It's 2:35am in Athens, Greece. We're leaving in 25 minutes for our flight to Munich, Germany... then to Charlotte. We've heard reports of heavy snow in Germany along with nightmare security. Here's to hoping for a smooth flight. See you back in the states!
Our flight arrived in Munich, Germany around 8:05am. The flight was incredibly smooth. The Munich airport is large and extremely clean. It's also very quite, although, we were warned before we left the states that Europeans tend to be very quiet compared to Americans. Yup, I can see that...
Aboard our second flight from Munich to Athens we flew over the Alps. It's one of the most breathtaking views I've ever seen. Shortly after passing over the mountains the flight attendants started passing out food. This time, its cheese, bread and grapes. Quite tasty, actually.
Upon arrival at the Athens airport we met our tour director, Roberto, loaded the bus, and began a 45 minute drive across the city to the hotel. We finally made it to Hotel Candia, our humble abode, in what seemed to be the dirty part of the city. I guess it will do. We were given free time until we had to meet back up for a scheduled group dinner in the Plaka, which is the old (but very nice) part of the city.
In our free time, we learned how to take the Metro (the Athens subway). Thankfully, everything is in two languages. Greek and English. It wasn't too hard. We visited the main square in the city called Syntagma Square or "Constitution Square" located just in front of the Greek Parliament. It kind of reminded me of Time Square in NYC, but without the skyscrapers.
The group met back up and took the metro to the Akropoli stop which is just below the Acropolis. We ate at Vizantino Taverna - a simple Greek restaurant with simple Greek food. I can't call it yummy... or even good. But it sufficed after a long day with barely nothing to eat. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to catch some shut eye before the next day.
The group met in Charlotte around 3:00pm for our 5:25pm flight. Check-in, security, and boarding went smoothly. The Charlotte airport seems to have their stuff together.
Wheels up at 5:25pm. In flight we were served drinks and crackers, then dinner which consisted of stuffed pasta, salad, and a brownie. We each had our own personal touch screen TV located in the seat back in front of us. We had the option of watching TV shows and movies, which is a good thing... because there's not much else I can do for eight hours at 34,000 feet.
Flight continues on day 2...
Tuesday marks the beginning of a trip I've been looking forward to for quite a while. I will be making final arrangements in the morning to make sure I have everything I need before my first visit to Europe. Excited? You bet.
