Greece Mission Trip Day 1

August 11

Day 1

This little group of brothers and sisters have banded together to go serve with the Greater European Missions (GEM) on the Greek Island of Lesvos.  We will be working with the immigrants from many countries who have arrived in the European Union in hopes of finding asylum.  This is the story of our trip and our service.

The trip from Kansas City to Mytilene (the largest city on the island of Lesvos) was about 24 hours – not all of which was in the air.  We had a two-hour layover in Philadelphia and a 3-week layover in Athens or at least that is what it felt like.  The Athens airport was not bad, but the gate we were supposed to be at kept being changed.  It was a little like that scene from the old movie Airplane where the people were running through the airport trying to get to the gate which kept changing.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1fAA378ePY

Here is the gang grabbing a bite in the Athens Airport before we began trying to catch up with the gate changes.

We arrived in Mytilene on time which is a tiny airport with about 4 flights per day coming in and going to Athens.  Finding THE carousel for the luggage was not an issue since there was only one.  

The sign in the airport welcomed us with the promise of lickerish flavored booze (of which we did not partake, FYI).

We walked out of the airport and expected to see our Euro-relief host, Kim, with a sign welcoming us to Greece.  Alas, no sign and no Kim.

We put our heads together and found his phone number in an email and called him.  “Sorry, you are arriving tomorrow!”  “Uhh, no we are at the airport.”  About 35 minutes later he arrived and we piled into a taxi and his car and he drove us to our hotel in the small fishing village of Panagiouda. 

We were met by Elena of the Elena studio apartments.  We were shown to our rooms and they were comfortable beds and serviceable accommodations.  

We unpacked and then walked to the city center – which would imply that Panagiouda, where we are staying, is a city and has a center – neither is true.  It is a small town that the road runs through and the business line the road, which line the harbor which looks across the Aegean Sea to Turkey.  The four-block walk form Elena’s place to the city center is a pleasant stroll through a neighborhood that reminds me of my youth where families sat outside in the evening and chatted with their neighbors and the kids all ran in the streets and yards and hooped and hollered.  It is very nice.

Kitchen Bite Restaurant sitting by the Aegean Sea.

A few steps from our table was the little bay for boats both pleasure and fishing.

Across the bay is a stone jetty where the immigrants come to swim.

We ate at the Kitchen Bites Restaurants which is owned by the daughter of Elena our host.  The restaurant advertises its self as having “alternative food.” I am not sure what the normal food would be.  They serve burgers ranging from whopper sized to triple whopper sized (all in one patty), they have pizza, and a variety of chicken dishes including the Kitchen Bite Chicken.  I had the Kitchen Bite Chicken which is served with rice or French fries.  It is chicken breasts in a creamy sauce with mushrooms.

After dinner, as the sun was setting, we walked back to our apartment and John and I crashed and we were in bed by 9:00 PM.