzos, Ionian Islands Regional Governor Theodoros Galiatsatos, General Secretary of Waste Management Evangelos Kapetanios and other officials. 
Kouroumblis asked from the Temploni residents to show patience for the two to three months remaining until the end of the tourist season during which a new plan for waste management on the island will be implemented.
Boca is obsessed taking pictures of the rotting garbage...
Corfu City...birds eye view.
The bus trip to the Paleokatstitisa Monastery (other than the garbage) was breathtaking.
You can see why the Greek islands are a favorite of many- especially Brits and Americans.
The road from the beach resort passes through thick forests of cypress punctuated by olive groves and the hilltop monastery commands exquisite views over the sea and the beach resort below. Bub thinks, maybe I could get me a little farm over here??
Crystal clear Ionian sea.
The ride up the narrow road to the monastery was scary as heck and we found many-20?- other buses perched on hill- how they back those buses in is truly a miracle...a monastery miracle. Absolutely no traffic control or control of any type to schedule the buses or tours.
Greek standoffs occur left and right- much like a Mexican standoff
The landscape around Paleokastritsa is by all accounts some of the most beautiful to be found in the whole of Greece. The lush green vegetation cascades down the hillsides to the triple bays of Paleokastritsa.
The monastery of Paleokastritsa was founded in 1225, although the present buildings date back only to the 18th century.
Never too many Monasteries for Boca and for those ladies who didn't dress properly- they have a schemata just for you.
Father must be in charge of telephone reception duties today.
Come on Boca, a little church time for you and YOU NEED IT!
The monastery interior, with its impressive carved wooden ceiling, has a small ecclesiastical museum with some very rare Byzantine icons, several embroidered religious robes and illuminated holy books among other religious relics. 
The place was a mob scene...hot and tons of folks.
There is also a small souvenir shop full of hand-crafted gifts including small bottle of olive oil produced by the monks who live here. Quite bizarre amongst the other attractions are the bones of what appears to be sea monster or some other animal.
The monks are pretty darn good at growing grapes. Pleep couldn't eat enough of them!
Nice hat Bubbala.
Bub congratulates our driver- nobody died. Bravo! 3 inches clearance on each side of the bus going up that hill -Double Bravo! and Praise the Lord!!
We make a coffee and photo stop next to the airport. Yes a great view and oddly, fun watching the planes go up and down...ok Pleep, take off and land.
Vlaherna Monastery-can't we squeeze one more in Bubs?
It is probably the most well known corfiot landmark, its image comes to mind when talking about Corfu. The Vlacherena monastery was founded many centuries ago on a little rocky island close to the southern tip of the Kanoni peninsula. It was a women’s monastery and according to the marble plaque above the white traditional campanile, the present chapel was built in 1685. The oldest still existing funeral gravestone dates from 1758. In 1799, when Corfu was under the rule of democratic France, it was mentioned that the church belonged to the family of the famous greek composer N.C. Mantzaros. During the 19th century, the monastery had started to decline.
It is open to the public all year round. We can enjoy its beauty and tranquillity and pray.
A nice spot to cool down for a cold drink and spectacular view.
Hey, isn't that the airlines we used last year to fly from London to Amsterdam and our extra luggage ended up costing way more than the ticket? Yup. Easy Jet not so easy.
Boca, do you recognize the site from the James Bond movie??
Why Bond was here
In For Your Eyes Only, the British government hired two archeologists to dive for a sunken submarine, that is equipped with a secret communication system. When the archeologists get assassinated, 007 (Roger Moore) is called for duty. He unites forces with Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet), the revengeful daughter of the deceased. On Greek island Corfu, both slowly start to appreciate not only the others will to kill – but also the comfort. The gentle love unfolds, when Bond pics up Melina at a yacht pier in front of Vlacherna monastery to discover charming Corfu’s main town Kerkyra.
My very own 0000something?
Did somebody same Kumquat? Yup, that orange liquor they are peddling all over the country. Ick.
A little more refuse here and there...
Next stop the old town of Corfu city....hot as hades and a gazillion tourists. Can't wait to stroll around with Bubs. Our tour guide gives us the lay of the land.
