Here’s the skinny: Two good friends of ours (Anne Taite & David Vogeleer) moved to London shortly after getting married back in October of…’09 I believe. We wanted to see them since we were already on the other side of the Atlantic, but at the time I was sketching out our travel plans, London just seemed off our path. Had I been thinking wisely—which is a seldom occasion—I would’ve booked our arrival flights into Athens and departure flight out of London, so we could casually work our way from East to West across Europe to the UK.
Above: Two wild and crazy kids in love
Instead, we were presently in Athens again, facing a taxi strike, and faced with a mere 12 hour (tops) layover to spend in London with AT & David. It was not the most ideal situation for a visit, but Annie and I were nevertheless excited to rendezvous with them, albeit briefly.
After firing off some emails and inquiries, we logged off and prepared for a recovery day of casual souvenir hunting and lounging. We sashayed around the “Lover’s Lane” pedestrian path encircling the Acropolis, stopping for a gyro lunch in Plaka, then returned to the Divani at 6pm to spend some time poolside. We splurged and bought some frappes(i.e. frappuccinos), which, in case you were wondering, are made with about 70 tablespoons of sugar, 20 tablespoons of Nescafe, and a splash of milk. I don’t know how that equals 12 ounces, but it tastes terrific, instantly rots your teeth, and wakes you up until the inevitable sugar crash an hour later.
ABOVE: The Devil's Ingredient
When the sun faded from view, we went up for showers before dinner. At the concierge desk, we inquired about the taxi strike and were informed that things looked doubtful for resolution by tomorrow. We were left with two choices: hike our bags ten minutes to the Metro and take that all the way out to the airport; or hire a private car. Annie was sick of carrying our heavy bags (I was too), and she was definitely burned out with the encroachment of personal space on public transportation. We thus selected the latter choice and hired a private car for the 45-minute drive at 60 Euros (roughly $90). I know--ouch, right?
ABOVE: This is what $90 looks like.
With our transportation booked, we sauntered out into the Athens night for our final dinner in Greece. It was bittersweet, and full of reminiscence. We were relieved and excited to be headed home soon, but we’d loved nearly every moment and experience we encountered. The Greek people, in particular, had been wonderful hosts. Their country was in economic turmoil, with protests and strikes every day, but they still welcomed new visitors and were excited to share their culture. And we were blessed to have shared it with them!
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