Cafe stop, Argostoli

I am sitting in a strangely dark cafe (it's brilliant sunshine outside) in Argostoli, which is to the south west of the island (I seem to gravitate to the south west wherever I go). I am half asleep as I went to bed in the small hours and then was woken from strange dreams about home and Italy and Hungary by a knocking at my door. Stefanos was going to visit his sick mother in hospital and offered to take me with him to Argostoli so I could buy a bus ticket for the next stage of my journey tomorrow. We had originally planned this for 11ish but now he needed to go at 9am as he has to visit his mother, clean the apartments, then go to a christening. I was all blurry eyed and still inhabiting dream world but croakily said, I'll be down in 10 minutes.... and so here I am in Argostoli, in need of a coffee. But with my bus ticket.

After just 5 days, I feel totally embedded into the life of this island. I landed on my feet in my choice of apartments. The owners Stephanos and George are amongst some of the nicest people I've ever met and are typically Mediterranean in their warmth and interest. They will do anything for their guests and they treat you as one of the family, sitting with you for hours chatting over tea/coffee or driving you into Argostoli to buy a bus ticket! The poor brothers are struggling to keep their business afloat with the recession and also their mother is dying in hospital so they are back and forth visiting her. I feel like I've known them for years, how can this be? I am sorely tempted to stay here forever, with my balcony view to the sea and do what I have always dreamed of doing back in that horrible office: read and write in the sun every single day.

I leave tomorrow and I feel sad but so far this trip has been wonderful. I have remembered why I so love travelling alone - I love the freedom, the liberation, the way I feel like I am truly me when I travel, not things other people want me to be. And to get away from boring work, play, sleep, work... you travel and you wonder why the hell you don't do this all the time. Perhaps eventually this would become a routine too...? My next exciting leg is tomorrow: leave Argostoli on a bus to Sami to pick up the 8.30 ferry to Patras; then get a bus to Thessaloniki or go via Athens on train; train straight to Bucharest or a night in Thessaloniki; Bucharest to Budapest arriving Wednesday staying until Friday; then on Friday train to Munich via Austria; arriving Friday and then a train to Paris arriving Saturday. Finally a train back to London...

I cannot wait until Budapest.