Ferry-boat à la Grec

Negotiating Piraeus harbour can only be described as a nightmare. No signposting, everyone you ask giving a different opinion as to where the Minoan lines boat for Heraklion goes from, the competitor's boat immediately visible, of course, one's baggage - specially planned for travelling light - not only unbearably heavy but also unmanageably bulky at the end of such a long journey with no sleep ...

Even at this time of year there are people swarming all over the quay, all pushing and shouting and trying to get tickets at once.

I'd been told my ticket would be waiting at the office of Minoan Lines alongside the boat, which sounds very rational and well-organised.

It's not waiting there, however, but apparently in the main office, a good kilometer's round trip, with 40 minutes to go before the boat was due to leave.

At least I'd thought that taking a Greek ferry across the Aegean Sea would be a special kind of experience.

But I must say that I couldn't see any essential difference between that and taking one of giant ferries which ply between Stockholm and Helsinki. Minus the breathtakingly beautiful Stockholm archipelago.

Of course, the Minoan ferry's route though the Aegean might have been breathtakingly beautiful too, it's hard to tell on a November night.

I find I have one plastic-bag full of Drachma coins left, and go to try my luck at the exchange office on the boat; "Great", says the officer, "we need those - how much is it?" ... "It was given me by the bank at the airport", I say hesitantly, "It's supposed to be 10,000 drachmas". "Fine", says the officer and hands over the equivalent in paper money, throwing the plastic bag into a drawer.

Next morning I discover that actually the bag has broken, and that some of the 100 drachma coins have rolled out into a corner. At home I'm sure I would have taken them back to their new rightful owner; somehow here it just seems inappropriate, fussy, overkill...

One fascinating detail is that the cafeteria seems to have exactly the same food at the same prices as the à la carte restaurant; I wonder why people would in that case choose the cafeteria: but the advantage is apparently that it's quicker since you serve yourself, and you can go at any time without waiting for a specific sitting ... And indeed I go to the cafeteria myself.

I try the lamb chops which were a major feature of my anticipation of the journey, but actually the best part of the meal is the chocolate milk, which I guess was produced in some German factory...