Photos

Hello loveys!

So I am at day 24 of this wild and crazy Contiki European Concept tour...I am finally able to breathe and relax...at Corfu in Greece!

Corfu. We sailed on a Ferry from sleazy Brandisi, Italy to Corfu, Greece ( this island is part of the Ionian islands...Gionis probably knows this already). The trip was uneventful enough..well, save for the fact that the Swiss Army was on board on their way to Kosovo. Met a couple of cute, young (and yes, Ellen, horny) soldiers. Can't remember their names...I don't care really to remember names. Suffice it to say there was off shore drilling which is a Contiki slang for someone getting lucky outside our tour group.

Ok, Corfu, the island is great! The people, very gentle and polite. Sure I understand very little Greek (kalimera means good morning and efhkaristoo means thanks) but I survived and managed to order food during our free days. One amusing thing about the island is the bus system. One can flag down the bus anywhere and there is a man sitting at the rear of the bus getting fare and handing tickets. I found this system rather amusing and reminded me of the way things are done in the Philippines. Pretty much get on and off anywhere you like. The sea was so blue that I sometimes found it difficult to distinguish where the sea ends and where the sky begins. Stunning sunsets and sunrises. The food was excellent! Souvlaki on a pita bread was my choice as staple for the entire time I was there. (Gionis, I tried the octopus...yum! But I must admit, my mom prepares octopus as well so I wasn't so squeamish when I ordered it...sorry you had to read this part Lizzie!)

We stayed at Hotel Frini which is a few meters away from the beach. Our room faces the sea so I always woke up with the sound of the waves and the chilly breeze from the sea ( the balcony door was never closed all the time we were there!) and the stunning display of colors from the sun rising. As usual there were rave parties at the hotel and one night was reserved for a toga party. Somehow in Greece, a toga party meāns so much more than the ones organized by the Greek Student Council of SFSU. Wearing togas (no undies of course!) was delightful and yes, skinny dipping was the order of the night.

Ouzo. Lethal. 40% proof and taken on its own, I guarantee you wouldn't be able to use your tongue for days. So after not having been able to talk for a few hours (because I sipped the bloody thing) I decided that a 3 parts sprite and 1 part ouzo was just right for me to have a delightful buzz.

Glupas. Greek Taverna. Folk dancing. The men were gorgeous. Their costumes reminded me of cheer leaders though because they had pom poms on their shoes and they wore bloomers with white tights. I know it sounds horrible but the men's bums were tight and the tights were fitted.prrr...prr...perfectly. The ladies, well, they wore skirts. I guess by now all you guys know that I came on this tour for the culture, right? The fire dance was terrific and was in fact the highlight of the evening. There was a circle of fire and the dancers were athletically dancing with jumps, twirls and acrobatics. They did not hurt themselves nor land on the fire nor the shards of broken plates. Wonderful dancing. Tracy and I shared a wonderful walk during the dancing intermission and found an altar lit by a solitary oil lamp on a very dark road. The air was heavy with the scent of Dama de Noche (a flower that blooms only at night and bursts like stars during dusk).

George's Boat. This was the most disappointing optional we had. All the guys did was jump off the boat to the wine caves, champagne beach and hanky panky island to consume bottles of wine, champagne and beer. I was not very keen on jumping off and drinking. Hanky Panky island was the most disappointing because all along I thought we'd dock at some remote island and sun bathe in the buff. Nope. All the island offered was the opportunity to jump off board without your top. I did not join them. I was hoping for a relaxing sun worshiping for at least two hours to get rid of my tan lines...the moon bathing after the toga party did more damage to my skin than hanky panky island.

Thoreau, Henry David went to the woods to live purposely...to suck out the marrow of life and to not come at the end of his life to realize he has not lived at all. Well, his Walden Pond is my European adventure. I purposely came here to live life and suck out the marrow of it without choking on the bone. An awesome feeling realizing this.

More to come...Venice, Vienna, Munich and Switzerland.

I am Mary Grace, still wandering and loving it.
October-November 1999