Spirit of Games evident early on
It started on the way to check in at the airport.
“Our flight to Athens is this way,” said the South African man with his wife and children. He must have seen me studying a map of Athens in the bus from the city center. Surprised by a stranger talking to me, I followed behind the man, his wife and teenage daughter, hoping that he wasn’t leading me, and my two heavy suitcases, down the wrong hallway.
As we spoke in line about our reasons for going – his for a family vacation in a country where he spent many years studying, mine for an unparalleled professional experience – other Americans, Europeans and Africans joined in our conversation, unembarrassed by their eavesdropping.
Olympic spirit
“Do you think anyone there will speak English?” asked one American woman in the middle of the line to no one in particular.
“I think it will be surprising if anyone there doesn’t speak English,” answered a fellow American standing near the counter.
And so began, in the Vienna airport, still thousands of miles away from Athens, a not-often-found openness and friendliness that seems to characterize the few weeks every other year when hundreds of thousands of athletes, coaches, journalists and tourists converge on one city.
Even in the usually silent waiting room, groups of people gathered – four in one corner, seven in another, 12 in the middle – laughing, introducing themselves, explaining what each one is doing at the Games, nearly drowning out the boarding announcement. And when the barely audible voice over the speaker asked everyone to queue up, the passengers jumped to their feet almost in unison. None of the usual dawdling, waiting for others to board first.
On the plane, snippets of conversation could be heard from each row.
“When I was in Barcelona in ’92…”
“My father-in-law suggested we stay at this small hotel by the…”
“I don’t think this can compare to Sydney…”
Until it was time to say goodbye to newly made friends.
Business cards exchanged hands. Hotel addresses were read aloud. And then at baggage claim, the passengers from Flight 160 from Vienna to Athens said goodbye and headed outside, wondering what was in store in the weeks ahead.
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