Sabbatical Day 20

July 9, 2004--Day 20
Part One-- Today I begin my journey home. I am at the Athens airport. They have a kiosk with free internet access (10 minutes at a time, but no one else seems to want to use it, or no one else knows it is free). I didn't sleep well, so I got up, showered and packed. I got off the ship in Pireaus at 6 a.m. I had to wait awhile for the luggage to come off the ship, then awhile longer for our travel rep, then awhile longer for Steve and Connie. It takes about 40 minutes to get from the port to the aiport. We got here around 8 a.m., my flight is at 2 p.m., and I can check my luggage at noon.
Part Two-- On the flight from London to the U.S. Today will be the longest day of my life so far, as we are flying “back in time” as we fly back to the United States. I’m tired of sitting. My back is sore, probably from carrying my backpack around all day. The meal on the flight from Athens to London wasn’t great, but the meal on this flight was excellent. There’s also in-flight entertainment. There was a recent episode of “Friends” on that was hilarious… I’ve missed most of the past few seasons due to my dedication to “Survivor.” Before my flight to London left the Athens airport, I spent time with Steve and Connie, as their flight left later than mine. I’ve enjoyed getting to know them over the past week and a half, and I appreciate their friendship and generosity. Today I’ve been thinking about friends from college and being able to see them this summer while I’m on sabbatical. I’m thinking about one person in particular, but that is a topic perhaps for a future journal entry. I am also thinking about friends from church. Now, on in-flight entertainment, is an episode of “The Simpsons,” from the season that was just released on DVD. Addendum to Fun Things While Flying on British Airways: 11. The way the in-flight entertainment announcer says “Sabriner, the Teenage Witch.” Yesterday was another busy day. We disembarked at 7:15 a.m. on Crete. We went to the Minoan ruins—the Palace of Knossos. It was a change from previous sites, with bright red columns and quite a few reconstructions, including concrete with a faux wood finish. Our tour guide was okay. I wasn’t feeling great, and I was afraid I was going to faint and split my head open on a column or something. [We are still 3 hours and 40 minutes from New York… Remind me never to do this again!] After the site, we went to the museum, which was quite crowded and I still wasn’t feeling well. We didn’t have enough time there, which has been pretty typical for excursions. We had to go through a security point to get back on the ship, which was not the norm. Steve and Connie and I ate lunch in the dining room. (The pool-side buffet lunch was served in the Sirenes Lounge due to the weather conditions). After lunch, I took a two and a half hour nap. I think my cabin steward walked in on me while I was sleeping. Yes, the door was locked. (See also July 20, 1990 entry). By the time I woke up, we had arrived at Santorini. Though I hadn’t purchased an excursion, we were allowed to disembark after all the excursions left the ship. To get to the town, a person has three options—walking up 500+ stairs for free, riding the cable car up for €3.50 one way, or riding a donkey up over 500 stairs for €3.50. We chose the latter on the way up, and the cable car on the way back down. Riding the donkey up the steps was scary. Each of the donkeys (ridden by Steve, Connie, and me), slipped at least once. Mine liked to stop and rest periodically. To make things more exciting, donkeys were coming back down the steps as we were trying to go up them. We did some shopping in the town, checked e-mail, Steve made some phone calls, Connie bought some jewelry, or jewellery as they spell it in Greece. By the time we returned to the ship, it was nearly time for dinner. I think it was the best meal we had on the whole cruise. I had a chicken appetizer, tomato soup or Caesar salad (I can’t remember which) and chicken curry. For dessert I had fruit and cheese. Then we went to the casino after dinner. Connie won some money at the slot machines. Before I went to bed, I finished packing my suitcase, and set it outside my cabin as instructed. Walking in the Footsteps of St. Paul: 54,883 steps