I thought I’d put on last post on my blog as we close out this trip. I don’t recall if I shared all the funny stories that went on. But one story that kind of began our trip home that I don’t think I included was the following…..
As I said in a previous post, we were picked up at 3:30 AM and taken to the airport via cab. Upon arriving at the airport, we got all our luggage out of the back of the cab. As I started to look for my gear, I could not see my backpack. It was not on the ground. We looked everywhere. It was not in the cab and it was not on the ground. Everyone began to think that I had left it on the ground back at the BnB in Athens. But I remember distinctly placing it on top of my suit case in the back of the cab. We all started to worry a bit. Then, someone noticed Michelle who was sporting a new backpack…mine! She had accidentally picked up my backpack and assumed she had hers. We all died laughing there on the curb but I had a huge sigh of relief exhale when I saw it on her! We were all tired but it was a fun moment at the end.
Our trip home actually turned into a struggle in Chicago…for all of us. I think Scott and Michelle, who flew stand by on American Airlines ended up going from Chicago to Phoenix at the last minute and stayed the night there. Denise and I, well, we did not get on the last flight to SLC. No seats. So we ended up in a really, really nice Hyatt Regency. The TV big screen in our room was HUGE! Never had one so large in a hotel room. But we were in the executive wing they said. Anyway, we were tucked into bed at about 9:30 PM. But prior to going to bed, it looked like we were going to fly to Denver and get a one-way rental car to drive to SLC. The price of the car would have been $40….crazy cheap. But, around 4 AM, I woke up and looked at the SLC flights and they had actually improved. So I listed us on the first flight out. I really thought the family of 6, who were stand by the night before and did not get on, would be back in the morning. But no…they never showed up. We were #1 and #2 on the list and as it turns out, we got seats. So we arrived home around noon thrilled that we were not driving from Denver!
Some things I have enjoyed and\or would do differently on this trip:
1. The Amalfi Coast was amazing. I think Cinque Terre is equally fun to be in for enjoying night life and walking trails. But, we will never beat the boat trip that we had along the Amalfi Coast down to Capri. Pretty amazing that was.
2. Staying in Atrani, next to Amalfi, was perfectly fine. It was a small walk from there to Amalfi but not a big deal. There are plenty of small towns one can stay in along that coast and get to by bus. All pretty nice…all pretty quiet I suppose.
3. Santorini…the villages (Fira and Oia) were awesome to visit. Very touristy. You get outside these villages into the more flat lands…you’d think you were in Elko, Nevada. Very arid and dry. I think I enjoyed our BnB the best here. It was roomy and very comfortable for all. However, driving to and from the villages took a couple of years off my life (crazy driving). If I were to return, I’d probably look for a place closer to the beach or in one of these two villages and not get a car….now that I’ve seen the island.
4. My one regret with both Santorini and Amalfi was the lack of getting into the beautiful ocean waters that we were surrounded by. I know seeing the places and all the shops are fun and important to do. But getting to the beaches and spending an equal amount of time there would have been a nice thing for me. But I was definitely in the minority from that regard on this trip. And that’s ok. Another time, I hope.
5. Athens…I think our BnB was nice and well located. But based upon what we did, staying closer to that Plaka district might have eased some of the walking we ended up doing. I honestly did not realize the night life and shopping was so important to Scott and Michelle. If we were to travel again together, I’d make sure that we were placed more closely to such so we would have the energy to go with them on such. Denise and I both felt bad that we were not up to going back out and walking to Plaka the one night. We had a nice night at the eatery we went to. But it would have been nice to keep the two couples together too.
6. Athens…I would have loved taken a day to get out to the beaches somehow, some way. That would have been fun as I hear they have some nice ones there. We did not have a lot of time as we wanted to see as much of the archaeological stuff as possible. And we did. But in a future trip to Athens, getting outside it would be a fun thing to do. We talked about driving out to Corinth and Sparta. So maybe that would be something to do in the future.
Last thought…would I do this trip again with another couple, especially Scott and Michelle? In a heart beat. Now that I know better how we each travel, I think each trip that we might take together would only get better on how we’d plan, execute and enjoy the vacation. It turned out really nice. I’m tired. I wonder if I ever want to travel again because of the stand by stress. But give me a few days…and I’ll be ready to go again!
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