ATHENS IN TRANSIT

We arrive in Athens to transit to Mykonos. It’s starting to get ridiculous how many times we have seen Athens Airport. Unfortunately it’s a massive loop hole; we can’t avoid Athens even if we wanted to. We jump off the flight to race to our next flight even though we have plenty of time to spare. Along the way I decide to swing into the Athens’s music shop to have a quick browse. I have a CD obsession to satisfy ok! Meanwhile Lucy decides to check out the prices of Ouzo’s because she wants to buy one for her coffee guy or something.

We end our shopping spree quickly to go through security checks. As usual security pulls me up on my asthma machine. Luckily every time I travel I get my doctor to write a letter. Its easier showing them the machine and the letter than spending 20 minutes explaining what it is.

We arrive to our gate pretty early. Honestly this rarely happens. Were usually sweating and breathless by the time were at a gate. We had plenty of time to kill. In fact the previous flight using our gate hasn’t even started boarding yet. Lucy and I find a spot to sit down in. I notice the guy sitting next to me is reading the new and last Harry Potter book. The book just got launched and it seems everyone is reading it. I tell Lucy to buy a copy but she would probably spend an arm and a leg to buy it in Euros.

I walk over to buy us a bottle of water each and it is then that I realize how much cheaper Greece is to Italy. Honestly Italy has become so touristy. Even buying a bottle of water in Italy is costing you an arm and a leg. I was in shock when the lady behind the counter told me how much I was paying for the 2 bottle of water in Athens Airport. I was seriously ready to pay three times as much. It just goes to show that Greece is cheaper.

I grab the water and notice the kiosk opposite it. I walk over to check the prices for the new Harry Potter book. There’s no price on the book and I can’t be fucked asking the sales person how much it is since I’m not buying it. I walk back over to where Lucy is sitting.

We spend some time sitting there waiting for our gate to open for boarding. I’m sitting there thinking are we really going to Mykonos again? What is wrong with us? As I’m thinking about Mykonos our gate opens for boarding. Next thing you know there’s a huge rush to the gate by everyone around us. God everyone’s keen on going to Mykonos.

We get escorted to our plane. Now let me tell you the first time I went on this plane in 2004 I was about to have a heart attack. It’s a tiny and I mean tiny propeller plane. The plane itself scares me and while I’m on the flight the noise it makes freaks me out more. As usual I start hyperventilating before entering the plane. My palms are sweating, my heart is skipping beats and I feel like I’m about to pass out. Before I even start climbing onto the plane one of the hostess approaches me to inform me that they need to take my hand trolley as it won’t fit on the plane. I start stressing as I haven’t even locked my hand luggage and there’s no time to look for a lock. I hand them over the hand trolley and she gives me a receipt to pick it up in Mykonos.

We walk onto the plane and I’m still stressing. There are only 2 seats on each side of the plane. The aisle is quite narrow and only allows one person to walk down it at a time. For a moment I get a flashback of the woman who dropped her suitcase on another woman’s head. We sit down and question on whether we will get orange juice or not this time around.

For the next half an hour I’m sitting on the plane praying to land safely in Mykonos. At one stage the plane shakes and I’m about to have a heart attack. This is when I turn around and scream at Lucy that she better get groped tonight to make this trip worthwhile!