| The first of these two short routes from the | | | | sees his ship and either sinks it or turns it to |
| town takes us to the famous beauty - spot | | | | stone. Odysseus is washed up on the shores of |
| known as 'Kanoni' and to the remains of ancient | | | | Scheria, which is the kingdom of the Phaeacians, a |
| Corcyra. | | | | friendly people ruled over by King Alkinoos. |
| On a day at any time except the summer it | | | | The king's daughter, Nausica, had that day been |
| would be pleasant to do at least part of this route | | | | inspired by a dream to go with her handmaidens |
| on foot. However, those without their own | | | | to a distant beach to wash clothes. Of course the |
| transport would be able to take Town Bus no. 2, | | | | beach is the one on which the exhausted |
| which goes to Kanoni and circles Analipsi hill, the | | | | Odysseus is lying asleep. While waiting for their |
| destination of our itinerary. | | | | clothes to dry, the girls sing and play with a ball, |
| We start from the Spianada and move south, | | | | and their cries wake Odysseus. Without revealing |
| passing on our left the Yacht Club installations at | | | | who he is, he makes friends with them and is |
| the foot of the castle. On the right is a statue of | | | | taken back to the palace, where he admires the |
| Count John Capodistrias. | | | | buildings, the harbours and everything else about |
| When the road reaches the bottom of the hill and | | | | the city and is made thoroughly welcome. |
| begins to run along the shore of Garitsa Bay, we | | | | Indeed, he might well have thought about |
| pass a signpost to the Archaeological Museum, | | | | marrying Nausica and staying on Scheria, but his |
| which should on no account be missed. Although it | | | | home is calling. A minstrel singing about the Trojan |
| is not a large collection it has some excellent | | | | War forces him to reveal his identity and tell the |
| exhibits, which are clearly labelled in English and | | | | Phaeacians about his travels, after which he |
| Greek. | | | | leaves. |
| Further along we come to the Obelisk erected in | | | | The relevance of this story to the route we are |
| 1841 to Sir Howard Douglas (1776 - 1861), a | | | | describing is that Pontikonisi is, according to legend, |
| leading military theorist of his day who was Lord | | | | the ship which Poseidon turned to stone. |
| High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands in | | | | It is not alone in claiming that honour, however: |
| 1835-40. Douglas was the author of the first | | | | one of the islets off Palaiokastritsa is also |
| textbook on naval gunnery. | | | | supposed to be Odysseus' ship. The truth of the |
| Behind the obelisk, in the grounds of the police | | | | matter (if there is one; Homer is not always to |
| station, stands the Monument of Menecrates. The | | | | be relied on in matters of geography) is still far |
| area around here was the ancient cemetery, and | | | | from clear, since no archaeological findings have |
| this monument was erected in memory of a man | | | | come to light to support any of the theories. |
| who was in fact not buried there; he was | | | | Let it be said, however that Ermones beach on |
| drowned at sea. The inscription around the top of | | | | the west coast is a principal claimant for the site |
| the monument, which dates from about 600 BC, | | | | of the meeting between Odysseus and Nausicaa: |
| is in Archaic script and is read from right to left. It | | | | it even has a stream of fresh water where she |
| tells us that Menecrates was Corfu's consul in his | | | | could have washed her clothes. |
| birthplace, the town of Oiantheia, near Galaxidi on | | | | We leave Kanoni along the continuation of the |
| the north shore of the Gulf of Corinth. The | | | | one-way road system round Analipsi hill, passing |
| monument was discovered in 1843, during road | | | | amongst the hotels, restaurants and other tourist |
| construction work, and it is supposed to have | | | | facilities which, in spite of the proximity of the |
| been topped by the Lion on display in the | | | | airport, have made this one of the busiest parts |
| Museum. | | | | of the island in summer. |
| The road continues along the front, had a narrow | | | | After about 1 kilometre a road branches off to |
| entrance protected by two towers, the | | | | the right, in the direction of the top of the hill, and |
| easternmost of which has been found. | | | | we take this. |
| We continue up the hill. The northern side of the | | | | Most of the top of Analipsi hill, which was the site |
| peninsula was protected by a wall running from | | | | of the acropolis of ancient Corcyra, is occupied by |
| the end of the Alkinoos harbour, and one part of | | | | the Mon Repos estate. The mansion house which |
| this has survived near the modern cemetery and | | | | stands at the centre of the grounds (to which |
| the monastery of the Sts Theodori. The only | | | | there is no admission) was built for High |
| reason that this section of wall survived is that it | | | | Commissioner Sir Frederic Adam in 1824 and then |
| was built into a Byzantine chapel. It consists of a | | | | passed into the hands of the Greek royal family. |
| tower about six metres high, and is locally known | | | | The Duke of Edinburgh was born here in 1921. |
| as the Nerantzicha tower. It is believed that the | | | | Since the abolition of the monarchy in Greece, by |
| tower may have guarded one of the gates along | | | | referendum, in 1974, the former royal properties |
| the north wall. | | | | have been the subject of legal disputes and Mon |
| Also close to this area are the very scanty | | | | Repos, like the others, is not currently in use. |
