Tuesday, June 12, 2018: Port of Call – Corfu, Greece

There was a time change of an hour ahead for Corfu. I had not changed my phone assuming it would do it automatically when I got a signal. So I thought I had woken around 8:00. After getting ready for the day I wanted to get some breakfast before the excursion and went into the hallway. Lito, my room steward, was there and I asked him the time, well it was 9:35, not 8:35. I didn’t have much time to eat before leaving on the excursion.

I went up to the cafeteria and there literally wasn’t any place to sit. So, I got a cup of coffee and a small chocolate croissant and ate it walking around. Then I headed to the Stardust theater where the excursions meet up before leaving the ship.

There were 8 of our group going on this excursion which was to the Achilleion Palace Museum and a tour of Old Town Corfu

First, however, there was a stop at a kumquat place. The way the guide said it, I thought it was going to be fresh kumquats. Nope, it was liquor and candy. I tried a couple of the nougats, which I love, and a kumquat liquor. It seemed pretty strong but I didn’t figure I would ever drink it so I just got two kinds of nougat.

Next stop was the palace. It was up some very winding and narrow roads. The bus was taking up the whole road and at one point a car was coming down and had to back up quite a ways until it could pull over and let the bus pass.

The palace was built by the Empress Elizabeth in the late 1800s because she loved Corfu and wanted to escape her mother-in-law. It sits on top of a hill overlooking the water and has some beautiful grounds and views. The palace itself was just okay. There was a beautiful painting on the ceiling of the foyer and the stairs also had some interesting painting.

Achillieon Palace Foyer CeilingView from the palace gardens

It was another very hot day and was supposed to get up to 89 degrees. After the tour we loaded back onto the bus for some blessed cool air and headed back down the hill. The bus parked and we were led off to the Old Town part of the tour which was short, then we had about 30 minutes to do our own thing.

Old Town Corfu

PK, Don, Frankie and I sat at a little cafe and had a beer. I was starving by this point but we didn’t have time to eat so I figured a beer would help fill me up. Then it was back to the bus and to the ship. We all agreed that we would have rather just wandered around the town and done our own thing rather than the tour.

We had received some freebies for booking the trip through Frankie and we all chose the beverage package but I was the only one who chose the upgraded dinner package. Some of the others had said they wanted to try a restaurant or two and I went to make reservations. Well, I should have done it the first day as I couldn’t get any for Thursday or Friday. I did manage to get one at the French restaurant for Wednesday, but then realized our excursion included a Greek celebration and dinner. I had to cancel it. I doubt I will be able to use any of the 3 upgrades. Live and learn.

It was ‘elegant’ night so we all dressed up some, Frankie won the prize for looking the best in his suit and tie, we met for dinner in Versailles. We ordered a couple bottles of sparkling wine to start. With 11 people at a table in a noisy dining room it is difficult to talk to anyone besides those right next to you.

I had the paté and a smoked salmon tartare, then the swordfish salad. The swordfish was a bit fishy tasting but covered with the arugula and dressing it kind of disguised the fishyness.

Once again, Don, Frankie and I headed to the show. It was put on by the ship’s show staff and was a 70s themed extravaganza called, Bands on the Run. The singers and dancers were pretty good and we enjoyed it and sang along in parts.

Then it was back to Gatsby’s, which is right next to the theater. We got seats at the bar again but the place filled up quickly. We didn’t indulge as much as the night before but did sit there for a hour or more.

It is always fun to watch good bartenders work. It was Rachel and John again, and, yes, I remembered his full name. They were slinging the drinks left and right, plus they provide drinks for the French restaurant next to it, but the two of them work well together.

The piano man came back and played the same tunes as the night before. It seems there is music in all the bars and they play loud! We decided they could tone it down some so you could talk without yelling.

Then it was off to bed again. It was after midnight when I went to sleep. I woke up about 6:00 then dozed until 7:00. Next port of call is Santorini in the afternoon.