To keep spirits up perhaps people might be able to tell of amusing stories from holidays in the past. I have added 4 reports on Thassos and have others on places we have visited.
http://holidayreviews.info/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=112
Perhaps others would like to add some of their experiences to the thread
This is a holiday review of Naxos
day 1-5
http://holidayreviews.info/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=97
day 6-10
http://holidayreviews.info/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=98
day 11-15
http://holidayreviews.info/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=99
which produced this funny story but as it was world cup year I did not want Messi and Ronaldo going the same way
http://holidayreviews.info/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=105
Has anybody a story on Thassos about that last given Ouzo too many?
Not a funny story but the best I can do ⌠in Africa last year we had to be escorted back to our room, unbeknown to the guide there was a large elephant and we walked right into it! It was a little worrying.
On that same holiday we had stopped for drinks and I was stood a little back when I was told to keep very still and very quiet, there was a hyena stood behind me!
Yikes, Leanne! It seems like youâre leaving out the best part⌠what happened to you and the hyena? More importantly, what were you drinking?!
Hereâs a story that doesnât involve ouzo or alcohol. Otherwise, it would probably have ended horribly 
A colleague of mine @ Go-Thassos was having his parents come to visit from the U.S. Their flight was due to arrive in Thessaloniki at 14:00 on a hot July afternoon. So we got in the car and made our way to Thessaloniki. Itâs a 40-minute ferry ride from Thassos to Keramoti and then a 2-hour drive to Thessalonikiâs airport. I remember we were running behind schedule and I put a lot of extra weight on the gas pedal to make sure we got there on time. We couldnât let them arrive without a welcoming committee, of course!!
So we got to the airport probably at 14:00 on the dot and found out that the air traffic controllers decided to go on strike that afternoon. It was one of those last-minute strikes that were prevalent in Greece at the time. So we arrived only to find out that the flight which my colleagueâs parents were supposed to be on never departed from Athens. Uh oh.
By the way, this happened over 10 years ago, before smartphones, WiFi and 3G technology blessed us with simple means to connect with each other. The parents didnât bring their cell phone with them. We, on the other hand, had dumb flip-phones, which were kinda cool in those days.
We stayed at the airport wondering what to do and how to get in touch with his parents in order to coordinate our next moves. We spoke with an airline representative and explained that we came to pick up people due to arrive from the states, who are now apparently stuck in Athens with no way to speak with us. All they could say to us was to be patient. They assured us that everything would be ok.
Probably 5 minutes later, my colleagueâs mobile started to ring, an Athens number appeared on his caller id. He answered it and, to our relief, it was his parents calling from the airport in Athens!!
His dad said, âSon, we canât speak now because thereâs only one more flight scheduled for today and it leaves in 30 minutes. Weâre getting on it so we need you to pick us up from the airport in Kavala, not Thessaloniki!â
First, we felt a big sense of relief hearing from his parents so soon. However, that sense of relief was quickly replaced with a sense of panic because Kavalaâs airport is a 2 hour drive and they would be arriving there in 1 hour and 15 minutes⌠no no no, we canât let them arrive without a welcoming committee!!
So we hustled back the way we came along the Egnatia highway, faster than ever before. I kid you not, I had never driven so fast and it was a nerve-wracking experience. The car was shaking so much I thought weâd might lose a tire. My hands were clenched so tightly around the steering wheel and my knees locked up as I was very tensely hoping weâd get there on time. Oh, and in one piece.
As we took the exit off the highway, which is about 15 minutes from Kavalaâs airport, we watched through the car window as their plane came down for a landing. âHurray!!! Weâll be at the airport just in time to welcome them!â, we exclaimed.
You see, we feel first impressions are so important⌠Especially after having traveled so long and so far, after saving enough money over a period of time. They shouldnât have to wait around at the airport by themselves⌠thatâs not a good first impression at all. They deserved to be warmly welcomed with open arms, the Greek way!
So we got to the airport and they were literally grabbing their bags from the conveyor belt (itâs a small and very efficient airport).
Exhausted, after such a long trip and a crazy 3 hours in Athens, his parents were happy to see our faces and to be welcomed with hugs upon arrival.
I think that first impression really helped set the tone of their vacation and afterward, they were so excited and ready to enjoy special family time over the next few weeks while discovering the things that make Thassos unique.
Theyâve been back to Thassos every two years since then, so perhaps racing up and down the highway was worth it?