| traces of the Temple of Artemis. An Archaic | | | | Opposite the gates to Mon Repos are the ruins of |
| building constructed around 590-580 BC, it had 17 | | | | the Paleo-Christian church of St Kerkyra or |
| columns on its long sides and 8 on its short sides, | | | | Palaiopolis, which was certainly built before 450 |
| but this is more or less all that can be said about | | | | AD, using ancient materials, and was rebuilt a |
| it today, since the destruction has been so great. | | | | number of times since then after destruction by |
| However, the site did produce the pediments | | | | various raiders. Its most recent destruction was |
| which can be seen in the Museum, and on the site | | | | by bombing in 1940. The inscription over the west |
| is the enormous altar, which gives some idea of | | | | entrance refers to the founding of the church by |
| the size of the original building. | | | | Bishop Jovian of Corfu after he had destroyed |
| The temple was brought to light during | | | | the pagan altars on the island. Pieces of the |
| fortification work carried out by the French in | | | | mosaic floor of the church and some other |
| 1812, diggings which also uncovered part of the | | | | remnants of it can be seen in the Museum of |
| ancient aqueduct. | | | | Christian Art. |
| After meandering among the fairly scattered | | | | Most of the remains of ancient Corcyra lie inside |
| houses at the foot of Analipsi hill, our road | | | | the densely - wooded grounds of Mon Repos and |
| suddenly swings up and we burst out on to a little | | | | thus cannot be visited. These ruins include that of |
| square with a superb view - one that has to | | | | the city's largest temple, a Doric building |
| some extent become Corfu's trademark. | | | | reconstructed in the 4th century BC and probably |
| This is the Kanoni, which we might translate as | | | | dedicated to Hera. The temple was mentioned by |
| One-Gun Battery. The name originates with the | | | | the historian Thucydides. |
| French, who installed a cannon here. The cannon | | | | However, if we continue on up the road towards |
| stands above the little square, next to the tourist | | | | the top of the hill we can visit the Kardaki temple, |
| pavilion, on the site where the Republican French | | | | another Doric building of which, however, little has |
| installed an artillery battery in 1798. This is one of | | | | survived. The temple was probably dedicated to |
| the most beautiful places in Corfu, one which wins | | | | Apollo, and was discovered by chance in 1822 by |
| over all the visitors to the island. No tourist should | | | | British troops digging to find out why the Kardaki |
| miss the experience of the superb and | | | | spring, which was used to water passing ships, |
| unforgettable view from here, at any time of the | | | | had suddenly dried up. The eastern side of the |
| day. During the day, the light shimmers on the | | | | temple has fallen into the sea. |
| water beneath, and in the evening there are | | | | The view from the top of the hill is excellent and |
| wonderful sunsets. Moonlit nights are magic here, | | | | it is possible to see quite a large part of the Mon |
| too. The view must be one of the most | | | | Repos estate, including its charming little harbour. |
| frequently-photographed in Greece. In front of us | | | | Returning to the Analipsi one-way system, we |
| and slightly to the right is the entrance to the | | | | wind round and down the hill and come out at the |
| Hyllaian harbour, which in ancient times was | | | | southernmost extremity of Garitsa Bay. Here is |
| guarded by nets and a boom. Now there is a | | | | the Church of Sts Jason and Sossipatros, one of |
| causeway across it to Perama. | | | | Corfu's finest Byzantine monuments - indeed, one |
| To the left are two little islets, each of which has | | | | of the few buildings to have survived from this |
| a monastery on it, neither of which is of any | | | | period. The saints to whom the church is |
| particular interest to the visitor. The nearer one | | | | dedicated are said to be those who spread |
| reached by a causeway, is to Our Lady | | | | Christianity on the island. Both were disciples of St |
| Vlachernai, and the further one, on Pontikonisi | | | | Paul, and tradition has it that Sossipatros was |
| (Mouse Island) is to the Pantocrator. | | | | martyred here in the time of Caligula. |
| There is a myth regarding Pontikonisi which | | | | Their church dates from the 11th century at the |
| perhaps requires a little explanation. The second of | | | | latest, to judge from the wall-painting of St |
| the great Homeric poems, the Odyssey, which, | | | | Arsenius on the east wall of the narthex, which |
| like its companion, the Iliad is generally regarded | | | | has been dated to that period. The building itself |
| as having been written about the 8th century BC | | | | incorporates three ancient columns, each carved |
| though it refers to semi-legendary events five or | | | | from a single piece of stone. The paintings of the |
| six hundred years earlier, mentions an island in the | | | | two saints are the work of the late 16th century |
| west called Scheria, which is the name used by | | | | artist Emmanouil Tzanes, one of the principal |
| other ancient writers to refer to Corfu. | | | | representatives of the Cretan School of icon |
| What happens is as follows: Odysseus, having | | | | painting. |
| escaped from Calypso, is on his way home to | | | | We are now back on the front at Garitsa, which |
| Ithaca at last. But the sea-god Poseidon, who has | | | | is the end of this route. |
| had it in for him since the beginning of the poem, | | | | |