Sun tan - check, photos - check, happy memories - check.. Bugger, I'm back (Part 2)

Well hello again my dear readers,

So, now, where were we?

Ah yes, thats right, the first night. As you read last time, the Manchester flight got to Zante earlier than either the Bristol or Gatwick flights.

Right for this one I'm going to break the holiday down into a few categories. Mainly so this thing doesn't go forever and bore the arse of everyone. So lets start with:

The People

The group consisted of fifteen people in total. As I said, five were on the Manchester flight and I had a bit of a chat with them going from the airport to the hotel. That left ten who joined us throughout the evening. And I can say that they were all wonderful splendid people to be in holiday with.

Bar one.

Yes, there is always one isn't there dear reader.

The thing is, when you're on a solos holiday then you ain't going to know anything about the others in the group. And it is up to you to go and find out. You're in the same boat as everyone else and, unless you want to be back in your room by about ten in the evening you going to have to make a bit of an effort. There are even, if you think about it, a series of questions to get you started.

What's your name?
Where are you from?
What do you do?
Are you here for one week or two?
Have you been on a solo's holiday before? Which ones?

Get through that little lot and generally, as if by magic, you get to know the people. So thats how we all started out.

Bar one....

who made no effort what so ever. I don't know why, my little reader friends. Maybe he had something better to do. Not that the rest of us minded. We all just got on with it. His loss, not ours.

Food and Drink

The food in the hotel was basic. Like the rest of the hotel really. To be fair to them, there isn't alot they can really do about it though. It can't be easy coming up with a range of dishes that will be ok for multiple nationalities staying in their rooms that week. But what they had was ok. There was always the option of going to one of the nearby restaurants anyway. Which we did a couple of times during the week. The food at which was rather lovely. Though remind me not to have the garlic prawns. Well not without a bib or something first.

The drinks were great though. A pint of Mythos (really nice greek lager) was a very reasonable 2.50 euros. For some reason best known to the greeks a half pint was 2.30 euros. No, I don't know why either. Could possibly explain why the greek economy is knackered though. Either way, I might have drank a fair bit of it during the course of the week.

Also, at the pub which kind of became the group 'local', on a couple of nights shots were produced. Now, normally I don't like these things, but this one was different. Buggered if I can remember what it was called or what was in it but suffice to say, my dear readers, it was a bit good.

The hotel

As I have just said the hotel rooms were basic. But what else do you need? The bathroom was clean and the shower worked. The bed was comfortable and I had a great view. I've no idea if the tele in the room even worked let alone what channels it had on. But then who goes on holiday to a beautiful greek island and stays in the room and with the tv on.

The staff were polite and friendly even letting us take over the bar music system if we were the only ones in.

One rather curious thing was all the weddings that took place there. Now, my dear reader, I'm very much a stranger when it comes to getting married but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to get hitched when there are a load of people sunbathing on the beach next to you. Still, it provide a moment of amusement when one day, with a fair few of the group down on the beach, a horse and cart came trotting over the sand and passed right by us with the bride and groom who, rather than enjoying their happy moment, were hanging on for dear life in the posh seats in the rather elegant cart and looking very uncomfortable.

----


So there you have it. I could go a bit more but to go into too much detail would be to take away some of the magic of what was a wonderful week.

But wait, I hear you cry....

Col, what we really want to know is....

Did you find your 'impossible' girl with whom you were going to go more exciting adventures through time and space?

Well, my dear reader friends, the answer to that is no.

I don't think.

But you never know. We have said that we'll keep in touch so maybe fate is taking a rather scenic route with me.

ta ta for now

Sun tan - check, photos - check, happy memories - check.. Bugger, I'm back (Part 1)

Well hello my dear readers,

Did you miss me while I was away? You can tell me. I know you did really.

So where will I start in recounting this tale of dashing heroes, beautiful heroines, dastardly villians, romance, treachery and noble sacrifice in the face of true evil?

Oh hang on...

No, sorry, thats a story. I'll telling you about my holiday aren't I?

So we will begin, as is traditional, at the beginning.

