London/ Paris: Day 4 Part One

I sprung out of bed to check on my phone.  Nothing.  No charge whatsoever.  It stayed at 20 percent.  I was panicking.  I quickly got ready and made my way downstairs to have breakfast.  I was puzzled because I wasn’t sure if it was my phone that was the problem or my chord.  I had difficulty charging my blue tooth as well.  I was praying it was the chord.  I called my friend up to see if she had any suggestions.  She advised that if I did run out to get a chord, to buy an Apple chord and not a cheaper version since they may not work with my iphone.  That’s it!!  I needed to find an Apple store!

I asked the concierge if she knew where the closest Apple store was.  She told me there was one at the Westfield shopping mall, not far from the hotel.  I was starting to panic.  My train was scheduled to leave for Paris at 1:30pm.  I figured I should to the station by 12pm just in case.  Although I printed out my tickets beforehand, it stated to check in at least 30 minutes prior to departing.  I was weary and considered getting there much earlier. 

I had to catch a bus to the mall.  I rushed back upstairs and grabbed my suitcase.  The concierge insisted I could leave my bag behind.  She thought I had plenty of time to go to the mall and come back for it  in order to leave for Paris.  Luckily, there was a metro Underground station at the mall.  I told her I will checkout and take my bag.  I’ll just take it from there.

I was SUPER NERVOUS.  I just wanted to know what was wrong with my phone.  After a 10 minute wait, the bus finally arrived.  Sure enough, just like the concierge said, the mall was a 15 minute bus ride away.  I rushed into a gigantic mall and asked around for the Apple store.  I came across a young lady working at a spa kiosk.  She told me the directions to the Apple store, but insisted I try her samples spa treatment.  I was hesitant because I was in a hurry, but then I said why not.  I was finally at the mall and needed to calm down a bit.  She lathered up my hands and then followed up with a exfoliator.  I have to admit, it was working.  Once we started small talking, she asked me where I was from.  I told her Chicago and she got excited.  She was a singer and had applied for a visa to come to Chicago to go to school.  Unfortunately her visa was denied.  I didn’t know what to say.  She seemed sad about the denial.  I apologized but her eyes said it all.  She was crushed.  For the time being, she will stay in the UK but my heart felt for her.

I rushed upstairs to the Apple store.  By now it was 11am.  I ran up to one of the associates, but the staff was getting bombarded.  I had to wait my turn before she got my information for an appointment.  Currently the wait was for an hour for them to look at my phone.  I was going into panic mode.  I knew no matter what, I had to leave the mall at 12pm.  I got desperate and asked the associate if I could use her phone cord to see if my iphone would take the charge.  She seemed skeptical about handing hers over to me, but I told her if it works, then I knew that was the issue and could get out of her hair.  Unfortunately my stomach dropped.  I plugged her cord to my adaptor with the UK converter plug and nothing happened.  UGH!

I waited for my turn.  What made it worse was that the associate told me they would text me when my turn was up.  I told her I had to keep my phone off because it was not fully charged.  This lady was driving me crazy.  “Well then, check up with me every 20 minutes,” she said.  I went and sat down to mope.

I moped until I noticed a display of ipads.  Again, I was desperate.  I unplugged one of the cords and plugged it up to my phone.  To my surprise it was charging.  I was so excited.  I waited for it to charge up a bit before I turned my phone on.  All of the sudden, I got a flood of texts.  My mom, my friend in Italy, my co-workers.  People kept asking me if I was ok.  I didn’t know what was happening but I messaged my friend in Italy that I was fine.  “Be careful!  There was a terrorist attack on the tube!”  I didn’t think too much about it.  I told her I was fine and turned my phone back off so it would charge faster.  Whenever I turned my phone back on to see if I received my appointment text, my phone would blow up again with messages.  I finally swiped over to an ipad next to me to see what was the commotion about.  Sure enough, the tube was in lock down due to the explosion this morning.  It was all over the internet.  I was in shock.  When did this happen??

I decided to message back everyone that was concerned about me.  I then posted on Facebook that I was fine and en route to Paris.  I didn’t want to think about what was going on.  I was worried about catching the train out of Westfield to get to St. Pancras International station.  

After an hour my phone was fully charged.  I went up to another associate since the one I talked to earlier was nowhere in sight.  “Um, we texted you 4x this past hour.”  WHAT??  I explained to him that I was 10 feet away from them and that the other associate knew what was wrong with my phone.  I couldn’t leave it on since it wasn’t fully charged.  I was beyond frustrated at this point.  Unfortunately, he explained there was nothing he could do but to put my name back on the waiting list.  I was livid.  “Where is there an Apple store in Paris??  I have to catch a train!”  He wrote down the address and off I ran.  I had to get out of there and find my way to St. Pancras.

Luckily, I found the metro station at the mall.  By the time I got to St. Pancras station, I had to go through passport control.  I knew there was more to this.  Luckily I gave myself enough time or I would have misjudged this altogether.  My anxiety was in full swing that I had a glass of wine at the station to calm down.   I messaged my friend that I was off to Paris when I had Wi-Fi.  Once I boarded on, I tried to relax.  Paris here I come!

 

When Darkness Falls...

I’m recapping the last weekend in July.  It was a tough one.  Since August is flying by, I realized how I’ve been in a funk ever since.  It’s been a tough summer for me mentally.  There’s been some amazing moments for me, which I adore because summer is a fun season.  Yet, as fast as those wonderful times entered my life, they left just as quickly.  It’s hard.

My mom suffered another anxiety attack.  I wasn’t too worried about it at first.  We had some pretty hot weeks in July, and she mentioned how it was hard for her to breathe sometimes.  I warned her that the humidity was high and she might be having seasonal allergies.  I told her to take it easy and she insisted that she would. 