Iâm proud to announce that since then, I havenât needed to drive 2 hours to Thessalonikiâs airport, only to need to turn around and go back to the nearby airport in Kavala which is 10 a minute drive. A silly little irony, I know, but stuff happens. 
Thatâs a scary story Leanne and one you have not forgot was the hyena laughing lol.
That makes a good story Augie and all worked out well for you all
This is a story in the days when holidays were booked in the Travel agent and they offered unnamed hotels for a last minute break
An Early Package deal, âwait till I see that Repâ
Many years ago, Mrs Db booked an unnamed (but guaranteed 3 star) hotel in Protaras in Cyprus.
My wife is very good at getting us a decent holiday and in those days there was no TA to help out.
The only impartial advice available was through a Gazetteer kept secretly under the counter in the travel agents.
Now Protaras has a very well known beach called Fig Tree Bay and the Gazetteer said all the hotels there backed onto this beach.
So how could we possibly go wrong?
Well, after a not very good flight with air turbulence and some apprehension of where we would be staying, we were greeted by the rep and told our hotel was the Hotel Isaacs. We were then put on board a coach with about 30/40 others.
âHello everyone, Iâm Jan your rep, we are lucky today because our driver is Pedro and Pedro is the safest driver in Cyprusâ (thatâs somewhere between Hamilton and Button).
âOne or two things to tell you as we pull away out of the airport, first itâs been very hot and the mosquitoes are out in the daytime as well as at night, so wear repellent at all times. Another thing do not put any loo paper in the toilet, as the Cyprus sewage system cannot copeâ.
I turned to my wife apprehensively and said, âWell they did not say anything about that in the brochureâ.
The rep went on to say, âThe reps meeting will be tomorrow afternoonâ.
(This is where the tour company having sold you a wonderful holiday at great expense, then want you to go somewhere else for the day, at further cost).
After half an hour, we reached Protaras and one by one, each hotel name was called out and the relevant clients were seen off.
Suddenly, we found we were the only ones left on the coach, as it sped out of town and into the barren countryside.
Finally we went down a dusty old road and the coach pulled up and as the dust settled, a hotel appeared standing on its own amongst some other old properties .
We had arrived in the DISTRICT of Protaras. The rep ushered us in to the hotel and then quickly disappeared.
We went inside and a very stern lady asked us to hand over both our passports (to ensure neither of us could escape, I thought).
We were shown our room which was clean and clinical but the bed was hard and I noticed we only had one towel to share.
and looking out of our window I said to Mrs Db whatâs that I can see across the road, itâs a building site
After unpacking we decided to see how long it would take us to reach Fig Tree Bay.
We walk down to the sea where there was a pile of rocks and a few pedalos own by an AI hotel that had its own swimming pool.
âMy God we are miles from anywhereâ I said, âWait till I see that rep tomorrowâ.
We started to walk along barren scrubland for 30 mins
and there in the distance the sun was setting over Fig Tree Bay, its golden beach had white ribbed beach chairs glinting in the sun like discarded bones
where perhaps elephants went to die.
I realised that the walk would be too far to do every day and said to my wife,â Wait till I see that rep tomorrowâ.
It began to get dark so we headed back to the hotel.
We noticed a single restaurant by the AI hotel, so we changed, put on repellent and decided to dined there and I was immediately bitten by a mozzie.
Back in the room the bed was so hard that I had an uncomfortable night.
Morning came and I said, âWait till I see that Rep todayâ.
We had breakfast and decided to sit on deckchairs on the lawn of the restaurant that we had eaten in the previous night.
After an hour I got up and wandered to the far end of their property and there was this beautiful Blue Bay with golden sand.
Sun beds and shades were for hire.
We had a lovely lunch at the top of the beach, washed down with Amstel beer where the owner told us that a village was just up the road with many restaurants.
It was afternoon and time for the meeting and the Rep gave her talk
and then said, âAny questionsâ?.
âYes missâ, I replied,
âPlease can we have another towelâ
I was beginning to enjoy the place
Ok so the hyena wasnât laughing (I think they are brown hyenas on Kruger which donât laugh but donât quote me I could be wrong)
The drink was G&T
The hyena ran off after a long adrenaline filled minute, I was told had there been a few of them Iâd have been dinner
Two days previous we had to pack up our evening sun downer drinks very quickly because a leopard was coming towards us at a good pace
Augie, your story made me laugh!! Also kavala is my second favourite airport⌠my favourite being a teeny tiny one in Africa that basically has some plastic curtains and a bloke behind them pushing the cases though
Del your story telling always makes me chuckle, I love your trip reports! Did you end up enjoying that holiday?
