Contiki Day 2: Spotlight on Greece 1

Contiki  Day 2. Arrival in Athens, Monday September 5th, 2011.

So I made it. Landed safely, waited in an extremely long line for customs (Got my first stamps, nobody asked me no questions lol) then waited for my suitcase. Then it hit me. I was in freaking Athens. I had booked a shuttle service online from the airport, and they sent me an email saying they would wait for me at the arrivals, with my name on a sign. I'm a silly girl, so I was very excited about that. I looked everywhere in the crowd, walking around for like 15 min and didn't see my weird name anywhere. After worrying a lot, I found the counter where that shuttle said they operated from. Turned out it was a different company, but the lady was able to call the driver for me. He was very late and I would have to wait 45 min for him. I sat down with a bottle of water and waited, people-watching.

By the time finally he showed up, I was hungry and feeling sick. I guessed it was the excitement, the hung-over and the non-sleeping, but especially the heat and the jet lag. The shuttle was very cheap, there was barely any A/C and it was 34 degrees  and he made me wait for a big family with screaming kids for another 20 min at least. But I didn't care, I could see mountains. I was in Greece. I teared up.

It was a long shuttle ride, close to an hour, and I was starting to feel really sick. I went through my water real fast. I got dropped off 2 blocks from the hotel, as the street was very narrow and the driver said he couldn't go there. I think normally it would not have mattered but at that time I thought I was going to die. I was going to be sick right there. I took big calming breaths and soldiered up. Walked down the street to the hotel. A display of fish at a mini market 2 buildings from the hotel so did not help, but I made it. It was about 930 am, I was afraid the room would not be available yet, even if i sent an email requesting an early check-in. As I feared, the lobby is filled with people and their suitcases, sitting on the floor and waiting. The guy at reception said the rooms were not ready. I almost cried when I heard that, and decided I would have to ask him for the nearest restroom anyways, when he asked for my name. He said I was very lucky, that it turned out my roommate actually checked-in last night so I was one of the lucky ones who could go right up. Thank the Goddess. He also gave me a message. Weird. I made my way to the mini elevator, seriously after me and my suitcase it was full. I don't see how 3 people could have fitted in there.

I got to my room, my roommate was on the patio outside, having a smoke and speaking on her cell phone. I forgot all about being shy and nervous and whatnot, I had only one intend, introducing myself and then making a dash for the bathroom. Turned out my roommate was Bec, a nice Australian girl I had spoken to online before. And she was with me for the entire trip, for the 7 days cruise too! I survived a few minutes of polite chit-chat and then I started sweating like crazy and just lost it. How embarrassing! I locked myself in the bathroom and I was SO sick. I honestly thought I was going to die. I had my shots before the trip so I wasn't sure what happened. Poor Bec! How nightmarish for her. I was sick for hours that day. I decided to sleep, with a wet wash cloth over my face. The problem was that our single beds were pushed together and that it was morning so Bec had things to do and errands to run and whatnot. She was coming in and out of the room and I was dozing on and off in between trips to the bathroom. I must have apologized to her about a million times for being such a horrible roomie, good thing she was very understanding.

Technically, we didn't have to meet with the group and Tour manager until 6pm. But, we had set up a meeting between ourselves around noon, since a lot of us had flown in early that day. We wanted to maybe walk around the city and do some stuff, and get to know each other. I had pretty much set that up, and I was the one with the list of everybody's arrival times and whatnot. And I had received a message from Julie, another online friend, who got delayed and wouldn't be in until later on that night. So, I showered, changed and went downstairs. I met for a few people who were there early, Kelly, Tina, Laura/Tony and Mike. But I didn't last long. I couldn't stay, so I apologized (again!) and went down the street to buy more water (so effing cheap) and 7up and crawled back to bed. I was still very sick. I cried a bit, not impressed at all so far.

