MY KERKYRA MAGAZINE



Editorial
The most important moments of our lives are defined by the intensity of the memory that they have left inside us. The most beautiful things are the ones that our senses refuse to forget. The nostalgia and the longing to return to all that has mesmerized us create the need to dream.
‘My Kerkyra’ is one such dream.

The village of my childhood shone with blue and golden light and its aroma of olive trees and the salty sea is my first, distant memory.
My father was a fisherman, who picked olives and sang so beautifully. His laugh was my first lesson in life. He taught me that when you are lucky enough to live in a paradise, your very existence is defined by this fact and you are always privileged.
My hard working father knew the colour of dreams and used to feel with all his senses the ‘joy of life’, never taking anything for granted.

Our life at the time was hard but it was blessed through the beauty of the place, which was given to us by God. A piece of bread and a few olives, the fresh water from the village spring, games next to the sea, our naked feet on the warm stones and outdoor songs accompanied by guitar made up our crystal clear childhood world.
Nobody in our village was informed about ecological preservation, but the hens and cattle were fed with love and care, the gardens worshipped, and the houses kept immaculate; all as a symbol of the love and respect we held for the land of our fathers.

With a lot of difficulty the women of the village would go to the spring to wash their clothes, and leave it spotless for whoever would follow them.
 ‘My Kerkyra’ was a place of beautiful aromas. Lilac, rose, lemon blossom and jasmine all filled the village gardens and the air around me. And then there were the tastes. Grapes, figs, lemons, oranges; all melt together to form a sweet memory.

In ‘My Kerkyra’ the customs were always connected with the most precious moments of life. Easter, Christmas and Saint Spiridion’s holy day were festivities of devoutness, respect and thanksgiving for the gift of life in a small paradise.

When I grew older, I realized that ‘My Kerkyra’ was a beloved destination for many others, who left with the hope of returning again to find it exactly as it had been. The same way our mothers left the spring for the next visitor. After all, you never spoil beauty. It is there to remind you how lucky you are to be surrounded by it.
They are many, those who have been bewitched by Corfu and who treasure their memories of this place. They have shared precious moments with us here and have become dear friends, whose return we always await.
‘My Kerykyra’ is all the greetings we would love to exchange, and the thoughts we can share. It is the photographs we would like to send and the tavernas where we lifted our glasses to happy toasts. It is the laughter under starry skies and the dancing on balmy summer nights. ‘My Kerkyra’ is the friendship between those of us who hold this place in our hearts and see it in our dreams. It is the way to preserve the unique beauty of the island.
 ‘Our Kerkyra’ is a journey into sapphire waters.
…And in dreamy journeys the pilgrims are never too many…

By Thomas Katsaros
 
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