Reunion in Piraeus

Three couples met at the airport after their respective flights from Zurich, Munich and Frankfurt arrived, and took a taxi together to Piraeus. Two more friends were already waiting for us there in a restaurant in the harbour district. Together, we were going to spend a few days on Paros. Since our ferry’s departure had been pushed back by 3 hours due to a strike in the preceding days, we had a longer stay in Athens than planned. This allowed us to enjoy a delicious dinner on the terrace in the mild evening air – a much better choice than the culinary offerings on board the ferry. The restaurant Refene was a recommendation from a Greek friend and didn’t disappoint.

Refreshed and revitalised, we walked the short distance down to the ferry port with our luggage and still had plenty of time for a drink at the E7 Upper View rooftop bar. It’s centrally located between the ferry basins for the Saronic Gulf and the Cyclades, offering a panoramic view of the piers, quays and the hustle and bustle on the harbour promenade.

Only last autumn, we were standing right down there on the pier by the ferries to the Saronic Gulf for a day trip to Aegina. Today, we looked out from the other side at our ship to Paros and watched with interest as it was gradually loaded with lorries and vehicles. In the atmospheric twilight on the roof terrace, we toasted the start of what we hoped would be an impressive and eventful trip to Paros.

Shortly before the scheduled departure at 8:30 pm, we also went on board. Leaving the harbour with the view of the other ships and the illuminated city skyline from the upper deck was well worth seeing. However, we had four hours of night-time travel ahead of us, which eventually became tedious and heavy.

At least the bar on the upper deck was still open at the start. In the end, after this long day of travel, we were all lying in one of the reclining chairs, with any luck even sleeping. After midnight, we finally reached the small port of Parikia on Paros. Our hire cars were already waiting right behind the pier, so we quickly reached the holiday home and a cosy bed. After this eventful start to the trip, I was excited for the first look at the island of Paros the next morning.