Our Very Stressful 2nd day in Athens – Our First Full Day in Greece

We are staying in a hotel near the downtown area in Athens. Our hotel staff informed us that the bus stops were just a two minutes walk across the street.

After exploring our hotel neighborhood on foot for an hour, we bought a 2 day Hop on Hop off bus tour pass in order to see and learn about the history of this great city.

We did the hop on /off bus tour in Lisbon, Portugal two years ago and enjoyed it, so we did it again this time in Greece.

Each passenger on the bus tour was given a pair of earpieces. We could plug it into the bus' sound system and listened to the explantions about the different points of interest as the bus was passing by them. We sat in the red line tour bus for the entire ride to get an overview of the city of Athens.

There were about 15 bus stops on the red line. After going through the bus tour once, we decided to get off at the foot of the ACROPOLIS to visit this world famous UNESCO site!

There seemed to be a lot of visitors heading up to the Acropolis. We thought we would go there a little later in the afternoon when it would be less crowded as a lot of curise passengers would have gone back to their cruise ships by then.

We took a walk in the Acropolis area and saw many restaurants, cafes, souvenir, handicrafts and gifts stores lining both sides of the street. It was lively and filled with visitors.

We stopped at a store selling lots of Greek souvenirs. I was looking at the gifts while a woman dressed in a long skirt and a scarf in her late 50’s approached me trying to sell me a big white tablecloth.

It was a nice handmade one but I didn’t want to buy anything and declined politely. This lady kept following me for a little while but I said no. Then she disappeared into the crowd and we continued to turn into some alleyways leading up to the hill.

We also stopped at a couple of jewelry stores browsing over the beautiful necklaces and rings made by local artisans. The weather was pleasant and the climb up to the hill was gentle.

We continued our walk and passed by a children’s park and came to an area looking like a village with some traditional Greek houses.

Some houses were a little modern while some looked like the houses we saw in children’s book. This scenery was enchanting!

I was captivated and I lost myself in the beautiful sight of this delightful and rustic neighborhood.

These houses looked so cute! Who would expect these little rustic houses in the middle of a big city!

 

 

  I couldn't stop taking pictures of these adorable houses and I was enjoying myself so much!

 

 

Then all of a sudden, as if being awoken from a trance, I suddenly felt something was wrong. I turned around and looked at my backpack; I was horrified! Both the outside and the inner pocket zippers of my backpack were opened!

The inner zippered pocket was where I kept my wallet containing both of our passports, credit cards and all our cash. My wallet was stolen which meant all our valuables were stolen too!

  We were beside ourselves, O NO! This was only our second day in Greece. How were we going to survive without anything?

  RT, at the Bottom of Acropolis, Athens, Greece

  042026

Athens - Exploring our Hotel Neighbourhood on Foot

This was our second day in Athens and we had a nice rest the night before. Breakfast was OK at our first hotel in Athens. We sat in the dining room and looked out of the windows and were able to see the streets and neighborhood much better than last night.

Located in the downtown area, our hotel is an excellent location and close to a lot of famous historic buildings and sites.

  After a satisfying breakfast we were ready to explore this world famous city!

  Known as the birthplace of democracy, the marathon and the Olympic Games, Athens was the first city to be crowned European Capital of Culture and is Europe’s oldest capital city.

The population of Greece is around 10.4 millions (2026) and the greater Athens area is home to 3.15 million people!

 However, the country has experienced a serious brain drain for the past decade with many young people emmigrating to other countries.

We have read and heard that Athens has something to offer to everyone, from fascinating history to outdoor adventure, good food, live music and a buzzing nightlife. We are ready for adventure in this classical yet modern metropolis.

We have planned to explore Athens on foot on our first full day of our holiday in Athens and learned more about this great city!

RT, Athens, Greece

  042026, Thursday

Our 1st Night in Athens, Greece

The flight from Philadaphia to Athens, Greece was smooth, uneventful and we thanked God that we landed safely in Athens. But the lineup at Passport Control at the Athens Airport was very long!

This lineup reminded me of the long queue we had to endure at Disney World. It went around and around and seemed endless. We waited for almost an hour before getting through the customs.

But the airport seemed to have the automatic passpport checking machines all set up but they were just sitting there not being used. Perhaps, there were problems with these machines. What a pity!

At the Athens Airport, we were able to buy a SIM card and had some of our money changed to the local currency, therefore we were able to order an Uber ride taking us to our hotel. Since it was in the evening, we couldn’t see much in the dark.

After being dropped us off at the hotel and finished checking in, we went out to the neighborhood looking for a restaurant for dinner. Not wanting to be far from everything, we booked a downtown hotel. However, located away from the main street, the area where we were in was not well lit with only a few street lamps. We saw bold graffiti everywhere on many of the store front steel doors.

Our first impression of Athens was somewhat doubtful. ' Are we in a bad area of Athens? Did we make a wrong decision to be here?' we asked ourselves.

  We did find a small nice neighbourhood restaurant where we enjoyed some genuine local Greek food!

