Athens to Atlanta to Tampa
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Sometimes five a.m. is really one-thirty! Which is to say that I'm wide-eyed too early in the morning; but since we have to be outside with our baggage by 6:15, I may as well get moving. There's time for yoga and all the NYT puzzles and a shower.
Getting downstairs in the wonky elevator is a bit of a challenge. Poor Dave has been going up and down like a yoyo! But finally we're all outside and meeting our new driver. He's very snappy in a suit and tie! This is an even larger bus!
The only advantage to being up so early is that we get to see the sunrise!
We get to the airport and head for the Delta line to check in. Kathy finds out we can use the kiosk to tag our bags and everyone goes over. That's when I remember I need to make sure my bag gets tagged to Tampa and I have to head back to the long line. When I finally see that magic TPA on my tag I can go on to security and Ginger, Art, and Jan have been waiting for me! Such good friends! We get through security and head for our gate.
It's so weird! Ginger and Art are seated right in front of Jan and me; but that's not the weird part. Ginger and I are in zone 5 and Jan and Art are in zone 6! We're thinking it must have something to do with when our tickets were purchased??
Anyway, once we're at altitude drinks are served (blood mary mix) then a meal (lunch?) with ravioli, tortelini, tiramasu and bread and butter. And red wine. Then there are a couple of glasses of water and a cookie and beverage, more water, and breakfast with a chicken pocket and dessert. And there is a lot of time, about eleven and a half hours, for movies! I finally get to see "Project Hail Mary" and love it! And there's "Big Fish" directed by Tim Burton which is deeper than it appears; "Marty Supreme" which isn't at all what I expected; and "One Battle After Another" with Leonardo DiCaprio but I don't get to finish it!
We land without incident and eventually we have to separate, with connecting flights going one way and locals going another. It's time for final hugs and we go in different directions. I don't see the Global Entry kiosks but it doesn't matter since Jan doesn't have Global Entry and we might as well stay together. There are a lot of people in line and the line isn't moving at all! Eventually an official takes all of us to the other side and puts us ahead of people who are already there. This line is moving right along and quite quickly we are moving to baggage claim - but we didn't get our "Welcome home"!
Anyway, it took so long to get here that all our bags have been pulled off the carousel and we find ours among the herd and move to the transfer point. I'm so glad I'm tagged to TPA! This is painless and we're off to find our gate. Jan has gotten a text with new information that I didn't get so we follow her new gate directions. Hmmm... She isn't booked on the same flight I am! I'm at a different gate, on a different concourse, and leaving two hours later! After some dithering and wandering around looking for one of the Delta help telephones, a gate agent arrives at Jan's gate and I go to him for assistance. He says that he has forty-five extra seats and he can put us side by side! And he goes into the system and changes the flight my bag should be on! Interestingly he tells us that in as large an airport as Atlanta, they push bags to their destination as soon as possible, so my bag probably would have gone on this flight regardless! That's why you sometimes don't see your bag on the carousel and have to go to the baggage holding place! And why an air tag gives confusing information!
I check my new boarding pass and it still has my old information! Same old flight, departure time, gate, etc. I go back to this guy who has been so helpful and charming and do my best "confused old lady" impression. He says not to worry; when the code is scanned it will show my new seat. I really don't understand that but he's been so professional and funny that I just take his word for it, smile, and say thank you!
Jan is in zone 7, so I figure I probably am too and when they call for zone 6 we start sliding toward the line. The next zone called is 8!! And it's not that we missed it because all the other zone 7 people are commenting, too! We line up anyway and when my boarding pass is scanned it actuaally prints out a slip with my new seat number on it! So that's what he meant!
True to his promise, we are seated side by side and I look for my movie, to finish it! Success! There is a big bad weather system around the airport and we finally are allowed to take off about forty-five minutes late. It's a good thing that Betsy is so smart and techie! She follows us on Flight Aware and knows just when we'll land.
There isn't time for much service between Atlanta and Tampa but we do get a cup of water. At one point all the screens go blank and we wait patiently for the problem to be fixed. Nothing happens. Some inpatient person taps his screen and it comes back on! So we do that, too, and voila we're back in business. it keeps happening but now we now what to do and we even do it in sync with one another and giggle every time!
Home again! We follow the crowd to the shuttle and when we get off Betsy is there to greet us! What a super friend she is!! We get our bags, take the elevator to the top of the parking garage and stuff everything into Betsy's chariot. Both are cars have been taking up valuable real estate at Betsy's house and we load up, give final hugs and thanks and head home. I promise to text when I get home and off I go.
When I get home I am almost afraid to go in because I'm afraid that there won't be a cat to greet me. I look downstairs first, even though she usually is upstairs, but when I don't find her I get brave and go upstairs. She isn't in the hall or the bedroom and just as I'm coming to terms with that she appears from the bathroom! She never goes into the bathroom so it's like she is playing a practical joke on me!
I don't do much except get ready for bed and Miss Kitty is all over me (very atypical behavior!) and she even spoons with me during the night! Obviously she approves of her sitter and has forgiven me for leaving!
I would be terribly remiss not to mention that the first thing I see when I come into the house is a big red Happy Birthday balloon, a birthday card, and a welcome home note saying there is a surprise in the fridge! I have the best neighbors in the world! There is a chocolate cake with creamy white filling and ganache icing! Okay, I'll admit that part of getting ready for bed is having a slice of brirhday cake! And it's every bit as delicious as it promises to be!! It was a splendid trip; but it's good to be home!!
Next month I'm off to New York City with Connie!!
Here's a cool think I didn't mention. Our hotel key in Napflio included a map of the city! Here's how it worked:
Oh! And here's the story of the tetradrachma. Many, many years ago, Harry and I found one of these at a rock and coin show and bought it because of the owl on the obverse. It vanished a long time ago and here it is, back in my hands!
And while I'm adding post scripts, here are the only three words I managed to learn in Greek. They are phonetically written because I don't have Greek keys on my laptop and couldn't spell them even if I did! Thank you is "F Harry's Toe"
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