I am at the beginning of a Greek and Italian island cruise for work. It is fantastic! I love these types of programs. We have chartered a very expensive, very small (only fits 100 people, but we are sailing with 70) yacht. There are more employees on this boat (sorry yacht…I keep getting corrected) than passageners. Awesome.
Well, the trip started in Athens,Greece and I got to fly into the city a few days beforehand, which rocked! I love Athens. It’s a great old city with a nice mix of ancient charm; modern pollution, scary streets with even scarier taxi drivers, and friendly, but crazy people.
I want to do a list of all the things that makes the city so interesting, but first, I have to tell a goofy story about what an idiot yours truly is. Enjoy.
So, I think I have to start on the airplane. When I got to the gate in Atlanta for my connection to Athens, I was already in a foul mood. First of all, my original flight on Delta (the bane of Airlines as far as cancelled flights out of the Lou is concerned) had cancelled and they had to reprotect me on an American flight. I had gotten a free upgrade from Delta for the STL to ATL portion, but on the American flight, it was a small plane with no first class (I know…whoo is me). Then, in Atlanta, I was supposed to have an exit row on the ATL to ATH flight.
Well, there had been an equipment change, and the newer plane had less exit row seats, so I got bumped into a suckass seat. Finally, after haggling with the gate agent, and playing the “siotic nerve” card, I at least got a bulkhead window on the two seat side, so I was a little happier.
It turned out that seat change led to another fun stranger moment. Don’t you just love great stranger moments? Sitting next to me was a pilot for Delta. He flies the smaller regional jets, and he jumped on this flight to go to Greece to visit friends and family. He was American, but very Greek origin.
We ended up talking for the entire 11 hour flight. Very interesting guy. It was funny that we both had a pretty good seat on the plane, but were mad about it. I, of course, wanted my exit row, and as a pilot, he would have gotten a 1st class seat, had it not been full.
So, we bitched about airline travel for awhile, talked about all the places we had been, had a sodoku speed contest with the games in the Delta magazine. We were having a great old time. We shared stories about adventures in drinking, talked college football, and all kinds of other crazy stuff.
It was one of those stranger encounters, where you know there is no love connection or anything (he was cute, but a little short and way to skinny for me) but the humorous conversations really helps pass the time! I will have to make a point to check out the pilots on all my small plane flights with Delta to see if it’s him from now on.
So, that now brings me to my arrival in Athens.
I had been talking to the other TDs on the layover, and while we were going through customs. I was saying that I loved Athens and that the hotel we were staying at, was the one I stayed at for 2 days 2 years ago, and that it was super cool. On that last trip, the hotel had been going through a renovation. It was still open, because the rooms were fine, but the lobby and front were behind this construction wall that had beautiful murals of Greece painted on them.
The one thing I remember from 2 years ago was the Presidential Suite. We had rented it for a cocktail party, and it had this GORGEOUS private infinity pool. It was on the 8th floor, and from the pool, you got the best view of the acropolis ever. So, when I arrived to Athens this time, I was telling my coworkers that we had to get the hotel to give us a tour of that suite.
So…me at the hotel this trip……
I was excited to see the lobby (since I had not before), and it was very classic and ornate. Then, when I got to my room….it looked completely different than I remembered, but that is not uncommon in these older european hotels. Commonly, all the rooms are very unique. Then, the next morning at breakfast, the breakfast room was on the 8th floor, like before, but it was totally redone. It had gone from a windowed room to completely open air restaurant, with a totally different set up. I really started to think that the renovations they had done were very extensive.
So…the kicker. I ask the hotel contact if I and the other TDs could go up and see the presidential suite. I told her I wanted them to see the pool….
She says “there is no private pool for the presidential suite.”
I was all “yes there is, I was here two years ago and we had a party in it.”
She was all “No, not here.”
I was all “Am I crazy?”
And then the realization….
She says “I think you were at the hotel next door. It has a rooftop pool for the presidential suite.”
Well, she was right. And I am an idiot.
.I had actually stayed at the hotel next door last time. It took me 2 days to realize that, and every sign that I got that I was at a different hotel was completely missed. It’s not even like the names of the hotels were similar. One was Hotel King Charles, and the other was Hotel Grand Beargne.
I was well made fun off by the other staff for that. Can’t blame me though…..it was under construction last time, and come on…..I stay in at least 40 different hotels a year….I can’t keep them all straight!
O.K. I promised you a list of interesting things about Athens (or Greece in general) and unfortunately I am now tired from writing the long story about how I am stupid.
So here are just two things. Deal.
1. The people are really fiery here. But not rude fiery like the Italians. They yell at each other, and it’s kind of funny, because 2 minutes later they are laughing. I was really entertained by the interactions of the hotel bellman, and the cab drivers for the a couple days. The bellman were yelling and banging on the cars of the taxis that were blocking the entrance, and then when the cars are moved, they walk up and shake their hands and chat. Hilar.
2. I don’t know what it is about Athens and dogs, but there are a lot wondering the streets. But not wild or stray dogs….dogs with collars, which look well fed. I guess there is no leash law in the city. I was really amused by this one fat lab who had decided that he was going to sleep by the door of the hotel. I asked the bellman about him, and they told me that particular dog comes by every day for a couple of hours and lies right by the door. Apparently the pooch gets little whiffs of cold air conditioning when people walk in and out of the lobby. It makes for a cool nap. I took a bunch of pictures of the doggy all spawled out. So adorable.
Today we were on the island of Hydra, which was very beautiful and scenic. I enjoyed a nice hike up the hilly coast. Very relaxing and serene. Tomorrow, we are off to Itea, and the sanctuary of Delphi. More to come……
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