Greece on Kelvin Nicholson

Six Days on Ios

Wed, 06 Aug 2003 10:30:00 +0000

Five or six days have passed, and the days on Ios have blurred together in the way island days tend to do. I will try to put the pieces back in order.

On the ferry over I met two Swedish travellers, Kishden and Maria, who were easy company from the start. We all decided to stay at Far Out, the campsite where Ana was staying, and I ended up in a bungalow that became more crowded than planned but pleasantly inexpensive.

To Ios

Thu, 31 Jul 2003 10:30:00 +0000

I have been travelling far too much lately, I think. I am ready to take it easy, sit back with a few margaritas, and relax. I am getting more tanned, though, at least on my arms. On the morning of the 30th, I worked out how to get to Ios, which is a long way away. BJ, whom I had met in Rome, happened upon me while I was eating breakfast with another traveller. We hired two sea kayaks and went out on the water for a few hours. Nothing too interesting, except for some of the clearest water I have EVER seen! It was quite amazing. We met a group of Australians on a rock out in the water. I waited around a little longer, then caught the 6:15 bus to Corfu’s main bus station and continued to Athens. The bus travelled all night, which was fine because I claimed the entire back row and slept for most of the journey. I arrived in Athens very early, caught another bus, asked for directions, and eventually reached the port. I bought my ticket, and that was where things became interesting. The woman said, “The first Blue Star boat, right next to the red one.” So I boarded it. Unfortunately, it was not going to the island I needed. I would have to find a way onto the correct boat while somewhere among the Greek islands, with very little idea where I was. I think I have it worked out now. I slept on the deck until I could feel myself getting sunburned, then moved inside. I reckon my next port is where I can catch an actual ferry to Ios. Grrr. Talk to you tonight!

Across Europe

Mon, 28 Jul 2003 10:30:00 +0000

Unfortunately, not much has happened in the last couple of days. So, let’s see: what on earth is going on? My last entry was from the train from Zurich to Milan. In Milan I jumped on a train to Bologna, only to discover that I needed a reservation. Oops! The conductor was frustrated and scolded me in Italian. She eventually said, "I’ll let you pass this time," or something like that, since I only had 9 euros and the ticket cost 16. Never again will I jump on a Eurostar train without checking; it was not worth the hassle. I ended up in Bologna, checked my email, wrote long messages to everybody, and eventually caught a rough night train south. The train was not comfortable, but it went to B. Batista. That was the last night of my roughly four-day stretch without proper sleep. The world was starting to feel dizzy, which was unfortunate. I ended up in Brindisi and met a few more people: Mark, Niko, and Marny, all very Australian! We all boarded a ferry to a little island (Corfu, Mark adds) and are now staying at the Pink Palace. It is rather chaotic, but not my kind of chaos. I am thinking about staying for only one night, and perhaps another on the return trip. I am enjoying everybody here; they are quite delightful. I considered staying another night, but would really like to see Ana. I don’t quite know why I miss her, but I do. We all had a few drinks and played some pool. I still have plenty of room to improve. Now I am back and getting ready to sleep. Good night; more interesting stories when we talk again.