Hold That Ferry

Well what I expected to go wrong didn't, but it came awfully close.   In order to save several hundred dollars my plan was to book a ferry from Athens.  This was not only cheaper than booking through to Lesbos the plane fare, but also to save on an overnight in Athens.  There was one risk and that is since I did the booking, if the flight from Zurich was late and there were delays getting from the airport to the sea port, I ran the risk of missing the ferry.  I thought it was a slim risk.

So this is what happened.  The flight from Zurich was late by 25 minutes.  No problem I had enough buffer, even with waiting for bags.  Well the bags took quite a while, my bags were the last batch on the carrousel.  No problem still had quite a buffer.  I bought a bus ticket for Port Piraes which I understood was 45 minutes away.  The Ferry was due to leave at 8:00.  It was now 5:30.   I looked at the post by the bus stop and it said bus leaves at 6:05.  No place to sit for 35 minutes outside, so I go inside the airport for15 minutes.  I come out and the bus is gone.  I find that there is an electronic board showing the bus left at 5:45, my watch says 5:47.  AAARRRGGHH!!!  Next bus is at 6:15.  Ok, if the bus ride is 45 minutes, then I will get there at 7:00.  The paper I have says to be there 1 hour ahead so I think I am all set. 

After moving right along for 1/2 hour, we are now stuck in traffic going 5 - 10 miles an hour.  So 7:00 comes and goes.  I can't tell where we are or how close to the port.  I talked to the only person that seems to speak English on the bus, does he know how close we are.  He says he is staying in a hotel that night because he won't make the ferry.   Part of the issue is this isn't a direct ride to the ferry, we drop off people at various bus stops on the way.  At 7:35 I ask the bus driver how far?  He says 30 minutes.  Oh oh.   I move my prayers up a notch.   We finally pull up to the Blue Star ferry office at 7:48, (I think the bus driver was accounting for more traffic and time to the actual ferry).  The ferry is actually 4 blocks from the ticket office, where I need to check in.  I dash in, while an old man and kid who were waiting at the curb, fight over carrying my very oversize, bags.  The lady inside processes my reservation and says I am late.  I ask can I make it, she doesn't think so.  The old man grabs my bags we run out to the side walk and he grabs a taxi.  It is now 7:52.  The taxi dashes through traffic and enters the ferry port area, my ferry is the last one about 3 football fields away.  We try not to run over dock workers as we pull right up to the loading ramp.  It is now 7:59.  As I grab my 2 oversize bags and struggle to get up the ramp and into the garage area,  the workers raise it up before I could turn around to look.  They check my bags and I struggle to transfer my toiletries into my small backpack.  As I head up to the main deck, the ferry has already pulled away and headed out to sea.   What should have been nearly a 2 hour buffer turned into 1 minute.  I am not sure where I saw that the trip from the airport was 45 minutes not 1 hour 45 minutes.  Maybe if I had seen that I would have made other arrangements.

Praise God I made it.  I was able to grab a salad on the ferry, did a little exploring than put in for the night.  I have a 4 berth room and at first I thought I had it to myself.  However a little while after typing this post, 2 Greek men joined me, about 10:00 pm.  Not sure where they were for 2 hours. Pretty tight quarters so decided to try and sleep.  After tossing and turning for a couple of hours I am now down in one of the lounges finishing up this post.  Will try and catch up with another post on Tuesday, assuming Monday to be a very busy day.