106. Mr. Z Wants to be Famous

Mr. Z is the Hotel Manager on the boat. He is the guy we go to when we want to complain about the WiFi, the air conditioning, the way your bed was made, and the lack of variety in candy on the hospitality desk. Every couple of days I have to beg him for a new internet password because all of the important things I do on the internet seem to take up 10 times as much internet than everyone else. The word about my blog has spread around the boat, and now I actually have to watch what I say and be nicer.

We sailed through the night from the Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea. Saranda, Albania was our first stop where we unloaded to tour the Butrint Archaeological Site. This is a place where Greeks lived, then Romans, then Byzantine, then the Venetian. So there were many layers to this place, and our local guide, Demir, pointed out what places came from which people. It was amazing to see how they were all able to fit giant boulders perfectly together to make structures that would last thousands of years.

While this place had a lot to offer, Albania is still developing as a tourist attraction after being a closed communist country for many years. So there weren't as many tourists as there will be one day. We took a bus ride from the port to the site and along the way saw just how much this place has developed in the last 10 years. Close to the water there are many apartment complexes, restaurants, and other attractions. When we got further away from that, we just saw open fields dotted with old bunkers.

Demir also told us about their culture and some of his words of wisdom to Scarlet were "You are in Albania, you don't have to pay attention to the keep out signs." This was when Scarlet was avoiding a great lookout point because it was blocked with tape.

Back on the boat, we settled in for the trip to Corfu, Greece. There was nothing planned on the town for the night, but as soon as we docked, Grandpa, Scarlet, and I stepped off the boat to check out the town. We made it about halfway to the old town taking some of the back alleys but soon made the realization that nothing would be open on a Saturday night, and dinner was waiting for us on a boat.

During this entire trip - even before the cruise, remembering the day of the week has been a huge problem. Sometimes we would get to a new apartment, realize it was a Sunday night, and then have some leftover cereal for dinner because there is no such thing as a 24 hour WalMart in Europe.

In high school I went Florida with my best friend Jordan and her family a few times. On one of our trips together, her mom bought some baklava at a small town we visited. I was hooked after the first bite - even though at that point I still pronounced it really wrong. So you can imagine my excitement when I read the menu for dinner and saw that desert was 3 different types of baklava! Shout out to the chef!

After dinner we were treated to some on board Greek dancers. After a couple songs, the interactive dancing started. This just reminded me that there is a reason I am not in the front at Purduette shows, and it has nothing to do with my height... We made it through the steps without breaking anything and ended the night with a conga line around the lobby.