AIR CAV DAYS IN GERMANY: THE COLD WAR ADVENTURES OF REV

Chapter 28 AEGEAN CRUISE

The tin can cab dropped off Revv at the pier about thirty minutes before his boat was scheduled to depart. Getting out of the cab he paid the driver and looked for a coffee shop. None was to be seen. Shit, thought Revv, he was tired. Last night after being stood up by the German teacher he found a rowdy British Pub in the tourist area. Inside of the pub he felt like he was in England, the place had been a bit dark inside and smoky, British Soccer Club and booze signs hung on the walls. There was a long wooden bar stocked with British ales and ciders along the back wall. Revv ordered a kidney pie and drank way too much beer with some Brits while they watched soccer or football as they called it. Either way, Revv didn't understand the game, but had fun cheering for some team called Chelsea with his new found friends. He fell into bed sometime around two a.m.

Scanning the port area he saw that it was very industrial. Heavy machines, trucks, sea land containers were chaotically spread around the gravel lot. With nothing interesting to look at or coffee to buy he decided to see if he could board the ship early. Following the tour signs he found the Argus. A young Greek man in a white uniform checked his ticket and welcomed him on board. "Enjoy your tour of our islands in the Aegean Sea." "Thank you," said Revv taking the lunch voucher the man handed him. Craning his neck backwards, Revv figured the top deck of this ship must be seventy feet up. He had misjudged the ship's size from the picture in his travel brochure, the boat was huge. Crossing a metal walkway he entered the ship and was pleasantly surprised. It was clean, freshly painted, and the bottom deck contained a large restaurant with waiters setting up a buffet. Walking to the counter he ordered a coffee before finding his way to the top deck.

Once on the top-deck he saw that it was not crowded, finding a quiet space at the pure white railing to drink his coffee he enjoyed the view and the sea breeze. His coffee was black, strong, and just cooling off to a nice drinking temperature. Looking at the blue sky there were a few wisps' of white clouds, it was the beginning of a perfect day to be on the water. Germany doesn't have enough blue sky days, he thought not quite remembering the last time he saw a bright blue sky in Germany. Finishing his coffee, he set his white cup and saucer on a table and decided to explore the ship further.

Climbing up and down stairways, walking through gangways, and tunnels he started to grasp the ship's design. After awhile he had a strange feeling that he was being followed. Turning around he saw two young Japanese girls behind him stop, cover their mouths with their hands, and giggle. They shyly diverted their eyes downward to avoid looking Revv in the eye. Revv was a bit confused by their behavior, they didn't seem like they wanted to talk to him and they definitely weren't dangerous. Ignoring them, he moved on to further explore the ship. Going up and down some more small sets of stairs, looking at the life boats, getting turned back by Do Not Enter signs at the bridge. This is cool, he thought, thoroughly enjoying himself. He had never been on a ship this large. Looking back again he saw that the girls were still following him at a distance, They are weird. Who knows? Maybe it will develop into something interesting later. Growing bored with his exploring; Revv finally decided to stop walking and took a break on the top open deck.

Leaning on the railing he watched Athens moving away as a tug boat pushed the ship off from the pier and out of the harbor. He could see that Athens was covered in its layer of morning smog again. Revv figured that the perfect bowl of mountains surrounding Athens kept the bad air hovering over the city. Soon the ship was under its' own power and picking up speed. Breathing in the clean sea air gave Revv a feeling of peace and relaxation.

Tap, tap, feeling a finger halfway down his back he turned around, the two Japanese girls were standing behind him, instead of making eye contact, they both bowed. Revv nodded his head back to them in what he thought was a show of respect, "Uh hi, you're the girls who have been following me." They covered their mouths again and giggled. One of them held up a camera. "Take picture." "No prob," Revv took the camera and made room for the girls at the railing. They giggled again, "Ah, ah, ah, no you take picture." Now Revv was confused, "Uh yah, I can take your picture." "No," one of the girls gently pushed Revv next to the other girl. "Take picture." "Oh, I get it, you want me to take a picture with you," pointing at the girl and then his own chest. Excitedly the girls nodded and giggled. At first the girl stood like a statue next to him. SNAP. The other girl took the picture. Revv held up a finger to show that they weren't done, putting his arm around the girl, he pulled her in close. Her head only came up to his armpit. She giggled and blushed, SNAP, the girl took another picture then they traded places. This time Revv didn't hesitate, he pulled the girl in close as the other girl giggled and took the picture. Having fun, Revv gave them both a hug.