That weekend of the white party was a long weekend for me.  Since I wanted to see my favorite dj, I stayed out until 5am that Saturday.  Once Sunday came and went, I decided to use a personal day to run some errands.  I thought about my mom, but since I spoke to her the night before, she seemed to be feeling better.  I relaxed the whole day, and when the time came to call her in the evening, I got the shock I didn’t see coming.  She told me she admitted herself to the hospital.  I freaked out of course, but then she reassured me that the doctors didn’t find anything physically wrong.  She had suffered an anxiety attack.

My heart broke into pieces.  I started to cry when she told me the doctors advised her to see a therapist.  Here we are once more.  Two years ago, when my mom returned to work after the death of her husband, she did therapy for two months before she quit.  She just didn’t see what the point was.  

I cried because I want my mom to WANT to get better.  She’s been stressing herself out ever since she put the house on sale.  We’ve had four prospective buyers that in the end backed out.  The pressure is on because my mom is afraid this house will be sitting on the market too long.  I get it.

She decided to have a yard sale to downsize her belongings.  Me and my family came by to support her.  She did well that Saturday and got rid of a lot of stuff.  I was watching her like a hawk, but she seemed to enjoy having us around.

My friend invited me out for drinks afterwards.  I waited a while for her.  Right before she picked me up, I got news that someone we knew had passed away suddenly.  I was in shock.

Once we went out, my friend could tell something was off with me, but she had her own drama going on, so we focused on her.  It was a lot for me to process, so I stood quiet for most of the night.  Not one of my best nights out and I wanted that day to be over.

The next day, me and my family went back to check on my mom’s yard sale.  I was mostly quiet there too.  I was in a loss for words.  I just want everyone to be ok.  But the more I look around, I feel that the people I love are suffering in their own way.  I feel so helpless. 

In the end, my mom made some good money getting rid of some stuff.  We also ended up getting another offer for the house.  So far, this one is going through.

  

Family Time...

That same weekend I celebrated the birthday of my friend at Bar Deville, I also spent some time with my family.  The next day I went for coffee and cake to celebrate my little cousin's birthday.  She is still in high school, but she's growing up to be a wonderful young woman!  I'm so proud of her!  It was also the first time I got to see my mom since I've been back from my trip.  My mom was on a hectic work schedule and had only one day off.  The hotel is swamped right now, so we decided to see each other when she returned to a regular work week.  She did come by my uncle's house to wish my cousin happy birthday.  My uncle's mother was there too.  Unfortunately, her health is not so great, so for the  most part, my mom was attending to her.  I know my mom takes these things very personal with everything that she's been through these past 2 years.  I can see how hard it is for her to process bad news.  At one point I tried to make my mom feel a little bit better by giving her the postcards I got for her from Greece.  She loved them! 
To make matters worse, there was also the sudden death of a family friend.  He passed away that Friday night during rush hour.  My mom told me the news later on that evening.  His wake was the next day.  Me and my brother decided to go pay our respect that Sunday.  My mom was going to pass by our friend's place on her day off that following Tuesday.  I got chills pulling up to their apartment in Hyde Park.  Me and my brothers use to play with his kids, so it brought a lot of good memories back.  I miss those times!  We had so much fun.  I feel bad that my family lost their friend, and seeing his kids mourn their dad brought tears to my eyes.  They miss him so much!  We caught up with the daughters and met their new families.  They hold a special place in my heart.
I knew this was going to hit close to home with my mom.  She did came by after all and spoke to his widow.  They've been married for 40 years!  For me, personally, I'm glad I got to see my family during these difficult times of loss and anxiousness.  I pray that we continue to support one another. No one should have to go through this alone.  Life is precious!

Day 12 Foggia

By the time we got home we were all physically exhausted.  Driving at night with limited lighting for over 2 1/2 hours was painful.  I felt bad because in the morning, my friend's boyfriend left out late for work.  I wish this didn't happen to us, but it did.  There's nothing we could do about it now.
My train for Rome was leaving around 5:45pm.  I would be arriving at 10:35pm and then jump on another train that would take me to Fiumicino airport at 10:45pm.  Not much of a window for time, but it had to happen.  Last year I got stuck at the train station overnight before they resumed service in the morning.  This year it was going to be different.  I had to be on it.
Me and my friend enjoyed our late breakfast.  I started to get emotional again, like I always do right before I leave any vacation.  One of the reasons was I felt I didn't have enough time with my friend.   We were having fun night before we left Lecce despite our lock out situation.  I really wished she had met me in Greece.
For lunch we decided to go big since I was going to be on a 5 hour train ride.  We were going to meet up another friend who also lives in her town, and who happens to have lived in New York for some time.  It was nice meeting her and we all had some good laughs.  We headed to Teanum Wine Bar in Foggia and I can definitely say we were pretty loud at the table.  At this point, who cares?  We wanted to be ourselves for once, and yes, we were in another country, but it didn't stop us from making memories that day.  I'm glad my friend found someone who she could relate to.

Seafood pasta!  I cleaned off my plate!  SO GOOD!!!!

