The Nilsons: DESTINATION: LEROS

On Sunday morning, we made it to the island of Leros. As we disembark from the Blue Star Ferry, dragging our suitcases and backpack, we look out for our friend Lars. It has been 17 years since we last saw each other. I met Lars in Geneva in 1991. He was about to retire back then from the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) and we have kept in touch over the years with Christmas cards, postcards and email. They were living in Nice, France at that time but he was always talking about Leros, inviting us to visit this beautiful island. Matt and Lars have been colleagues for years.

So you can just imagine this meeting at the port. We stood near the parking entrance by our luggage waiting for him. Matt made sure I was standing close to where the cars will pass because I will probably be the one Lars will recognize -- the only Asian in a sea of white people! Besides, he did say he will know how I look from the christmas card we sent last year. A few minutes later, the crowd has considerably thinned down so now we are worried that he might have missed us. Matt went back inside, near the cafe and spotted somebody who looked like Lars but he couldn't be sure. Like a scene from a romantic chick flick, Matt yelled "Lars! Lars!" hoping this guy would turn and look. No dice. He yelled louder and finally he turned and said "Mats?". Okay... you get the picture. And you can turn off the background music you have been imagining with this scene.

It was wondeful to see him again. Not sure how much luggage we have, Christine opted to stay at home and wait there. We loaded our luggage in his new car. He just got it three days ago so we are essentially christening it. What an honor! (Of course, I didn't know what kind of driver Lars is yet....)

Here is a photo of our ferry boat from LAKKI, the port in Leros where we landed:

From LAKKI, we drove to the other side of the island in the village of Partheni where their house is. Taking in the scenery, it was almost like the time we first visited BORACAY in the Philippines, an untouched jewel of the sea. It wasn't as primitive but it was pristine. The waters are so clear and blue. The air so fresh and the temperature is just like San Diego.

It took us less than 15 minutes to get to their villa. They have retained the old greek style of the house and added their own style. You can see from the photos below the gorgeous view they have. It sits on top of a hill overlooking one of the many marinas of the island.

Because we are staying only for a few days, Lars has a full schedule of sightseeing for us. We started with a trip to their favorite taverna by the marina for a late lunch by the water. Lars and Christine has been coming to this island for 27 years. The taverna is now owned by the son who they new when he was just a young boy. We were served a beautiful assortment of greek food including a cake served only during Easter. Of course, we also had Retsina which tasted more like a Chablis to me. Nothing like the nasty taste people have been warning me about.