Friday June 23, 2006 – “You Go to Athens”

The decision to go to Greece for our anniversary weekend was a difficult one… would it be too similar to Cyprus or did we owe it to ourselves to truly experience (although quickly) Greece? I managed to keep the anniversary getaway a surprise: packing the suitcase, booking the flights and hotel, arranging transportation to the airport… Koolis (the firm’s regular taxi driver) will always be a fond Cyprus memory for us – he is so dependable, always the first face we see patiently waiting as soon as the door opens from baggage claim. I had explained to him over the phone and when I snuck the bag down to the taxi that the trip to Greece was a surprise. Although I had not exactly planned out how I was going to tell “C”, it didn’t really matter because the first thing Koolis says when “C” sits down is, “So C---- you go to Athens.” We both laughed.

Upon arrival in Athens late Friday evening, we were picked up for the uneventful forty five minute drive into central Athens. After exchanging niceties and learning we were living in Cyprus, the driver stated that the Greek accent in Cyprus was “very barbaric.” Throughout the next few days, we noticed the subtle differences between the accents – Greek Greek sounded closer to Italian, less harsh and loud than Cypriot Greek, and generally much more appealing. We settled into our hotel and got some much needed shut eye for our full Saturday in Athens.