Adventure in Greece - Chapter I (Departure)

Introduction

It was the year 2006 and I remember it as if it was today. It could be just another calendar ripped out from the wall, a sequence of daily routines easily forgotten, things that just don't really make a difference. But no, nothing of the sort! I don't think I've ever had a "bad" year - those that you just want to forget - but this one... this one topped them all. In a time span of only 5 months I embarked in one of the most incredible adventures of my life, got married to the most beautiful girl, went on a honeymoon to a fantastic place, turned 30 and became Junior Consultant in the Department of Innovation of a big company. But, for the sake of this story, and to keep all things photographically fenced, I won’t go beyond the "incredible adventure of my life" in the land of the Gods - Greece.

It was around April, when the first rays of light started to shine through, that I felt the urge, the sudden inspiration to do something different. And, this being a turning point in my life, due to the upcoming wedding, I was struggling with existential doubts regarding my future liberty and the loss of my bachelor status. I had to do something big, something that could ease up my mind and free the rebellion of my spirit. I started looking for places that fitted my personal criteria: cheap to fly into, cheap to "live" in, easy to move around, photographically appealing, challenging and wild. To make things easier, I also searched for local connections within the on-line hospitality communities of which I have been a member for some time now. After about a month analyzing the possibilities, I ended up choosing Greece.

The planning was short and loose, not too elaborate or specific. The idea was to go with the flow, decide along the way, and be open to change. I bought the return ticket to Athens, reserved a ticket on the ferry departing from Piraeus to Heraklion, arranged a place to stay as a hospitality guest in Heraklion for the first night and... that was it. My baggage was a large 75lt backpack filled with clothes, some camping material, like pans, cutlery and flashlight; a small backpack with books, a diary, writing tools, and a flask; a Stealth Reporter AW 300 camera bag with photographic equipment; and... a big tripod.  Yep, I wasn't travelling light at all and I learned the lesson the hard way. Rookie!

Chapter I - Departure

26th of July, 23:30, Braga, Portugal

Catarina, my wife, drives me to the bus station. After all the "not allowed to be mentioned" goodbyes and farewells, and now on my own, I grab my bags and go straight to the bus lane to Lisbon. The driver looks surprised at all the baggage and the less than discrete tripod and asks: "Are you going to Lebanon?" (the war between Israel and Lebanon had just begun). "Hey, José, look at this" he yelled to a friend, pointing to the tripod, "he already has the stand for the machine gun". I go with the gag, and I reply: "Yep, that's it, and if you ask too many questions I will have to get the machine gun from the backpack". After a good laughter, we take our places in the bus... and so began the first part of the journey. Slept all the way to Lisbon.

27th of July, 4:40 am, Lisbon Airport, Portugal

We often see human acts that go beyond belief, although sometimes there is a reasonable explanation. This time, the only explanation I can figure for a lady trying to pass her cat through the X-Ray machine of the baggage check-in gate has to be the late hour. Come on, at almost 5 am... the lady is obviously missing a late supper or a morning tea! Or maybe she really wants to get rid of the cat.

But my worries now go to the tripod. I was told before that tripods of a certain size are not allowed inside the plane. If mine was rejected I would have to go back to a section of the airport where they deal with non-standard equipment and provide specific packaging. It would cost me money, but above all it would cost me time, which I didn't have. Fortunately, it went through with a mild warning. Thank God I brought my smallest tripod. If it was the Manfrotto, I would probably have to leave it behind. So, lesson n. 1, if you take a tripod with you on a flight, get to the airport as early as possible and check-in any non-standard material you may have.

The plane is a small McDonald-Douglas from Iberia. It's old, rusty and doesn't look reliable at all. The Captain has a moustache and I could swear I've seen him before in a cowboy's movie. So, here I am, heading to Madrid (connection flight) in a piece of junk with a cowboy as a pilot. What are the chances of success?

To be continued...