Holidays in Syros - Part II

by Frank Panis

After the guided tour around the house (There were signs everywhere, so we couldn't get lost) it was time to sit, talk, laugh and relax out on the superbly planted balcony. Of course we discussed a lot of fishy and MCH related topics, and we also shared our plans for both our new tanks. Meanwhile time passed quick and after a (too big) pizza  and seeing the spectacle of George letting Xerxes out for his evening walk, we went to bed. The day after we went out to buy some fruits & bread (for the famous Belgian diet) and had a refreshing drink at a fancy café that to our surprise didn't have an English menu. The milkshakes had the very inspiring names: strawberry & banana power and after 2 of them we felt strong enough to walk back and prepare our stuff for the metro & boat trip to Syros the next day. Of course we kept on discussing fishy and MCH related things until late in the evening, and after Xerxes' evening walk (it's rather funny to see a strong and tall man like George being dragged around by such an enormous dog like Xerxes) it was time to go sleep again.

My wife Hilde out on the very comforting & attractive planted Reclos' balcony

We had to wake up very early in the morning to get the 7.30am boat to Syros. This was the first time we saw Christine back, as she had returned from Syros during the night. She welcomed us hearty, and we were also delighted to see her again! We brought her a typical Belgian present: chocolates! Most sadly our schedule didn't permit us to stay much longer,  and after complimenting her with her magnificent plants on the balcony, we drove to the metro station. After a hour and a few switchovers we got to the Piraeus port, where we stepped on the boat. Syros here we came...almost not... we were lucky not to get to Mykonos, as we were not aware of the fact that the boat just did a stop and go! George came running to us in the main cabin, saying that we had to be very quick to leave the boat immediately, sito presto, no time to loose!. Indeed he was right, as it left right behind us when we were only 5 meters on shore. Pheww...that was close!!!

After being welcomed by Johnny and renting a car, we directly went to Andreas shop in the center of Ermoupoli, what was yet another pleasant introduction! His small, but cute shop has a variety of African cichlids and more common fish like guppies, as not every aquarist is experienced or caring enough for keeping our beloved Malawi or Tanganyika cichlids! After quite some laughs, exchanging fishy experiences, and a ride on Andreas fabulous Honda Dominator bike to get to a money terminal, we headed for the other side of the island for a relaxing five-day stay.

From right to left: George, Johnny, Andreas, and finally me Frank! Andreas didn't wear the unique MCH shirt. I heard somewhere that they're not available in the extra small size! We should definitely do something about that!

Delphini, a very remote part of the island could only be reached through an extra narrow one direction Greek road. It was definitely not suited for 2 cars passing each other. Every time we used it, we almost prayed that there was no oncoming traffic, as we had to drive in reverse for quite a distance to find a wide gap in the road to let another car or truck pass. 

Sunset on the Delphini bay seen from the small road...

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