When I received the copy of Corfu – A Notebook I was, again, intrigued, as I’ve also read Crete- A Notebook, Rhodes – A Notebook and The Greek Islands – A Notebook.

In true Richard Clark style, Corfu – A Notebook is not a travel guide but a lovely snapshot of places on the island, its culture and its people. Aside from details on Corfu, the book also comprises info on the other islands in the Ionian group. Kefalonia would interest those passionate about books and movies. And the more you read, the more you are tempted to just pack your bags and go.

Richard Clark, a journalist and writer, has lived in Crete and traveled a lot between the Greek islands. The current economic crisis hasn’t stopped him from coming back to the beloved islands. With such an in depth knowledge of the places presented in the book, it’s a pleasure to be taken on a journey around Corfu, with its hidden places, as well as with the way too popular ones.

In between the information on the historical sites, towns and delicious descriptions of the food, you can also read about the mythology and the Greek lifestyle. Needless to say, the parts about food will make your mouth water – or hit the kitchen to cook something. Or in my case, be transferred back to Greece in a lovely taverna. Ah , those memories!

There are some parts in the book which are also present in the other books in the series– such as info on the street food or feta. But having read the other books a while ago (by the end of 2012 and in 2013), I only vaguely remembered those paragraphs.

Corfu, just like any other Greek island, is a delight to visit during a Christian holiday such as Easter. As in any Orthodox country, Easter is the most important holiday and aside from the religious part of it, the food also plays a very important part. Since it always falls in Spring, the nature is playing along offering great weather, lovely food and the opportunity to spend time outside with the friends and family.

The Epilogue talks about Greece’s financial situation and the reasons behind it. Luckily, there are signs which prove that the country might be snapping out of it and a host of early flight bookings to the islands attest to that already.

Just like the other books in the “A Notebook” series, Corfu-A Notebook offers a section comprising useful Greek phrases (no, you don’t need to know the alphabet), as well as a very useful section on the history of Corfu and info about the Greek food.

And just to get you even more hooked on Greece, there are also extracts from the other books in the series.

Just like in the case of the other three books, I read Corfu – A notebook like a novel, always waiting for the next thing to happen and hoping to find interesting bits of information I’ve never know about until now. I was hooked immediately and only running out of battery at the worst possible time prevented me from finishing the book in couple of days.

I recommend the book for any person who has ever dreamed of visiting Greece and Corfu (and the Ionians) in particular. I would even say that it’s a must read before planning a vacation because there are so many hidden gems in the book that it would be a shame to miss them when you get to Corfu.

>>get the book from here

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