“I fear the Greeks, even when they bring gifts.” Virgil

And the gifts they brought were high winds and more rain squalls that had us returning to the ship in our soaked “calzoncillos.” Our stateroom looked like a tenement apartment back in the 1800’s with hanging wet clothes spread everywhere to dry out.

The weather has not been in our favor. We’d scheduled a 4×4 adventure tour ~ again to push David out of his comfort zone. It would have taken us out into the beautiful countryside of Corfu, Greece and through small Greek villages. But due to bad weather it was cancelled at the very last minute. The replacement choices were not to our liking, so we jumped ship and boarded the Hop On/Hop Off bus for 19 euros instead … it turned out we had a lovely day discovering the old town and its environs.

Corfu is the second largest of the Greek Ionian Islands. In 2007, the city’s old town was designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s a very popular tourist destination during the summer months, though the island suffocates then with high heat and tourists.

• 

• 

• 

The island is bound up with the history of Greece from the beginnings of Greek mythology. Its history is full of battles and conquests. Ruins of ancient Greek temples and other archaeological sites dot the landscape. Medieval castles punctuating strategic locations across the island are a legacy of struggles in the Middle Ages against invasions by pirates and the Ottomans in the Adriatic. Two of these castles enclose its capital, which is the only city in Greece to be surrounded in such a way.

• 

• 

• 

Corfu eventually fell under British rule following the Napoleonic Wars and was eventually ceded to Greece by the British Empire along with the remaining Ionian Islands. Unification with modern Greece was concluded in 1864 under the Treaty of London.

We wandered around the massive fort on the seafront, admiring its mix of architectures and its long history. As we were crossing the moat, Mother Nature rewarded us with the most beautiful rainbow against a darkened sky and imposing architecture.

• 

• 

• 

We stopped at the picturesque church of St. George; this is the only church in Greece that has been constructed according to the Doric style. From one of the nearby buildings we heard classical music spewing from all the open windows; later learning it was the Music Department of the Ionian university. It was the first school of classical music in Greece. We made a stop at a small museum on site and admired their small collection of icons, wall frescos and mosaics from ancient times.

• 

• 

• 

Wandering through the old district we came across the antique sign of the Golden Arches and had to stop and purchase a Happy Meal. You see, my friend, Cyndi, collects the toys I bring her from around the world. Now she can add Greece to her collection. David picked up olive oil and donkey milk (!) soap. The city is a combination of meandering streets and narrow alleyways similar to Venice, minus the canals. We came across a little hidden bakery down an alleyway and time for baklava – one bite size taste of pure deliciousness.

• 

• 

• 

In the city, there are thirty-seven Greek churches, the most important of which are the city’s cathedral, the church dedicated to Our Lady of the Cave, Saint Spyridon Church and the church of St. Jason and St. Sosipater, reputedly the oldest on the island and named after the two saints probably the first to preach Christianity to the Corfiots.

Accidentally, we came across the small church of St. Spyridon with its beautiful altar and icons. We observed in silence that several parishioners seemed to be performing a pilgrimage throughout the church, stopping to pray and kiss certain of the icons, then moving to an ornate room next to the main altar. There in lies the preserved body of the patron saint of the island, Patron Saint Spyridon, in a highly detailed golden sarcophagus … such supreme sacredness.

• 

• 

• 

Saint Spyridon the Thaumaturgist (Miracle-worker) is the patron saint of the city and the island; revered for the miracle of expelling the plague from the island. He’s also attributed the role of saving the island at the second great siege of Corfu in 1716. The legend says that the sight of St Spyridon approaching Ottoman forces bearing a flaming torch in one hand and a cross in the other caused panic. Spyridon is a very popular first name for Greek males born on the island.

​On the Menu …​ dined a la carte (additional charge) at a Brazilian style Churrascaría offering a fantastic 40+ item salad bar of salmon, shrimp, two types of soups, sushi, roasted vegetables, salad fixings, asparagus, etc….I grazed for hours as my dining companions enjoyed cut after cut of succulent sausages, beef, lamb, pork and chicken sliced right off the spit. For dessert tres leches chocolate cake with toasted coconut. Maybe the only way to get a decent dinner on this tug boat is to pay for it.

• 

• 

• 

• 

p.s.​ …news from home … we’re informed the annual three day Feria de Maestros in Chapala wrapped up with … record attendance … strong sales for the 80+ Maestros from all over Mexico. Hats off to Donna and Arvada who helped make it happen. David was Mr. Lucky again with his second year in a row winning raffle ticket. A beautiful, colorful embroidered wool table runner awaits him upon returning!