Sunday 25 August 2024. We are in Corfu for the day and have booked an excursion out into the beautiful Greek countryside with a meal and spectacular views.
The coach has some climbing to do before we reach our destination for lunch and passes through one village where the road between the buildings on either side is so narrow that it is traffic light controlled as two vehicles approaching head-on would have no room to pass.
This is the Golden Fox, a hotel, villa and studio complex as well as a restaurant. We are set four to a table and sit with an American couple, Terry and his wife.
The views are just wonderful and we are sitting outside on a terrace whilst a succession of waiters bring dish after dish of starters - far too much to eat as a full meal for which we have already made our choices!
The waiters cheerily take away dishes still loaded with food, though we have made valiant efforts. It is the Greek way and so more dishes arrive with the main course - equally as tasty and equally as plentiful as the starters had been. I'm banned alcohol these days but an ice-cold coke went down very well and Miss Franny and our fellow diners each got an attractive cut glass carafe of wine to wind their tonsils around.
We forego desserts in preferance for having a tub of ice cream later. At the end of the terrace behind me was a lower level terrace with a swimming pool.
Most of our fellow coach passengers were taking photos of the views from the terrace and chatting. I made sure I thanked the staff in the bar area and kitchen and we went around the buildings to an ice cream outlet in a side bar. Here we are, sitting on a bench by the road at the back of the restaurant / hotel.
Our guide for the day, dressed in a typical Greek-style long white dress chatting with some of our group. We got back onto the coach and our next stop was at a souvenir shop and bar. We had a quick look in the shop but then repaired to the bar where another coke for me and another glass of wine for Fran kept us cool and we found a table outside with some shelter from the sun.
The coach then returned us to the port, where we and the passengers from two or three other ships were battling to elbow paths through the security gates and x-ray machines before the walk along the pier to NCL Pearl.
We have joined so many ships here at this same pier in the past. Ocean Village and Thomson/Tui/Marella Celebration, Spirit, Dream and Majesty to name just a few. This current cruise was our 28th cruise. We'd love to notch that score up some more!
