Home Again

Well, friends, I am home. The return trip was blessedly uneventful. My last night in Europe was spent at the Sofitel in Athens, in what is the most comfortable bed I have ever experienced. I was only sorry I didn't have more time to enjoy it.

Once again I transferred through Frankfurt. This time I was struck by how much closer to home it felt, in comparison to Greece. There is more English and the feel is more west than mediterranean, if that makes sense. When I passed through on my way to Rome it felt completely foreign, so I guess my point of reference changed somewhere in those two weeks.

The flight from Frankfurt to Denver was 10 1/2 hours. That's the longest single flight I've ever experienced. It was something. I happened to be sitting behind Baby Row, so was thankful that I only had myself to worry about and not an infant as well.

And what a glorious sight awaited me in Denver! Mom, driving Dora, with Rosie in the seat next to her, sporting a fetching little Christmas collar. I'm thankful for the opportunity to travel and happy, happy to be home.

Merry Christmas!

The Little Car That Could

Can you believe they just turned me loose with a rental car? Yikes! After my initial nerves, I had a really fun time. The hotel owner gave me a map and itinerary but of course I got lost right off the bat and ended up seeing the third place first, so after that i let go of any kind of plan and just kept driving. I don't think I've ever seen so many beautiful views in one day. This place is gorgeous!! And small, so it was pretty easy to do the tour in one day. I left the hotel at about 9:30 and got back around 6pm. I saw the sunset in Oia, which is the thing to do. Once again, I was accompanied by a cat.

There's a nice couple from Venezuela staying at the hotel. They checked in last night and had the same plan today - to rent a car and see the sites. We ended up at the same place for lunch, so that tells you how small santorini is! The beach towns had an almost eery feel to them. They are deserted. I can imagine what it must be like in the summer. Exciting, I'm sure, but for my purposes I have really enjoyed the quiet and more relaxed atmosphere.

I could say more, but I think I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

Cats & Dogs

I just wanted to send a quick update on the stray animal situation in Greece, since i know you've all been worried. I've felt better about it since learning that people regularly give food to the animals and take care of them in a way. They don't necessarily adopt them and take them into their homes, but they commit to feeding them and looking after them in general. Kind of Ike the Adopt-a-Highway program in the states. Kind of.

There's a very nice black dog that hangs out in this area near the hotel. He made sure i got safely home tonight after I went out in search of a snack.

Santorini

I didn't go far afield today but was successful in my quest for sunglasses. I also toured a small museum that has pottery pieces and wall paintings uncovered from ancient times. The hotel owner pointed me to a taverna where i had a good lunch. I need to adjust to Greek portions. I ordered a dish and a salad, which in italy would have made sense, but here it is equivalent to two meals. The main dish was pasta with calamari. Yummy, but when i took the first bite I remembered something Jan had told me - Greeks overcook their pasta.

Otherwise, I just wandered around town, browsed some of the shops and enjoyed the ocean views and the fresh air. It was i the mid-60s today which I thought was pleasant but many people were wearing coats and complaining of the cold.

The sunset was indeed beautiful, and hopefully this picture does it some justice. A little black and white kitty joined me for the viewing.

Tomorrow I plan to rent a car (!) so i can tour the rest of the island. It's only 30 euros for a 24-hr rental and the hotel owner said he would set it up for me. I would never, ever, ever consider trying to drive in Athens, but roads around here are pretty quiet so I'm hoping to avoid disaster. It's really the best way to see everything.

P.S. Just a note about my room. It's lovely and labeled the lavender room, but oddly decorated in yellow.

Wow

Lonely planet did not lead me astray. I chose my hotel based on their recommendation, and so far, it's wonderful. The owner picked me up at the airport and gave me a glass of his homemade wine upon arrival. The view from the terrace is beautiful, and apparently the best place to see the sunset this time of year.

He also gave me a map, so its time to explore! First order of business is to find a pair of sunglasses since I left mine in lecce by accident. It's sunny, clear, calm and gorgeous - like summer only not as hot and without all of the crowds. Rates are cheaper too, so I lucked out!

I'm so glad to be here but wishing i could share it with my loved ones!

Arcadia in Athens

I made the mistake of not allowing much time for breakfast this morning. I assumed it would be the usual with coffee and a few different kinds of bread, but my goodness i was wrong. There was an elaborate spread of all kinds of food - hot dishes, cheeses, cold cuts, yogurt, jams, breads, dried rut, fresh fruit, the list goes on and on. I only had a few minutes so I took a croissant and a few dates, but if I'd had my wits about me i would have taken some yogurt at the very least. I love Greek yogurt when it's in Dannon form via New Jersey. I can only imagine what it's like here.

Jan, the director of the center here, met me in the hotel lobby and said we had some complications. Apparently today is the 2-year anniversary of the police shooting a 16-year old boy. There were huge riots at the time which you may remember reading about in the news. Police found weapon caches earlier this week and expected lots of demonstrations and riots today, so were closing off the city center. The Center is in a neighborhood away from downtown, so the day passed uneventfully in that respect. When it was time for me to return, the taxi driver could only leave me a couple of blocks from the hotel, no closer, but it was a good chance for me to observe the police in the streets. There were at least 20 motorcycles lined up, each with two officers. My hotel is opposite the parliament building, and it was lined in front with police officers standing shoulder-to-shoulder, with shields. I'm not sure if anything really happened, but now it appears that traffic is continuing as usual, so hopefully it was a peaceful day.

I have a new hero after this trip. Tina, Lucia, Patricia and Jan are all exceptional women and i want to be Ike them when i grow up. They are intelligent, curious, energetic and articulate. They all have a passion for the work that they do and seem to thrive on it. They also all have brown hair so at least i have one thing in common with them. ;)

Walking back to the hotel tonight, i had a feeling of elation that I was finished with the work part of the trip and could commence with the vacation. I celebrated by taking a nap (inadvertently). Now I'm having a beer in the hotel lobby, which is the only place that has wireless.

More from the island!

Sunset in Athens

It was a beautiful, sunny day when I landed in Athens. My taxi driver was friendly and pointed things out to me during the forty minute drive to the hotel. I checked in, dropped off my bags, grabbed a map and headed back out immediately. It's an hour later in Greece than in Italy so I knew I didn't have much time if i was going to see the acropolis. Unfortunately it was closed, so I didn't get to go inside, but there is still a lot to see from the outside, and since it is situated in a hill I got some excellent views of the city.

I thought it would be more difficult language-wise but it's actually a little easier than Italy. Since I don't recognize any words at all, or even letters for that matter, I'm not distracted by them. I just concentrate on finding the English. The Greeks themselves don't seem to expect any foreigners to speak their language, and are pretty comfortable with English.

So comfortable, in fact, that two different women talked me into buying jewelry from their shops. I intended to buy jewelry anyway, but they were quite persuasive. Apparently I don't look old enough to be 32 (ahem) and i need to be very careful with my bag because men will come after me. Both women waited until after the transaction to give me the safety advice. I wonder if that's only reserved for customers . . .

It's about 6:30 now and already quite dark. I feel like i could go to sleep on the spot. Once again tired and a bit travel weary. No flights tomorrow! That's a relief. I'm really looking forward to being on a quiet little island and sleeping in.

I'm not sure why but the pictures i took today wouldn't download to the iPad. Hopefully I can get them on later, and if so will post a few.