Why couldn’t he leave me alone?
I was relaxing in the sauna.
Hoping for a little peace and quiet.
…until this chap began telling me a story about his island hopping.
But very quickly I began to get intrigued by his tale as it unfolded…
You see… many years ago, my new sauna story-telling friend and his wife decided to visit the Greek Islands
…but without any plans.
They jumped onto a plane, flew to a Greek Island, and hopped from island to island whenever they fancied.
At any particular port or airport, they were greeted by a number of placard-bearing locals advertising accommodation.
But one particular grey-haired, tanned gentleman stood out from the crowd.
Sat on his bicycle, this chap beckoned for the couple to follow him.
And as he cycled slowly ahead of them, the couple followed him on foot…
Through the village, along the dusty road, and up the hill…
Until eventually they saw a lady in the distance and watched as she approached them rather excitedly, smiling from ear to ear.
“This is my wife,” said the Greek man.
“She will take you to our house.”
Within a few minutes, they’d reached the Greek couple’s humble home.
“How much?” asked my sauna story-telling friend.
“Twelve Euros” replied the lady.
“Hmm… Not bad at all,” he thought to himself, quickly doing the mental arithmetic.
“12 Euros per person for three nights… Good bargain!”
“Thank you”, he said to his Greek host. “We’ll love to stay with you.”
So they settled in, explored the local village and the tavernas, and went to bed.
Tap-tap-tap…
But no one was outside the door….
However, in the light of the glorious new morning, the sun illuminated the tray full of Greek breakfast delights prepared for them.
“Wow, didn’t expect this!” he proclaimed to his wife.
This was the first of many surprises.
And the couple continued to enjoy the delightful Greek hospitality until they decided it was time to move on.
“How much do we owe you?”, he asked the charming Greek lady.
What happened next shocked him.
You see, he’d already worked out the price:
12 Euros x 2 people x 3 days = 72 Euros.
“No, no, no!” said the Greek lady.
“It’s 12 Euros per room!”
“You owe me 36 Euros.”
He couldn’t believe it.
Wonderful accommodation for 3 days, delicious food, and typical warm Greek hospitality…
All for 36 Euros.
“Here…” he said.
“Take this 72 Euros”
“It was well worth it, thank you”
After exchanging hugs and best wishes, the holidaying couple continued their journey to the next island.
But that experience never left their memory.
And it was shared once again in a small sauna within our local gym.
Heartwarming, eh?
So, apart from wanting to make you feel good, why do I tell you this?
What has it to do with cruising?
Simply this…
You may not be the adventurous type who goes island hopping without any plans.
But you can still go island-hopping on a cruise.
Go to bed whilst at one island…
And wake up at another island.
Of course, your breakfast will be the usual high standard you’d expect on a cruise ship.
And during the day, you can explore to your heart’s content…
Where you just possibly may meet a grey-haired man on a bike…
And experience an adventure which you can share with any friends – or strangers you meet in a sauna – for many years to come!
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