Day 1: Long Way to Athens

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Our taxi driver arrived on time at the house to pick Judy and me up. After verifying the destination was Dulles airport, he shot out of the neighborhood at warp six. He was a strange fellow as most cab drivers are these days. He seemed oblivious to the incessant chime reminding him to use his seatbelt. At first it was a little annoying but after a while, we wondered how long he could drive before finally breaking down and buckling up. It only took about 4 miles and tranquility ensued in our crown vic. Judy was backseat driving just as she does with Abigail telling him that the road gets curvy ahead and he should slow down, which he did.

In the end, we arrived safely at the airport and at the proper door. Judy finally broke down and decided to carry on her bag like I had planned. With no need to wait in line at the desk, we proceeded downstairs to the new security section. We were greeted by a long line full of characters waiting their turn to get screened. There was the old Scotsman in his kilt just ahead of us that we would see again in Heathrow. There was an Asian girl busting out of her way too small top. Over to the side, there were a pair of TSA agents doing nothing but talking to one another the entire 30 minutes we waited for our turn. Towards the end we kept getting asked to let folks through who were running late. Why should we reward such behavior? Since we were several hours early and in no rush, I let them pass without much regard.

Flying someone other than United for a change meant we were treated to actually using a real airport terminal, concourse B. We found a Pot Belly Sandwich Shop right next to our gate and proceeded to each have a wreck sandwich and split a shake. Judy's plan was to "carb up" to help us fall asleep on our 10PM flight. Our waiting time seemed to pass quickly and we soon found ourselves onboard towards the back of our 777 headed to Athens via London. I was happy to find the Star Trek movie available on the video system and enjoyed seeing it again albeit on a small screen.

I must say the service from British Airways on our flight was superb even though we were flying cattle class. They were very free with serving the wine that no doubt helped induce sleep. There always seemed to be plenty of flight attendants around and quick on the job to pick up items no longer wanted. Having seen a fair share of folks come out of a restroom with toilet paper stuck on their shoe, this trip we saw a guy come out with the head rest velcro cover stuck on the back of his shirt. Between him, the movie and the strange lady that liked to climb over seats like a monkey, we were thoroughly entertained. We awoke after a couple hours of sleep approaching the cloud shrouded coast of Ireland. A quick breakfast service and then we were on the ground.

The much lauded Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport failed to impress us. Our seemingly long hour and half between flights evaporated with each new queue were forced to pass through a total of four in all. Had Judy not said something to the passport person about our connection, we would have likely missed. He moved us over to the Fast Pass lanes normally reserved for first and business class and we made it to our gate with a few minutes to spare. Much to Judy's chagrin, there was no time to shop. On the way back, I offered.

Our flight to Athens left a few minutes late but no biggie. The 767 we were on though looked like something from the 1970s with the worse designed overhead baggage compartments. Everyone was scrambling to get their bags stowed but somehow it all worked out. With a chick flick being played, I promptly turned to my iphone for entertainment while doing a crossword. A hot lunch was served, along with more wine. It was a salmon dish, which I normally avoid, but being famished I tried and enjoyed. Judy might have had one too many wines this trip as she managed to spill hers and subsequently her water as well. But her travel smart water resistant pants repelled it all with minimal damage.

As with previous trips to Europe, we breezed through customs and immigration. I feel like they are more just going through the motions unlike when one returns to the US. The passport line was only five deep and took less than a minute to get through. After baggage claim, there was no sign of any customs. Regardless, we were through the Athens airport and meeting our driver quicker than taking the bus from the C concourse at Dulles airport.

Our driver, John, was waiting with our name on a sign and surprised to see us come out of customs so quickly. It had more to do with the fact that we didn't have checked baggage. His car like most other taxis we saw at the airport was a Mercedes. Come to find out why is they put huge mileage on them and keep them forever. HIs 5 year car looked like new but had over 480K miles on it. Doesn't matter where you are in the world, one universal I think is that taxi drivers drive fast and John didn't disappoint. He was zipping along the road, weaving in and out of lanes for the 30 mile drive into town. Traffic was light though on this Saturday afternoon and we were soon at our hotel.

The Central Hotel lives up to its name being located right in the middle of the old part of Athens close to Parliament and the Acropolis. So close in fact to the Acropolis that you cannot see the base of the Parthenon because of the steep walls of the cliffs it sits on. As the Sun set, the lights came up and the Acropolis did not disappoint. Our room has a nice view of it and is very modern with all the amenities. I have found a place though for all the old tube TVs from the US to go to. The TV in our room is from the 80s but who cares as we won't be watching it. The roof of the Central is a very nice place to hang out with views of the entire city from up there along with a bar. It had started to rain a little so not much action this evening but we are hopeful that tomorrow will be better.

We unpacked a little and then took off on foot down the block to find a place to eat in the Plaka. The Plaka is the oldest section of Athens and full of tourists. There was no shortage of travernas or places to eat. They would approach you as you walk by with menus in hand enticing you to come sit down and eat at the best place in Athens. We gave into like the tenth one of these that we passed convinced by Lambros that we had indeed found the best place to eat in Athens and sat down for a nice meal outside on the sidewalk. Judy had the Moussaka and I had a pork souvlaki . These were both good but honestly the greek salad that we both started with was the best with a huge hunk of fresh feta cheese. We people watched for a while and then decided to call it a night since we were only working on a couple of hours of sleep from the long overnight trip.

Initial impressions of Athens are positive. The town is very old, duh but fairly clean. Although not well lit in spots, Athens seem safe apart from the reported pick pocket gangs all are whom "not" from Greece. The locals we have run into are very friendly and speak English for the most part.

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