FIOR DI LEVANTE Back-to-back Trips on 26 July 2016

Trip: 26 July 2016. From Zakynthos to Kyllini and back, with the FIOR DI LEVANTE of Levante Ferries.

Nine months after I made a Tribute post about the amazing conventional ferry FIOR DI LEVANTE of Levante Ferries (which is based in Zakynthos), I am now posting about my second and third respective trips with this ship, which occurred in the morning of 26 July 2016, which was exactly one year and two days after the first trip I ever had with the Levante Ferries flagship. Indeed, my summer stay in the island of Zakynthos was short this year, and the tickets we bought in the port of Kyllini included a trip with the ZAKYNTHOS I of Kefalonian Lines from Kyllini to Zakynthos and with the FIOR DI LEVANTE's fleetmate, namely the MARE DI LEVANTE (ex-IONIAN STAR). As a result, I initially thought that I would not be able to travel at all with this unique ferry for the 2016 summer season. Thankfully though, my father offered to have me do an early morning trip to Kyllini and back with the FIOR DI LEVANTE two days prior to our departure, which I immediately accepted (this post is mainly dedicated to my father, who made these two trips possible). As a typical day in Zakynthos includes going to the beach during the morning and the afternoon, I decided to board the FIOR DI LEVANTE on her first morning trip from Zakynthos to Kyllini, which is at 05:45! After arriving in Kyllini, the ship would depart at 07:30 on the return trip to Zakynthos. These two trips mark the earliest ones I have ever taken on the Ionian Sea exclusively. As there were not many passengers, I got the chance to experience calm and enjoyable trips with an already extremely comfortable and modern ferry. Though two days later, in the end, I did not end up traveling with the MARE DI LEVANTE as the tickets were originally stating, but with... the FIOR DI LEVANTE!

There were various interesting personal facts about these two trips. They marked my first back-to-back trips in almost 8 years, the last time had been with the PHIVOS of Nova Ferries from Aegina to Piraeus and back, in 2008. They were also my first trips along the Greek coastal service where I was traveling completely alone, just by myself. Furthermore, these trips meant that the FIOR DI LEVANTE was the ship with which I traveled the most times during the summer of 2016. Furthermore, they also marked my first trips with a ferry operating under the Ionian Group joint venture. Indeed, last year's trip with the FIOR DI LEVANTE was during the last days of Levante Ferries operating independently in Zakynthos, and, more precisely, three days before the establishment of the joint venture with Zante Ferries. Indeed, Ionian Group was formed a week after the Levante Ferries had bought the IONIAN STAR from Tyrogalas Ferries, thus ending the latter's activities on the Ionian Sea and, eventually, the joint venture they had with Zante Ferries. Therefore, the 2016 season was the first full summer season of Ionian Group. Apart from operating on the Kyllini-Zakynthos line (served fully by the FIOR DI LEVANTE and alternatively by the MARE DI LEVANTE and the DIONISIOS SOLOMOS of Zante Ferries), the joint venture also operated on the Kyllini-Kefalonia line (served alternatively by the MARE DI LEVANTE and the DIONISIOS SOLOMOS) and on the Patras-Kefalonia-Ithaca line (served by the high speed ferry SPEEDRUNNER III, which had been chartered from Aegean Speed Lines). With the FIOR DI LEVANTE as their flagship, Ionian Group had a very successful summer season, and the joint venture is already considering many different ways in which it could expand its services on the Ionian Sea. Another noteworthy fact to state is that, three months prior to these two trips, the FIOR DI LEVANTE won the title of 'The Best Ferry in the World' in 2015 by Shippax, which is the most prestigious award given to a ferry on the international scale.

The 2016 summer season was the second one that the FIOR DI LEVANTE spent in the Greek coastal service, having been on the Ionian Sea since December 2014, after a successful two-year-long conversion in China. Despite this being respectively the second and third time that I would go on to travel with this ship (so I already knew how a trip with her would look like), it still seemed to me as if I had embarked onboard her her for the first time in my life. Also, she might have been 18 years old at the time that I did these two trips, but she clearly seems like a newbuilding. Therefore, an early morning trip with this ship seemed to be an ideal way to start the day.

