Athens Part 1 (leaving Paris)
We had to get up really early in Paris to catch our 6:35AM flight out of Paris Orly to Athens. There was some trouble last night getting the desk clerk to help us call a cab, but it worked out. So we packed up and went to meet the cab out from at 4:20AM. He was early, as I expected. We were told last night that the cab would only cost 40euro, but when we got in and asked how much, he said it would be 50euro!!! Honestly we were all miffed, but we couldn't have taken the train or bus, as it was too early and too long. The driver got us there before 5AM and we went in to check-in.
Unlike our first time checking in with EasyJet at Edinburgh, the line here was HUGE! We (meaning I) were a bit panicked, but the line slowly moved forward. When we got to the front where a lady was making everyone put their carry-on luggage in the measuring box, her superior came over and reprimanded her for checking EVERYONE'S carry-on luggage because it was backing up the line! It was quite funny. When we got up to our check-in, we were almost ready to go when the suitcase conveyor-belt stopped working. We stood there for almost 15 minutes waiting for the bags to be checked and to receive our tickets. But we finally got them and made out way to security. Both Ray and I were stopped at security. My button on my jeans went off and I was aggressively frisked front and back from a lady guard. She even shoved here hand in the gap at the back of my pants. Very uncomfortable. Then my bag was checked. I'm still not sure what was questionable. I think my unusual batteries for my camera. Ray was stopped for his cookies in his shoe (we bought those awesome cookies from that shop and had some leftover). The lady was pulling stuff out of his carry-on and she pulled out Ray's card game called Munchkins (click the link to see why it was questionable) and was like "what is this?" and started to open it. Ray told her it was a card game, but the situation was funny. Finally made it through and just sat waiting for a gate and then to get on the plane (more absurd lines). We stand by our assessment that French customer service is waaaaaay sub-par.
Finally on the plane, the legroom was much less than before. The plane was fuller than before, but Ray and I still got a three-seat section to ourselves and Jim sat behind us so that he could also have a window seat. The boys slept and I tried to busy myself with random things. I finally started to doze off, but was awoken by the obnoxious couple in front of us. Thank goodness I was, or I would have missed the Alps! I woke Ray up and he was also excited! From that moment on I was awake and ready to take as many awesome pictures as possible! This made me quite happy and finally we landed.
In the airport, we didn't have to go through customs or anything, because we were an EU flight so no stamp in our passport that we were ever in Greece. Bummer. We also discovered that the metro line from the airport into the city was closed! We thought maybe it meant all the metro and I panicked. So we had to back into a city bus with a bunch of other people and get off somewhere in the city, only to discover that the metro line we needed actually did work, just not the airport one. So we hopped on the metro to our stop, took a few minutes to get our bearings and then headed towards our hostel.
Arriving in Athens was a total culture shock, because it really felt like a slum. Ray had a different analogy, but mine was something closer to being in Iraq with the makeshift houses. But that was just on the outskirts. It became more metropolis-ghetto the closer you got to the inside. And it didn't help that Greek sounds like a mixture of Italian and Arabic. Here we felt like we were in a foreign country. It was a bit intimidating. But we made it to our hotel and checked in. To our delight, they had an elevator (only one person at a time) and we were on the sixth floor. The room was AWESOME! Balcony, a room split into two (one side for me and Ray and the other for Jim). There was a fridge and a bathroom (in the room!!!). We had a desk and the beds were not cots. I jumped up and down, squealing with joy, because I was so frickin' excited about the room. Even had a TV.
Due to our hectic time in Paris and the early hours we had to arise for the flight, we all fell asleep almost immediately. Several hours later, when we awoke, we decided to quickstep out to find something to eat, as none of us had eaten all day. Sadly, it was 3:30PM and several places were closed or closing or there was KFC or a Hamburger Self-Serve shop. I wanted a real meal, as I was starving (hadn't eaten in 24 hours!). So we walked a bit more and found this little café in Platia Kaningos (a square with a pretty fountain). I had this "cold" pasta of bow-tie pasta, fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and kalamata olives with a little Greek Olive Oil on top. Oh my goodness it was DELICIOUS!!!! Totally hit the spot for me. Wonderful and reasonable priced. Jim had an interesting looking omelet (which was screwed up and redone) and Ray had some Bolognese. We then stopped at the grocery store and got some cheese, snacks, fresh olives, and other small essentials to take back to the room for later in the evening, as we did not want to go out again. Then we stopped at a bakery and got a few delicious local nibbles. Finally we arrived back at our hotel to settle in for a relaxing evening before a long, day tomorrow.
