Grecian Thoughts
(emails from abroad and back)
Note: At 7:30 pm (or 1:30 am the next
day Florence time), March 3, 2005, just hours before her flight was
scheduled to depart for Athens where she was going on spring
break with five amigas, Mavourneen called us in a state of
agitation (we were in the middle of dinner, of course) to report that
"something was wrong" with her ticket. Grudgingly putting
down my fork, and taking one final look back at my still-steaming plate of
pot roast, I left the kitchen and took my place at the computer. What
I very quickly ascertained was that something, indeed, was
wrong! Very
wrong. The UM student travel agency that we use -- STA -- had failed to
process the order I had placed three weeks earlier. She HAD no ticket.
After the usual rigamarole and 45 minutes or so on hold with Alitalia
Airlines and STA's emergency number, I finally got the mess straightened out;
in the meantime, Mavourneen was walking the villa walls and wondering if she
was even going to Greece. All I can say is...chalk another one up for
Murphy.
Subject: CALL MY PHONE AGAIN!
Date: March 3, 2005 8:01 EST
From: mdmarion@umich.edu
dad:
why aren't you trying to call me again!? my phone wouldn't pick up your call
and
i expected you to call right back but you haven't yet!! you DO know that i
can't
call you, so i'm just waiting up for you to call again... it's 2 am, and if i'm
still supposed to go to greece, i have to get up at 7! PLEASE CALL
my phone
ASAP so i can find out what's going on!
Subject: I give up!
Date: March 3, 2005 8:11 EST
From: mdmarion@umich.edu
i guess i'm
not going to greece anymore or something. please tell me what is
going on!
Subject: re: I give up!
<o:p>Date:
March 3, 2005 8:41 EST
From: womcreative@aol.com
>>i guess i'm not going to greece
anymore or something. please tell me what is
going on!<<
Yes you are!! Everything is AOK!! New reservation # is
HYUAAY! We’ll call you as well!!! Bon Voyage!!!
Love,
Dad and Mom
Subject: STA
Date: March 4, 2005 4:21 PM EST
From: womcreative@aol.com
Hi Honey,
DAMN, what a tail chaser! </o:p>As it turns out, STA did
screw up...the girl I was dealing with turned it over to another girl to
finalize the transaction, and she neglected to do so...duh. We will be
getting a refund or credit for $170, the difference between the original
cost and what we ended up paying at the last minute...We'll know more Monday
when the manager returns.
So...all's well that ends well.
Hope you arrived safely...please let us know when
you receive this, so we can stop wringing our hands, pacing, and fretting.
Have lots of fun but go easy on the baklava and
ouzo!
Check this out if you're having trouble figuring
out what to order at the restaurants: http://www.greecefoods.com/foodpics.html
Love,
Dad & Mom
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Subj: |
Re: STA |
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Date: |
3/5/2005 12:30:02 PM
Eastern Standard Time |
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Sent from the Internet
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hi mom and dad!
i got to greece safely-- i'm emailing you from my hostel, called athens
backpackers. it's really nice, cheap and run by australians. we can see 
the acropolis from our balcony-- it's an awesome
view. last night we went out to dinner at a little hole in the wall restaurant.
it turns out there was some kid's birthday party going on there but it was
still open, so there were like 50 people (young and old) dancing to the live
greek music, singing, and eating a ton. it felt like we were in the middle of
"my big fat greek wedding" or something. one of the tables sent over
a bottle of wine to our table, and some of the kids came to take pictures with
us. then the band played "let it be"
just for us and the singer sang to us. then they went back to their greek
music... anyway it was cool. today it was raining, so we did the national
archeological museum, which was interesting. then we went shopping of course!
then we went for a run around the acropolis, took a nap, and now we're headed
out to dinner at a restaurant where we share a bunch of different appetizers as
our meal. :) so far so good! thanks so much for getting me the plane ticket and
going through all that crap with STA travel! i'm so glad they're gonna pay the
extra-- i'd feel really bad if you had to pay for it. anyway, i need to go get
ready for dinner-- i'll try to check my email again in a couple days.
love,
mavourneen
3/5/05
Hi Signorina,
Wow! What a start to
your trip! That night in the restaurant must have been an absolute
ball. It's precisely unexpected experiences like those that make
travel so enticing, so reviving and, for those who've gotten a good enough
taste of it, so necessary.
All the museums and monuments in the world can never equal such special interactions
with the natives!
What you
described reminded me of the wedding that your mother and I
stumbled upon 28 years or so ago in Salinas Cruz, a pueblito way off the tourist
trail in the very southwestern tip of Mexico. We were invited
into the lives of the villagers (and honored by them as well when we told
them we were also newlyweds -- though we hadn't yet married). It turned into an
afternoon of eating, drinking, and being merry with complete strangers
who soon became our amigos in what was no more than a dusty, searingly
hot little backwater town.
The whole thing was
completely spontaneous (like your "Big Fat Greek Wedding") and among
the most memorable of all of our travel exeriences, as yours no doubt will be.
And to think STA almost
screwed things up completely!
Hope you take lots of
photos...including that view of the Acropolis you have from your
hostel...Looking forward to seeing them on WebShots.
All is quiet here in
A2. It's supposed to warm up for a couple of days, then slip back into a
deep freeze for the rest of the week. Still, your mother heard the robins
chirping, so spring is looming.
Have lots more fun...be
safe.
Love,
Dad
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Subj: |
Re: Big Fat Greek
Wedding |
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Date: |
3/7/2005 1:33:13 PM
Eastern Standard Time |
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hi--
that sounds like a cool experience-- i think you guys have told me about it
before! i'll make this quick: yesterday we visited the acropolis and saw the
parthenon, etc-- it was so awesome!! the weather was absolutely perfect and
everything worked out well. today four of us took a boat to the island hydra,
where we hiked up a huge mountain to an ancient monestary. then we had lunch on
the water and took a ferry back. tomorrow, we're going to the island of
santorini, which is the one with all the white buildings and blue rooftops.
it's a nine hour ferry ride, unfortunately! we'll be there for 3 days, then
we're coming back to athens. amira wants me to get her these shoes at some
random store in athens, but i don't know if i'll be able to make it to get
them! anyway, i gotta go so they don't charge me more for using the internet!!
i'll try to check my email soon.
love,
mav
3/8/05
Hola,
Mavourneen!
Yes,
I'm afraid we (especially your mother) have rehashed that story a few
times in our more than half-century of existence. It's either a sign of
encroaching senility, or it was such a monumentally good time that despite the
wonderful array of trips we've taken since, Salinas Cruz remains among the
most vivid and enjoyable. No doubt it's a combination of the two.
So
glad you've got some good weather as your make your way around
We've
been experiencing a heat wave here in A2. It's 46 (though
gray) right now, and yesterday it may have hit 50! We're not
breaking out the sunscreen just yet...it's going to be 14 overnight with a high
of 24 tomorrow. The rest of the week looks much the same. Bleak and
bleaker.
Don't
you just love getting such news when you're abroad? In any case, your
departure from these here parts could not have been more timely, as this winter
has been a monster that refuses to go away.
Don't
worry about accommodating Amira's foot fetish. If it turns out that the store
is just down the block, that's one thing, but you don't have enough time to
hunt and peck to around town to satisfy every sisterly whim. She'll
get over it. (You can take her to all the good shops in Florence to make
up for it.)
Time
to sign off...
We
love hearing from you...keep those cards and letters (AKA emails) coming!
Love,
Dad