Written by Chris Titus

I spent four nights in Glyfada before deciding to move into the center of Athens. Glyfada is an expat community that is 50% Greek and 50% American - there’s a Dunkin’Donuts there - need I say more! It reminds me of a cross between Rodeo Drive and Kifisia (north of Athens).

Where do Greeks go for coffee? Glyfada! One street down the center of town is lined with 7-8 outdoor cafes on each side. Each cafe has it’s own unique style - lighting, couches, lounge chairs, and heating lamps. On any night of the week, you will find these venues packed with people from 18 - 45 yrs old. I prefer Oscars or Chocolat.

Brits have tea time at 4PM. Greeks have coffee time at 8PM. This provides the necessary energy you’ll need to stay out until 5AM, when you will find more people on the streets than at 5PM. While Greeks love their coffee, I noticed that almost nobody actually finished their coffee. By 9PM, almost all of the glasses are still half full and they are heading out the door. That is some serious will-power considering how good it tastes.

My first few days in Glyfada were spent speaking with real estate agents (20+) who repeatedly told me to give up looking.”Nobody will rent an apartment for 3 months. They only want to rent for the long term. One - Three Years!” And, most of these agents had nothing in inventory to show for long term. Eventually, I found a few who were willing to take up my cause and search for me. One creative fellow was trying to get me into homes for sale. According to him, “passing papers will take three months here.” And, this would be perfect as I am planning to stay for only three months. Staying in Glyfada was getting expensive. Four nights at the hotel cost roughly 1/2 of a month’s rent in the city center. I decided to move in with relatives for a few nights while I looked in Athens.

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Written by Chris Titus

After rounding out my third week in Greece, I finally have a minute to breathe and write a few words about my travels.

I arrived to Logan International Airport the standard three hours ahead of my international flight departure time only to learn it had been delayed six hours. Luckily, my parents were with me to help pass some of the time over breakfast. I spent the remaining seven hours calling friends and reading. Hopefully, this wasn’t a sign of things to come.

I arrived at JFK with only minutes to spare before boarding would begin on my connecting flight to Athens. Unable to rush the security process and feeling helpless, my heart was racing. Once I finished putting on my shoes, belt, and bags again, I sprinted for the gate carrying 55 lbs of carry-ons. Upon arrival, I was informed the Athens flight had been delayed.

Taking the only remaining seat in the gate area - far in the back with its back to the desk - I hadn’t noticed that people sitting around me were slowly disappearing one by one. Eventually, I realized I was one of the only people left at the gate. There hadn’t been any announcements, at least nothing in English. I turned around and noticed the seating area was completely empty, except for a few flight attendants. My heart began racing again. I grabbed my belongings and quickly headed to the desk to ask if the boarding had been called. The ‘yes’ response was full of obnoxious overtones, followed by the subtle after-taste of “you idiot!” - Welcome to Greece! American-style friendly customer service was checked with the luggage.

The flight was rather uneventful. Occassionally, they came down the aisles to throw food at us. It took them two hours to come collect the trays. And, beverage service was more like shower service for the two people who had drinks dropped on them. The one thing Olympic did right was show Casino Royale as the in-flight movie. However, I used this time to do some of my pre-course work for my CELTA class. I’ve come to Athens to be trained as a language teacher - teaching English to adults.

Upon arriving in Greece, I was greeted by beautiful 60 degree weather, quite a nice change from Boston’s 37 degrees. I hopped on the X96 bus to Glyfada (pronounced Glyfatha), a seaside resort-town south of Athens. Things were looking up - beautiful weather, beautiful women, on vacation - what could go wrong? “@#$%#!” I had left my coursework on the plane. Then, it occurred to me that the ticket counter guy stiffed me 10 Euros while buying the bus ticket. “Okay, I’m ‘on vacation’, just forget about it,” I told myself.

When getting off the bus in Glyfada, I had no idea where to go. I decided to ask a guy working in a kiosk (periptero in Greek).

Glyfada reminds me of California, but in Greece. And, it comes fully equipped with Dunkin Donuts and TGIF, Americana in a cup. After a half hour of walking, I realized the kiosk guy’s directions were worthless. It also seemed that my luggage had gained 20 kilos. Upon further inspection, I noticed that my brand new suitcase, purchased for this trip, was damaged. With only one of the wheels rotating and the sides punctured, I decided to hire a taxi to take me to the Sea Side Hotel.

The hotel was in a nice section, with sparsely decorated rooms. As is common with most hotel rooms in Europe, my non-smoking room smelled of smoke - it had infiltrated the sheets and pillows. While airing out the room, I discovered that the balcony was the best feature to the room. I spent the first night searching for a wifi connection, getting food, and then crashing for the evening.

I was exhausted from twenty-four hours of travel, which should have only been fourteen.

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