48 Hours in Athens

I was very happy when I saw Athens on my roster last month – it is usually a turnaround flight (and a fairly long one at that, around 4 hours each way), and I was rostered it as a 48 hour layover!

The flight left Dubai around 7am, so an early start, as we have to be in briefing 2 hours before departure. The flight was actually 2 sectors, first to Larnaca, and then on to Athens. We only had 1 passenger in first class on the way there, and he closed the doors to his suite and instructed us to let him sleep as much as possible – a very easy first sector!

After landing in Larnaca, most passengers got off, and after a quick job by the cleaners we were ready to board the next set of passengers. Only 38 in total – on the whole plane! As you can imagine that sector went by in a flash, and it’s only just over an hour to Athens.

We are usually 15 crew on the 777, and usually a pretty good mix of nationalities. However on this flight the Greeks were out in full force, and there were only 4 of us who didn’t speak Greek! Once we arrived into Athens, it was a fairly long drive to the hotel, but on the plus side we were staying in the city rather than by the airport.

After a quick nap a few of us (non-Greeks!) met up for some dinner. One of the crew had given us a huge list of all sorts of restaurants and bars to try out during the layover. We headed to one of them for some delicious dinner, and called it a night ready for some sightseeing the next day.

View Post

Athens Part II

So, as I promised – here is part two of my little getaway to Athens.

I left off at a lovely little trip up Mount Lycabettus, which has an incredible panoramic view over the city and out to the ocean.

And the ocean is where we were headed the next day. Mum & Dad had asked me to plan a little itinerary for our trip, and I wanted to include a trip to an island. Obviously the famous ones such as Santorini, Mykonos or Crete are too far away for a day trip, so we decided on something a bit closer.

But first – coffee! Upon recommendation from a Greek girl I’d flown with, we found a hotel called A for Athens, which has a gorgeous outdoor rooftop terrace. We sat outside in the sunshine, admiring the wonderful view of the Parthenon.

DSC_1525DSC_1547 View Post

Athens Part I

I don’t remember if I posted on here or not that I was going to Athens for a few days with my parents, however if you follow me on Instagram you will have seen lots of pictures from my lovely little getaway in the sunshine!

When Dad told me last month him and Mum were going to visit Greece for a few days, I jumped at the chance and bidded for 5 days off. It was my “top bid” month, so luckily I got the days off and promptly booked my flight.

On the morning of the flight it was all looking rather full and I didn’t think I was going to get on, but luckily someone didn’t show up at the last minute and I made it! I was meant to be meeting mum and dad at Athens airport but as their flight was cancelled they arrived a little later.

IMG_1824

Luckily our hotel had a gorgeous rooftop bar so I sat out in the sunshine enjoying an iced coffee.

Once Mum and Dad finally arrived the sun was setting, and we were all feeling rather hungry, so headed out to find something to eat.

IMG_1841 IMG_1842 View Post