Neil and I flew from Samos to Santorini via Athens. Ed, Gayle, Jon, and Karen were on our flight from Samos, so we were able to share taxis to the airport at 5:45 AM. We said our good-byes to each other at the Athen’s airport. Neil and I were on our own for the rest of our trip.

Day 16

We awoke at 4:30AM since we had an early flight to Athens, where we stayed at the Hotel Electra Palace. We chose it because it had a rooftop pool and was near the Plaka. We saw the changing of the guard in front of the Parliament. We rode the brand new subway and visited the Acropolis, which was packed with sticker wearing cruise ship day trippers by 10:30. We should have heeded Rick’s advice and got there early before the crowds. It was really hot already, but we found a few shady spots to escape the heat. Rod, Toy and Speck were supposed to arrive in Athens that evening and we had made arrangements to meet them at their hotel lobby for dinner. Their flight was delayed and along with the traffic, it wasn’t to be. But, we did receive a nice Athen’s postcard in the mail from them instead. Neil and I ate dinner at the Taverna Kritikou, we had Greek salad, stuffed grape leaves, and chicken souvlaki. There was live music and Greek dancers and a view of the Acropolis.

Day 17

We took a taxi for the 55 minute ride to the Athen’s airport. It was going to be another hot day in Athens - about 99 degrees. We saw a lot of building going on to prepare for the 2004 summer Olympics. We boarded our flight and were back in the US too soon.