Day 0 - 04/30/17
The day before I left for Europe was pretty low-key. My packing was all but done, thanks to a list I had been working on. My family and I finished some last-minute errands for some necessary items I still needed. It was nice to just spend some time with the family without having to run around and stress about tomorrow's travels. That night we just visited and hung out. Watching Notting Hill with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts helped settle some nerves as well. Sleeping next to my dog also helped ease the nerves.
Day 1 & 2 - 05/01-02/17
Orlando Airport/Flight to Miami
Our group was taking a flight from Miami to London Heathrow and then onto Athens. My best friend Emily and I had to make our own travel arrangements since we would be staying in Europe after the Study Abroad trip had officially concluded. Living in Tampa, it was easier and cheaper to leave out of the Orlando Airport. Traffic wasn't too bad at 5:30 a.m. and the check-in process at the airport was fairly easy. Check-in begins four hours before your flight leaves and they are pretty strict about baggage weight, so make sure you are under the limit if possible. The flight from Orlando to Miami was painless since it was barely an hour long and they had televisions and outlets for every seat which made entertainment very nice. We were able to sit close to each other, but not directly next to each other. We knew we would be spending a lot of time together otherwise, so not sitting next to each other on our flights didn't pose a big issue.
Miami Airport/Flight to London
The Miami International Airport was very large and confusing in some areas. Since we had about four hours to kill before our flight to London, Emily and I decided to eat dinner at TGI Friday's. The service and food was very good. After dinner, we waited at our gate for about three hours. The "group flight" was the same as the one we booked individually so it was nice to meet some of the professors and people we would be spending the next four weeks with while we waited at the gate. About an hour before our flight's departure we started getting ready to board. Last-minute restroom runs and stocking up on some snacks were very helpful for our comfort throughout the flight.
My seat on the flight to London was next to the window towards the rear of the plane (row 48 to be exact). Our aircraft was a double-decker plane supported by four engines, containing 3x4x3 rows and three different cabins. I was lucky enough to sit next to Charlie, a seventy-year-old gentleman from Ireland who was visiting Miami on business with his son Damian. He said his favorite part of Ireland is, "I love coming back home." He was very sweet and funny throughout the flight and he also provided some great suggestions on things to do while we stayed in Dublin. My companionship on the flight was great, but the food was less than desirable. For dinner, they served us a very small salad, a semi-stale dinner roll, pasta, and a strange chocolate raspberry mousse for dessert. The tea served on-board was excellent and the entertainment was great as well. Shows like Big Bang Theory, Grey's Anatomy, Friends and movies like Star Wars: Rogue One and Notting Hill were nice distractions during our nine hour flight.
London Heathrow Airport/Flight to Athens
The airport in London was much bigger than the one in Miami. The fact that we were in a foreign country also added to the anxiety as we navigated through the airport and tried to make our way through security and customs in a timely fashion. The airport itself was very self-automated. We took a purple tram bus from our landing gate to the front of the airport so we could go through security again. Security checkpoints mandated you to scan your boarding pass and look at a camera before walking through the mini-gates. Making sure all of your liquids are in a plastic bag is a necessity if you would like to get through security as quickly as possible. It's also wise to not forget to take out all of your electronics either. Checkouts in the markets were all self-checkout and required you to scan your boarding pass before you paid, which I found to be very interesting. The bathrooms there were very nice and if you wanted to pay money, you could take a shower to refresh yourself too.
The flight to Athens was fairly short, since it is about 2,400 kilometers from London Heathrow and about three hours in flight time. The staff was very kind and helpful with snacks while we were in route. While the airplane lacked outlets, sleep came easily after a full day of international traveling.
Athens Airport/Bus Ride to Hotel
The airport in Athens was much more modern than I expected. While I had trouble connecting to the free wi-fi services, many of my friends were able to connect and contact their families that we had arrived. We debarked our aircraft and walked towards the front of the airport so we could go through customs. After about 20 minutes of waiting we had our passports inspected and were cleared to collect our luggage and enter Greece. We collected our luggage at baggage claim without any issues and walked outside the terminal to the waiting area. Barbara (our graduate assistant), Marta (an AIFS representative) and Alice (our Greece AIFS representative) were anxiously awaiting our arrival so they could check us in. Once everyone collected their belongings and was checked in, we took two coaches to the Metropolitan Hotel. The bus ride to our hotel was very enlightening of what was to come during our 48-hour adventure in Athens. I noticed a lot of graffiti on many of the buildings (both modern and older) and the landscape was very dry. It reminded me of what I've seen in Texas with the rocky slopes, but bright spots of greenery and other plants along the way. The Metropolitan Hotel was about 45 minutes away from the airport so it gave us a nice little glimpse of some areas in Athens we would not see again on our trip since we would be in the city for both days with little time to wander on our own.
Metropolitan Hotel
The Metropolitan Hotel is a five-star resort located off the coast and close to Kallithea. The lobby of the hotel was small and quaint with a lot of marble decor. We stayed in "Superior Rooms" accommodated with free wi-fi, two twin-size beds, two lamps, an A/C unit, a couch and a television. It took us about ten minutes to figure out the electricity in the room was controlled with by our key cards. In order to turn it on, our key cards needed to be inserted into the slot next to our door. After getting settled in our room and attending our informational meeting, Emily and I went to the top floor. The view from the rooftop was amazing and provided an impressive view of Athens.
Dinner at Αζκμονες
My friends and I were starving after our long day of traveling and orientation, so we decided to go to a local restaurant that served traditional Greek cuisine. For dinner, I had shredded chicken in a tomato and wine sauce topped with melted cheeses and feta. The dish was very good and outside of my comfort zone, so I'm glad I can say I tried it. It only cost about ten euros so it was a great meal for a fair price. Water for the table cost about two euros so we split that amongst the six of us to make it cheaper. When it came time to pay the bill, things got a little confusing since everything was on one check and apparently it's not common in Europe to "split the check" like many do in America. After about `10 minutes, we found the cash we needed and worked everything out amongst us.
