5/8/98: Bought a bouzouki. Then we headed up to Mary’s (George and Gerry’s youngest daughter) high school for an open house. Great fun! An international school, with great people involved. Grocery shopping…
The Stray Dogs Of Athens
5/7/98: Walked around Athens. Lunch at Goody’s! Came across a music shop selling instruments. 5/7/23: I don’t know if this is still the case in 2023, but when we travelled through Athens…
The Sun Always Comes Up At The Right Time
5/6/98: A/C was on high all night, and the lights never went off, so we didn’t get much sleep on the ferry from Crete! An early arrival at 5:30am in Piraeus, and…
Travel Day
5/5/98: Packed up. Took one last walk around this really great little town. Boarded the overnight ferry at around 5pm. First ones on, so we found a nice spot to try hunker…
Dealing In The Currency Of Integrity
5/4/98: Strolled through the lovely neighborhood streets of “old town” Rethymno. The post office. An ATM for more local currency. Read the newspaper. Called Gerry and George back in Athens to remind…
Learning To Not Take Myself Too Seriously
5/3/98: Slept in and had a late brunch at Stella’s. This time we were there plenty early in the day, so everything on the menu was still available. George, the proprietor, knows…
Dealing In The Currency Of Forgiveness
5/2/98: Rented a car for the day and did a driving tour of Western Crete. Stopped to see Samaria Gorge, a mountaintop monastery, and a southern beach for a dip in the…
A Few Days Of Relaxing
NOTE: I didn’t post over the weekend, so I’m catching up on Days 37-39 of the trip today… 4/29/98: Checked email at an internet cafe. Heard a beautiful jazz tune on the…
“Random Harvest” Of Hope
While Ruth and I were traveling in 1998, we picked up the habit of reading aloud to each other. The first book with which we started this practice was “Random Harvest,” by…
How To Be Less Efficient, But More Healthy
4/28/98: Slept in, stayed in bed even longer reading some more. Went grocery shopping. We’re gonna stay a few more days… 4/28/32: The small-town, suburban and urban neighborhood grocery stores that existed…
When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade. When Life Gives You Bruised Bananas, Make Art!
4/28/23: I found this interesting, amusing and delicious all at once! Check out Anna Chojnick’s art work at Banana Bruiser here…
A Harbor Of Helpful Information: It Is Easy To Take Technology For Granted
4/27/98: Got out and about to survey the town a little bit more. A lovely water front and harbor. Lots of quaint shops, some touristy and pricey, some cozy and authentic. There…
They Don’t Make Things Like They Used To
The main photo shows Ruth at the Rimondi Venetian Fountain, in Rethymno’s “old town” on the Greek island of Crete. 4/26/98: Spent most of the day reading and relaxing. Did laundry. Lunch…
Rewarded By The Madness Of Our Method
4/25/98: Caught a bus to Rethymno, a coastal town in the northwest part of the island of Crete. Rain and sunshine alternated all day. Arrived and had another hunt for an affordable…
A Maze Worth Getting Lost In
4/24/98: Jumped on a ferry to Crete, the southernmost island in Greece. Met Joel and Lynn from Oregon on board. Landed at Irákleio (Heraklion). After shopping for a pensione, the four of…
What Goes Down, Must Come Up.
4/23/98: Strolled around Thera. Enjoyed the views. Walked down the trail of switchbacks from Thera to the “old harbor.” I began reading “Random Harvest,” by James Hilton. Ate a delicious dinner of…
No Kidding: We Sailed Into A Volcano!
4/22/98: Off to Santorini today. The arrival at this island was spectacular! Am finding that used book stores are a common convenience on traveler circuits. Before we left Naxos, I snapped up…
The Benefit Of Getting Lost In A Greek Island Village
4/21/98: I was the first one up today, went for an early foraging expedition into town. Managed to take the very long way back. That’s just a nice way of saying I…
I Looked Up “Etymology,” So You Don’t Have To.
I4/20/98: Packed up for our next departure. Had a last walk around Samos town. Calm seas and a lovely sunset meant the 9-hour ferry ride to Naxos was quite nice. 4/20/23: Our…
Spoiler Alert: There Were Easter Eggs!
4/19/18: Easter Sunday (Orthodox calendar). The town is shut down. Joined in on the last of Easter festivities, including another procession and gathering in the plateia by several of the Orthodox churches…
The Best Way To Celebrate Easter!
4/18/98: I managed to convince Ruth to tour the island on a motor scooter. We had a blast winding our way through valleys and up the mountain! After resting back at our…
You Know You Are Loved When…
4/17/98: Up at dawn for a very sad farewell to Homeros Pensione and Selçuk. Dervish and his family run this hotel like guest are cousins staying in their home for a visit….
How We Got The Last Laugh
4/16/98: Managed to rise early and get off to Ephesus. We actually walked all the way there, up the whole hill and back again. Ruth’s back pain from the surgery three months…
Three things you should definitely do when invited into someone’s home!
4/15/98: After a run to Kuşadası to purchase out tickets to Samos, we took a bus to Izmir (modern name for Smyrna) to visit Olcay and her family. I think we may…
How to Make Friends: Eat, Sing and Dance Together!
4/14/98: Slept in a bit on a rainy morning. At breakfast Ruth and I talked more with Simon, as well as Leroy and Toni. We gave Toni a small pocket New Testament…