Driving to The Durrells in Corfu
Sharing the Island with Friends from Our Homeland - Part 1
We had the privilege of hosting friends from America on the island of Corfu, Greece in March. We had such a great time!
And I got to chauffeur them around the island just like Spiros ‘Americanos’ from The Durrells!!
“Who the heck were The Durrells?”
Pull up a chair. (Preferably not in the water)
In 1928, Lawrence Durrell Sr. died at the age of 43, leaving his wife Louisa widowed and destitute. Struggling to provide for her and their four children, her oldest son and newly married, Lawrence Jr, recommended they all move to the island of Corfu, Greece.
In March of 1935, the family packed up and left Bournemouth, Britain, for a better life in Corfu and stayed until 1939.
Who were Gerald and Lawrence Durrell?
Gerald worked as a naturalist, zookeeper, and conservationist in adulthood. In 1955, while recovering from jaundice, he set out to tell the story of his childhood. He wrote three books about their family’s adventures. His Corfu trilogy depicts the landscape, wildlife, and culture that made an enormous impact on the island.
Lawrence wrote novels (some rather risqué👙), poetry, dramatic works, and about his travels.
PBS created a TV series based loosely on Gerald’s trilogy, along with Lawrence’s accounts about their time living in Corfu, “The Durrells in Corfu.”
I don’t want to give away their story, so I will say this:
You must watch the show!
We have watched it three times, the first time right before we left the States in 2022. So, of course, we had to introduce it to our friends while they were here. It became our evening entertainment after our daily exploration.
One place we all wanted to see…Lawrence Durrell’s House!
The House
Lawrence and his wife Nancy lived in this house on the Northeast shores of Kalami Bay from 1936 until 1940, when Greece fell during WW2.
Because we visited during the “off-season,” the house and The White House Restaurant next door were closed to the public.
But as you can see, we wandered around the outside—and it is beautiful!
Which brings me back to this…
A month ago, we reported the story of meeting Anastasia.
☕️Coffee in Corfu 🇬🇷 with the granddaughter of the REAL Spiros Americanos from 'The Durrells'
Some travel moments simply can't be planned.
She was so excited to share stories about her grandfather, Spiros ‘Americanos’ Halikiopoulos, the dear friend of the Durrells.
He was the only one on the island who had a car, which he had brought back from America after he and his brothers had lived there to make a better living for their families. Because of the Great Depression, he and one of his brothers chose to move back to Corfu. And he brought his Dodge with him.
I, however, did not drive a Dodge. But I really loved getting to taxi everyone around like Spiros! 🚖
And now I know the island even better than before. Fun fact: there were 21 switchbacks getting to the beautiful villa where we stayed. Don’t get car sick thinking about that.
The one place we had hoped to see was the home where they filmed the TV series. It is located on the Kontokali Peninsula about 10 minutes North from the city center of Corfu. Unfortunately, it is now privately owned, so that wasn’t possible. At the time of writing this the information we were given was it has been made into a small villa with rooms that can be rented out.
Hmmm….maybe we’ll have to stay there on our next visit?