We tried these Tuc Crispy things, which kind of look like those plane Ritz Cracker chips in the states, but they had a Paprika spice on them. I wasn't really thrilled with them, but Ray enjoyed them and Jim said they were okay. I then tried these small, triangle pita cheese things and deliciously sweet dough-things my mom had us try at her favorite Indian restaurant on HWY 100 in New Berlin, but they were hard on the outside and kind of poofy-empty on the inside, but when you bite in, this delicious honeyed they were really delicious! Everyone here liked them and are a must buy for the next day. This was followed by some fresh olives, which were so amazing! Then some halloumi cheese from Crete. Can I just say... best store-bought cheese EVER!!! Didn't even need those bread chips we bought to go with it. Just olives and cheese. I also tried one of my treats that I bought at the store. They looked like these things that mom got for us at her favorite Indian Restaurant on HWY 100 in New Berlin. They were like tiny donut holes, but with less dough. Crispy on the outside, but when you bit into the very sparsely doughy middle, juice just bursts in your mouth. Really really good. I bet if they were immediately fresh they would have been even more brilliant. So right now, the food has been pretty decent and reasonably priced.
Also, we had stopped at a place to exchange some of our cash at a better rate than the airport and the Western Union lady warned us that this area is dangerous, so keep your belongings close and be very aware of pick-pockets. That set my hair on end. Then we found an exchange place and the lady was indifferent, but the rate and commission were so much better than the airport. Then we stopped at an outdoor vendor (who displayed alot of porn) and bought some postcards. Apparently, buying postcards mean you get a free plate! Oh the jokes we spun based on that plate, why it was free, and if we should try to smuggle the drugs hidden in it over the boarder. haha! It was just a plate with a flower on it. Nothing too special.
We finished our night sampling our purchases and playing Munchkins, before I turned in and Ray and Jim unwound with some personal down-time.
Unlike our first time checking in with EasyJet at Edinburgh, the line here was HUGE! We (meaning I) were a bit panicked, but the line slowly moved forward. When we got to the front where a lady was making everyone put their carry-on luggage in the measuring box, her superior came over and reprimanded her for checking EVERYONE'S carry-on luggage because it was backing up the line! It was quite funny. When we got up to our check-in, we were almost ready to go when the suitcase conveyor-belt stopped working. We stood there for almost 15 minutes waiting for the bags to be checked and to receive our tickets. But we finally got them and made out way to security. Both Ray and I were stopped at security. My button on my jeans went off and I was aggressively frisked front and back from a lady guard. She even shoved here hand in the gap at the back of my pants. Very uncomfortable. Then my bag was checked. I'm still not sure what was questionable. I think my unusual batteries for my camera. Ray was stopped for his cookies in his shoe (we bought those awesome cookies from that shop and had some leftover). The lady was pulling stuff out of his carry-on and she pulled out Ray's card game called Munchkins (click the link to see why it was questionable) and was like "what is this?" and started to open it. Ray told her it was a card game, but the situation was funny. Finally made it through and just sat waiting for a gate and then to get on the plane (more absurd lines). We stand by our assessment that French customer service is waaaaaay sub-par.
Finally on the plane, the legroom was much less than before. The plane was fuller than before, but Ray and I still got a three-seat section to ourselves and Jim sat behind us so that he could also have a window seat. The boys slept and I tried to busy myself with random things. I finally started to doze off, but was awoken by the obnoxious couple in front of us. Thank goodness I was, or I would have missed the Alps! I woke Ray up and he was also excited! From that moment on I was awake and ready to take as many awesome pictures as possible! This made me quite happy and finally we landed.
