Lost luggage, cancelled flights, mind-boggling traffic: our Athens adventure was not without its pitfalls. As Jeff says, “Part of the adventure of travelling are the surprises—both good and bad. If you don’t like surprises, don’t travel.”
On Sujata’s end, she discovered that much of her footage was eaten by a faulty SD card rendering most of these experiences off camera. So, here’s the low down on what went wrong and how we dealt with it.
First, there was the bag saga. We had to transit through Frankfurt airport. Sujata liked the thrill of landing in another foreign country, but not carting three pieces of luggage with Jeff in a wheelchair going through numerous checkpoints. So, she checked our luggage in.
Already, Frankfurt is a mammoth airport with many travellers running around the airport lost. With a winter storm and travel being completely disrupted post-pandemic, it was a mess. Luckily, we had ground staff who shuttled us through the maze with a wheelchair right up to the tarmac.
Certainly, for seasoned travellers, opting to check in bags is a “no-go” due to the fact that airlines lose bags and picking up bags wastes time. And alas, our luggage did not arrive in Athens.
But, because our last carrier was in the European Union, we had newfound rights that we did not have in Canada: a compensation to get us through the next 48 hours, and assurances that our bags would be shipped to our hotel, once found.
Jeff’s medicines were in the lost bag, so we had to purchase replacements in Greece, where drugs were available without prescription at a lower cost. The damage: 5 Euro.
One of the bags never arrived in Greece which meant phoning and overwhelmed Lufthansa baggage service every few days throughout the trip. As Sujata was to continue on to Istanbul and Egypt, she had to manage a month without crucial supplies.
On our return to Canada, we were told that the bag was probably lost, and not to worry: just buy everything back and we would get another indemnity, up to 1300 Euro. The catch was we would have to buy everything first and provide receipts. There was no guarantee the airline would accept it. Sujata mail ordered everything and had to monitor many parcels which were also getting delayed and lost. After going through this process, the bag was found– a month after they arrived home. Badly beaten up, it arrived by courier in Montreal.
We will never know who lost the bags, but Canadian airlines received over 30,000 complaints that travel season. Bag loss was so endemic that one couple used their air tag, to track their lost bags only to find it in a warehouse in another city destined to be donated to charity. Happily, Lufthansa still paid the tab after multiple calls to overwhelmed support lines and the completion of complicated online forms.
As European taxis and drivers are more expensive and Greek rental cars are affordable, Jeff and Sujata decided that with a stroke, it was best to rent a car so that they could get around. But that meant battling Athens’ traffic. As one person wrote about driving in Athens, “The most important thing to know is that following the rules is seen as a weakness of character by many Greek men who drive with the patience and consideration of a 13-year-old drug addict in need of a fix. There are lots of people on the road who could not pass a road test if they had to, yet they are driving and some of them are driving fast.”
Amidst the exceedingly narrow streets bustling with cars, motorcycles, and pedestrians—many of whom disregard traffic direction and lane markings while constantly honking their horns— Athens boasts a plethora of vehicles squeezed into tight spaces. Many streets are so small they can easily be missed and mistaken for footpaths.
For Jeff, the chaos and lack of patience for him crossing the street was a deterrent. He could only see a portion of the bohemian neighbourhood of Monastiraki’s streets:
“I didn’t want to cross the street with that weird Athens traffic. I didn’t want to get out of that street in Monastiraki with all those scooters and baskets, but I did. You can’t wish away your apprehensions; you have to overcome them.”
The rewards were worth it. Greek hospitality is legendary. Solidarity, warmth and kinship amongst men is a feature of Greek society. Greek men would gently assist Jeff with patience, understanding, while respecting his autonomy. Sujata would receive free extra treats at the bakery and have excellent chats with the locals.
Athens was unforgettable: the fresh fish in a local canteen on the Port of Piraeus, a moonlit dinner atop of the rooftop restaurant overlooking the Acropolis and the vibrant cafés and street life of Monastiraki. The food and wine, blessed by the breadbasket of the Mediterranean and touched with Athenian flair, is impeccable. Jeff was unable to get to the steep steps of the Acropolis, but there was much to keep us entertained including Athens’ very own tiki bar.
Sadly, it was Jeff’s turn to return home, while Sujata stayed on to travel. Jeff was gloomy. He did not want to leave. Fortuitously, the airlines’ disorganization was Jeff’s salvation. At the airport, they learned that his return ticket was mysteriously cancelled by Air Canada. No explanation.
Sujata ran around the airport trying to get an answer. Air Canada was AWOL. The lines were so jammed that they were simply not taking any calls. There was no agent in the airport. She even called Air Canada in Greece, where she learned that there was a severe storm in North America and practically all flights were cancelled. Finally, after about two hours of no response, she shrugged her shoulders.
“Well, Jeff, I think you got your wish. It looks like you are staying here. Let’s just go back to the hotel and drink some wine.”
Jeff was overjoyed. He bolted to his favourite outdoor café and savoured some Metaxa, a Greek grape-based brandy, under the Athenian sun.
As it was morning in Europe and six hours ahead of Montréal, Sujata determined that she should wait until 9am there, before she made her move. At the appointed time, she called Air Canada and scored a spot in the customer service queue: they were now taking calls with a mere three-hour hold time, the perfect interval for doing laundry.
Jeff’s return ticket was cancelled because Lufthansa didn’t register him getting onto the plane coming to Athens. Jeff had a choice: get his ass onto the next plane leaving in an hour and half or take the plane the next morning.
Meanwhile, in North America, few were able to get rescheduled from mass flight cancellations. Teems of stranded people were filmed sleeping in airports. Strangely, we, as travellers departing from the EU with EU rights, were promptly accommodated on the next flight. Was this because we had the right to compensation if Air Canada failed to put us on the next flight, a right not granted to North American travellers because of the weather?
We decided that it would be impossible to leave right away so, chose to leave the next morning. Jeff would have to transit by himself through London Heathrow Airport, which was daunting, but it worked out.
Is it worth it? Some people are abandoning travel all together. Airlines are miserable. Security is tedious. It is not the golden age of air travel. And with a stroke, the uncertainty and inability to control your environment is unsettling.
Sujata says, “It all depends on your perspective. You can leave a trip remembering all the things that didn’t work out and feeling that it was a horrible trip. Or you can remember all the obstacles you overcame, and the amazing things you learned and saw.”
Jeff says, “It is exciting. It challenges your boundaries. I want to go back soon.”
Tell us. Have you been put off travelling because of all the impediments? Are you ready to get on a plane again?
