Day 16 - Wednesday 9th September - Part B

After leaving Argostolli, we enjoyed the warm sunshine on another beautiful day as we sailed north towards the island of Ithaca. Most people were on deck – sunbaking, reading a book or playing cards.

At about 3:45pm, we dropped anchor in a delightful bay near Cape Skinos on Ithaca for a 30-minute swim. The water was warm and refreshing. Because it is so salty, there is little need to paddle to keep afloat.

It only took another 15 minutes to get to the village of Vathi which was to be our port for the night. This is yet another charming seaside village with lots of character.

The company had organised a 3-hour tour of the island for us. Normally we would need to pay for such optional tours but the company was paying this time because of all the problems we had experienced.

As promised, the tour bus was waiting for us at the dock at 5pm. I had been expecting the bus to be a modest size but this one was a full-size tour bus that you see anywhere around the world – about the same size as a Sydney government bus.

I was amazed that the driver managed to manoeuvre such a large vehicle along the island’s narrow windy roads and sharp hairpin bends. The streets in some of the towns would feel narrow for a normal car – let alone for a big bus. On some of the hairpin bends, the front of the bus seemed to swing over the edge of the road above the huge cliffs below and yet we lived to tell the tale. He was a brilliant driver.

Along the way, the bus stopped for photo opportunities and at two towns: Stavros and Kioni. The latter was especially beautiful. It seems to attract rich people because the wharves were lined with expensive sailing boats. We enjoyed a frappe (iced coffee) in a delightful sidewalk café right next to the water’s edge.

On our return to the boat, we had another enjoyable dinner. After dinner the company had organised a Greek night with Greek dancing but nobody took them up on their offer. Instead we went for a stroll through the village of Vathi.

While we were at Stavros earlier, I went into a hardware store and bought a tape measure so we could measure the size of the beds and the cabins (on the suggestion of the travel agent). The “double” bed in our cabin is 116cm wide whereas a standard double bed in Australia is 136cm wide (20cm more) and our queen size bed at home is 152cm wide (36cm more). No wonder we feel so cramped.

Leo got us to measure his single bed. It was 80cm wide.

During the day, Suzy had asked for an extra sheet and blanket. With two top-sheets, we managed to completely cover us both while we slept and we were also able to tuck the sheets in at the sides of the bed. We both had a good night’s sleep.