Bags checked in for our flight to Santorini it was now time for coffee except the coffee shop had a long line of customers waiting and there were no seats left.  Through the glass wall I could see another coffee shop so we decided to forgo any duty free shopping and passed through the luggage scanners.  Of course I was stopped for a bag scan and a body pat down.  How many other people out there have the same experience as me? It’s very rare that I can walk through the customs check without anyone stopping me for a scan of some sort.

All that done we lined up for coffee and something to eat. We noticed that there wasn’t much available seating at the flight gate so Ty went to find us seats whilst I waited in line at the cafe.  The line wasn’t too long but gave me time to decide what I should ask for given I find the coffee in Europe too strong and there was no chance of asking for a half shot I decided a mocha would be best. I thought it best to order the food first and then launch into the coffee order…Ty’s was easy he just wanted a coke zero.  Now for mine ‘ Could I have a Mocha please ?’ Blank look….Hmm, why did I think the young barista would know what a mocha was? “Ok”, I said to myself, ”check the list of coffees available on the board”…I see Hot Chocolate…’ I suppose I’ll have a hot chocolate please’.  The next customer was an Aussie and she said ‘easy enough for him to put a shot of espresso into it’….’you’d think so’ I replied.  ‘Could I have a shot of espresso in it please?’  He looked at me then he put a small shot of espresso into my hot chocolate…..I’m sure he thought it was an odd request….didn’t care I got the mocha.  He brought the coffee to the counter and clasped his hands together as if in prayer.  ‘Are you praying? I asked.  He smiled, replied in the affirmative and said ‘I don’t want you to order anything else, it’s too much for me!’ I laughed….so a chicken roll (not much chicken), a donut, a coke zero and a mocha was too much for him!!!!!!

We found seats at the departure gate to wait for boarding.  An announcement came over …..the plane had been overbooked would anyone like to take the later flight…we offer €250 plus a free flight.  We would not be taking up the offer….we just wanted to be sitting by the pool at the Villas.

When boarding was called were were amazed at the size of some of the bags people were bringing on this little plane. The overhead luggage compartments are not that deep so some luggage had to be forced under the seats in front of people. We were on the flight early in the boarding process with seats in the middle of the plane so we had a fun time watching the young men and women trying to place their oversize luggage somewhere, anywhere they could fit it!! The girl behind us originally had her suitcase standing between the back of my seat and the front of her seat then she realised she couldn’t sit down, next she tried placing it on the actual seat and sitting on it…eventually the suitcase was forced under the seat.  GG helped the girl that sat next to him push her suitcase under her seat but it was so big it also encroached on his side of the plane.  Gorging Gonz was also in line of sight of the propeller on the left side..not something he was terribly keen on.  Of course Lord Lunchalot was in row 2….a seat suitable for a Lord I’m sure..hahaha.

We had a slight delay whilst the cabin crew tried to force oversize bags into the overhead luggage compartments.  One of the crew pushed one bag with such force we thought it might go through the side of the plane. That bag wouldn’t be moving anywhere no matter how much turbulence we might have.

It seems that if you’re travelling with a small amount of hand luggage you need to board the plane first to ensure space in an overhead compartment before people with hand luggage and a suitcase board the flight.

The flight was short and smooth, cabin service was fast, no sooner receiving a can of drink when it was collected again in preparation for landing. Once the plane landed it was amusing watching people trying to retrieve their oversize bags form the tiny luggage compartments – much huffing and puffing whilst trying to free the bags. The bag that the crew had forced into the luggage compartment was firmly stuck, even with the help of her friend the girls couldn’t free the bag.  Eventually it wasn’t funny because we couldn’t leave the aircraft till they had the bag out – Ty stepped up and helped release the bag.  So a tip for my readers  –  be mindful when flying to the Greek Islands – the planes are small and luggage compartments are even smaller. Even though you might think it’s a faster exit to take your bag on board because you’ve only packed 2 or 3 pieces of swimwear, a towel, a ton of make-up/toiletries, hair straightener and an outfit or 2 for the evenings the bag just will not fit and may be off loaded to the hold anyway.  What’s the rush it’s the Greek Islands and nothing moves quickly here.

Once on the ground we collected our luggage and proceeded to the car rental desk, then the next and finally the last car rental desk.  Normally we would have booked a car in advance but we weren’t sure what our travelling companions preferred to do. Perhaps they’d want to hire motor bikes or quad bikes.   We wandered over to the taxi rank outside the terminal and a very friendly female driver packed the bags onto the taxi roof and we set off for our Villas in Messaria.

Santorini