My Lanzarote week with my daughters got cancelled yesterday (end of may) Iâm just praying my two weeks in Thassos for September goes ahead
Hi Leanne,
I just imagined the hyena laughing behind your back lol.
Yes we enjoyed our holiday it was just the unknown and what happened on our arrival.
Del
Most people ask the same question when I tell the story,.. 
Glad your enjoyed the holiday 
This is a trip we had to Tolo in Greece which might be of interest for those that have not seen the place which also included a trip to Napflio and Hydra
My Lucky Day
Many years ago my wife and I went on a boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads and at that time finding a mooring space for a boat in any town was very popular and really difficult. Anyway, we decided to go to the town of Wroxham and left early in order to find a mooring spot a couple of hours away in that town.
Once finding a spot I did a bit of fishing and casting a line from the boat I noticed a poor Canadian goose had a fishing line coming out of its beak. I pointed this out to Mrs Db and she said, âI am not sure what we can doâ. âWell if I feed it with bread it might come closer to the bank and perhaps I could catch it and then look for a vet in townâ.
Well throwing the bread out, I got my opportunity to grab the goose by the neck. I had never realised how big and heavy these birds are lol.
So I headed up the bank and along the pathway like Tom Tom the piperâs son with a Canadian Goose under my arm using my two hands clinched together to take the strain. Soon it was getting so heavy I realised I was not going to make it to town.
I then spotted a cottage down a pathway. I knocked on the door with the goose under my arm and a lady came to the door. I explained I was looking for a vet to help attend the goose.
âCome inâ, she said, âThere is a bird sanctuary close by I will give them a ring, please sit downâ. I looked around and there was a sofa to sit on and the goose sat calmly in my lap.
We chatted for a while and then there was a knock on the door and the man from the sanctuary came in. He explained this was quite common and they thread a tube down the line and remove the hook. As the man approached the goose it opened its bowels in my lap. The man said, âI think that is supposed to be luckyâ 
and the goose was removed from my lap and taken by the man. As the man left I was then looking at my trousers which looked like the bottom of a swanâs nest.
"If you take your trousers off I will put them through the washing machine for you, said the lady.
Now I was thinking, how would I explain all this to Mrs Db wearing a smarter looking pair of trousers than when I went out. So I declined but thank her for her help. I removed myself from the sofa in a sort of squat position desperately holding my trouser legs together. I walked out of the room like a Russian Cossack dancer.
Once outside I was able to shake the mess onto the pathway. Then I walked back normally to the boat. I explained what had happened to Mrs Db who made me a nice cup of tea and my favourite biscuits. So perhaps it was my lucky day after all
I love your stories and trip reports.. you have a great knack for holiday story telling
Del one day your, Mrs db, me and mr leanne need to meet up in Thassos for a methos .. with Augie to!
That would be lovely Leanne if we could all meet up one day. I am sure Augie would like that to happen too.
Haha awesome goose story, Delboy! That was hilarious!
I would really love for that to happen, guys! Hopefully your holidays will be at the same time so that we can all get together at one of your favorite spots on Thassos for that ice cold mythos!
PS I did see the funny side of it standing at the cottage door with a goose under my arm lol
Many of you will have read that Mrs Db and I spent our 50th anniversary last year in Thassos but on the actual day it was spent in the UK.
I did a little talk on it at our camera club after taking lots of photos.
It was titled
â Well it never seem to bother Catherine of Aragonâ
I donât think there was anything amusing in this trip report but lots of info on Elounda and Spinalonga on the island of Crete for those missing their holiday.
Thanks Delboy
You are doing your best to take our mind off situation. Hopefully the vaccine tried today will do the trick as I am missing the pub and dreaming of using the Tui Credit Voucher I will be receiving for future trip to Thassos.
However these scientists need to watch it does not make the situation worse. Any way next week Iâm going to get a lump hammer and bang an old water tank at 8pm . The health workers across the world need medals. Malaria is also on the increase . Frightening.. What would be great in future is that holidays in Thassos could be extended from March to end of October for 6 years. This could then re-balance income and economy of Thassos Island. Just to brighten mood I wish I was 18 again sitting on this rock. Steve
Yes but young at heart Steve sort of counts lol
Here is another report of Nidri on the Island of Lefkada but has a road link
Thanks Delboy for sharing reports.
Nidri Lefkada looks a very nice place.
Is there a direct flight from UK or via Athens/ Kefolonia?
Food looks good but not sure about that sausage on the plane.
Steve
