May 29, 2014
Munich - Athens
Wake up came about an hour before landing at Franz Josef Strauss International Airport in Munich, Germany. It was 5 pm their time. We made it through immigration, checked the gate number for our flight to Athens, and headed to look for the Dallmayr restaurant. Dallmayr has over 300 years of history dating back to 1700 making it one of the oldest food companies in Europe. We stopped here during our flight from the Republic of Georgia to Budapest, Hungary back in September 2011. The memory of the fresh weisswurst (veal & pork bratwurst), cold Hof Brau Munchen beer, and amazing pretzels from that stop was drawing us. We had just under two hours, so we sat and to have a repeat experience. The weisswurst at Dallmayr are truly heavenly. The beer always the perfect accompaniment, as well as the grainy, slightly sweet whole seed mustard and the freshly made pretzel which rounded out the snack was again amazing. This meal is definitely one of my favorite things!
Here is a link to the Dallmayr website - www.dallmayr.com
After the delicious Bavarian treat, we began to make our way to the gate for our flight to Athens. We passed by the take out counter of Dallmayr. The area had a total remodel since our last visit in September 2011. Dallmayr used to have a market of goods next to the restaurant. I guess passenger traffic didn't provide enough sales to keep it going. The renovated take out counter was packed with pre-made plates covered in plastic wrap. "Grab and Go" very nicely done!
Leaving Dallmayr and continuing on through the terminal had no loss of visuals especially of those things German. The highlight was the display of the new BMW i8 the new plug in hybrid. There were many oohs and aahs around this beauty.
The call for boarding came at 7 pm, and we made our way onto the Airbus A320 for our 2 hr 25 minute flight to Athens. As is typical in late spring and summer in Germany, a bit of rain was falling.
Compared to the long 10 1/2 hr flight from SFO, this flight went by like the blink of an eye and we found ourselves safe on the ground in Athens at 10:30 pm Athens time, which is an hour later than in Munich.
We collected our luggage, passed through the customs area, which was completely void of any agents, and were greeted by George Athanas who was one of our hosts in Greece, . The move to the hotel was one of the shortest possible. We went out of the hotel entrance, down a short walkway, across the street, and up the walk to the Sofitel Hotel at Athens International Airport.
Here is a link to the Sofitel Hotel website - www.sofitelathens
We checked in, dropped our bags off in our rooms, and then met George in the lounge for a brief chat and an Ouzo nightcap. Ouzo, for those who aren't familiar, is a strong anise flavored aperitif that is widely seen across Greece. Ouzo is a clear liquid, but when water or ice is added, ouzo turns a milky-white color. The best ouzo is said to come from the Greek island of Lesvos. I like anise and licorice flavored things, so the night cap was very much enjoyed.
