Almost Missing the Boat...

Our Bluestar Boat...dad's new home away from home!
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After exploring Athens, dad and I decided to do a quick tour of the Greek islands.  Of course, we chose to leave on May 1st, which turns out to be a huge holiday in Greece...their version of labor day, which of course meant NO labor for them but LOTS of labors for us!   We couldn't take public transportation because nothing was running and had to pay for a taxi...then after arriving at the port to catch our boat, the Bluestar folks told us that there was a STRIKE and our ship couldn't leave until midnight...after a few odd bus rides, dinner in Plaka, and practically running a marathon to get back to Pireaus, we DID get on the boat.  However, we only had a few hours, in the wee of the morning, to see Naxos, and encountered a small mishap when trying to disembark.  After hearing that we were arriving in port, dad and I decided to take advantage of the toilets one last time...however, in doing this, dad and I got separated and when I looked for him on the dock he was nowhere to be seen.  I waited, and waited, watching all the other passengers leave, and finally decided to have him paged....but still no papa.  Then I got nervous because they were talking in Greek (can't resist--it was all greek to me!)  and they started to raise the platform in preparation to leave!  Finally I see a man on the top deck waiving frantically to the man operating the platform and it starts to lower again.  A very hagard looking father stepped into view and was brusquely ushered off the boat.  Turns out they had told him--screamed at him actually--that he should have listened to the call and been ready to disembark and that now he would have to stay on the boat...adn a few other choice things he couldn't understand.  Fortunately there had been one kind soul who took pity on him and insisted they let him leave! 

Raising the platform...