World Greece Irákleion Iráklion

August 2010 in the Mediterranean

Aug 6 - travel day Aug 7, 2010

Aug 6 – about 5:30 PM local time and 7:30 AM Seattle time. We are so tired. We got out of bed about 27 hours ago and haven’t slept much. Rick slept a little now and then but I haven’t been able to sleep really at all. We are just now boarding the last leg of our flight. It is a 40 minute flight from Athens to Heraklion. We have been waiting 7 hours for this flight. Our flight was supposed to have only a 4 hour layover but there was some mix up. We used part of the time to take a local bus to a beach area between Athens and Piraeus. We found an open air restaurant where we could see a marina and a public beach where people were swimming. The waves of the Mediterranean Sea were very gentle and the sound of them lapping against the beach was comforting. We ordered a side of French fries (yes, that is what they call them) and a greek salad to split. The waiter was very nice, and spoke quite good English. The food was good and the atmosphere, though quite warm and a little muggy, was very nice. We headed back to the airport in plenty of time because we were not sure of the bus schedule nor were we sure of the time needed at the airport for check in, etc. As far as our flights are concerned, the flight to Newark was fine. However, the video system didn’t work at all and we had 9 plus hours of nothing! It was a long flight. Of course we could read or listen to our music, and we did. But you need a little variety in such a long flight – especially when you can’t sleep. Aug 6, 8:00 PM local time, we are checking in to our resort. It seems to be a very nice place and the room is not a disappointment. We have two private patios and the air conditioning, though I don’t usually like to use it, is a welcome treat. I seem to have gotten a second wind from somewhere and take the time to get completely unpacked before turning in for a good night’s sleep. NOTES: Thanks to Mark and Kathy for the departing gift of a Greek phrasebook and a miniature deck of cards. Cori – ask me about the three Boston Terrier Pups we got to see at the airport. Anyone feeling brave – ask Rick about his moneybelt’s specially escorted trip, including a ride on an airport vehicle and an 8 foot pole on the Tarmac in Seattle. For those of you who are dying to know – as our plane was pulling away from the gate in Seattle, Rick realized he didn’t have his money belt. We knew we had it in the terminal, so we called the flight attendant and asked her if she could call and see if anyone turned it in at the desk in the terminal. We were having visions of international calls to cancel credit cards and figuring out how to navigate Europe without a credit card. Thankfully, someone had turned the moneybelt in. Surprisingly, someone figured out that they could run a luggage truck out to the plane and pass the moneybelt up to the plane door by using a long stick. Wow, were we thankful when the flight attendant brought us the moneybelt!

Advertisement