Welcome to Greece!
Today the ship docked in Corfu, giving all five of us a new country and a new time zone to explore. We lost an hour overnight, and without cell service on the ship, figuring out whether our phones had actually changed to the correct time was more challenging than it should have been!
Once we docked, and finally got all five of us on the same time, we headed into Corfu’s Old Town, not far from the port. On our walk we passed the New Fortress even though it was built in 1576-1578.
We found the Old Town to be a beautiful, bustling town filled with shops, cafés, and narrow streets that were perfect for wandering. The shops felt a little nicer and more interesting than the typical souvenir stores we had encountered at some of our other stops, so we had a great time just poking around and exploring.
Of course, you can’t visit Greece without enjoying some Greek food, and we had a delicious lunch in town. We had also been tipped off that Corfu was the one port on our itinerary with a Starbucks. That may not sound particularly exciting when you’re visiting Greece, but several members of our family were thrilled because Starbucks in Europe still serves the Cool Lime Refresher, a favorite that is no longer available in the U.S. Sometimes it’s the little things!
The ladies had worn their bathing suits under their clothes, fully intending to spend part of the afternoon at the beach. But we were enjoying Corfu so much that we simply ran out of time. There’s never enough time to do everything! The beach would have to wait for another trip.
We really enjoyed our stop in Corfu. It was only a tiny taste of Greece, but definitely enough to look forward to our next stop and make us want to come back and see more.
Back on the ship, we showered, enjoyed a drink at happy hour, and headed to dinner. The evening entertainment was a show featuring the ship’s performers and some pretty impressive acrobatics.
But the highlight of the night was the much-anticipated Shine the Night Party. Everyone was encouraged to wear shiny or metallic clothing for a huge dance party on the pool deck. The cruise staff had cleared away all the pool chairs, and with music pumping through the ship’s speakers and colorful lights illuminating the deck, the whole area had been transformed into an outdoor nightclub at sea.
It was something completely different and a lot of fun. And Greg even surprised everyone with a rather interesting wardrobe accent for the occasion. Let’s just say he definitely embraced the “shine” part of Shine the Night!
A great ending to our first day in Greece.
Hammond Adventures 