Like significant dates of generations past, September 11 will always be a day to remember. As my parents will describe how they knew what they were doing when JFK was shot and when the space shuttle exploded, I will always remember what I was doing September 11, 2001.
I was vacationing in Greece with three girlfriends. After 9 days our trip had come to an end and we were in Athens after island hopping (Mykonos and Santorini) getting ready for our flight on Sept. 12.
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| At the airport on our way to the islands |
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| Out on the town, having a great time |
In all honesty it is kind of a blur. I remember one man in a van we were riding in trying to tell us that a plane crashed in Florida. I remember thinking “wow that is sad, but not really national news.” And then another man said all the airports in the U.S. had been closed, which got my attention. When we got to our hotel lobby a British man said, “Your country is under attack, you should go turn on the news.” We went to our hotel room and turned on the TV. The twin towers were smoking from the plane hitting it and there was still confusion about what happened and whether it had been one plane or two. Then, about less than five minutes after we had turned on the TV the towers came crashing down and my heart sank. At the time I didn’t know that people had time to evacuate; in my head I was thinking the plane hit and then a few minutes later the towers crashed down (I was thankful to later find out that people had some time to evacuate and while it was a tragedy it certainly could’ve been much worse). It was surreal and I didn’t really understand the magnitude of what was happening. And it was not clear whether it was an accident or what. Then as it unfolded and the plane in Pennsylvania crashed it became clear that it was indeed terrorism. For a fleeting moment I was a little relieved to be out of the country at the time as they didn’t know what other cities might be attacked. I was, however, very worried about my family/friends and I was worried about if/when I was ever going to get to go home. While we were taking it all in, our hotel phone rang and it was Tom (my then friend and now husband) calling to see if we had heard the news and to see if we were okay and when we’d be coming back. It was sweet. Our parents and everyone said they had tried to reach us but somehow Tom was the only one who got through. He said everyone in Minneapolis had been sent home from work and they were going biking because it was a nice day and they wanted to step away from the TV for a bit.
As it was all sinking in, I was just ready to go home. After leaving the U.S. on Sept. 2, all my clothes were dirty, we had explored everything we came to see, I had exceeded my budget, I didn’t care for Athens, and the trip was just ready to be done. While we had an absolute blast, traveling with three other women for almost two weeks is plenty. It was time to get back to my own space, my own schedule, etc…..
We were optimistic and checked out of our nice hotel on Sept. 12 and headed to the airport. This was not smart. We got to the airport and there were lines everywhere. We were told that no one with a U.S. destination could fly and once they were able to then they would go in order of days; meaning people with Sept. 11 tickets would be booked before Sept. 12 and so forth. It was chaotic because people in airports around the world had been grounded and that was a lot of people to coordinate.
We tried (okay, I begged) to at least get out of Athens and fly to Amsterdam, where one of the ladies I was traveling with had access to a company apartment and it was a Northwest Airlines hub so we thought we’d have better odds. We pleaded to go anywhere (London, Paris, Rome, etc...), just hoping to get a little closer to home and to get a change of scenery. No luck. Anyone with a U.S. destination was grounded.
I was so done with Greece and really wished we could’ve gotten out of there. It would’ve been better if we had been stuck on Santorini; much better actually. I loved that island but Athens was frustrating me, the people were rude and it was dirty.
We tried to get back into our nice hotel but it was sold out. The only hotel we could find was 30 minutes outside of the city near the water. It was a total tourist trap, with the buses lined up outside as proof. I also remember it catering to the older (60+) crowd. Complete with buffets and the evening dance by the pool. It was like a Holiday Inn.
I was not happy at this point, but tried to I take it in stride. We had to pay to stay longer in Athens, we didn’t know when we would get home, and to be honest I didn’t feel that much compassion from the Greeks. To the point that I felt like there might be some hostile ones. Of course I’m thinking mainly of one guy I saw on the beach the next day who gave me the evil eye and looked mean and scary. I actually convinced myself he could potentially be a terrorist. I too was on high alert.
As a group we decided it wasn’t important for us to fly home together and that we should just take what we could get via whatever connections would work. Myself and one other gal got booked out of Athens through London and then Detroit then to Minneapolis. The lady explained that we would have to stay overnight in Detroit. Well, that was music to my ears. My Mom lived about 75 minutes outside of Detroit and I really wanted to see her and hug her. So she picked us up and we went out for Mexican food (nice break from the Greek food) and then stayed at her house for the night and she brought us back to the airport the next day.
Thinking back, I remember when I FINALLY boarded the long flight from London to Detroit the last guy to get on the place was a Muslim in his turban and all. I had noticed him in the lobby and he just made me nervous. I couldn’t relax on the plane. He was in the very last row and kept checking his watch and looking in his little black book. It was really freaking me out. I didn’t want to be prejudice, but 9/11 really opened my eyes to terrorism and the idea that there are people that really hate Americans and will take their own life to support their cause and kill others. That was a very scary realization. Again, I was on high alert. As I type this I also remember a moment at the airport in Amsterdam. They came on the speakers and requested one minute of silence for those that lost their lives in 9/11. I couldn’t believe it. The whole airport went mute. Seriously, I could’ve heard a pin drop. Do you know how hard it is to quiet and entire airport with mobs of people and kids and equipment It was amazing and a moment I will never forget. I felt the warmth of that room and felt united at a nation at that point.
I finally got home on Sept. 16.
Boy how times have changed since that day. Traveling will never be the same and people will never be the same. While I don’t live in fear, I definitely am aware of the threats out there and am appreciative of our country and the people fighting to protect us and our freedom. My heart sincerely goes out to those families that lost loved ones (both in 9/11 and in the military); I can’t imagine the pain and sorrow. I also know there were a lot of heroes that day and am thankful for that. I’m also thankful and grateful for the military and their determination to hunt down the terrorists and bring them to justice. While I don’t wish anyone dead, I was happy to hear that Saddam Hussein had been eliminated.
If there was a lesson to be learned from all this, I think as in the name of our country we need to remain UNITED.
God bless the United States of America and all of its citizens.
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