So, while Captain Ken stayed behind at the marina to supervise the 'upgrades', Thelma and Louise (a/k/a Jackie and I) rented a car and drove off to take Corfu by storm. We crossed the island to visit a monastery at Paleokastritsa, drove up amazingly narrow roads, and were impressed by the ability of huge bus drivers (the buses were huge...not the drivers) to navigate these roads probably built for (skinny) donkeys back in the day. At one point, I couldn't imagine what we would do if a car or worse, a bus came down the road since there only appeared to be room for one vehicle at a time. I was keeping an eye out for cut-outs to duck into, if it became necessary. When we got to the top, fortunately uneventfully, we realized that there was alternately one-way traffic and that the light at the bottom governing our passage was not working...but, fortunately, the red light at the top was working. (As my dad used to say...it's important to be smart, but if you can't be smart, you'd better be lucky.)

So, we circumnavigated the northern part of the island. Corfu has a totally different look than the other Greek islands we've toured. There are none of the traditional white wash and blue colored buildings. The influence is British and Italian. The buildings are beautifully multi-colored. The roads are decent, except for a few of the roads less travelled, which were dirt roads. The island is very green, with lots of olive trees, home-style vineyards and roads lined with all colors of oleander. There are many package holiday towns, teeming with beachniks and tourist shops selling Corfu souvenirs, but Jackie and I found a charming seaside tavern overlooking the mountains of Albania, beyond the tourist area, where we stuffed ourselves with 2 euro gyros and, of course, a Greek salad. Jackie is an outstanding driver, and maneuvered the roads ala Mario Andretti.

And as if the day couldn't get any better, on the return 15 minutes from the marina, Jackie did a 'eureka': a sign for the Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant. Our prayers were answered.