The waiting game then began. It wasn't very nice outside and I was running low on Euros... I suppose I could add that my foot was throbbing and had swollen up so bad that it didn't fit in my shoe... (What the hell?!)
I really didn't care about touring Amsterdam... I know: it's a sin just writing that line down. I will make it up to this city next time I come over. I promise.
So instead of going outside, I stayed indoors, grabbed a caramel macchiato and breakfast... and bought a Starbucks mug from their World series: a nice orange Netherlands edition mug --- CHYEAH!
A couple hours later:
I made my way to the passport control gate, but didn't get in line yet --- I still had a number of hours to go before I could even board onto my final plane. I bunkered down for a bit: read, day-dreamed (a little too much) and stared at the in-coming people arriving from all over the world. When I did go through passport control, the guy at the booth looked at me and stamped my passport.
Wait, what?? That's it? I almost got detained coming into this area in the first place, back in France when I was having a shit-fit. You people really want to get rid of me, eh? Christo Hesus! 'No sweat' is an understatement here, man oh man.
On the other hand, you had this el loca lady at the next booth and that guard was grilling her (yeahh... that brought back a couple of memories). Maybe the guard at my booth had gotten word that I was a P.I.T.A. and didn't want to deal with me... Or maybe, he loved me automatically, because I'm a Canadian... Who doesn't love Canada?! HAHA!
After that, I found my gate for AMS - MTL and the waiting game continued... I really must have psychic connections with Starbucks, because I found another one as easily as I had passed passport control. HOT DAMN. Well, I suppose another caramel macchiato is in order then... Nai? NAI!!! Aha: BUENO!!!!
One parallel I can definitely draw between my travels back to Canada is with my travels from Pylos to Piraeus. Yes my homeslices, I pulled another all-nighter in beloved Greece.
Yes, I could've slept at the airport if I'd gotten there early.
Yes, I could've caught some shut eye in Pylos like most of the people did...
But, I would'nt have traded my last night in Greece with Melina and Karim, or my last night in Pylos, for the world.
And yes, I am turning into a caffeine-zombie. It's so worth it, sometimes... TEEHEE!
FYI: 3rd caramel macchiato. UH OH!!!
Monday, July 25, 2011
How Much is A Canadian Butterfly?!
The fun really began once I met with Melina around 5.30PM.
The hotel shuttle gave me a ride to the metro station where I had a lot of fun dragging my bricks behind me... Aye Dios Mio. I just kept thinking, 'you're chilling with Melina, you're chilling with Melina, you're chilling with Melina.' It was so damn hot and I was getting really impatient --- UGH. Pain in my ASS.
I finally transferred from one metro line to the other and reached our meeting point. I was a little early, but who cares: Melina arrived in no time -- WOOHOO! PAME! Let's go, let's go, let's GO!!
We drove to Karim's house, which was close by, and put my bricks to rest for a few hours. It turns out that Karim had made dinner for us... Wow! (And to think that I was going to bum around the airport that night until 5 AM the next day for my flight... No way, JOSE!
Here I was, hanging out with my Greek friends and having a good time chilling out and talking --- most of our conversations ended up being shot to hell when nothing made any sense anymore --- we were all caught into laughing fits...! Karim had made the best Greek salad with rizi and psari... Oh Thee Mu, OREA!
It was so good --- great last Greek dinner; nai, nai!
After dinner, we were sure of going out for a drink:
"I am drink. Julie, you are drink?"
"Nai, nai! I am drink!"
We went to a calm little cafe where we had thia potiri aspro krasi (the spelling's off most likely...) Karim left for a bit and brought back a souvlaki... mmm. Efkharisto!
We had so many laughs all through the night... Oh man. At one point, Karim was miming a butterfly with his hands. But, he was really trying to mime an airplane... And trying to ask me how much was my plane ticket; that way he could buy me another one...for next MONTH.
Except, I understood this:
'How much is a Canadian Butterfly?'
Oh. My. God. Melina and I entered another laughing fit.
The next thing you know, 1.30AM rolled by and it was time for me to start heading towards the airport. Melina was so welcoming this week, showing me around the city, introducing me to her friends, going on roadtrips with me... Her friend Karim was just the same, from the get-go.
Karim is a fashion designer and he gave me such a beautiful gift. I couldn't believe my eyes when he told me that he was giving me the dress I tried on. The dress was a sample dress... Meaning that no one else has this design yet... Woah.
When I was packing my dress, Karim kept putting more stuff into my luggage. Stamata! I have a weight restriction and I'm barely making it already, please! Bless his heart, he has the biggest heart with strangers that I have ever seen.
