Zakynthos, Greece - April 3

Here we had a private tour set up with Nefis Travel which is owned by Jackie & her husband Takis. http://nefis-travel.com/en/nefis-travel-services/shore-excursions

Our ship arrived well before the tourism season starts which is May 1. I couldn’t find many tour operators willing to start the season early, so I was thrilled that Jackie was willing to run a tour.

Jackie was so wonderful to correspond with and even more impressive in person. We had crappy weather. It started out with some wind that made it questionable if the ships’ tenders could operate, but after waiting almost an hour, they considered it was safe to operate. When we finally made it to shore, Jackie was there waiting for us and she said she would need to call the boat captain to see if they could operate the Blue Caves portion of the tour.

 inside the tender boat

Today we were joined by Janie & Rick, Joe & Perla, Cam & Kiet, Bob & Phyllis and Lorraine & Chuck. Wow, what a fun group today. Despite the dismal weather we were determined to enjoy our day in Zakynthos. Jackie was so entertaining and informative without boring us to death with too much history. She had Greek music playing softly in the vehicle. It was just a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

 see the rain on the windows.....

 our van

We went to Tragaki, a small village in the countryside where we walked around in the slight sprinkling of ran and visited a shop where a gentleman makes his own shot gun shells. What a charming village this was. There was an amazing view at the end of the village.

 short walking tour (was to be longer, but the rain limited the time)

The captain called Jackie and said that it was a “no go” on the boat ride. The weather was cold and rainy and I don’t think any of us were looking forward to sitting on a boat getting wet and freezing. Jackie immediately went to work setting up an alternative tour for the day. They run one called “Back to the Roots” and she made calls to the locals to be set up to great us and have lunch ready for us in a taverna in the countryside. I think she probably woke up quite a few people for our tour.

 we took shelter here when it rained hard for a short while

We also visited the oldest shop in Zakynthos, a small general store with Grandma Taisa, a lovely old woman who posed for photos with us. Her husband passed, but she still loves to welcome tourists to her store.

 we stopped at another lookout before the general store

 the stop at the country store

 her husband

mailboxes outside of the store

If we had been able to see the Blue Caves here is the description: “Our speedboat has the ability to safely enter the Blue Caves of Zante. We stop to take photos of the sea caves and arches, as well as the stunning translucent blue waters. Those who wish to fully experience the phenomenon of the Blue Caves can take a dip in the blue waters. Your whole body takes on the blue hues and everyone enjoys photographing all the swimming 'blue Smurfs'! Don't worry though, this is just an optical illusion and the blue hue will disappear once out of the water.” It would have been too cold to go in the water anyway.

Jackie refunded each couple $30 for not being able to see the Caves and included lunch at no charge. That was very nice of her and everyone appreciated it.

We stopped at a folkloric museum and that was quite interesting. There was a café there and we stopped to get some hot drinks and the lady had just made a cake that was still warm. I had the best hot chocolate that I’ve ever tasted. It was nice to relax in the warmth of the café.

 the courtyard behind the cafe

 covered patio

We made a stop at an overlook for the iconic photo of “shipwreck beach”. We encountered a Princess tour here. There is a small walkway out over the cliff and there is really only 1 spot that fits one person at a time where you can view the shipwreck from. So, it was slow waiting for each person to take their turn at getting the photo. Here is where we encountered more of the “Princess attitude” we have experienced on this voyage. The ship’s photographer was in the one spot and he had been there for a long time. Someone said, it’s the ship’s photographer and he’ll probably be there an hour. He turned and said “it’s my job and I’ll take 2 hours if needed.” Just add that to the list of staff that have been rude this time around. (from the Cruise Director on down….)

We stopped at a church and a monastery where it started to POUR! We were at the church under cover and the umbrellas were all in the van. We were going to try and wait it out when the driver, Lefteris came running with an armful of umbrellas. What a guy! Throughout the day he got us as close as possible to everywhere we stopped so we wouldn’t get wet.

our hero!

Then, we stopped at Matina’s traditional market that had crafts, olive oil soaps, wines & food. Matina had a table set up for us to have a taste of the real Zakynthos. We sampled bread with olive oil and cheese, almonds coated with honey and almonds coated with strawberry, sesame seed treats, olives, 2 different kinds of honey to taste. One was a bitter orange honey that was incredibly good. They had red and white wine to taste. There was a market there with magnets, linens, olive oil soaps, wine, honey etc. for sale. Everyone bought quite a bit here. Since they opened especially for us I’m glad they made some money on sales.

Then we went to have lunch with music. Lunch was very special. They opened just for us. They served the bread with the cheese and the tomato, a beef patty, olives, fries, Mousaka, wine, soft drinks or beer. Then a guy came with his guitar and he and Jackie sang and played for us. What a fun time! (with thunder and lightning going on outside) The food was good and plentiful. The woman was right there in the kitchen cooking and cleaning like it was in her home. They really made us feel like family.

 Janie, Rick, Chuck, Lorraine

 Perla, Joe, Cam, Kiet

 Bob & Phyllis

 yum!

 Jackie our guide and the guy who played and sang for us

 the owners of the taverna

Jackie presented each couple with a gift of olive oil and for me she gave me an extra gift for putting a group together. Very personal touch!

All aboard today was 3:30, so a short day. (and we were an hour late getting to shore because of the weather and the tender process.) We did get on the first tender so that was good. 

We were going to have another photo stop and a bit more of a drive, but it was raining and we all just said, what’s the point. It had been such a fun day that no one really cared. Jackie really made our day special despite less than lovely weather. The driver got us within steps of the tender and we said our goodbyes to Jackie & Lefteris. 

The tender ride back to the ship was a bit like riding a bucking bronco. The wind was up and there were a lot of “Yee Haws” and laughter as we rode the waves. Ironically, almost as soon as we got back to our room the rain had stopped and the sun came out. The front had passed through.

 sail away 

Tonight, was a formal night for some stupid reason after a port day, so we got changed and went to dinner. They also had a Venetian Champagne Waterfall before the evening show. They walked around with free champagne and we had several baklavas that they were bringing around. Yum! 

The evening show was Corrie Sachs with a tribute to Reba McEntire. She has played a lot in Vegas and also said she has done Show Stoppers in Phoenix. Scott & Sonya, I thought of you and wondered if you have ever seen her. She’s not my type of music, but she did a great job of impersonating her and it was a fun show.

Tomorrow we don’t have as early of a start AND we get to set our clocks back one hour for a bit more sleep before our first port in Italy which is Bari.