Excited again as this is another new destination for us. Zakynthos is an island 12 miles west of mainland Greece in the Ionian Sea and is the third largest of the Ionian islands. It is known for its sandy beaches and beautiful blue waters. The west side of the island is mountainous while the southeastern side is a fertile plain. It is basically a tourist destination known for its crystalline blue waters and beaches. Zakynthos Town is its capital and is historically known as The Venice of the South. It was almost completely destroyed by a 1953 earthquake and fire but was rebuilt taking care to restore its original style. The island is also a habitat for the endangered Logerhead turtle. Olive oil and tourism drives the island's economy. There are 40,000 residents on the island but during the summer tourist months (mid May to end of Oct) the population grows to 250,000. They do have an international airport on the island.
WHAT WE DID TODAY:
Our excursion today, “Panoramic Zakynthos" departed the pier after a short tender ride ashore. There were only 16 of us on the bus today so there was plenty of room for all to spread out. Our guide told us we were lucky not to have been here yesterday. It rained all day plus they had a hail storm that lasted for over an hour. Our first stop was to see how they process the olive oil from olives. This was only one of the 29 commercial presses on the island. To make a long story short, they basically press the oil out of the olives. Everything is used from this process in other ways, even the pits. We bought two bottles of "Dopia" extra virgin olive oil which is their best EEVO because it comes from the older trees.
Then we proceeded on a 45 minute drive continuing across the southern part of the island then turning up the west side up to almost the northern most part of the island. What was rather disturbing during our drive around the island was the huge piles of garbage every so often along the bumpy roads. The garbage was in bags sometimes piled 5 feet high. The guide said the government promised to have it picked up before tourist season begins on May 15th or they would eat it!! Our guide said there were over 5 million olive trees on the island and I believe we saw all of them. I was a lovely and scenic drive but we finally arrived at the Monastery of Anafonitria, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It is the oldest monastery on the island having been built in 1429. It had over 200 monks which were warrior like monks too and they protected the monastery from pirates. The Patron saint of Zakynthos, St Dionysios (St Dennis), served as abbot here most of his life until his death in 1624. After his death he was declared a saint in 1703. As you will see in the photos the 1953 earthquake did a lot of damage here. That earthquake pretty much leveled the island. No photos were allowed inside the church. I told the guide it was a long ride here and not much to see.
Back on the bus we took a different route back. We crossed the north then down the east side of the island showing us more of the terrain on the island. As we got closer to the port we climbed a big hill to the small village of Bohali for a photo stop. There we had a magnificent view below of Zakynthos Town and our ship anchored offshore.
Now we headed back down the hill for a short drive back to the port area and downtown. The guide was going to give a short walking tour in town but we chose to return to the ship. Did not need to see another church or shop.
My photo uploading was MUCH faster today. Only took an hour. I enjoyed a tuna salad sandwich from room service while working on this posting. Of course Rebecca had a protein bar for her lunch. She went up to fitness center this afternoon to workout.
Here is the link to my photos taken today:
https://goo.gl/photos/ukhekwhEyjcoSx7w5
It is 3:00 pm and may be the earliest I have ever finished the blog. We will be sailing at 5:00 pm and are at sea tomorrow prior to arriving in Civitavecchia, the port for Rome, on Tuesday. We have not decided where to dine this evening. Last night's headliner entertainer, Steve Stevens, I think was the best comedian I have ever heard on a cruise ship. He was also a talent trumpet player. Tonight's headliner is featuring Stephen Clark, a virtuoso flutist. Not sure about this show but will probably give it a chance.
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