"Nothing, nothing" (Cyprus to Greece)

Tom:

After a relaxing night full of cards, writing, and comfortable cuddling, we wake up early to prepare for our trip to Athens!

We gather our things and walk up to the coffee shop to say our goodbyes (and for one last delicious drink). We arrive to the regulars quietly chirping and sipping from their tiny mugs. Our host serves us the usual (strong coffee and a tall glass of water), and without hesitation, one of the gents picks up our tab. Our host then presents us with two small mugs to take home as souvenirs. We are blown away by their generosity. After saying thank you several times (Ef̱charistó̱!), she smiles kindly and says, “nothing, nothing,” in her thick accent. Then, she quietly scuttles out of the store, leaving Meg and I to chitchat with her husband (the Priest). Lost in our thoughts and smiles, we are barely aware that she returns – after a few minutes, I look up and notice that she has something in her hand: A wedding card.

We are beyond touched by her gesture, and stand to give her hugs – Meg starts to tear up, surprise, surprise. She insists that we get a picture together.

Our hearts and spirits filled to the brim, we finally begin to walk down to our car. But before we even take a step, our host exclaims, “Wait!” She runs back into her shop and produces a THIRD mug and a bag of authentic, freshly ground Cyprus coffee. She tells us that we can share a coffee with her daughter (she lives in Prague), and gives us her cell phone number. After more hugs and goodbyes, we make the short descent to our car. We shut our doors and look at each other feeling the same way: What a perfect place.

In our little-red-stick-shift-death-box, we snake our way back down to the airport in Larnaka. Luckily, we have enough time to stop for some drippy and delicious pita sandwiches – bingo bango, see ya Cyprus!

After catching up on some grammar homework while sitting on a cold marble floor for a few hours, we are boarding our flight – in the blink of an eye, we are touching down in our next honeymoon destination: Athens!

Passports stamped, bags collected, we are excited to find our next honeymoon crash pad! We check some maps and ask some locals for directions to get acclimated, and settle in on the metro. After hauling our bags up and down staircases on very little sleep, I welcome the chance for a body-break. My first observation, after decompressing, is how clean, spacious, and well maintained the train is. Having lived in Chicago for a couple years, I am accustomed to the cramped, dingy feeling el. The metro in Athens is quite the contrary. It feels pristine and safe, and is equipped with wide seats and spacious luggage racks (which we desperately needed).

After about ten stops and a couple of jovial conversations with a Bostonian and French-Canadian who are in town for the marathon (I would love to explain, but the post is already getting lengthy), we waddle off at our station: Syntagma.

Cool summer air hits us as we get our first glimpse of Greece. The streets are still alive with color and noise. Grecians and tourists sashay about the square, smoking and swigging coffee. Taxi drivers are mulling about, attempting to coax customers into their pristine cars that are lined up on the street opposite. We spot a tall, bearded (so I already like him) Greek driver who promptly stuffs our luggage into the trunk and zooms to the address we provide. When we arrive, Mike the taxi driver helps us unload, and says, “I wait,” to make sure we get inside safely. When we ring the bell and nobody answers, Mike uses his cell to contact the owner and arranges to have him come down and meet us. We thank him profusely, throw him a couple extra Euro, and he responds in the same fashion as our host from Cyprus: “Nothing, nothing!”

In closing, I want to acknowledge the immense kindness of those we have come into contact with thus far. We are astonished by their generosity, thoughtfulness, and compassion. When our journey began, I will admit that I found the concept of going to a foreign country a little unnerving – mainly because going to a foreign country is, well, foreign. I was used to my setting, my way of life, and the people surrounding me.

After a few short days, I have realized how special this trip is (I attribute a large portion of that to my wife, of course). But the aspects that were unknown have made such a significant impact. The people have made me feel safe, comfortable, and loved in their world. Asking for nothing in return, they offer help without question, love without concern. I would like to thank these people for not making me feel like an American, Middle Easterner, or European – I would like to thank them for making me feel like part of their world.