Well, sunlight, no humidity, beautiful nights and temperatures, and no time for watching bs on TV. My neighborhood has turned quite multicultural, I even saw a Chinese family going to the supermarket. Multiple third worlders from shithole countries around, but it is peaceful, they’re trying to make new lives and get ahead. The Pakistani kid, the hairdresser, recognized me from last year, said hello, etc….
No guns, no robberies, no assaults, no crazies, no watching behind your back, no shit. Period.
I had an traditional amazing dinner in the northern suburbs, in the greenery, in a beautiful yard, with some wind though, I can’t describe to non Greeks some of the stuff we ate, except one known in the US as escargot i.e. snails in an amazing red sauce. You use toothpicks to fish them out and slurp them. We almost used a half a loaf of bread scooping up the sauce. Dinner for $38.
Anyway, Delta has great new planes, excellent service and food. Getting over Athens got bumpy for while, pilot said there is some winds blowing, landing will be bumpy, it wasn’t on approach but right before we touched down with a head wind I noticed from my window I could see no runway just grass, and at that time, a few feet from touchdown, the engines roared and we took off again. Made a substantial go around and second time was normal. First time, it looks like the wind pushed the plane off the runway as it was to touch ground. But, 3 or 4 people around us made good use of the “paper bags” provided with every seat on planes for ….appropriate use. Personally, I didn’t even see much difference from any other flights on approach, except for a single drop earlier as we went over the mountain on the north side of Athens, then it was as usual, even quiet, but I guess that initial drop got them people “energized”. 
One of them turned green……he used two or 3 … bags. His wife and two kids, one an infant were fine……..
Looking forward to hanging out home, greek yogurt, bread, wine, friends and family, my cousin works at the airport and took us ahead of the huge line at customs in just minutes or we’d be there for an hour or more. He made fun of me wearing a mask and I told him to f off. 
Go Joe!
Here’s a sampling of traditional greek food and taverns of old, which was standard growing up in Athens. It’s in Greek, but the pictures tell the story…..
http://www.kathimerini.gr/k/gastronomos/563056672/trome-se-9-athinaikes-ayles-stromenes-me-chalikaki/
| 