I would like to mention once again that I have already written a Tribute post on the FIOR DI LEVANTE, so this post is not an additional tribute to the ship herself, but instead it covers the two trips I had with the ferry. Note also that some pictures taken in the dark are not very good in terms of quality, but I assure you that they will get better as the daylight begins to appear.

The FIOR DI LEVANTE seen six days prior to my two trips with her. This was my first picture of her for the 2016 summer season, whereupon she is preparing to undergo her maneuvering procedure in the port of Kyllini, after having just arrived from Zakynthos.

A view of the FIOR DI LEVANTE from my hotel in Zakynthos, as she heads towards Kyllini.

The FIOR DI LEVANTE at 05:30 in the morning.

Entering the ship through the very modern wooden and illuminated entrance gallery.

The ship's upper garage. As there were not many passengers due to the early morning trip, it was nearly empty.

While the garage was largely empty, there was at least a car onboard the ship.

The ship's entrance gallery seen from behind (therefore being the exit gallery when passengers are in the opposing direction), featuring an advertisement of the company thanking passengers for sailing with them.

After reaching the top of the escalators, the passenger area welcomes travelers with this beautiful replica of the FIOR DI LEVANTE printed on a glass, as shown in last year's tribute post.

The impressive reception desk, featuring the company's logo and a funky red and white column.

This is the first passenger lounge area one sees upon embarking the ship, located right behind the replica shown and mentioned above, featuring comfortable blue and grey chairs.

A bar-like lounge area located next to the corner of the ship's indoor bar.

The impressive indoor smoking area, featuring a nice shade of blue light and sea turtles, which are a popular living species in Zakynthos.

The ship's stairs leading to various passenger decks, although they are mainly used by the crew.

The ship's very modern and artistically creative bathrooms. The ZAKYNTHOS I must have been inspired by these bathrooms during her own renovation in 2016.

Another view of the passenger lounge area.

The ship's outdoor passenger area, located next to the stern.

The ship's aircraft-style passenger seats, which are very similar to the ones the BLUE STAR PATMOS of Blue Star Ferries had during my trip with her to the Cyclades during the summer of 2015.

A look inside the ship's onboard passenger shop.

Apart from featuring typical products from the Greek Islands, the shop also has many Levante Ferries souvenir items, such as T-Shirts, hats, cups and replicas of the FIOR DI LEVANTE.

Another view of the passenger lounge area.

The ship's popular Volkswagen 11880 van. As you saw last year, it is recorded as the first time ever that a vehicle has been onboard a ferry excluding the garage, or that has been permanently onboard a ship. The van, which is painted in the colours of Levante Ferries, is used as an advertisement for the company and its owner, namely Georgios Theodosis. Apart from owning Levante Ferries, he also owns telephone service company 11880 and the information and booking site vrisko.gr. Both companies are painted on both sides of the van (and also on both sides of the hull of the FIOR DI LEVANTE).

The front view of the van, woth the Volkswagen logo seen painted in yellow.

Another set of high chairs around a wooden bar table, which also features chargers for smartphones.

A view of the ship's indoor bar along with the chairs and lounges around it.

Another modern passenger lounge area.

The ship's main staircase, which leads to the upper passenger deck. The lights, which were designed by the great lighting company Artemide, are shielded by beautiful sculptures of silver turtles.

Another view of the passenger lounge.

As we move towards the front section passenger section, we see another large lounge area, while the ship's central walls are decorated with various paintings depicting Zakynthos during the Venetian era.

A beautiful painting representing the island's main neighborhood, namely the Solomos Square, during the Venetian era.

The area also features a beautiful mosaic depicting the port of Zakynthos, presumably as it looked like during the 20th century.

The front passenger lounge area, featuring comfortable yellow chairs, which represent the company's colours.

