After a long flight, and a ten hour layover in JFK (oh my gosh that was mind-numbing) I finally made it to Athens. Retrieved my luggage, got through customs (they actually stamped my passport this time, yay!) and found the metro. Rode the metro and got off at the right stop, ALL BY MYSELF. I feel like a big girl.
Bragging rights end there, though, because once I emerged from the metro station I got turned around - and walked blocks and blocks and blocks in the wrong direction, dragging my suitcase, until I saw signs indicating I had almost reached the Acropolis. I realized I was going the opposite way of where I needed to be, turned around, walked ALL that way back to the metro, and figured out what had happened - the metro station was on the opposite side of the street from where I had expected. See, I had thought that I would be clever and Google-street-view the route from the metro to my hotel so I'd know what it looked like. But the one most important bit - which direction to go from the metro station - had been determined by what side of the street I thought the metro station was on. Ahhh!
Anyway, it was a long and sweaty walk, dragging my suitcase across town, but I made it to the hotel finally. I like this one more than the one we stayed at last time. It's much quieter and there is NO SMELL OF SMOKE - the one last time was reeking of it. I have my own private little balcony (though it's kind of covered in rain puddles right now) and carpet on the floors (the other hotel had only hard floors) and a bathtub (the other hotel had only a tiny shower.) I plan to take a bubble bath one of these nights... Now I will find out in an hour or so if their breakfast is as good, since breakfast was the best part about the last place we stayed. There are also more outlets here to charge all my stuff. Like the last hotel, you have to use your key card to turn on the electricity, so there's only power while you're actually in the room - that means I can only charge my stuff while I'm in here, so usually only while I'm sleeping. Don't like that much, but one thing that's different is that you also have to use your key card to get the elevator to work. I do like that - it's a little extra security, and it's nice for a girl who's traveling by herself. The one drawback is that the beds are too firm for my taste, but I guess you can't have everything. :P
Once I got here, I had to go through the process of connecting my little laptop to the Wifi and downloading iTunes. Thankfully, the WiFi connection is fantastic. But my iPad had died - as in, would not turn on and was just flashing the Apple logo at me - while I was in the Denver airport. So I had to download iTunes on my computer, connect it to my iPad, and update the iOS. Luckily that was all it needed. I didn't even have to do a restore - once I updated it, it went back to working like it's supposed to. Then I learned that my computer will not play nice with the USB hard drive Kaitlin let me take, that has a ton of movies on it. That was really disappointing, since I'm not planning on leaving the hotel much while I'm here and all the channels on TV are either in Greek or the BBC news... but, I then found out, through the magic of Google, how to access Netflix from here and so now I am quite a content girl.
Anyway, took care of my computer issues, had lunch/dinner around 3 in the downstairs restaurant, came back up to the room and took a nice long shower, and went to sleep about 7 or so. Woke up this morning bright and early at 5:30, skyped with Kaitlin for a little while, and went down to breakfast. Now I'm sitting in bed, waiting for it to warm up a little outside so I can decide if I want to go downtown or not. Also waiting for an email from the Greek clinic... I still don't know when they want me there. SIGH.
So far so good. I am so nervous that this isn't going to work. Trying so hard not to think like that, but all of this is a little overwhelming... Just have to take it one waiting-period at a time, I guess.
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