Day 14: Travelling to Corfu
So most of Friday was spent in the bus on the way to Corfu. After 3.5 hours on the bus, we boarded a ferry that would take us to the island. And by boarding the ferry, I don't mean getting out of the bus and walking on like normal. Oh no, our bus driver drove us straight onto the boat. Even for the cargo ferries, this is not usual. It was both terrifying and exciting at the same moment. The food on the ferry was really expensive, and the sub I got was stale and gross...won't make that mistake again.
So we get to the hotel, which looked pretty sketchy from the outside. The Corfu Holiday Palace is the definition of "don't judge a book by its cover." It was a really nice establishment. We were assigned a bungalow, which scared me to death. A bungalow? I was picturing a tiny wooden shack with a thatched roof that leaked even when there was no rain. Boy was I wrong. Way wrong. It was gorgeous. There was an upstairs and a downstairs, both floors had a full walk in closet and bathroom with a large tub that my mom would kill for. I stayed on the top floor and had a king size bed to myself, and an air conditioner that made my room so cold I could barely get out of bed I was so cold. It was amazing.
After settling in I went swimming in the Ionian Sea. Our hotel had an elevator type thing that would take you down the drop off to the beach. There was a jetty a ways out and a platform that jutted out into the water that we jumped off of to get in. We decided to jump off the rocks in the jetty for fun. We kept egging the others to jump and drew attention from the Europeans who were enjoying the beach at a much lower decibel than we were.
At 9 pm we went downtown to explore and shop. Casey decided we (yes, we not just her) were going to get a fish spa treatment done. For those of you wondering what that is, we willingly stick our feet into a take of minnows and willingly let them eat us alive. Okay, a bit on the dramatic side, but seriously, they "nibble" at your feet and eat the dead skin. It is also supposedly good for circulation and other health related things. Anywhoo.. I allowed fish to eat me. It was horrible. If you know me you know I don't like fish, and I don't like anything touching my feet. Guess what I did... put the two concepts I don't like together! Why did I think that was a good idea? Oh yeah, I didn't. I just allowed myself to be roped in. Never again.
Day 15
Saturday we went to the Achilles Castle, home of Elisabeth, Empress of Hungary. The castle was beautiful, and I am sure I would enjoy it if it wasn't so unbearably hot. Elisabeth was very interested in Greek mythology, so her house was decorated with many traditional and mythological pieces from the Greek culture she was immersed in.
The streets coming down from the castle were terrifying. Most Americans couldn't tackle these tight U's in the road in small cars, let alone a tour bus like we were in. Our bus driver was a champ. He navigated the smallest of roads and the tightest turns I have ever seen without breaking a sweat.
We went shopping downtown again, and this time I managed to buy almost all of my gifts to take home, along with a dress for myself. It was a great day. I also haggled with a cab driver for the first time!! I was so proud of myself. Although, he didn't put up much of a fight, but I still did it.
Day 16
Full day of travel.. such a long day. That is all.
So most of Friday was spent in the bus on the way to Corfu. After 3.5 hours on the bus, we boarded a ferry that would take us to the island. And by boarding the ferry, I don't mean getting out of the bus and walking on like normal. Oh no, our bus driver drove us straight onto the boat. Even for the cargo ferries, this is not usual. It was both terrifying and exciting at the same moment. The food on the ferry was really expensive, and the sub I got was stale and gross...won't make that mistake again.
So we get to the hotel, which looked pretty sketchy from the outside. The Corfu Holiday Palace is the definition of "don't judge a book by its cover." It was a really nice establishment. We were assigned a bungalow, which scared me to death. A bungalow? I was picturing a tiny wooden shack with a thatched roof that leaked even when there was no rain. Boy was I wrong. Way wrong. It was gorgeous. There was an upstairs and a downstairs, both floors had a full walk in closet and bathroom with a large tub that my mom would kill for. I stayed on the top floor and had a king size bed to myself, and an air conditioner that made my room so cold I could barely get out of bed I was so cold. It was amazing.
After settling in I went swimming in the Ionian Sea. Our hotel had an elevator type thing that would take you down the drop off to the beach. There was a jetty a ways out and a platform that jutted out into the water that we jumped off of to get in. We decided to jump off the rocks in the jetty for fun. We kept egging the others to jump and drew attention from the Europeans who were enjoying the beach at a much lower decibel than we were.
At 9 pm we went downtown to explore and shop. Casey decided we (yes, we not just her) were going to get a fish spa treatment done. For those of you wondering what that is, we willingly stick our feet into a take of minnows and willingly let them eat us alive. Okay, a bit on the dramatic side, but seriously, they "nibble" at your feet and eat the dead skin. It is also supposedly good for circulation and other health related things. Anywhoo.. I allowed fish to eat me. It was horrible. If you know me you know I don't like fish, and I don't like anything touching my feet. Guess what I did... put the two concepts I don't like together! Why did I think that was a good idea? Oh yeah, I didn't. I just allowed myself to be roped in. Never again.
Day 15
Saturday we went to the Achilles Castle, home of Elisabeth, Empress of Hungary. The castle was beautiful, and I am sure I would enjoy it if it wasn't so unbearably hot. Elisabeth was very interested in Greek mythology, so her house was decorated with many traditional and mythological pieces from the Greek culture she was immersed in.
The streets coming down from the castle were terrifying. Most Americans couldn't tackle these tight U's in the road in small cars, let alone a tour bus like we were in. Our bus driver was a champ. He navigated the smallest of roads and the tightest turns I have ever seen without breaking a sweat.
We went shopping downtown again, and this time I managed to buy almost all of my gifts to take home, along with a dress for myself. It was a great day. I also haggled with a cab driver for the first time!! I was so proud of myself. Although, he didn't put up much of a fight, but I still did it.
Day 16
Full day of travel.. such a long day. That is all.
So proud of you Meg ;) we all know about your foot thing! And I have a keychain from Corfu! Rose was there on a cruise a few years ago and brought me back one. I'm currently catching up on your blog... I'm glad you had a great time and are back safe and sound!
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