These things occurred on Sunday September 29, 2024 in Athens, Greece
The infamous Sunday had arrived, and I was exhausted after a night of taking care of Eitan, whose ear had been bothering him all night. For the last week I had been hellbent on taking the boys sailing and going snorkeling in Greece. If I’d had my choice, we would have found a way to get to Nea Makri for a private sailing and snorkeling experience, but it was several hours away and by law no taxi could take more than four passengers in a car. Something I wish I’d known before going to Greece. Earlier in the week, Chaim and I had settled on a DJ boat that provided snorkeling opportunities while sailing from one Greek Island to the next. I knew it wasn’t a good choice for us, but I was too stubborn to admit it at the time.
We woke up really early to take a bus to a train to Piraeus Port, about 90 minutes outside of Athens. There we were supposed to walk to the designated marina and board our DJ boat. Nothing went as planned.
First, the kiosk to purchase tickets was closed. Fine. We would be like everyone else and hope that no one noticed we didn’t have tickets. Second, the numbers on the buses were not working. After waiting for what seemed like forever for a bus to arrive, we couldn’t tell what number it was. When the driver stopped I used universal body language to ask through the closed door what number bus it was. The bus driver nodded his head and waved us on. About ten minutes into our ride I noticed we were not on a route we had taken before. At the next stop I walked to the front of the bus and asked the driver if we were headed to the bus stop we needed. He shook his head vigorously and told us to get off immediately. We exited quickly and wondered where on earth we were supposed to go. Google Maps showed the way. Fifteen minutes later we arrived at a train station where we caught the next train to Piraeus. Then, we happily walked to the marina that was listed on the Trip Advisor map provided by the tour boat.
Chaim had timed our initial departure to allow for thirty minutes of delays and still be able to board on time. Well, we could have used a three-hour buffer. The confirmation email said to walk to a rowing building where we would be picked up. However, we had selected the “no pick-up” option and had assumed that we had received the location of the boat, not the pick-up location. We must have walked up and down the marina five times before accepting that our boat was not at this marina. Over the course of an hour, police officers, marina security, random people walking, and the rowing coach tried to help us locate our boat. Everyone who read the confirmation email agreed that we were in the right place according to the email. I was growing more and more frustrated. How is it possible that the one day of the week that I had fretted about incessantly was starting off completely wrong? It just wasn’t fair. I called the contact for the ship. At first no one responded. So, I called again. The woman from the “select 2 for English” customer service line could not have been less helpful. She kept asking me to put me on the phone with someone who spoke Greek. At that point the only people passing were tourists who came from America. Instead of helping me remain calm and collected, she yelled at me for not giving her the information she needed. Repeatedly, she would shout, “Are you at Marina Delta?” and I would respond, “I am at a marina in front of a gate that says Delta!” There was a point at which she offered to pick us up, but she had no idea where we were and neither did we. She grew so exasperated that she hung up on me. When I tried calling back, no one answered. Chaim spoke to a few people who told us this kind of mix up happens all of the time. So annoying!
I do not usually get heated or upset with customer service. I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of something like this. But this was the worst customer service agent I’ve ever dealt with. I started ranting about how this was a lesson of what not to do and would not stop. The boys couldn’t understand why I was so upset and told me I shouldn’t have yelled at her. They were probably right, but I wasn’t going to admit that then either.
Finally, right around when our ship was supposed to be leaving port, we gave up our search and plunked down at a nearby restaurant. The boys were grateful. We had been walking back and forth in 95 degree heat with the sun beating down on us for over an hour. It wasn’t even 10am. At the restaurant I vented some more and then began collecting myself – or, at least I tried. We ordered iced drinks for everyone only to learn that the blender had broken as the waitress was making our drinks. Our morning was comical. What had we done to upset the gods?
Chaim and I decided to switch gears and take a ferry to Aegina Island where thought we could enjoy a nice beach. We finished our drinks and walked to the other side of Piraeus to the ferry. Waiting in line for the ferry we witnessed just how many buses, cars, motorcycles, and trucks a ferry can handle before all of the people board. It was incredible! How is it possible these ships don’t sink! Okay, physics. I got it, but still three buses, two trucks, numerous cars and motorcycles. It’s hard not to think that way.
