There are beautiful parts of Corfu you just don't see unless you get taken there by someone who knows... my someone who knows is Kostas Kavaddias, the man who first told me more about my uncle Gerald's crash-landing at Lefkimmi in November of 1940.
But, oh yes, Kavos is better known nowadays to the partying young (and sometimes the not so young like me) as the 'shots and tattoo capital of Corfu.' Sadly, many who venture there never see the beauty of the place beyond the walls of their hotel, its bar and the beach in front of it... plus one or two tattoo parlours, which often they regret visiting at a future date when its too late to remove the unwanted drunken tattoo of some holiday fling now embossed securely on their nether region! You only have to watch an episode of #KavosWeekender to see that
Not a few yards from the hustle and bustle of the narrow main Street of Kavos village, where quad bikes, scooters and drunken revellers mass, there is the beautiful St. Procopius Church, with its kindly and friendly priest Papa Spiro. There's more to the priest than meets the eye as Papa Spiro is a qualified pilot and a former Athens tram driver... plus a whole lot more.
My friend Kostas introduced me to Papa Spiro as both have an interest in aviation. Indeed, there's more to the carefully manicured grounds of St. Procopius Church, for at the side of the church Papa Spiro keeps a tiny museum and here are stored many old relics from the war, including (astonishingly) parts of my uncle’s downed aircraft Blenheim Bomber.
More to come on this...
As an aside... Kostas is a fantastic artist and has much published work on aircraft which I'll link here in a future post.
#WarTale #WWII #Aviation #WarHeroes #Courage #kavosweekender
The Blenheim Boys
‘The devotion and gallantry… are beyond all praise. The Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava is eclipsed in brightness by these almost daily deeds of fame.’
Winston Churchill on the Blenheim Crews - Prime Minister’s Personal Minute, M.852/1, 30 August 1941
