I'm trying to get to Greece...

It’s finally here! I’m leaving today for Greece. I have diligently packed and unpacked and packed again. I got my luggage down to 7.8 kg and my personal bag down to 6.5 kg. Still not good enough but I’ll use this trip as a bench mark for what I think I wear and what I actually wear. I have only brought 2 pairs of shoes; one sandals and wearing one closed toe. (Laura would gasp at the neglect of foot wear.) I think there might be a shoe store in Greece somewhere.

I have taken the limo service to the airport. I love this since I don’t have to worry about parking, driving or sitting in the parking lot called the 403. I checked in and went to the TSA line. They only had two lanes open so there was a bit of a line. You scan your ticket and then start to unload you stuff into the bins. I had to take out my tablet and the body of my C-PAP machine. (Never had to do that before.) I have made it through with 3 bins. As I’m packing up my stuff one of the airport security staff asks if I am missing my purse. Yes, yes I am. Haven’t even started my trip and I’m messing up! I will have to calm down and get my s*&t together.

I had to wait in a line to get into the Air Canada lounge. It took about 15 minutes. This is included in my Business Class booking. They have complimentary beverages of all kinds, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. I grab 2 bottles of water and a glass of white wine. The seats are comfy and there is at least a little bit of air flow. You can see the planes taking off and the atmosphere is basically pretty nice. They also have free Wi-Fi. On the table beside is a QR Code that you can scan and they will bring you a snack or two while you wait for your flight. I have another couple of hours before take off, so I’m just going to enjoy the lounge for now.

Well, that didn’t go as planned. Our flight has been delayed for over an hour now. Apparently the issue was with the incoming flight being delayed due to customs at Toronto. We didn’t actually get in the air until 22:42 (10:42 PM). Estimated time of arrival in Munich is 12:00. It is a 7 hour flight to Munich. I have a connecting flight from Munich to Rhodes that takes off at 13:40, don’t know what is going to happen on the other end just yet.

So, let’s talk about Business Class. Firstly, you get to board right after the people who need assistance and families with children under 5 years of age. When you get to your seat it is nice and wide (Yes, my butt fits with room to spare!) You have a real pillow and blanket awaiting and plenty of leg room. I could be a basketball player and still not feel cramped. While waiting for everyone else to board, you have a choice of orange juice or sparkling wine. (Yes, I took both, it’s thirsty work waiting for a delayed flight!!). We are now in the air and I’m pursuing the menu for tonight. I think I’ll go for the Pan-Seared Sea Bass, what do you think. (Yes, I’ll take pictures.) You get a 3 course meal, here in Business Class with complimentary alcohol. I’m going to try and get some sleep because I have been up since 6:30 this morning.

Dinner was delicious. The sea bass was an excellent choice. It came with mixed veg’s, cherry tomatoes and olives. Plus I had an appetizer of goat cheese with mixed grilled veggie’s. I tried to lay down and fall asleep but to no avail. I did rest for a few hours and was quite comfy with my pillow and blanket. Good thing because keep reading for a doosey of a story.
They wake you up gently by raising the lights very slowly. Nice touch. Breakfast was equally good; museli with apples and raisins, cut up fruit, orange juice and coffee. We land in Munich with no trouble and are told to head to the Lufthansa Service desk to see about our connecting flights. We were then directed to another Service Desk where we got to wait 3 hours to get to a Representative. They probably should have had more than two people on the desk to hand the 50 people. My connecting flight is tomorrow morning at 05:20. Yes, 5:20 AM! I have to walk to the bus station to take a bus to my hotel for the night and then take a bus at 3:53 AM to get back to the airport for my flight. Are we having fun yet????
All I want is a shower and a nice nap, I’m getting cranky.

The hotel room is your basic room but nice and serviceable. I found a vending machine with some food. This is the part of travel where you have to chill and repeat the mantra: “I still on an adventure, just not the one I originally planned” I’ll get to Greece eventually.

A side note here, my AirBnB host has been really nice about all this. He said he’ll meet me tomorrow morning.

Night, Night all.Read more