Dear Jason,
Thank you so much for your recent letter. I really _read____ (enjoy, read) about your holiday __in___ Spain. It sounds _that____ you _had___ (have) a wonderful vacation. Let me tell you about our summer holiday in Greece!
The flight __to___ Greece __went___ (go) smoothly. However, we had some problems with the ferry in Athens! We _booked____ (book) a ferry crossing two weeks before we __left___ (leave) and arrived at the port with our tickets in hand. __It___, the ferry _wasn’t_ (be) nowhere in sight! We rushed about the port _tried____ (try) to find the ferry, but no one _ever heard____ (ever hear) of the ferry lines! Finally, after we __waiting___ (wait) for about four hours, a man _told____ (tell) us that the ferry line _changed____ (change) owners and had a new name and kindly _directed____ (direct) us to the correct ferry. Well, we were pretty lucky as the ferry _prepared____ (prepare) to depart that very moment! We hopped _to____ board and __drank___ (drink) a beer to calm our nerves.
After that, the vacation really _began____ (begin) to be fun. We arrived in Sifnos (one of the many marvelous Greek islands) and _found____ (find) our apartment. The apartment __was located___ (be located) directly __on___ the beach with a marvelous _view____ of the sea. We _stayed____ (stay) in a small village which __have___ (have) about 200 inhabitants during the year, but _swelled____ (swell) to over 2,000 __in__ the summer holiday months. We _spent____ (spend) our days reading, swimming, napping and having a very relaxing time indeed. We also __took___ (take) a number of long walks __in___ the island.
I'll always remember one walk in particular: We _woke up____ (wake up) early that morning so as to get an early start. I _made____ (make) coffee when my brother-in-law, who __joined___ (join) us in Sifnos, _bursted____ (burst) in saying, "Susan _i am____ (be) ill and we have to go to the doctor's". We _gotin to____ (get into) the car and, after a short journey up the road the nearest doctor's, Susan got the medicine she _needed____ (need). We _returned____ (return) to our apartment and Susan went to bed _all____ the day. Daryn, my brother-in-law, and I _decided____ (decide) to go on our hike even _been____ we _lost____ (lose) a few hours going to the doctor. By that time, the sun _rose____ (rise) high in the sky and we __set off___ (set off) in blistering heat. A slight breeze _blew____ (blow) so we really __not noticed___ (not notice) the heat. After we _walked____ (walk) for about an hour, the wind suddenly _stopped____ (stop) and we found ourselves alone in the countryside without a drop of water. We decided we _kept____(keep) walking as we were sure to find somewhere to stop and have a drink and a rest. Unfortunately, as we later _discovered____ (discover), the closest village was another five kilometers _far____. We __carried on___ (carry on) in the boiling sun_and____ we finally reached the village. We __went___ (go) into the nearest bar to have something to drink. It was then that I _realized____ (realize) that I __left___ (leave) my wallet in the apartment _then___ I _rushed___ (rush) to get out the door and go on the hike! We were 15 kilometers __of___ our apartment and _hiked____ (hike) through 100 degree heat and _not had____ (not have) a dime (well, a drachma actually!) to buy ourselves something to drink! Luckily, the people of the island are really friendly, so we _explained____ (explain) our situation and the owner _offered____ (offer) us a Coke __in___ the house. I don't think I _ever enjoyed____ (ever enjoy) a drink so much in all my life.
The rest of the vacation was spent relaxing. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and __already planned___ (already plan) our next vacation in Greece _in____ two years time.
I hope you and Barbara are well. Write me soon.
Best wishes,
