Today I make my way from Dubai to my Aegean paradise, Santorini, while Kim turns around to head home to New Zealand.
We had to wake at 0530 to get to the airport. We parted ways as we went to our respective gates. My gate seemed far too small for the number of people there. It was a far cry from the ostentatious Dubai that we know.
We were bussed to a waiting 777 on the tarmac. Onboard the seats had an unusual fold out mechanism behind one’s knees. It was really odd and seems to only serve to cut one’s circulation to the lower legs!
My flight operated through Larnaca, taking 3h30. After an hour on the ground, it was another 1h30 to Athens. I was well fed with a hot breakfast followed by a cold meal respectively.
In Athens, arrival formalities were swift. I was self-connecting to Santorini’s Thira airport with Aegean Air. They didn’t open for check-in until two hours prior to the flight. So I waited for an hour in the open-air where it was less stuffy before doing that.
By the way, I’m in Athens because air tickets to Yemen are expensive compared to European points like Athens (but Casablanca in Morocco is considered Europe rather than Africa). It turned out cheaper to buy a ticket to Athens and have Yemen as a side-trip, in my case as a frequent flyer award.
My flight to Santorini cost EUR10, by booking online early, but with taxes added up to EUR45. It was short with a flying time of about 30 minutes. It’s been a long time since I had flown on the Avro 146 aircraft. I had forgotten how spacious they were with five seats across (as they also come with six across).
We were badly buffeted by crosswinds as we came in to land. But it was so smooth I couldn’t even feel the wheels touch down.
Approaching Santorini.
Approaching Santorini.
I took a bus to the terminal where I was met by George, who operated the Pension George (of course).
Having had an early wake-up, I didn’t feel up to much. I walked to town and back, then had a dinner of souvlaki and Greek salad. Dessert was fresh strawberries back in my room.
Pension George.
Pension George.