Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Corfu, Greece then sailing toward Katakalon, Greece
A charming little place, and we are only one of three cruise ships in the harbor today so it shouldn't be too crowded. But it was hot already in the early morning, and there were only two buses provided to get us passengers from our ship to the terminal building where the Greek passport control officers waited for us, so there were some delays. But it was all handled with good grace by passengers and crew alike, and all went very smoothly.
This little island has been fought over many times over the centuries, and millenia. To ask why is to question that ultimate oxymoron, military intelligence. Because it was there, in the path, it was invaded time and again.
Our first stop on the tour bus was just outside the downtown core, in the 'old town'. Here we saw the fortifications against the periodic sea invasions, and a big fort out on a spit of land, and the British High Comissioner's digs, and their old cricket pitch (still used by locals) and a street fashioned in the style of Paris' Rue de Rivoli during the French occupation. In fact, this town and island is like so many in these seas, invaded serially by the Ottoman Turks, the French, the Venetians, the Genovese, and the Brits. Not to mentions the Greeks, Romans, and ancient Turks. All the lot of them contributed their own style and architecture and it provides an amazing mix of sights for the tourist eye.
This little island is known for a couple of things at least, one of which is that Prince Phillip was born here in 1921. He was originally christened in the Greek Orthodox religion in that little church over there by the fort, but gave that up in the impending marriage to Liz. Seems a greek orthodox person can't even be the queen's consort, it simply isn't done my dear. Only C of E members allowed to apply for the job, and you can take your deeply held religious beliefs, baptisms and all that, and stuff them. One can only imagine how strongly such a forced convert would cleave to his new faith having given up the old one so easily. But for a cushy job like that, most people would make the sacrifice.
We went to Sissy's Palace after driving around a bit, Sissy being a Bavarian princess who married Hapsburg Emperor Franz Joseph when she was 17 and he was 26, I think. Their story is an interesting one, google it for a good read. They had four children together, three girls and a boy. One girl died early, three years old, and the boy (Rudolf) died in a murder/suicide with his mistress later on (though there is a rumor that they were both killed in a politically inspired assasination) and Sissy herself was killed by an Italian anarchist when she was sixty. A troubled time. Anyway, she travelled a lot (to get away from her mother-in-law, husband, and Vienna court life) and one place she loved was Corfu where she had this palace built. A lovely place it is for sure, as Jan's pictures show here. Money certainly was not a problem for this crowd, and they had the first 'motor-car' on the island as well to the delight of the locals. Now there are a million of them it seems, the roads and parking areas choked to the limit by traffic. Sissy was also a fitness fanatic, taking regular four-hour walks with her ladies-in-waiting, and was probably anorexic as well, and on a series of diet purges to keep her weight down. She maintained a fifty centimeter waistline, no easy task, and was known as a rare beauty.
After, our tour took us to a semi-palace called 'Mon Repos', or 'my rest'. During the time of the British occupation of the island, there were a series of Governors or High Commissioners installed here. Most stayed in The Palace Of St Michael And St George, the official residence. But one fellow, Adams by name who lost a hand fighting Napoleon at Waterloo, fell in love with a local woman after taking his post. Unfortunately, she was already married so Adams did the correct thing and bought off her husband to anul the marriage. Then Adams married her, but she must have been a sort of restless spirit and she determined that she would not live in the George Michael palace (as our guide put it) but demanded her own villa on a site she had picked out. Adams was smitten, clearly, and did as she wished. The building and the grounds are beautiful beyond belief, look at the pictures, and the view was absolutely stunning. Both this sight and Sissy's palace are strongly reminiscent of San Simeon, the Heart Castle just north of Santa Barbara, in both the view and the architecture. Yes, Virginia, the rich are different from the rest of us.
