Dear Anči, my dearest! I shall commence this letter of gratitude with a beautiful word about you. Anči is, as I would put it, a rare individual among people! Just the kind of person whom the renowned Diogenes sought with a lantern in broad daylight on the square. Such has been my experience this summer. But let me proceed in order.

Throughout July, I was in search of accommodation under the sun, and for the entire month, I pondered offers from all parts of Greece but, alas! None were enticing enough and none were sufficiently available. At one point, I stumbled upon Ana and another lodging option at the Esperides Hotel - 3km from Limenas. I initiated negotiations for accommodation, but everything seemed futile. The owner’s English was weak, the availability was uncertain, they demanded an immediate payment of 50 euros, then claimed no payment was required; the pictures on the website conveyed one thing, while foreigners on the forums said something else. Utter confusion. And so, I turned to Ana. Ana was amidst a commotion. Understandably so - peak season, and there I was, falling from the sky like a lemon, asking her to place me under a pine tree, on some beach, in someone’s villa. And Anči graciously offered a room in Potos, to which I politely declined, for I had finally reached an agreement with Esperides, and they had sent me a confirmation of the reservation.

My husband and I set off for Greece and arrived in Thasos at noon, on the last ferry. We found Esperides right away. How could we not find it when it was right by the road, outside Limenas? The infamous only road that circles the island. A polite woman led us to our room, and as soon as we entered, the first shock came: the room was in the basement. I had expressly requested it not to be in the basement. We entered the room, and it was clean, new, a plasma TV gleaming on the table, but no coffee maker in sight. Only a small fridge in the corner. The kind typically taken to the beach. Okay, I thought, no need to quibble, what’s done is done. I stepped out onto the terrace, and there, a swarm of flying cockroaches awaited us. That’s when darkness fell upon us, and we went straight to the reception. The woman kindly relocated us to a four-person room until the following morning, until the issue got resolved. In the morning, they couldn’t really assist us. They shrugged their shoulders, offering a room change every three days, with the condition of spending three days in a room with cockroaches. The accommodation during the day had its advantages and disadvantages. Advantages included a plasma TV and new ceramic tiles, but everything else was insufficient to describe. The supposed beaches were nowhere to be seen, although they were said to be across the street. The hotel pool was too small but excessively deep. There wasn’t much use for a pool when the sea was nearby. But well, one has to go with the flow, spending a hundred euros for a hundred people. And so, my husband and I set off on a journey around Thasos, in hopes of finding some lodging now that we were here. At noon, we arrived in Limenaria. And that’s where the story about Diogenes, the lantern, man, and Ana begins. We contacted Ana, and she promptly sent us a pleasant woman - the landlady of Villa Maria - to show us a room. Ana had described it as modest accommodation. Yes, it was modest, but compared to where we had spent the previous night, it was the Hilton. But I must also mention how we contacted Ana; desperate, we found an internet cafe, and I sent her an email with the subject line “LEFT WITHOUT ACCOMMODATION.” And within half an hour, Ana found us a place to stay. What else can I say except to rely on her fellow countryman Diogenes and honor her for her kindness. There you have it, I have told you everything, now you just need to follow Ana and her website and find your place under the sun in due time. And if you find yourself in a situation like mine, then Ana will come to your aid. And let me tell you, she is even more charming and beautiful in nature, but I leave it to you to discover that for yourselves when you meet her on Thasos. Anči, thank you once again!