Greek Trip, Athens, Part 1…
Everyone has a bucket list, and ever since I was a small boy, someday visiting Greece was always high on my list. Very early on, I remember having more than a passing fascination with anything Greek. The Parthenon, the Oracle at Delphi…I was captivated. Even though I was surrounded by modern day religion and all that it taught to the contrary, I felt drawn to Greek Mythology, full of Gods and temples. The heroes of those ancient stories and beliefs were carved in beautiful marble statues, pictures of which filled me with awe and reverence, and I was much more inclined to believe in those stories than the ones I heard in Sunday school. A few years ago, when the Man asked me what my dream trip has always been, I answered with no hesitation that Greece was the one place that I had always dreamed of visiting. As most know, we just returned from that dream trip, and it was truly everything I had imagined it would be. We knew that there would be no way to experience everything in two short weeks, so I gave the Man a short list of the places I absolutely wished I could see and visit. As always, he took it on as a challenge, and when he was done, the trip was planned and plane tickets bought. The day that I thought would never arrive did just that, and to Greece we were bound.
Athens was our first destination, and we stayed in an apartment with a rooftop deck that faced the Acropolis. We spent nearly a week of evenings up on that rooftop, enjoying the beauty of the Parthenon bathed in lights a less than a half mile away. During the day we walked…and walked…and walked. We toured the city, enjoying it’s museums, colorful culture and lively music. We walked on ancient roads through restored ruins. We touched marble statues that had been carved by expert stone carvers thousands of years ago. We enjoyed the very different Greek cuisine, which is largely dominated by sea food, lamb, and spices very unlike what we are used to. We were tempted, and surrendered to, the sublime sweets the city had to offer. You haven’t truly tasted baklava until you’ve eaten it freshly made by an elderly Greek woman running the family bakery. The highlight of our stay in Athens was without a doubt visiting the Parthenon, which sits atop the Acropolis. For me, there really are no words to describe what I felt as I stood mere feet away from the massive marble columns that support what remains of the roof of this grand building. Time and wars have ravaged it, but it is currently being slowly restored to it’s former glory. I also took the time to spread some of CJ’s ashes there, where he can overlook the city of 5 million people, and forever be a part of it’s history.
Visiting Athens and all it has to offer was truly what my dreams were made of, and I was not quite ready to leave it when we did. I thought that nothing could begin to compare to those first few days of our adventure, but that opinion changed when I stepped off the plane on the Island of Santorini. The telling of that part of our adventure warrants it’s own blog entry…
The Cold Goodbye…
“Please don’t go.” I said. She looked at me and smiled, saying “But I have to, you know I do.” My eyes filled with water, and I asked “Will you return?” She gently cupped my face in her hands, wiped away a tear and whispered “I always do, after a season. When the days are dark, your shoulders weary, and your soul cannot see the light, that is when I will return. I will once again fall upon your face, and warm your heart. This I promise.” She gently kissed my head, and turned to leave. I watched her go, and the further she went, the colder I felt. I know she will return again, but until she does, my heart will ache as much as my bones. So I will wait, and watch the skies…and yearn for her embrace once more…
Me and the Man... 