Greece 2010

"Standing in the middle of culture and history and they want a fifty-fifty poly/cotton blend T-shirt with a picture of a Trojan horse. Why am I spending my life showing tourists gorgeous ancient ruins they care nothing about?"

~My Life in Ruins

For our first trip overseas, we decided we'd feel most comfortable traveling with a group and having someone else make most of the arrangements. I researched tour company itineraries and matched them with what we wanted to see. I had been fascinated with the Parthenon ever since visiting its replica in Nashville, Tennessee as a kid (not sure WHY they built a Parthenon replica there, but it fascinated me). I read a number of Greek plays in high school and college and wanted to stand in the place of the ancient drama competitions in Delphi. Since Captain Corelli's Mandolin was the original inspiration for the trip, we had to include an island with beaches. We picked the "Exploring Greece and Its Islands" tour with Collette vacations. They still offer this tour, but with the added bonus that the excavations of the ancient city of Akrotiri has since re-opened for visitors. (For a description of this tour, go to http://www.gocollette.com/en/tours/europe/greece/greece--islands .)

I found it easiest to share our trip by creating a video slide show, set to music.

“See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. Ask for no guarantees, ask for no security.” 
~Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Philosophy on Travel

 “Life is too short, Harry. And there's nowhere near enough joy in it. If you find it, grab it. Before it's gone.” 
~ Jim Butcher, Changes

Early in our marriage, we watched Captain Corelli's Mandolin and decided that Greece would be a lovely place to commemorate our 10 year anniversary. The youngest child would graduate high school by then and we had several years in which to plan and save money, so it seemed like a realistic goal. In the course of dealing with increased household expenses that were not offset by increased  household income, our plan to "save money" didn't quite materialize. Our dream trip of a lifetime would probably have to wait until later in our lifetime.

In July of 2009, a woman that served as friend and mentor died suddenly. Her loss served as a reminder that life is often tragically too short and opportunities are more often made, not given. I had been fortunate to travel for work and when the interest and schedule allowed, Jeff came along. Knowing we made compatible travel companions for each other and I had a credit card with an unbelievably high credit limit, we decided to keep our anniversary promise to one another. 

Although there were a few snags and obstacles along the way to planning and finalizing our arrangements, we made our first overseas trip to Greece in September of 2010. We've been planning our next destinations ever since!