Today started with a Late breakfast and a late checkout at the hotel. This was due to the Ferry which would take us to Corfu (Greece) did not depart until 8pm. Turned out the hotel did not know about our late breakfast and had packed up our breakfast room so we were sent to the normal dining room which only had scraps left.
After breakfast we checkout out of the hotel and loaded bags onto the bus. After a short ten minute delay while Kritz moved the bus between cars and trucks so we could leave the hotel we were soon on the road again for the drive to Port de Bari where we would depart for our overnight ferry to Corfu. On the way to the port we took a detour to a place called Montcassino. It was the site of the Battle of Mont Cassino during the war in 1944. It was destroyed and later rebuilt after the war. For our bus driver this is an important place. Many Polish soliders were killed here and he had never visited the site before. Unfortuantly we just missed out on doing a tour and no other access to the site is available, We left here and descended the hill again to rejoin the motorway.
We arrived at Port De Bari at just after 6pm. This is where we learned our first new fact about Greece. In Greece and including the ferry you can’t flush toilet paper down the toilet. You place it into a bin next to the toilet. Seriously in 2013 they have not overcome this? After boarding the boat and dumping our stuff in the room most people then went back to reception to purchase WiFi passes for the nights journey and then made themselves comfortable around the bar.
After just one drink and dinner with Rhian I went to bed. I was buggered from the night before. The ferry ride was really smooth. Surprising. I expected it to be bumpy but you could only feel the rumble of the ships engine. The phone in the room rang around 0530 to wake us up and let us know we were nearing port. Three guys from our group stayed up drinking all night and one was in the same spot I left him last night passed out.
The boat arrived at our first destination at around 0600. We departed the boat and the bus got refueled near the port. Our breakfast was handed out which was not all that interesting. We had to wait around the port for another three hours until our next ferry departed for Corfu. Once departed the ferry only took two hours to reach Corfu.
Our bus dropped us off in the old city. We had a few hours to kill before we could checkin too the hotel. A group of us walked up and explored the old fort. We climbed to the top and took a few photos before coming down to find lunch. After lunch we took a walk around the old city until it was time to get the bus too the hotel and checkin.
Our hotel is located just near the Corfu International Airport. From the balcony you can see part of the runway and the terminal building. Our room also has a great view of the pool at the hotel. After dropping bags in the room and a quick shower most people made their way down to the pool area for swimming, relaxing and drinking.
We had around four hours to kill before dinner so was perfect time to take advantage of the three euro beer. Dinner was great. Was a full buffet. This was probably the best food we have had on the tour. So good I went back for seconds. After dinner most of the group headed across the road to the other hotel which had a bowling ally. You buy a drink and you get a free game of bowling. Rhian and I stayed for two games with the others then returned to the hotel and went to bed.
