I'm On The Pump Now

Wednesday October 21, 1992

We are back at Kaiser Sunset at 10 a.m. I slept well. Dr. Semrad shows us the pump and how it works. It's much larger than I thought, about the size of a hardbound book, but thicker. It's heavy, 3-4 pounds. We talk. Yes, I will probably lose my hair, at least 50%, soon. I'd better shop for a wig soon. I hate them. They are hot and uncomfortable. Will probably only wear it out. I'm sad. I thought there were no side effects. Dr. Semrad says they're having much success with the pump.

More confusion. The nurse that is to instruct us on the catheter and bandage care is not available until 12:30-1 p.m. So we wait. She comes. It's so complicated and confusing. I'm glad Frank is there to help me remember. She also gives us instructions. I don't feel well. We go right home. I have some soup. I'm on the pump now.

For the most part up until now, I sense that Mom is blissfully in denial about the severity of her cancer. She has not had to curtail many activities and had few side effects. Having to now carry around a 3-4 pound pump everywhere she goes and cleaning out the catheter everyday will be a chore. Mom took alot of pride in her appearance and spent an hour fixing her hair and makeup every morning, so I am quite sure the thought of losing at least half her hair was quite disturbing. Her hair was fine, like mine, and also thin, so she didn't have much to lose. I completely understand her feelings of sadness.

Catheter Surgery Day

Tuesday October 20, 1992 Catheter Surgery Day

I don't sleep as usual when I'm apprehensive and must get up early. I'm up at 5:30. My last great shower. At 7 a.m. we're off. We make good time and arrive at 8:10. At 8:30 we can go upstairs but some confusion, Dr. Semrad forgot he was doing me today so doesn't show up until about 10 a.m. In a special examining room I'm given a small dose of something to relax me, then a couple of locals. I feel fine and talk with the doctor and nurse the whole time. They say to sponge bathe only tomorrow and come back at 10 a.m. We go to Denny's for breakfast about 1 p.m.

I don't feel like going to the meeting tonight re: decorations for New Years Eve dance.

I have one incision in my chest with stitches where the tube enters my vein, another in my breast where it comes out--no stitches, a coil of tube and catheter there.

Again, I can relate to Mom not being able to sleep the night before her procedure. Whether it's excitement or apprehension I always have a sleepless night before the event. I have learned to just automatically take a Xanax when I go to bed, and if that doesn't work, I take 2. I make sure the volume is on high on the alarm clock so that I don't sleep through it in the morning.

On September 1, 2008 I had back surgery scheduled in Sacramento which involved having nothing to eat or drink after midnight the night before, getting up early, driving 2 hours to the Sacramento Kaiser Hospital, and checking in at the waiting room area around 9 a.m. I was kept waiting until 1:30 with nothing to eat or drink and no one to keep me company as my husband had gone to work in Sacramento after dropping me off. So frustrating to be kept waiting so long! By the time my procedure was completed and I was released to go home and got something to eat it had been more than 24 hours since I had food or drink. I was happy I didn't have to spend the night in the hospital, but that 2 hour drive home was a painful one, and I felt every bump in the road.

Mom's procedure sounds pretty invasive, much more of an intrusion into her lifestyle than taking chemo medication or checking in once a week for an infusion of chemotherapy. But with the tumors growing and all her other options exhausted, this was her next step. I'll bet she hated not being able to shower.

I Worry About Chris & Ric

Monday October 19, 1992

At 7 a.m. I cuddle up with Frank. We've had enough sleep. We talk awhile. It must be terrible for him lately. I haven't been much of a wife or even companion to him lately. Certainly not much help or support at the Newbury Park house. I will try hard to make it to square dancing tonight. I must do the 10 loads of wash from our trip and linens but will try to rest in between. He needs and deserves a social life and we have so many friends there, many who really care.

I spend alot of time worrying about Chris & Ric. I worry that they are in too deep financially and I worry about Chris' health at 40 with a new baby to raise until she's 60 years old. I know how hard it would be for me to have an 18-year-old. And Ric is almost incapacitated with his bad back and no help to Chris.

We go square dancing. I feel pretty good but only dance 2 tips. Frank dances with Charlie. It's so good to see all our friends after so long on our trip. Thank you God for giving me the energy to go tonight. We even go to Hudson's afterward. I have a malt because I don't know what time I'll get to eat again. I cannot eat after midnight until after my surgery tomorrow.