I said my goodbyes to my friends, hopped on the bus and dozed off until I got to the airport...Where my SUITCASE crushed my foot. It timbered down on its side as I was trying to lift if up/down from the bus.
HOLY MOTHER OF SKATA.
My foot ballooned right there and then to blue and purple and goddamn, it freaking hurt --- it still does. My poor foot: a few days ago, in Delphi, a branch stabbed my little toe, and then I knocked the third toe, just by walking in the street --- I think I broke this one again.. F*!K.
I wasn't happy to be here in this damn airport either. I have nothing but sucky memories here:
- Arriving in Athens in the first place: I just wanted to go back to Canada the minute I had landed.
- Coming back from Pylos and saying goodbye to my numero Unos and my person.
- And now, actually LEAVING Greece.
Checking in was easy-peezy and security? A breeze. After all, it was 4AM and the airport was full of zombie-looking tourist.
The first leg to Amsterdam went as follows: I was on the Athenian tarmack one minute, and then I finally saw rain for the first time in two months, in Dutch territory. Ok then, I'm officially not in Greece anymore.
The hotel shuttle gave me a ride to the metro station where I had a lot of fun dragging my bricks behind me... Aye Dios Mio. I just kept thinking, 'you're chilling with Melina, you're chilling with Melina, you're chilling with Melina.' It was so damn hot and I was getting really impatient --- UGH. Pain in my ASS.
I finally transferred from one metro line to the other and reached our meeting point. I was a little early, but who cares: Melina arrived in no time -- WOOHOO! PAME! Let's go, let's go, let's GO!!
We drove to Karim's house, which was close by, and put my bricks to rest for a few hours. It turns out that Karim had made dinner for us... Wow! (And to think that I was going to bum around the airport that night until 5 AM the next day for my flight... No way, JOSE!
Here I was, hanging out with my Greek friends and having a good time chilling out and talking --- most of our conversations ended up being shot to hell when nothing made any sense anymore --- we were all caught into laughing fits...! Karim had made the best Greek salad with rizi and psari... Oh Thee Mu, OREA!
It was so good --- great last Greek dinner; nai, nai!
After dinner, we were sure of going out for a drink:
"I am drink. Julie, you are drink?"
"Nai, nai! I am drink!"
We went to a calm little cafe where we had thia potiri aspro krasi (the spelling's off most likely...) Karim left for a bit and brought back a souvlaki... mmm. Efkharisto!
We had so many laughs all through the night... Oh man. At one point, Karim was miming a butterfly with his hands. But, he was really trying to mime an airplane... And trying to ask me how much was my plane ticket; that way he could buy me another one...for next MONTH.
Except, I understood this:
'How much is a Canadian Butterfly?'
Oh. My. God. Melina and I entered another laughing fit.
The next thing you know, 1.30AM rolled by and it was time for me to start heading towards the airport. Melina was so welcoming this week, showing me around the city, introducing me to her friends, going on roadtrips with me... Her friend Karim was just the same, from the get-go.
Karim is a fashion designer and he gave me such a beautiful gift. I couldn't believe my eyes when he told me that he was giving me the dress I tried on. The dress was a sample dress... Meaning that no one else has this design yet... Woah.
When I was packing my dress, Karim kept putting more stuff into my luggage. Stamata! I have a weight restriction and I'm barely making it already, please! Bless his heart, he has the biggest heart with strangers that I have ever seen.
I said my goodbyes to my friends, hopped on the bus and dozed off until I got to the airport...Where my SUITCASE crushed my foot. It timbered down on its side as I was trying to lift if up/down from the bus.
HOLY MOTHER OF SKATA.
My foot ballooned right there and then to blue and purple and goddamn, it freaking hurt --- it still does. My poor foot: a few days ago, in Delphi, a branch stabbed my little toe, and then I knocked the third toe, just by walking in the street --- I think I broke this one again.. F*!K.
I wasn't happy to be here in this damn airport either. I have nothing but sucky memories here:
- Arriving in Athens in the first place: I just wanted to go back to Canada the minute I had landed.
- Coming back from Pylos and saying goodbye to my numero Unos and my person.
- And now, actually LEAVING Greece.
Checking in was easy-peezy and security? A breeze. After all, it was 4AM and the airport was full of zombie-looking tourist.
The first leg to Amsterdam went as follows: I was on the Athenian tarmack one minute, and then I finally saw rain for the first time in two months, in Dutch territory. Ok then, I'm officially not in Greece anymore.
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