Arrival in the port city of Athens feels comfortable.
By sheer luck and chance, we run into our friends we met on the way in as we find an elevator to leave the ship (more on that in a minute) - and we can tell them "no, the airport is not close" and moreover "yes, the taxi drivers are cray-cray!"
It feels familiar.
And H.O.T.
Alas - it's one last breakfast in the Windjammer and one last splurge for momma: Frosted Flakes. I never buy these for myself, so I have had more than a few bowls this week.
We tell the kids our car is coming to get us at 9am, so we need to settle in, get out a book and clear our stateroom by 8:30.
We're out - we're in our chairs - and Hubs' phone chimes. The text, perfect for how Greeks operate "your prearranged ride won't make it. We don't have enough drivers."
Argh! Ok - that means the taxi line. Which we have been told all week long is not a convenient way to ride - it's not well-populated by a never ending line of cabs.
But, we're in no hurry - so the line it is.
We wait forever for an elevator - even opting to try the interior glass ones that float up and down the atrium. Alas, it arrives!
AND! As mentioned, our new friends are in it. This is a thousand to one chance - and we both shriek!
We're back to the cab line just like we were when we arrived. Seems a perfect book end.
Cabs come - it just takes 20 minutes - and we begin to load bags. I say good morning in Greek and the driver's face lights up. He loves that we tried and can do a few words - and as he swerves and weaves like a boxer warming up, we dodge the scooters and the semis and find our way out of the port in no time. Hubs' grandpa and his family are both from the same spot in the Peloponnese section of Greece and that secures it, we're friends for life.
We arrive at our hotel - at 9:30am - and she is waiting for us. "I'm sure we'll have your room ready by 10:30 - grab a coffee, play some backgammon - check back in."
Which we do - and it's perfect - and HAS FOUR BEDS! And, mind you, it's bigger than our stateroom, so we all take a little sigh of relief. The patio balcony is perfect and the Acropolis is in view.
We decide to brave the heat, the sun, the crowds and go at high noon to the top of the hill. We pay a little extra to skip a long line - we find the same spot we were when I was pregnant with Bubs and take another picture.
We comment that it's been 14 years and it doesn't look like they have done much restoration in that time. Den perazzi - no worries - it'll get restored one day.
The view from the top is glorious.
Bubs isn't having it. He's hot and tired and well - he's done with the pile of rocks on a hill. I thank him for his honesty and tell him this is it. The last pile. He'll be ok as soon as we can find him a Sprite and some shade.
The kids pull it together - we end up in a convenience store where "yes!" is the answer to "may I please have..." and we find their smiles again.
Resting in the heat of the afternoon is a perfect idea - we end up walking into the Plaka for dinner. We find a great restaurant on the corner - with noodles for the kids - and gyro, tzatziki and horiatiki salata for me. Winning!
We walk a few shops, purchase a few small souvenirs - remember, we're packed in suitcases the size of a large shoebox - ain't no space for nuthin' - and we end up back for showers, little technology and a final nights rest.
I drag the kids to the balcony at 11pm to see the Acropolis lit up at night. They claim it was worth it, even if it was a pile of rocks.
The morning comes - this driver shows up - in a fun tourist style Mercedes bus where in the interior seats face each other. We're on the 45 minute ride out to the airport and arrive in style.
I lead the way - it's what I do - but Bubs finds the board and finds the flight on time - and the service counter to check in. I'm so proud!
Off waaaaayyyy to the end again. They don't open until 3 hours before the flight -we might have over prepared a bit. But it's a 10 minute wait - with only 5 families in front of us and when the gate agent asks how many bags we're checking and I say "none" - that would be the only time anyone raised an eyebrow.
It's how we roll.
Three security checkpoints for passports - and a very long walk under at least two runways to baggage security. A short line - a quick trip upstairs through another passport swipe into the departures lounge for 4 flights. It's small and not really all that glamorous. But we find beer, Sprite and cheese pie (tiropita) and we call it good.
The inbound flight is a little delayed. I'm looking down my glasses - how are they going to fill up 330 people and get us back on time? Because it's 11 hours over the pond and if we decide to run for the boarder, it's another 5 hours - plus what ever it takes in Toronto for customs. Argh.
Alas - they board our flight. We're group 6 and fully intend to wait with a sea of people all crushing the gate agent.
Groups 1-5 have a sum total of 20 people go through. Um, what? So - they call group 6 and we push our way through - everyone else is beyond that. Say what?
We find our seats - Hubs has someone next to him again and I've got the kids.
Except there aren't a lot of people getting on the plane.
And before you know it, the stewardess is announcing that yes, it's not full and yes, we can move, but we can't do so until the pilot has us in the air for balancing of weight, etc.
But she allows Hubs and I to move one row - that won't hurt anything.
And then the 10,000 foot ding comes on - and we all snag a complete row TO OURSELVES!
The next 10:45 go by pretty fast. There's a meal, there's a movie. Everyone lays down and naps.
Somewhere over the Atlantic, I fell asleep.
We wake up in Canada. Boom, just like that.
The long walk to customs is familiar - we snag a kiosk to do our declarations and hop in a line to get cleared. It's moving right along - and we've got our fingers crossed we don't get asked to go to the deeper inspection "triage" lane.
The agent takes our paper "you're just passing through?"
Yup.
"Great, thanks."
And that was customs.
Okayyyy.
Hubs calls the company for the long term parking of our car. It'll be 10 minutes. We snake through arrivals outside, find the post - and there's the van. He heard the call and turned back around in the airport to get us as he knew he was close and we were tired.
Okaaayyyyyyy.
And there's our van and we all have energy and the sun in still up for at least 2 hours - so let's drive.
Hubs gets us to London, ON and I take over to the boarder.
It's about 11pm now - the kids have fallen asleep - because to us all, our bodies tell us it's 6am the next day...that nap on the plane sure did help reset a little.
I pay the bridge fee and come over the Blue Water into the States. There is ONE CAR in front of us.
I smack Hubs "the line is too long!" and we both laugh. This has been so seamless!
The guy looks at our passports, asks where we've been. I say "Italy, Turkey and Greece." Hubs pipes in "it was a cruise." The guy asks me to roll down the windows - he looks at the kids and says "Welcome home!"
And that was it. It took 2 minutes.
I may have choked up a little as I pulled out. All that worry for Covid and crap and junk and stuff - and we're back. And healthy.
I make it 20 more miles to our usual spot - and by usual - the three times we've crossed into Canada in the last 10 years.
We switch, I nap for an hour - and do the final hour awake to keep Hubs occupied. The exit arrives, the kids wake up - and we pull in the drive way 23 hours and 59 minutes from the time the alarm went off in Athens.
The same thing happened last time from Rome. 23:59 from alarm to garage door. How funny!
Maggie see us - Hubs pets her for about 10 minutes - the kids are already in bed - and by 1:30am EST, we're asleep.
That's it.
That's Europe in 10 days in four tiny suitcases at a bargain price.
And so many memories that will take years to unpack.
Life - and God - is good.