 After our very first delicious Greek dinner, we strolled around the area to check out the neighborhood. Though the local market was closed. there were still quite a few shops open after 8 p.m. We bought some nuts, herbal teas etc. and look forward to start our Greek holiday the next day. RT, Athens, Greece Day 1

Art at the Airport and a Friendly Exchange at the Philadelphia Airport, USA

It was a small commuter plane going from Toronto To Philadelphia, USA, and the plane was less than 1/2 full. The plane ride was uneventful and it took about an hour.

 

With a 7 hour stopover at the Philadelphia International Airport before our connecting flight to Greece, we had plenty of time to kill.

We didn't mind the stop over at all as we could relax, enjoy a lunch, coffee, and do our computer work.This was our first time travelling through the Philly airport.

Strolling around the airport, we discovered Art at the Airport.

We admired large art projects done by local artists adorning the walls, and at Gate 22, a waiting lounge all spruced up by other artists' big paintings plus a playing area for those young at heart.

  Arts have the effect of making a place beautiful and welcoming as well as elevating our mood.

I felt happy when I saw these arts projects. Well done, Philly, love the artwork at your airport!

 

What made our 7 hour stopover at the Philly Airport more pleasant was my encounter with a lady named Angel working at one of the takeout food counters at the food court. Always willing to try different food wherever we travel,

I ordered a Pretzel bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. Polite and cheerful, Angel made small talks with me while serving me. That made me feel welcome and relieved. We were travelling at the time while the TSA workers have not been paid for almost a month due to the US government shutdown and we dragged the thought of going through a U.S. airport.

We were a little concerned that TSA and other airport staff might be fed up, overworked and frustrated which could lead to being short tempered, lost of patience and be rude to passengers.

  We totally understand that TSA employees have been working without pay and have been overwhelemd with taking extra shifts due to some colleagues quitting or calling in sick. Therefore, this nice lady's kind words and good customer service helped lessened my anxiety of flying in U.S. cities.

  I liked my pretzel sandwich but I knew it could taste better. I went back to the counter and asked Angel what sauce could I put on my pretzel sandwich. She patiently explained to me the different sauces available. It was quite a choice. I asked for the honey mustard and wanted to pay for it. Angel said, " No worry, you were here before. Therefore you can have it for free."

 

Wow, these days, who would give you something for free? I happily accepted it and enjoyed my sandwich with the mustard sauce. After the sandwich, I went back to Philly Pretzel Factory to buy a cup of coffee because Angel was so kind and welcoming. She saw me and said. " You are back again!" To which I replied, " You are so kind therefore I want to come back and buy the coffee from you." She was tickle pink by my compliment. We started a conversation about each other's family and had a friendly exchange.

  The boss who was preparing the pretzels not too far from us, overheard our conversation and because of my compliment, he offered to give me a free coffee! I could not accept that and gave my coffee money to Angel for her to buy herself a coffee.

 

Angel's kind gesture of making time and doing samll talk with me and her boss' generous offer of giving his return customer a free coffee touched me and warmed my heart. Trump's super aggressive behaviour and unfriendly and unwelcoming policies are making many people from around the world uncomfortable and avoid travelling to the US. However, knowing that a lot of Americans, like Angel and her boss are kind and welcoming makes me feel better and hopeful about America.

I would like to give a shout out to Philly Pretzel Factory at the Philadelphia International Airport. Thank you, Angel and your boss for being so welcoming and making a Canadian feel welcome during our stop over in your country!

  RT, Philadelphia International Airport, USA

  032026

Experiencing the Travel Boycott to the U.S. at a Canadian Airport

We have enjoyed watching travel programs and videos since the COVID days. These travel programs have influenced us to some extend where we would visit next. One of these places we would like to visit is Greece. So we have packed our bags and off we go to Greece for the next few weeks!

  With the tense situation at the U.S. borders, we have had great reservation travelling to the U.S. these days and would avoid it as much as possible. However, our flight going to Athens took us to Philidalphia, U.S. for a connecting flight to our destination. We were up at 4 a.m. in order to catch our first flight at 7:30a.m. at the Pearson International Airport. The taxi ride was smooth though it was pouring rain from time to time with lightening on our way to the airport.

  We arrived at the airport and headed straight to the American Airline check in counter. The place looked deserted and we didn't see any lineup or anybody around at all.

 

'Where is everybody? O, my goodness, why it's so quiet here?"

  We were in a panic mode thinking that we might have missed our flight and everybody had boarded. An American Airline employee was sitting by the entrance to the ticket counter and she asked if we needed any help checking in or getting our boarding pass. Since we were only connecting flight in Philidalphia's airport with no intention of staying in the States, we didn't book any hotels there. Unable to receive an American address from us, the computer self check-in procedure didn't allow us to proceed with our online check in the night before.