The boys spent their ferry ride reading on their kindles, instead of looking at the stunning views. Aah, to be a kid. Our originally scheduled DJ boat was an all-inclusive experience. We were depending on the free drinks and vegetarian food for the day. Thank goodness the ferry had a bountiful food counter where we bought lots of snacks and water for exorbitant prices. Just as we disembarked, we saw our original ship pulling away from the shore. The gods were surely laughing at us.
Aegina Island is known for its pistachios and is often considered the originator of the pistachio. They can be found everywhere. It is also known for a lovely, soft, white, sandy beach that, you guessed it, we never made it to. Why? Because the beach is on the other side of the island and the only way to get there was by rental car. Lord have mercy on us, please!
We began walking to the nearest beach, passing fruit, vegetable, and pistachio kiosks along the way. We stopped at one to buy some fruit and pistachios when the boys mentioned they were hungry. The woman was so excited about all of the boys. She hugged me, flexed her arms to tell me how strong I was, marveled at how much energy boys have, and asked if Chaim is helpful. When I told her he was helpful she was very impressed.
Between bouts of frustration and disappointment, I did my best to appreciate the beauty of the island and that our children were thrilled to be hanging out on a beach. However, the beach we found made it hard. It was tiny, barely a strip, nowhere to sit, the water was dirty, the sand gritty. Chaim and I sat on a step and watched the boys play to their hearts content in the sand, digging moats, channels, and pools, building sandcastles, and playing in the salty water. In what seemed like a full body exchange, Chaim was calm and relaxed, just happy to see the boys living their best life, while I sulked and struggled with the multiple detours my plan had taken. It was so not like me to get this hung up about change, but oh was I stuck. For a week I had a vision in my mind. I had lost countless hours of sleep worrying about it. And now, it was never going to happen. I kept thinking to myself, “what a waste of our time in Greece” when I should have been thinking, “Whatever. The boys are happy, and we were saved. That DJ boat was the wrong choice for us in the first place.”
Somewhere between missing our original boat and the building sandcastles, Eitan became HANGRY. Like, blackout hangry where someone says no to every food possible. Poor Chaim had to manage my frustration and Eitan’s hanger at the same time. It was a good thing he was in a state of calm like never before on our trip. We searched and searched for food, to no avail. We settled on ice cream, because that’s what we do when we can’t find anything else. We bought Eitan two ice creams to help him snap out of his hanger. We were definitely going to pay later for the amount of sugar we were giving him. Once we’d all turned human again, we found a small restaurant hidden in one of the narrow roads. We put our stuff down and waited. We waited so long that Shai fell asleep on the table. The food was perfect once it arrived though.
When we left the restaurant, we decided to search for a different beach on the other side of the marina but still within walking distance. Along the way we passed the one and only playground we’d seen since arriving in Athens. The boys were so excited about the playground they didn’t care about visiting another beach. We stopped in our tracks and made a beeline for the playground. The boys played happily for the next forty-five minutes. It was only when I was sitting in the playground that I was able to appreciate Aegina as a quiet and quaint island full of tourists meandering through its narrow streets and along the shores.
After all of the frustrations the day had brought, all of the boys said they had a great day. Amichai added that “it was more our thing than a DJ boat would have been.” He was glad we had missed the boat.
The ferry ride home was fun, beautiful, and windy. We sat on the top deck so that we could see the views and enjoy fresh air. It was so windy we could barely hear each other and people’s loose items were flying all over. Matanel, Shai, and Eitan had fun trying to run, do Tae Kwan Do, and play on the top deck while the boat rolled back and forth. At some point, I finally had it in me to get up and play with them. We watched the sun set behind the mountainous islands and arrived in Piraeus just as night fell. We walked from the pier to the train station. I was smart and used the opportunity at the train station to buy tickets to the airport for the following morning. Then, we trained, bused, and walked home. As everyone was going to sleep, Eitan’s ear acted up again. Tomorrow we would join my parents at their home in Israel. I texted my mother, a doctor, that Eitan might be coming with an ear infection. Oh, and the boys are craving hamburgers and hot dogs. With that, we went to sleep.
