Not Your Grandmother’s Greek Ferry Boat

The Diagoras at dawn, calling at the port of Tilos

Diagoras was the name of an Olympic boxing champion in the 5^th century B.C. It is also the name of a sleek Greek ship plying the Aegean Sea, operated by Blue Star Ferries.

As someone who is in love to the point of obsession with almost anything involving bodies of water, Vegan Voyager (VV) is easy to please when it comes to boats. But even before she stepped aboard the Diagoras, she knew this one would make her especially happy.

The white-uniformed, handsome fellow who took her ticket at the foot of the ramp wished her a good trip and gave her one of those dizzying smiles that explain why legions of foreign women—not just Shirley Valentine—lose their minds over Greek men. 

Between him and the ship’s reception desk a total of eight additional crew members warmly welcomed VV aboard, and another helped her ease her embarrassingly heavy roller bag onto the escalators.

Diagoras reception area

If you’ve ridden enough Greek ferries, as VV has done since her first trip to Greece with her grandmother decades ago, you’ll know that this sort of enthusiastic reception is not exactly standard practice. Ferry staff can sometimes be harried and snippy. VV recalls that her grandmother, Yiayia in Greek, gave one or two crewmembers a lecture on manners, in vain.

On the Diagoras, which recently transported VV between the Athens-area port of Pireaus and various Aegean islands, the courteous and cheerful crew might as well have been vacationing themselves.

Diagoras cafe

In one example, a petite but sturdy female porter carried VV’s copious luggage through the maze of hallways to a sleeper cabin, then demurely tried to refuse a tip. VV had to insist. Now how often does that happen?

Yiayia would approve.

Diagoras a la carte dining

Coming up soon: Vegan Dining—Even for Klutzes—Aboard Blue Star Ferries Diagoras

 All text and photos by A Vegan Voyager - Copyright 2012

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