And Manchester Airport at around four in the morning. Which I'm sure you'll agree, dear reader, is far too early to be doing anything other than sleeping let alone getting through the check in desk at terminal two. There was already a queue which I joined the back of. It was then I spied something to chill the heart of many a traveller on a cold, dark, wet winters night. A group of lads with the words 'Zante 13' emblazened on the front of their t-shirts and various nicknames on the back. Now, my dear reader, I'm a quiet, sensitive soul (SHUT IT!) so my first reaction was, I'm sure you'll agree, quite understandable.
 It was:
"Oh shit, I hope they don't end up sitting anywhere near me."

So, anyway, the queue made its merry way forward and whilest there, I tried a little furtive scanning of the crowd to try and see if there were any more single people around. I couldn't see any but as it turns out there were four more people flying from Manchester. So on the queue went with me minding my own business, stoically ignoring the mocking call of the airline rep and her cruel taunts of the availability of extra leg room seats which were now being offered at two for the price of one. It's getting to something when even the airline is taking the piss out of your single status.

Eventually I managed to get through check in, security (with no hassles), and was in the departure area where it was time for breakfast.

*memo to Burger King*
Yes, I know what the sign said but, when you need an electron microscope to see them, don't you think you're taking the 'mini-pancake' thing a tad far?

And then it came time to board and be on our way.

Or so we all thought.

After an almost completely unintelligible message over the plane's intercom, we sat there for about forty five minutes. And it was during this time that one of the 'Zante 13' massive decided to fall ill. Yes dear reader, damned inconsiderate of him I know. Eventually he was removed from the aircraft, his luggage (as well as that of one of his friends who volunteered to stay with him) soon followed and after a two hour delay we were away for what, after that slight excitement, turned out to be a very uneventful flight.

Three and a bit hours later we landed safely on the tarmac at the airport to the island of Zante. Or Zakynthos depending on what you call it. Once the plane had taxied to its final position we all disembarked into what we thought would be blazing hot sun.

Except we didn't. I mean we all got off the plane. And it was hot. But, thanks to a nice breeze, it wasn't stop you in your tracks hot like some holidays I have been on. At this point I didn't even take my cardigan off. Yes, dear readers, I was wearing a cardigan. Well down wiv da kidz me I'll tell you. We then got on the little bus that takes you from the plane to the arrivals area. A journey which, in this case, took all of a minute.

Then, my dear reader, came a moment which you may decide is pure fantasy, but which I can assure you was 100% true. I quickly made my way through passport check and headed towards baggage...

To find...

My case was already on the carousel waiting to be picked up. Seriously, my dear reader, as I walked up to the carousel I saw it making its way towards me. Now how cool is that?! So without futher ado, I grabbed the case and headed for the exit and started looking for the pick up. Which again I did almost straight away. I was, I think, second to make it though. The others swiftly followed me and we were led onto the minibus which was to take us to the hotel. The five of us then introduced ourselves and started chatting away during the twenty or so minutes the journey took. At which point I began to think that, as these four all seemed to be rather nice people, this was going to be a rather good week.

We were then at the hotel where I was re-aquainted with the rep (by the name of Andy) who I had originally met in Rhodes. Then we got our room keys, shown to our rooms by Andy (four of the rooms, including mine, were next to each other) and left to unpack. This done, I took off my cardigan, put on some shorts, some sun block and headed out to explore the bar and beach area. I had only just reached the bar when I bumped into Andy again so we sat and had a beer whilst having a nice catch up chat.

A quick walk round the beach area where I had another nice chat to the two lovely ladies in the Manchester part of the crew, Vicki and Amanda, and then back to the hotel room for a wee kip. Then came another important step in the weeks holiday. Something everyone goes through at some point. Seeing if the shower worked (which it thankfully did). After that it was then time for dinner...

Coming up in part 2:
What happened when the Bristol and Gatwick people arrived.
The local pubs and bars

And, the question you all want to know (well if you've read the previous entry)

Did I find my 'impossible girl'?

Tune in next time to find out

Ta ta for now