Day 62 ~ It must be Corfu!

 March 12, 2022

50 degrees, warm enough if you're in the sun, but when I stepped into shade I was grateful for the WC jacket Viking gave us all!

NAUTICAL TERM OF THE DAY ~ Scuttlebutt

Now it refers to rumor or gossip, but in nautical terms, a scuttlebutt is an open cask of drinking water. Perhaps it was the earliest version of the office water cooler.

The DH & me with the Vlacherna Monastery & Mouse Island in the background.

We took the included tour today. More often than not, we've found them as much fun and full of information as ones we've paid a premium for. If there's something exceptional offered on the optional excursions, we'll pay up, but in cases like this when we've been to the port before, it doesn't hurt us to see new sights with the included tour. 

One of the new things we saw was a bust of Gerald Durrell, author of the book "My Family and Other Animals." He was a British naturalist and founder of a zoo in New Jersey. Frankly, I'd buy his book for the title alone! It made me laugh. That's our guide Andromache with the author's bust. She's named for the mythological Andromache who was the wife of Hector, acclaimed warrior and a prince of Troy. 

The island of Corfu, like Gibraltar and Malta, is strategically placed, which probably accounts for its changing hands so often in the past. The Venetians wanted it because Corfu has a commanding view of the entrance to the Adriatic Sea. So they built bastions for defense and also for observation points.

   

After a walking tour of the main square of Old Town, Andromache walked us down one of the narrow lanes to a Greek Orthodox Church. We were able to walk through the sanctuary, but not allowed to take pictures of the heavily decorated interior with its many icons. That's okay. I never want to offend someone by taking their faith lightly or by trespassing on their spiritual privacy. I'm satisfied to just pass through that space where so many souls seek to connect with God. 

Here's the DH's montage of our morning:

We really enjoyed our morning in Corfu and to Kristy's great delight, the Anti-Shopper (yours truly) actually bought something. I finally found the visor I needed at one of the small shops. The owner told me I was her first sale of the cruise season, which makes sense because the Star is the first cruise ship to visit Corfu this year. Everywhere we go, the merchants are glad to see cruisers returning.

In the afternoon, we warmed up by going down to the Thermal Suite and floating around in the Thelassotherapy pool for a while. Supper was at Manfredi's with Kristy and Dave and the evening show was pianist Adam Johnson. 

He burst onto the stage in a sequin jacket that Liberace would've envied! It was obvious he was a showman, but then he dazzled us with his technical prowess and musicality. He gave us a wonderful program of music associated with dance. Really excellent, but the show wasn't well attended. 

Part of this was likely because the show time has been changed from 9 PM to 8:30 PM. Personally, we're delighted! Neither of us are night owls. But I've heard some grumbling from those who like to dine later than we do. Whatever Damian, our acting Cruise Director, does, someone will find a reason to complain. 

We get to put our clocks back and hour tonight. It's a nice change to get another hour instead of giving it up, but I know we'll have to give up two hours before we reach Saudi Arabia. 

Another sea day tomorrow, cruising the Adriatic on our way to Montenegro! 

More soon...