The hotel we've had for the past 2 nights has been excellent. The best I've ever been in really and I've been in a fair few. I'd have to say, if you're looking for a hotel and you're booking in advance. Come to Metropolis Hotel in Plaka. Best location and the BEST view if you get a balcony room. From here we can see the Acropolis and it is especially beautiful at night when it's lit up. It's so wonderful I just want to live in this room forever. For only 80 Euro (100 peak-time), it's an absolute Gem. The staff have also been very helpful in trying to sort out our bag issues (discussed earlier) and I hope we haven't pestered them too much. This has been the best thing about this holiday so far.
The View From Our RoomThe Journey
Before the holiday even started, we had to change the flights. Our exams just so happened to finish on the completely last time-slot on Monday the 27th of June whereas we had booked our tickets for the 23rd at night. Usually our exams fall on the start of the exam session, however for some reason destiny really wanted to screw with us and decided to place our exams on the last few days (mine actually being on the 16th, then a long journey to the finish line with the 23rd, 24th and 27th). Every other time we finished in the first week but this time something went very wrong.
So we got off to a bad start. We thought things couldn't get any worse. But they did. So much worse and it's still happening as I type this at 9pm.
We has a lot of connecting flights to Greece. First we flew from Australia to China, then from China to Paris, Paris to Romania and then finally Romania to Greece (we spent the night in Romania to celebrate my parents' 21st wedding anniversary). Now, the connections would have been even more if our Paris to Austria flight didn't get canceled. Yes, during our most stressful periods, our flight decides to get canceled. they only decided to tell us this when we were schedueled to start embarking (30 minutes before take off). We also had an Austria - Romania connection which was due 40 minutes after we landed - that was never going to happen.
After waiting in a few long lines for a few long minutes (maybe an hour or two, I lost track), we finally managed to get a flight straight to Romania from Paris. Whilst this did mean less changing planes, it also meant we would arrive 2 hours later and our luggage had no chance of making it (also because Paris airport is the worst airport in the world when dealing with luggage and I mean it. There has not been a single instance where our luggage was not lost by them).
So our main issue was and still is, our bag.
We only had one but it still managed to get in serious trouble. Even before the flight cancellation in Paris, its fate was already doomed. As soon as we landed in Paris, we went to a check-in desk and the woman at the counter decided that we had to collect our bags in Austria and check them back in for the Romania flight. She assured us that we would have time to collect our bags and go through all this process because 'It's a small airport'. Of course she didn't care if we had time or not, she just wanted the next person to check-in. I find the lack of personal responsibility in airports astounding. No one cares, at all. It's not their business and they'll do their best to push you onto the next person (quite like our Psychology department back at uni).
Oh and did I mention that she also managed to retain our bag I.D. tracker ticket as well? So by the time we made it to the next terminal for our flight, it was too late to go back through all the security check points and retrieve it. The rest of the journey was spent explaining how we lost it and that a number written on a piece of paper (which we got out of the system) was our official luggage I.D. tag.
So after asking a few people, we soon came to the realization that it was impossible to have enough time to get our bag and catch our flight as well. So we spent 2 hours changing that in the computer and making sure it went through to Romania. But after all that our flight was cancelled anyway and our bag never had the destiny to survive the trip.
I just received a call from my boyfriend (we shall call him C.) letting me know from the airport that they apparently did finally send our bag through and should arrive here by 10pm. If it doesn't, then it will probably be lost forever.
Wish us luck!
UPDATE:
9:46pm
Our bag arrived at reception. C. is still on his way back. It's been stressful and tiring but at least we have it now. I just hope the airports won't lose it again any time soon because it really shouldn't take 3 days to get a bag back.
