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hawkwing_lbTraveling is a weird experience, and airports are expensive places. But Lufthansa, whatever their flaws, at least feed and water you. The food on the flight to Frankfurt wasn't all that great: some kind of sour potato salad... but it existed! Which is more than you can say for a lot of airlines.
After a long layover in Frankfurt (where everything is more expensive than I believed possible even for airports, but where I made a decent meal out of an Asian restaurant called "Coa" for about twelve quid with a bit of inventiveness), the onward flight to Athens came as a welcome relief. And the dinner provided, a vegetarian ravioli dish, was sufficiently tasty I would've eaten twice the amount. (And they provided dessert! A Toblerone!) This, to my mind, makes Lufthansa amazing.
I lucked out, too. The miracle of a seat with legroom by the emergency exit came to me without my asking.
For a wonder, when I reached the taxi rank at the Athens, the taxi driver actually recognised my street. We had a nice wee chat in which he asked me how I came to speak Greek, and told me that, while it's been bad economically, one should only believe half of what one sees on the news.
The new AD at the Institute is a lovely guy who waited to let me in despite it being 0200 in the morning. So I got settled, with my own pillow (which I brought from home, yes, because I remember the Institute's pillows and they suck) and finally fell asleep at 0400 or thereabouts - which isn't as late as it seems, because Athens time is two hours ahead of Dublin time.
Didn't really emerge to consciousness until 1300 today. Still a bit sleepy, to be honest, but at least Athens is giving me a day's grace of cloud and 22-24C before it breaks out the scorchers.
It's odd, how much being here is like coming home. I mean, not as comfortable as home-home, and the cops in Dublin don't look quite so like a well-armed motorcycle gang late at night, but I've been here often enough that the shops around the corner are familiar - the woman in the bakery recognised me today, and asked if I'd come home. I had to check myself before I said yes.
Also, there are strawberries and cherries in the vegetable shop. CHERRIES. OMNOMNOM.
Not really doing much today. I'm still a bit wiped from travel.
After a long layover in Frankfurt (where everything is more expensive than I believed possible even for airports, but where I made a decent meal out of an Asian restaurant called "Coa" for about twelve quid with a bit of inventiveness), the onward flight to Athens came as a welcome relief. And the dinner provided, a vegetarian ravioli dish, was sufficiently tasty I would've eaten twice the amount. (And they provided dessert! A Toblerone!) This, to my mind, makes Lufthansa amazing.
I lucked out, too. The miracle of a seat with legroom by the emergency exit came to me without my asking.
For a wonder, when I reached the taxi rank at the Athens, the taxi driver actually recognised my street. We had a nice wee chat in which he asked me how I came to speak Greek, and told me that, while it's been bad economically, one should only believe half of what one sees on the news.
The new AD at the Institute is a lovely guy who waited to let me in despite it being 0200 in the morning. So I got settled, with my own pillow (which I brought from home, yes, because I remember the Institute's pillows and they suck) and finally fell asleep at 0400 or thereabouts - which isn't as late as it seems, because Athens time is two hours ahead of Dublin time.
Didn't really emerge to consciousness until 1300 today. Still a bit sleepy, to be honest, but at least Athens is giving me a day's grace of cloud and 22-24C before it breaks out the scorchers.
It's odd, how much being here is like coming home. I mean, not as comfortable as home-home, and the cops in Dublin don't look quite so like a well-armed motorcycle gang late at night, but I've been here often enough that the shops around the corner are familiar - the woman in the bakery recognised me today, and asked if I'd come home. I had to check myself before I said yes.
Also, there are strawberries and cherries in the vegetable shop. CHERRIES. OMNOMNOM.
Not really doing much today. I'm still a bit wiped from travel.
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no subject
Date: 2013-05-29 01:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-29 07:11 am (UTC)Have to *try* to work this morning, but maybe I'll get down to Plaka this afternoon.
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Date: 2013-05-29 02:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-05-29 02:46 pm (UTC)