Octopus

Rich chocolate cake

I ordered a pasta dish and devoured every last bite of it!  I knew I wouldn't taste food like this again for quite sometime.  For dessert we had a chocolate cake that was rich and delicious!  We had wine and ate like kings.  My friends decided we should go to the train station early just in case.  And sure enough, my world came crashing down.  In one instant.
The lady behind the ticket booth gave us the hardest time.  I had my receipt of my train ticket transaction, but not an actual ticket.  That is why we went up to her in the first place.  Right before you board your train, you have to stamp your boarding ticket in a machine.  Once you're on the train, the train conductor will come by and ask for your stamped ticket.
According to the lady behind the counter, she did not know what we were showing her, and insisted I must have gotten something else for a confirmation.  She did not recognize any information on my receipt (which was in English).  Mind you, we were in Southern Italy where they do not speak English at all (along with other languages like Spanish).  Only Italian.  Even though my friends spoke Italian to her, the lady claims she did not "see" a confirmation number, therefore, she was not able to print a ticket out for me.  I even pulled up my transaction off my email from my iphone, but she still didn't recognize anything.  We tried to persuade her to type in whatever numbers were displayed off my receipt, but she kept repeating over and over again that she did not see a confirmation.  I started to panic.
My nerves were getting to me and I had to rush to the bathroom.  I was in there a while and my friends went in to check up on me.  I was nervous about getting on the train, mostly because I knew I wouldn't be able to speak to the conductor in Italian.  I didn't want to cause a scene.  My friend asked if I had enough cash on me to purchase a ticket en route.  "They will not kick you off the train if you do not have a ticket.  You can buy one right there."  That made me feel a little bit better, but I was so nervous.  I wish I wouldn't overreact like this.  I wanted them desperately to come with me, but I knew I had to face this hurdle on my own. 
My friends waited until the train arrived.  There was some confusion at first because they made an announcement prior to its arrival that the train leaving for Rome would be coming in from another platform.  These are the things that can happen at a moment's notice.  It's all a part of traveling and I am grateful my friends waited with me to help me out.
I said my good byes and got on board.  I waited for the conductor to come around to me.  Once he got to my turn I tried to explain to him with my little Italian that I purchased my ticket on-line.  I showed him my printed receipt and my transaction off my iphone.  He kept looking over the information and then tried entering whatever numbers were displayed.  Sure enough, my name came up.  He said, "Ok" and off he went.  I was relieved but sad that I had to leave Foggia having a panic attack.  I wish I left in better terms with my friends instead of having them try to calm me down.  My anxieties were all over the place on this trip.  I hate getting like this.
I caught my train and got to the airport in no time.  The reason I like to break night at the airport instead of getting a hotel room is because I want to be able to sleep on flight.  I absolutely hate flying and because of all the flights I took on this vacation in particular, I didn't mind staying up.  It is what it is.  I know I can't let my anxiety run my life, so I make the necessary adjustments I can to do what I want to do.  It's frustrating sometimes but if I didn't figure out other ways to live with anxiety, what else could I do?  You manage what you can and move on to the next challenge...

Bff

Day 8 Booking Nightmare

We landed and I knew my flight for Turkey would leave at 6am.  I relaxed for a bit and took advantage of the free wifi while I waited.  I did something I should have not done which was to search "Turkey" on twitter.  I find twitter is more helpful than the news media, but in this case, the information I was pulling up was frightening.  Just 5 days earlier there were shootings at the left wing of the airport at Turkey.  I kept coming across scary acts of violence in Turkey and that triggered my anxiety again.  I messaged two of my friends who have been at the airport in Turkey and asked for their opinion on the airport.  One of my friends told me they had a nice café upstairs and to have some tea to relax.  I was so nervous, but part of me felt I didn't know what to believe anymore.
Hours passed and then my flight was ready for takeoff.  Since I broke night, I was praying I would sleep on the flight.  From Athens to Turkey it was a less than 2 hours.  I was deliriously tired, and knocked out for 20 minutes, but then we landed. 
I was dizzy because of the melatonin I took and the lack of sleep I had experienced.  I just followed the crowd off the plane and made my way to the gate.  A bus took us to our gate and then we went through security again.  I found an available seat to wait for my next flight.  This layover was 3 hours long, but even though I tried to rest, it was hard because of how busy it was in there.  After looking around the area, I was mad at myself for getting so worked up over nothing.  Turkey airport is an international airport with people from all over the world.  Even though it has suffered from the hands of terrorism, the fact that you're surrounded by so many people made me feel safer.  Sometimes I think this stems from living in Chicago.  The saying goes, it's when you're alone when something might happen to you.
I couldn't connect with the wifi there, but I was hoping my friend in Italy got my message on what time I would be landing in Bari.  It was finally time to board, and off we went.  As usual, just like clock work, my anxiety snuck up right before take off.  So far all of my flights were smooth sailing.  I wish I had more faith that things would be ok.
An Italian lady sat next to me and was nice to me.  She couldn't speak English but luckily I understood her since I've been trying to learn Italian myself.  She was sweet.  I was finally looking forward to Italy.
We landed and I was worn out from my anxieties.  I was looking forward to seeing my friend and knowing I wouldn't have to get back on a plane till Sunday.  What a relief!  The security took a while to get through at Bari.  After we retrieved our luggage we still had to go back in line and go through an x-ray machine to check our bags.  The military presence was intense!  The surrounded us while we waited for clearance.  It dawned on me that they were probably singling us out since our flight was from Turkey. 
My friend kept calling me.  I was so happy to see her number, but I couldn't pick up because I was still trying to get out of the airport.  Once I was outside I called her and saw her parked ahead.  I must have ran up to her like crazy.  FINALLY I'm here!  FINALLY I'm with her!  What an ordeal!!
We yapped about my travel experience coming to Bari.  It was now 3pm and we decided to go grab some lunch.  We had so much catching up to do.  I told her they fed us on the plane and it was a short flight.  I was not very hungry and if anything, I would eat something light.  She suggested Alba Chiara for sea urchins since they were in season. 
It was SUPER hot in Italy.  I had my jeans on since that's what I normally wear on planes.  I quickly changed into my shorts and we were seated by the sea.  I missed her so much.  I felt bad that I was out of it again, but I did not want to end our day because of my lack of sleep.  The urchins were perfect, but the white wine was doing a number on me.  We decided to  run some errands to try to keep me up.
We ended up at Ikea.  lol.  It was a couple of months old, but since it's relatively new, the place was packed!  I forget how Italians can be.  I had bought an evil eye bracelet for me and my friend and we were wearing them at the time we were checking out our items.  A mother told her son in Italian to stay away from those gypsies.  She was referencing it to us.  My friend was in shock, but they normally do not see the eye evil this far south.  There are not many tourists in the region we were at.
We decided to drive back home.  My friend was not very confident in the car.  She never got a rental because there weren't any available, and she was worried driving stick shift with a bad clutch.  I was fine heading home.  I really wanted to take a shower and freshen up.  I felt filthy.
I got my 2nd wind after my shower.  I went downstairs to join my friend for a drink and more stories.  Eventually her boyfriend came home from work and we all caught up.  The plan for the next day was to go to the auto place to see if we could get a loaner car.  Then we could go wherever we wanted.  I was fine with whatever she wanted to do.  It took me forever to get to Italy and I just wanted to enjoy my time here with my friend.