I took a very long nap and woke up again around 430pm. I was feeling a bit better. I knew it must have had something to do with the jet lag as the time back home was now like 10am. It was a very unpleasant experience. I showered again, in this weird, no curtain just a half piece of glass/window thingy shower. I went back out, needed more water and for a calling card, as I promised my mom I would call her. Saw more people from my group on the way, bought my stuff, spoke to my mom (bought the wrong kind of calling card, had to call collect) I'm literally 2-blocks from the Hotel and I'm sure I know my way back as I have only made a few turns. Yeah, I got lost. As in completely and absolutely lost. I'm very stubborn and I've had a bad day as it is so I refuse to admit defeat and keep walking around for 30 min, trying to find my way. When I finally give up (I'm going to be late for the meeting if I don't get my butt back to the Hotel) and I grab a cab. Nice driver, doesn't speak much English and... doesn't know where my hotel is. I don't have the address with me, I went out empty handed except for a bit of money. We drove around for about 15 min, he tried really hard to ask me questions so we could figure out where it was (Apparently, the street name I gave him is in every neighborhood.) He finally got me there, I can't thank him enough and he never started the meter. I try to give him money but he refused. Nothing I said or tried to give him could change his mind. He said he was just helping. That was my first Greek freebie, I didn't know yet, but I was going to get so much free stuff on this trip.

6pm, Official Contiki meeting. (My friend Julie left me another message, she got even more delayed and wouldn't get in until very late at night.) We met our Tour Manager for the first 4 days, the Spotlight on Greece tour, and her name was Paola, very lovely Spanish girl. There is 49 of us, 26 will do the 3 days cruise and 12 on the 7 days (the rest were in between other travels) Looks like an awesome group. The meeting is a bit boring, as we need to fill out paperwork (Why did I check-in online with the same information then?) blah blah blah. Then, we had an optional dinner for 35 euros and almost everyone is joining. (I absolutely recommend to go on this dinner, it is one of the best we had all trip!!!!) It's about 10 min away, so I did try to meet as many people as possible. I was still tired, but amazingly feeling great considering I was sick all day. I did my best not to sit down right away with the people I've been walking with. I sat down at the last table, along with Helenka, Jessica/Justin, Larissa and Shawna. It was such a good dinner, delicious food, awesome atmosphere and incredible show. We were siting right in front of the entertainment, the musicians and the dancers. It was insane. I had such a great time. And the food, oh my. Lots of appetizers (Fried Zucchinis) and then a nice plate of souvlakis with lots of wine and desert. I was surprised I could eat and drink and we had a wonderful time.

After the meal, I left with Shawna and Larissa, 2 lovely young girls from Australia (Larissa was to become my seat and sometime picture buddy on the trip) It was almost 10 pm, and we bumped into Mike, Greg and Rick on their way out of the Hotel, going out for drinks. It sounded like a good idea and I wasn't tired, so Shawna and I went with them. (Greg and Rick were from Australia as well and very very hot.) It was a lot of fun, I really liked Greek beer, but we only had 2, as we had a super early wake-up call at 545, and it was almost midnight. On the way back, I found out I didn't speak "Hottie Australian" as I was walking with Greg and somehow I wasn't able to understand him at all. And by the way, there's only so many times you can make someone repeat and then just nod and smile before you look like a total idiot. I would have to be careful around these guys lol Got back to the room, Bec was asleep but she left a light on for me, I thought that was very thoughtful. I fell asleep right away, with my wet cloth, just in case.

Contiki: Spotlight on Greece + 7 days Med cruise, September 2011

Here we go. My (very late) blog about my fantastic Contiki trip last year. Technically it was a 2 parter, the Spotlight on Greece, followed by the 7 days cruise. More on that later.

Contiki Day 1. From Toronto to Athens, September 4th 2011.

Sunday Morning. I went to bed very late and I got up early, I wanted to make sure I would be able to sleep on my overnight International flight. I booked this trip back in December 2010, so I had a long time preparing/waiting for this. I was a nervous wreck that morning, feeling nauseated and stressed out. I almost didn't want to go anymore. Almost. It was just nerves though. It was just hard to realize that after almost a year of planning, it was time to go. I had my shuttle pick me up at home promptly at 10 am and drive me to the airport. With the time difference, I was to be landing in Athens around 7am (midnight for me.) I wanted to spend the day in the city, so I absolutely had to sleep on the plane. I figured, with all the included booze with my Option Plus ticket, it would be more than easy, as I can doze off in an hour long plane trip. Boy was I wrong! Next time, I will either stay up all night before, or bring sleeping pills or something.

