Day 1-2, Travel

Our first 1.5 days was a lot of travel. Our friend Bob lives in Williston, we drove to his place and he dropped June and I at the BTV airport around 12:15. Another friend Steve will drop the car at the airport before we return.  It is great to have friends!  The rest of the gang arrived around 12:30 and we got all checked in. BTV was pretty empty this time of the week and day.

Our first leg on United from BTV to DC was as planned, easy. 

We got our steps and a train ride in changing terminals to get our Brussels Airways flights. 

Our second leg from DC to Brussels boarded and departed pretty much on time.  I think most of us Americans have the impression that European airlines are nicer, give more room and better everything when compared to our Airlines. It is not so with Brussels Airways. The people were very nice, but the plane was a cattle car. I have never seen the seats that tight, very little leg or shoulder room and a food tray that was 8” deep, if that. There was no room for anything.  They did serve a meal, chicken or pasta, and those that picked pasta made a bad choice. We are small people, sans Bob K., and it was just uncomfortable for a 7 hour flight.  Our last leg from Brussels to Athens was delayed about 45 mins due to air traffic, but although a smaller plane it had significantly more room. I will just say Brussels Airways ran smoothly but it is a true economy airline, no frills and pretty uncomfortable for a long flight.

We arrived in Athens about 30mins behind schedule, not bad. Much to our surprise when we arrived in Greece we did not have to go through customs, since we technically passed through customs in Brussels. June was disappointed she did not get a stamp for Greece in her passport. 

We were met at the airport by a representative from our travel group, Trafalgar, and whisked off to our hotel about 40 mins away. It is Easter weekend in Greece, their most important holiday of the yea. Many of the residents of Athens are off on holiday, making traffic light. Greece has a population of 10 million, about half of which live in Athens. 

We are staying our first two nights at the Divani  Palace Acropolis Hotel. Our rooms all have a balcony that provides a nice view of the Acropolis and Parthenon.

At night it is lit and provides a spectacular conversation piece, even if you have to lean out to talk to your neighbor.

We met with our tour guide at 6:30PM for our introductions and then were treated to a very nice dinner at the hotel. Our group is only 14 people, much smaller than we expected. There are the 6 of us, 4 Aussies, 2 from Boston and 2 from Florida and everyone seems nice.

It was the Greek Orthodox Good Friday; on this day in Greece they celebrate the Epitaphios which begins around 9 pm. During the day, women in each parish decorate a wooden bier as a symbol of Christ’s coffin. They cover it with fresh flowers, producing works of art. In the evening, the faithful gather at the church. Carrying a beeswax candle, they walk around the neighborhood together, behind the priest and the pallbearers who carry the holy bier topped with an icon of Christ. As the solemn procession moves through the streets, sometimes merging with those from nearby churches, the followers sing a haunting Byzantine hymn that expresses the sorrow of the Virgin Mary on the death of her son. Mourners dressed in black queue up to kiss the coffin. Unfortunately, we were all just too bushed from travel to stay awake.

Today the tour starts....on the bus at 8AM to the Museum, the Parthenon on the Acropolis, a tour of the city of Athens then dinner downtown at 6:15 PM.