Epiphany in Athens: From Closed Shops to Surprises in Our Airbnb
We don’t realize today is a day of significance here until we wander out after breakfast to pick up groceries and notice how many of the shops are closed. It is a Friday, so the closures are confusing. In fact, Kevin is unable to return his work laptop to Apple today—his last day at the company—because the DHL office is closed, which we think is odd. Our closest supermarket had its doors closed earlier in the week, despite the crowd of people who stood or squatted outside in vain for it to open, so while we were surprised, we are learning that perhaps unpredictable hours here are the norm. A quick Google search reminds us that today is Epiphany, and the Greek Orthodox church celebrates it as Christmas, which is a national holiday. So back to our Airbnb we go.
We are pretty happy with our apartment rental in Athens, Greece. The shower isn’t too small, the bed doesn’t sink in the center, the pillows aren’t too flat, and we have plenty of sunshine streaming through the windows. But it is damp. And that’s a drawback because our towels are never dry. We can deal with that, but knowing we have to do weekly laundry here and having clothes not dry well or at all is a concern. Our drying rack is minuscule and we jettisoned our clothesline when we were in the US at Christmas.
We opt to do smaller loads before we need everything clean so we have something to wear if drying takes multiple days. I notice that the washing machine is running for a very long time and it gives me angst because we had a similar situation in California, but we were on a deadline. Kevin reassures me that we have plenty of time here and there is no need for angst. When the chime finally rings, I head over to the bathroom to retrieve our wet items from the washing machine. To my utter delight, I shriek with joy because the clothes aren't damp at all. In fact, the washer doubles as a dryer!
Kevin and I dance around the kitchen as though we have won the lottery, which in some way we have. It’s little, unexpected surprises like this that make us so happy we are on this adventure together!
