Greek Adventure, Part 5: Get Ya Stunna Shades On

I finally broke down and bought a pair of "stunna shades." For all of you behind the times, stunna shades are basically women's sunglasses. They're all the rage here. Watch out ladies. With my stunnas, sudden burst of freckles and tan, you're defenseless. I dare you to see me when I get home.

Where were we... So the other day the family and I took this super-fast ferry, which would basically run circles around Washington ferries, to an island called Santorini. Although it sounds like a martini, it is infact an island. The island had tiny towns on top of huge cliffs and many homes are built into the cliffs. It's quite romantic.

We rented a van (not so romantic) on the island and Dad managed to get around non-stop hairpin turns and crazy drivers. It was a little stressful. We stopped at a great little town called Thira. The shopping there was noteworthy. Many women I know could have hurt themselves there (Read: Moos and Courtney with Scott's credit card). We also went to a beach with black sand and caves before calling it a day.

On the ferry coming back, I sat next to an Aussie named Yanni. Don't picture the musician. Picture a bodybuilder dude with Joe Dirt's style. We talked about the following:

• Women: He met a hot Aussie chick on Santorini and he was angry he couldn't stay. I pointed out the irony of having to travel half way around the world to find someone from he liked from his hometown of Melbourne.
• Our jobs: He's a personal trainer. I'm a writing trainer, sort of.
• Music: He and everyone else in world listens to dance/techno music. It's terrible. I told him so.
• The war in Iraq: He felt bad for us.
• The World Cup: He was in Germany during the tournament and said it was rad.
• Currency: We're both getting screwed by this Euro exchange.
• I did not tell him he looks like Joe Dirt.

On the way off the ferry I met another Aussie (didn't catch her name) who has traveled to 16 countries in 18 months. I want to be her when I grow up.

Last night, we went downtown to see some nightlife and Holy Shit on a Stick I have never seen so many bars so busy on a Tuesday night. I'd be lucky to see that many people out in Belltown on a Friday night. I took some video that I'll post when I get back home. In the meantime, you'll have to settle with the picture. There I am, enjoying a coffee and amaretto at an old schoolhouse that's converted into a bar. What a concept.

Greek Adventure, Part 4: It's a Celebration, Beaches!

It's day five and I'm in the vacation zone. I love the mornings here because we eat this incredible yogurt and fresh fruit and drink espresso. I learned how to make espresso on the stove and I think I can give Katrine a run for her money now.

We've gone to a couple beaches called Alexander (very original name) and Herissonisos (a cool reef area). Today we're going to a beach called Akti, which is also a very popular night spot. I am without an international driver's license or a wingman here (Where's Scott or Matt when I need them?), so my night outings are limited.

Yesterday we went to the market downtown. It's called Loiki and it's run by gypsies. It was kind of like a gigantic farmer's market. The food is incredibly cheap.

Sergio and I have taken hundreds of pictures already but, due to technical difficulties, you all are going to have to wait to see them, or should plan on seeing me soon. I'm off to the beach. Happy belated birthday Ally and Keeley!

Greek Adventure, Part 3: It's Getting Hot in Here, So Take Off All Your Clothes

Hello from Crete everyone!

It's absolutely beautiful here. We went to the city the day before yesterday, and there's so much to do. Amazing cafes/clubs are on every corner, and food and drink is cheap -- even with the crappy Euro exchange.

Yesterday we went to the beach and we swam in the ocean all day. Hooray for topless beaches. I am suntan lotion impaired and, true to form, I have some weird burns on my arms.

I still don't know a lick of Greek language, but that's OK because everyone speaks English. All the shows on TV are in English with Greek subtitles, so the Greeks are used to the language. I took a sweet video of the place where we're staying, but we're on dial-up here and it'll take days to upload it. So, you're going to have to wait. We're off to the beach again. I hope everyone's well back at home.

Greek Adventure, Part 2: We made it through the night, barely.

We were the only ones in the terminal. We slept uncomfortably, as you can see.

Dad and I went on an exploration and noticed little to no security in many areas of the airport. I can confidently say that this airport shows no "heightened security" since 9/11. We were able to get back through security at the the international wing without showing ID or boarding passes. You can run around this place the same way you would Haggen at 1 a.m.

If we're here, where else can hell be?

In an unexplainable stroke of genius, Nina managed to do what four Delta agents didn't -- She found a faster route to get us to Athens. So, we're heading to D.C. soon and connecting through Atlanta to get out of the country. We're saving six hours going this route -- and all Nina did was go to Delta.com to make it happen.

Next time I check in, I should be in Greece, finally.

Greek Adventure, Part 1: Off to a Bad Start

I should be on a plane to Athens right now, but instead I am sitting in an empty terminal at JFK Int'l Airport in New York.

Our Delta flight to New York actually arrived early. We were stoked because we had a quick turnaround to catch the connecting plane to Athens. However, after we landed, our gate wasn't ready for us, and we were stalled for nearly an hour. We had 15 minutes to run to the opposite side of the airport to catch our connecting flight. Our annoyed Delta flight attendents, restless from trying to calm several other passengers missing their respective connecting flights, assured us that we would catch the plane. (Side note: Wesley was coincidentally on our flight.)

We finally got off the plane and Sergio and I hauled ass to the gate. I mean, we were sprinting for nearly half a mile from one side of the airport to the other. We weaved in and out of families, jumped over luggage, spun through lines -- It was like a skateboarding video, minus the skateboards.

Well ahead of Dad, Mom and Nina, we got to the gate and were greeted by a rude lady at the gate's service counter who said, "You can't get on this flight. Your luggage will never make it. You need to go to the ticket counter to get tickets for a different flight." Well, that's just fucking great.

Sergio and I walked back, huffing and puffing. We relayed the bad news. Dad and Mom tried talking to the bitch at the gate. We could see the plane still connected to the terminal. The bitch wouldn't budge.

After some navigation difficulties at the unfamiliar airport, we found the international ticketing terminal. Delta agents insisted the delay wasn't the company's fault, which is true. Our Delta flight arrived early. The FAA had the problem moving traffic on the runway, and that caused our flight to end up delayed. So, because this wasn't technically the airline's fault all we got is a flight tomorrow at 6 p.m. EST to Berlin and a connecting flight to Athens. The problem now is that we're using a seperate European budget airline to get from Athens to Crete. Because we're missing that flight tomorrow, those tickets are lost and we have to buy a whole new set of tickets from that airline -- thus doubling our costs with that airline.

Fuck. We're losing a whole day, and this trip is becoming more expensive. So, we're making the most out of our makeshift home for the next 24 hours at Terminal B, Gate 11 while Delta continues to pass the blame.

We've got what we carried on, so basically I have a couple of books an iPod and my cameras. Dad has his laptop so I paid for 24 hours of Internet for $10. What kind of airport doesn't have free wireless Internet these days? Bellingham Int'l Airport does, JFK Int'l Airport in New York doesn't, go figure. We have no cell phone because Sergio was the only one who brought one but accidentally drowned it on the plane when his Snapple bottle leaked in his backpack. We're tired. We have no toilettries and no change of clothes. This is going to be a long night.