Did it ever occur to Frank that he could go square dancing without Mom? I don't think so, he was so completely devoted to her. I seriously doubt that he felt like Mom was not a good wife or companion, and I doubt he ever complained to her.

I am surprised to hear that Mom worried about our finances. Our life never involved frequent meals out in restaurants or cruises and excursions like hers did, but we have never struggled to pay our bills and I have always had good credit. So many people are going hungry right now (1 out of 6 I heard on the news recently) and many are unemployed and homeless, that I feel blessed to have had a 33-year career with a good company, good benefits and a comfortable retirement.

Mom was right about the difficulties of raising teenagers as a 60-year-old. In April 2013 I will be 60 and my boys will be 18 and 21. My son Derek, pictured above when he was 6 months old in 1992, expressed to me last night that he will probably live with us for at least another 10 years because by then we will be the ones needing care. Ric is asleep every night by 9:00 and I can't stay awake past 11, which means our boys are usually up later than we are. Thank God they have not given us any grief. Ric's back has only gotten worse after 20 years and now he struggles with controlling his blood sugar after developing diabetes, high cholesterol, and deteriorated cartilage in his knee that makes it difficult for him to walk. I had a herniated disk in my lower back in 2008, sciatica, and most recently several episodes of vertigo and a dislocated jaw. I had no health issues until I was in my 50s. So yes, having children late in life is difficult, and probably puts an undue burden of worry on them. Derek has a sign on his bedroom wall listing his priorities for his life:
1. $$$ (getting a good education and a good job)
2. Dad's health (he doesn't have much control over this)
3. Airsoft Empire (his hobby and passion)

How Do You Encourage Someone in Jail?

Sunday October 18, 1992

By 7:30 we can't stay in bed any longer. We are all up for a cereal breakfast. The boys shower and entertain themselves while I get ready. Frank goes to Newbury Park.

Gary and Maria come to get the boys about 11 a.m. They stay to visit a couple of hours. I feel pretty good but still have no appetite. I eat very little. More phone calls. I write a letter to my cousin Shirley in Sacramento who is incarcerated due to drunk driving for 3 months. I try to give her words of encouragement. It's really terrible for her there.

Frank comes home to take me out to dinner at Coco's. I eat very little, feel we wasted money. The dinner doesn't set well. I don't feel good and fall asleep at 8 p.m. on the couch.

Mom was a wise woman and was someone her friends and family often turned to for advice. However, her cousin Shirley seemed unable to conquer her alcoholism and after several DWIs was finally arrested. I can't even imagine how depressing that would be to spend 90 days in jail. About the only good thing about it is that no alcohol is served and I believe they do have AA meetings there. I wish I could have read Mom's letter to her cousin Shirley.

I guess it's a good thing that Mom now has no appetite since eating anything makes her sick. I wonder if she gained weight on the cruise like most people do. It's time to stop eating out in restaurants and stick to a bland diet at home.

Card Party

Saturday October 17, 1992

I feel much better this morning. My temp is normal most of the day. Frank is in Newbury Park all day again. I spend most of the day answering phone calls so it is after 1 p.m. when I am finally dressed and ready for the day.

I think I feel well enough to go to Karen and Lew's card party tonight. It's a potluck and I don't feel up to fixing something but find a lasagna in the freezer to take.

Junior and Joe come to spend the night while Gary and Maria go to a late wedding. At 6:00 we go to the party. I eat well and feel fine so we stay to play cards. There are 20 people there. We have alot of fun but by 9:00 I'm tired. It's over at 9:30 and I'm ready to go home and right to bed. We all go to bed at 10:00.

I never met Karen and Lew, but I believe they are members of their square dancing club. The club was much more than dancing. It was their social life, with camping trips, jazz festivals, and parties. I can't tell from her post if her grandsons Junior and Joe went to the party with them, or stayed at the house, but considering they were 14 and 12 at the time, they probably stayed at the house watching TV.

100 Temp

Friday October 16, 1992

I awake feeling a little better. We have breakfast and Frank colors my hair. I'm done in after that and back in bed for an hour or so. I have 100 degree temp. I'm finally up and ready by noon. Frank gets us chicken sandwiches from Carl's Jr. I get terrible intestinal pains from that. I call the doctor to ask for antibiotics. I must have an intestinal bug. Maybe I got it from drinking the tap water in Barcelona. How much of this is caused by the cancer?

