I've wanted to go to Greece since 6th grade, and I can finally cross it off my lifetime to-do list.
At the same time, it's crazy to realize how quickly this Eurotrip went by. I've always said that I like to travel (without having any travel experiences other than Canada or Mexico), and now I know for sure.
We had our first minor snafu at the airport this morning: It seemed like we had plenty of time because we arrived an hour and a half before departure, but we got pretty close to missing our flight because our bags were too big. This was the first time that happened!
Mine was over the weight limit, but the checker decided that the size was fine and let me through. David's bag, on the other hand had to get checked in. By the time we got through the scanners, it was 5 minutes before departure. Luckily, the flight was delayed 20 minutes so we made it. Thank you, God.
The flight was pretty uneventful. Interestingly, it seems like the flights from west to east take shorter than the other direction because you go with the wind or something. Even though the flight was delayed, we still made it to Athens on time. I hope the flight home doesn't take super long. This is a picture of a lonely cloud over a lonely isle. I thought it was pretty cool:
After arriving in Athens (the airport was recently constructed/remodeled which is why flights in and out of Athens are expensive), we hopped on the X95 bus to Syntagma Square, where we were going to meet the family we were staying with. It was pretty nice to be in a place where there weren't as many pickpockets. People left their luggage on the bus unattended and without locks, which was a good sign.
Still, we found out that due to the upcoming elections in Athens, there were a lot of political protests/terrorist threats. Apparently, right now cops will pull over anyone who doesn't look European, and they can hold you for up to three hours without reason if you don't have a passport on you. Your golden ticket is to have a U.S. passport because the cops know that the economy of Greece is boosted by tourism. So I guess I'm going everywhere with my passport here.
It's interesting how the symbols we see in our calc and physics class are the letters of an actual language. I've known that in the back of my head, but it's weird to see it used as an alphabet here. It's actually pretty useful to know the names of the letters because then you can sound out the words of locations. THAT was pretty helpful on the bus ride. Neither of us knows any Greek.
When we got to Syntagma, Michael and Luke picked us up and I found out that Michael was roommates with someone in my small group back home. It's really funny how we're all connected - it's 6 degrees of separation in the world and 2 degrees of separation in the church.
We dropped our bags off at Michael's flat, met his family, and headed out to our first Greek dinner.
Michael reminds me of someone I know back home (more in demeanor than appearance), which is pretty comforting. Aliki, his wife, is witty, super nice, and fascinating. Her father was in the British Secret Service or something along those lines (bad memory!), and she moved a lot growing up. She can speak English, French, German, Cantonese, and Greek, and has that characteristic British charm. For some reason she reminds me of Evie from The Mummy. They both have great, warm personalities.
Their kids are pretty cute, too. Thomas, 6, wasn't shy at all when he met us, which is a huge plus. He climbed on us when we were sitting on the couch, and told us jokes. He's pretty brilliant, too - he's levels ahead of his grade in math, and he plays chess and backgammon like a pro. This kid's going to go far.
Sophia (AKA Fifi, Soph, Sophie, or Sis) took a while to warm up to us, but soon enough, she was playing doctor with us. It's pretty cute because they both have British accents and speak proper English. Sophie, for instance, says "My Thomas" when refering to her older brother. She's three.
A quick 10 minute walk from the flat took us to a small Greek restaurant that served fast food. I ordered my first gyro, which was really filling. They put french fries in them, which is pretty tasty. I'd take one over a big mac anyday. The meat plates and stuffed tomatoes were delicious too. I love cultures that know how to eat, and I know I'm really going to like it here. This is a side note, but the sweets here are supposed to be unparalleled. I have to try real baklava when I'm here - when you say it, the emphasis is on the LA, and there are a bunch of different types! I'm not a dessert person, but I'm pretty excited.
The dinner conversation was pretty interesting because Michael and Aliki told us how they met in London, and we told them how it was like being raised Christian, and all the things the Lord had to do to bring us to where we were today. It was the first time I told people about some major experiences I had during college, and I'm surprised that I felt comfortable enough to tell them. Just like in Germany, they felt like family from the moment I met them.
We got gelato after dinner and then went to a grocery/toy store to pick up some stuff. The Reddy's (that's Michael and Aliki's last name) needed clothes for the kids, and we got some goggles for swimming in the sea (I keep wanting to say "ocean," but technically it is the sea). I'm really looking forward to this. I've heard the isles are amazing, and I really miss the beach. The one we visited outside of Rome was just OK.
Plus, there are no dangerous sharks here! I read that on wiki, and additionally, the waters are warm and calm, and clear and blue. Jealous?
I'm exhausted, but pretty excited to go visit the Plaka and Acropolis tomorrow. One of my coworker's friends has a jewelry shop in the Plaka (they work with the U.S. Embassy and sold jewelry to Hillary Clinton when she visited Athens), and he gave me the contact info to find his friend. I'm going to try my best to locate the guy, whose name is George Nikopolis. Having little missions like this is pretty cool.
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