Meeting my sister in Chicago was a relief. It was stressful preparing for the trip. What to take, what to leave, what if, what if, what if….. on and on it went. But there she was after my 8 hour wait in O’Hare. Now I could relax and really get into the swing of the trip.
In Chicago
She already looks tired. That's what taking the "red eye" will do for you.
The flight to Frankfurt was pleasant but space is very tight in economy on a long haul. We sat right behind the partition between it and first class. It had its ups and downs. The up side was a bit more leg room than other seats. The down side, a direct but intermittent view of what it would be like in first class! Cush! LOTS of leg room, BIG seats, and the service!!! They had a desert cart! On top of a much more elaborate meal than we had. Of course free flowing wine. BUT! the food was much better than the last time I flew anywhere.
It’s always recommended that you get up and move about as often as possible, every couple hours I think, while flying. It IS a great idea, and very necessary, but really difficult too. Only so much space to move around, the steward staff is so busy keeping everyone fed and watered. We were well taken care of. Drink plenty of water and juices and you’ll feel better in the long run.
We were able to sleep some, enough to get us through anyway.
The airport in Frankfurt was small and the staff wasn’t very friendly, to ANYONE I noticed. There was eye rolling at our attempts to communicate in a foreign land, blatant incorrect change given with a refusal to make it right, and one information clerk actually yelled at a traveler in a hostile tone of voice. Our world had shifted.
In the lounge area at Frankfurt airport.
Men mostly, stand around a bar like area covered with spiffy ashtrays and foot rests; smoking. Right in the middle of public space. A sight we would slowly come to terms with in Europe. It’s very odd looking and we couldn’t quit starring in amazement.
Coffee to keep me going and the first postcard in the mail.
Waiting...
The next leg of the flight was painless compared to the longer one, but were tired! Another more than hospitable airline staff and uneventful trip to Athens… it was getting exciting.
The Athens airport is huge, and well laid out. It’s a snap getting through customs and getting our luggage. We cart it to the bus going to the city (about 25 miles) and kick back for another leg of the ride! It’s starting to dawn on us unseasoned travelers… we’re in a foreign country, the highway is familiar looking, lots of lanes but the signs defy imagination and are indecipherable. Tiny cars dart in and out dangerously fast while huge busses and commercial vehicles lumber along at 60 or 70 kilometers. We stand for the 30 minutes trip and sway with the road. Passing the Athens Mall it appears to be staggeringly large.
Definitely a destination if you have the time.
We travel deeper into the city before the bus stops at a busy square and drops us all off. Pam and I stand there on a bustling street corner, luggage in tow, exhausted, overwhelmed with new sights and sounds, neither one of us city girls, and wonder what the hell we have gotten ourselves into. NOOO idea where we really are (Syntagma square we find out later. More about Syntagma later), and NOOO idea how to get to our hotel. Hoards of people around us.
On Syntagma Square.
A taxi driver runs over to us and tries to grab our luggage as we try to figure out how to communicate with him. He speaks enough English to know we want to go to the Marina Hotel and the fare will be 20 euros. With no idea of the fairness of the fare (say that 3 times) we get in, exhausted, and pay CLOSE attention to where we’re going, just in case. Ten minutes later he pulls into the most impossibly narrow street we can imagine and parks in front of the Marina Hotel! We are overjoyed to say the least. But somewhat skeptical, the street seems a little seedy, and small, and well, scary.
The sign at Voulgari Street.
We go in, and find a very acceptable hotel and a clerk who is expecting us AND speaks English. Fifteen minutes later we are peering out over our tiny balcony into the heart of the Amonia district in Athens from the 7th floor, in amazement. Hardly believing we have made it this far unscathed, wondering what the next weeks will bring.
Voulgari Street
Total travel time from Arkansas for myself, about 30 hours, for my sister from Arizona, close to the same.
