Second quarter 2005 Kalami Corfu NewsletterIntroduction We have had very positive feedback about our first newsletter, and we appreciate that very much. This is the 2nd newsletter, updating you on what’s new in Blue Bay Travel and what interesting has happened in Kalami and around Corfu the last four months or so.
We have had a great start to the summer, there have been so many of you who have come to visit us and it’s lovely to see you all again and many thanks for your lovely comments in our guest book. To help you navigate the newsletter easier use the index provided below. Enjoy! Festivities in Corfu and the North East Coast Blue Bay Travel related Easter 2005   As Easter was very late in Corfu this year, it was fabulous to be able to do all the start of season preparations, and then take a day off to enjoy the festivities with our families.
Easter is a very important time here in Corfu. Good Friday morning begins with the Deposition from the cross. This is where the Corfiots pay their respects to the beautifully decorated Epitaph. From early afternoon through to the evening, the funeral processions in each village commence. Volunteers of the church carry the giant candles, lanterns, a four-sided banner and a small coffin, which carries a small part of the remains of Christ. On Easter Saturday morning, the best place to be is Corfu Town.  At 11am is the first ressurection, this is displayed by the Corfiots throwing pots from their balconies and also symbolises a fresh start to the year.
In the evening, we all attend our local church for mass. This is a truly magical feeling. We are all congregated in the church courtyard holding the large white candles. At the stroke of midnight, there is an amazing fireworks display, which celebrates that Christ has risen. After church and the festivities, we make our way home with the burning candles. Above the front door of our homes we make the sign of the cross with the candles, this ensures we have a year of good health and luck and to also make sure that evil spirits are kept away. We all then, enjoy a traditional meal, which is a stew called Mayeritsa, which is made from sheep intestine and other organs, I must say it is an acquired taste!! !  Easter Sunday is a time for families to relax and enjoy time together. This year we enjoyed a fantastic lunch at our cousins home. The weather was beautiful and we are all sat in the courtyard of their home. Everyone is there from the oldest member of the family to the youngest and also friends of the family.   
The lamb is cooking on the spit, everyone is catching up on the gossip and news, snacking on meze and enjoying a glass of wine or two. The lamb is then served, accompanied by numerous other dishes, it certainly gets your taste buds going and definitely fills you up to the point where you feel your stomach will burst!!! Lampata  June 23rd is the Festival of Mid-Summers Eve and the eve of Saint John’s Feast Day.
In most of the villages around Corfu, the locals light 3 fires in the centre of the village. Fire is supposed to be a purifying and beneficial element. Before the locals jump through the fires, they wear a headdress made from olive branches. Once the locals are ready, they then jump through the fire 3 times. As they complete this ritual, they ask for “The blessing of God” from Saint John. After the fire jumping ceremony, the wreaths that were picked and made on May Day, are then thrown into the fire and burned. This is supposed to drive away witches. This is very similar to that of a pagan ceremony which is now associated with the birth of Saint John on Mid-summers Day. Whilst the wreaths are being burned, musicians play old Greek songs on their traditional instruments, and the local people sing and dance around the fire. It is a fabulous evening, where all the locals and tourists enjoying an evening together, dancing, drinking and eating traditional Greek food.  
1st Festival of Philarmonic Orchestras  Sunday 3rd July saw the festival of the Philharmonic Orchestra.
All the Philharmonic Orchestra’s from around Corfu, Athens, Thessalonika, Lefkas, Lamia, Russia, Austria and the Naval Forces took part in this festival. All the different Orchestra’s parade past the Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George heading towards their final destination, the cricket pitch. This is a fantastic setting for the festival, as the cricket pitch is nestled between the Old Fortress and the Liston. The Philharmonic Orchestra’s continue to parade around the cricket pitch so everyone can see their costumes that are traditional to the countries they have come from. As the sun sets, they finally come to a standstill in their groups on the cricket pitch and play the most enchanting music.    
After all the Orchestra’s have performed, speeches are made. During the speeches you are told about the history of the different Philharmonic Orchestra’s and their cultures. The evening has a fantastic finale, a fireworks display. All the different colours light up the sky above the Old Fortress it is an amazing sight to see and an excellent finish to the day.    
Festival of Traditional Village Pie Saturday 16th July was the Festival of traditional village pie.  
This may sound like an obscure festival to have, but it has been a tradition in the Village of Gimari for many years. I never knew there were so many things you could put into pies. The ladies in the village make the traditional savoury cheese pie and spinach pie, but there is also potato pie, pepper pie, meat pie, mixed vegetable pie, chicken pie, fish pie and a few others which I did not have a clue what was in them, but they tasted fantastic.  Your taste buds are definitely stretched to the limit, with all the different flavours.
There is also a barbeque, with plenty of souvlaki and lamb to eat and plenty of drinks on offer to wash it all down. Whilst we were enjoying the food, we were entertained by a Greek band playing, traditional Greek music. To help work off the good food we had just eaten, we joined the locals and were trying to dance to the Greek music in the traditional Greek way, we got a few strange looks but mainly the locals were impressed we joined in. The locals also held a lottery where you could win prizes, which were kindly donated by the local village people. What a fabulous evening, there were a lot of the guests who were staying in Kalami and the nearby villages participating in the festival. It was so nice to watch the locals and the tourists mixing with each other and it definitely proves that the Greeks are the most welcoming and friendly people you will find in the world.  
 
Varkarola On Saturday 30th August, was the Varkarola in Kalami. The festival began in Agni on the 29th and finished on the 31st in St. Stefanos. The Varkarola is a traditional music festival on the sea. The festival begins with a choir and musicians promenading along the boardwalk on the beach, singing and playing traditional romantic serenades and fisherman songs.  
The choir then boards a small illuminated fishing boat and sails along Kalami seafront serenading the people in the tavernas. Then, a large fishing boat followed by smaller boats, sails into Kalami with the choir on board the larger boat. They sail around Kalami and fireworks are released off the boats, which creates an amazing show for the diners in the local tavernas. The local businesses sponsor the event, which was created 2 years ago as an attraction for the tourists. It has certainly proved popular, as all the tavernas and the beach was packed full with holiday makers who are staying all around Corfu island and the local Greek people from the surrounding villages. It was a very special evening, and an evening that will be remembered by people for a long time.  
New additions to Blue Bay Travel - Nissaki Villas  
You will notice on our website, that we now advertise villas. We had so many emails from people asking us if we had any villas for rent. So we have decided to represent 3 villas especially for you. They are located in the beautiful resort of Nissaki. 2 of the villas sleep 6 people and 1 sleeps 4 people. They are all very private and have their own swimming pools.  If you would like more information, take a look at our website as there are numerous photographs showing the inside and outside of each villa. They are available now for rent and also for next summer 2006. Nissaki Corfu Villas with pools Summer Dreams Pool & Coctails Bar  When you go on holiday, your main aim is to: unwind and de-stress from the hectic year, laze by the pool and get a fantastic suntan, make new friends and enjoy relaxing evenings with a few cocktails. If this sounds the ideal holiday to you, the best place to do all this and a lot more is SUMMER DREAMS POOL & COCKTAIL BAR.
During the day, you can relax by our swimming pool and listen to the calming sound of the water cascading down from the children’s pool into the crystal clear water of the main pool. If you get a bit thirsty or hungry, treat yourself to a cool refreshing drink or snack from the pool bar. When the sun starts to go down, head back to your accommodation and get ready for your evening out. Enjoy home-cooked Greek food in Kalami Beach Taverna, take a gentle stroll through the village and head back up to Summer Dreams and taste a few of the exotic cocktails specially prepared by Stefanos.    
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