The Island of Corfu, Greece was the final destination of my 12 night Royal Caribbean Mediterranean cruise. I spent the day shopping! Actually, I’d only bought a few things up until this point…so I made up for lost time. Most likely–compared to many women, I didn’t do much damage.
There was no sign of the civil unrest that had been publicized recently (this cruise was in June 2010). I ran into a couple I had met on the ship and had lunch with them. They were with a few of the cruise ship employees…one of whom was the Director of Entertainment on board.
I had an authentic Gyros and it was delicious. And of course some Ouzo!
This photo is early in the morning as the shop keepers were preparing for the day…
Photos of life in Corfu…
As I walked around the old town section of Corfu, I paid a small entrance fee to enter the old citadel…Palaio Frourio. I didn’t tour the new citadel, which is called the Neo Frourio.
This was a view from within the Citadel’s walls.
These little local boys were sooo cute!!
The next two days were spent at sea cruising back to Barcelona. It was quite an adjustment after the long days of walking and sight-seeing! I almost felt bored, after rushing for almost three weeks, but there were always people to talk to. I love to read…but for some reason I wasn’t in the mood on this trip and I also didn’t feel like sun bathing…I’d already had too much!
After disembarking in Barcelona, with luggage in tow, we made our way to the train station. I have a “Heys” suitcase that when empty, only weighs 3 lbs. It has held up nicely through 10 trips in the past 2-3 years.
On the train to the main train station in Barcelona, a girl in her 20’s got on and had a wire hanger with a paper mache banana that she hung from a handlebar on the train. She also had a stuffed animal and a small step stool. She stepped onto the stool and in Spanish, began belting out–what seemed to be a dramatic play or story, to the passengers on the train. The other passengers seemed to be ignoring her. I caught the eye of a fellow passenger and she smiled at me. Since I don’t understand Spanish…I didn’t know what she was saying. I wondered if she was practicing for a class in school…perhaps a drama student…or if it was political in nature. But, at the end she walked around with a hat for money and a couple of men gave her a few coins. We had encountered musicians on a few of the other train or subway rides. I like being surprised…not knowing what type of entertainment could be around the corner!
We boarded our three hour reserved train ride to Madrid and were picked up by the free shuttle bus from the Hilton Hotel by the airport, where we stayed for the night before heading home the following day!
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed your trip through Europe with me!
Sherry Lachelle Travels 