Return to NZ

It was with some sadness that we waved goodbye to Averil and Theopolis from the stern of the ferry on Thursday morning. They had been wonderful hosts and we had had a lovely time seeing a few new sights as well spending time relaxing with the family. Life on Naxos certainly takes on a different pace than one that we are traditionally used to. Theopolis owns a paint supply shop and he heads off to work early, opening his business around 7am. By 2pm he closes for the afternoon and comes home for a swim before eating the main meal of the day. Ave usually prepares this meal. Vegetables, fish and cheese are the mainstays of the diet, along with bread and olive oil. Meat is generally reserved for special occasions but is certainly not eaten every day. Local red wine is served each day, not in large wine glasses we would use, but in a small glass we would call a tumbler. Following lunch a rest or siesta is taken, before starts the second part of the day around 6pm. Theopolis opens his business again for another couple of hours. It is quite common to socialise with friends or family late into the evening. A light meal or just a snack may be eaten, and bed time seem to be never before midnight.

The ferries that service the islands are huge ships and this one took six hours back to Piraeus, the port for Athens. We had a very smooth sailing so there was no chance of any seasickness. We spent another night at our B&B at Peana, before catching the first of our flights on the journey home. The flight to Singapore was only ten and a half hours (those extra three to London make a huge difference) and we arrived at 5am local time. As we had a 15 hour stopover we had booked a room in the transit hotel and got some sleep. Singapore airport is a like a city mall full of shops and restaurants, as well as places to sit and relax so we had no trouble filling in the extra six hours till our next and final flight. At nine and a half hours it wasn't too bad, and certainly much preferred to the 14 hour flight from Vancouver we endured on our last trip home two years ago.

Getting through passport control is very easy and automated with the new electronic NZ passports. We actually had to wait longer for our luggage. Barbara and Keith were there to meet us and take us out to Lincoln. The weather was a bit of a shock to the system!! It was only 5degrees which was at least a 20 degree drop on what we have been having for the last month. Fortunately the sun did come out in the afternoon so that might it a bit more palatable. We are going to stay here for a couple of days before we head over the the Coast for a couple of days to catch up with my friend Shirley. We have had a Dooby Bear and Kermit with us. They are part of her class and we have been sending them a separate blog about their travels to them. I want to visit the class and take the toys back. Next it will be back to Fraser's to collect the bus and head off to Clyde.

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