The Simi doctor never calls back but after several hours my stomach pains subside. I am up but on the couch much of the day. I manage to do a little housework.

I fall asleep early on the couch. I'm still tired and sleeping 10-11 hours each night.

I'm no doctor, but I imagine the combination of jet lag, numerous abdominal malignant tumors, and perhaps the tap water in Barcelona, all contributed to her exhaustion, intestinal pain and fever. I drank the tap water in Barcelona when I was there in 1974 and I was sick for several days afterwards.

99.6 Temp

Thursday October 15, 1992

I don't feel well. I don't feel like getting out of bed. I have a temp of 99.6 and lower abdomen pain like diarrhea. I have alot of pressure on my bladder and must empty it every 20 minutes. I pass rectal water like puss often. I finally decide to try Imodium AD for diarrhea.

I decide to go to the doctor at 3 p.m. Maybe I have a bladder infection. The tests are negative. I realize now the pressure is only when I'm lying down. I come home and go back to bed. I sleep off and on til Frank comes to bed at 10:30. I sleep pretty well through the night.

Of course she has pressure on her bladder and her intestines when lying down. Has she forgotten that she saw the images of the CT scan last month showing her abdomenal wall covered with tumors? They most certainly have gotten bigger without any treatment and will cause her more pain and pressure as time goes by.

Jet Lag

Wednesday October 14, 1992

I don't sleep much from 2-4 a.m. We arise about 8 a.m. I don't feel too bad. Frank feels great! He goes into high gear. I rest alot during the day, sleeping off and on. I feel pretty good about 5:30 p.m. so get up and have a light meal. Frank does too. Then at 7:30 we go to round dance class. I do pretty good though I still have the pain under my ribs on the right when I strain or cough or take a deep breath.

We're home by 10 and I'm ready for bed again.

Gary called at 5:30 p.m.

It seems like Mom and Frank didn't have much trouble with jet lag either direction. With my limited experience with flying, I have noticed that the adjustment is easier going from east to west, where you are gaining time, and harder when flying west to east, where you are losing time. I feel sleepy for a couple of days when we turn our clocks forward for Daylight Savings Time, much less flying halfway around the globe!

Leaving Barcelona

Tuesday October 13, 1992 Leaving Barcelona

We're up at 6 a.m. to finish packing, have breakfast, check out and be ready when the car comes for us. We have our own private car and driver to take us to the airport. He is dressed in a business suit. His diesel car is low on oil so we go to where he lives to get some oil. He has to park illegally in an alley as there is no place to park among the tall apartment buildings. He drives so fast it scares me, about a 25 minute ride.

We have plenty of time to wander around the airport and run into our friends June and Bob. She's been sick 2 days. A lady named Grace sits on the aisle next to Frank and talks to him endlessly. Thank God I had the window seat. When we reach L.A. from London she tells me how wonderful he is. He has been so sweet to her.

After customs we catch the bus to Van Nuys to get our truck. It's 8 p.m. L.A. time when we arrive home, but 4 a.m. Barcelona time. We've been up almost 24 hours. Frank calls his folks and we go to bed.

Mom was such a people person, I know she would have loved to visit with Grace on the plane, but to have someone talk for 12+ hours on a flight where she was a captive audience would have been too much even for Mom. Frank displayed amazing generosity letting Mom have the window seat and then amazing patience with Grace talking his ear off. I'm sure they were both exhausted and would have liked nothing better than to get some rest. I'll bet they slept well this night after being up 24 hours! But before he could hit the sack, being a good Italian son, he checked in with his Mom first to let her know they were home safe.

La Rambla Barcelona

Monday October 12, 1992 Barcelona, Spain

God has answered my prayers once again. I feel so much better. And the agent has arrived with our tickets for the tour and our trip to the airport on Tuesday. I hurry to get ready. Frank goes down for the continental breakfast in our hotel. He brings me 2 rolls. I'm off with little make-up and a damp head. We take a cab a few blocks to catch our bus at 9:15. It's a great tour. Some we already saw yesterday and the Olympic area we saw Saturday. We go to a Spanish village which is a recreation of other parts of Spain. Great!

