One clear morning, in April: 05.00 am. – people are waiting to board the buses: hundreds of tourists have chosen to spend the Easter vacation at the Greek island of Corfu. Everything “worked” as planned: I called all of them by name, confirmed their presence on the bus and checked each chair. When all of the bus seats were occupied, I announced my good friend and fellow driver – Uncle Puiu- an artisan (as he likes to recommend himself) that we are “ready for the takeoff.”
It is nice to be a travel guide. People look at us and think: ” such a great job, you are in a continuous holiday, visit many countries, have fun at the beach.” What they do not know is that this job is not for the faint hearted: you have to be mentally strong; have a smile on your face all the time, have the right answers to every question and good solutions for every contingency.
I take the microphone and say: “Good morning, my name is George and I will be your guide to the beautiful island of Kerkyra – known as the Island of Miracles”. A voice from behind the coach catches my attention: ” Kerkyra sir? We are going to Corfu, I think you have the wrong coach or we got up unto the wrong one … ” I smile politely.
– You’re right, we are going to the island of Corfu, but in Greek, the name is pronounced Kerkyra. And the town of Corfu is the island’s capital.
Laughter and giggles, everyone is happy. So I carry on my routine: data about the route, the number of kilometers (about 950), accommodation and sightseeing. I catch a glimpse of a 4 year old boy seating on my right: he is all smiles, looks at me with big bright eyes, attentive to the insights he is hearing. It melted my heart and during this journey Robert – that was his name, stayed by my side, trying to be a super guide J. We started off by following the classical routes and transiting Bulgaria. As normal, we have made a few stops along the way where Mrs. VIP (as she was named on the list of passengers) had a “small problem” with the fire extinguisher being positioned under her seat (where it was normal to be). Upon request and under the principle “Our customer, our master” Uncle Puiu took it out and moved it in the toilet coach where on the hanger stood his brand new costume, navy color. With everybody know happy we headed north and entered Greece, having the river Strimonas in sight. Soon we reached the second major city of Greece, Thessaloniki. Here we stopped for a city tour before continuing our route to Veroia and the longest motorway (Egnatia Odos) from the Balkan Peninsula (670 km length) that extends from the (Greek-Turkish border) Kipoi in the east to the Igoumenitsa.
Everything was perfect: wonderful landscapes, tunnels after tunnels, countless bridges (in 2014 they completed the last bridge:1.650 in total!). Looking at the clock, I noticed that time is not in our favor and we are at risk of losing the ferry. So I ask the driver to increase the pass.
As the route through the mountains Pindos is characterized by curves, at one point a panicked voice shouted: ” stop the coach … smoke … fire …”! Turn my head and see a big white cloud coming from the back. All the tourists begin coughing so the driver instantly pulled onto the emergency lane, opened the doors and begun the tourists evacuation.
In addition, we hear a woman’s voice crying to her husband: “Gicu do not forget the leather jacket, the money are inside.” Gicu, an obedient husband, ran into the bus to rescue the priceless jacket and stepped down again in seconds. I exchanged glances with Uncle Puiu and together we moved to see the cause of the incident: “what happened, why there is no smoke or flames, no smell of burning fabric?” Meanwhile from the white cloud a little head with two calm green eyes appeared…I did not know what to do: to laugh or be silent and overcome the awkward situation in a more “diplomatic” manner. Gicu, the obedient husband, rescued the jacket but “forgot” the child. So I’m taking Robert in my arms and carry him out, looking for his parents, caught in heavy discussions. I ask them politely: “Is this child yours or …just got lost ?! ” The Ms. turns all her attention to the husband and yells: “What have you done ?! Gicu did you leave the baby alone in the bus? Priceless, indeed 🙂 !
From the “tragedy”, everything turned into comedy. Puiu soon discovered that our mysterious smoke was due to the fire extinguisher. In a coil, it felled down and spread the load. With a sigh of relief that nothing serious has happened we resumed our route. Meanwhile, we had another collateral victim: the new blue suit has changed color: it was an immaculate white! Puiu with a smile speaks out loud: “That is it, now I have to marry, I have the right suit”. Everyone is laughing and jokes continue until our arrival to Corfu… “not “Kerkyra!
Passion, excitement and attraction in Corfu
Responding to the tourists desire to see as much as possible, I walked them through the “Sahara of Europe”, with the red sand dunes and the beach of Issos, separating the Ionian Sea from the Korission lake. We visited the resort Benitses Sea Museum, with exhibits unique in the world of diver Napoleon Sagias (good friend of the late Steve Irwin), ate traditional Greek food at Chlomos village and ventured into the resort Arillas for the amazing sunset.
It’s nice when everything ends well … you get a feeling of inner contentment.
What I recommend:
At least once in life attend the Easter Saturday procession
Go to the church of St. Spiridon where the relics of the saint & patron of the island are and see the Easter procession. It starts at the Cathedral Metropolis accompanied by the three best philharmonic orchestra of Corfu. The first band, Old Philharmonic (1840) starts from the old City Hall and plays Hamlet by Italian composer Franco Faccio. The second – Mantzaros Philharmonic (1890) interprets Lacrime Galdos (hot tears) by Michelli. The last one – Capodistrias Philharmonic plays Beethoven’s Eroica.
When the religious service at the Metropolis Cathedral ends the bells of all the churches in Corfu begin to beat and dozens of ceramic vessels filled with water are thrown from the balconies that overlook the streets of the old city. Locals and tourists gather these pieces to bring them good luck and protect them from harm.
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