We shared a large pasta with sea urchin sauce.  YUMMY!

 

Lunch by the sea...

A nearby beach by the restaurant. 
La spiaggia sta vicino a il ristorante.  (There goes my little Italian translation!  lol)

Day 7 Booking Nightmare

I had trouble sleeping.  A couple of loud cats woke me up.  Nothing like a good cat scream to get you going at 3am!  When it was time for me to really get up, I knew it was the day for me to checkout of my room.  I showered up and slowly began to pack.  I was trying to get some information of the airport in Santorini but it kept leading me to an booking agent's number.  I knew beforehand that I've seen flights from different airlines coming in and out of Santorini.  I was puzzled why nothing was popping up on the airport's website.  I didn't have time to deal with it.  I had to pack my stuff quickly.
I went and turned in my keys at the front desk but asked if there were any room available in case I had to stay one more night.  It was now Monday and people probably checked out the day before.  I wasn't sure of their availability since it was a brand new week.  He reassured me that they had rooms for me if I decided to stay.  I felt a sign of relief!  I needed to go to Noma and look for Kostas to see if he could help figure how the airport's website.  I was confused.
Luckily he was there with some staff members.  I told them what was going on but he was more concerned about running to Fira to get some things.  It was slow at the restaurant and it would be a good time for him to run his errands.  He explained I would have to go to a booking agent and Fira would be the place to find one.  Since I had access to the restaurant's wifi I tried looking at flights myself.  Some of them were unreasonable.  I couldn't find a flight that would go straight to Bari.  The flights I kept finding were heading back to Athens.  Hmmm.  This is getting frustrating.
I messaged my friend in Italy and told her what I was up against.  Since originally I was suppose to have left last night to Mykonos and stay there today, she was under the impression I would be arriving in Bari tomorrow.  She wasn't ready to get me from the airport tonight, so I had to make sure my flight would land there sometime tomorrow.  Upon my arrival to Greece, her boyfriend's car was having problems with the clutch.  She figured she'll get a rental when I arrived but there were no cars available for her yet.  So much for the "playing it by ear". 
Kostas came up and asked me if I wanted to ride with him to Fira.  He had a couple of stops to make and I could accompany him.  I said sure.  I figured he could help me find a booking agent.  I remembered that young couple I met back in Athens when I was trying to find the museum.  They told me the airport at Santorini was a mess and now I understood what they meant.
Off we went to Fira.  I was surprised by how much vacant land there is in Santorini.  I saw more abandoned buildings too, but Kostas showed me where there were also new development.  He is very proud to work there during the season.  "Where else in the world could you work on an island like this?", he asked.  Good point.
When we got closer to Fira I saw the charter buses ahead.  Now I see the flow of people coming in.  We stopped by an electronic store to pickup a new phone.  The prices were pretty reasonable on major items such as washers and dryers.  For the most part, there wasn't much of a selection on some items, but then again, island life wouldn't require the importance of  such mainstream gadgets.
We continued on to two banks before we made our way to the market.  Kostas grabbed his avocados for the restaurant as well as a huge bag of coffee.  As usual, it was a hot day indeed and I could see how preoccupied he was getting.  His phone kept ringing off the hook.  I felt like a little kid riding around seeing and learning things I did not know about Santorini.  I saw a group of girls get on some ATVs with the guide helping them with their helmets.  They looked very inexperienced.  Kostas said it was hard to determine who knows how to drive European, and who are tourists who have no clue.  It was an unsettling feeling knowing those girls were going to ride the streets in those. 
We rode back towards Perissa.  Kostas reassured me he will help me book a flight once we got back to the restaurant.  I guess that's a "no" for looking for an agent.  Change of plans. 
Once we got to Noma, Kostas went straight for the kitchen to drop off the items.  I didn't want to be in his way so I found myself a table in the corner and started looking for flights since I was on wifi again.
I was getting frustrated.  There were some flights that looked reasonable, but whenever I went to purchase them, the flight would disappear.  I didn't understand if I was doing something wrong.  I kept messaging my friend that I was stuck.  She took my credit card information and started looking herself.  Between me and her exchanging messages on when I'll land in Bari, seeing if she'll be able to pick me up at the airport, and how much the ticket would be, we kept losing the flights.  It was beyond nerve recking!!  Sometimes a staff member would ask why don't I go to the beach to unwind, but I had to find a flight to Italy!  I was finding flights that would land me in Bari on Wednesday, and knew I had to take a train out to Rome on Saturday.  I would not be spending much time with my friend and that was the whole purpose of me flying out to Europe in the 1st place. 
