We landed at Athens Airport after a short flight from Milan (about two hours). As is often the case when you fly into Greece, there was a cross wind, which led to the expectation of a bumpy landing. The landing was perfect however and the Greeks and Italians on board all clapped as we landed safely on the runway.

We then caught the X96 bus, the old faithful that goes to Pireaus, the port and entry to the islands. The ride however was horrendous as there weren’t any seats left and the mass of haphazardly placed luggage in the centre of the bus meant there was barely any room to stand (or breathe). A German woman was sitting across two seats as there was luggage in front of one of them and Ryker didn’t want to sit in the small space that was left so I was left to stand, legs astride like a surfer, holding a suitcase steady with one knee and using the other (and my gluteal muscles) to stabilise Ryker. God knows what I looked like from behind. This balancing act was made more difficult by the pack on my back, which threatened to topple me at every sharp bend, of which there were many, having a Formula 1 driver at the helm.  Jason had the large suitcase, his own extremely heavy backpack (full of laptop and camera equipment) and Ryker’s bag so was unable to help. The Rykersaurus was not pleased with this arrangement after a 5 am start and so was complaining loudly. I can’t help but think that perhaps if the Rykersaurus was a smaller child (i.e. looked like a 4 year old) then we might have been offered a seat. Anyway, we struggled on until finally some George Michael lookalikes got off and so we launched ourselves into their seats. Rykersaurus promptly fell asleep!

Then it was a 3 hour wait at Pireaus, which was actually wonderfully relaxing. We stopped at one of the restaurants and were pleased to realise it was the same guy who always serves us there. We fed and watered the Rykersaurus, which kept him (and us) happy for the duration of the wait. For Jason and I, spanakopitas (spinach and cheese pastries) and frappes (uniquely Greek Nescafe and condensed milk blend) were the order of the day. The first of many to come!

Around 4 pm, we boarded the Blue Star Paros, which was due to set sail at 5:30 pm.

Ferry ride to Syros was a hoot. The Blue Star Paros, which is a huge vessel complete with shops and cafes, provides a very comfortable ride.  Ryker was very excited about everything: the mammoth ferry itself, the trucks and cars entering on the lower deck, clambering up the stairs and escalators to our allocated seating, being out on the deck watching the waves and seeing where the life rafts were – and you can imagine the questions that arose from exposure to such things. 

We ended up sitting in a cafe rather than in our pullman seats as it meant we had access to a table so that Rykersaurus could more readily draw and play cards – and eat! 

The only drawback with our position was that when the doors to the outside deck opened, the fresh sea air was overpowered by plumes of thick cigarette smoke – welcome to Greece! 

The ferry itself was full of mainly Greek babies, extended families and singles ready to party. Oh and a “Mr Roob Lowe”; whose name was called out over the PA system several times. I said to Jason that I didn’t know we had a celebrity on board. Jason was not amused (much like anyone reading this, I suspect). I however had a chuckle to myself, being a big fan of ‘St Elmo’s Fire’ in the 80s. 

We met another character on board the ferry as well. In fact, Ryker and I encountered him at the port as well. Sporting a hat and a cane, this chap whistled in a birdlike manner at Ryker (knew it was intended for Ryker; my days of being the recipient of a whistle are over unless it is a traffic controller at a zebra crossing telling me to get a move on) and proceed to try to communicate with him in this bird dialect. Then we stumbled across him on the ferry as well, where he made a beeline for Ryker. It turns out that he is Australian, albeit with a thick English accent and a current residential address in Paris.  I had assumed he was Greek. A very interesting man indeed although I must say that he did overstay his welcome a bit – Ryker was a bit overwhelmed by the attention. Turns out that he never sees his two grandchildren so this play acting with children was obviously born out of a deep sadness. He was off to Amorgos for some R & R.  After we said goodbye, we would occasionally hear his whistle on the breeze when the ferry doors opened.

We arrived in Syros port at 9:30 pm and were promptly collected by our hosts and driven to our ‘rooms’.  The long awaited Grecian chapter was about to begin.