Crete to Corfu

Crete to Corfu

Before I begin this Whine let me pass along a message from my friend Marie-Claude who commented on my blog from Crete: “ C’est gentil que des Canadiens viennemt en Grece pour soutenir ce pays. Ca nous aidera, nous autru Europeans Nous aurons a faire pour les sortie de ce grand disaster economique dans lequel ils se sont mer.” But more on the Greek economy below.

Our boat didn’t sail into Katakolon (the jumping off point for Olympia) until late morning on Wednesday so I relaxed while Betty learned how to make risotto (and I thought all one had to do was buy a box of pre-mix).
The cruiseline wanted 89 Euros to take one to Olympia at the foot of Kronos Hill to see the archaeological site of the original Olympic games. However, on the advice of Cruise Critic we took a local bus which cost 10 Euros plus 6 Euros for an entrance fee. Of course, had we gone with the Cruise people we would have been given a free glass of Greek wine on the trip back.

The Olympic site was much more interesting than I expected and impressive in its size. The stadium is almost exactly as it was 2500 years ago.
When I paid 20 Euros for the bus tickets I didn’t look at the ticket until later. Clearly indicated on the ticket was that V.A.T. (Value Added Tax) was to be in addition to the 10 Euros. My friend Gerard had told me that Greeks rarely collect taxes (especially V.A.T.). How can a country that is bankrupt not collect a legitimate tax from a foreigner quite prepared to pay? Later I bought some shaving cream in Katakolon and again the tax was not collected.

Yesterday our boat sailed into Corfu (same name for the city as for the island). Corfu is the most northerly of the Greek islands and also the most green. We (and a couple from Saskatchewan) rented a Mercedes taxi with driver for the day. Our tour was very pleasant as the island is very beautiful. We did the usual tourist things (castle, monastery, mountain tops) and stopped for some bread and olive oil and some very strange liquids. Later in the afternoon we were dropped in the city, and after some shopping along the narrow pedestrian streets we caught a shuttle bus back to the pier.

I think the Greek economic crisis affects people differently. While there is rioting in Athens by laid off civil servants and by students, Corfu seems peaceful and prosperous. Our taxi driver said there is zero unemployment in the long summer due to the many tourists. Otherwise the island is primarily farming based and presumably the locals will still sell their olive oil, even if there is default.

The greatest fear on cruise ships is the outbreak of the Noro virus. Our ship had a few cases on its previous cruise and we are now on “heightened alert”. This means that as you walk around the boat you pass handwashing stations with staff to ensure you comply. If you use a public toilet you are asked to take a towel to open the door on leaving and then drop the towel in a laundry basket. Also, the passengers cannot touch anything in a dining room that another passenger might touch. Yesterday I forgot and tried to pick up a salt shaker (which is the waiter’s job). Guess “you can take the boy out of the country…..”

This morning we sail into Brindisi, Italy before recrossing the Adriatic for stops in Kofor, Montenegro, and Dubrovnik and Split in Croatia.