Greek Island Dream

It started so well.   We’d acclimatized to the idea that we would need to sacrifice a night’s sleep in order to get to Gatwick North Terminal 2 hours before our 6 o’clock flight. What we hadn’t prepared for was that we'd been given the wrong information. It was South Terminal, not North, and not only that, the flight was  delayed  for hours, it seemed, with no information. When we did get an announcement, it was about a “problem with catering” and, after a further half hour, “a problem with beverages”.  The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin sprang to mind, where the ex-army brother-in-law frequently turned up at Reggie’s house on the cadge to be fed, with the words, “Cock up on the catering front”.

It was sunny but windy when we arrived in Samos, two hours late.  But we were still in good time to catch the ferry which was due to leave at 4 in the afternoon.  We duly embarked and waited.   This time there were no announcements, but we watched, perplexed, as cars and lorries turned up at the quay and drove on board, well after the 4 o'clock deadline. How did they know the ferry was still going to be there half an hour ... an hour ... an hour and a half ... an hour and three quarters after the boat was due to leave?  At 6 pm the ferry set sail.  The growing wind was soon needled with rain and the blue skies darkened to grey, well before the sun went down.

Three hours after leaving Samos we were still on deck, still trying to spot any sign of our destination through the murk, but our straight-ahead view of the prow and beyond was hidden by the boat’s superstructure.  So the appearance of the island was sudden and surprising, looming large out of the gloom - the little lights of Fourni Town twinkling  around its harbour. Needless to say we were tired and a bit grumpy by the time we arrived in our apartment, but................
Waking up to this view set the standard for the rest of the holiday.  Bliss.

I won’t trouble you with a description of our journey home, which wasn’t without its alarms and  diversions.  All I will say is that our fortnight on the small, uncommercialised island of Fourni, was worth the time and  trouble it took to get there ... and back.