Greece - Day 1

The goal was simple: meet in Athens for a week-long vacation in Greece, including a relaxing few days on the island of Poros. The logistics were much more complex. Christina’s trek started a day before mine, as she flew from Seattle to Paris on Wednesday night. Thursday morning found us both on the same continent, but still miles away from each other. Her route took her direct from Paris to Athens; mine was circuitous from Bari to Rome and then on to Athens.

My travel went smoothly, driving to Bari in the morning and catching the shuttle flight up to Rome. I’ve never seen the flight more than half full and this day was no exception. It was a beautiful day in Southern Italy and the flight provided great views of Foggia and the Gargano Peninsula as we made our way North. After a quick pizza lunch in Rome, it was on to Athens. The route took us south over Naples and the Amalfi Coast before taking a left over the Ionian Sea and across the Peloponnese. The weather stayed nice for the whole flight, and I was able to get some great views of the terrain.

Upon landing in Athens, I was thrilled to find Christina waiting for me in the baggage claim area. From worlds away, we were together again. I picked up my bag and we headed for the train. We took the subway into central Athens, and after a 45-minute ride we got off in Syntagma Square at the heart of the city. We emerged into a chaotic scene that reminded me a lot of downtown Rome. We hauled our suitcases down the narrow cobblestone streets and found the Central Hotel. We checked in and rode one of the smallest elevators I’ve ever seen to a room that was not much larger. But it was clean and offered all the amenities we needed. After dropping off our bags, we headed to the best part of the hotel: the rooftop terrace overlooking the Acropolis. We had arrived in Athens!

Our first outing was a walk to Monastiraki Square, another popular gathering place in the city. We were on a quest for some fantastic Greek food and were not disappointed by Gyro’s with shaved chicken and fresh tzatziki sauce. We could not believe that the whole take-out meal cost us a total of 4 Euros (a little over $5.50). We continued our walk through the relatively empty flea market (most of the shops had closed for the day), picking up gelato along the way. After viewing the Acropolis at night from various angles, we both crashed for some well-deserved rest.