Corfu, Greece (Oct. 25)

On several occasions, the Ottoman Empire failed to conquer Corfu, which is heavily fortified. Had they tried a different strategy – booking a cruise to the island – they would have succeeded with no casualties other than a headache from imbibing too much kumquat liqueur.

Four shiploads of tourists descended on the island today – probably close to 8,000 invaders, many armed with lethal selfie sticks, intent on sacking Corfu’s stock of souvenirs.  I waged my own battle against them on a walk around the town this morning, ducking down alleys and scooting up stairs in search of my quarry:  interesting photos unspoiled by people’s heads and arms.

Through sheer perseverance and judicious cropping, I succeeded.  With its two fortresses, picturesque churches, Palace of Saints George and Michael (you gotta have faith, after all) and colorful backstreets – some of the color came from seemingly ubiquitous laundry drying overhead – Corfu is a photogenic if occasionally rundown place. Here are several alley/laundry pictures, one of my favorite photographic subjects.

I returned to town this afternoon in pursuit of a different objective: food.  This time, I joined forces with a dozen others, on a tour entitled “A Culinary Walk Through Corfu.” 

The streets weren’t nearly so crowded as earlier in the day; two of the ships left during the afternoon. 

Our first stop was a Greek delicatessen where we sampled bread with a wonderful olive oil (more, please); candied kumquats (once was enough), some kind of amazing nut concoction (dangerously good), and platonically ideal olives.

Next up:  a cheese shop where I skipped the feta but thoroughly enjoyed a cheese called graviera, made from a mix of cow’s and goat’s milk. 

Close by the cheese shop, we visited the only remaining synagogue in Corfu.  What used to be a population of two thousand Jews was reduced to fewer than two hundred after the Holocaust, and today only sixty remain.

Next up was dinner (as if any of us were still hungry):  a scrumptious Greek salad, zucchini balls (shredded zucchini held together with cheese), and bacalado (cod fish in a spicy tomato sauce).  A couple of scoops of gelato later, I may not eat again until, well, breakfast tomorrow.

That’s not as silly as it sounds, because tonight was Azamara’s famous “White Nights” deck party, with lobster tails, shrimp, all kinds of other sustenance, and an array of desserts including crepes suzette.  I settled for nourishing conversation with a table of friends, washed down with a sparkling water and the strains of the ship’s excellent band.

Our next stop is Argostoli, Greece.  Come back soon for a full report, hopefully written on a less-than-full stomach.