Going Home.

08 October 2016

I actually started writing this on the 8th, but it's a week later now.

People started leaving the hotel at 03:15 this morning. You may ask how I can be so precise with the time. It's because they don't care that the rest of us are sleeping. As they leave, they bang doors, they laugh and talk loudly. Once the sun came up, I couldn't sleep anymore, but I lay down and flicked through the news channels until 08:00. Very slow news day! I unpacked my suitcase and repacked it a bit more neatly, taking some of the gifts out because I was afraid they might break. I showered and got dressed and decided to book out. Booked out (€300.00 for five nights). All done and I was off to the metro. It only costs €10.00 a ticket to the airport, and the trip lasts about 40 minutes. Very nervous about this because I had read that the metro was full of pickpockets and girl gangs who surround you and when they leave you, all you have is the clothes on your back. It must have been too early because none of them were around. The trip progressed smoothly and before you knew it I was at the airport. It was only 11:15 and my flight was at 15:35. So much time to kill. Went and bought a roll and biscuits and coffee, found a seat and read. Kindle really is handy to have. At 13:00 I booked in, all the way to Port Elizabeth which was great. I will however, collect my suitcase in Johannesburg. It was now 13:15 and I still had more than 2 hours to kill. Eventually got to board and we took off on time. The landing in Istanbul wasn't really pleasant. Very bumpy and noisy.
We landed and disembarked. Now the weird part. Usually you go transit area and get searched and patted down and herded around like cattle. Not this time. The guy looked at my next flight and said 'Johannesburg that way'. Walked up a slight rise and I was in international departures. Very weird.
Now I had four hours to kill to the next flight. Once again I read. I'm busy re-reading The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough. Gripping stuff. It's the first of 8 novels dealing with the decline and fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. Book one concentrates on Gaius Marius and to a lesser extent on Sulla.
Eventually boarded the plane and got my seat. The plane is packed! We've just had dinner. Salad, beans in olive oil, kofta with bulgar and then a really smooth and a creamy coffee mousse. I must never learn how to make that. I'll have it every night! The weight gain would be nothing short of catastrophic!
The old man behind me has the nastiest wet smokers cough. I've never had to use the barf bag on a flight, but tonight could be the night. It is now 11:00 Johannesburg time, so I think I'm going to pack it in and get ready to sleep.
Fast forward to 16 October.
The flight from Istanbul to Johannesburg was very smooth with a perfect landing. The flight home was the longest ever! I just wanted to get home. The luxury of your own shower and bed. I can't describe it, but I'll try. I got into bed on Sunday night and had the best nights sleep all wrapped up in a familiar cocoon. Batting my clothes out of a wardrobe. It's amazing how much you miss the little things.
Anyway, I had a fantastic holiday and I would do it again tomorrow. Exactly the same.

Worst Experience: arriving in Thessaloniki without my luggage.
Best Experience: difficult one this, but I must say Bassae, followed by Dodoni.
What I Loved: the Greek people. So friendly and thoughtful. There were times that people were so friendly and helpful that I felt bad because I felt that I was using them.

I used the KTEL inter-city bus system. It's geared towards the needs of locals, but if you plan around that, you can go almost everywhere in Greece. There was many a trip where I was the only tourist on the bus, but I got to see parts of Greece that many tourists don't get to see. Taxis are cheap. If you need one like I occasionally did, ask at the reception desk of your hotel. Say why you need it. You soon get a reply and it is normally less than normal. Say €110 instead of the normal €120 as for Bassae. I always paid the regular price, the difference between that and the quoted price being a tip.

I would never be able to drive in Greece! I take my hat off to those bus drivers. They negotiated strips of road between cars that I would be afraid to with my VW Polo.

To those who followed me, good bye till next time. I'm thinking Spain 🇪🇸 and Portugal 🇵🇹. We'll see.