The night in Mandraki was completely still. It’s weird when the world is so, so quiet. There was not even enough wind to make the water lap against the hull. Just quiet. It is beautiful spot with white-walled churches perched on hill-tops and a little white-walled village with blue shutters and doors all standing out against the still-green spring grass.
Our trip today is a short one - to Poros a small island just off the mainland 12 miles to the north. There is a narrow channel between it and the mainland but we end up parking on the north quay. Well, eventually, parking on the north quay that is.
Our first attempt was just fine, but our neighbors suggested that we put out much more chain to accommodate the wash from the fast ferry that would arrive later in the day. Not a problem. Out we go again and drop all our 75 meters of chain at a point where it should just reach the quay. But it doesn’t. It doesn’t even come close. Hilarity all round. Somebody should be taking a YouTube video of this. It has viral hit written all over it. Out we go again. This time we put out just over 50 meters of chain and are quite nicely at the quay. We need to measure how much chain is in our locker. It’s supposed to be 75 meters.
Like Goldilocks we got to try three beds (berths) before finding the one that’s just right. Or that we hope is just right.
Ferry wash can be a problem and we are sitting about a meter and a half off the quay to take account of the anticipated surge. More on this later ….
Poros is a more prosperous town than many we have seen. It’s proximity to Athens is a big deal. You can get here in about an hour and a half. But it might as well be half a world away when you compare the two. Athens is grimy and struggling. The islands may be struggling too but there is a feeling that they are well aware of where their income comes from and they are keeping up that front as long as they can. Athens just feels lost.
Back to the ferry…. There is one thing that can be said for General Strikes; it means the ferries don’t run. The Greeks are striking because of further intended tax increases and pension cuts. I don’t know what the merits are here but these people don't make very much money and to try to take more from them seems to be unlikely to be successful.
We should be able to sneak out of here tomorrow before the first ferry arrives from Athens. Tonight we ate in a taverna with Greek dancing. If Mere and Jess are following along this was not what we saw in Sami. (Something we all try to forget!) This was the real thing not a drunken English misinterpretation.