After a while of being discouraged, I noticed that Kostas seemed to be upset that I did not want to stay longer in Santorini.  I tried to explain to him that I needed to see my friend.  I understood his sensitivity of me wanting to leave Greece so soon, but in the end, I still had to fly to Italy.  He decided to take actions in his own hands and started to look for flights for me when he had some downtime at the restaurant.  I can see it from his perspective that he just didn't think I experienced Santorini that much and that one day and a half was not that long.  But he found a flight to Athens for about a 100 euros leaving at 9:30pm that evening.  We had to think quickly so he continued to look for flights from Athens to Bari but only one that popped up seemed reasonable.  I would land in Bari the next day around 2:30pm, but to get there was not as easy as it seems.  I had to fly out of Athens at 6am; land in Turkey for a 3 hour layover, and then fly out at 12pm to land in Bari.  That was a lot of flying.  I agreed to it only because I would land in Bari the next day.  Any other flights that popped up would have me landing there on Wednesday, and I did not want to miss a day more without my friend.  We had our own plans and I did not want to miss something.  I hit purchased with a sign of relief.
But then I remembered my conversation from the couple I met back in Athens.  The ones from North Carolina.  Their voices echoed in my head.  "It was very unorganized."  Hmmm.  What did they mean by that?  I figured I would play it safe and head there two hours ahead.  By this time it was already after 5pm.  I went walking down the beach to kill some time.  It was getting busier at the restaurant and I did not want to get in their way.  They held my luggage for me.
Some time passed and I knew I still had to make it to the airport anyways, so I walked back to the restaurant and they called a cab for me.  I said bye to Kostas and the rest of the staff, but I couldn't find the father and daughter back at Ntomatini.  Luckily me and the daughter had exchanged info that night we all went out, but I felt sad leaving like that. 
I walked back to where the beach was closed off.  I knew that was the pick up spot for my cab.  I didn't wait that long.  It did take about 15 minutes.  A good looking cab driver pulled up next to me.  Only when I'm leaving would something like that happen!  We started to talk about Santorini as we were driving through the island.  He said about 15,000 people live here and he's one of them, even during off season.  I love talking to the locals about their way of life.  It gives you an inside perspective that you wouldn't get off from some tour book.
He repeated the same thing that I heard from the other cab driver I had encountered the night before.  He is one of the 39 cabs that circulate in Santorini.  When he pulled up the airport he flirted with me and said next time he'll invite me over to his house for some wine.  lol.  Sure.  "Next time."
I walked into the airport and sure enough, it was mayhem.  Lines were forming outside of the entrance.  I saw a ticket kiosk and tried to print up my boarding pass.  After several attempts, I could not get the settings to go to English, so I grew frustrated and stepped in line for the check in.  Hopefully the agent will see my information that I have purchased my flight.  Kostas had printed up my confirmation number on a piece of paper.  I couldn't get wifi at the airport.  I looked around and saw that people were having the same problems with the kiosk.  I just don't understand why they won't put an "out of order" sign on it.  People were lining up to a lady sitting behind the glass office by the entrance.  All she kept telling people were to get in line and they will help you.  At one point she disappeared and people at the kiosk looked very confused on what to do next since they couldn't get that thing to work. 
Finally it was my turn.  The man behind the counter checked my confirmation number and looked over my passport.  He asked if I had a carry-on but I knew my bag would be too heavy so I checked it in and paid the 35 euro fee.  He told me we were all set and off I stepped to the side.  I was getting very anxious again, so I decided to take a melatonin, even though I knew it would be a 30 minute flight.  The thought of getting in a small airplane and flying over the sea was terrifying to me.  Out of no where I see the man behind the counter lugging my bag around and putting it on the counter to go through the x-ray machine.  He looked very frustrated. 
I got into another line to go through security and that took a while.  I wasn't feeling any better.  Once I got through, I had to go to the bathroom.  Luckily no one was in there because it only had two stalls.  This airport was tiny.  People had no where to sit. 
They announced our flight over the intercom and people got up and formed a line.  A bus took us to our plane.  I was praying that the information was correct that it would be a 30 minute flight.  We haven't even took off and I'm terrified.
They didn't turn on the air conditioner til the plane was fully packed.  It was getting unbearably hot in there.  I was having a hard time trying to calm down.  I popped another melatonin and prayed over and over again.  Finally we had our takeoff.  The lady next to me had her window shade up the whole time.  People had the gps screen on their video screen.  I started to relax once I saw the number of islands we were passing.   Sure enough, Athens was in the horizon and I knew I was going to land soon.  I felt so relieved!

Day 6 Santorini

A lemon tree outside of my hotel room...

