We love travel but there's no denying that it takes a really long time to get there! Our day started at 6:45 a.m., putting the finishing touches on our packing and then leaving the house at 9:15. We both pride ourselves in being able to pack in a 21" suitcase (knowing we'll be doing a fair amount of hand washing). The danger zone is when there's actually room left over and you are tempted to keep putting things in!
Our flight was reasonably on time out of Columbia and we had a few hours in the Atlanta Airport. We treated ourselves to a really nice lunch at One Flew South (Terminal E); pulled duck sandwiches that were truly delicious. It was a good thing because the plane food was at a new low. The dinner was the usual TV dinner quality, then a couple of hours later, they threw sandwiches at us (almost literally) and then an hour before takeoff, we had something unidentifiable for breakfast.
In Rome (where we caught our connecting flight to Greece), we had to go through security again and got to our flight just as it was boarding.
Several things about our flight were a bit exasperating. We have a great travel agent but this time several details were off: our FF miles weren't added on (had to do it at the ATL airport), Greg and I weren't sitting together from Atlanta to Rome (we got that fixed) and we were sitting 20 rows apart on the leg from Rome to Athens. Very bizarre.
In Athens, once we got our bags, we changed a little bit of money (the worst place to change is at an airport) and found the metro stop. While in the US, we had debated our options here: take a cab (60 Euro or 87 dollars) or take the subway. Being frugal (read cheap) travelers, we took the subway for 8 Euro each, expecting a 8 Euro cab ride at Syntagma Square, where we exited the train. It ended up being 22 Euro! At first we thought we had been taken for a ride, literally and figuratively, but found out later that it was more complicated to get from Syntagma to our hotel than the other way around.
At the hotel, we were welcomed very warmly (after passing through another security gate-in the hotel!). We were given a room on the Executive Floor but it does NOT have a view of the Acropolis. (we thought we had asked for that but you can't get both). We went for free internet and breakfast. It turns out there is a lovely view of the Acropolis from the rooftop, where there's also a pool.
After a desperately needed shower and toothbrushing, we took the airport shuttle (2 Euro) back to Syntagma. The mission was to find sim cards for our iPhones, which had been eligible to be unlocked the day before we left. For anyone who has traveled with a spouse, you know there can be danger zone times: when someone is hungry past the point of mild discomfort and when you walk a circumference of several blocks and then another mile looking for the store that the hotel recommended. With jet lag. We finally (after a LOT of walking) found a store called Germanos (my family's Greek name was Germanis!) and they were completely charming and helped us, registering the Sim card and installing it. Apparently, I wasn't completely clear and we got voice only, not data, but that was the next day's trip and it turned out fine.
We took the shuttle back to the hotel (where we passed two phone stores!) and got the Friday Happy Hour, complete with snacks. I finally crashed at 8 p.m., but Greg went up to the rooftop and enjoyed Athens at night. We will enjoy it together this evening!
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