I was at the airport a bit too early, but there was  a long line so it was ok. By the time I made it to the counter to get rid of my giant suitcase and check-in, I was allowed to check-in for my flight. 5 min earlier, it was too early still. (Another note to myself, next time, you can leave 30 min later.) In no time, I found myself on the other side of security, with my backpack and my carry-on, in a part of the airport I was unfamiliar with. And a very long wait ahead of me. I was disapointed that I didn't found any friends online leaving from Toronto, it would have been cool to have someone from Contiki on the same flight. Oh well, I'd have plenty of new friends by tomorrow anyways.

I walked around a bit, but finally caved in and sat down at the bar near the gate. That was probably my 2nd mistake. day-drinking very rarely ends up well, unless you eat a lot and do exercise. I figured I'd be fine, reading my book and nervously looking at my watch every 5 seconds.

Finally it was time to board, thanks to my priority tickets. I was disappointed in the plane, you know I was expecting a big comfy, luxury bus but no, we got the cheap-ass regular one. Pretty much the same one I take all the time for my Toronto-Quebec flights. There was only a few TV screens here and there and the closest to my seat made me crane my neck. Not a good start.

I was sitting on the window side, as I had chosen previously. I settled in, still excited. Not too long after we took off, I received my comfort package (earphones, socks, earplugs, blindfold and a blanket) and then my mini bottle of champagne. Drinking it was probably my 3rd mistake lol I tried watching a movie on my dvd player, which for some reason has decided it won't play for more than 30 min if it's plugged in. It's fine, I can read and listen to music. I also tried to watch the movie playing, it was Thor, I had to give it a try. I had a beer during snack time and pringles, seriously they wouldn't stop offering me booze lol I had another mini bottle of wine with dinner (which was some kind of rice with gray chicken) I barely touched the food as I didn't want to be sick. I ate some rice and some salad and the desert.

Sleeping didn't really work, I guess I was too nervous. I'd doze off and then wake up in a jump. The lady sitting next to me wasn't too impressed. And I hated to disturb her and her husband whenever I needed to use the bathroom. Downside of a window seat.

After an exhausting night though, it got better as I started seeing land. We had breakfast with tea, which was really good and made me feel better. All the alcohol throughout the day probably didn't help my night and the jet lag. (I always have at least 1 drink before I fly, but I'll never have that much again in the air.) But seeing the pink sky and the  sun rising over the mountains made me forget it all. It was amazingly beautiful and I couldn't help but take pictures.

My talent in procrastination.

I procrastinate, a lot. *I love that word, it sounds so deep. Lol thanks to Gabs for teaching me that word some 10 years ago....* So, yes, I procrastinate. I haven't updated this place since October 2011. Oh, I have reasons, some of them even good. Here's a list: I have been really busy at work, I work too much and too hard, I have been trying out online-dating again, I started writing Fanfiction again and making new friends through the site, I'm always planning my next adventure... etc etc etc. See? Reasons, I have.

But honestly, really honestly, the real reasons are not as entertaining. Everything I listed above is true. But to be honest, the main reason I stopped writing here was that I a) Didn't want to vent and whine too much, and having a blog is an easy trap. and b) the self-pity excuse that no one cares anyways, so why should I? Blah. That makes me angry because I do not want to be that person. The same could be said for my stories as well, but who am I writing for? Myself or just others? Yes, it's flattering to know people read your thoughts and stories, but I mainly do it for me.

So, I am dusting this place up. I won't promise to update often, as I have no idea if I really will. But I will do what I promised a year ago, and blog about my trip to Greece in 2011. Not just because it changed my life nor because I am leaving for Europe again at the end of the summer, but because it matters. For people like me, who is constantly browsing blogs about travels, especially Contiki. I like to read about other people's views and experiences. It helps me in my decision-making and expectations. So what if my little corner here can help? Then I'll do it.