Our group was taking a flight from Miami to London Heathrow and then onto Athens. My best friend Emily and I had to make our own travel arrangements since we would be staying in Europe after the Study Abroad trip had officially concluded. Living in Tampa, it was easier and cheaper to leave out of the Orlando Airport. Traffic wasn't too bad at 5:30 a.m. and the check-in process at the airport was fairly easy. Check-in begins four hours before your flight leaves and they are pretty strict about baggage weight, so make sure you are under the limit if possible. The flight from Orlando to Miami was painless since it was barely an hour long and they had televisions and outlets for every seat which made entertainment very nice. We were able to sit close to each other, but not directly next to each other. We knew we would be spending a lot of time together otherwise, so not sitting next to each other on our flights didn't pose a big issue.
Miami Airport/Flight to London
The Miami International Airport was very large and confusing in some areas. Since we had about four hours to kill before our flight to London, Emily and I decided to eat dinner at TGI Friday's. The service and food was very good. After dinner, we waited at our gate for about three hours. The "group flight" was the same as the one we booked individually so it was nice to meet some of the professors and people we would be spending the next four weeks with while we waited at the gate. About an hour before our flight's departure we started getting ready to board. Last-minute restroom runs and stocking up on some snacks were very helpful for our comfort throughout the flight.
My seat on the flight to London was next to the window towards the rear of the plane (row 48 to be exact). Our aircraft was a double-decker plane supported by four engines, containing 3x4x3 rows and three different cabins. I was lucky enough to sit next to Charlie, a seventy-year-old gentleman from Ireland who was visiting Miami on business with his son Damian. He said his favorite part of Ireland is, "I love coming back home." He was very sweet and funny throughout the flight and he also provided some great suggestions on things to do while we stayed in Dublin. My companionship on the flight was great, but the food was less than desirable. For dinner, they served us a very small salad, a semi-stale dinner roll, pasta, and a strange chocolate raspberry mousse for dessert. The tea served on-board was excellent and the entertainment was great as well. Shows like Big Bang Theory, Grey's Anatomy, Friends and movies like Star Wars: Rogue One and Notting Hill were nice distractions during our nine hour flight.
London Heathrow Airport/Flight to Athens
The airport in London was much bigger than the one in Miami. The fact that we were in a foreign country also added to the anxiety as we navigated through the airport and tried to make our way through security and customs in a timely fashion. The airport itself was very self-automated. We took a purple tram bus from our landing gate to the front of the airport so we could go through security again. Security checkpoints mandated you to scan your boarding pass and look at a camera before walking through the mini-gates. Making sure all of your liquids are in a plastic bag is a necessity if you would like to get through security as quickly as possible. It's also wise to not forget to take out all of your electronics either. Checkouts in the markets were all self-checkout and required you to scan your boarding pass before you paid, which I found to be very interesting. The bathrooms there were very nice and if you wanted to pay money, you could take a shower to refresh yourself too.
The flight to Athens was fairly short, since it is about 2,400 kilometers from London Heathrow and about three hours in flight time. The staff was very kind and helpful with snacks while we were in route. While the airplane lacked outlets, sleep came easily after a full day of international traveling.
Athens Airport/Bus Ride to Hotel
The airport in Athens was much more modern than I expected. While I had trouble connecting to the free wi-fi services, many of my friends were able to connect and contact their families that we had arrived. We debarked our aircraft and walked towards the front of the airport so we could go through customs. After about 20 minutes of waiting we had our passports inspected and were cleared to collect our luggage and enter Greece. We collected our luggage at baggage claim without any issues and walked outside the terminal to the waiting area. Barbara (our graduate assistant), Marta (an AIFS representative) and Alice (our Greece AIFS representative) were anxiously awaiting our arrival so they could check us in. Once everyone collected their belongings and was checked in, we took two coaches to the Metropolitan Hotel. The bus ride to our hotel was very enlightening of what was to come during our 48-hour adventure in Athens. I noticed a lot of graffiti on many of the buildings (both modern and older) and the landscape was very dry. It reminded me of what I've seen in Texas with the rocky slopes, but bright spots of greenery and other plants along the way. The Metropolitan Hotel was about 45 minutes away from the airport so it gave us a nice little glimpse of some areas in Athens we would not see again on our trip since we would be in the city for both days with little time to wander on our own.
Metropolitan Hotel
The Metropolitan Hotel is a five-star resort located off the coast and close to Kallithea. The lobby of the hotel was small and quaint with a lot of marble decor. We stayed in "Superior Rooms" accommodated with free wi-fi, two twin-size beds, two lamps, an A/C unit, a couch and a television. It took us about ten minutes to figure out the electricity in the room was controlled with by our key cards. In order to turn it on, our key cards needed to be inserted into the slot next to our door. After getting settled in our room and attending our informational meeting, Emily and I went to the top floor. The view from the rooftop was amazing and provided an impressive view of Athens.
Dinner at Αζκμονες
My friends and I were starving after our long day of traveling and orientation, so we decided to go to a local restaurant that served traditional Greek cuisine. For dinner, I had shredded chicken in a tomato and wine sauce topped with melted cheeses and feta. The dish was very good and outside of my comfort zone, so I'm glad I can say I tried it. It only cost about ten euros so it was a great meal for a fair price. Water for the table cost about two euros so we split that amongst the six of us to make it cheaper. When it came time to pay the bill, things got a little confusing since everything was on one check and apparently it's not common in Europe to "split the check" like many do in America. After about `10 minutes, we found the cash we needed and worked everything out amongst us.