This morning we docked in Sarande, the well-known Albanian beach resort that has been expanding very fast in the last years. There are still a lot of unfinished buildings and hotels along the road towards Butrint. This archaeological site represents the rise and fall of the great empires that dominated the region. It has remnants of Hellenistic temple buildings, the Roman Empire’s aqueduct and baths, Byzantine mosaics, Venetian and Ottoman fortifications. What makes it even more special is that nature still holds claim to the grounds, and many ruins are still overgrown.
While we were on the way back to the ship for lunch the clouds started gathering, bringing a change in the weather and the first signs of a forecast storm. We set sails in the Corfu channel feeling the storm coming. The air became fresh and cool. The first drops fell during the late-afternoon presentation of the amazing history of the Sea Cloud. Luckily there was a visit to the original cabins planned for this evening. Unaware of the strong rain outside, we enjoyed the champagne and elegant atmosphere of the owners’ suites. The Sea Cloud docked in the harbor of Corfu for the night, while we were treated to a special gala dinner. The rain didn’t stop us from having an after dinner drink on the lido deck while helping the crew to push away the rain water from the canvas covering the lido bar. The evening turned into an unexpected late-night “dancing in the rain” party as we sat out the winds and thunderstorms in Corfu.
