Not so sweet spot

It was evening and I was pretty sure we had located the sweet spot for travelling deck on the ferry from Iraklio to Athens. We had arrived an hour and some before departure and so we had plenty of time to scope out the ship and find the perfect sleeping cove. Sofas, sheltered benches, and soft carpeted areas underneath stairwells, in quiet alcoves, and in unobtrusive sections are snatched up fast - so we had to act decisively.

Basil located a nice, quiet, dim spot under the two staircases in the main lobby. We rolled out our sleeping bags and mattresses to claim our place and we retired to a couch upstairs with a view of our gear. In no time, territorial Basil was sprinting down the stairs to hurl Greek insults at a burly group of young men who were standing on our stuff and looking like they might get comfortable. Basil snarled the intruders away and having reclaimed our turf, we sat and waited. Word circulated that the ship would be a hour late in it's departure because a football match had gone overtime and we were waiting for the team.

A little peeved, I settled in with an eye on the door and prepared to at least have the pleasure of feasting my eyes on the arrival of a pack of athletic bodies.

I was not to be satisfied. As the numbers crossing through the doors increased, so did the size of the waistlines bound in tasteless red football wear. I was confused and angered. I'm not sure where my head was, but, of course we weren't waiting for the athletes, we were waiting for the fans, the spectators! Now, while Greeks are no English hooligans, let me assure you, the arrival of the spectators of a Greek football game is no feast for the eyes - or the ears.

Our pleasant ship turned unpredictably rowdy, we were now an hour and a half late for departure, the lobby was full of loud, drunken, macho men dropping food wrappers and looking to bed down a little too close to us for my comfort. I was not happy that this was eating in to the early morningness of our bike ride across traffic congested Athens. So, I snapped at a particularly surly gang who decided that "next to my pillow" was a better location for their shoes than "next to their own pillow". Having defended our home, I slept well and then charged across Athens in record time - even with traffic.

My Favourite Greek Ferry

The walk through Samaria gorge is much talked about, but what you don't hear about is the ferry ride you must take from Agia Roumeli. The mountains are so fierce on this southern stretch of Crete that no roads connect the area to the rest of the island. To make the connection you must ferry either east to Sfakion or west to Paleohora. For me this was the best part. The coastline is completely wild, the colour of the Libian sea is electrifiying, and the ferryboat staff are absolute cowboys.

"So, where do we catch the boat?"

"Down on the beach."

"Okay, thanks."

"No, seriously right from the sand"

I tried to imagine how a ferry the size we would need to carry all the hikers milling aound me would beach in such an angry sea, but the boat pulled in and dropped its ramp on the beach and hundreds of us streamed on to watch the scenery float by. Arriving in Sfakion the ramp yawned open again spitting us rather terrifyingly onto a sea beaten pier.

Green, Green Samos

"Geez, ya know, Basil - I really like Samothraki. It's so mountainous and so green."

"Well, just wait until you see Samos. Samos is really beautiful and all that too."

I laughed knowing that he had to say that, I mean, he's from there right? There seems to be some unwritten rule in Greece that you must love where ever you are from most of all. Many times I have asked Greek people to tell me about their favourite place in Greece and almost as many times they have told me that their hometown is the best place in Greece. Growing up in a place that most of of my peers thought quite negatively of, I found this to be quite a refreshing change, but after a while it starts to sound a little like brainwashing. However, once again, Basil was right: Samos is really beautiful, and really green, and has a sizeable mountain range.

In ancient times, people believed that anything you planted in Samos would grow to epic proportions and it is clearly still a gardener's paradise. Looking down into nearly any valley the variety of trees is astonishing and unlike any island we have visited yet. Samian wines, especially those from the vathy grapes, are internationally proclaimed.

Samos is a gem of an island from the first sighting.

Seeing Samothraki

Home to the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, it is easy to see why such an impressive cult would found itself in Samothraki. The religion was brought to Samothraki by the Thracians in 1000BC and died out in the 4th century AD.

Appearing on the horizon, Samothraki is mostly mountain. The dramatic peak that dominates the island is Mt Fegari and holds the position of highest peak in the Aegean at 1611m. There are no big resorts in Samothraki. People go mainly to hike, soak in thermal springs, visit her many beautiful waterfalls, and relax in an extremely low key environment. We had the good fortune of visiting the Sanctuary of the Great Gods during a full moon. Watching the moon rise over Mt Fegari and spill out over the ruins was pure magic. Only the presence of the island's legendary "Winged Victory of Samothrace" could have made the event more beautiful.

Ferry Culture

We caught a passing ferry on route from Crete to Thessaloniki and 10 hours later we were pulling into an entirely different kind of Greece. I was delighted when the snack bar opened up to reveal not just the usual prepackaged fare, but a window devoted to a cigarette smoking, gyro carving gentleman complete with chefs hat and rembetika music! I tried to imagine the BC ferries having a snack bar where BBQ'd salmon steaks were on offer at an affordable price. And so I revelled in the uniquely Greek spectacle as the overnighters from Crete slept on their benches and the beach goers lounged in the sun.

Evia to OZ

I'm concentrating with every muscle in my body to hold myself and my bicycle in forward moving line on a road which has betrayed me by switching from asphalt to gravel at a particularly steep moment in a particularly strong wind. Cars pass and honk giving us the all approving thumbs up. We can barely see as the wind whips our faces and bodies and bicycles with the most portable and sharp gravel it can pick up. I grumble as a car passes too fast and covers us with even more dust and gravel. I want to shoot him the finger, but I'm afraid to take even one finger off my bicycle. The next curve delivers a terrifying blow that sends an entirely powerless and startled me straight across the entire road to teeter on the edge of a cliff that plunges a few hundered meters down a bramble filled ravine and over many rocks to a most violent sea. I laugh with a combination of hysterical disbelief and disbelieving relief. Basil screams at me to get back to the other side. I fight slowly to push myself and my bike back to the other side of the road. As the wind picks up whipping us with more gravel, I brace myself against my bike and, with my face tucked deep into my shoulder, I have an epiphany: never cycle through a wind farm. Yes, kids: never cycle through a wind farm.

Love and Beauty

Skirting the most intense of the Mani we found ourselves in the Port of Gythio where one of western history's most famous love affairs of all time began. It was here that Paris and Helen first cultivated their tryst that eventually launched history into the epic Trojan War. Gentle and pretty Gythio must have been a more romantic place in it's day, but it is also a good jumping of point for Kythyria legendary birthplace of Aphrodite goddess of love and beauty.