Home again! Good trip, all around, and my, it's great to be home! All the other parts have been documented already; let's get to the last few days. We left Kalamata on a Sunday morning, to arrive in Athens, check into hotel and visit the Plaka, the shopping/dining area just below the Acropolis. All went well; we took a bus down to the area and were ensconced in a hotel near the airport. A nice meal on the Plaka; a nice walk, and a little shopping; home to hotel room and ready for our plane next morning.
However, on arriving at the airport and checking in at kiosk, we received a message to check at the desk. After waiting perhaps a half hour in a very Greek and unruly line, we arrived at the desk to find that our clerk couldn't find us on the roster. Gloria flourished her confirmation--to find that she'd booked Sunday flight to London instead of Monday! Oops. So, two new tickets later (ouch!) we managed to get to the gate right at departing time, to find it was a bit delayed. So we managed to get back to London fairly on schedule.
In London we'd hoped to spend time with Jeff and Donna Carney, from here in Springfield, who were beginning a vacation of northern Europe. As they were on the far side of London and our time was short, we didn't make the connection. We did manage to find a large Tesco store (think Walmart Supercenter) where I was able to buy 12 packets of instant borsht! Love the stuff, and can't find it here. Then a nice, small lunch near our hotel on Norfolk Square...and for this one night, the tiniest basement room a hotel can offer!
Monday evening we were invited to friend/school owner Susan Findlay's house for dinner, 
along with a couple of my client friends; Tom and Kelly. Look at these fresh lemons we were able to bring her, from the family farm in Greece! 
What a pleasant evening! The rain held off long enough for us to have a great meal on the patio; then drinks in the lounge room. 
It was really special of Susan to create a space for us to get together with such good people.
Back to hotel, up early, Heathrow Express into the airport, lots of walking, and through the new Terminal Two, which is barely open, still quite empty, and was a breeze to get through! We found a coffee and the whisky store; found a couple of bottles I can't get at home, and on the plane a few minutes late.
Arriving in Chicago, through customs, etc, only to find that we're delayed at the gate. Evidently United Airlines has a pretty miserable track record of getting flights to and from Springfield out on time, particularly later in the day. So, we arrived home three hours behind schedule, met by friends Steve and Diana, who got us home just fine.
Great to be home!
