Hellas!

Kalimera!

The Greek word for a good morning. As I make it through the crowded arrivals hall, I know it will be a good day. After nine months of waiting, I'm actually in Greece.

But before we continue in the present day, we need to go back to last November. I was a week removed from an eight-year job as a donations associate at a nonprofit organization. With my future uncertain, it didn't seem like the best time to be thinking about traveling. But the travel bug was calling out to me, a feeling too strong to ignore. There was an added incentive too as the Greece trip that I had in mind, the fourteen-day Classic Greece with Crete and Santorini was on sale. The $1,050 discount would negate the $950 single supplement.

But why Greece, you ask?

I was pushing deeper into Europe. The Mediterranean Sea began to turn into the Aegean Sea. As the ancient world met modern wonders. I also wanted to catch one last glimpse of the summer and Greece is one of the last places that turns to fall. Visions of serenity in the Greek islands growing more vivid in my mind.

The trip was booked. Even with my future far from secure, the smile was beaming after I completed the booking. Next September felt like a long way away. Yet I had something to look forward to as 2022 would quickly turn into 2023.

Nine months would go by so fast. And a lot would happen, both positive and negative. A new job, open mics, new social experiences, and a writing project. But for all the good that happened came a ride on the family health rollercoaster. Each day it felt like one would be stuck in a negative loop de loop worrying about each family member's respective health problems. I was looking for a breather from all of it.

The days ticked down and every day felt like a century to arrive. Then the magic phrase, “you can check in for your flight”. I finally had my boarding pass in hand.

Leaving for Athens was a dicey proposition. The rain poured and the winds raged. Tropical Storm Ophelia had arrived onshore. I didn't expect the flight to take off. At best, we would be delayed as American Airlines travel warning had foretold. To my surprise, the flight took off with delays due to being stuck in traffic.

Nine hours later, flight 334 touched down in Athens.

If it was the first day of fall in NYC, the seasons were reversed as I stepped out of the airport. Heat and haze lingered in the sky yet it didn't feel oppressive. It felt like I was in Greece, but there was no obvious sign. Off in the distance, the Acropolis. This was no longer a dream but my present reality. I had enough time to unwind and hit the pool before the orientation meeting that night.

32 of us gathered in the Ayso room of the Stanley Hotel. Our guide Dina, introduced herself to us even if some of us met her upon arriving at the hotel earlier in the day. One by one we introduced ourselves to each other. The group was a mix of newbies and vets from both sides of the US. Though, I wasn't the only solo traveler in the group this time around. As we sat down to dinner, the fourteen-day odyssey had begun.

The first full day has us exploring the capital city of Athens. The first stop is the ancient heart of the city, the Acropolis. I didn't realize that it would be a long climb up to reach the top. And it would be done in muggy conditions, even for nine in the morning.

And so the climb began.

Dina's voice through my Whisper guiding us up the hill. I slowly gained the resolve to make it uphill. One stick taps at a time while dripping in sweat. The reward for reaching the top is an up-close view of the Parthenon. Glistening in the morning sun, I was gobsmacked by how enormous the building was.

I had to go back downhill, which was much harder to do than the climb up. But with a stick tap at a time and help from strangers, I made it back down. The sense of accomplishment was real and so was the aching in my knees at the end of the site visit.

We continued the tour of Athens by bus. From the parliament building at Syntagma Square to the cornerstone of the modern Olympic games at the Panathenaic Stadium for a quick photo stop. Followed by a visit to the Acropolis Museum, the original artifacts helped bring the history of the Acropolis to life. After a long day of exertion, a visit to the Plaka district for lunch and shopping. With cold beers to finish the afternoon off. The day wasn't finished yet, though.

I wasn't too keen on getting myself lost to find dinner on my evening at leisure. So I pressed the button for the ninth floor and ended up back at the rooftop restaurant. Just as I finished dinner, the couple, Anne and Allan saw me sitting at the table just before the outdoor deck. As I joined them at their table, a full moon over our heads and the Parthenon in the distance. The Athenian leg of the trip had concluded.

The next four days felt like a blur. A new city on the Greek mainland each day and a different hotel each night. The overarching theme of the four days would be the past meeting up with the present. And more climbs to come.

