All Decked Out

As soon as we landed on Mykonos we had a sinking feeling. Rooms were scarce and 3x the price of the other islands so we got the first ferry out of there. It happened to be 4:30am to Samos the next morning so we made plans to stay up til the wee hours. We explored the island, which was a disappointment after Paros and Santorini, then went to the port at midnight. There were people already sacked out on the long row of covered benches. We joined them with four hours to go. Steve stayed up and worked on the pictures for the website, powered by his Coke and iced coffee. I was ready to get in as much shut eye as I could so I laid down and drowned out the world. I was surprised how well I was able to sleep given the ruckus that was going on, including some drunkards playing soccer and ferries coming and going. The boat arrived and we were aghast to see the spectacle onboard. All available floor space was sprawled with people. Many had come prepared with sleeping bags or blankets, those that didn’t just slept sitting up or on any flat surface they could squeeze onto. There was even a tent pitched out on the deck. We were directed outside where a similar scene was found except the harsh elements of wind and wetness on wooden plank benches made the indoor mess seem like hot cocoa in front of a roaring fireplace. We got lucky and found a bench that Steve could lay down to sleep, equipped with eyeshade and earplugs. I sat up read and listened to my mp3 bundled in my hooded sweatshirt and watched the sunrise as we pulled into port at Ikaria three hours later. Steve was surprisingly still asleep and my eyes couldn’t fight staying open any more. After people departed at Ikaria I claimed a bench to lie down and slept on top of our bags.

-Mary