We got home at 7am.  I have not been out that late in years.  We watched the sunrise while smacking on McDonalds.  It was a crazy night but I'm glad we all had a blast.  I was worried I was going to sleep the day away, but luckily I got up at 12pm.  I hate feeling like I'm missing out, especially since I'm on vacation.  I threw on my bikini and swim coverup and headed to Noma.  I definitely needed some coffee.  Kostas was not there, but some of the staff said he was at the restaurant at 10am.  Unbelievable!!  I felt so out of it.  I sat for a while and messaged my friend in Italy to tell her my new plans.  Originally I was suppose to take another ferry out to Mykonos later on the day.  I had planned on staying for one night on Santorini.  When I was doing my research, for my trip I read blogs about Santorini being more laid back than Mykonos.  After what I experienced last night, I've learned my idea of "laid back" was much more different than theirs!  lol.  First of all, Santorini IS a relaxing island with beach restaurants and boutiques all over.  Fira is the main center of Santorini, and officially their "downtown" so I could understand it being more congested than other parts of the island.  I was very much surprised by the nightlife I encountered, so I knew if Mykonos was the main attraction of Greece, I would much rather go there with a group of friends like the ones I hung out the night before.  The problem was, obviously, my new found friends are working all day at the restaurant, and I would be alone in Mykonos not knowing anyone.  I told my friend I would stay one more day in Santorini and head out tomorrow to Bari Italy, where she would be waiting for me.  I knew Santorini had an airport and Bari was one hour away from me.  I would get my ticket tomorrow, but for now, let me explore Santorini one more day.
After my coffee, (and lots of water), a staff member at Noma walked me over to an available umbrella waiting for me at the beach.  This is the life!  I ran into the couple from Athens at their umbrella spot and we caught up on the wild evening we had shared.  I like them a lot.  They were much more mellow than the others from the group, which was good because they balanced things out.  If there were too many crazies I can't imagine what trouble we would have gotten into!  lol



Dark sand between my toes.  This is the life!

I relaxed on the beach and then joined the couple in the sea to cool off from the hot sun.  I asked them a bunch of questions about Athens, and other vacation spots like Croatia.  Since they're locals, it was interesting to hear their input on the other destinations nearby.  One thing that I've noticed about vacationing in Europe, people love to spend HOURS on the beach.  Now that I am an older woman, I try not to stay out in the sun too long.  I made my way to Ntomatini restaurant to have some lunch.  Since we ate terribly early in the morning, I skipped out on breakfast, but the sun made me hungry.  Ntomatini specializes in traditional seafood so I opted for the grilled calamari.  I enjoyed my lunch and talked to the father and daughter while I was there.  I grew tired again and figured I'll squeeze in a nap in before I ventured out on the island.  I usually set my alarm for an hour so I don't end up sleeping too long.  It makes me more groggy whenever I over sleep.



Healthy lunch with a side of fries...

