“Greece 🇬🇷 ~What’s Up on Santorini, Lately?”

• May 3, 2020
• By Pen n Daryl
• 0 Comment

Isolation Order:

*May 4, 2020 we will no longer be required to get “movement permits” from the powers that be, to leave our homes. We will be free to move about, at will. Not all businesses will be open, but it’s a start. Borders are still closed. Santorini continues to be COVID19-free.

Schlegen Zone:

*We did applied for our EU Visa extension last week; based on a snippet from “Force Majeure;” “If something unexpected has occurred all of a sudden in your home country prior to your visa expiration……..” You know what? The world being in literal lockdown, due to the COVID19 is quite unexpected, and NOT limited to our country of origin.  But, here is the tricky parts. We’ve already been advised to return to our home country, but they have not denied us. We have also been told, we won’t get an answer of extension till two weeks before our visa expires (on June 9). In this time, we must take a ferry (hopefully we can find one operating) to the island of Syros; (2.5 hours from Santorini and $165 one way) to interview with a human at the police department there; in person, This will give us very little time to buy a plane ticket home (if we can find a flight out of Greece) that will be affordable. Going home will be far more expensive for us, then staying out in the world.  We leased our home out, and have great tenants, so we have no home to go back to. PLUS, will we be allowed to get back out in the world, again? The future is very uncertain right now, and nobody knows the end game.

Our European Cruise:

*We were able to rebook our European Rhine River Castle Cruise; Switzerland🇨🇭 to Netherlands 🇳🇱 that had been cancelled for our May 18 sail date. Our new sailing date is August 23, 2020; Netherlands 🇳🇱 to Switzerland🇨🇭. The good news is: we got a much better deal and are suppose to get a $2000 refund (yet to be seen). The bad news: no guarantee the borders will be open to fly into Amsterdam, and what if we can’t get our EU extension?

Ferry Issues:

*Having used a ferry company several times, since arriving in Greece, we knew what to expect and were comfortable making plans, till the last time I booked with them. Today, we were suppose to have been on a ferry to Athens, since the hotel we left luggage at was suppose to open, but we would learn the government is not allowing hotels to open, and, we learned by this time we would be required to interview in person, with the police, on another island we need a ferry to. The LetsFerry website is easy to use, and I went to the sight to request a refund USING THEIR REFUND BUTTON. I get a messsge that stated a recent law passed that made it impossible to get a refund for ferry tickets, now, until 18 months pass and the ticket remains unused! YET, when I purchased the ticket three days after said law changed, there was no disclosure to the fact. $166 is not chump change. 

Shipment:

*Originally, when we flew to Santorini from Athens, we only planned on being away for eight days, so we left luggage in Athens. That hotel has since closed, by government order, with no plans to open, but we have been promised we can get our luggage, if we call, first. I’ve asked for the phone number, but no response, yet. After the borders closed, I soon ran out of my Young Living supplements I rely on for pain management issues. My daughter, being awesome, put together a parcel for me of products, and went to the post office in the USA 🇺🇸 to inquire about shipping my parcel to Santorini, Greece. The clerk said she was in luck, because only 47 countries were still able to receive shipments, and Santorini, Greece was on that list. My daughter insured the package and sent it on the 10th of April, with tracking, and a commitment of 6-10 days. By the 26th of April, I contacted the post office, here in Fira, to inquire about my missing package, and was surprised to learn from that clerk that the last plane that brought mail in was April 6, 2020. No planes leaving with mail, either. So the USA 🇺🇸 had knowledge of delivery that did not match Greece 🇬🇷. Perfect! Where’s my package? Well, nobody knows…the “tracking” indicates “ it’s on its way to its destination.” (no help)

Travel Blog Website:

*We fired our original web designer who started with me on the creation of this Travel Blog Website, back in October of 2019. He could, obviously, no longer apply himself to complete the functionality of this website, in part, because he lacked skills and eventually admitted he fudged his level of experience with me.🙄….so I hired a new guy from India, who is revamping this site and making it work; including the archiving piece, that has been incomplete for months and months!  So far so good, and we like our new guy, who is productive, and if all continues well, this website will show a few new changes. THEN, D and I will be very busy loading up our archive with 20 years of past travel; prior to October of 2019, when we began this Travel Blog Website: 

*Mr Terrific is walking around singing “My mama said they’re ‘d be days like this” 🤣🤣🤣… love him!❤️….and I’m jumping hoops like crazy!

The struggle is real, But, we are Healthy, Well and still Grateful.