Yesterday we were in Corinth. We learned some interesting things, such as the book of Paul's letters to the Corinthians in the Bible is documentation from St Paul's visits to Corinth during which he was disgusted by the wealthy, privileged Corinthians' gluttony and lasciviousness (they were very wealthy because they controlled the narrow isthmus between the Aegean and Ionian Seas). It was settled in the TENTH century BC!! We also learned that the fruits called currants derive their name from Corinth; they used to be called raisins of Corinth.
We can't afford to go on all of the expeditions so yesterday we wandered the city on our own. Of course the boat drops us off in the dirtiest, shadiest section of town so it's not too fun to stroll. But we did find a litter of newborn puppies in a parking lot - very fun - and we had our own wonderful little "back door" experience buying lunch. We were really hungry and looking for a cafe where we could get something safe like gyros but we came across this tiny shop where they were roasting whole chickens and decided to go in. There were only a few locals inside and one guy, after hearing us speak English, assured us that this was "very special chicken." There was no menu so we were a bit lost but all the servers and customers joined together to help us get our food. A few people spoke a little English each so they were all trying to ask what we wanted and we were just pointing and saying "thank you" over and over. Everyone just seemed so friendly and genuinely excited that we would come into their tiny little shop and we were all happy and enjoying the experience. The old guy doing the cooking spoke no English at all but he seemed especially excited to have us there and he insisted that we take some free fries right out of the cooker - he brought the whole tray out to us so we could pick our own. It was just really fun and nice, and the chicken was delicious! Last night we went to a wine tasting on the ship that was fun and then we decided to go in the hot tub since it was abandoned; seems like most of our fellow travelers have even earlier bedtimes than we do... and that's really saying something!
Today we are at the island of Ithaki (Ithaca). We were so close to renting a car for the day but in the end it was just too pricey. Unfortunately it's not possible to rent scooters at this time of year - they only get insurance coverage for high tourist season. So we went for a hike to the "Cave of the Nymphs" instead, which turned out to be utterly abandoned and very dark and scary. But it was a beautiful walk. The chain of islands is so beautiful; it's just mountain after mountain stretching up out of the water for as far as you can see. We played Trivial Pursuit this afternoon because it got pretty windy and chilly. There was actually one clue under history or something that said "budget cruise company founded in the 1990s" and it was easycruise, the one we are on right now!!! What a coincidence! Then had a lovely dinner at a taverna in town and had ouzo, a fun anise-flavored Greek drink, and sat around for a few hours before coming back to the ship. At 9:30 tonight is a disco-dance contest that we're looking forward to, but only if other people are dancing too! And Ed has vowed that he will not compete unless the winner gets a prize.
Tomorrow and Thursday we are doing the guided expeditions: one to Olympia for the original site of the Olympics and one to Delphi to learn about the Oracles! Should be fun!
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