Zakynthos

The other week I found myself sitting on a 747 surrounded by smiley faces I had just met and one reassuring, excited, yet nervous face I've known for a few years. My friend Danniella. Danni,who is also a ME fighter, invited me on this holiday months ago on a miserable winter day. It was an offer I couldn't refuse, knowing I would be staying with Danni, who completely understands what I'm going though, as well as her mum, who is also a nurse, made me feel confident to go abroad which is a huge step for anyone with chronic illness. It felt slightly bizarre and very exciting sitting on the plane waiting for our adventure to begin. You see, I've not been on a plane since I was 8 years old, a good 15 years ago (unless you count a tour of Concorde at brooklands museum, which stayed firmly on the ground.) I held Danni's hand as we took off and was surprised to find how much I enjoy flying! Hights normally make me feel weak at the knees but somehow flying was different. The flight to Zakynthos is a little over three hours so we soon found ourselves in Greek paradise. A place where the sun shines all day, hot and bright.

We stayed at the Zante Star Hotel in Tsilivi, a lovely family run hotel in a quiet area but close enough to the town and beach. Most of the week was spent lounging around the pool or beach and taking a quick dip when it got too hot. After spending the days resting and laughing, we spent the nights eating and laughing some more. So much laughter. I saw floors on fire, learnt a few rude Greek words and ate enough Greek salad to feed an army, not sure how I'm not sick of tomatoes yet! Our little group went on a boat trip to see the shipwreck cove and turtles which I really wanted to do, an all day trip is way out of my limits though and Danni couldn't manage too, so we stayed behind and had a quiet day at the poolside. Knowing our limits is important, especially on holiday. It was nice not to have any pressure to join in or explain why I couldn't manage. I seriously would feel so alone with this illness without Danni in my life. We both agreed while sipping our first cocktail by the quiet pool, how funny life is, this illness is something we both wish we didn't have, yet if we didn't have it we probably wouldn't have met. Anyway this post is about my holiday not my illness! Here are a few of the 300 odd photos that were taken, I hope you enjoy them.

 

I really did have a fantastic time away, I didn't want to leave at all. I loved spending more time with Danni, her lovely mum, Sarah (my holiday mum!) and everyone else in our group. I can't wait to go back to Greece and explore different islands, and maybe next time I'll get to see more of Zakynthos. I'd love to island hop someday, maybe something to add to my forever growing bucket list. 

I'd love to hear from you, have you got any holiday plans? Have you been to zante? 

Emma Xx