A travel blog of Ireland, Europe, and New Zealand

Just a few bits and pieces here, mainly as a record for us and perhaps of less general interest than other posts.

We visited the Achilleion Palace, home to Elisabeth, Empress of Austria, wife of Emperor Franz Josef, a fascinating woman who built this palace in 1890. Much of it remains as it was in her time – very ornate with themes of Greek mythology. The main theme is Achilles and there are statues and paintings dotted about the palace and grounds. Unfortunately she was able to enjoy Achilleion for only 8 years as she was assassinated in Switzerland in 1898. Subsequently the palace was purchased as a summer residence by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and some rooms still have his furniture in them. Wilhelm added his own imposing bronze statue of Achilles in the grounds with a plaque underneath which said: “To the greatest Greek from the greatest German”. The statue remains but the plaque has gone…

In one of the pictures you see a latter-day Empress posing at the foot of the stairs – behind her is a mirror which shows the photographer’s very attractive (if I may say so) legs, complementing the decor rather well.

Then just a few photos to remind ourselves of the hotel we stayed at, the Marbella Corfu Beach Hotel. The shot taken at night is of the seafood beach restaurant, sited on the water’s edge, where we had just finished dining.

And finally, a video taken from one of the villages that clings to the side of the hill. Not a particularly good example of the art of videoing but perhaps still able to portray a sense of the location – absolutely marvellous.