We Visit Glyfada, The Scene of the Crime

Stamatis picked us up at 10:30 AM and we headed to Glyfada to see if the Hotel Rial, where fortune brought us together 44 years ago, was still there. At that time Stamatis, still in his teens, was the night clerk as he attended university during the day. My brother Michael and I shared a room and my parents shared another next to it. We were not far from the lobby. As Stamatis tells it, it was after mid night and he heard rather scuffling, loud laughter and giggling coming from our room. Worrying that it would disturb the other guests he came to our door and asked us nicely to quiet down. Simple as his request may have seemed to him there was a small but daunting problem. We had just flown to Greece from California and there was a 10-hour time difference. As far as our bodies were concerned, it was 12 noon not mid night. Stamatis ended up entertaining us for several nights until our sleep patterns synced up to our new time zone. My parents were very grateful and thought Stamatis was great. An uncommonly lasting friendship was born.

Today being Thursday meant that Stamatis could not drive through the city since in Athens the number on your license plate regulates which days you can drive in the city center. Actually, it worked out well because we had a very pretty drive around the city to Glyfada. When we got to Glyfada we took the King George Highway which is the road that ran in front of the Hotel Rial. He had not been back to look for it since he had stopped working there shortly after that. Since that time the two lane road had been widened and there were tall Eucalyptus trees in the median separating the outgoing and incoming lanes. We were on the outgoing side (heading away from Athens) and the hotel would be on the incoming side. Stamatis sensing he was close, needed to get to the other side. The problem appeared to be the “No U-turn” signs, but I’ve learned in Greece those are merely suggestions. We made the U-turn and went half a block, even after 44 years, I immediately recognized the hotel. Interestingly although it is still the Rial, it now serves a new purpose, Home for the Elderly. No wise cracks!

After experiencing our moment we visited a shopping plaza and where Stamatis treated us to café and then to a delicious lunch, of meatballs, fried potatoes and Greek salad, at the famous George’s Steak House.
I ate in this same restaurant, as boy the only difference was that it is much bigger and nicer now.

Following lunch Stamatis drove us back to our hotel. He was going on to Kimi. Phyllis and I walked up to a local mini mart and picked up a liter bottle of Coke Light and Liter bottle of Mineral water. We returned to hotel to chill, eat snacks and watch a movie. Tomorrow we intend to hit a museum or two and shop for the grand kids.