Santorini is a beautiful Greek island that is known for its striking buildings (white with blue accents) and distinctive vistas (precipitous cliffs on one side, and variously colored beaches on the other). Unfortunately, I was not in a proper state of mind to be enamored with anything after 30 unbroken hours of traveling through six airports.
Upon arrival in Santorini, impatient and grumpy from lack of sleep, I watched as everyone picked up their baggage and left for their final destinations in singles, pairs and groups. As I eyed the one lonely red suitcase making its rounds on the carousel, I looked at Josh and said, “I have a bad feeling about this.”
To make a long story short, our three checked bags had not made the connection from Athens to Santorini. My headache, which had bored itself firmly into the center of my forehead, got worse when I saw that our airline representative was new to the job. I absolutely see the value of on-the-job training, but my patience had worn thin and I couldn’t help thinking that she had picked the worst time to start. She even spelled my first name incorrectly on some piece of paper that she asked me to sign. I pointed it out and, of course, she had to ask the other representative (who seemed to be quite competent) if that was okay. Strangely, it was okay.
I spent the remainder of the night in muted panic: what was I going to do if my bags were permanently lost? I had three months’ worth of clothes, toiletries, shoes, books and other items upon which I was relying for comfort and use in Zurich; my tactic of separating everything evenly into my two suitcases obviously didn't help here. I was tired and hungry and worried, and poor Josh had the unenviable job of trying to soothe me. Repeatedly, he assured me that everything would be okay and our vacation was not ruined (yet).
I only had my laptop, bikini, jewelry and travel-sized toiletries on this first night -- you can see where my priorities lay -- but this little bit was better than nothing. Case in point: Josh had to borrow my toothbrush. Although our bags were later located, the experience further entrenched my paranoia: going forward, I will always keep essentials with me in my carry-on baggage!
For Santorini pictures, click here.
