Being Premier Gold members of United Airlines and Star Alliance, Marc and I get to stay in executive lounges every time we have time to spare and do not want to wait in the waiting areas in airports all over the world.

To date, my favorites are the ones in Tokyo, Singapore, Frankfurt, and Beijing. Not only are the food they serve in these places delicious and plentiful, the lounges themselves are posh and upscale. They sure are places travelers would want to linger in.

Athens was no different. That morning we arrived, there was nobody in the lounge. A few others began to arrive, but for the most part, we had the place to ourselves. Food consisted mostly of breads and sweets. There was Baklava, a big favorite of mine. But, I already had around four pieces for breakfast at the hotel that morning and I couldn't eat anymore sweets.

What I can say about lounges is that they are truly pleasant places to be in, far from the maddening crowd of airports at times. They are quiet and good rest places.