First up, the ruins at Mycenae. After surviving the climb to the Parthenon, I didn't expect this to be difficult. I was in for a rude awakening as the site was steep and uneven. I was still determined to reach the peak as I passed by the Lion's Gate. But I did and made it back down the site too. At my own time and pace, of course.

On the road to Olympia, there was room for one more stop. The town of Nakpflion. By the sea, we made a brief stop in town for lunch. However, due to slowed service, Anne, Allen, and I barely made it to the bus in time.

As we packed up our bags, the Olympia site was our next stop. The same place where the Olympic cauldron is lit before going on a relay through the country. After the museum visit, a surprise awaited us.

If you had told me that I would participate in a Greek cooking demonstration and a Greek dancing lesson at the start of the trip, I wouldn't have believed you. But that's exactly what happened before we reached the town of Arachova. The meal was created with the dip tzatziki as the first course, fried zucchini balls for a second course, and phyllo cheese pie at the main. I gave it a game effort trying to grate the zucchini and making the balls. My hand-eye coordination could stand to be better. The same could be said for my dancing, even with copious amounts of wine at the table.

With one last stop for the seaside town of Napfkos. Walking around the seaside town felt as if we were living in a postcard. If our hotel looked like a ski chalet, that's because it is during the winter months, anyway. The view of the mountains is visible from the balcony of the hotel rooms.

Delphi. As if all the other climbs were difficult enough as it is. Then came the fact that rain had hit the archeological site the night before. Yet, I was determined to make this climb too. However, the weather made the theater and the stadium off-limits to visitors. That was the case when I made my way uphill, just in time for the cordon to be removed and the ancient theater in my sights.

Before we made it to Kalambaka, there was a brief stop at Thermopylae. The site of the battle between the Persians and the Greeks. Vastly outnumbered but fighting on to the last man. The monument marked the bravery of the 300.

This trip was about to take a spiritual twist.

As we visited the monasteries at Meteora. To get there though, ninety steps needed to be crossed. The view of the rocks, combined with the steep elevation made the challenge of climbing difficult. But we made it to the first monastery and the tight squeeze to see the frescoes around us. The drive continued as we made a brief stop to see the monastery used in the James Bond movie "For Your Eyes Only" and I cued up Sheena Easton soon afterward. We visited one more monastery and then it was a long drive back to Athens.

We would only stay in the capital for one more night, with the flight to the Greek islands the next day.

All 32 of us made our way to the airport in Athens on Saturday morning. Even early in the day, the mass of travelers surrounded us as everyone tried to get to their respective destinations. For us, the next stop was the city of Heraklion. On the half-hour-long flight, the islands of Milos and Santorini came through the window of the seat on the plane.

As we arrived, it was sunny and summery once again. But we didn't stop once we arrived in Heraklion. Lunch, the Heraklion Museum, and time for Greek coffee with the airy cinnamon dessert, bougasta. The events of the day would get to me as I walked back to the hotel as I wanted to get off my feet before dinner. I felt homesick as I sat in my room wishing I had people around to share the experiences with.

September would turn into October.

Our first stop of the day on Sunday would be the ruins at the palace of Knossos. The center of the Minoan civilization was also the place where the labyrinth and the mythical beast, the Minotaur resided under the ground we walked on.

After all the archaeology and spirituality, it was time for the wine. Our visit to Titakis Wines included a walk through the vineyards, and a tour of their production process before the wine tasting. Four different wines were on offer, but I only had room in my suitcase for two of them. On this breezy day, the Impetus red and white wines won out for me.

This day wasn't over yet, as we were due to have dinner at a taverna. But as we gathered in the lobby, the noise was getting louder. It turned out that the football club AEK Athens was staying at our hotel before their match against local club Heraklion. While everyone else was confused about what was going on, I was in heaven trying to chant with the fans in the hotel. And our guide couldn't believe the scenes either as she and her sons support AEK.

After the team settled in, we were on our way.

Our group of 32 temporarily expanded by four to become 36. Two college students and two professional dancers joined us for dinner to give what was coming a more authentic feel. As the sun set, we arrived at the taverna. Two tables laid out with abundant food and wine set the stage for the music and dancing ahead. And by night's end, we all joined in just before the raki was brought out. And a manifestation for me to spend the summer writing poems in Crete from the musicians.

Under the full moon, we'd become like family.

