Leaving the boat + harbour café 1

Next morning they let me sleep till 7.30 am, still pretty early when you've had the kind of trip I've had the previous 36 hours, but it's two hours after arrival in Heraklion, and even then the purser is so polite and apologetic at having to ask me to leave so they can make up the cabin again ... He doesn't even turn the light on but leaves me in the dark to get up at my own pace ...

By the time I get off the boat the harbour is completely desolate ... no bus, no taxi, no signs to the city, no café, no-one to ask anything ... in the end a taxi-driver sidles up, and is perfectly happy to answer my questions without taking me anywhere ...

There is indeed a café a bit further away, remarkably like the one in the bus-station at home; there are some rather uninspiring dried-up rolls and sandwiches at prices slightly higher than in the bus-station at home, and the coffee is a bit odd to say the least. But I'm very impressed that I can get a phone card and dial direct home to say I've arrived safely so far ...

I also get directions to the travel agent who has my return boat ticket, you can see the street from the harbour ...