There’s not much more to write now. We rose at 7.00am and I got showered and shampooed my hair before getting dressed. Trevor then popped into the unoccupied cabin #4 where everyone’s luggage was being stored, and he retrieved our two cases and brought them back, laying them open on the bed for us to start packing. We hadn’t brought a lot for a week-long cruise where we didn’t need any formal wear and it took no time just to chuck everything into the two cases. š We then locked them up and went along to the rear deck where we enjoyed a pre-breakfast hot drink.
Wendy had written everyone’s flight times on the whiteboard; the Gatwick passengers (which was most of them) would be the first to depart, followed by Trevor and I on the Newcastle flight – our taxi was due to come at 10.25am.
Those on the Birmingham flight (only one couple) were not due to leave until 12.30pm, effectively giving them the morning to spend in Zante. However, on departure day we always find that, once your holiday is over, you don’t really want to wait around; you just want to get home so you can start counting down the days to the next holiday (in our case, 41 days). š
We enjoyed a good breakfast once again; I had a few slivers of bacon, some sausage and some scrambled eggs, washed down with another cup of coffee. Then we returned to cabin #1 and brought our suitcases to the main deck, after having a last look around to make sure we hadn’t left anything.
Then we just sat around and waited until our pre-booked and pre-paid taxi arrived. Then we made our way for the last time down the wobbly gangplank and took our places in the car while the driver stashed our cases in the boot. As the taxi pulled away, I looked back at the Hemera and wondered who would be sleeping in cabin #1 tonight, those lucky people whose holiday was just beginning.
Once again, the journey to the airport only took 10 minutes, where all the Jet2.com desks were open. Zakynthos isn’t a very big airport, so checking in and going through security was a breeze. Then we had time for one final glass of Mythos beer in the departure lounge before we had to make our way to Gate 7 for the flight to Newcastle.
That’s about it really. We boarded the 737 aircraft, took our seats and roared off into the wide blue yonder, destination Newcastle International Airport. It was a beautiful clear day which allowed me to get some excellent photos out of the aircraft window of the blue Ionian and some of the mountainous Greek islands and their stunning azure lakes.
Then we just passed the time in the usual way; refreshments, the duty-free trolley, reading, watching, waiting… and finally the aircraft engines were knocked back, the “fasten seatbelts” sign came on and the aircraft made its final approach into Newcastle, landing on time at 14:50 hours. Another amazing holiday with a difference had come to an end. It had been wonderful. š