In the airport, we didn't have to go through customs or anything, because we were an EU flight so no stamp in our passport that we were ever in Greece. Bummer. We also discovered that the metro line from the airport into the city was closed! We thought maybe it meant all the metro and I panicked. So we had to back into a city bus with a bunch of other people and get off somewhere in the city, only to discover that the metro line we needed actually did work, just not the airport one. So we hopped on the metro to our stop, took a few minutes to get our bearings and then headed towards our hostel.
Arriving in Athens was a total culture shock, because it really felt like a slum. Ray had a different analogy, but mine was something closer to being in Iraq with the makeshift houses. But that was just on the outskirts. It became more metropolis-ghetto the closer you got to the inside. And it didn't help that Greek sounds like a mixture of Italian and Arabic. Here we felt like we were in a foreign country. It was a bit intimidating. But we made it to our hotel and checked in. To our delight, they had an elevator (only one person at a time) and we were on the sixth floor. The room was AWESOME! Balcony, a room split into two (one side for me and Ray and the other for Jim). There was a fridge and a bathroom (in the room!!!). We had a desk and the beds were not cots. I jumped up and down, squealing with joy, because I was so frickin' excited about the room. Even had a TV.
Due to our hectic time in Paris and the early hours we had to arise for the flight, we all fell asleep almost immediately. Several hours later, when we awoke, we decided to quickstep out to find something to eat, as none of us had eaten all day. Sadly, it was 3:30PM and several places were closed or closing or there was KFC or a Hamburger Self-Serve shop. I wanted a real meal, as I was starving (hadn't eaten in 24 hours!). So we walked a bit more and found this little café in Platia Kaningos (a square with a pretty fountain). I had this "cold" pasta of bow-tie pasta, fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and kalamata olives with a little Greek Olive Oil on top. Oh my goodness it was DELICIOUS!!!! Totally hit the spot for me. Wonderful and reasonable priced. Jim had an interesting looking omelet (which was screwed up and redone) and Ray had some Bolognese. We then stopped at the grocery store and got some cheese, snacks, fresh olives, and other small essentials to take back to the room for later in the evening, as we did not want to go out again. Then we stopped at a bakery and got a few delicious local nibbles. Finally we arrived back at our hotel to settle in for a relaxing evening before a long, day tomorrow.
We tried these Tuc Crispy things, which kind of look like those plane Ritz Cracker chips in the states, but they had a Paprika spice on them. I wasn't really thrilled with them, but Ray enjoyed them and Jim said they were okay. I then tried these small, triangle pita cheese things and deliciously sweet dough-things my mom had us try at her favorite Indian restaurant on HWY 100 in New Berlin, but they were hard on the outside and kind of poofy-empty on the inside, but when you bite in, this delicious honeyed they were really delicious! Everyone here liked them and are a must buy for the next day. This was followed by some fresh olives, which were so amazing! Then some halloumi cheese from Crete. Can I just say... best store-bought cheese EVER!!! Didn't even need those bread chips we bought to go with it. Just olives and cheese. I also tried one of my treats that I bought at the store. They looked like these things that mom got for us at her favorite Indian Restaurant on HWY 100 in New Berlin. They were like tiny donut holes, but with less dough. Crispy on the outside, but when you bit into the very sparsely doughy middle, juice just bursts in your mouth. Really really good. I bet if they were immediately fresh they would have been even more brilliant. So right now, the food has been pretty decent and reasonably priced.
Also, we had stopped at a place to exchange some of our cash at a better rate than the airport and the Western Union lady warned us that this area is dangerous, so keep your belongings close and be very aware of pick-pockets. That set my hair on end. Then we found an exchange place and the lady was indifferent, but the rate and commission were so much better than the airport. Then we stopped at an outdoor vendor (who displayed alot of porn) and bought some postcards. Apparently, buying postcards mean you get a free plate! Oh the jokes we spun based on that plate, why it was free, and if we should try to smuggle the drugs hidden in it over the boarder. haha! It was just a plate with a flower on it. Nothing too special.
We finished our night sampling our purchases and playing Munchkins, before I turned in and Ray and Jim unwound with some personal down-time.
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