We had to get up early this morning to get on a plane back to Athens (to then transfer to another plane). On paper, this doesn’t seem all that complicated, but after I detail each of the steps, your heart rate might go up. We rented from a car rental company that was very local. Their website said people could drop the car off anywhere on the island and someone would eventually pick it up. Airport, ferry port, middle of the donkey path, someone would supposedly find it. Just leave the keys in the visor they said. So there we were, at the Santorini Airport, which is not very big mind you, and has very few parking spots. Our flight was leaving in less than an hour, so I double parked it out front as I was unable to find any place to leave it. Other cars were already double-parked. Nicole called the company four hours later to make sure they found it ok, and they just replied, “Ah, yes I think we picked up a Fiat Panda this morning.” Alright then...
Aegean had been forcing Nicole to check her bag on the last couple flights, and we had a short connection in Athens. We would not have time to go to baggage claim and back through security, so I had taken a gamble of booking us all the way through to our next stop Paros (there were no seats to Milos [our first choice]). This way, at least Nicole’s bag would make it to Paros, though we might not have had the same luck. The Aegean pilots from Santorini to Athens took their sweet time. Again, they must have been trying to build the block. We had less than an hour for our transfer and despite coming from a Greek airport and going to another Greek airport, we were forced to go back through security. Even Newark doesn’t make you do such a ridiculous thing. Luckily we got to our next gate with about five minutes to spare. Boarding happened quickly, as it was just a small Dash-8 turboprop operated by Olympic. We arrived (firmly) in Paros about 30 minutes later. The weather was gorgeous. Deep blue skies, a light breeze, a pleasant 72 degrees with the sun reflecting off the ubiquitous white architecture. Nicole’s bag was the first off the conveyor belt too! It had priority tags on it thanks to the nice gate agents in Santorini who were looking out for their fellow airline staff.
We got our new rental car and drove for about 30 minutes to the town of Naoussa. It’s a small town, and after checking in and dropping off our bags, we explored a bit. It resembles Mykonos with its narrow, white-stone pathways, but without the crowds. We ate on the water. There’s almost nobody here, but I suppose that makes sense. There are only three flights a day, and all of them are on small aircraft. It’s a far cry from Santorini where there are two cruise ships at any given time, and at least two flights an hour on aircraft as large as A321s. I complain a lot about Santorini, but an experience like that is sometimes necessary to appreciate places that are actually enjoyable, and not just a facade.
Aegean had been forcing Nicole to check her bag on the last couple flights, and we had a short connection in Athens. We would not have time to go to baggage claim and back through security, so I had taken a gamble of booking us all the way through to our next stop Paros (there were no seats to Milos [our first choice]). This way, at least Nicole’s bag would make it to Paros, though we might not have had the same luck. The Aegean pilots from Santorini to Athens took their sweet time. Again, they must have been trying to build the block. We had less than an hour for our transfer and despite coming from a Greek airport and going to another Greek airport, we were forced to go back through security. Even Newark doesn’t make you do such a ridiculous thing. Luckily we got to our next gate with about five minutes to spare. Boarding happened quickly, as it was just a small Dash-8 turboprop operated by Olympic. We arrived (firmly) in Paros about 30 minutes later. The weather was gorgeous. Deep blue skies, a light breeze, a pleasant 72 degrees with the sun reflecting off the ubiquitous white architecture. Nicole’s bag was the first off the conveyor belt too! It had priority tags on it thanks to the nice gate agents in Santorini who were looking out for their fellow airline staff.
We got our new rental car and drove for about 30 minutes to the town of Naoussa. It’s a small town, and after checking in and dropping off our bags, we explored a bit. It resembles Mykonos with its narrow, white-stone pathways, but without the crowds. We ate on the water. There’s almost nobody here, but I suppose that makes sense. There are only three flights a day, and all of them are on small aircraft. It’s a far cry from Santorini where there are two cruise ships at any given time, and at least two flights an hour on aircraft as large as A321s. I complain a lot about Santorini, but an experience like that is sometimes necessary to appreciate places that are actually enjoyable, and not just a facade.
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