A strange fish in Corfu waters…

We have never seen this kind of fish here. The sea group of the protection of the environment club announced that they had spotted a new kind of fish species in the Corfiot sea. They stated that lately, the fishermen of northern Corfu catch frequently a new kind of fish that is called Sphoeroides pachygaster.

This kind of fish can be found in the sea of the isles on the north of Corfu (Othonoi, Erikousa, Mathraki) which is the meeting point of the Ionian sea and the Adriatic sea.

What exactly is this kind of fish?

Sphoeroides pachygaster is a fish of the Atlantic ocean that gradually came into the Mediterranean and keeps on heading to the east. The problem is that some of the characteristics of this fish are similar to the dangerous fish called Rabbithead (Lagokephalos), so the fishermen may make mistakes.

How do these fish look like?

Sphoeroides pachygaster is short and fat with an inflated belly, smooth skin, big head that end to a ‘beak’ with jaws in four parts.

A few days ago a Sphoeroides pachygaster was caught in 80 m. depth by a Corfiot fisherman. It was 39 cm long.

Coffee Time paper...

Coffee Time local paper has a new design now thanks to Vasilis Savvanis who took over the graphics and the format of the paper. Vasilis, who is the owner of Aggelia (see the first link in the side bar) magazine, and a new book publisher, has tried to give the paper a new style and status.

Coffee Time is a lifestyle paper that includes articles about the island and promotes businesses in Corfu. It has a free distribution all over the island and caters to both Greek and English speaking residents as it contains both Greek and English articles and ads.

If you are near the post office in the town you can get a free copy now. The paper is being distributed to central spots of the town and to all the major villages, such as Acharavi area and Kassiopi.

If you are looking for a job or have an ad to publish, contact
sales@coffeetimecorfu.com
Tel: 6947129349 and 6937877648

Publisher of Coffee time: Alexandros Vlachos

Carnival

Today, 1 st of March,
the carnival parade it taking place in Corfu town.

Some floats and a number of dance schools take part in this event which starts at 4.00 pm from San Rocco square heading for the lower square of the town.
In the photos above you can see the kids of a dance school that parade along Alexandras Avenue towards San Rocco square to meet the bands. A huge blue masc shows the name of their school and the little kids dressed in pink follow along with the teenagers who are dressed like police women. This is only one of the numerous dance schools that exist on the island. Gyms are also in favor these days. To watch a video go to www.Corfuland.gr where you can also listen to Life Radio, the local pop radio station.

The Music School of Corfu

The Music School of Corfu is located at Alexandras Avenue, a very beautiful area leading to Garitsa bay.

Who attends the Music School?

Almost everyone interested in music! School kids mainly, since there are 19 brass bands today on the island and they need constant members. Young kids can start music lessons from an early age, usually from the third grade of Primary School. They are the most enthusiastic members since they look forward to parading with their band on celebration days!

Bands have also many adults who are experts on one or more musical instruments. During St. Spyridon processions many bands take part and this is a wonderful sight.

Musical heritage in Corfu dates back to the Venetian occupation, hundreds of years ago, and it still remains as the main attraction of the Corfiot culture. “Philarmonikes”, the Greek name of the bands, add to the island a colourful character no other place in Greece possesses.

The Music School is the main spot for those who need to get educated in classical music. Passers-by can hear violin sounds quite often, or piano songs and opera parts if they are lucky enough! The whole block around this traditional building livens up to the daily sounds of music that are a familiar form of local culture.

The new Town Hall

The new Town Hall building is now in L.Alexandras street, near my home.

The same building used to be the orphanage of the island, an institution that accommodated a great number of orphans, many years ago. Then they moved the kids to another place ( I suppose there were just a few orphans left at that time) and turned the building into offices. It housed the technical services of the island for some time, but the interior was in a real bad condition. It cried for renovation but it had to wait for a long time before the city council took any action.

Last year I witnessed a major renovation, at least on the exterior of the building. Now it is freshly painted and has got a new tiled roof. I have not visited the interior yet, but as far as I can judge from the new wooden windows, it will look great inside too.

Here's a picture I took the other day. The Town Hall is the oblong red building on the left.

Old mansions in the heart of the town

This old mansion belonged to Petsalis family. Mr Petsalis was the headmaster of the Commercial High School of Corfu (the school I attended in my teenage years), which unfortunately was demolished to make room for a new block of flats, and his wife was a teacher in the Gymnasium for girls of the town, located just a few meters away. The Gymnasium was later turned into the hotel named "Bella Venetia" which is very popular and cozy as it is in the centre of the town.

The mansion was donated to the Corfiots but it is still closed and has not been renovated yet. Around the building there is a huge garden surrounded by high walls, so no one really knows what the interior looks like. I wonder if this mansion will ever be used in any way before it crumbles down. Many people donate buildings but it takes ages to get them renovated and used.

Rain, rain and rain!

Today, the second of January, it's been raining since the night before. At noon though we had a nice dry spell that encouraged people to get out and do some shopping; not much, as only some local bakeries and mini markets were open. The chain supermarkets and the rest of the shops were all closed, even the pharmacies.

So it seems to have another day at home, resting or working at home, like me. Holidays are great to do a lot of things you can't do on normal weekdays, when you have to rush to the shops or pay bills. Speaking of bills, the post office was open as I got my electricity bill before noon. It will have to wait till next week though, as Monday is a semi holiday-the next day, the 6th of January is Fota (the Baptism of Jesus) and it is again, a holiday. On the 5th kids sing carols-but very few visit us anyway. Maybe because they don't really care to learn these carols or they are just not interested, since schools start the next day! Two weeks holidays are more than enough but the kids won't come back to reality without nagging.

Shopkeepers are looking forward to the after-holiday period. Guess why?
Sales will start!

Till next time, keep well...

(picture above: Anemomylos area, on a sunny winter day)