Pleep is off and running in and out of the little shops, trying to convince Bubs he needs a lot of what they are selling.
St. Spyradon Orthodox Church
Saint Spyridon the Thaumaturgist (Miracle-worker) is the patron saint of the city and the island. St. Spyridon is revered for the miracle of expelling the plague from the island, among many other miracles attributed to him. It is believed by the faithful that on its way from the island the plague scratched one of the fortification stones of the old citadel to indicate its fury at being expelled; to St. Spyridon is also attributed the role of saving the island at the second great siege of Corfu of 1716. The legend says that the sight of St. Spyridon approaching Ottoman forces bearing a flaming torch in one hand and a cross in the other caused panic. The legend also states that the Saint caused a tempest which was partly responsible for repulsing the Ottomans. This victory over the Ottomans, therefore, was attributed not only to the leadership of Count Schulenburg who commanded the stubborn defence of the island against Ottoman forces, but also to the miraculous intervention of St. Spyridon. Venice honoured von der Schulenburg and the Corfiots for successfully defending the island.
Recognizing St. Spyridon's role in the defence of the island Venice legislated the establishment of the litany of St Spyridon on 11 August as a commemoration of the miraculous event, inaugurating a tradition that continues to this day. In 1716 Antonio Vivaldi, on commission by the republic of Venice, composed the oratorioJuditha triumphans to commemorate this great event. Juditha triumphans was first performed in November 1716 in Venice by the orchestra and choir of the Ospedale della Pietà and is described as Vivaldi's first great oratorio. Hence Spyridon is a very popular first name for Greek males born on the island and/or to islanders.
The sacred relic of Corfu’s beloved patron saint, St Spyridon, lies in an elaborate silver casket in the 16th-century basilica. And you know the Church store has some fabulous icons of Agios Spyridon.... price for the oh so local iconographer- yes in gold leaf start at Eu 1800 euros and go upward of Eu 8000....
and then I asked, who buys these very beautiful but pricey icons? "The Russians." Hmm. The Greeks use a very different style from the Russian iconographers.
And I have just the spot for this magnificent piece...
Bubs couldn't take my looking, touching and talking about every single icon, the iconographer, the style and where were you born? are you married? do you have children bla bla oy. So he went to the cafe for a cold one and prayed I did NOT buy that gold iconostasis ....but yes my darling I did get an icon, no worries, it was small, very small.
Tourism in Greece has been a key element of the economic activity in the country, and is one of the country's most important sectors. Greece has been a major tourist destination and attraction in Europesince antiquity, for its rich culture and history, which is reflected in large part by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, among the most in Europe and the world as well as for its long coastline, many islands and beaches.
Greece has attracted 26.5 million visitors in 2015 and 30 million visitors in 2016, making Greece one of the most visited countries in Europe and the world and contributing 18% to the nation's Gross Domestic Product, with its capital city Athens, as well as Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Corfu, Crete and Chalkidice being some of the country's major tourist destinations. And where do they come from?
| Rank | Country | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Macedonia | 3,023,059 |
| 2 |  Germany | 2,810,350 |
| 3 |  United Kingdom | 2,397,169 |
| 4 |  Bulgaria | 1,900,642 |
| 5 |  France | 1,522,100 |
| 6 |  Italy | 1,355,327 |
| 7 |  Turkey | 1,153,046 |
| 8 |  Poland | 754,402 |
| 9 |  United States | 750,250 |
| 10 |  Serbia | 727,831 |
The prices were "pricey"...no bargains but a lot of cool stuff to buy said Boca and NOT Bubba.
The gypsies were also there with their fake begging routine...yes annoying,
Those poor babies out there in the heat...
Just one more shot of the refuse. And weirdly, they say this has happened every summer over the past few years. How does that diddy go...look for the union labor!
Bubs votes no more Corfu in the summer. Boca agrees-but a visit in the fall is a possibility. Now that is a switch! Ah but wait, we are back her July 4th, next week....maybe garbage will be gone?
Def. looked forward to cool down and cocktail hour...met a nice couple from Puerto Rico...
Yes, Senior Boca, our daughter's wedding was also an event. Oooo la la.
And the husband chimed in, "yes get your check book out, drink some Jack Daniels and look the other way..."
