Saturday 19th September 2015
Here on board OLYMPIC CHAMPION we have a day at sea - how lovely. My cabin is spacious and I only woke at 5.45 a.m. when the anchor was dropped as we arrived at Igoumenitsa. I could see nothing from the window, so went back to sleep for another three hours.
Up in the self-service buffet I bought poor coffee, croissant and fruit, before heading for the outside aft bar and a much better cup of coffee. The sea around us was absolutely calm, the views of the Greek mountains ended and now we were truly heading for Venice.
Then I went to sit in the large forward Ocean View bar, which had wonderful views of course; and guess what, the first thing I heard in the background music as I walked in was that well-known tune 'Volare'. It's years since I first heard it, and of course it's played a lot on Costa ships or Italian ferries, so it made me smile. It's a good tune. Suddenly I was on my feet and looking down into the water ahead because we could see many dolphins leaping and diving into the sea - what fascinating creatures they are - and they carried on doing that for some time.
I sat with a friendly Austrian couple after that, making general conversation. The husband had been educated at a grammar school in Leicestershire, so his English was very good and I was grateful that he and his wife wanted to speak English to me. We all had books to read, so it was all very relaxing until one of the arms on my reading glasses broke off and fell on the floor. I hurried along to the shop on board and a helpful young lady promptly produced Sellotape from under the counter and put the arm back in place as a temporary measure. The rest of the day was spent doing nothing much, in relaxing surroundings on a big ship at sea, talking or walking around and enjoying the sea air.
We arranged to have dinner in the main a la carte restaurant and enjoyed the food and the surroundings. One item we particularly liked was a dip of eggplant, mayonnaise and Feta cheese - delicious. Back in the Ocean View Bar after that we sat and watched the sea and a big ship far ahead, whilst sheet and forked lightning filled the sky all around us. It was spectacular to watch, and awe-inspiring too. Tonight the clocks go back so we have another hour's sleep, before arriving very early tomorrow in Venice.
Ships seen (but not by me) in Igoumenitsa:
Bari, Superfast I, Superfast XI (off the port), 2 local ferries
To be continued...
