Beautiful Corfu, Greece - Why i am so emotional every time when I talk about Corfu (Intro of Story about one summer on that beautiful island)

It's a long story why people from Serbia likes Greek island Corfu so much. Very sad story though. But also story of everlasting love and respect between Greek and Serbian people. Actually, I don't think you can understand why I'll have fly in my eye every time when I talk about that place, and why I am so emotional on Corfu. I have to tell you full story.

Corfu (Kerkyra) is second largest island in Ionian see. It's located almost at Greek - Albanian border, relatively near to main land. Just few miles of water divides Corfu from Albania and Greece.

There was a year 1915. and Great War was at full. Now we calling that war 'World War I', but back at that time it was just Great War. As any war, it started... Well, I'm not historian and as you will see, I cannot have objective opinion about that war. However, there was a war. One of largest fronts was in Serbia. Actually, Serbia was fighting on three fronts, and being small country, eventually every man was a soldier. It was an army of young boys, farmers and grand parents... It was army consisted of whole male population of Serbia. And they were loosing. They were loosing hard!

At some point, only choice was to retreat or surrender. So they retreat from Serbia. They retreat over Bosnian, Montenegrin and Albanian mountains to only friendly country in neighborhood - Greece. My grand, grand, grand father was among them. His name was Sava which translated to English means Savior. Maybe poetic, maybe destiny, who knows. He left young wife and kids at home and went to war without even sow youngest of the kids - my grand grand father. And he was just a young men, farm boy, probably dreaming of spending evenings with his family, planing harvest and gathering stock for the winter.

We as a family do not know how brave soldier he was. I like to think that he was bravest man on earth, since he was protecting his family, his homeland. At least I would be brave as lion to protect my kids. But he was not a warrior, he was a ordinary farm guy, knowing much more about horses and cows than about the guns. And in one of many battles, he was wounded... he was wounded badly...

After many months, heavily wounded, Sava managed to cross across Bosnia and Montenegro and then across Albania. It was a winter, and those mountains are higher than 2000 meters. Heavy snow, frost, winds... Many died, without grave. But many of team managed to shores of Ionian sea, and some of them was transported by ships to island Corfu. 150.000 of them to be exact.

To understand how great act of Greek people this was, you must know that population of Corfu at that time was less than 50.000. They accepted three time more Serbian solders then they were. My grand-grand father, Sava, was one of them. Wounded, frozen to death and starving...

Serbian and Greek flags, one next to another are usual scene on Corfu, Greece

There are roots of everlasting love between Serbian and Greek people. I'll repeat words which Greeks told me, as their parents told them, about those times:
"There was so many of them. It looked like there are 10 time more Serbian solders than us. And they were all young, starved to death, most of them wounded. We were afraid at first - they'll eat all our food. They are solders, and war change people - not at the best. They may steal, broke, rape... who knows... But after a few days, we sow how honest and descent they are. It was a time to harvest olives trees. There was thousands and thousands olive trees around those solders, each one full of best Greek olives you can imagine, and those soldiers were starved to death. But, no one picked a single one. Not a single soldier, not a single olive. They were polite, humble and every one of them knew how to say 'Thank you' in Greek as soon as they stepped on island."

Bay of Blue Tomb, Corfu, Greece

But many of them died. So many of them that they could not buried them all. There was simply not enough place on rocky island for that. So, Serbian and Greek people decided that sea will be their grave. As hard as it look now, it was the only solution. On small island Vido, next to capitol of Corfu - Kerkyra, was a hospital for severely wounded soldiers. When some of them died, they buried him in waters of small bay next to island... They called that bay Blue Tomb...

Bay of Blue tomb, Island Vido, Corfu, Greece

My grand father, Sava died there one day. We do not know exact date. We just know that he's stayed there on Corfu. He did not survive to see his homeland again. He did not survive to see his family. He was buried there in Blue Tomb. It's strange - I didn't know him, his kids didn't know him. There is no a single memory of him that exists, except words that are passed from one generation to another. But we all cry when we talk about him...

Memorial to fallen Serbian solders, Island Vido, Corfu, Greece

And that's shortest possible story about Corfu and what it means to me and my family. I travel there whenever I can. I have friends on that island. Every time when I am there, I feel like it's another home for me. And whenever I'm there I cross waters of Blue Tomb in memory of my grandfather and lay flowers on his grave.

Blue Tomb, Vido, Corfu, Greece

I know it's a long post. But I must finish with just a few verses from ode Blue Tomb by Serbian poet Milutin Bojic. If you liked my text, you should read it on link above. Then you will understand how we feel about Blue Tomb and Corfu and why there are so many Serbs on that island... and why all of them seams to have some strange distant look in their eyes...

Halt, imperial galleys! Restrain your mighty rudders!

Walk with silent tread
I am officiating a proud Requiem in the chill of the night
Upon these sacred waters.

There at the bottom, where seashells fall into the tired grip of sleep
And peat falls upon the dead algae,
Lay graves of the brave, lay brother to brother
Prometheuses of Hope, Apostles of Pain.
...
Milutin Bojic, The Blue Tomb

Inside Memorial, Island Vido, Corfy, Greece