The Curmudgeonly Traveller

Pythagorion- Kuşadası , 29th May 2024 I have an interminable wait for the ferry, made worse because Direct Ferries have emailed that it’s departing from Vathy and not Pythagorion, which would have been a short walk. I'm fuming. Other websites say a 17:30, not 18:00 departure. It could be a food allergy, but my nerves are torn to shreds once again. I scout the bus station (stop). Nothing is on time, it’s not clear which side of the road you should be on, the buses don’t say where they’re going in any language and the drivers don’t want to leave their seats to open the baggage locker. So I get a 25 euro taxi instead which is at least 3 more than it should be. Miraculously, I do manage to get a boarding pass from a travel agent at the third attempt, the boat is leaving from Samos Town (not Vathy on the other side of the bay) at 18:00. The Greek approach to travel is, as Kostas puts it, ‘more relaxed’ than in the UK. The pass makes me feel better and I have a beer in the nearest bar wh...

Ayvalik - Agios Isidoros, 15th May 2024 Five am start, say bye to the kitten and nice old Greek house. If anybody could invent a less efficient way to get on a ferry I’d be amazed. First you have to queue to get your boarding pass from a travel agent one hour before the ferry sails. There’s a port tax which they don’t tell you about until the ticket check, and you have to pay this at a separate window. The ticket check queue is backed up by the security check, which is backed up by the passport check, which is backed up by the duty free. I lug Sean the Suitcase, who has gained a few kilos since Gatwick, to the all-white top deck. It’s a beautiful cloudless day and, although only 19c, it feels like a scorcher. I realise that my Celtic ginger genes are going to last about five minutes before I’m burnt to a frazzle, so I lurch Sean below to where the aircon is set to 29c. As in the last five days, everyone is Turkish and nobody speaks English, but it’s a very pleasant 1.5 hour trip. There...