Corfu: The "Emerald Island"

On Thursday, we awoke to the beauty of cruising into our port of Corfu! No wonder it's known as the "Emerald Island" and a hidden treasure of the Mediterranean -- it's landscape is lush and green, it's buildings in colorful shades of gold and terracotta, and it's sea is crystal clear in shades of turqoise, green, and sapphire blues!

Our first stop on our excursion was the Achillion Palace, built by the Empress Elizabeth of Austria in 1891. The gardens had a breathtaking panoramic view of the Ionian Sea. Sharon, Maria and I enjoyed posing with the nine muses of Greek mythology on the Terrace of the Muses!

Just when we thought it couldn't get better, our excursion guide took us on a tour through the Corfu countryside through olive groves and forests of pine, cypress, lemon and orange trees to Paleokastritsa, considered by some to be the loveliest spot on the coastline of Corfu Island. We took a boat tour of the bay and caves where we were thrilled to see fish through the clear blue waters.