Our tour is finished at 12:30. We take a cab back because of light rain. We rest and go out on La Rambla to a cafe for a sandwich lunch. We walk alot. I feel good. We buy a pastry in a pastry shop and stroll the boulevards, watch a carousel in a park, return to rest before dinner. It starts to serve at 8:00. We eat at our hotel. My salmon dinner is terrible. Frank likes his pork dinner.

So glad that Mom is feeling better, and that they got to take a better tour. This one sounds like fun. The summer Olympics were held in Barcelona just a few months before Mom and Frank visited, so I'm sure the city was spruced up nicely. Perhaps seeing the Olympics in Barcelona on TV is what inspired them to take a Mediterranean cruise.

Sunday La Sadana Folk Dance In Barcelona

Sunday October 11, 1992 Barcelona, Depart ship

Up early and ordered off the ship at 8:10. We were in no hurry, but that was our assigned time. No problem with customs, but had to fight for a cab. It cost us $7 or 650 pisada. We were lucky they let us into our room so early in the morning when we reached our Hotel Regina. It's a nice hotel, three star. Our room is spacious with 2 twins pushed together. Bath has a bidea.

We rest until 11:30. I don't feel well but we go walking down the La Ramble, a broad street where everyone goes for a walk. There are cafes, 2 McDonalds, Burger King and Kentucky Colonel. There are stands of fresh flowers and birds and pets for sale.

We find the square in front of the cathedral where peple gather to dance in huge circles to a live band. It's wonderful to watch. We have a great hamburger and fries at Burger King and return. I feel full of pain and sick all over. I sleep off and on all evening and all night. I pray alot.

La Sardana is a traditional and patriotic folk dance of Catalonia. You can see La Sardana dancing every Sunday on the Plaza Plà de la Seu in front of Barcelona's La Seu cathedral in the Barrio Gotico area. I can't tell from Mom's post if they knew about it in advance or they just stumbled upon the dancers, but it sounds like a wonderful thing to see, and their timing was perfect, arriving at noon on Sunday. Too bad Mom and Frank chose Burger King for lunch. It sounds like the greasy fries and burger upset her stomach. At least they had a nice spacious hotel room to enjoy instead of the tiny cabin they had on the ship.

Barcelona, Spain

Saturday October 10, 1992 Barcelona, Spain

Up at 7 a.m. to leave on a bus at 9:15 for a tour of the wine country, a wine museum, and the beach city of Sitges. The town with the wine museum is very interesting, but we don't have time to visit there, only the museum which is OK. There are outside market stalls selling everything and everyone comes to shop on Saturday.

I am not feeling well. I'm taking the pain pills yesterday and today to get by. I am stiff and sore. I still have the chest pain and the tumor pain persists and seems worse when I walk alot, and we have walked alot.

On our tour we went to the beach city of Sitges for lunch and a 4-hour stroll on the beach. All the shops were closed on Saturdays. Our lunch was in a lovely hotel.

We arrived back at 5:45. At 6:30 we were at our last dinner together. We said our final goodbyes. We have all their addresses so hope to keep in touch.

Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, after Madrid, with a population of 1,621,537. It is home to some beautiful churches and cathedrals, but it sounds like their excursion did not show them much of Barcelona. Instead they got to stroll on the beach for 4 hours! Wow, I hope they didn't pay much for this excursion.

Cannes, France

Friday October 9, 1992 Cannes, France

Up at 6 to be on the tender at 8:15 which takes us from our ship to the dock where our bus awaits us. It will take us to Nice, Monaco, Monte Carlo. We drive along the coast. All the buildings are very clean and nice. We pass the famous building where the Cannes Film Festival is held each year.

We see many huge expensive yachts. We pass by the famous Monte Carlo Casino and on to the principality of Monaco where Prince Rainier lives. He is not at home when we arrive. The weather is not good and keeps trying to rain on us. It's a good walk past Caroline's and Stephanie's homes.

We enter the church and see the tomb of Princess Grace. We don't enter the palace. I buy a T shirt. There are TV cameras everywhere watching everyone.

We take a long drive through the mountains for lunch and tour the perfume factory in Grassi. I'm exhausted when we return at 6:00. Hurry to dinner. Not hungry. Pack and go to bed.