The next day brought us out of the city. To a former leper colony, at Spinalonga. Up until 1957, the island was a place where leprosy patients were kept in conjunction with other leprosy hospitals around the country. The ruins are preserved as they were encircled by the Gulf of Elounda. Walking around would prove to be a challenge with stiff winds blowing around. But I made it back to the ferry on time.

The second stop of the day after lunch was to the town of Agios Nikolaos. If ever there was a more picturesque town, it's this one. With the harbor and the hills above the town. There was just enough time to take a walk around town before a second round of beer. I didn't expect to go all the way around the harbor and up the hills with my hiking sticks. I wasn't up for trying to find dinner in town after all the waking done.

As a result, I spent my last night in Crete in my hotel room. I found the AEK-Heraklion game on the hotel TV but fell asleep before the match ended. A 2-0 defeat for AEK.

One last move to do.

We got on the bus before the sun rose to catch the ferry to Santorini. It was a rocky two-hour ride between the islands, the waves kicked up by the winds. And we had to be ready to grab our bags to outrun the rest of the passengers on the boats. We made it to Thira.

As we still had time to kill, the plurality of the day was spent in the town of Fira. When I think of Santorini, blue skies and whitewashed homes came to mind and both were in abundant supply. So were the crowds of tourists day-tripping on ships. Patience and muscle were needed to navigate the cobbled streets. I would do it again in a heartbeat too for those views.

A wine-tasting dinner at the Artemis Karamolegos winery would conclude the day. But not before seeing the sunset from the highest point on the island.

The second day on Santorini took us further down the island. First to the village of Megachlorion. Idyllic as one can get early in the day, right down to dodging traffic in between walking down streets. With one more stop at the indoor ruins at Akiroti to follow. The ruins had been at the location since an earthquake occurred in the 16th century. Lunch was not far away at the Cave of Nicholas. The waves crashed on shore just out of our reach. A relaxing backdrop to see out the remains of the day.

Reality began to creep in as the day ended. The Whisper had to be turned back into our guide. I wasn't ready to think about the trip coming to a close. Yet the tears came on fast and furious. I mustered enough nerve to go have dinner that night. And I managed to find a restaurant, Onar with a deck to see the sunset. Me and my blanket just took in the moment.

The last full day brought with it the optional excursion. A catamaran cruise around the islands of Santorini. Twelve of our group got on the boat as it departed from port. Abundant wine and beer, lunch on board, and two swimming stops. With not a care in the world.

But reality snuck up again when I arrived back at my room. The departure letter is on my desk. It began to dawn on me that I would be on my way home soon.

All that was left was the farewell dinner. And one more hill left to climb. The village of Oia. Even through the day trippers, it was a picturesque sight as day turned into night. Having to push through people to see the sunset was more than enough for me. Reality kept sinking in as the dinner went on. Fourteen days in Greece had concluded. I ran for the hills as the bus pulled into the parking lot of the hotel one last time. A combination of exhaustion and sadness had taken over.

The last thing to do was fly home.

I joined a small cadre of my colleagues on the way to the airport in Santorini Friday morning. Once we arrived in Athens some of us went our separate ways after saying goodbyes. As for me, a nine-hour flight home would be on the horizon.

Gray skies would welcome me back to NYC. However, my heart and soul still stayed behind in Greece.

This trip was the most physically demanding that I've done so far. But I was determined to push myself climbing all the hills. I didn't think that I would be in the kitchen and on the dancefloor either and surprised myself there too. And I struck a balance between being in the present moment and bringing the trip to friends and family thousands of miles from home.

I can't thank our guide Dina enough for all that she did during this trip. Fourteen days traveling with strangers via land, air, and sea. Showing the passion she has for Greece from the first meeting to her last speech on the bus ride back to the hotel from Oia. I would travel on any tours that she leads in a heartbeat.

To our drivers Yannis, Nikos, and Vorgios for making a smooth drive throughout the trip.

And to my 31 fellow travelers.

We've shared meals, traveled together, and looked out for each other. It was my pleasure to interact with all of you in some way during this trip. Maybe, our paths will cross again someday.

With that, trip number seven is done. I'll be back on the road in 2024, I don't know where yet. I just want to linger in this moment a little bit longer before moving on to the next destination.

One last thank you from me to Greece itself….

Ευχαριστώ Ελλάδα για ένα υπέροχο δεκατέσσερις μέρες στην όμορφη και φιλική χώρα σου!