A flying off-season visit!

At long last the news we have been waiting for - a direct winter flight to Corfu!

It has been announced that Cyprus Airways is to begin a flight from London Heathrow to Larnaca in Cyprus, via Corfu. They will fly twice a week, on Wednesday and Saturday, and the service will commence in winter 2005.

The news has been greeted with delight by local residents and Corfu lovers in the United Kingdom.

Original attempts to arrange direct winter charter flights were instigated so many years ago that those involved in the effort cannot remember exactly when it was. Olympic Airways was approached year after year without success. Eventually the successful Christmas charter which now flies to Corfu from both Manchester and Gatwick was inaugurated and continues to attract a huge following.

Campaigns directed at both Easyjet and Ryanair have been unsuccessful, despite supporting evidence being presented to each airline about projected passenger numbers, and determination on the part of the campaigners. Who knows, perhaps Cyprus Airways were listening all along.

Fares have yet to be announced, but bearing in mind that a return flight from Corfu to Athens comes in at around 200 euros, the service is bound to be affordable. Watch this space for further details.

Holy Week and Easter Sunday in Greece

Holy Week begins after Palm Sunday and concludes on Easter Sunday. Each day of the week is dedicated to certain activities.

Monday begins a week of fasting. It is customary to fast and think about the meaning and history of Holy Week.

Tuesday is a quiet day, spent reading scriptures.

Wednesday is a day to honour the faithful. Sprigs of basil dipped in holy water are used to anoint the faithful. These sprigs later are believed to have healing power.

Thursday is spent in church. The congregation decorates the church as the priest reads passages about the Last Supper. In the evening, services are held that centre around passages from the twelve gospels.

Good Friday is a day to commemorate Christ. Businesses are closed and flags are flown at half-mast. At night, statues and icons of Christ are decorated with gold cloth and fresh flowers and people gather to kiss the symbolic body of Christ. Later, the icon is taken from the church and paraded throughout the streets.

Holy Saturday marks the beginning of the Easter celebration. On Saturday night there is a Resurrection Mass at 11 pm. Midnight on Saturday is a magical time and the churches and squares are packed. They are slowly lit by the candles carried from the church and a candlelit procession follows a representation of the empty tomb. As the bells peal midnight the sky is set ablaze by fireworks accompanied by flares and shotgun blasts. Then the Lent fast is broken by eating red-dyed eggs and mayiritsa - a soup made of lamb offal.

Easter Sunday is spent celebrating. After attending church services, friends and families gather and enjoy elaborate feasts. Women work hard preparing and presenting the meal that usually includes lamb or goat, potatoes, salads, pasta and lots of wine!

(A quick reminder that Easter in Greece is May 1 this year. Book your flight.)

Cookery Corner

An integral part of Greek Easter celebrations are the ubiquitous red eggs. Here's how to make them!

Ingredients

Uncooked eggs. Water. 3/4 cup vinegar. Red food dye or colouring. Vegetable oil. A few cotton balls.

Instructions

Carefully wash and dry each egg. Set a large pot of water to boil. Add the red dye or food colouring and 3/4 cup of vinegar to the water, and boil for a few minutes. Slowly lower the eggs into the pot, and when the water comes to a boil, lower the heat. Let eggs simmer for 15 min., then remove them carefully from the pot. If you plan to cook more eggs, add an additional 2 tablespoons of vinegar to the water. Wipe the cooked eggs with an oil-soaked cotton ball, then wipe each egg with a clean dry cloth. Place on a platter. Serve cold.

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Editorial

From internet-only companies, low-cost airlines and cheaper car hire to more convenient hotel booking, the internet is transforming the travel industry. A generation of independent travellers, lured by low prices and the opportunity to deal directly with airlines and hotels, have been learning to live without travel agents.
In February, internet monitoring firm Hitwise reported that visits to UK travel sites were up 14% in the first week of the month, compared with the same period last year. Travel websites, which are regularly among the most popular sites in the UK, accounted for one in every 20 visits to the web in the UK.
The news confirmed recent data from the European Travel Monitor, which reported that online bookings increased by 39% in the first eight months of last year. Britons, it also discovered, booked more online holidays than any other Europeans. A report published by Mintel found that UK expenditure on independent holidays - those not booked through high-street agents - has more than doubled from £5.5bn in 1998 to £11.7bn last year. The market research group also said the number of independently booked breaks (which included call centre bookings) had risen by 60% since 1998.
Package holidays now make up less than half the UK holiday market, falling from 53% in 2002 to 49% in 2003. Independent bookings were expected to top 24m last year, up from less than 22m in 2003. The switch is even more pronounced when you consider that many of the millions who still traipse down to the high street to book a holiday are likely to have already used the net to research the best deal or asked a friend to do so.
It is not just holidays being booked online. Increasingly, airlines and hotel groups are reducing costs by cutting out agents' fees (which can be as much as 10%) and selling directly to the customer.
Here at Pelekas.com we are proud that we foresaw this trend five years ago, and provided a platform to put owners of accommodation and independent holidaymakers in direct contact with one another, thus making booking a room cheaper for both parties. We are also proud that so many of you continue to visit our website and make use of this service.
 

Branching Out

Two of our collaborators here at Pelekas.com and AllCorfu.com now have their own websites.
Firstly, Connie Zegers who is an artist and graphic designer based in Amsterdam and who recently designed the new Pelekas.com logo. Her website features portraits, still lifes and paintings of Corfu.
Nick and Sally Peacock, who live in Pelekas, have launched Lemonhouse Walks this summer and will shortly be guiding their first clients around some fascinating parts of Corfu that tourists rarely find.
Both sites were designed by Truetype Web Solutions. For the next month they are offering 25% discount on website design and management to members of the Pelekas.com mailing list. For more details click here.
 

AO Kerkyra doomed

No sooner had we got used to Corfu's top football team, AO Kerkyra, playing in the Greek First Division, than they appear to be heading back to the Second! It seems that only a miracle can now save them from relegation. A sad end to an historic season.