We left the ship with a bus load of tourists to see the island of Corfu. First stop, a Greek Orthodox Church and monastery from the 17th century. There was a fabulous view across to the island known as the petrified boat of Ulysses (from the Iliad fame). While the church was interesting it paled in comparison to some of the other sites we have seen.

Our next stop was the beach. Beautiful clear blue water surrounded by high rock cliffs. We were excited for a swim in the Greek Islands, but the water was cold. Not just cold, but icy. I stood waist deep in the water for a few minutes, long enough to have become acclimatised in normal circumstances, but my legs were still feeling numb from the cold! We decided we'd sit in the cafe and enjoy the view instead.

We ordered some local beer and wine and Anthony had a local veal dish while I ordered the dolmades. They were delicious, best I've ever had. Unfortunately the stop wasn't long enough and we were all back on the bus to return to Corfu. We should've picked the beach only tour!

When we arrived back at Corfu Esplanade (Corfu means two peaks) we decided to ditch the group and do our own thing. Traipsing around the streets with 45+ people is just not our thing (especially when the guide chose to stop in the sun, rather than the shade, to provide her spiel).

After our allotted 1 hour 15 minutes we rejoined the group for the coach trip back to the ship. Anthony then had a lie down while I sought out the pool. Luckily most people were still ashore so I was able to purloin my very own sun lounge (for the first time) and I then spent the afternoon relaxing and reading my book while enjoying the view of the surrounding islands and waterways.

Dinner was a gala event (which we didn't realise) and I was lucky that Anthony agreed to not where his usual attire of shorts as most men were in suits or other similar outfits. For dinner I choose a lovely bottle of Italian wine at an outrageous cost of about $75. Comparing the cost to a New Zealand Cloudy Bay (they didn't have in stock) I could determine the probable mark up! Oh well, a cheap and nasty Italian white was $9 a glass anyway.

As part of the gala dinner they were selling limoncello, baileys or grappa housed in a dark chocolate shot glass. Hhmm, delicious way to end the day!