My friend ( and Greek language teacher) Costas, along with Frank, Nick and the rest of the mob on Costa’s Odyssey tour, are leaving Naxos today on the 9:30 Ferry to Piraeus. The previous evening I had rashly promised to go down to the dock and wave them goodbye. This morning, about 8:45 I was woken by the sound of a ships horn. I looked out of our window, high up in the Castro Quarter, and saw the good ship ‘Blue Star Paros’ steaming towards the port. Yineka Mou and I quickly threw on some clothes, and hot footed down hill to see them before they boarded…we just made it in time, said our farewells, and wished them ‘ καλό ταξίδι ‘ ….Bon Voyage. Disappointingly, they didn’t even bother to go up on to the deck when the ship sailed and wave to us….don’t know why not…if I’d have known this beforehand, I’d have stayed in bed with Yineka Mou instead! Half the fun of ferry travel is surely being out on the back deck, watching the chaos as the crew load and unload all the trucks, cars,coaches, passengers and even boats , and when it pulls out, wave goodbye to the island…( and to any friends waiting on the jetty to see them off !!!) ….. Miserable lot!
We’d had dinner with them all at the Sirocco Restaurant in the Platea last evening… While at the same time watching the Arsenal v Olympiakos euro cup soccer match on the TV… Every Television in every taverna, cafe and restaurant around the square was switched on as well, with all the patrons watching this big match. Unfortunately, the Greek Team went down 2-1 to the Gunners. After a very tasty meal, ( greek salad, calamari, mousakka, lamb, gigantes, fasolakia, octopus etc.) Costas and Frank, along with his tour group, went home early about 11ish, ( excuse was they had a early ferry to catch next morning) but Yineka Mou and I stayed behind and attempted to finished off the litre and a half of wine that was left behind. Luckily, we were joined a few minutes later by our neighbor in the Castro, a young Swiss guy named Peter. ( it’s funny, but so far I haven’t yet met a real German in Greece…. You hear so many people speaking German, but whenever you ask where they are from, they say Switzerland…or Austria…but never from Germany. I guess it’s safer for them to say that, as what took place here during the German Occupation in the 40’s is still a strong memory for the older Greeks… and Angela Merkel isn’t so popular with the younger generation either! ) Peter helped us to finish off the wine that was left, thank goodness, and after a bit we said our Kalinichta’s to everyone, and

left Peter at the table , to walk home, through the uphill labyrinth of lanes and alleyways, to our quaint little studio apartment in the Castro quarter. By this time it was well past 1am and the streets were very quiet….and dark…I heard some footsteps echoing behind us…and looked back to see a man hurrying along behind, and seemingly following us….we quickened our step ( as quickly as you can go after sinking a few liters of Naxos’s finest Krassi..) and he quickened his…when we reached the fork in the path we turned left….and so did he…. this is Greece…it’s supposed to be a safe place…what’s happening…at the next corner this stranger caught up with us, and slightly out of breath from his catching up, he held up a pair of reading glasses…” are these yours….I think you may have left them on the table at Sirocco, yes “. Yes, Yineka Mou had done it again…left something valuable behind…her $1100 prescription reading glasses this time….. OMG, thank you so much, she said…” you must be more careful with your things ” he said….”προς εκεί μπραγματα σας” …. Yineka Mou promised she would, as our friendly stranger disappeared back down the laneway.
Καληνύχτα σας,

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