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Firstly, sorry for missing
last month's newsletter, but we have been so busy. The weather has been
perfect, resulting in a bustling and lively taverna.
With hot sunny weather though,
the constant threat of fires is ever present and June and July has not been
without several incidents. The Albanian mountains opposite Agni have been
smoking for most of July. Kassiopi at the North-East of Corfu was at one
time under threat and almost evacuated.
The 'fire-planes' from the mainland were
quickly scrambled. These specially equipped planes scoop-up water while
skimming across the water. Each plane can collect up to 10 tons
of water.
The collected water is promptly dropped on the fire. This is a skillful job and not
without risk. Last year one pilot was killed when the sudden deceleration on
the plane while it was taking on water made it unstable and difficult to
control causing the plane to crash. Even worse was the incident in the
Aegean a few years back when a scuba-diver was scooped up and found a few
days later - he was dropped
onto the fire!
Taverna News
It has been a busy and exciting time at the
taverna. Most encouraging is the number of repeat regulars - those who
return year after year.
Also of course many new faces who have found us via the website - at last I
can put faces to the many who I have 'chatted' with during the winter!
Many people who find this website, and then visit, are often surprised (and pleased) to find that Taverna Agni
is just a small family run concern.
For most of July, lunchtimes and evenings have
been by reservation only - so if you plan to visit during August, please
give me a call before to reserve a table.
You will find our Taverna
located on the beach to the far left of Agni bay (if coming by road) or to
the right if approach by boat.
What are your
prices?
I do not believe that any Taverna or restaurant can please everyone. Peoples
tastes, demands and pockets are all different. If you are looking for a
place to 'just feed the kids' then we are probably an unsuitable choice. We
cater for those who are looking for a romantic meal or special occasion.
We offer a varied Greek menu which is seafood biased,
but we do have a few saucy dishes for meaty lovers!
One local described our recipes as interesting local
dishes with a Mediterranean twist. Also on offer is an extensive Greek wine
selection, including some vintage and special reserve bottles.
An evening meal for two with house wine costs between
50-60 Euros. For lunch, budget 30-50 Euros per couple. Children are of course
welcome and we have a menu just for them.
When are you open?
During the summer months (May -
October), we are open daily for drinks in the morning, we serve lunch from
noon-4pm and evening meals from 7.30pm - 11pm (last orders). During the winter months, we enjoy a much needed
break!
The
taverna during the winter months looks very different:
Our
official opening day each year is on the
1st of May, which is a bank holiday in Greece.
Many Athenians
descend on Corfu for the famous Easter
celebrations.
Evenings are particularly magical at the Taverna. Why
not complete your evening by arriving by boat! Our new speed boat taxi collects each evening from Kalami at 7pm and 8.30pm; St Stephanos and Kerrasia at 7.30pm and Nissaki
Village at 8pm.
How can we book a
table?
Please note that I cannot take table reservations
via email. I am just too busy at the moment and often go days without
checking my email. To book a table,
please call when you are in Corfu. Tel:(0030) 26630 91142.
Returning home on a romantic moonlit
night after a meal at Taverna Agni - magical.
Caption
Competition
Leo from the Avlaki Taverna
donated this month's caption competition. Yes, it's a lemon from his garden!
To add a caption to this photo, follow this
link:
August Caption Competition
House For
Sale
A large two storey stone property of 200
square metres.
An old property that has been fully restored
and renovated, and is in excellent condition throughout. Situated just
outside the main village of Kato Korakiana, close to the church of Agios
Nicolas and minutes from Dassia
The ground floor entrance hall affords
access to a bedroom and cloakroom. An arch opens into a spacious sitting
room, and large fully fitted kitchen.
A staircase takes one to the upper floor and
open plan landing with double doors to a balcony. A large family bathroom
including bath, separate shower; also a very large master bedroom with its
own balcony.
At the rear and side of the property is an
easily maintained courtyard garden with shrubs, flowers, lemon tree and
grapevine.
It also benefits from having air
conditioning, fitted ceiling fans, and car parking immediately outside the
house.
Price: - €165,000.
Contact the owner directly:
bergin@otenet.gr
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Greek Festivals
Greek people never miss the chance to
dance, drink and eat well given the opportunity.One of the many opportunities that
you'll have while on the island would be to attend a local festival,
panigiri
in Greek.
Every Greek village has a local church
devoted to one of the many Orthodox saints.
On the name day of the Saint the locals
organise a panigiri usually outside the church.
It's really an experience not to be
missed. People go to church in the morning and they
attend the service. At the end they are
given artos, a kind of sweet bread which has been blessed by the priest during the
service.
Preparations for the fiesta also start
in the morning. People prepare lambs on the spit which take hours to cook and they are
delicious. They also set chairs and tables for the guests always leaving a big space in the middle
which will be the dance floor.
