The Italy & Greece Trip: Chapter 2 – On a Boat, Corfu, & Santorini

By Ryan LuckieUncategorized

The first full day of our cruise was spent at Sea.  We worked out, got some sun in the pool area, and attended an art auction.  One of the real highlights, however, was that we ate a Cagney’s for the first time.    We had purchased the ultimate dinning package which allowed us to choose one of their specialty restaurants each night of the cruise.  We went to a Steakhouse, a French Restaurant, Japanese teppanyaki, and a Brazilian Steakhouse.  If we had to do it all over again I think we’d have done the Cagney’s Steakhouse 5 nights and the French Restaurant twice.  I’d rate Cagney’s just below Rick’s, Amanda’s and my favorite steakhouse in Greenville.  We walked through the buffet once and tried to avoid it for the rest of the cruise… we aren’t buffet people.

Shrimp cocktails at Cagney’s.

Cheesecake at Cagney’s

Around the boat.  Overall we found the Jade very comfortable, clean, and well organized.  We both found breakfast disappointing, had mixed opinions on lunch, and were very happy with the rooms, customer service, and specialty dining in the evenings.

Enjoying the sunset.  We also were treated to a beautiful lightning storm one night, which we observed from both the side deck and a panoramic lounge at the front of the ship.

Corfu: Our First Port of Call

Our first port of call was Corfu.  This day would see Amanda’s fitbit log 25,485 steps or 10.78 miles.
In Corfu, our first stop, we did not have a excursion planned. We made our way off the boat, bought a map of the island, and started making our way down the coast line. This was the new Venetian fortress which we passed along the way.
 Our first stop was at the old Venetian Fortress on Corfu.
You had to cross this canal to get to the entrance of the Old Fortress.
The fortress clock tower, with Corfu in the background.
A view of the island from the old Venetian fortress. (click for full size)

We made our way back across the island, stopping for lunch at a local place and enjoying some authentic Greek Gyros. Amanda wishes she had another right now.  We arrived at the base of the “new fortress” and started debating whether or not we would go up. At the bottom we resolved we’d make our way up and turn around if there was a charge to get in.

After we got about 80% up the new fortress they stopped us and said it was 3 Euros to go further, but that they would give us a drink. Free drink was the magic word. I got an aptly named FIX and Amanda had a glass of Greek wine and we were off to the top…

…but before we did, I snuck a picture of Amanda as she was walking out of the building.
We made it to the top of the new fortress.

The “old fortress” from the “new fortress.”

Us at the top of the “new fortress”

New Fortress with Old Fortress in Background.

A tree growing on a lower level of the ‘new fortress’ the old fortress is in the background. After this we headed back to the ship.

Santorini: Our favorite Greek Island.

Our second port was the much anticipated Santorini. We had to get a boat from the cruise ship to port where we boarded busses and began climbing to the top of the cliffs that make up Santorini.

Our first stop was at Santo Winery.

The winery offered a gorgeous view of the island towns stretching along the caldera.  

A view including the winery and our boat.
We got to try three different wines, including the super sweet Vinsanto. (right)

Luckiest man alive with wife.

We loved the gorgeous cliff-side views and iconic blue domed churches.  It was overwhelming how beautiful everything was. Our guide told us this is where the “poor people” on the island lived. I can see why Greece has such bad economic problems… if I lived there I wouldn’t want to work either.

This dog has it made.

Amanda and I wandered around a fair amount, returning to the city center where we would have to get a cable car down to the ferry. The line was tragically long, so Amanda thought it would be fun to walk down the “donkey trail.” Traditionally the main means of getting from the port to the town is donkeys. You can ride one up or down for 5 euros, or just walk down for free. We didn’t feel like riding a donkey so we made our way down, doing our best to avoid kamikaze donkeys from running us over and also attempting to avoid anything the donkey’s left behind.

This poor guy’s donkey decided he didn’t feel like going down anymore… he was stuck there for a few minutes.

We got a glimpse of the cable cars we elected not to wait for. The suspiciously small number of cable cars is probably due to some donkey union.

Sun was setting on the island as we reached the port, offering some beautiful views.

Goodbye Santorini, you instantly became one of our favorites.

Back to the boat, with beautiful lighting in the background.

Back on the cruise ship we got one last view of beautiful Santorini. The donkey trail is illuminated winding down the cliffs.

In our next post we’ll fill you in on Mykonos and Olympia.