How lucky we are!

The Ionian King has a Cypriot flag and was previously on a Japanese route so some interesting notices! We were boarded very early and realised as we watched the port activity that there were up to 200 young men trying to stow away on lorries bound for Italy! Their methods were blatant and we saw numerous evictions by the drivers and eventually severall successfully getting into an empty container - reminder of the Chinese who were found dead at Calais!

The authorities were not interested in prevention - only some work with dogs and mirrors by the ferry people! We are intrigued as to where they are from and why Patras!

A good voyage again - thanks to a discount cabin; but no thanks to Chloe for ringing at 4am or the horde of American High School students and teachers living up to every stereotype! One can only hope that travel will broaden their minds!

Piraeus, Patras, Pits!

Friday 12th October was not our finest hour as intelligent travellers!

After a very comfortable crossing we were off the ferry by 6.30 am. It was still dark and we had stupidly said we would pick up the ticet for the next ferry in Piraeus. We could not find the office and drove round and round up blind alleys and hovering in illegal spots! Eventually Ruth went up to the fifth floor in an office block to discover that it was just an office and not open until 9am!

So we set off for Patras on peculiar back streets and missed the main turning for Corinth. As we sat in a traffic jam and the sun came up we realised it was in the wrong place! We were heading into Athens. U turn and a 15 minute hold up getting onto the motorway followed by a beginner's navigation error at a service station and more confused progress down increasingly narrow roads§ We did eventually sort this out and had a fairly pleasant drive with a little rain and great views of the sea on both sides. We also saw the impact of the summer's fires on some hillsides!

We found Patras port easily but were amazed to see many groups of young men hanging around. This did not mean much at the time but we were reluctant to leave the car unattended and with the terrible signing for gates at the port and nowhere out of town to pull up we ended up sitting with a sandwich inside the port area for several sunny hours until embarking! Here she is!

Adio Paleo

We decided to wait until our friends Gail & Mike had arrived for their extra hols, and chose Thursday 11th October for departure. This meant we would also see Pascale & Marine for some of their return visit.

Our last few days were beautifully warm, and the beach fairly empty!

We booked three ferries, three flights, and car hire and hotels in UK. We had to dela departure by some hours owing to power-cut and paying the internet bill; but had an uneventful journey over the mountains to Chania, peppered with fallen chestnuts, and took the new ANEK ship Olympic Champion just after midnight! Calm before the storm!

As the shadows lengthened it was....

.. time to move on1
As September progressed there was a marked increase in:
tourists' average age, dress size, IQ!
Watermelon was replaced by grapes as the freeby after dinners!
Every Tuesday friends left to be replaced by "September people" we didn't know; but the weather was better than anyone expected!
When to move on?

Gavdos must wait

Todaythe Force 6 winds continued - bringing down yet more of the foliage supports on our balcony. Too windy for our scheduled last lunch on the beach with "old" friend Pauline from Aachen & her new beau Ron from Glasgow/Portugal/Nigeria, so we met where they are staying at Flora's and had the privilege of an afternoon with Papa Poseidon:- 75 years old, Danish & a former merchant seaman, he was unable to cross today to the island of Gavdos (most southerly point in Europe!) because of the wind. His essential travelling kit comprises twice as much as he can carry, supplemented today by food for a month - cauliflower and salami! He is an expert on Che Guevara, yoga & naval craft. Bonne route to all!

First signs of Zygositis!

"The irrational desire to sit behind plastic screens in Force 6 winds drinking Amstel" (ref: the Snack Bar Zygos on the Sandy Beach road)

Early symptoms include nostalgic reminiscence over summers past, reciting old comedy sketches and the urge to look up who did the Egyptian sand dance.

No cures are known but the condition is thought to be self-limiting following a drop in wind speed.

Rock Island Minor

Friday night and Paleo enjoyed a flavour of the live music which is so much a feature in Corralejo but happens too seldom here!!
Kostas at the Kosmogia bar engaged a rock duo Feedback (Mike & Wayne) which lives on the North Coast (near the campsite!)
The great and the good (and we) had a great time packing out the place and doing no harm at all to Kostas' takings! Mike sounds like J J Cale or Mark Knopfler!
There were a few sore heads in town next day!