Following on from our visit to the Achilleion Palace we were dropped off close to the town of Corfu on the island where we were due to be taken for a short, guided walk then some free time to explore or shop on our own prior to returning to the cruise ship.
Our walk took us past Spianáda park and along the wide Kapodistriou Street with a couple of stops along the way to point out buildings of note and remark on the history of the town. The clear, blue sky and cleanliness of the town gave everything a really nice feel.
The entrance to the bazaar of Corfu town was where we parted ways with our guide. Looking down the bustling alley lined with shops and stalls a very noticeable construction was the church of Saint Spyridon.
But we didn’t just get to see the church. Our timing was impeccable (your view may differ after watching the video (removed for now)) in order to hear the bells ringing. And ringing. And ringing. I don’t know that I’d like to work near Saint Spyridon’s church in Corfu, to be perfectly honest.
From here we were on our own and with a couple of stops to hunt down some souvenirs my wife and I went for a wander down alleys and roads at random in a roughly circular route that would eventually bring us back out to where we would need to pick up the coach once more.
I’m very fond of narrow lanes and tall buildings so Corfu Town didn’t disappoint in this respect. I find it fascinating to be among a throng of tourists in an obvious tourist destination as well as close to simple signs of everyday life going on such as washing hanging out on lines over the streets or clothese on the backs of chairs on balconies.
Our meeting point was pretty close to the Old Fortress which had been offered as one of the excursion options. Were we to return to Corfu we would certainly check it out although our general view of the island and town that we saw was that there wasn’t a massive amount to see and do there. We could be completely wrong and if we were hitting the area again we’d definitely research the place a bit more for places of interest. Corfu was pleasant enough but it didn’t fill us with that “must go back sometime!” factor we look for.
After a short stay in the shade by the coaches as we waited for some latecomers to arrive (surprise!) where we saw people – tourists, I think – pouring water into the palms of their hands for local, stray-looking dogs to get some respite from the heat (which was nice) we were dropped off back at the port entrance where we had the choice of taking a shuttle bus back to the ship or walking the rest of the way. We chose the latter in order to snap a few last shots on Corfu soil. There were three other ships in port alongside us: a Costa, a TUI, and Cunard’s Queen Victoria that we’d previously seen in Montenegro.
A few final shots of Corfu from our balcony as the Royal Princess departed completed our first Greek stop on our Mediterranean cruise.