And it's also a place to keep it all down, day by day, so to remember all the little details. So, before I tell you about what's my life's like these days, before I go on and on and on about my next trip and the next one, I will talk about last year's.

Coming soon!

Guess who's baaaaaaaack????

Hey, I'm back. Been back since September 20th actually. Seriously, I meant to stop here and say something, but then I kept telling myself <Just finish writing your journal, so you can make your travelblog>  I'm almost done.

It's been busy since I came back, I was done enough to not book an extra day vacation between my evening return to the country and the next morning back to work. Yep, less than 12 hours back and I was at work. That was brutal. It took me several days to go over the jetlag, it really hit me. Then I had to finish unpacking and putting the house back in order, all of it while working. Then I started working on my pictures and souvenirs. I made a scrapbook and almost completed all my photo albums on facebook. It's a lot of work, and I've made the mistake to start playing Dragon Age 2, so I'm completely addicted and my life is passing me by while I play. I'll rectify that.

I shall be able to start posting my trip review soon, finishing up a couple details, and I'll even put a couple pictures.

Until then!

So say we all!

Riiiight. My resolutions of updating this place more didn't really work out now did it? To be honest, I have been starting posts pretty much every week, but never got to finish them or got delayed so much that I lost my train of thoughts. (But to be fair, no one is anxiously waiting to to read what I have to say hehe)

Work has been somewhat busy. There is always something to do, or rather, there is always something that I am working on. Even very quiet days turn into busy days for me, especially while making lists or making sure I thought of everything for my trip. Planning a trip is exhausting and you'd think I wouldn't have that much to do since I've been buying stuff and making lists since January. Well, I do. But right now it's mainly last minute stuff that I still have to take care of. I even packed my suitcase, twice this weekend. I know I'll empty it and re-verify it once, at least, before departure, but still, I think I'm ready.

Ok, I have been babbling about this trip since December, I can't wait and I'm ready, but it's a whole other story to realize there is less than a week to go. I'm leaving Sunday Morning... I've lost the excitement and the jumping around factor, I switched to panic mode. I think about it being so close and my heart starts pounding, my breathing accelerates and I sometimes gets dizzy, not to mention sick to my stomach. I'm not sure why. I assume it's good anxiety, as I'm not scared and this is a lifetime dream, but still, part of me whishes I could get back to the happy state I was in a couple weeks ago.

It'll be ok, I got it all figured out. I got my transport shuttle picking me up at home Sunday (I caved, it's vacation, let's spend money, I didn't work all that OT all summer just for kicks), then I'll be super early to the airport, check-in, security, then chilling (Having a beer or 5, I'll pretend I'm on Greece time already) then it's a direct flight. No hassle or worries there, 1 plane, 2 meals, lots of booze, I got all my "comfort kit", I'm getting one on the plane, it's a big-ass plane, and I have my Kindle/Ipod/Dvd player to keep me busy. And I have to sleep (that's where the booze will be helpful) since it's technically an overnight flight if you count the time change. Luckily, I have never been afraid to fly. I'm certainly not a big fan of turbulence (I remember a bad Florida flight) or flying overnight, (It's kinda creepy and the lights on the plane confuse me that there's a storm outside) but overall I'm fine. I'm more scared of crossing a street with no pedestrian sign than flying. (I know I got issues, sue me :P)

I have organized a meeting with the people from my trip I've ben in touch with online, so we all get to meet before the official meeting that evening. We'll be spending most of the day together, walking around, having a drink, letting the feeling that "we're finally here, we're in Greece" feeling truly sink in. So I don't even have to worry about walking in a room full of strangers by myself, I'll have new friends with me. But, as I've mentioned before, when in unknown territory and by myself, this new confident Milou comes out and leaves the shy Marilou at home. I'll probably be going around the room introducing myself and making new friends before long. I have this image of me walking around right beside our guide/Tour Manager everyday, asking questions and trying to help and keeping people in line. So very me. But it won't happen, I'll probably be asking questions and participating all the time, can't repress my personnality that much, but I want to feel on vacation, so I'm there to have fun, make new friends and take it all in. Greece, it's hard to believe....

