Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1916-03-25
The Villa Achilleion.

~ My little over decade
ago the beautiful and pic
turesque Elizabeth, empress
of Austria, built upon that
lovely island, Corfu, the Villa Achil-
leion. And here just to the west of
northern Greece, that restless royal
soul was wont to "steal awhile away"
from the irksome royal etiquette of
the Austrian court and Invite her
SOUL" Then a wretched anarchist shot
her in Switzerland and presently the
kaiser acquired the delightful Villa
Achilleion as southern residence.
Now that the allies, who have occu-
pied Corfu, have decided to there re-
habilitate the Servian army the charm
ing little island is again in the public
eye, writes F. Maude Smith.
If you love color, go to Corfu.
Corfu, like all Greece, is simply
bathed in light.
tains are lilac, deepening to rose and
crimson, the fields violet, with salmon
pink, purple, ochre and cinnamon, all
melting into each other. Over all Is
"a sky miraculously blue"
Though separated only by strait
from Greece visitors usually come
across the Adriatic from Brindisi, en-
barking in the evening and seeing the
island next morning. Others come
down from Fiume and Trieste. One
may simply stop as long as the ship
is discharging and taking on cargo,
galloping over part of the ground.
or one may "stay over" which is, of
course, the better plan.
In fact, most Of us, after once get
ting ashore at these lovely eastern
places vow never to leave, thanks
to the confusing noise and insolence
of the boatmen who convey passen-
gers and luggage ashore.
The Island and the City.
Corfu (Kerkyra) is the capital Of its
namesake island. Very irregularly
shaped it covers 277 square miles and
contains something like $4,000 inhab-
itants, over $4,000 of this population
being in the city of Corfu and it's sub
urbs. The safe and spacious harbor
on the east side, next Greece, is lively
with shipping (they export olive oil
and few years ago imported chiefly
Russian grain and English manufac-
tures). There are ruined Notifications,
of course, the Fortezza Vecchia to the
east of the town and the Fortezza Nuo-
va to the northwest. Originally the
town was inclosed by a wall, SO the
streets are very narrow and the stone
houses four and five stories in height.
March, April and May are the ideal
times in which to visit this interesting
island. October and the first half of
November are also very pleasant, but
the summer is very hot and the win
ter is noted for sudden changes of
temperature and heavy rains.
In the Odyssey one comes upon Cor
flu under the rule of Alkinoos, the an
clients identifying it with the Phaea-
clan island of Scheria.
The Corinthians in 734 B. c. estab-
lished colony here and the infant so
fiourished as to menace mamma. In
SOS B. c. they fought battle, the
now grown-up offspring (called Cor
cyra) being victorious. A shrewd col
ony, she did not share in the Persian
| wars because she was waiting to
throw in her lot with the victors.
Indeed, it has been case of war,
war, war, with Corfu. In 229 B. c..
the Romans took possession, but on
the partition Of the Byzantine empire
by the Crusaders in 1905 A. D. it fell
| to the share of the Venetians, who
were replaced by the kings of Naples
from 1867 to $780, The Venetians
took it again in the fourteenth GEN.
fury. The Turks made two tries for 1t
! (1537 and 1716) and the French occu'
pied it from 1907 to 1914, while from
1915 to 1868 it formed with the other
| Ionian islands a Heptanesos (seven-
| island state) under England's protec-
ton. In 1858 Gladstone was sent as
extraordinary commissioner to consid-
err the grievances of the people. In
1863 the English yielded to the de-
| sires of the islanders and consented
to their incorporation in the kingdom
Of Greece.
Its Beautiful Gardens.
Having been released from the Dog
ana (custom house, the visitor may
stroll eastward to the royal palace
Quilt by the English) and to the Spia.
nats (esplanade) that is from the new
Notifications to the old ones. Continu.
ing south we come upon the strada
marina. where the sea and the moon.