The ship's kid's corner room. As we had seen it last year, it features an electronic map quiz of the island of Zakynthos and its landmarks.

The area also includes a Tic-Tac-Toe setup, in addition to the electrionic map quiz.

A sign giving the directions to the ship's different areas, both in Greek and English. The company's logo is printed right next to the directions.

After quickly exiting the ship's interior areas, there was another sign showing the directions to the different areas of the ferry.

Another view of the staircase leading to the garage and the bridge.

The ceiling of the upper deck as seen from above the main staircase, featuring a very modern lamp, which was also designed by Artemide.

The staircase as it is seen from the upper passenger deck.

The ship's outdoor passenger area, located in the upper deck. As there were very few passengers, it seemed like it was completely abandoned, although it eventually got full on the return trip from Kyllini to Zakynthos.

The ship's exterior seating area, along with the closed outdoor bar. It only opened during the return trip from Kyllini to Zakynthos.

Another section of the outdoor seating area, which also features lounges attached to the ship's columns.

The port of Zakynthos at approximately 05:40, with the sun slowly beginning to rise.

The ship's very modern funnel, with the company's logo being illuminated in the dark.

The sun deck area located right next to the ship's stern.

Another view of the lounge found in the upper deck in the ship's middle section.

Another view of the lounge area, featuring a large TV screen in the middle of a nicely-designed wall with white stripes.

The starboard side passageway leading to the ship's bridge.

The starboard side passageway at seen from behind, with the passenger lounge area located behind the glass.

We began our trip towards mainland Greece. As the time went by, the sun was soon rising. Interestingly, Zakynthos was already under the light, whereas the Peloponnese was still found in the dark.

A view of the Ionian Sea while the sun was rising. It is the namesake of the ship, as FIOR DI LEVANTE means 'Flower of the East' in Italian, which makes a reference to the unique sunrise of the Ionian Sea. The name has since been used as a nickname when referring to the island of Zakynthos.

A small sailing boat seen heading towards the Peloponnese.

The calm beautiful Ionian Sea seen during the morning.

As the sun begins to rise, more light starts to appear. Here is the ship's stern outdoor seating area as it leaves the dark.

The ship's stern, proudly carrying the Greek flag.

One of the ship's many deckplans, located right next to her black funnel.

As we head towards Kyllini, the collaborator of the FIOR DI LEVANTE under the Ionian Group venture, namely the DIONISIOS SOLOMOS of Zante Ferries, is already heading towards Zakynthos in order to complete the first trip of the day from mainland Greece to the Ionian island. Built in 1990 in Japan, she has been operating for her owners since 1999.

A view of the DIONISIOS SOLOMOS, during what was her eighteenth season on the Ionian Sea, with all of them having been under Zante Ferries. This season, however, marked the ship's first with a new livery, with her hull being fully painted in orange (in contrast to the half-orange and half-white hull that she previously had) and featuring her company's name and website.

The beautiful DIONISIOS SOLOMOS heading towards Zakynthos.

The DIONISIOS SOLOMOS seen as she heads to Zakynthos. After having spent the first part of her career under Ionian Group on the relaunched Patras-Kefalonia-Ithaca line in 2015, the ship returned to her usual Kyllini-based service after that year's summer ended, serving both the Kyllini-Zakynthos line and the Kyllini-Kefalonia line, alternatively with the MARE DI LEVANTE.

The DIONISIOS SOLOMOS seen heading towards the island of Zakynthos.

The beautiful DIONISIOS SOLOMOS seen having left the Peloponnese in the dark and heading towards the brighter Zakynthos. Note the first picture of the ship, in which she is under the sunrise.

As our meeting with the DIONISIOS SOLOMOS ends, the FIOR DI LEVANTE is soon approaching the port of Kyllini.

Another view of the DIONISIOS SOLOMOS while en route to Zakynthos.

