Our next excursion was to Katakolon, the site of the original Olympic games. Apparently, the site was buried under centuries of silt and debris from floods. They’re still digging it out. We saw the original training and barracks areas. There are altars to the various gods and the markers for the 100 meter dash. Some of the tourists ran the dash and those of us who climbed the hillside cheered them on. We were also shown the site where the contemporary Olympic flame is lit. I thought they’d start the flame at one of the altars, but they direct a lens on some kindling in a spot on the gravel road. I didn’t see anything special about the area but that’s where they do it. They even have a second flame just in case the original flame goes out as it travels around the world. We were lectured about the foliage in the area then we were turned loose for our free time. Gordon and Billy headed for the museum, but Dawn and I walked to Katakolon to shop. Our guide explained that the shops didn’t open until the cruise ships anchored. Tourists are the lifeblood of the town so everybody speaks English. I found a leather purse I wanted but couldn’t find my wallet. I freaked out, of course, but Dawn calmed me down. She even paid for the purse. I paid her back in American dollars, but I worried about my wallet. When we got back to the ship I hurried to the safe where I found the wallet, safe and sound. What bothered me is: I didn’t remember putting it there. It was the smart thing to do but I seem to be losing my marbles. Not a comforting thought. I prefer to think that I was still jet-lagged. Yeah, that’s it: jet lag.
Gordon took a nap but I decided to take advantage of the pool on board. It was two strokes across for Gordon which explained his lack of interest in it but I was happy to paddle around or float. I wasn’t even embarrassed about being seen in a bathing suit. I may not be able to keep up with 25-year-old starlets but in the land of the over-the-hill gang I’m still a hot little trick. At least my skin doesn’t hang in folds. Gittin’ old ain’t pretty.
We met Dawn and Billy for dinner at the Chef’s Table on board that night. It was a seafood meal with paired wines for each course. I enjoyed it tremendously, but Gordon didn’t care for the sashimi course. He doesn’t eat bait. I do and I ate his too. Can’t waste a thing. Dinner ran long so we watched the evening’s entertainer from the TV in our suite. I think they had a piano player that night. He was good but I was tired. I slept through it.
We went to Corfu the following day. Prince Phillip was born there, and it seems like a nice place, but it was so crowded with my fellow tourists I didn’t really enjoy it. I remarked to Gordon on how clear the water was, and I appreciated seeing where the Durrells of Corfu was filmed but I got tired of fighting crowds. We toured some churches and shopped in the picturesque old town, but we decided to walk back to the ship instead of waiting for the shuttle. The guide said it was only a 15-minute walk. Maybe if I was a greyhound. It took us half an hour and we don’t walk slow. We had to go through customs, of course, before we were allowed on the pier. We took the afternoon off then met Billy and Dawn for dinner at The Restaurant on board. Excellent meal as usual but it took 2 ½ hours. We were dining European style. That meant we missed the entertainment. We watched from our room. It was a young woman comic/singer. She had a wonderful voice, but I didn’t think much of her comedy. Didn’t feel like I missed much.
We left Greece for Montenegro the next day. Montenegro gets its name (Black Mountain) from the firs growing on the surrounding hillside. There’s a 16-mile channel between the Adriatic and the town of Kotor which was known as a ship building center in the Middle Ages. Kotor looks like it’s surrounded by mountains because of the turning of the channel. The guide told us it’s the longest fjord south of Scandinavia. I liked Kotor better than Corfu. It’s a beautiful walled city. And it’s not as crowded. The city is doing well. I wondered if life under the Russians was difficult, but the guide said Tito protected them. She sounded wistful about the Tito days. We went back to the ship because we had a concert later that afternoon at St Nicholas’ church farther down the coast. We took a boat to the site and were met by our guide who referred to us as ‘good and beautiful people’ in a Boris and Natasha accent. He told lots of jokes, some funny, but was basically a kick. We toured the church and were treated to champagne before the concert began. The two artists were guitar players who specialized in local music. They were excellent and got a richly deserved standing O. Then we boated home. We weren’t very hungry, so we went to the 24-hour World Café on board. It was another early night in our delightful suite. I could learn to love traveling like this.
Barracks ruins at Olympia
Me in full-tourist regalia in Corfu. The water was so clear!
I think this was a church at Kotor. they all started to look alike after a while. That’s what happens on whirl-wind tours.