Headed out

Leaving on a jet prop plane.....

Tomorrow we are headed to Athens for a wedding.  We are flying.  This is no small statement.  I am flying is a very small statement.  We are flying (meaning Christos and myself) is of mammoth proportions.  Christos hates to fly.  I mean really, really hates it, in a way that I cannot actually understand, relate to, or empathize with as well as I wish I could (for his sake).

This is us on the last leg of our looong airplane journey back to Greece from the States in January.  As you can see, he handled it all beautifully.  In fact, based on our appearances, he held up A LOT better than I did!

He had to fly occasionally when he was in the army (military service is mandatory for all males in Greece) and was not afraid at all. The fear developed later, and he's not really sure how (although the absolutely absurd amount of airplane crash documentaries they play on the Greek stations could play a part in all that.)  


We made two round-trips to Athens last fall to go to the US embassy to attempt to get Christos a visa to visit the US.  We took the bus 3 legs (a 12 hour ordeal, which gets on and off a ferry, but is surprisingly not near as bad as it sounds) and flew one leg (I found the flight for one euro and had to take it.  And, I thought that Christos could use the practice for when we actually made the trip to the States).
At the Athens bus station gearing up for the 12 hour journey home to Corfu.  How handsome is he?                                                                                   

 

   Here are a few pictures of our time(s) in Athens last fall: 

                                Can you believe he had never been to the Acropolis????

                     Notice the wardrobe change....it went from summer to fall between our trips.

 

        (Has anybody seen this building on the news lately??  This is in front of the Greek Parliament, where a lot of the problems have been happening lately.)


We had a hard time getting Christos a visa.  At that time, we were engaged and not yet married, and the fear is that people in that situation will try to get around the system by marrying once in the States and staying.  I knew all of this, but we chose to be honest about our relationship.  He did not get the visa.  A trans-Atlantic drama ensued, full of tears, letters to Congress, phonecalls/emails/letters on our behalf, prayers, and paper-gathering.  Our family and friends really rallied around our cause, contacting basically one quarter of the US government by the time it was all said and done, and our second trip to the embassy was successful.  We made it to Alabama in November (better late than never) and stayed until the end of January (more stories from that another day).

After all that, as of April 2010 Greeks no longer need visas to visit the US.  Ha!  Although the process to obtain his visa was long, frustrating, time consuming, and tearful, to be honest, I am happy it all happened that way.  For one thing, Christos and I got away for two fun little trips to Athens. We were surprisingly able to put aside whatever happened at the embassy and enjoy our time together there.  Second, by the time it was all over, Christos was so intent on getting that visa and making it to the States that the original major obstacle in getting there (aka flying) took a backseat, and he just wanted to go.  Third, it was very encouraging to see so many people rally on our behalf, and it was rewarding to see us and our prayers actually make it all happen. 

So, this is our first wedding to attend as a married couple, and I am really looking forward to it.  If you have never been to a Greek wedding, you should have come to ours, you should really jump at the opportunity if you ever get one.  They are quite the celebration.  But, to be fair, I will give you a small warning.  Be aware they last all night.  All all night. 

Oh, and they can make you absolutely sick with the amount of food they serve. Don't be fooled, just because it looks like a main course does not mean it actually is the main course.   







Also, I love weddings because chances are Christos will do this.........

 

                       
                             .....and I love it when he does that!


So, we are headed out bright and early!  Say a quick prayer for safe travel and calm nerves!

Haley

***For those of you watching the news and concerned about the situation in Athens, do not worry.  We are actually not going into the actual city.  The wedding is in a suburb in the opposite direction from the airport in relation to downtown.  We will spend all our time in the burbs.

*Oh, and sometimes the planes are prop and other times they are not, but they do tend to be of the puddle-jumper commuter variety.