Greek Island Vacation With Stress and Distress

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 16 August 2019)


                        The re-named "Distress Express".  

The breakdown of the ferry boats that shuttle between Greece's
Semadirek (Samothraki) Island and Dedeağaç, and a subsequent storm,
combined to strand tourists, some of them Turks, on the island. 

The Saos company's ferry broke down on 5 August and a second
ferry, the Azores Express, broke down two days later.  The last ferry
trip to the island occurred on 10 August so hundreds of tourists were
left stranded there.  According to Greek newspapers, the municipality
provided free food and lodging during the ordeal.  Through the
intercession of the Greek Maritime Ministry, the Andros ferry began
making trips between Semadirek and Dedeağaç on Wednesday
evening.


                    Ah, the joys of summer holiday travel...

Egeman Aydın was one of  those who planned to go to Semadirek for
a vacation.  Aydın, who has worked in the tourism industry for 13
years, hoped for 3 day-4 night holiday on the island but before setting
out he learned that the ferries had stopped running.  Then he found out
that the Azores ferry would go to the island on Sunday at 6 o'clock in
the morning from Dedeağaç. 

But the ferry's departure was delayed 14 hours and it did not leave
Dedeağaç until 9 o'clock that night (!). After the 2 hour 25 minute trip
to Semadirek, weather and port conditions made docking at the island
impossible so the Azores turned back to Dedeağaç. (!)  Aydin related
on Twitter that "we later learned that our ferry was too big for the port.
Our hotel reservations went up in smoke.  Everyone was frightened.
We were hungry, water was in limited supply and there was no place
to lie down other than the floor.  A real nightmare."

"The passengers and the crew were fighting.  No answers were given
and no refunds either.  At 05.30 in the morning we were back where
we started at Dedeağaç.  The ferry was going to set sail again for
Semadirek at 9 o'clock but I left and later learned that this ferry, too,
wasn't able to dock at the island.  So I had spent 26 hours in torture
and now I can't get my 2,000 TL (about $400) back.  Feeling like
migrants, we made it to a place called Makri and had our holiday
(Moslem Feast of Sacrifice) breakfast there."

"We complain a lot about our country (Turkey) but if this scandal had
happened in Turkey the government would have sent 10 ferries to
rescue the stranded tourists.  Or (!) at least free tea and soup would
have been distributed at the port to relieve the stress."