I had time to paint my nails before we left for the airport, and even then we left 10 minutes early.
Smooth drive to the departure area with B behind the wheel. Waved to the front of the line at check-in. Hombre's giant suitcase weighed in at 49 lbs. and my modest 24-incher at a mere 41. TSA fast-pass? Check. It doesn't seem real: no drama, no stress. Is it possible we are embarking on a two week vacation? How did we pull this off? Who even are these people? Mercury retrograde, be damned!
We've been itching to travel for a while, but hasn't everyone? Our last trip together (other than to see family) was to New Orleans in November 2019. We sold our dear Rooby last summer, so no camping lately either. During Covid Times our circle grew smaller and smaller - I have a 2.5 mile "commute" to my office and hombre works from home. The grocery store is across the street from my office. We have so much to be thankful for, and yet...the itch persists.
A friend who's a travel agent suggested to us back in February that travel deals were amazing as the world was ready to reopen, and we had amassed a nice balance of affinity points that begged to be used. Why Greece? I'm not embarrassed to admit that as a literature and history nerd, I like to see the places I've read about. I like to stand in history, not just imagine it. The islands and water and culture appeal to both of us. Plans were made, travel guides borrowed from the library, Rick Steves queued up on the telly. I downloaded the Duolingo app and practiced rudimentary Greek each evening.
We boarded the flight to Atlanta, the first leg of our trip, and settled in across the aisle from each other. The woman next to K turned to him and said, "Are you together? I can switch seats, if you'd like." At each step it only got better. Every flight was on time. Our luggage transferred smoothly to each plane. Flight attendants seemed genuinely happy to welcome us aboard. Prosecco flowed. Delta served us legitimately good meals on the long leg of our flight from New York to Athens. Our travel agent arranged for a driver to take us to our hotel, and once we had retrieved our luggage, there he was, sign in hand, lead foot not yet apparent. When we checked into our hotel, they announced that they had upgraded us to a suite with a view of the Acropolis. We could even see the Mediterranean, white ships on brilliant blue off in the distance.
And thus began our adventure: with kindness from strangers, with gratitude for our amazing good fortune, and with a face-splitting smile I couldn't erase.
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