picking up the pieces

We are sitting in a cafe in Syntagma Square, sipping cold Viennoise chocolate and snacking on tiny chocolate croissants.  We got up early to watch the Changing of the Guards ceremony and are now escaping the heat in a most Greek manner.

Tonight we have tickets for opening night of Turandot at the Acropolis; I'm wearing the new dress I bought at H&M and will probably cry with excitement through the entire show.  Seeing Turandot is on my life list - and I'm so excited to be crossing even more things off my list while on this trip.

It has been so different not having the guys here - we have been moving at a much slower pace, more leisurely.  It feels like a real vacation now, lingering meals at tavernas and many cups of tea in cafes.  Lots of sleep, knitting to Jane Austen movies at the hotel once we have retired for the evening.

Owen and I talked yesterday about how it feels to be comfortable in Athens - it is just another city now, still special in that it is Greece - but not as awe-inspiring as it once was.  I feel like I can leave here and not be heart broken, can leave in peace and not long to return.  Somehow I managed to pick up all those pieces of myself that I've been scattering about over the past three summers, and I feel complete.  I know I will be back here at some point in the future - I will never stop traveling, never stop loving it here, but for now I am ready to see another part of the world.  It's a good feeling, having closure, and now I am just going to soak up these last two weeks.

~RLM 

run and never tire

Hellasgood08 is halfway over – and it seems at the same time like we’ve just barely arrived and as if we have been here forever. It always seems to feel like I’ve just picked back up where I leave off with Athens – as if the time in between didn’t really happen, but new people have shown up.

Athens is lovely, of course. Dylan and Andy left yesterday morning, so we spent the past few days trying to see as much of the city as possible – and now Sonia and I are taking advantage of some down time. We’ve been very busy since arriving back in Athens from Santorini on Sunday morning. Sunday evening, after sunset at the Temple of Poseidon in Sounio, we managed to miss the last bus to Athens, which is how we ended up trying (and failing) to hitchhike down a 10-mile stretch of Greek highway leading to the nearest village to find a taxi. Monday was far less eventful – we spent the afternoon in the National Gardens, ate a fantastic dinner at Vyzantino’s, and walked through Plaka for a while. While Sonia and Andy journaled at a café, Dylan and I ventured up to the base of the Acropolis, where we sat outside the Odeon and listened to the Greek National Opera rehearse Turandot. It was one of those surreally awesome moments where I was really glad that my life is my life – and that I have been here with these people. Few others would have gotten that excited over listening to an opera – and we both equally freaked out. We ended the evening on Areos Pagos, taking in the breathtaking view of the city.

Dylan and I ventured out early Tuesday morning to tour the National Archeological Museum while Andy and Sonia slept – and then met up later that afternoon for shopping in Plaka and pistachio milkshakes at Hydria. We hiked Lykavitos to watch the sun set that evening, and then ended up back on Areos Pagos.

Wednesday was both Sonia’s birthday and the boys’ last day in Athens. Sonia, Dylan, and I started the day at the Acropolis, which was totally overrun by irreverent tourists. The heat and masses of truly annoying people actually managed to ruin any sort of ambiance or awe I am usually filled with up there. The heat was oppressive yesterday – and Sonia left to go take a nap after touring the Theater of Dionysos. Dylano and I kept wandering, as he was determined to see as much as he could – gelato was necessary to combat the stifling temperatures, and then we walked through the Ancient Agora before heading back to meet everyone else at the hotel. Our siesta consisted of stocking up on exotic delicacies at my favorite bakery – wherein I consumed in inordinate amount of chocolate. Birthday festivities involved family style dinner at a local taverna, gelato in Psirri at GelatoMania, and drinks/hanging out at Brettos in Plaka. I stayed up with Dylan and Andy until they left for the airport at 3:30 in the morning – it was rather heartbreaking to see them go. It has been so wonderful having them here, getting to share this place with them. I will miss philosophical discussions about life with Andy and late night conversations while staring at the Parthenon with Dylan. But it’s also going to be really fun to do the whole girly bonding thing with Sonia as we cruise around the Ionian Sea next week.

