Corfu - Kerkira

 Athens to Rome Cruise 

Corfu - Kerkira

February 4 2026

Yesterday afternoon there was a  couple of announcements which didn't sound good.  The first was for the stretcher team to report and the second was for the fire suppression team to report.  Fire being the most dangerous thing on board a ship.  After a few minutes the cruise director was on the PA saying that there had been smoke reported in the garbage incinerator room.  A second announcement that they were dealing with it and then the all clear announcement.  How serious it was I am sure we will never know.  

This morning we landed in Kerkira which is the capital of Corfu.  Corfu is strategically located between the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic Sea.  It is also half way from Turkey to Italy, and half way from Greece to Egypt.   The Venetians occupied Corfu from 1386 to1797.  The Venetians constructed three fortresses   to defend against the  Ottomans.  The old fortress was heavily reinforced with new walls and two new fortresses where constructed.  The old town was cleared back from the  new fortresses to provide a clear field of fire, and the remainder of the old town was reconfigured to funnel attackers into the cannon fire.  It worked and Corfu never fell to the Ottomans.  

The architecture of the Kerkira is a blend of the Italian and the crumbling Byzantine styles.  The red browns of the Byzantine with the cream colours of Italy make for a very pleasing palette.  The old town streets now seem impossibly narrow at around 10 feet and even the wider streets are still very narrow.  Today the streets are line with small cafes, and tourist junk shops.  A lot of the shops were closed as the tourist season doesn't start until April. I just cannot imagine  being here in the height of tourist season.  

This afternoon a howling wind has picked up and there are white caps in the harbour.  We could be in for a rough sea day tomorrow.  

Walking the streets which are 800 plus years old is such a change from back home were the oldest streets date back to the 1950's.   

Terry

 

Olympia Greece

Athens to Rome Cruise 2026

Olympia Greece

February 3, 2026

Today we are in a tiny little town called Katakolon Greece.  It is a beautiful little town and the jumping off to Olympia.  Certainly no large cruise ships could access this tiny harbour.  We boarded our tour buses for the short 25 minute ride to Olympia early in the morning.  

I think the only people at the site were from our cruise ship.  Having the opportunity to see the site with so few people was perfect.  

Olympia was the site of the first Olympic games.  It was also the site of the temple to Zeus.  The site which covers 53 hectares was originally constructed around 1300 BC and was in use through 300 AD.  As it was considered a pagan site its use was forbidden after that.  The site was flooded by the river and buried under 7 meters of dirt.  The site has been excavated and there is ongoing restoration work.  

It was really neat standing on the starting line in the original Olympic stadium.  The stadium its self is a large grass bowel with the sides providing seating for 47,000 people. Athletes entered through a covered entry at one end.    

We only had a few minutes to go through the museum after the tour which was unfortunate, as there were thousands of artifacts ranging from tiny figurines to huge bronze pieces representing mythical creatures such as winged Griffins, there were lots of bulls as bulls were scared.  I took over a hundred pictures so you are seeing only a tiny fraction.  

What a great day to see such a wonderful and unique place.

Terry 

  

 

  

Kalamata Greece

Athens to Rome Cruise

Kalamata Greece

February 2 , 2026

Last night the seas were very rough with the waves reaching 15 feet.  The ship was really rolling in the swells.  Stuff was bumping around in our closet.

Today our stop was in Kalamata Greece.  It is named after the olives which are grown in this region. Kalamata is a protected name and only olives grown in the Messenia province can be called Kalamata. 

The tour was up to see the Palace of King Nestor.  King Nestor was the king of Pylos and was and a senior counselor in the Trojan  war.  It was a long drive (about 60 minutes) across the Peloponnese Peninsula to the site of King Nestor's Palace.  The palace was located at the top of an extremely long winding, narrow and very steep road.  When we got there the wind was just howling making it very cold.  This site is not open to the public and Viking had arranged a special viewing for us.  The ruins are covered by a large canopy to protect them from the elements.  While viewing the ruins I spotted two snakes and asked the guide what they were and he said that they were the only poisonous snake in Greece and were very dangerous.  I was glad we were up on the walk way.  There was a clay tablet which had Linear B script.  Linear A had not yet been decoded.  

Back to the ship where Agnes posed on the gangway for a quick photo OP. 

After lunch the sun was out and it was a beautiful afternoon so we when for a walk along the pier.  It was a beautiful stroll in the sun.  Quaint Greek fishing boats in the harbour. I caught a photo of our ship and Agnes marked our cabin on it. 

What a beautiful day.  

Terrt

  

  

February 1 Santorini

Athens to Rome Cruise

Santorini

February 1, 2026

Today's visit was Santorini.  Well, it was suppose to be Santorini that is.  The ship anchored in the main channel between the two islands however the captain was constantly running the thrusters to hold the ship in one position in the channel as the wind was just howling.  The weather forecast was for 45 kms winds and rain all day.  

