Home Sweet Home

At last! Back in Philly!

It's been a while, so let me take things from the beginning: We left Bulgaria on June 29th. Mom found a taxi driver to take us to Thessaloniki airport for only 120 euro - a great deal compared to any other choice. From the airport, we took a rental car and arrived in Pyrgadikia before 9pm.



We spent 3 weeks in Pyrgadikia. For the most part it was very relaxing, except for the things that mom had to take care of, or tried to take care of, anyway. Such as the sewer. Most buildings in the small villages of Halkidiki have sewer tanks, which need emptying by a special truck. The sewer on our building happened to be in an inconvenient location, so the truck driver kept asking for a special installation. After several warnings and no action, the truck driver simply refused to come. Being summer, of course, most residents came to enjoy their summer studios, so the sewer started filling up quickly.

Mom went around asking people to have a meet to discuss the issue and make arrangements for the installation, but to no avail. That's the famous Greek dissonance for you. Some people wanted to sue the contractor who built the sewer, others had various objections as to the solutions proposed, meanwhile, everyone kept using the restroom in spite of any objections so naturally, the sewer overflowed. Sewage coming down the staircase, for quite a few hot summer days. Not a pretty sight, or smell.

At last, mom gave up trying to get the residents organized, put cotton in her nostrils, and dreamed of our return to Philadelphia and to our wonderful neighbors. Meanwhile, I enjoyed my many-a-day swims, long walks, and huge bones. Little did I know about what was ahead of me. On June 22nd we went to Thessaloniki where mom took care of some last minute business before the big trip. We stayed at Maria's for 2,5 days. It was really uncomfortable because Maria doesn't like dogs in her apartment and I was confined to a small corner between the couch and the balcony and was scolded every time I moved. Not fun. Mom felt very uncomfortable too but we had no choice.

On Friday, June 24th we went to the airport at 3am. We almost missed our flight, because mom's ticket printout was very confusing and she mistook the arrival time for the departure time. Fortunately, this being Greece, check-in was open till half an hour before boarding so we're good.

Surprisingly I took the trip like a gentleman, nothing like going there. It was long, of course, and mom again was not allowed to see me in Zurich, but the airport staff both at Thessaloniki airport and Zurich were very nice to me. In Zurich I was taken out and given water, even. At JFK I was taken out of the plane first, so when mom came to the baggage claim I was already there waiting for her. When I saw her I was desperate and wanted to come out of the crate, but unfortunately we had to go through customs control first.

In her customs' form, mom had checked the box "I'm bringing animals/food/plants". The customs officer asked what kind of food she's bringing. GASP! I thought that was the end of me, after 14 hours in the crate I was going to become food. Fortunately, that didn't happen, and we passed through customs control without any problems. At the exit, Kostas picked us up and drove us to Philadelphia. The car trip was slightly better than the airplane, but equally tiresome, because mom spent the entire 3 hours ranting to Kostas about the Balkans so I didn't manage to get any sleep.

Before going home, Kostas made a stop at his place, where I saw Molly again. She was her usual flirty self, however, she didn't even recognize mom! Mom was slightly hurt but glad that Molly was obviously so happy at her new home that didn't even remember mom. Kostas' family really loves Molly, too, and asked for special arrangements. I told mom it works for me because as hot as Molly is, I do prefer being an only child and having mom all to myself. Besides, having Molly around drove my testosterone up the wall and I became aggressive towards other male dogs that I considered competition. Who wants such trouble? I'm better off having play-dates with her. Last Saturday, for example, the four of us, mom, Maria K., Molly and I went hiking in Fairmount Park. We went to the dog creek and swam, and it was a blast, even though I was so sore from running after and trying to hump Molly for two hours that I couldn't lift my hind legs for days. Still, it's much better like that. Why get married when you can date with no strings attached? ;-)

Speaking of NSA relationships, I was thrilled to see that West Philly has even more dogs now that before we left! When I first got out of the car I thought my poor nose would come off my snout from all the smells. I was thrilled to see my beloved "bowl" park again, my beloved back yard, porch, and so many other things. West Philly ROCKS!

I am now debating whether I should continue blogging here. The original purpose of this blog was to send news back to Philly but now that I'm in Philly what should I do? How about a poll, people? Are you for or against the incontinent dog's blogging?