Rain holds off until we leave to catch the bus to the airport, but the stop is just across the street next to a building with a protective overhang and it’s only raining lightly despite the warnings. Advantage to leaving on a Sunday is that Chris is not about, indulging in faux bonhomie. Rather the Friend of the Hotel is doing a stint on the desk, presumably having read the news at the newsstand first and possibly acquired his own paper. His smile is genuine and his English doesn’t extend beyond a cheerful bye bye.
Nice woman at the Cyprus Airways check in does indeed mention that my carry on is a little too high - just so I know - but notes that it’s not full and compresses easily. Do look about and spot larger cabin luggage, but maybe these people were all charged extra. Maybe. The only time we actually saw this being done was a Ryan Air flight in Marrakesh. Not ours, next queue, but they were ruthless.
Only an hour and a half flight and the plane is no more than half full. Athens not just cool - it’s cold. As in 4 degrees. Actually a minor advantage when travelling as any item not being worn has to be packed somewhere. Always reminds me of Heidi, which my dad read me when I was four or five. When Heidi is first taken up the mountain to live with her grandfather she is obliged to wear two dresses and a warm shawl on a hot day. Well, today distinctly chilly, but we’re met by Dimitris who takes us to Joan’s Airport Apartment. It’s not exactly at the airport, but in the village of Artemida, immediately to the east of the airport as the crow flies and about 15 minutes as the car drives.
The flat is not exactly warm - although there is a heater - but the welcome certainly is. Joanna has left us more than enough food for the two breakfasts - fruit, sandwiches, biscuits, two kinds of homemade jam. And no need to wait until breakfast - there are two small carafes of homemade wine which proves, surprisingly, quite drinkable and happily not sweet at all.
And the election? A run off as expected. Though not quite as expected. Retiring President Anastasiades’ (DISY party - right wing) preferred candidate ran third, leaving independent Christodoulides (former foreign minister, ejected by DISY when he decided to run for president) in first place. In second place and therefore in next Sunday’s runoff is Mavroyiannis, an independent with backing from AKEL, the communist party (but think democratic socialist and not old USSR). Politics taken seriously in Cyprus, though oddly, despite voting being compulsory, only 72% turnout. First place candidate just over 30 percent of the vote and second place just under.