...and Watch 'em Roll Away Again

flagSHIP arrivals!

The first time

When the first big boat rolled in two years ago and docked on the new cruise ship pier, I filled 3 memory cards with photographs. It seemed so immense, so intimidating, that I had to get it down to laptop screen size.

Last summer I upgraded the memory card because once I had the ships' size into manageable dimensions, there were the passengers to deal with.

Thousands of them!

The  nationalities vary and the demographics are astonishing: students, elderly couples, newlyweds, families with small children, groups of friends etc. Interested, bored, curious, indifferent, inquisitive, reluctant, impressed, disappointed, quiet, lively, animated, expressionless—there are as many dispositions as cabins on a ship.

Size is a matter of perspective!

The tribes of modern sailing

To an extent, each nationality lives up to stereotype:

The British are discreet and enjoy walking along the waterfront.
Italians roll into town in groups, like a thunderstorm!
Germans already know where to go and what to see.
Canadians could pass for Americans if their smoother accent didn't give them away.
The French would rather circle a town block for hours than ask for directions in English.
The Dutch are just happy to find a ledge to bask in the sun.
And the few Americans—taking a break from their usual Caribbean cruises—are always searching for someone to take a group shot of them doing acrobatics in front of landmarks!

Day visitors, testing the waters of Argostoli Bay

The host tribe 

The locals also live up to stereotype of a nation that hasn't made up its mind yet whether it should roll out the renowned Greek hospitality or continue its midday siesta!

The curiosity of that first year, when dozens of locals would pass by the pier to see "the monsters," is gone. It is now replaced by a familiarity evidenced in the ease with which the cruise ships are recognized from afar and referred to by name. From time to time, there's an older fisherman (or two) sitting by the pier and exercising austere criticism at the captain's maneuvers when mooring the ship.

 "All that fancy equipment and it still takes him 10 minutes. I could do it blindfolded!"

I doubt it, but keep my opinion to myself whenever I hear this.

Impressive as these vessels are, it's hard to lose your head over their size when they can actually fit into your side view mirror!  The focus is on their  "load"

Of course he can do it better than the captain!

And, though I'm almost certain that this old timer has probably never heard of Otis Redding, I'll dedicate the verse to him anyway!

❝ Sittin' in the mornin' sun
I'll be sittin' when the evenin' come
Watching the ships roll in
And then I watch 'em roll away again....❞