by Keith Hillman

Created on: July 14, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

How often in life do you get a glimpse of heaven? I've been lucky enough to see sights that have taken my breath away. I've also seen poverty and hopelessness.

But I have just returned from a week on the island of Samos where every day I awoke to a sign in my hotel room which simply said another day in paradise'. I couldn't have put it any better myself.

Samos is a small island just fifty miles by eleven. It sits in the Aegean Sea, a stone's throw from Turkey. It's the birthplace of Pythagoras, home of Poseidon, god of the sea, Dionysus and Apollo and me of course for eight days!

It is rich in ancient archaeological sites. At every turn one comes across another treasure, from the amazing Roman bath houses to important early Christian churches and burial grounds.

Samos is a lush green island which suffered a devastating fire thirty years ago. The result has been a re-growth of flora and forna the like of which is unequalled amongst the other Greek islands. The deep brown soil land is rich in olive trees, fruit and vegetables. Butterflies and exotic birds abound.

I don't think I've ever seen wild flowers like those I saw on Samos.

As if God had splattered
flecks of yellow and red
on a canvas of green
And released a thousand butterflies
to fancify the scene

This was my second visit. I wrote at length about my first trip in my article Samos an unspoilt Greek Island' some time ago. So this time I went to relax chill out! Do nothing! So you will be relieved to know that I'm not about to launch into another two thousand word epic!

Last time I went I found myself in a hotel so close to the airport runway that I swear I saw passengers waving at me from their little round windows! At that time I noticed a beautiful new hotel being built a bit further back, and part way up the mountain slope. It didn't have a name at that stage. Imagine my surprise when I found that I had unknowingly booked myself in there! The airport was still there, but quite a bit more distant, and with only a handful of flights a day in and out, it actually provided something of an interesting diversion.

A couple of days ago I overheard a funny conversation at the reception desk. A guy said to the receptionist "I want to hire a car" The girl said "Ah you want Nico's". The man laughed and said "I don't want knickers, I want to hire a car!"."Yes" said the girl "Nico's". The bloke looked at me and shrugged his shoulders. I then pointed him in the direction of a rack of leaflets advertising Nico's Car Rentals.

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