“Travels to a Different Time” : 13September2022: Mr. Handicapped in Nightmare Alley: Thessaloniki and Athens, Greece

The ankle has worsened. Fotini went down for breakfast. I have not eaten in two days. Packed up and limped to the waiting car to Thessaloniki Airport. Again on the wheelchair all the way into the plane. Me and a 90-year-old grandmother hoisted on the plane. Very dispiriting. A smooth 45-minute flight to Athens on Aegean Air. Wheeled around in a wheelchair in Athens Airport. How bad can this get! Our car pick-up was not there so Fotini had to make a few calls. What a ride once we arrived at city centre. Once you are off the main streets tiny winding streets. What a nightmare for parking! Renovated low rise hotel full of young travelers. Matchbox size room with a huge shower stall but a funky smell in the bathroom. Only one chair and nowhere to sit. Really thin towels. I limped to the corner for some baguette sandwiches and to a snooty and overpriced wine store. Watched more of the royal death watch crap on TV, had a shower and went to bed. Suffering badly I just want to go home. I feel like I am living in Nightmare Alley. When I return home I will relentlessly push to get a firm answer about this ankle situation. You have to assert yourself in this falling apart Canadian medical system.