Rental car and ferry Athens

Ferry We hopped the overnight ANEK lines ferry from Athens to Crete. This was a wonderful way to travel and really is more like a cruise ship than the ferries we have here in Seattle. It is huge! The ferry left more than an hour late, but there's nothing like sitting on deck with a cool drink while Athens fades in the distance. Flexibility of rental car
In Greece, car rentals are informal and flexible. We rented in advance (via email) from Swift car rentals (in the RS book). We were able to get the car by literally walking around the corner from the Acropolis . We had a Citroen Jumpy. We paid in advance, then drove it out from Athens (not a problem as the roads were easy leaving the city) and drove it around Nafplio and Epidavros. We then drove it back and dropped it off at Piraeus. I think we just left the keys at the ferry ticket office and the rental car company came and got it at some point. It could not have been easier. Be aware that the only thing near the ANEK lines ferry is a Starbucks. Since we are from Seattle, we amused ourselves by buying a "Starbucks Greece" travel cup, but you might want to eat and drink before you get here if you object to eating at Starbucks, because you may be in for a wait for your ferry. More later, on our trip to Crete.