This sounds like a fun day on the French Riviera. I have never visited this area of France, having only travelled to Paris.

American actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956. It was called the Wedding of the Century by the press at the time. The prince and princess had 3 children, Caroline, Albert and Stephanie. On September 13, 1982, while driving with her daughter, Stéphanie, Princess Grace suffered a stroke, which caused her to drive her car off the serpentine road down a mountainside. She died the next day at the age of 52. Her daughter Stephanie survived the accident. Prince Rainier lived to the ripe old age of 81 and died April 6, 2005. He was buried on April 15, 2005, beside his wife, Princess Grace, at the Saint Nicholas Cathedral, the resting place of previous sovereign princes of Monaco and several of their wives, and the place where Prince Rainier and Princess Grace had been married in 1956.

Livorno, Italy

Thursday October 8, 1992 Livorno, Italy

We're up at 6 a.m. to be ready to leave the ship and board our bus at 8:30 for our trip to Florence and Pisa. We arrive in Florence about 10:30. It's a mad rush to try to see what we wanted to see. We only have time to see the city and shops, churches and bridge Ponte Vicci where all the gold shops are. We buy Frank's mom some earrings there. We scarf a piece of pizza each which cost $5 each.

Back on the bus at 2:30, we head for Pisa. The leaning tower of Pisa is really something.

We get back in time to jump into other clothes and go to dinner. We go to bed early and I have a terrible pain under my ribs right side. I take a pain pill.

This I see as the drawback of trying to see the sights of Europe from a cruise ship. Many cities of interest are port cities, but some are not, like Florence which was a 2 hour drive from the port of Livorno. To only have 1/2 day to see the entire city of Florence plus the city of Pisa seems way too rushed. Two days in port would be better. I remember visiting Florence in 1974 and there were many museums with spectacular art and architecture. Too bad Mom and Frank didn't have time to visit the Galleria dell' Accademia, home to Michaelangelo's statue of David. On the other hand, they got to see the leaning tower of Pisa, which I missed.

I didn't realize that Florence was femous for it's gold shops. How appropriate that they bought Frank's mother some earrings there, considering her name is Florence. When I was there I bought several items made of leather, including the oversized leather album where I keep my photographs of my 8 week trip through Europe in 1974.

Tango

Wednesday October 7, 1992 At Sea

Awake at 6 a.m. feeling wonderful. I must have had 10 hours of sleep. After our 8 a.m. breakfast Frank goes to his exercise class and walking. I go to tour the bridge. It's interesting with all the buttons and dials. We're on automatic steering in the open seas. During the day we passed the islands of Sardenia and Corsica.

I play the race horses and win one so spent $5. Later I play Bingo. Frank and I take a dance class and learn the tango again. After dinner we go to the show with great dancers and singers, but I have trouble staying awake. We retire early.

Mom was so lucky to have a husband who enjoyed dancing. Oh how I wish I could dance the tango, the foxtrot, the cha cha, or the west coast swing with my husband. Getting out on the dance floor is the same as torture for him.

Rome, Italy

Tuesday October 6, 1992 Rome, Italy

I'm up at 5 a.m. to leave at 6:15 for our trip to Rome from our port of Naples. Naples is another crowded dirty city. We arrive in Rome about 9:30 a.m. We have one tour guide on the bus and another for Rome. She takes us through the Vatican Museum adjoining the Sistine Chapel. Michaelangelo spent 41 years painting the ceiling of the chapel. He was 81 when he finished his "Creation of the World." From there we went into St. Peters Church, the largest church in the world with 44 alters. It is gigantic and lovely.

It was pouring rain when we emerged. We boarded our bus and toured to lunch at a lovely restaurant. We ate late about 2:30. We had 2 pastas, then salad, then veal with potatoes and dessert plus wine. We toured from the bus (raining) the coliseum, the forum, drove old Appian Way, etc, etc.

Returned to our ship at 7 p.m. too full and too tired to eat dinner. Went to bed. Frank went to dinner.

That was one long day! I don't know why their cruise ship stopped in Naples, a 3-hour drive from Rome, when the Port of Civitavecchia is only an hour away. It looks like the port in Civitavecchia is very small and can only accomodate a few ships. It must have been full. Rome has so much to see, it is a shame that their tour had so much to jam into a few hours, and then the rain meant that had to view the sights through the rainy windows of the bus.