We had and early tour so Agnes and I were up early and off to the breakfast buffet early.  As we were tendering we had to go down to the ships theater and await our turn.  The tenders in Santorini have to be local tenders rather than ship tenders.  So as we sat there waiting there was an announcement after another saying that they were waiting on the tenders to arrive.  Finally about 45 minutes after departure time the captain announced that due to the bad weather tendering was not safe and all tours were cancelled. While I had been really looking forward to seeing the famous white villas with the blue roofs clinging to the cliffs I wasn't up for getting in a tender in bad weather.  The captain announced that we were going to spend the day slowly motoring to the next stop.  And it has been a slow sail.  The daily ship announcement said we were sailing at 8 knots.  

I went out on deck to catch a glimpse of the villas form the ship however as there was so much rain and moisture in the air the photos didn't turn out.  

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It was really nice having a day off.  I guess it gives me a reason to come back. 

Tonight we are off to Manfredi's which is the ship's specialty Italian restaurant.  I am hoping that the service there is better as so far I have to say that I am disappointed in the overall level of service, in the main dining room and in the Chef's Table  which is the other specialty restaurant.  The ship's buffet service has been good, as has been the room steward. 

Terry 

 

Rhodes Greece

Athens to Rome  Cruise 2026

Rhodes Greece

January 31, 2026

As we set sail from Crete last night the profile of Zeus was clearly visible over looking the city of Heraklion.  It was a smooth crossing last night unlike the crossing to Crete the night before.

The island of Rhodes has a population of around 125,000 residents of which around 56,000 live in the city of Rhodes.  The island of Rhodes is at the center of the eastern Mediterranean with the Mediterranean sea on one side and the Adriatic sea on the other.  This made it a popular stop over point for pirates, Egyptians, Ottomans, Persians, Crusaders, Italians, Nazis, and the English.   The city it's self is a Medieval city which is surrounded by walls built by the Knights of St John who built the wall in 1250 AD.  They were kicked out by the Persians who were kicked out by the Ottomans.  The Italians took over in 1922 after WW1 and they did a lot of rebuilding.  The main citadel had been destroyed in an accidental explosion was rebuilt by the Italians.  The Nazis took over from the Italians and the English took over from them after WW2.  Finally in 1948 Rhodes was finally reunited with Greece.  All of this has made for a real mixed architecture.  

The ship is docked right downtown so we walked straight off the ship and through the town.  It is a very charming place.  There are a lot of stray cats which are every where. They are feed by the locals and the local SPCA tries to catch and spay them but it is a losing battle.  The climate never gets below 7 C( 45F)  so they have a pretty good life.  Our tour took us through the old town which is a huge collection of tiny tourist trap shops.  As the tourist season is April through November most of the shops were closed.  This little town with narrow streets sees 3.5 million tourists every year.  I can't imagine being here.  

I took this photo of our ship the Viking Star to high light that even though it is considered a small cruise ship with only 930 guests and at 47,000 tonnes it is still 745 feet long.  This compares to the Icon of the Seas which is currently the largest cruise ship at 7600 passengers, 248.663 tonnes and 1197 feet long.  

It was a very nice day for a very nice walk through a very charming place. 

Terry 

Heraklion Crete

Viking Athens to Rome Cruise

Athens to Heraklion Crete

January 30 2026,

Last night the ship set sail for the island of Crete.  Watching us leave the harbour from our balcony was really magical.  The city lights were reflecting in the water and there was a very nice warm breeze.  We have been on the tour for almost a week but leaving Athens made is seem even more real.  The forecast was for a stormy night and no sooner than we got out side of the Athens harbour than the rocking of the ship began.  It took all night to sail across to Crete and it wasn't until about 7:00 am before the ship finallly docked in Heraklion.  

Herkalion is the capital city of Crete.  It was the capital of the ancient Mycenaean civilisation.  This civilization was dominant about 1300 BC.  The Tour today was a bus tour of the city of Heraklion followed by a guided tour of  the Archaeological museum of Crete.  The bus tour was pretty short but the museum tour was really spectacular.  Although we were in the museum for almost 3 hours we covered less than half of the total museum. The tour covered the Mycenaean period before the Romans arrived around 200 BC.  There were thousands of items on display.  Incredibly detailed jewellery such as the bee broach.  Huge wine serving jugs with beautiful painted decorations.   There was also a wooden model of the Palace of Knossos which was at the center of the city   A short walk after the museum took us through the center of Heraklion past the Cathedral of Heraklion and down to the water front where the city fort, which was built by the Venusians is.  

Back on board in time for a late lunch.  It really does give meaning to the cruise ship saying; " On as a passenger and off the ship as cargo."

Sorry about the bad selfie.  I will have to try for a better one. 

What a great day in Heraklion. 

Terry