… and So the Adventure Begins

APRIL 18/19: On a 4-day bus tour you quickly connect with people of like interests, and in this case, athletic abilities. I have connected with Jan and Keith from Reno, Nevada.

The first day of the tour was primarily a history of Greece, beginning with driving through parts of Athens I had not seen. Observing how beautiful some street art can be. Observing that the 2.088 for gas is in euros — and is for a liter! A gallon calculates to over $8.00. Still, there are a LOT of vehicles on the roads, mostly compact cars and motorcycles.

Out of Athens we drove along miles of the Aegean sea to reach Corinth. Those miles showed orange and olive tree orchards and we learned that most olive oil stays in Greece rather than being exported. I would have sworn that bottles I buy say “A Product of Greece”.

Of course one problem with tour buses is that they are on a schedule and can’t stop just anywhere a curious tourist would like to take a photo. I have been seeing beautiful roadside shrines beside roads that we travel. The following is an example from the internet, not one that I took.

These shrines, much like crosses or floral arrangements that we see beside the road in the U.S., commemorate loved ones who died at the scene. The difference is that it is believed that this was the last attachment the person had to the earthly plane of existence and the shrines are never removed. Even after all loved ones have passed, the shrines remain and are allowed to deteriorate.

Last night we stayed at Hotel Neda in Olympia, Greece, the site of the first Olympic games. The hotel, called a 3-star, was exceptional. Very comfortable, very helpful, and delicious buffets for dinner and breakfast.

The next morning we did the tour of the archaeological site. What I found most exciting was that the torch we see being carried to start a modern Olympic game has it’s start in Olympia at the original site of the games. Runners carry the torch in a relay to Athens where it is put on a plane and passes over five continents before landing at the city where the games will take place that year.

I was not as happy here as I appear. LOL The “short walk” described by the tour guide was NOT short and I had an interesting / frightening experience the night before which was no one’s fault but my own. I can laugh now, but I assure you I wasn’t laughing at the time.

The room at Hotel Neda was very nice and I was delighted when I saw that the bathroom had a tub. I had not been able to soak in warm water since I’ve been in Greece as other places just have showers. When I got in the tub I realized that I might have a problem, but the water was so inviting that I relaxed for a good long soak.

When I went to get out of the tub — I couldn’t! Now you who know me know that my back side is my most “outstanding” feature. LOL The problem was that the bottom of the tub was narrower than the top. I wasn’t literally stuck, but there was no way to get leverage to lift myself out.

At home, I have no problem lifting myself with my arms. Couldn’t here. When I’m sick at home, I roll over to my knees. Couldn’t here. I had my phone in the bathroom, but it was on a counter and out of reach — and even if I could have reached it, I had no numbers to call.

Having a vision of spending the night in the tub, I prayed. At that point I was led to put my left knee over the edge of the tub, lift my right side using a metal bar, and I extricated myself.

Remember, the left knee was what I bruised when I fell previously. Though I am not in serious pain, walking around the Olympic site had my knee letting me know that it had been injured, plus my back was joining in the complaints. (I have a chiropractor appoint soon after my return to the states!)

As I write this, we are in Delphi early and I am calling it a night early with Tylenol and Benadryl. Planning to immerse myself in the energy of Delphi that I have been most looking forward to, second only to Meteora.

And with that I bid all of you adieu for the evening.

Sharon

Love all of you!