Viking Ocean’s Mediterranean Odyssey Day 9 of 13

Weather Report

Overcast and intermittent rain. 66 F / 19 C. It was humid, too.  

Today’s Plan

Today, we will utilize the Viking included tour to get an overview of Corfu. Hopefully, we can find some great Greek food afterwards to enjoy as a reminder of our visit to Greece in 2022. I also scheduled a late afternoon massage.

Viking Daily

Panoramic Corfu & Old Town Walking Tour

• Cost/person: $0
• Viking Difficulty Rating: Moderate
• Duration: 3 Hours

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Take in highlights of Corfu on a relaxing drive and a short walking tour of Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With a local guide, you will drive to Kanoni, a wonderful vantage point for photos of tiny Pontikonisi Island, or Mouse Island, and the Vlacherna Monastery. Pass the archaeological site of Paleopolis and the gates of the late Georgian Mon Repos Villa, once a residence of the Greek Royal Family and the birthplace of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Past Garitsa Bay, you will reach Corfu’s Old Town. Enjoy a guided stroll down the famous Esplanade, one of Europe’s largest public squares; elegant Liston promenade, once reserved for aristocracy; the Old Fortress; Durrell Gardens; and the Palace of St. Michael and St. George, former residence of the British High Commissioner.

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Corfu is the English name for both the island and the main town – in Greek, however, both are referred to as Kerkyra (Κέρκυρα).

Despite the intermittent rain (it was never very hard), this was a good tour overall as we had a great local guide. He was both entertaining and informative. The drive to and from Kanoni in the rain made catching glimpses of the sights “passed” in the description above difficult, but it’s probably not much better with no rain! The drive did allow time for our guide to give us an overview of Corfu’s history and culture, plus we got a feel for the geology of that part of the island.

Kanoni

The views from Kanoni are good, but as there were several busloads of us arriving at the same time, it was a little crowded. Thankfully, the Quiet Vox allows you to wander away from the guide and still hear his commentary. We even got to see a plane coming in over the water to land at the airport adjacent.

Old Town

The walking tour of Old Town with our guide was the highlight as he pointed out significant buildings (and a bathroom for those in need!). We then had free time to explore on our own. He gave us a time to meet at the bus drop off location near the entrance to the Old Fortress, but you could go back to the ship at any time on the ship shuttle bus which picked up and dropped off at the same location every 30 minutes.

When we finished in Old Town, we walked back to the bus stop to return to the ship for lunch to meet Keith and Paula for lunch (we were all on the included tour, but different bus/guide). We just missed a shuttle, so we wandered around along the promenade and sea moat outside the Old Fortress.

Old Fortress

Tickets for exploring the Old Fortress peninsula are 10 Euros, I think. If I hadn’t booked another massage for the afternoon (and wasn’t rainy), we might have returned after lunch to see this fortress which has served to protect the area from the mid-6^th century through WWII. Over the centuries, the island has been controlled by Greek city-states, Romans, Byzantines, Angevins, Venetians, Turks (briefly), and the English, before uniting with modern Greece in 1864.

The statue of Count von der Schulenburg (picture below) was originally erected inside the fortress. The Count (a general of the Serenissima Republic of Venice) defended Corfu against the last siege of the Turks in 1716. His 5000 men turned back the 33,000-member Turkish army. The Carrara marble statue was moved outside the fortress during the British rule (1814-1864).

There’s also a “new” fortress built by the Venetians on the west side of the city, but we didn’t go there.

Corfu Cruise Port

Although the morning tour buses picked us up on the dock adjacent to the ship, the drop-off point to enter the port through security was a pretty good walk back to the ship. But it gave me a chance to get a good pic of the ship, our aft cabin (red X), and the large houses overlooking the adjacent Potamos Bay as the rain started again.

Rainy Afternoon Onboard

Mid-afternoon we headed to the Explorers’ Lounge with Greek olives that Dave bought on our morning excursion, the French wine we purchased on our wine excursion in Marseilles, and some cheese and crackers that Paula requisitioned at lunch in the World Café. Keith brought the cards and score pad, of course! The Viking staff gave us bowls, napkins, and utensils – and of course opened the wine and provided glasses for us. A lovely way to spend a rainy afternoon!

Dinner and Music Trivia

Originally, we planned to eat at Chef’s Table with the Routes des Indes menu, but cancelled a few days ago, opting for dinner in the Restaurant and going to the Explorers’ Lounge afterward for music trivia with Harry the Piano. Octopus and chocolate were a hit in the Restaurant. Then Harry had us guessing the hits in the lounge afterwards – and laughing, too, of course!

We lose an hour tonight, so I’m not planning to stay up too late.

It was another great day, and Corfu is a place I wouldn’t mind returning to and spending a few days exploring the whole island – approximately 592-597 km² (229-230 sq mi).