Since the New Fortress is on the side of town closest to the cruise ship, we opted to skip a local bus and simply walk there. It took only about 30 minutes to get to the side of the fortress that my Maps.me app indicated had a path that reached the top (it sits on one of two hills overlooking the city; the Old Fortress sits in the other one). However, once we got there, we discovered the New Fortress was closed for the season. Well...shoot. I guessed that climbing to the top of that hill was not in the cards for today. 'Tis a pity. ;-)
Instead we spent some time wandering through the market, which offered fish stands and produce stands and lots of photos ops. We came upon a basket of small, oval shaped fruit that we suspected were kumquats, which are widely grown on the island, and the vendor confirmed this. She offered us some to try. They taste very much like an orange but have no rind and the entire fruit can be eaten in one bite. The vendor had some some homemade kumquat products for sale and we purchased a small jar of kumquats packed in syrup. Head waiter Petros told us tonight that these are delicious on Greek yogurt and we will try to buy some in our next Greek port, Rhodes. Another booth offered locally produced honey and we had to buy some of that, too, and I know it will be great on Greek yogurt also.
Kumquats
Our kumquat supplier
Several different types of honey
Oranges look so much nicer with some leaves thrown in
We decided to wander through the Old Town toward the waterfront and enjoyed the many picturesque alleys and outdoor cafes with tables filled with locals. We checked out a small grocery store (Marlene enjoy them as much as we do) but I didn't want to add anymore to my bag because I knew I still had a way to go to get back to the ship. Once in front of the Old Fortress, we continued along the waterfront back to a park from which the Princess shuttle (6€ person round trip) and the HOHO bus depart to return to the ship. The local bus (#16) also leaves from there for 1,70€ per person but we just shared a waiting taxi back to the port for 10€ for four of us.
We heard English Christmas carols coming from students in this building
Corfu's Old Fortress
We spent some time at a cafe in the port terminal using the free WiFi and sharing a bottle of a local white wine (the name will be absent because it's Greek to me) that we purchased for 5€. The prices on the Dalmatian coast and in Greece are very low and we've been enjoying them. It had started to rain again by the time we wanted to return to the ship (plus we were tired and tipsy by then), so we took the free shuttle bus back and walked up the gangway about 4:30pm.
I showered first and went to the PES Lounge for shrimp fountain night but still managed to eat three courses for dinner (we had skipped lunch): tuna escabeche starter, the most delicious Mediterranean lentil soup with lemon and Moroccan chicken tangine. I loved them all! The entertainemnt tonight was production show Cinematastic and we arrived in time for front row seats. What a great show! After tea in the Panorama Buffet we are tucked into bed at 9:30pm. We were chatting with fellow passengers before the show tonight and everyone is tired after six days of ports (and some of us had 8 in a row but kind of took two of them off) and very ready for tomorrow at sea.
Captain D said the seas won't be too bouncy but that there will be a chance of rain tomorrow and possibly in Rhodes the next day but left us with the distinct impression that the tender port of Khios the day after that might be at risk. A potential unplanned sea day? ''Tis another pity. ;-)