July 21, 2012
When I finally landed in Athens early Friday afternoon I was very, very tired. I had worked a full day on Thursday and traveled all through the night and the morning to arrive in Athens. I have never been good at sleeping for any length of time on an airplane, except during my brief period of traveling International First Class, and those days were far behind me. So, with perhaps an hour sleep in the last 24 hours, I arrived at the Hotel Sofitel at the Athens airport. A great feature of this hotel is it is literally right across the street from the terminal. I walked out the front doors of the airport, crossed four lanes of traffic and was on the steps of the hotel. I couldn’t have asked for an easier ‘commute.’ After checking in I planned to work for a short time, catch up on email and Facebook, and then head to the hotel restaurant for a relatively early dinner followed by what I knew would be a very deep sleep.
The hotel buffet was not fully set up in the dining room when I arrived at 6pm, as that is far too early an hour for most Europeans to eat. However, they invited me in to sample the antipasti and salad bars, and the waiter informed me that the main dishes would be set out in about a half an hour. I grazed slowly and watched the weary travelers begin to straggle into the restaurant, mostly like me having just gotten off of international flights. Despite the early hour the head waiter, Kosmos, gave me great attention, ensuring I knew when the main buffet had opened. I ordered a glass of wine and we began to talk. Although of Greek ancestry, he was born and raised in Canada and had only come to Greece two years ago to explore his roots. He ended up meeting a lovely Greek girl and now called Greece home. As we interacted and I watched him serve the restaurant I assessed that he provided exactly the kind of attentive, quality service that Celebrity strives to offer to our guests. For example, when I went up to the buffet the mixed grill items were not quite ready. Five minutes later Kosmos came to my table with a heaping plate of grilled meats and seafood so that I wouldn’t have to be bothered with a second trip to the line. He also brought me a bowl of soup. I had bypassed the soup when I visited the first courses but he was convinced I would like it so he brought me a bowl, “just to try.”
As the meal progressed I heard one table speaking in far more animated tones than I expected from tired travelers. Two young American women were recounting their vacation memories at a table nearby. They were also apparently listening to the conversation Kosmos and I were having. When they heard I worked on a cruise ship they soon politely interjected themselves into the conversation. In virtually no time I had them sharing their stories. Michelle and Carmella were college friends who had continued their friendship through their first several years in the workforce. Annually, they took vacations together and were just finishing up their Grecian holiday. As we talked I asked them what they did for a living and soon realized that their careers were not a perfect alignment for them. So, I continued by asking them what their dream jobs would be. Speaking as one who had worked in many roles in my life and who was now living the unexpected life of a cruise ship employee, I encouraged them to hold tightly onto their dreams and be bold enough to take the steps to drive them forward. I used Kosmos as an example of someone who had reinvented himself with great results. During this animated conversation, Kosmos had anticipated my every need, bringing me coffee and an assortment of sweets from the dessert table.
As tired as I was, I couldn’t resist playing the role of catalyst for dreamers. I think this is just part of my DNA, and even though my eyes were heavy I stayed in the conversation far past my intended bedtime. However, the carriage finally began its transformation back into a pumpkin and I excused myself for my much needed sleep. Tomorrow would be a big day as I would walk up the gangway of Silhouette for the first time in almost two months, and I needed to be fresh for day ahead.
And the adventure continues . . .
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