  The agent helped us and instructed us what to do and we were able to get our boarding pass from the self check in koisk. We proceeded to our boarding gate about an hour before boarding. I was surprised to see only three or four people at the Waiting Lounge. I thought we were too early for boarding and there would be more people a little later. Half an hour before Boarding Time, I looked around and saw only half a dozen waiting passengers. At Boarding Time, there were less than 20 people flying on this flight to the States. Wow, we hadn't never flown to the U.S. with so few passengers on board from Toronto. Why were there so few people flying to the U.S.? I guess Trump's rhetorical claims that Canada should be the 51st State upset a lot of Canadians who have started the boycott of U.S. products, including travel to the country, ourselves included.

  I heard of how quiet the airports have become and today we experienced it ourselves!

  RT, Toronto Pearson International Airprot

  0326

Weekly Social Event at the Knox Presbyterian Church Brings Much Joy to Seniors in Waterloo

We are forutnate to be able to travel regularly to the city of Waterloo, Ontario. Having a place to stay overnight in this university town of around 150,000 residents allows us to participate in community events more regularly.

  One of the events we enjoy tremendously is the weekly social event run by the wonderful people at the Waterloo Knox Presbyterian Church. It usually starts at around 11:30 a.m. when seniors are starting to arrive at the church. They register at the reception desk,pay the Can.$ 10.00, pick up their name tags, and head towards their seats.

  We try to make it to this event whenever we are in Waterloo. After paying the cost of the lunch, we go for a cup of coffee/ tea, head to our usual table and start chatting with our friends already sitting there.

  Lunch starts shortly after 12p.m. after some announcements and sharing by the chairperson. We enjoy the homemade lunch by the kitchen volunteers who cook with love and care. One week lunch could be a variety of sandwiches, or lasagna; the next week it could be pasta with chicken or chili. Each lunch comes with salad or carrot/ celery sticks and yes, always with delicious homemade cookies and some kinds of great desserts! Lunch is always an enjoyable event when accompanied by good conversation with other friendly seniors at the table.

Besides great food and conversation, what makes this weekly lunch event very special and enjoyable is the weekly speaker who shares his/ her special interest and knowledge on a certain interesting topic.

 The topics we had for the past few months covered a wide range of subjects such as beekeeping, walking the Camino, chocolate making, photography, meeting the housing needs in the city, preventing frauds etc.

  On some special occasions such as St. Patrick's Day, Christmas season, there were musical performances by the local musicians or talented individuals in the community.

  Last week, we had the final lunch meeting for the first half of 2026. A brass musical group was brought in and entertained the lunch crowd. Before the musicians played each piece, one of the musicians introduced and explained the meaning or the story of the piece so that the audience could have a better understanding of the music.

It was educational and interesting. We have been so fortunate and blessed to have this wonderful lunch event happening weekly!

  Thank you to the wonderful volunteers working hard and dedicating their time to serve the senior in the Waterloo community! We look forward to this Lunch Program as it brings people together and we have fun and learn something. We love you and appreciate your commitment to this great program!

  RT, Waterloo, Ontario

  042026

Remembering John Chen, the Brother We Loved So Much from Church

We all will die! Death is something every human being must face and cannot escape. However, when it happens to a wonderful individual at a not too ripe age, it seems untimely and tragic. We often ask the question:

  'Why? God, why did this happen to such a great person so early?"

 

I volunteered to serve on our church's Refreshment Team and last week I was at church, serving alongside John, getting coffee ready and preparing some snacks for the congregation after the service. John, a cheerful person and dedicated husband and father, always greeted me with a happy smile and a welcoming hello. We chatted briefly and went on our business of serving beverages and snacks to the people who came to us.

  Imagine my shock when I received an email informing me that John had passed away suddenly on Monday and there would be a funeral service for him on Saturday. I could not believe it and neither could I accept it. How could it be? I just talked to him on Sunday at church and he looked healthy?

 

We attended John's celebration of life service at church along with many others. John's life must have touched many people as there was not enough room to accommondate all the people who came to say their final farewll to this beloved Christian brother.

 

 

  Many of whom were John's colleagues and some were there to share their stories about their kind colleague.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  One thing that struck me was how well and brave John's widow and his only 12 year old son handled themselves at this service. For most people, there would be so much grief and probably uncontrollable outburst of crying at this service. However, S. and her son, though very sad, were calm and poised.

Most people could not hold back their tears, when John's wife, S. delievered her speech and did a handbell musical piece with her son and later played her favourite piano piece at the end to honour John. What a brave and strong woman steering through life's hardest storm!

I would not be able to say anything without breaking down had I been in her situation.

 

S.'s demonstration of strength might have stemmed from her unshakable deep rooted faith in God and her strong character. S.'s strength was demonstrated once again in how she planned the memorial service for her late husband.

 

 

 

  She organized a love potluck feast after the service encouraging mourners to share their favourite dishes along with the stories they remembered about John. This love feast provided an opportunity for John's friends and colleagues to get together to share a meal and memories of John. It was warm, welcoming and hospitalbe, much like what the character of John.

We were deeply touched and were honoured to have been at John's memorial service. I promise that my husband and I will be by John's wife and her son's side and lend our support to them for as long as we can.

  May John rest in peace and may God be with S. and her family!

  RT, Toronto

  032026