Griechischer Wein... Cassandra goes to Greece .... DUS-ATH

.... inebriated I may be.  But I'm focused. LOL. 

Don't believe a word I'm typing: I AM SLOSHED !

But sober enough to fly, I believe ......  Let's have a look at that display board again.  OK careful now, we don't want to run anyone over ....

My gate is listed now.  Security is a breeze, even though they want to sweep my laptop again.....

Smoking lounges abound at Dusseldorf Airport.  One at Gate B57, one at Gate B26.  NICE and stress-free. 

Every Camel tells a story, LOL

One hour until take-off.  The plane is not yet there though ....  PLEASE don't let it be late, that would severely mess up things on the other end.....  WiFi access becomes unusable back around Gate B20 .  Dusseldorf is proud to be Germany's 3rd busiest airport, but they still don't get it right ....

The plane is late (I text my host in Athens just in case), I sleep through the first hour of the flight, there is free dinner in plane (yucky chicken).

All of a sudden I see the ocean and a sprawling city glow in the evening light as we land.  I'm in GREECE !

My first glimpse of Greece from the ground at the airport

Walk to Metro, 10 Euros for a Metro ticket, then wait for departure.

I'm dead tired but I'm afraid to fall asleep in the Metro.  The internet is FULL with stories about pick-pockets on this Metro.  And there is a young GORGEOUS kid sitting right across from me, the type you see play the pick-pocket play in all those movies.  OMG, I'm becoming an old fearful man, LOL.  At least I got a seat on the Metro, unlike in those German trains.

I'm hungry, THIRSTY, and tired.  And it's a 40 minute Metro ride.  The fact that it's getting dark outside does not help...

I'm getting out at Monastiraki station, take the Athinia exit as directed, and there at the top of the escalator (a working escalator,LOL) is a young guy in jeans and a grey T-shirt who looks as if he's expecting someone. Konstantinos. 


The Penthouse is literally only 2 minutes walk from the Metro station and he shows me a wine store around the corner before we go up.  It's 21:45 and EVERYTHING is OPEN, LOL. Memories of Saigon !

The Penthouse is something else.  I'm glad I booked it.  Not really set up for two parties to sleep separately, as I had expected, but Thi Lan & I will just have to manage ....  I'm taking the couch for tonight.

But first I will sit on that terrace and enjoy the view and the wine ;-)

When I wake up at 2:00 for some more wine & a cigarette, there are still waiters working in the restaurant across the street.  This city is NUTS, I'm starting to like it already ;-)