Rough Seas

Monday October 5, 1992

We have a light cereal breakfast. I feel great! We have a quiet day aboard ship except the seas are rough. After breakfast I don't feel so well even though I'm taking the seasick pills, so Frank goes to buy me the wrist bands for seasickness. They work great and I enjoy lunch. Hester and Emma are quite ill. Bob and June don't show up.

In the afternoon I play the horse racing and bingo. Frank takes a dance class to learn the Achy Breaky. We have a lovely dinner and great stage show and go to bed early (10 p.m.) as we must get up at 5 a.m. tomorrow for Rome.

The bands for nausea are a knitted elasticated wrist band, which operates by applying pressure on the Nei Kuan acupressure point on each wrist by means of a plastic stud. I tried those when I was sick with my pregnancy in 1992 for 9 months, and they didn't work for me at all. Nothing did. I'm glad Mom got relief. It would have been awful to spend all that money on a cruise only to be sick without relief.

It's a long way from Santorini, Greece to their next port in Naples, Italy, and the cruise ship had to travel in open seas to get around the boot of Italy. She doesn't say what the weather is like this day, but I read ahead in her journal and saw that they are about to get rain, so that might be why the seas are so rough.

Santorini, Greece

Sunday October 4, 1992 Santorini, Greece

We have breakfast top ship cafe. My stomach still feels fine except I am now constipated. At 10:30 we take the shuttle boat to the island. Once there we take a tram up the side of the mountain to the town of Thira where we wander around the shops and restaurants, stopping in one restaurant for a coke and a view.

At 1:00 we board a bus to Oia, a very small city, also built on top of a mountain. I have a sandwich there. We could have riden the donkeys instead of the cable car.

Back aboard ship, I nap and dress for semi-formal dinner. We stay up late dancing (12:30). The seas are rough. Thank goodness I have good seasick pills. Still taking the antibiotics.

According to Wikipedia, "Santorini is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from Greece's mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera. The island is the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history: the Minoan eruption (sometimes called the Thera eruption), which occurred some 3600 years ago at the height of the Minoan civilization. The eruption left a large caldera surrounded by volcanic ash deposits hundreds of metres deep and may have led indirectly to the collapse of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, 110 km (68 mi) to the south, through a gigantic tsunami. Another popular theory holds that the Thera eruption is the source of the legend of Atlantis."

This sounds like a fascinating place to visit. The photographs of the white buildings built on the rim of the steep caldera make the cities and towns appear almost inaccessible, but with an incredible ocean view once atop the steep sides. Very picturesque!

Athens, Greece

Saturday October 3, 1992 Athens, Greece

A miracle! My stomach pain is gone, only tenderness remains. I'm up at 7 a.m. feeling like I did before we left home, just pain where the tumors are, not too bad. I can stand it.

At 9 a.m. we are off on a bus through Athens, Greece. It's very congested. The streets are narrow. The buildings are dingy from all the smog. It's about 78 degrees, a lovely day. We climb up to the Acropolis and see the Parthenon and all the ruins of temples erected to Athena. It's amazing to see so many buildings so close together below in the city.

We arrive back for lunch. I have soup and salad. That's OK. I had cereal and toast in our room this morning. I have my hair washed and set in the salon on the ship, write postcards, and take a nap.

After dinner and show we are on deck as we sail out at 11 p.m. I feel so much better!

I'm so glad Mom was feeling better this day. It sounds like eating small meals is the key. Also, the fact that she got so much sleep yesterday certainly helped.

I went on a 10-week tour of Europe the summer of 1974 after graduating from college. I loved the small islands of Greece and the turquoise blue water, but I do remember that Athens was very smoggy and crowded. I checked Wikipedia to see what the air pollution is like there today. "In the 1980s it became evident that smog from factories and an ever increasing fleet of automobiles, as well as a lack of adequate free space due to congestion, had evolved into the city's most important challenge. A series of anti-pollution measures taken by the city's authorities in the 1990s, combined with a substantial improvement of the city's infrastructure (including the Attiki Odos motorway, the expansion of the Athens Metro, and the new Athens International Airport), considerably alleviated pollution and transformed Athens into a much more functional city."