The Saddest Day of the Year: Leaving Greece
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Always the hardest day of the year—leaving Greece after another amazing summer.
This year, it was slightly easier because I started the day watching the Timbers crush their opponents 4-0, though that morning was a little chaotic because I was trying to pack my suitcase at the same time.
Every time I heard the crowd roar in my headphones, I’d snap my head to my iPad screen to see what was happening. Multitasking at its finest—but what a way to start the day!
On the way to the airport, I treated myself to my favorite packaged ice cream: the Magic almond ice cream cone. Honestly, lowkey the best breakfast ever.
The weather was sunny as we droveand returning the rental car was a first for me—I’ve always returned cars either at the airport or in the city center.
This time, we had to drop it off at an off-site location and then take a shuttle about 15 minutes to the terminal. It was smooth, though, and gave me a little extra time to soak in the last glimpses of Greece.
Check-in went fine, and customs was the usual long line. Funny side note: my mom had TSA PreCheck, but something held up her line, so my uncle and I actually got through faster in the regular queue. Airports are not always the most well-oiled machines.
Once through, we wandered through the duty-free shops until we reached the main international terminal.
I grabbed my usual café order: a freddo cappuccino, a sports drink, a water bottle (not the most eco-friendly, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do), and a snack. Almost left my phone, passport, and boarding pass on the cafe’s counter—classic travel moment—but luckily, I ran back to the counter, and they were right there where I left them.
Boarding the flight was bittersweet. Travel days are always fun for me, even when leaving somewhere I love. I lucked out with no one in the middle seat, and the lady in the aisle seat was really nice.
The flight meals were the same as my flight to Greece: bolognese lasagna for dinner and a pizza-pocket-style lunch. Not gourmet, but satisfying enough.
I used my inflatable footrest at half capacity since I wasn’t in the bulkhead seat, and it made a huge difference for comfort. I got some rest, woke up to lunch, and then soon we were landing in New Jersey.
A thunderstorm rolled in just as we landed, grounding all operations. Our bags were stuck on the plane, so we waited at a bagless baggage claim for over an hour.
Not too bad, though—cute babies and puppies entertained us, and I passed the time reading on my Kindle.
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After retrieving and re-checking our luggage, my mom and uncle headed to the lounge (thanks to my mom’s membership), and I went to Starbucks. The barista wrote a sweet little message on my cup: a simple “thank you! :)”—a tiny moment that made me smile.
Later, when it was time to board our next flight, I was still hungry, so I grabbed a bagel from a nearby shop before boarding the next flight. I ate, listened to music, and eventually drifted off to sleep until landing in PDX.
Looking back on the day, the hardest moment was, of course, saying goodbye to Greece.
My last real moment there was sitting on the balcony of our apartment rental, drinking a beer and staring at the lit-up Parthenon. No matter how many times I see it, it never ceases to amaze me.
Greece isn’t just a place I visit—it’s home, and I’m already counting down the days until I can return.
