Zisimos' traditional cafeteria is closing its doors soon...

   I have some bad news... Today I read that one of the most famous and historic cafeterias of the island, "Ta Olympia" (colloquially known as "Zisimos") soon will belong to the past and there will be a fast-food restaurant in its place.

   The cafeteria opened in 1928 suceeding St. George's hotel restaurant-bar. Soon it became very popular among corfiots and visitors alike to the point that the word "Zisimos" became synonymous to Liston. During the late 1930s the young Rena Vlachopoulou made some appearences in the establishment singing jazz and other popular songs. 

  The interior is magnificent. It preserves the original belle epoque decoration of St. Georges hotel bar which makes it special. The cafeteria not only famous for its coffee but for its pastries. Below there are few photographs taken from "Zisimos Ta Olympia" facebook account .

  I really hope that the magnificent interiors will be respected and preserved. Unfortunately, after the closure of  "Lykoudis" bookshop and "Occassion" shop, Corfu is loosing another piece of its identity.

The Philharmonic Society of Corfu & Philharmonic Society "Mantzaros" junior band concerts at "Plakada Tou Agiou" square

   Last Friday 20th of July and yesterday, 23rd of July the junior bands of the Philharmonic Society of Corfu and the Philharmonic Society "Mantzaros" respectively gave two marvellous concerts at the Plakada tou Agiou square demonstrating to corfiots and tourists alike the high quality of music education in Corfu.
  The young musicians performed a wide selection of music with passion and dedication and were warmly being applauded by the public each time a musical piece ended.
  I would like to congratulate them for those great concerts, the future belongs to them! Corfuweb1 was there and uploaded five videos from the concerts. Hope you will like them.

"Indiana Jones Raiders March" by the Philharmonic Society of Corfu junior band




Ruud Mourik's "City Hopper Marsch" by the Philharmonic Society of Corfu junior band




"Cine...Manos" by the Philharmonic Society of Corfu junior band



"The Mantzaros theme" by the Philharmonic Society "Mantzaros" junior band




"Come back to Sorrento" by the Philharmonic Society "Mantzaros" junior band

An adaption of Monty Pythons' "Bright Side of Life" shot in Corfu

  The song is the greek version of Monty Pythons "Bright Side of Life" by the band "Makrina Xadelfia". The video represents the song's lyrics in the greek sign language. It is a really good idea to shot a video of such a happy song in the sign language around Corfu Town. We would like to thank them for this iniciative. Enjoy!

 

Vidos northern beach...a secluded paradise across the town

    For the next two weeks I'm going to post things about Vidos, the small island just across the busy port of Corfu Town. The island has no permanent residents. During summer, it is full of tourists and locals who cherish its calmness. 

   There are few beaches around the island. For me, the most beautiful is the north one which faces the Pantokrator mountain range while most of the little ones face the port. It is an organized beach with cabins, WC and tables. There is no beach bar or any other sign of civilization.

   It is unbelievable how close but at the same time far away from the hustle and the bustle of the town is this beach. I recommend a visit to such a beautiful little island full of pines and secluded little beaches with crystaline blue waters. Check the photos below, click to enlarge them.

Another music videoclip shot in Corfu: 2Carat feat. BigJay - Sinanay 2012

   Not my kind of music but I like this video just because it was shot in our favourite island, Corfu. The video seems to had been taped in a tourist resort and in some beaches which I can't recognize. The group comes from Germany and they sing in german.
  Can any german speaker translate the lyrics in english for us please?


 

The pedestrianization of Evaggelistrias street

   Evaggelistrias street is short street which links the roundabout recently branded as "Annunziata square" to a little alley which links the Annunziata area with Town Hall square. Iron railings have been placed at the Annunziata end of the street in order to prevent any car to park. 

  I think this is a positive iniciative by the traffic police and the municipal authorities which may herald the future full pedestrianization of Eugeniou Voulgareos street. Are you in favour of further street pedestrianizations in the historic core proper?