I should also mention I know for a fact I will be crying during this trip. And I don't mean a drunken cry, no drama and no homesickeness either lol. I mean, when I truly realize I made it, probably when I get off the plane or the airport (probably when I see my name on a sign at the airport) or after I've checked in the hotel and set foot outside on my own and take a good look around me. Maybe even still while flying, before landing and looking down to see this very ancient, yet still new to me landscape, the one I've been studying and dreaming of for as long as I can remember. I have to see it all, do it all and bring back with me as many memories and pictures and souvenirs as possible. This trip has to last me a lifetime. And I'm sure it will.

Alright, back to doing research (and work), I'll try to come and vent more about my stress later on this week.

So say we all!

25 is here!!!

Yes, indeed, 25 days to go until my trip. I know most of my friends and family are just DYING for me to go and come back so that I can finally stop talking about it. I know I'm annoying, but I'm just SO excited.

And to top it off, yesterday I received my package with all my trip info. All the vouchers for the hotels, plane tickets, everything in a nice little document holder thingy, that will be very useful. Gotta admit, I screamed when I got it. They actually dropped it in my mailbox, Rick found it when he went for a smoke and luckily, I was working from home yesterday. He waited for me to be between calls and just casually put it on my desk!  I jumped up (ouch! my back) and screeched. I was so anxious to open it, it took almost an hour until I had time to start going through all the stuff. Stupid busy mondays at work haha.

Like I've said before, I think I'm ready. All the stuff I wanted/needed has all been taking care of. I even ordered 2 extra batteries and memory cards for my camcorder off of Ebay, just in case I should need more. I need several to sustain my camcorder/camera and also the party camera at night. If I'm only going to go to Greece once in my life, hell I want to remember it all. I'll try not to spend the whole trip looking through my camera, but with the camcorder, it'll be easy to do both :)

My life has pretty muchc been revolving around my trip lately. Shopping and organizing, going on a new diet to lose the couple pounds I wanted to (6 so far, 2 to go), that's pretty much my routine, plus the talking to new friends onlien that will share my experiences on my trip. Of course there is still the regular stuff as well, cleaning/cooking and all, a couple movies here and there, an I am having a Battlestar Galactica marathon, when I have time, I'm at Season 3 now. God I love that show!

Speaking of movies!!! The Glee movie comes out this Friday!!! Wooooohooooooooo! I'm so excited! I'll go watch it next Friday, as I took a vacation day for my bday (can't stand to work on that day, people can be so annoying in the office, pranks and balloons and stuff, no thanks!) so it's the perfect bday gift for me!

I'll have 2 egg chicken please!!!

You're probably wondering, what the.... Haha! That's another proof of how dub I am sometimes, or how tired I have been this week.  I was at Timmies, and I was waiting to order some egg salad wraps, and on the menu it says Wraps: Egg/chicken salad.... So, yeah, when I was up there, I proudly announced that I wanted Egg Chickens.... Fun times!!

Alright, today is THE day. It's a month before my trip... I'll be at the airport at this exact time in 30 days....

It's weird, because I am getting nervous already. I so want to make sure I am ready and have everything I need. I'm getting lots of Euros (as soon as I have enough money I go change it, rolling my change and all) I have a brand-new credit card, I have new clothes, getting contacts and sunglasses, got my shots (still got the bruises to prove it) my hotel and transport is paid for, bought bags and bags of useless and usefull travel stuff from the Dollar store, ordered more on Ebay, airfare was paid for with my trip.... Like I even photocopied my passport and left a copy with my boss, with Rick and a couple to keep with me... I prepare, a lot and in advance lol. It helps me not to go crazy counting down the days, it keeps me busy.

I have been trying to update here all week. I had tons of things to talk about. So, of course, now I can't remember any of it. It has been super busy at work, vacation time so it's reduced staff and we are swamped with calls, French staff is down too, most days it's just me and someone else, as opposed to our usual 4, so it's hard. But I'd rather be busy than have nothing to do, so I'm not really complaining. I'm just tired. I've been working a bit too much overtime in the past couple weeks, but once again, it's all for the trip, making sure I can spend as much as I want to.... :)

Alright, back to work, I'll try to update again before next week.