Mediterranean Cruise on Celebrity Constellation (Autumn 2017): Day 1

Tuesday, 31 October 2017

Day 1 - The Latest Adventure Begins

We set off on our first day - up at 4am and away by 5.15am then lots of 50mph road works areas and a 40-minute delay on the M1 as two 'white vans' had shunted into the back of a small saloon car in the outside lane. There were also lots of short delays due to the sheer volume of traffic here and there and we were reminded that motrways are double-edged with both benefits and drawbacks.

We arrived at Purple Parking about an hour and 20 minutes after we'd planned to as the satnav and Purple Parking didn't seem to see eye to eye as to where they were situated!

There were long queues to check-in at Terminal 5 - pretty disgusting by BA as very few of the many check-in desks were open and it is their exclusive terminal building to use after all! At check-in we were told that the flight would be slightly delayed and ours on the departure board did seem to be the only one shown to be delayed!

We got through security OK - Graeme got thorougly frisked and his shoes wet-wiped for explosives - he was told he was a random selection! Then we go to the gate. Boarding was smooth. We were almost at the back of the plane, but we were together and off we took!

The flight was without incident. There seemed to be many business people on board and no children in sight so it was all very civilised. The Austrian Alps looked beautiful in the autumn sunshine and then it was across the Balkans to Athens.

We took the airport bus from the airport to near our hotel in Piraeus. The journey was around 75 minutes and my seniors ticket was €3 and the standard fare was €6, so quite a bargain. As we were getting into the town, we passed a big football stadium, only to see that it's where Olympiakos are based. As we got off in Piraeus I realised that the hotel had tried to get me on my mobile to check on our progress. I phoned back and a charming woman on reception aid she would send George round in their minibus to fetch us. He was soon with us and insisted on putting our cases into the minibus and then taking them to reception and onwards to our room on the 3rd floor.

Getting checked in at the hotel was painless and everyone was so friendly. The hotel gets rave write-up on Tripadvisor and it's all true. It's a hidden gem with spotless everything and even Hansgrhe massage shower heads and bathroom fittings and we had a quiet room with balcony and all for around £74 for two for the night. Our room was very compact but enough for us for an overnight stop. Some basic unpacking followed and so to bed.

Elizabeth finds the Harrods shop. No surprise there, then, but she did say that the other Harrods shop (there are indeed two of them in Terminal 5) was too posh and she only wanted to go in this one!