After completing the visit to the new town, I decided to go visit the New Citadel/Fortress. This was built by the Venetians way back between 1572 and 1645. Pretty solid construction.
We walk up a gently inclined slope. This lovely coloured building on the right is the Historical Church of Virgin of Carmel. I leave the family here, they were tired and didnt really want to go traipsing around in the heat looking at mouldy old buildings and guns like their mad father. 
The sign is a bit pockmarked…
Narrow winding streets with stairs hew off in carious directions. 
Keep on climbing these wide shallow steps. 
Another tiny little square and then a small path which takes off up the hill to more houses. Beautiful houses and flats. You feel somnolent as you go on. 
I reach the fortress walls. 
And on the right, there is a donkey wearing a bib. Hmmm. 
After paying é3 for entry (so low????) i start walking up. 
You can see how they had constructed the walls from the limestone. 
Following the path up, these walls are absolutely massive. 
There on the right is the entrance to the fortress. 
Coming to a fork on the path, on the left is a path which seems to head around the outside wall but its blocked off. 
Walking up next to the inner wall now. 
Corfu from the first level. The pastel colours are so soothing. 
Hello? What do we have here? 
Looks like a gun port. This oversee’s the town. I wonder why they would have a gun port overlooking the town…
Looking back at the entrance. That white building on the right contains the loo and the tiny one on the far right is the entrance post. 
Back to the entrance. 
Solid stone, low entrance. One has to have controlled entrances I guess. 
Entering into the tunnel. You can just imagine the thickness of the wall, so thick that a passageway of almost 50 feet is fully enclosed. 
Walking up, there is a significant incline as you go up, all part of the defensive mechanism I suppose, difficult to fight up when stones and burning barrels are being rolled down on you..
I come out of the passageway and on the left is a 50 meter tall wall. 
On the right, I can see the new Port. Well, its a tiny port, but port none the less. 
The harbour area. 
I can see the Old Fortress in the background and the Steeple of the Church of St. Spyridon on the left. 
Its a small courtyard as you can see. The trees are on the other adjoining part of the fortress where I cant go.
Looking up, I see another passage way. Good lord, another one, the Venetians made some serious construction stuff here. That’s an ugly ass passage. 
The floor is cobbled with drainage channels built into the floor. Very slippery and my boaters were slip sliding away…
I emerge out of the second passageway and see this massive 30 meter tall wall on the left and a narrow, twin pathway in front of me. On the right, there is a low, about 1 meter tall, wall with a sloped top. Perfect firing positions. 
I peek over to see the New Harbour. Perfect commanding position.
I drag my carcass up the path and then turn the corner, bloody hell, another inclined pathway up the fortress. With drainage channels. Very nice but I am struggling now. Badly out of breath. 
Manage to get up to the top and climb the ramp. 
Oh! heck, another bloody passage way. 
With a sharp right turn, another defensive mechanism I presume. 
There is wooden decking as I enter. 
And there is an open courtyard. On the right, where the armoury used to be, is a restaurant. On the left is a gun port with curving walls. 
I look up, its another massive 40 meter wall. 
The courtyard opens up. 
I step into what would be the keep. And see this wooden stairs. 
With a round stone cut window. 
The landing has these three archer’s windows. 
With the windows narrowing to a thin 3 inch wide slit. 
There are a series of rooms interconnected by these doorways in the middle. Ok, so off I go exploring. 
I am now about 10 meters above the courtyard and can see Corfu town spread out in front of me. 
As you can see, these doorways had, well, doors. You can see the space for hinges. 
Keep on walking inside. 
These areas are under reconstruction. 
Reach a passageway with differently shaped windows. 
With a staircase!, frikking hell, my poor knees.
But my fatal curiosity got hold of me, where does this damn staircase lead? 
The room is empty, with 3 arched doorways. 
Ok, so I get to start climbing. I understand that there used to be a wooden staircase here before and if by any chance, the enemy would have gotten as close to here, they would burn the staircase so that the upper floors would be isolated. 
Climbing the stairs, huffing and puffin. The stone walls press uncomfortably close to me. 
Ancient graffiti on the stone flagstones. 
I emerge into the top level stairwell structure with an arrow slit. I can look down into the harbour area. 
Come out to the top of the fortress. You can see the gun ports. That inclined ramp on the left is so that the gun, after firing and recoil, can go up the slope and then roll back into position. Smart, eh? use the force for your own benefit. 
The Greek Flag flying over the fortress. It was a bit tatty, but perhaps a fair representation of what Greece has become now, eh? 
I crouched down to look through the arrow slit to have an idea of how a venetian soldier will feel..besides a painful knee, I couldnt feel anything. 
The panorama of Corfu, wonderful sights. 
The lovely colours of the houses are just wonderful. 
Taking a long view with the dark blue Ionian Sea on the left. Lovely view. 
I start walking around the top. Peek over to see the other end of the Fortress. We cannot go in there. It seems to be overgrown with trees and weeds…
Walking across, there seems to be another open area one level down. 
Its about 100 meters by 100 meters with a spur running on the north side. 
I look back, curiously, the gun ports are facing the city side. Hmmm. The rounded hut kind of thing is the entrance down to the fortress. 
See what I mean? the gun ports sight over the city and far into the distance is the bay. 
The round hut is definitely looking its age. 
Another gun platform. 
The other end of the top terrace. 
From here, you can command the view of the channel. 
Another jetty of the new port. 
A breakwater
The island in the middle of the channel
I turn to go back down. The door has been removed and the hinge stones are damaged. 
Going down the stairs. 
Heading down, I look up through the 2 doors. 
Back down one level and start moving to the right. 
Looking out of the window and seeing the courtyard. 
There is a small exhibition of pottery which has been found in the fortress precincts. 
The views from that level are spectacular indeed. 
Back down to the courtyard. 
Start walking around to the other side of the fortress. Hello? 
A rather sad looking gun on its side. 
At end of the passage, there is this small guard house. And it stank, smelled like somebody had been using it for a loo. 
I turn the corner and another open passageway. 
The walls on the left are severely cracked, not sure if this was due to earthquakes or due to subsistence. I suspect the former. 
The arrow slits and windows on the walls. 
Oh! heck, another covered passageway. 
Come out of it. 
And another one going down, I understand there is another exit there. But I was still wanting to see more. 
I come out on the second courtyard and head west. Massive massive walls. 
You can see the moat. But this is a dry moat, you cant have a wet one up on a hill. 
The dry moat extends around the fortress. 
West Corfu. 
The other part of the fortress. 
Looking out over North Corfu and the bay. 
The courtyard is severely overgrown. 
This is apparently an ammunition dump. its locked up. 
Interesting construction, its like a building inside a tank
There’s the passageway
Heading back 
The earthquake did some damage
This series of holes are for bolting the door to the ground. 
Arrow slits
Start walking towards the other side of the fortress
Locked gate..
Another passageway
No entrance, perhaps some reconstruction is happening? 
Another passageway but I am heading out now
Back on the main exit
View across the channel
The sloping walls of the fortress
What’s that on the edge? 
Heading down the passageway and out. 
You can see how they drilled holes into the limestone and then blew it up to create the foundations of the fortress. 
Popped into the loo and lol@sign. 
Looking back at the fortress
Just outside the entrance is another covered passageway, this goes to the other side of the fortress. 
Its full of graffiti, obviously not maintained. 
Out on the other side, the walls…
Huge thick walls. 
Heading back
And then heading down the stairs to collect the family and get back to the hotel, it has been a long long day.
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