As we approach the port of Kyllini, another ship is leaving for an Ionian island. This time it is the NISSOS KEFALONIA, owned by Ionian Group's competitors, namely Kefalonian Lines, heading towards her namesake island. Built in 197 in Japan, she has been operating for her current owners since 2013.

Although some of my pictures were of bad quality due to the dark, from this moment on and until the end of the trip I took what I personally consider as my favourite pictures. The legendary NISSOS KEFALONIA, now in her fourth summer season with her current owners, is heading to Kefalonia. In the past two summers she also operated on the Kyllini-Zakynthos line, though this service is now being operated by her fleetmate, namely the ZAKYNTHOS I.

The NISSOS KEFALONIA leaving Kyllini under the beautiful Ionian Sea sun. She has been in these waters since 1995, operating as the KEFALONIA under Strintzis Lines (1995-2000), Blue Star Ferries (2000-2004) and Strintzis Ferries (2004-2013). She became extremely popular for her operations on the Patras-Kefalonia-Ithaca line, which she served for 16 years. The economic problems that Strintzis Ferries experienced in the early 2010s led to her lay-up in 2012 in Salamina and later in Drapetsona, but she was sold the following year to her current owners, who have since operated her out of Kyllini. During her last summer of operations under Strintzis Ferries in 2011, she had served the Kyllini-Kefalonia line.

The NISSOS KEFALONIA, a Japanese-built ferry, passing under the rising sun.

The beautiful and legendary NISSOS KEFALONIA heading towards Kefalonia.

As the FIOR DI LEVANTE prepares to turn in order to enter the port of Kyllini, here is another view of the NISSOS KEFALONIA.

Just a few minutes after the NISSOS KEFALONIA had exited the port of Kyllini, she would be immediately followed by her fleetmate, namely the ZAKYNTHOS I, which heads towards her own namesake island.

The ZAKYNTHOS I seen after having left Kyllini. She was spending her third season for Kefalonian Lines, who have chartered her from her owners, namely ANEZ, since 2014. The ship was considerably upgraded this year, in order to better compete against Ionian Group and their operations in Zakynthos.

The ZAKYNTHOS I ready to pass under the Ionian sun, just like her fleetmate did so a couple of minutes prior.

The ZAKYNTHOS I passing under the sun and preparing to head towards Zakynthos.

The veteran ferry ZAKYNTHOS I, with which I had traveled six days prior to my two trips with the FIOR DI LEVANTE, seen making her first call of the day from Kyllini to Zakynthos.

The ZAKYNTHOS I, which is the oldest ferry on the Ionian Sea, seen heading towards her namesake island.

A picture featuring both ships of Kefalonian Lines while they head for their respective destinations.

Another view of the ZAKYNTHOS I.

A wonderful view of sunrise, which inspired the name of the FIOR DI LEVANTE.

Another view of the two ships of Kefalonian Lines, namely the NISSOS KEFALONIA en route to Kefalonia and the ZAKYNTHOS I en route to Zakynthos.

A further view of the NISSOS KEFALONIA.

And another one of the ZAKYNTHOS I.

And another one featuring both ships.

The FIOR DI LEVANTE docked and arrived in Kyllini. Despite me being a passenger for her next trip to Zakynthos, I was still forced to leave the ship, as the company prohibits passenger stay inside the ships after the latter arrive to their final destination. Here is a picture of the fishing area of the port.

The FIOR DI LEVANTE seen in Kyllini.

The amazing FIOR DI LEVANTE seen in Kyllini, as she prepares for her departure to Zakynthos, already boarding her passengers and their vehicles.

Another view of the FIOR DI LEVANTE before I had to board her for the return trip, otherwise I would have waited until the next ship's return from Zakynthos.

I left the port of of Kyllini at approximately 07:30. The sun had now completely risen, so the daylight enabled me to take even more clear pictures. Here is a view of the DIONISIOS SOLOMOS, this time heading towards the opposite direction.

The beautiful DIONISIOS SOLOMOS seen returning from her first trip to Zakynthos to Kyllini.

