Today we reached Greece. Our first stop was the island of Corfu, on the northwest region of the Greek nation. Our tour was a combination bus ride and walking tour; the bus ride gave us a glimpse of the central area of Corfu - very wooded and lush - and the walking tour took us through the central part of the old city.
The feet of many civilizations have trod Corfu, from the earliest settlers, through the Romans, the French, the Italians, the Russians and the British. The various sections of the city's architecture demonstrate those occupations, principally the Italian, French and British. Following the examples of other countries, where the Venetians needed ports such as offered by Corfu for their trading expeditions, there is a lot of Italian influence on the buildings, especially the Roman Catholic churches. The British influence was underscored by the fact the Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was born on Corfu.
After the tour we headed back to the ship for lunch. And after a decent interval, we headed to the ship's pool for a swim and some quiet reading time. The photo shows Jan in her element. As the sun is very hot, we managed to snag two of the lounge chairs in the shade, but even the short time in the pool resulted in some sunburn.
The evening was spent with friends, enjoying another delicious meal in the restaurant - butternut soup, seafood in fresh pasta, and Sachertorte.
Tomorrow we arrive in the island of Katakolon, the home of the original Olympic games. We are to see the original site of the games and the ruins of the Greek temples that surrounded it. More to come...
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The feet of many civilizations have trod Corfu, from the earliest settlers, through the Romans, the French, the Italians, the Russians and the British. The various sections of the city's architecture demonstrate those occupations, principally the Italian, French and British. Following the examples of other countries, where the Venetians needed ports such as offered by Corfu for their trading expeditions, there is a lot of Italian influence on the buildings, especially the Roman Catholic churches. The British influence was underscored by the fact the Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, was born on Corfu.
After the tour we headed back to the ship for lunch. And after a decent interval, we headed to the ship's pool for a swim and some quiet reading time. The photo shows Jan in her element. As the sun is very hot, we managed to snag two of the lounge chairs in the shade, but even the short time in the pool resulted in some sunburn.
The evening was spent with friends, enjoying another delicious meal in the restaurant - butternut soup, seafood in fresh pasta, and Sachertorte.
Tomorrow we arrive in the island of Katakolon, the home of the original Olympic games. We are to see the original site of the games and the ruins of the Greek temples that surrounded it. More to come...
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