The actual panigiri usually starts late
in the afternoon. There is always a band playing local folklore music. Most of the times at the
beginning of the fiesta there are local dance groups performing folklore dances dressed in
traditional corfiot costumes. At the end of their performance they will reach out for your
hand to accompany them... Don't hesitate, even
if you don't know the steps just hold
their hand and follow wishing them "chronia polla" meaning many happy returns it's the effort that
really counts. You might hear the locals saying to you "then perazee" meaning it doesn't
matter, they are right, just enjoy!!!
Soft drinks, beers and restina, a kind
of greek wine are available and of course souvlaki and lamb on the spit. Don't expect to
be served just follow the locals in the queue and buy them. Also don't expect to have plates and
cutlery, just do it the traditional way.
The panigiri will usually continue until
after midnight and when everyone has had enough to eat, drink and dance they will go home
wishing each other " kai tou chronou" , the same next year.
So next time you see a sign saying Local
Festival or Panigiri, don't miss it, park your car and follow the locals, they'll show you how
to do it!!!!!!
(Thanks to Sofia from the Agni Travel office
for writing this report.)
Lynn's Travel Corner
Kalo Mina !!
This month (July) we have experienced
very changeable weather here on Corfu. Don't get me wrong - it is still
very hot, humid and intense, but we have just had three days of 'Mistral'
winds. For those of you who have never experienced these, they are like
having a hairdryer on the 'hot' setting blowing straight in your face all
day long !!
Due to the heat, fires can start very quickly
and in these winds, spread like mad. As Nathan has mentioned, we have had one fire already this
year in Votana near Kassiopi burning all the shrubs and grassland. The
other evening as I was driving up the north east coast to visit some
of our guests, I noticed a very large fire over in Albania, it was high
up in the mountains.
As nathan has described, on occasions like
this we have 'sea-belly planes' that skim the surface of the seas and fill
their undercarriage with water, closing the doors and then flying up in to
the mountains to drop the water over the fire. There are usually 2 or 3 of them depending on how big the
fire is and if it is under control, they circle each other all the time so
that while one plane is dropping the water over the fire, the other one is
filling from the sea below avoiding busy bays with small motor boats,
yachts, swimmers and lilo's!! We do have fire engines here on Corfu but
depending on where the fire is and the terrain, most times the water plane
is the best and safest option.
Moving on to a happier topic, I have three very
different properties with Agni Travel to show you this month:-
Villa
Saranda - Yaliskary, Agni
Sleeps 4-6
The first property 'Villa Saranda' Yaliscari
Bay, new onto our website, highly in demand and already nearly full for this
summer season, but we are also featuring out-of-season winter lets in this
fantastic house, so if you fancy Corfu in the winter months, drop me a line,
but you will have to be quick!
Villa Saranda's extensive terrace affords
outstanding, uninterrupted sea views over this untamed landscape, yet its
position is far from inaccessible, for both the bays of Kalami and Agni are
just a short walk away around the headland in opposite directions from the
villa. The villa has three bedrooms, all of which are en-suite and air
conditioned. Ideal for those looking for a quiet holiday in an exclusive
property close to Agni bay and its fine taverna
More>>
Pink
House - Vlachatika, Above Kalami
Sleeps 4-6
Perched above the bay of
Kalami in the hill top hamlet of Vlahatika, is the 'Pink House'. Surrounded
by no more than a handful of traditional village houses. It has been
lovingly restored by the owners, who have insisted on using traditional
materials and local craftsmanship to retain the original style of this
impressive old building. The exterior walls are 80cm thick in places,
keeping the lower level of the house cool in summertime and warm in the
winter months.
The house is reached by a single track road leading up from the main North
East coastal road to the small parking and turning circle at the top of the
village. The views from here down to Kalami and across to Albania are
stunning.
More>>
Guiseppe's Retreat - Agni
Sleeps 4-6
Giuseppe,
an Italian from Milan, converted this
old olive press above Agni Bay over 30 years ago and it is
now where
he spends his
quiet, lazy summers during his retirement. The building dates from over 200 years ago,
but has been superbly modernised - many of the original features have been
used. More>>
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Saving Costs
Menus, leaflets, maps and brochures. Running
Taverna Agni, Agni travel and this site - involves constant printing. With
inkjet cartridges being so costly, we were regularly spending 50-100 Euros
per week on ink! I am sure many small businesses are in a similar position
and will be interested in my solution. A camel!
A camel - is a continuous ink feed
system made in the US. Basically, a set of modified inkjet cartridges are
fitted to the printer which have thin umbilical like tubing that rise above
the print head along a support arm and into a set of six bottles holding the
ink. One bottle for each colour. As the ink is used by the printer, new ink
in drawn into the ink cartridge - a siphoning effect. The ink is perchased
in 500ml containers costing 26 Euros each. I fitted the system in June and
since then it has worked perfectly and it has reduced our ink costs to
almost nil. The support from the manufacture has been excellent, but I must
warn that it is probably only suitable for computer DIY users - as a careful
eye needs to be kept on the system for smooth operation. for more details
follow this link:
www.weink.com
The Pulse
The July issue of 'Pulse' which is the Anglican Church
monthly newsletter has been added to the site and can be found by following this link:
The July Pulse
The August Pulse
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