Geo: 39.6178, 19.9196So we went to the island of Corfu. We got there at the usual time of around 8am and they started disembarking soon after. We had no official tour set up for this port so we just took the ship shuttle offered and went to the town. The bus dropped us off right next to an old fort sitting on a point offering some sort of protection to the town in days past. You could walk all the way to the top for a great vantage point of the town but Mom said no to that. So I was content to wander about the lower portion, taking pictures of walls, coastline and massive architectural structures from unique angles to add interest to much of what we had seen in places before. I put Karen ... read more

Geo: 42.6537, 18.0948We had no plans for this port when we arrived at noon. We took a bus shuttle that HAL offered to get us to the old town. We walked around after the 2 1/2 mile bus trip when I noticed a bunch of people walking through this big stone archway. We headed that way and as soon as we got to the inside, we found a whole town inside the walls. No vehicles, just walking streets. The buildings were very old and beautiful. We found out that much of the town was damaged in the 1991 Serbian war but had been repaired over the last 20 years. Mom walked though the town, checking out the sites and stores. Their style of jewelry was not to her liking. Everything was shaped like balls or owls. ... read more

Geo: 45.4345, 12.3384We arrived in Venice in the morning and after breakfast, we headed out about 9:30am to the old town. We bought a ticket good for unlimited use on the public vaporetto and boarded it right at the harbor. It's about 25 minutes to St Marc Square, sort of the center of things. Once off the water taxi, we worked our way into the city, burrowing our way through the streets and alleys, over the arched bridges spanning various canals and attempting to avoid the hoards of people swarming the city too. We checked out areas loaded with fancy shops like Prada, Armani, Gucci, Bvlgari and Vendi. Tennis shoes for $2500? Leather belt for $400? Purses $5000? I tried to purchase a few of these but we ran out of time. Outside the shops on ... read more

Geo: 37.65, 21.3167Katakolon is a small town on the coast very near where the Olympics first began over 2000 years ago. It's about a 45 minute drive out to the site to see the ruins. Mom is getting tired of ruins. She says that if you want to see something ruined, check out my knee. Our next stop is Venice so in order to let her leg rested up, we skipped the history lesson and stayed in town where she just walked the 3 blocks of the Main Street.We arrived in this port later than usual, at 10am and we had to leave by 4:30pm so we didn't have a lot of time anyway. There were some nice shops to see and Mom liked that. Quite a few dress and clothes shops and the usual jewelry. ... read more

Geo: 37.9792, 23.7166Today we had no plans locked in for today. I had put together a day where we take the train/tram to the Plaka area of Athens known for its winding, cobblestone streets inviting travelers into its shops and restaurants. We had walked thought the area last night after the restaurant. People were out on the narrow streets eating outside and the shops were all open. I thought Mom would like to go there to check out the Greek stores but her leg was sore from all the stair climbing the past few days. Although it was warm today, in the high 70s, there was a few drops of rain. Mom probably needed the break so we stayed aboard the ship. We organized the stateroom a bit and then while I went for the Internet, ... read more