Greece: Corfu

Morning came an hour earlier but we were still up and at the buffet at 7:30, and assembled for our tour at 8:45

Corfu is a beautiful Greek island in the Ionian Sea, known for its stunning landscapes. 

Corfu's Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which features a mix of Venetian, French, and British architectural influences.

Corfu is known for many points of interest such as its old fortress that date back to the 6th century. It offers panoramic views of the island and the sea. Also the Achilleion Palace, built by Empress Elisabeth of Austria. The palace is now a museum and is known for its beautiful gardens and neoclassical architecture.

Paleokastritsa Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches on the island, known for its clear turquoise waters and lush surroundings.

St. Spyridon Church is the main church in Corfu Town, dedicated to the island's patron saint.

But we didn’t get to see any of those things. 

We boarded a tour bus at the pier for a whirlwind, but thorough, drive around the island.

Corfu was settled by the Corinthians around 734 BC. It became an important commercial center and naval power in the ancient world. The island is known for its verdant landscapes and Byzantine churches.

The island came under Roman control in 229 BC and later passed to the Byzantines.

The Roman contribution was to the island's infrastructure, including roads and public buildings.

Corfu was a Venetian possession for over four centuries, from 1386 to 1797.

This period saw the construction of many buildings and monuments which are still prominent today.

After Napoleon's conquest of Venice, Corfu became part of the French State in 1797. It was later ceded to the British in 1815, and remained under British rule until 1864 when it was united with Greece. Corfu has retained its Greek character despite numerous raids and attacks throughout history.

Corfu's rich history is reflected in its architecture, traditions, and the stories that have been passed down through generations. It's a place where ancient myths and modern life blend seamlessly.

Our tour leader was Anna Maria; a transplant from holland. She worked in the tourist industry in Corfu, and is now retired but fills in when needed. She was quite proficient in English and knowledge of the island.

She never stopped talking the entire 4 hours of the tour, and seamlessly wove current life with history and mythology. 

It was all relevant and interesting, but we were not the only ones I heard complaining about information overload (just like this blog entry). 

Our first stop was as a lookout with a good view of their airport runway. A runway is not something that would typically be on most tours but this one was a bit unusual.

The Corfu Airport, also known as Ioannis Kapodistrias Airport (CFU), is quite unique and has some interesting features. The airport runway is partially built on a dam and extends into the sea. This means that planes have to fly over the dam at a low altitude during takeoff and landing, which creates a spectacular view for both pilots and passengers 

Just beyond the airport we passed the birthplace of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

We wound through the narrow streets of the town on a large bus. And when I say narrow I don’t just mean narrow, I mean narrow with no room left on either side kind of narrow, and quite frankly, it was a no busses should be allowed on these narrow streets kind of narrow.  I was more concerned about hitting another car than watching the scenery. 

Our next stop was at a Kumquat store. Originally from Japan, this tiny tasty citrus fruit flourishes in the environment here. The shop offered all sorts of products made with kumquats such as wine, candies, cookies, and even soaps and hand cream.

I was looking around at all the undisciplined  people who, just because they are dropped off in a store like this with a sales pitch, feel obligated to buy something. I was watching as almost every crazy tourist foolishly spent money on all sorts of silly products. I was in the middle of a hefty eye roll as the tour guide called us to go. So I gathered up my purchases and headed to the bus.

Our next stop was at the top of the tallest mountain on the island where homes and walkways, cars and tourists shared the edge of the cliff for beautiful views of the bay.

We continued to ascend and the streets got narrower and narrower. And when I say narrow I don’t just mean narrow, I mean narrow with no room left on either side kind of narrow… oh I’m not going into all that again but just know the streets were invisible from either side of the bus and the cliff was right up to the edge. 

Then as we wondered if we were going to die, or at the least never make it to top, we entered a small town. And by small I don’t just mean small as in the town Is small, I mean small as in so small that there isn’t enough room for even one more stem of a dried leaf to blow through kind of small. 

And here we are in a large full sized coach on a two way street which was about 8 feet across from house wall to house wall. 

Our skilled driver crept us through at about 1 mph, and we were so close to the walls on either side we could open the window and write our last will and testament on the walls. Seriously there was barely more than an inch clearance on either side. I’ve been on a lot of tours but I’ve never seen anything like this before. And the driver managed to get through completely unscathed. Kudos to the talented but surely frazzled driver!

After reaching the other side, we made a stop for pictures, the again a little further down the road, which was more like up the road, which was more like across the narrow tops of the mountain.

Passing a grove of olive trees our guide explained how olive trees are beaten or agitated to release their ripened fruit which is gathered in netting carefully placed under the trees.

Our tour guide related that to the pace of living here and said that it was very slow and relaxed. So relaxed in fact that they have a saying for a really lazy person that they are so lazy they are like a Corfuan who is too lazy to beat their wives or their olive trees.

And olive trees there were. We passed groves and groves of cultivated and wild olive trees, as well as pomegranate trees covered in fruit. 

After a few more lookouts and olive trees, we were back to the ship by 1:00 PM for an early departure. 

Unfortunately no sooner than 10 minutes after pulling away from the dock we returned to the same pier. There was a medical emergency. Not that we were nosey but we hurried to the open-air 7th floor deck to to see an elderly gentleman being transferred from the ship to an ambulance; his wife and luggage in tow behind him.

In a few moments we were back at sea, and for the first time had the entire afternoon and evening free on the ship.

It was nice and relaxing to walk across the open pool deck of the 12th floor with thousands of other passengers, all crowded together in the same small area. 

The sun was out as were the sun bathers and swimmers taking up every available inch of space. There wasn’t an empty seat or lounge chair or deck chair anywhere, and some had double occupancy. 

Instead of hanging around this giant sardine can we went to the outside bar for something to eat. Then finished that and went to the buffet. I hope you’re getting the idea of the routine here.

By dinner time the seas had started getting a little rough, but not enough to spoil our first or second dinner or mid dinner snack or after dinner snack. It was hard not to notice that we were just a giant restaurant on the open waters.

We made it to the early show of the evening’s entertainment, which was a Rock N Roll tribute by the very talented Norwegian entertainers. The show was a nonstop whirlwind of fast loud music and dancing that soon became overbearing and tiresome. We all were worn out and exhausted from just watching it. It was certainly not one of the more enjoyable shows.

We left the show and had to do something to calm our nerves. So we did what everyone does to calm down after a rough evening of ear piercing music on a rocking ship in the ocean… we went to the buffet.