On May 16th we sailed into the port of Corfu, Greece. A couple things of note about this arrival. One, the weather was complete crap. It was raining like mad. Two, we docked next to another ship. Given our stateroom location, if went onto our balcony it felt like we could toss something to the folks on the other ship (which, to be clear, we did NOT attempt).
Drake and Sara were ready to roll – Drake had a raincoat and Sara is more adventurous than I am, so I told them to have a great day and I was going to leisurely get ready and then see where the day took me. At one point I looked out and it was raining so hard it seemed like it was raining sideways. I was happy I had stayed on ship. I got ready, had a leisurely meal, and then looked out to see that the sky had cleared, the rain had stopped and it was a beautiful and sunny day. I decided I’d grab my bag, foldable backpack (just in case – it easily clips to my crossbody bag) and head into Corfu to explore on my own.
Now, let me be clear – this is NOT in my comfort zone. However, this trip wasn’t either, so it was time to break out of my comfort zone and do somethings that were out of the ordinary for me. I disembarked and walked along the pier to the spot that you went through customs. Once through that I walked and saw a “Hop On-Hop Off” tour bus. I stopped and got the information from a woman at the tent and decided this was a good way to see Corfu given the time I had available. The round trip tour would take approximately one hour (and cost about $20 USD), and given that I felt comfortable with a 2-hour window before I needed to head back, this worked for me. I got on the bus and away we went.
The HO/HO busses usually have earphones and channels with the “tour guide” in different languages. Unfortunately the connection was poor at my seat (and two others I tried) so I didn’t get a lot of the info. I was able, however, to follow along with the map they gave me with my ticket, so I was able to identify where we were and what we were looking at.
Corfu, or Kerkyra, is one of the Ionian Islands off the northwest coast of Greece. Before uniting with Greece in 1864, Corfu was under Venetian, French, and British rule – and Venetian fortresses can be seen towering over the city.
Had I had more time to explore, I would’ve gotten off the bus and checked out the fortress or perhaps had something to eat/drink at one of the waterside cafes. As it was, I was able to enjoy the sights of Corfu from the bus, which was a good option.
The architecture as well as the countryside were beautiful in Corfu. I’m thankful that I decided to venture out on my own and see it closer than from the ship! There were several ships at port that day, so depending on where you port, you may have a long walk to get to the area for tours and busses. By this time of the trip I was starting to get into that more relaxed state that Europeans seem to have, so I enjoyed my leisurely walk to and from the ship. This was a day where my hat with chin strap and sunscreen were both necessary as it was windy and sunny. I like that sunscreen as it’s not too heavy and doesn’t feel greasy, but is also free of oxybenzone & octinoxate. I try to keep the “face and body stick” from doTERRA in my bag to apply to my face as I’m very “fair skinned” and burn easily.
I got back to the ship well before the “last call” for boarding, so I went to the room to see if Drake and Sara were back. No sign of them so I sat on the balcony, enjoying the sun and the activity on the ship next to us. Drake and Sara got back and we compared our days in Corfu. They had gotten rained on but they’re young and adventurous, so they had a good time. As Explorer of the Seas started to leave Corfu, the ship next to us got into full-on party mode by the pool – live band and all! It was so funny being right alongside them. I felt like we should break out into Meatloaf’s “Paradise By The Dashboard Light” with each ship singing a part (If you’re too young for that reference, sorry!).
Off we went, sailing into the night, headed for our next stop – Athens. What did we do on the ship that evening? I should’ve kept a journal or notes, but honestly I hadn’t planned on enjoying it so much that I’d blog about it – but I can tell you we had as much fun as we wanted, ate great food, enjoyed a few good drinks, and slept well. We didn’t get to a lot of the entertainment offerings on the ship and were never bored, hungry, or thirsty!
One thing I will say – we had three to the room, so we had the beds combined for a King and then the pull out couch. I thought the couch was horrible to sleep on. It was really hard, even when we piled extra blankets on it for some padding. I’m generally not a horribly picky sleeper, but I give the couch in our stateroom zero stars! Thankfully, we were able to rotate sleeping arrangements a bit and everyone slept well.
See you next time – in Athens!
The Neverending Lori 