This morning I went back to the National Archeological Museum, this time with Matt and Sonia.  I sat in the cafe, journaling and writing postcards as they toured the collections - drinking french press tea and eating a chocolate croissant. It seemed a very Greek way to pass a morning.  We are at a cafe in Syntagma now, enjoying the free internet access and escaping the heat.  It is sweltering again, not nearly as bad as last summer, but still slightly unbearable.  Yesterday was spent mostly in bed, catching up on all the sleep I didn't get while talking until the early hours of the morning.  We woke up long enough to eat a lingering lunch at Byzantino's and buy postcards before taking a nap again and venturing back out to Starbucks for a late night cup of tea.  The past two days have been a distinct contrast to the week spent walking all over Athens with Dylan in tow, trying to take in as much of the city as he could.  This is why I love being in Athens - soaking up the local culture in cafes and tavernas, pretending to belong here.

I still can’t believe I’m here - it just doesn't seem real 

~RLM

excerpts from the moleskine, Santorini edition

We’re three hours into our ferry ride to Santorini, on the top deck watching the sun slowly sink beneath the waves. It’s a beautiful evening to be outside.

My fourth summer in Greece, on my fourth trip to Santorini, it can’t quite be reality.

On a wall in Oia watching the sunset. There are a million tourists around, but the scene and the moment are both too beautiful.

Even with all the tourists, it is still otherworldly, the rugged surreal beauty of the place forces you to confront the realities of your life. It is a distinct experience, your life reduced to its most basic of emotions and principles. One cannot help but contemplate the meaning of it all when surrounded by such utter beauty. A tourist on the boat just asked his companion if she liked Santorini, and I laugh to myself. It isn’t a matter of liking the island, it is about being aware enough of one’s self to accept and embrace the rawness of such a place. Santorini, when done right, will awaken the potential of your life - will make you realize exactly why life is worth living – and hopefully inspire enough change to make a difference.

I have been totally swept away, pulled back into the atmosphere of the island. This is how it seems my life should feel. I will be striving, endlessly it seems, to make my home life seem as meaningful as it does to be here. It will be a life’s journey, to bring a bit of Hellas into my every day.

We’re leaving Santorini today – it still seems slightly surreal that I’ve been here four times now – that I have had this beauty in my life. I have to say goodbye to this place again – and that is never easy.

~RLM

from the moleskine: 5/19/08

We’ve spent the last few days exploring an area of Greece that is completely new to me. I’ve been trying to make it to the Dodekanisos for the past three years, and I’m incredibly glad to have finally seen some of these islands.

Rodos was beautiful, full of history - but big. It didn’t really even feel like an island – or Greece really. Architecturally, the Old Town is full of Venetian and Ottoman influences – whereas the town we stayed in, Kremasti, was clearly a development of the tourist industry on top of what surely used to be a quaint local village. Despite all of this – Old Town Rhodes was stunning, just as I had hoped. The old Venetian fortress now encompasses a bustling market area much like the Plaka in Athens. We didn’t see much of New Town Rhodes, but it also reminded me of modern Athens – the result of quick growth and poor funding – a conglomeration of crumbling storefronts and beautiful historic areas.

Kalymnos was a complete surprise – not at all what I was expecting. The island is naturally beautiful in a way that touches the innermost parts of your soul. The view from our hotel balconies was staggeringly pretty. We stayed in a small village away from the main town – near the climbing areas – and Massouri turned into our personal paradise for those few days. Facing the smaller island Tolendos, and backed by huge cliffs, the area seemed very primitive – nearly untouched by the ravages of the tourist industry, the locals were sincere and friendly, the atmosphere laid back and authentic. Other Greeks have been impressed that we stepped off the beaten path – have given us a stamp of approval for choosing a truly Greek location. Kalymnos will haunt me, I’m sure – the low hills curving off in the distance as we stared off the balcony seemed wise, as if you could learn a world of knowledge by just watching them long enough.

I wish I could adequately do the raw majesty of this place any measure of justice – but there are hardly words. I could have just stayed on that balcony, content to take in the view, the breeze washing peace into my soul.

~RLM