The view from the cliffs of Kanoni of the island of Pontikonisi and Vlacheraina Monastery, with its cute bell tower, toy-like white-washed walls, and fairytale-sque settings against the backdrop of the misty red and creamy blue of the Ionian Sea, is the postcard-perfect landmark of Corfu. The first time I saw this sweet miniature-like monastery was from the air in 2005, when the flight from Continental Europe was on its final approach to land at Corfu's airport. As the aircaft descended to land, I saw from the windows this little photogenic monastery on a little island, standing out in the sea like a piece of delicate Lladró porcelain. And that was my first impression of Corfu.
The best place to admire the views of Pontikonisi and Vlacheraina Monastery is from one of the cafes on top of the cliffs at Kanoni, an exclusive suburb of Corfu Town accessible by public bus from downtown Corfu. Get off at the last stop in front of some cafes, and the views of the minature monastery, the Mouse Island, and the runway of Corfu's airport all open up in front of you.
Kanoni is a popular place for local residents to meet up, not just because of its scenic views, but the hilltop cafes also offer plane-spotters an excellent vantage point to observe the movements of aircrafts landing at Corfu airport. The airport's runway is virtually just a stone's throw away from the terrace cafes, with parts of the airport landing lights installed on concrete slabs partially submerged in the water not far away from the Monastery, and the beginning of the airport runway is barely 200m away from the shore.
Kanoni is connected to the opposite side of the narrow channel by a 2m wide concrete causeway passable to pedestrian traffics only. It is possible to walk all the way from Kanoni to the other side of the channel, and take a bus either towards the direction of Achiellon and Benitses, or back to Corfu Town.
There are several nice cafes, all offering panoramic views of the Mouse Island and the Monastery. For those who cannot live without their Starbucks caramel frappuccino even when they are on holidays in a coffee paradise such as Corfu Town, there is also a Starbucks in Kanoni, which has ample outdoor seatings on its open air terrace and offers arguably one of the best views available at any Starbucks around the world.
The Monastery is connected to Kanoni via a small path, with boats moored at one side of the walkway. Regular boats to Mouse Island also departs from here. The Monastery is a very tiny one, with just a small chapel and a tiny little garden, surrounded by low walls with red roof and some trees. Only the small garden and the chapel is open to visitors, the rest is out of bound. Two very friendly stray dogs welcome us at the gate, wagging their tails and smiling happily. Several cats also make the monastery their home, sleeping lazily on the roof undisturbed by all the tourist traffics around them. This tiny little monastery on a tiny little island reminds me of the Maiden's Tower in the middle of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, which is also located on a tiny little piece of land barely 200m away from the shoreline. Small as it is, the Vlacheraina Monastery is a must-see for any visitors to Corfu, as nowhere else in the world would you find such a pretty Greek monastery in such photogenic and dramatic natural settings. Better hurry up and visit this place before the hordes of tourists from the Far East, with their insatiable yearnings for anything that is of blue-and-white hues in Greece, discover this little piece of gem and swamp it with their package tour groups and endless wedding-photography sessions.
Copyrights@2012. All text and photos by YC Cheng. All Rights Reserved.
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