After my nap I got ready to hit the town.  My main objective was to head to the other side of the island to Oia for the infamous sunset.  I was determined to get over there.  Upon reading on my trip to Santorini I found out there was a bus that would take you to Oia.  I went to Noma to have more coffee and saw the daughter from Ntomatini hanging out with the crew.  Kostas was still no where to be found.  I asked her where to catch the bus and she told me to walk down the beach and I should see the bus stop.
Well here is where the adventure begins!!  What I have learned from my travels is that sometimes things that seem easy, well, aren't.  I walked and walked, probably close to 15 minutes to an area that was closed off on the beach.  I put two and two together since I remembered from my shuttle bus coming in that the road is blocked off from traffic.  I looked around and saw some people standing around.  Santorini has posts and signs only in Greek, so a lot of times you have to figure it out yourself.  I saw a bus on a sign and knew I was suppose to be there, but wasn't sure.  The tourists standing around weren't very inviting but I managed to ask someone if this was the bus stop.  He mumbled yes so I waited with the rest of them.  Luckily I had some euro coins, but I wasn't sure how much this was going to cost me exactly.  One thing to remember in Europe is to have some loose change handy since they do not use credit cards like we do in the States.
A small group grew upon waiting and then I saw a charter bus on the horizon.  He was heading our way.  Whew!
A big, very intimidating bus clerk stepped out and yelled that this bus was going to Fira and to Fira only.  "If you want to go to Oia (pronounced Eee-yah by the way), you need to transfer at Fira!!"  He was so scary!  You did not want to mess with this guy!
Off we went.  I sat by the window and looked out while the bus driver took off.  Again we were going through narrow roads which made me nervous.  More stops were coming up and more people climbed in.  A good looking couple came on.  The guy sat next to me and his girlfriend sat behind him.  I heard them speak English very softy to one another with an accent so I felt relieved.  If anything they were my safety zone!
The bus continued along and gathered more people.  I didn't understand where we were going.  There were times we were driving past open land.  I saw garbage, abandoned buildings.  I started to get very anxious.  Fira didn't seem that far to me the night before!  Me and my new friends were at Fira.  How come I don't remember us driving out that long?  The bus clerk bully came by and collected the fare and gave out his receipts.  My nerves couldn't take it anymore.  I turned to the good looking boyfriend and asked him if this bus was going to Fira.  He barely glanced at me and said, "Yes".  I couldn't help myself.  I was getting more frightened by the moment.  I whispered to him, "Why is it taking so long?"  He slightly shrugged his shoulders but never made eye contact with me.  I could see his crystal blue eyes gaze away towards the front of the bus.  He was so cold to be unbelievably beautiful.  I was hurt by our interaction, mostly because in my mind this couple was suppose to be my safety zone.  I felt so alone.
Next thing you know, the bus swerved into a lot and then the madness began.  People got up and started walking out.  Ok, we're at Fira, but how come I don't remember it being so unattractive? 
There was an agent at a booth at the bus station.  People were coming up to her asking questions about schedules.  I went up and asked her which bus was the one to Oia and she pointed it out for me.  I looked over and saw a small group of people waiting nearby.  Because of my anxiety I needed to use the bathroom.  I saw a restroom sign at the lot.  There was a lady outside collecting money.  I noticed in Rome that public restrooms have a fee to use, so I knew this was a common thing in Europe.  I paid my fee and entered a room where the sink was.  There was a stall but once I got inside I didn't see a toilet, but more of a hole in the ground, resembling a shower setup but without the filter.  I was confused.  I walked out and asked if this was the bathroom and the lady replied, "Yeah, they're all like that."  Yikes! 
Afterwards I made my way to the small group waiting for the Oia bus and soon we started to board.  Off he went and another bus clerk collected our money.  We drove for another 15 minutes.  I looked out the window for reassurance that we were heading to the right direction.  The tourists here do not speak to one another.  I found it to be such a sad situation considering we're all on vacation.
At one point the view in Oia overwhelmed us.  The sun was beginning to set as we were driving up the road.  Unfortunately, it was hard to take a good picture with the bus moving.  I felt a sign of relief knowing we were almost there. 
I looked around and noticed again we were driving to deserted areas.  I was in disbelief it would take us this long to get there.  I had been in route in total for almost an hour!  It was past 7:45pm when the driver pulled into a lot.  There were a ton of people waiting to board.  Again the scene looked a bit chaotic.  I followed people off the bus and didn't know where to go.  People were heading to different directions.  Since now it was dark I grew concerned about how I was going to head back home.  I didn't want to ride that bus at nighttime.  I followed two young men walking away from the lot.  I had a hunch they knew where they were going since they seemed determined.  They are probably going to a happening area.  Sure enough, they led me to the infamous Oia skyline!  It was so beautiful even at night!  Everyone was taking pictures all around them.  I think I found the one end of the "strip" so I followed that pathway.  It led to endless shops and boutiques, from high end retail to souvenir shops.  There were art galleries and restaurants.  Because we were at a high altitude, the wind was gusty again.  I took cover by going in and out of shops.  There were so many beautiful handcrafted things that I couldn't stop admiring.  My stomach was beginning to bother me from the anxiety.  I couldn't help but rub it from time to time.  I walked into a jewelry shop and was browsing around when the salesman behind the cash register spoke to me.  "Did you eat something that gave you an upset stomach?" he asked.  "No.  It's just nerves," I replied.  "Why don't you go and have a glass of wine?" he suggested.  I smiled.  He seemed friendly enough.  I went up to him and asked him what time was the last bus out of Oia.  He asked one of his associates and she told me around 10pm.  I frowned.  I explained that I had just gotten there and was worried about how to get back to Perissa Beach.  "Do you have cabs here?  I haven't seen any around at all since I've been here."  "Of course we have cabs.  If you need a cab, we will call one for you," he explained.  What a sign of relief!  "That makes me feel a lot better!"  I told him.  He reassured me whenever I'm ready to leave, I can walk into an establishment and ask them to order me a cab and it shouldn't take no more than 15 minutes until it arrives.  "We don't have many cabs in Santorini but it shouldn't take long to get to you." 
I wish my anxiety magically disappeared from that moment, but of course it did not.  But I did feel a lot better that I could wander through Oia and enjoy my time there much longer.  I didn't want to miss out on anything.  I purchased some more souvenirs and was slowly beginning to feel like myself again.  I walked into a boutique and was greeted by a handsome salesman.  His smile made me feel it was safe enough for me to walk up to him and ask him where I should go for a drink around Oia.  He suggested Mary Kay's Bar which was right across the boutique from him.  I joked that I wanted a more lively place but he told me it would get busier later in the evening.  I looked over but there wasn't so many people inside.  I told myself I would check it out.  I continued to browse other shops until I found another friendly salesman smile back to me.  This boutique had beautiful Greek rugs which ran around 300 euros, as well as colorful handmade jewelry.  The friendly salesman and I striked up a conversation.  He lives in Athens but works in Santorini during the tourist season.  He explained it usually runs from March until October.  I asked what he did after the season is over and he told me he would have some time off and be in Athens.  I was curious to know what happened to the merchandise in the shops once everyone is off.  Did they lock up everything and leave the island?  Or do they ship everything off the island?  He said they pack up all the merchandise and it goes back to Athens where it will sit until the tourist season begins.  During the off-season months the boats coming to and from the islands will not be available to travelers.  They will be used to transport the merchandise and no one will be able to book any ferry rides.  I found this new information fascinating!  Who knew!
My new salesman friend gave me a little token of potpourri to take back to Chicago.  He said it's meant for good luck.  I found him to be one of the warmest people I've met in Santorini.  I will never forget his generosity.

Oia

Again with the sex cards...

Beautiful church!

Tourists shopping away!

Galleries galore

Donkey love

A flower shop

At this time it was 11pm and I felt it was a good time to head over to Mary Kay's bar.  The handsome gentleman from before was right.  Now the place was getting packed and the dj was playing Motown music to get the crowd going.  I found a seat by the dj and ordered a glass of white wine.  As usual, the waiter brought over my glass along with a side serving of nuts.  This to me is a lifesaver when traveling in Italy and  in Greece because it helps you curb your appetite.  The crowd was letting loose and people finally started dancing around.  I love being around this type of energy so I enjoyed watching everyone have fun.  I knew my new friends back at the restaurant were working until 1am so I figured I could hangout here until then.  I was having such a good time I decided to have another glass of wine.  People watching could be very entertaining.  There were a group of British tourists who were tearing up the dance floor.

Mary Kay's Bar

Gotta love the cigarette ads!

