The tourists have gone home, resorts are empty, businesses have closed their doors and laid off staff. We've got a whole winter to look forward to! OUTDOOR SPORTS & ACTIVITIES Everyone is welcome to join the Walking Group, which meets every Saturday at 10.30 in a different location. See page 6 for this month's programme. Corfu has over 100 villages, many of them large and very picturesque. For more leisurely walking, why not pick a village once a week and spend the day there? The Corfu Holiday Palace Hotel in Kanoni boasts the cheapest tennis court rental on the island, at five euros an hour. Coach Phil gives private lessons and also runs a programme of group lessons. The golf course is open for players all winter, weather permitting, but the club house is closed. Phone the club pro Jonathan Hunt on 26610 94220. Like to be able to skipper a yacht next summer but don't have time to learn about navigation etc during the season? Steve at Corfu Sea School gives theoretical courses to support the practical ones you followed during the summer. Call 6945 556821. Corfu's Croquet Club is located at the Gouvia Marina. And... One outdoor winter activity which requires no fees, no special skill, and no equipment apart from a knife and a plastic bag is Horta Picking. Horta - the varieties of edible wild greens that burgeon in winter - are a delicious, nutritious food, and gathering them can become an addictive and healthy hobby INDOOR ACTIVITIES Physical ones... Greek Dancing looks complicated but it's easy if you know how... The Laodamus Cultural Society runs courses at their premises just off Dimoulitsa Street (San Rocco Square) on Mondays and Wednesdays from 20.00 to 22.00. Spend a winter learning and you can become a professional dancer with the Laodamus Group next summer! Star Bowl at Alikes (on the Kontokali Highway opposite the Kerkira Golf Hotel) lots of facilities in addition to the bowling alleys, like pool tables, and a bar with delicious snacks. Special rates at weekends! And intellectual ones... Corfu's Bridge Club, KOAM, meets Mondays at 19.00 and Wednesdays at 18.30, in their premises at 35, Prosalendou Street in Corfu town. Phone 2661052300 and 26610 4900 for further information. The Scrabble Club meets on the last Wednesday of every month at 19.00 in Holy Trinity Church Library. Members stress that it is noncompetitive and lots of fun! The Varangouli English School has lessons specially tailored for foreigners, which enable you to speak fluently in three months. The School's at 10, G.Samartzi, just off San Rocco Square. Phone 26610 32994 / 37290 PAMPER THE BODY Pamper yourself with a fragrant massage with essential oils at a location of your choice. Samantha Kendle is qualified by the Tisserand Institute. Email on sammy@corfubase.com A two-hour T'ai Chi class takes place every Wednesday and Saturday at 17.00 at Casa Lucia at Sgombou (just off the Paleokastritsa Highway a couple of kilometres west of Tzavros). Call 26610 91419 for further details. Also at Casa Lucia, yoga sessions run on Mondays and Fridays at 18.00 and Wednesdays at 10.00. IMPROVE THE MIND Books in several languages can be borrowed free of charge from the Corfu Public Library, located in the Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George. At the Reading Society, non-members are welcome to browse to their heart's content through the amazing collection of books, newspapers and documents. It's open weekday mornings until 13.00. Only members may borrow books. And there's always the Holy Trinity Church Library which, as well as the usual selection of easy reading, has some interesting biographies. It's on Tuesdays at 10.00. DEVELOP NEW SKILLS Brush up on your computer skills (and maybe improve your employment prospects for next summer) with one to one computer training. At premises in Pithos, North Corfu, Ben and Claudia of The Invisible Kitchen will give cookery lessons or courses for individuals or small groups by arrangement. THE SOCIAL WHIRL Morning coffee The Art Cafe Bar in the east wing of the Palace of Saint Michael and Saint George is surrounded by buildings which reveal the whole history of Corfu. Combine coffee with a visit to the Municipal Art Gallery and the Art Cafe Gallery which both have access from the bar. A venue with an even better view is the bar on the summit of the New Fortress, which looks out over the rooftops of the Old Town and beyond. The reward for the steep climb is a portion of Hot Chocolate Fudge Cake! Town's currently most fashionable bar, Stavlos, is located at the gate of the New Fort, with a changing menu of light meals based on the fresh local produce that's available in the market. At Maestro in the Gouvia Marina, you can sit outdoors under shelter and observe the comings and doings of the yachting and boating community, while the kids frolic safely in the nearby playpark. Sunday Lunch Many restaurants, otherwise closed, open on Sundays to cater family lunches. To the south, in Benitses, Paxinos offers the sort of casserole dishes you might be offered in a Greek home, plus the best Tsigarelli around! Paxinos is open all day every day, all year round. In the deep south, the River Taverna, is on the quayside just down from the bridge in Lefkimmi. Don't expect a big choice, but it's all real home cooking. Up in the mountains, Stamatis is worth the long drive to Strinilas. Choice is basically between lamb chops and fried eggs, and you can order Pastitsada in advance. Accompany with mountain feta cheese, onion-and-lemon tangy taramosalata and the best chips in the world. Evenings Out Corfu's Orpheus Cinema plays the latest films soon after release, mostly English-language with Greek subtitles. The programme changes every few days, and is advertised on a board opposite Marks and Spencers. On their name day, your friends and neighbours will hold `open house'. For the price of a small present - flowers, drinks or cakes are just fine - you can enjoy an evening's chat, with drinks and eats provided. 8 November: Michalis, Angelos, Stamatis; 14 November: Philippos; 25 November: Katerina; 30 November: Andreas; 6 December: Nikolaos, Nikos; 9 December: Anna; 12 December: Spiros; 15 December: Lefteris; 17 December: Dionysos; 25 December: Christos, Chrissa, Chrisanthi, Christina; 26 December: Emmanuel, Manolis; 27 December: Stefanos, Stefania The British Scene Table Top Sales are held frequently in the winter. See the Notice board for details. Buddies Bar and Diner in Sidari is open all winter, from I1 am until late. Players are required for the darts team and pool team. Table top sales take place on the third Sunday of every month - sellers please call 6944 958460 or 6946 559243. Holy Trinity's Sunday Communion Service is at 10.30. Songs of Praise is at 19.00 on the list, 3rd and 5th Sunday of the month. Weekly coffee mornings take place at the church on Tuesdays starting at 10.00, with the extensive lending library open at the same time. If you have kids, your chance to meet other mums and have coffee and a chat is on Wednesdays at 10.00. If you're fed up of eating alone, come along for the Church Lunch Box, every Wednesday at 12.00. The Invisible Kitchen's Supper Club, with five course gourmet meals, is held fortnightly or monthly, at Pithos |