A view of the DIONISIOS SOLOMOS while she sails towards Kyllini. For the past two summers, she has been the only ship of Zante Ferries that has been operating on the Ionian Sea. Indeed, her other two fleetmates, namely the ANDREAS KALVOS (a former Ionian Sea veteran) and the ADAMANTIOS KORAIS both operate on the Western Cyclades (the former since 2015 and the latter since 2009, after initially operating on the Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Ios-Santorini line in 2008).

A view of the DIONISIOS SOLOMOS, which is the only ship of Zante Ferries that operated under the Ionian Group joint venture.

The DIONISIOS SOLOMOS seen on the Ionian Sea, being more imposing with her fully-painted orange hull.

Apart from her new livery, the DIONISIOS SOLOMOS also had a new feature that was added near her aft section. Indeed, this was a sign celebrating Zante Ferries' 25 years of operations was printed over her hull next to her stern, next to her upper garage. Zante Ferries is known in Greek as ANMEZ (which is the acronym for 'Anonymi Naftiliaki Metaforiki Etaireia Zakynthou', with the direct translation in English being 'Anonymous Shipping and Transportation Company of Zakynthos'). The company began its operations in 1991, having bought the Ro-Ro carrier AGIOS DIONISIOS I, a 1959-built ferry which previously had many years of experience on the Cyclades. After four years with Zante Ferries, she was replaced by the younger Ro-Ro carrier AGIOS DIONISIOS S (built in 1972), which went on to operate for the following four years, before the company bought its first-ever passenger ferry, namely the DIONISIOS SOLOMOS. Both ships were scrapped in 2007 and 2014, respectively.

The DIONISIOS SOLOMOS seen as she is returning to the port of Kyllini.

As the FIOR DI LEVANTE approaches the port of Zakynthos once again, the other ship which I had previously seen, namely the ZAKYNTHOS I, was preparing for her own return to Kyllini.

The ZAKYNTHOS I resting in her namesake island, a few minutes before her departure.

The ZAKYNTHOS I seen in the port of her namesake island. Built in 1973 in France (originally as a Ro-Ro carrier), she arrived in Greece in 1989, after having been bought by the Greek company ANEZ (which is based in Zakynthos). She was converted into a day ferry and she began service on the Kyllini-Zakynthos line in 1990. She also began to operate on the Kyllini-Kefalonia line in 2001. Her company experienced numerous financial and managerial issues during the 2000s, and this led to the ship being laid-up for five years in Zakynthos between 2007 and 2012. She was eventually reactivated at the end of that year, while in 2014 she joined Kefalonian Lines.

The ZAKYNTHOS I seen as the FIOR DI LEVANTE prepares to dock next to her.

Another view of the ZAKYNTHOS I just before the FIOR DI LEVANTE enters the port of Zakynthos.

The ZAKYNTHOS I seen as we begin to enter the port.

The ZAKYNTHOS I seen in what had previously her permanent docking spot for five years, when she was laid-up due to her owners' then-economic difficulties, although some of their economic difficulties still remain, even today. This was the major reason why the ship was chartered to Kefalonian Lines.

A view of the front section of the ZAKYNTHOS I.

The FIOR DI LEVANTE has just entered the port of Zakynthos and is now ready to dock next to her Kefalonian Lines competitor, namely the ZAKYNTHOS I.

A final view of the ZAKYNTHOS I in Zakynthos, during her third summer with Kefalonian Lines.

This therefore concludes an unforgettable morning consisting of back-to-back trips. It was a great experience to travel on my own for the first time, while also having the chance to travel with a special ferry. The FIOR DI LEVANTE, regardless of how many times you travel with her, remains an absolutely splendid ship whose onboard amenities belong to a category of their own. She rightfully deserves her accolades and the positive reception that has been expressed by the passengers traveling with her, and I am hopeful that she and her company will carry on their excellent service for many years to come. Once again, I would like to thank my father for making these two unique trips possible.

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