i found this diary I had written while traveling to and from greece this summer. it is nothing big, probably more entertaining for me, but for those of you trying to procrastinate from working (slackers!) I give you this:

7/10/07

I must write this down before I forget. Never have I experienced such a series of events flying internationally as I have with this airline. If this gets no further than just a letter, I hope it warns all my readers against flying Alitalia and pursueds you to choose a more expensive option, at least when it comes to European airlines.

My day started out great. It was another hot and sticky day in New York and all I could think about was getting out of this smoggy city and into another, but at least an unfamiliar one. I headed to the airport around 1pm for a 4:45p flight, I had nothing better to do and wanted to shop around Duty Free for awhile before boarding. getting to the airport was smooth and while the girl checking me in could have been friendlier, I wasnt letting anything dampen my mood. I found a convenient place to settle right by my gate, plugged in my laptop and watched all the different travelers board planes destined for areas remote and large all around the world. I think this is my favorite thing about the airport, wondering where people are going, who they are going to meet, if its their first international flight. I love hearing all the different languages and watch the joy in so many faces as they are about to board that plane that will zoom them around the world in mear hours. 4:45 came and still no word for ALitalia. At this time, customers are starting to get a little ancy and wondering what is causing the delay. 5:45 comes and still no word for Alitalia. I start to worry that I will not make my connection so I go up to the counter and ask the woman if there are multiple flights out of Rome to Athens that day. She literally rolls her eyes, tells me she doenst have access to that information (even thought the computer is right in front of her?) but since I insist, she finally looks it up and informs me that yes, I will not have a problem connecting to Athens sometime in the day. I settle back down in my spot and continue passenger watching while listening to my ipod on loud. 8:40 comes and still Alitalia hasnt told its passengers anything. At this point, people were starting to get really irritated so after prying the agent, information is finally released that the flight is cancelled. Now I understand things happen and trust me, I thank my angels that what ever mechanical issue that was occuring on that plane they caught before we boarded. HOwever, couldnt the agents be just a little more polite?? Chaos broke out in the airport as the agents continued to not give us any information or details about what to do now. Finally a kind manager appeared and informed us to pick up our bags in baggage claim and "they would try to figure out what to do next". Fine. We head down to baggage claim in search of our bags. YOu think they would have had plenty of help in baggage claim for the many passengers that were elderly or traveling with children but no. I watched (and helped of course) a pregnant mother of two small girls lug 6 heavy bags up 2 flights of stairs back to ticketing. So back to square one again, here we are ticketing. This time since most flights are cancelled and they have no idea what to do, we wait in line for hours to talk to a representative. My turn comes. I walk up to an arrogant prick of a little man and hand him my boarding passes to tell him I am destined to Athens. I was very polite, tired, but polite. He informs me that there is NO fligths to athens until thursday, when I start to get a little frustrated, he simply walks away. Ok?? So I wait in line for "the manager" in hopes of getting this worked out. She was kind enough to get me on a flight for the next day and offer me a nights stay in the Crowne Plaza hotel by the airport. I ask her if she could please just adjust my return date to come back 2 days later to make up for time, she says its no problem but to do it in the morning when i come back to the airport. Im tired, I dont want to deal with any of this anymore, so I head to the hotel to have a comp dinner and a good nights rest (beats the air mattress at home).
Day 2. I start out refreshed and feeling confident. get to the airport and they are able to get me on an immediate flight to rome minimizing my layover before boarding to athens. Sweet, im happy. however, now im told that I have to call the 1800 number to get my return changed. irritating. this should be simple. board an almost empty plane full of other cancelled and irritated passengers and finally relax. At least Im going and not staying. Thats better than nothing. The plane is almost desolute. I spot the pregnant woman from yesterday. I watch her ask the flight attendent if she can stretch her legs out in first class (which is empty), the flight attendant wont even let her look in first class let alone sit there. Rude. I put on my headphones. This poor pregnant woman looks like she is going to give birth on the plane and they treat her that way? As im thinking this a stuck up attendant asks me to move closer to the front of the plane since there are barely any passengers. I comply. Later Im yelled at for this because they couldnt locate me to give me my vegetarian meal. But they told me to sit here?? i dont argue, its not worth it. apparently i was supposed to raise my hand when they came around with meals to indicate that yes, im the non meat eater on the plane. i think of a million different approaches for this but decide to just go back to my ipod instead. the flight was smooth and quick, however the flight attendants continued to yell at the passengers. I never really have met an airline that has such little amount of respect for their customers. Now I sit here in Rome waiting for my flight to Athens and watch person after person get yelled at by these cranky green blobs of women. I say green cause their uniforms are ugly cucumber green. I say blobs cause 90% of them are fat, obese!

i really hate rome. i wanted a bottle of water. she charged me $58 to exchange my $300!! when i refused, she proceeded to tell me that she hates the american people and her whole university is wasted. whatever, ill never see her again. and hey, my experience with every italian ive met in italy isnt great either. she says she hates the american people while I hear american mtv on in the background. i want out of rome!!

7/20/07

I stare out my small Alitalia window, delirious from lack of sleep, my stomach cramped from tasteless airplane food. I watch as the plane bends and circles around the islands of the Mediterranean. Even from so far above, I can see straight to the bottom of the ocean floor, through water so blue that it takes my breath away. Of all the poets who have found inspiration in the beauty of Greece, I finally understand why. Above everything else I have experienced in my young life, I know that true beauty comes in small packages..hidden in the places you least expect it. I found love, deep inside a blue eyed boy who taught me how to open up myself to all the wonders of the world. And while I will spare the details of my daily adventures through Greece, I know that my true experiences in Greece can not go unwritten. I know that I am not the first to say that I found all of earth's treasures hidden inside a tiny group of islands.

I..
...watched the footprints my feet make in the soft sand of the sea
...fell asleep to the breeze of rotating fan blowing its warm air over my sun kissed skin
...stared up at an Acropolis light filled sky
...watched as the sun slowly carmelized your skin
...leaned back in the water of the sea to only hear the sound of my own breathing
...woke up to wonderfully cooked meals prepared by a new family
...could kiss your cheek at any time of the day and taste salt from the ocean
...felt loved, felt warm, love traveling
...think i could call this place home....