Cruise to Mediterranean, Pt. 3: Corfu, Katakolon, Olympia, Catania

Day 6: Korfu

Eating gelato in Korfu

We had no excursion today, so we took one of those hop-on, hop-off red tour buses at 11 am after a leisurely breakfast (When we had excursions, we'd have to wake up at 6:45 am and order breakfast from room service.) The bus was 22 Euros per person and we figured it would at least give us an overview of the island which is lovely and relaxed. Jerry wanted to go to the Archeological Museum, but after finally finding it near a bus stop at the obligatory old fort, we discovered the Museum was closed that day. Instead, we went shopping in the charming old city with winding, narrow streets like everywhere else we'd been. We had a light lunch and indulged in gelato--cookies and cream and cheese cake flavors combined. In addition to postcard and magnets, we bought belts and a wooden mixing spoon.

Day 7: Katakolon, Olympia
For our last excursion, we got a bus from the port of Katakolon and drove for about 30 mins. to the site of the ancient Olympic games. A lot of ruins. I guess the highlight was standing in the open stadium where the races were held thousands of years ago. We were rushed into the arched entrance by our guide, looked around--it just a wide open field--and then we had had to rush to get back to the bus. It was interesting to see the remains of the temples to Zeus and Hera and the spot where the Olympic torch is lit every four years. 

Helmets at the Archeological Museum
at Olympia 

On the way back to the bus, I squeezed in the site's archeological museum. I had to run through it in order to make it back to the bus on time. There were several fascinating exhibits including hundreds of little clay animals which the ancient Greeks made and placed in the ground in front of the temples as offerings to the gods instead of real animals. 

After the bus ride back to Katakolon, I wandered around the tiny seafront town before reboarding. I found a tiny beach where I dipped my toes in the cool water and got sand in my shoes. I had lunch at a waterfront cafe.

Day 8: Catania, Sicily

There was a huge Norwegian cruise liner parked next to our medium-sized Oceania ship in Catania with a water slide on one side descending several stories. That would be kinda scary. As in Korfu, we took a Hop-on, Hop-Off bus to get to know the city on the coast of Sicily. Unfortunately, we did not get a good view of Mt. Etna, the city's volcano which keeps turning up in crossword puzzles. The clouds obscured the mountain entirely. The narration on the bus did inform us that some believed the volcano was inhabited by the spirit of England's Queen Elizabeth I because she made a deal with the devil for her kingdom and it erupted not long after her death.

St. Agnes in Catania, Sicily

We got off the bus in Bellini Square, saw a statue of the composer with figures from his operas Norma, etc, an ancient ruin, and the church of St. Agnes who was martyred with hot coals. She is beloved of the city because they are constantly under threat of fiery destruction because of the volcano, just as she was.

Lunch was at a Chinese restuarant (not bad). The bathroom door said "Thinking Room." We strolled to Piazza Duomo which was quite lovely and took the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus back to the port. The tourist shops sold trinkets referencing The Godfather since the Corleones were from Sicily.