It was now nearing 12:30am.  I figured it was time for me to make my way over to Perissa Beach.  Now to find a cab (or a shop what will have someone call me one).  I walked back to my original path of where I began on the strip.  By now a lot of businesses were closed.  People were strolling around but I did not hear any English speakers.  I was getting nervous again.  I saw a restaurant that was closing up and I peaked inside to see if anyone would be able to help me.  Two staff members were in the kitchen and they looked preoccupied.  I walked back up to the beginning of the strip when I noticed a cab drove up.  I ran up and waved my arms like crazy before he continued to zoom away but he put on the brakes.  I was so relieved!  I ran up to him and then noticed a couple sitting in the back seat.  "Oh I'm sorry!  I didn't know you had someone.  Do you know where I can grab a cab?"  I see the pair of eyes staring back at me from the couple.  "Where are you going?" the driver asked.  "Perissa Beach?"  It took him a moment before he replied to get in.
I sat in front and said hi to the couple at the back.  The woman point blank asked me in English, "Why are you alone?"  Her tone made me worried because I did not want to give away that I was indeed alone, at least not to this cab driver.  I told them that I was waiting for my friends to get off from work and decided to kill some time in Oia.  She had an accent but her male friend was definitely American.  At one point she kept talking to the cab driver on where to go and told him she works "here" and not to try anything (which made me worried).  "Where do you work?" the cab driver asked suspiciously.  She replied that she worked at the hotel from where he picked her up from.  "What do you do?" he continued.  I could tell he was trying to figure her out.  "I work the concierge but I know Santorini; I know Greek!" she proclaimed.  He said something to her in Greek to test her and she quickly added, "Yes I understand.  I know what you said.  I understand Greek."  The driver still wasn't satisfied.  I grew very nervous because I did not know what I walked in on.  He asked her "What are you?  Where are you from??" and she answered that she was Italian (although she never revealed from what city).  The driver stayed silent and the couple continued their conversation.  It seemed to me that they had just met and that the male had been drinking.  She was fine and very firm with her answers.  They were going to Tango and that's when I told them that I had been there the night before.  Although I wanted to invite myself to their party, the woman never really paid much attention to me and they seemed more preoccupied with each other.  Once they got to Fira they quickly jumped out and the male companion paid the driver 20 euros and off they went.  I was worried about how much cash I had on me but prayed that it was enough for my ride.  He continued to drive until he stopped at a mart and asked me if it was ok for him to get some cigarettes.  I told him that's fine and he went inside.  I was SUPER nervous now that I was alone with him so I took pictures of whatever I could find at the front of the cab.  Everything was in Greek so I didn't know what I was looking at.  He came back into the car and off we went.  I decided to strike up a conversation with the driver so I wouldn't anxious.  I felt I was putting myself in a very vulnerable position being out this late by myself.  The cab driver looked pretty scruffy too, but he continue along.  I told him I was having a hard time looking for cabs and he said there are only 39 cabs in all of Santorini.  No wonder I didn't see them very often!  That explains a lot.  I already knew that the roads looked pretty deserted but now that it was nighttime it looked more scary to me.  There wasn't much lighting out on the road.  I held my guard and continued saying random things to the driver.  We finally reached the blocked off area at the beach where the shuttle bus had dropped me off the night before.  I was so happy to get out of that situation!  I ended up giving the driver 38 euros and explained to him that was all I had.  He took it and said fine, although I'm aware he was going to pocket the money regardless.  I ran down the strip and everything was pretty much closed.  It was 1:15am.  So much for that.  I went back to my hotel room.

Good bye Oia!  It was all worth it to see this at night!

Let's Play in the Park!

I've been getting my things ready for my big trip.  I opted not to get a haircut because apparently the weather right now in Athens is in the high 90s!  Yikes!  I probably will be wearing my hair up to be practical.  We didn't get that high up in the temperatures in Chicago, but last week was just as hot.  On Thursday I ended up meeting my friends in Millenium Park for a concert.  We were dripping in sweat while we heard the sounds of African rock.  We even decided to checkout Cindy's rooftop for a cocktail and it was still very humid up there as well!

Packed crowd at Millenium Park!

Last weekend I basically caught up on all of my laundry and chores around the apartment.  I went through my closet and pulled out some pieces for my trip.  I didn't want to get bombarded this weekend with those details.  My friend in Italy has given me a short list of things to get her when I meet her.  She loves her MAC products but in Italy it costs 3x as much.  Who knew?
I was invited to a birthday party in the evening and met up with my friends at Roka Akor.  They had been out on the boat all day but I opted not to go.  I knew I wouldn't get things done if I had joined them.  I also skipped out on dinner because I need to stay on my budget for my trip.  I knew they were planning on going out afterwards and figured I'll celebrate with the birthday boy there. 
We had a big group and things started to get a little hectic when we couldn't decide on what to do.  I ended up back at Cindy's rooftop with a group, only to find out the other half of the group stayed behind on Hubbard street.  One thing about me is, I'm pretty flexible when it comes down to partying with friends.  Some people are not.  Trust me, crazy things can go wrong but that's to be expect when there's alcohol involved.  lol.  I felt some tension because of the mix up, but the important thing was for us to start celebrating to get passed the frustration.  After all, we were out for the birthday boy!

I caught up with my friends at Roka Akor...

We came back to Hubbard and ended up in Hub51.  It was very crowded, but we made the most of it there.  Afterwards, we decided to walk down the street to see what else was happening.  That's when we stumbled upon Disco upstairs from Celeste.  I loved it!!  It has a very 70s Saturday Night Fever vibe to it, and the music was amazing!  We couldn't stop dancing! 
We closed out downstairs at Celeste and that was our evening.  I hope the birthday boy had fun because I sure did!

Me and the birthday boy at Disco! 

Checkout the names of those cocktails!

I'm glad I wore my gold sequined purse for Disco! 

As far as this past week goes, I've caught up with all of my work and feel good about it.  I saw my mom on Tuesday and went over the details on my trip with her.  I also met up with a friend on Wednesday and did the same drill.  I don't want anyone to worry about my whereabouts.
Today I've been messaging my friends in Italy and in Greece.  I'm getting very nervous again, but as long as I have everything ready this weekend, I should be fine.  I can't let my anxiety get the best of me!  I want to see the world and there's no way to do that but to get on a plane!  Until then, wish me luck and I'll be back in September!  ciao ciao...