… and So the Adventure Begins

APRIL 22: I felt so tired last night that I thought I would sleep until noon today, but I awoke at 8 a.m. and couldn’t go back to sleep. About 10 a.m. I decided to see if the town was actually completely shut down because of it being Good Friday — of course it was not.

Food is always available, especially since there are so many tourists. I must admit that I have had more cappuccinos since I’ve been here than I drink in a year in Missouri! Frankly, I won’t spend Starbucks prices at home, but I’m on vacation! LOL I am seriously considering buying a cappuccino machine when I get home.

I had trouble with internet connectivity with my cell phone on the trip and had to rely on hotel and bus wifi which were not always reliable. Today I went to the WIND store (comparable to AT&T) where I had had a SIM card put in. As I suspected, I was out of my data allowance and 15 euros got me back up and running until time to fly home.

I also found last night that I had left the adapter that works for me to charge my phone and laptop at the last hotel. (EMBARRASSMENT!) I got the address Lynn had taken me to for the adapter, had no trouble finding it, and bought two of them. Interestingly, the man today charged me the same price for two as the woman did for one. It is a different culture.

It is feeling good being able to navigate better in this neighborhood. I think Lynn got a very different impression of who I am those first days when I was experiencing jetlag. I didn’t come here expecting to lean on anyone for help, but it does take time to orient oneself to a different culture / area. And, perhaps, it’s more difficult as we get older. Tom Thorpe, however, told me before I left that he does not see me as ever getting old. I agree. But I’m sure some things were easier when I was 20 . 30 . 40 ….

8 p.m. — Just back from an evening meal and checking one thing off my to-do list while in Greece; plus a second that I had never heard of.

I had octopus tendrils, which are served broiled, looking much like scallops, with a sauce. Would never be my favorite seafood, but mild fishy taste, chewy but not chewy like fried calamari rings (which are chewy because not cooked properly).

Then I had baklava with ice cream. It was some of the best ice cream I have ever tasted, with a flavor I couldn’t identify. The waiter said that it is flavored with Mastic liquor from the sap of a tree on an island in Greece. Then, as waiters here are prone to do, he brought me a complimentary shot glass of the liquor which is usually an after-dinner aperitif. It IS strong — and I had already had a glass of wine with the octopus. I am glad that my apartment was not far away since I am not a big drinker.

I ended the evening watching a TV show with Maria. It was her favorite and quickly became mine to the point that I’m going to have to subscribe to Netflix when I get home. It stars Catherine Bell, whom I loved in the series “JAG”, as “The Good Witch”. I am amazed that I had never heard of it, especially because there were seven movies from 2008-2014 before it became a weekly TV show of 76 episodes. They are the good, clean shows that people of all ages can watch and Maria and I are thoroughly enjoying each other’s company.

In fact, she has mentioned future exploration trips as companions. I would envision one of us coming up with a destination, booking hotel rooms to share, and learning the ins-and-outs of new places together. And, of course, she will always be welcome in my home.

Have a good day everyone.

Hugs,

Sharon

APRIL 24/25: Nothing was posted to this blog last night because I don’t have internet access at the hotel in Volos. That means no blogging, no internet, no WhatsApp, etc. It is a feeling of being cut off from the rest of the world. In spite of VERY loud music playing, I am very grateful for this internet cafe I discovered near the hotel — feel almost like a traveling journalist.

And, I have made so many positive connections. The first, and foremost, is Maria you’ve been hearing about. Here is a photo of the two of us after dinner and “Acropolis” cocktails the night before last:

Maria actually walked me through the Metro railway system and got me on the correct train to Volos. After that it was easy as long as you listen for the one word you need to hear — the name of the town where you are to get off.

From Athens to Volos I had a 1st class seat in a compartment for four which I shared with one very nice young man. Marcos is in his 20s and a computer programmer. He was just as anxious to practice his English as I was for conversation. He has a desire to visit the U.S. sometime and we discussed a good place for him to start.

When I alighted at Larissa I found a very confusing set of tracks with no clear indicators of where the train to Volos would come in. In this selfie I was confused, but trying not to act like it:

I had quickly figured out how to use elevators to go underground, cross over to the other side of the tracks, and back up to ground level — where there was a coffee shop! It was the first time to learn that a cappuccino outside of Athens was 2.00 euros as opposed to 4.50 or more in Athens.

A young lady, who was rather aloof, nevertheless responded when I said that I heard the name Volos in an announcement. She said that, yes, this was my train — and it was on neither of the tracks that ran by where we were sitting. She showed me how to get to it.

I had a 2nd class, unassigned seat, for the rest of trip to Volos. The seats were much better than those on airplanes and the train wasn’t crowded. In addition, a young woman who sat across from me, like the young man, was excited about talking to an American. She soon moved to sit on my side, with our luggage across from us.

Eftychia (“Effie because my name is too hard to pronounce”) is a student, studying to be a doctor, who believe she wants to specialize in surgery. She is bright, enthusiastic, and was a delightful way to spend my time on the rest of the trip to Volos.

She educated me on what foods and liquors to consume on Easter Sunday and I talked with her about my life in the U.S. She used the words “positive attitude” a number of time and I told her about Dr. Norman Vincent Peale’s book The Power of Positive Thinking. She had never heard of it and quickly Googled it to buy later. I also taught her about thoughts, words, and actions creating our future reality and assured her that it seemed to me that she was well on her way.

Even here I can be a Unity teacher and motivation speaker. LOL

When it was about time for us to disembark the train I told Effie where I was staying. She said that her brother, Andrew, was picking her up, that the hotel was not out of their way, and they would be happy to take me. That probably saved me a 10 euro taxi fare. Andrew was very gracious in accommodating his sister’s offer and took the photo above.

Hotel Electra is nice, clean, and offers a free continental style breakfast. But I quickly found out that their wifi offered me no internet access (my phone’s problem, of course, according to management LOL). And, there was no hot water last night, but thankfully it was warm this morning.

I went to dinner at a very nice open-air seafood restaurant overlooking the ocean and a marina with many yachts moored. It was very nice and I was able to access the internet there and made contact with the man, Gregory Rouillard, who is on contract with Unity Worldwide Ministeries, whose class Power Matters I had taken, and the reason I am in Volos.

He and friends from the Kalikalos Holistic Centre are coming to my hotel about 1 p.m. We will go to lunch and talk about what they do. I found his class to be very interesting and the covenantal system he teaches through his organization, The Way of Community, an exciting concept that I would very much like to implement more of for Silent Unity.

APRIL 27: Today is the day before flying back to the U.S. which means a COVID test that American Airlines will approve and saying goodbye to new friends.

As you know, my purpose in going to Volos, Greece was to meet the teacher whose class all of his students enjoyed. It was a pleasant surprise when he brought his partner Juliette with him.

Though I like what Gregory teaches very much, and all of the students I interacted with liked his personality, it was Juliette that I bonded with and she felt the connection, as well.

They are a lovely couple who live a very interesting lifestyle between Austria and Greece. I wish them only the best and looking forward to staying in touch and perhaps taking more of Gregory’s classes.

I went out for a stroll this morning, saying goodbye to neighborhood places that had welcomed me, and buying a Greek goddess head wreath for the party some of you want me to have after I get home.

I have also bought myself a sterling silver ring and bracelet with blue opal to remember this trip.

In the afternoon I went to a pharmacist who had assured me that he could do the correct rapid antigen COVID test for getting aboard the plane. He did, I was of course negative, and I pray that the test is accepted.

At the same time I decided to let Cya shampoo and style my hair one more time. And, across the street, I noticed that Migniardise shop was open today. So I went across the street and officially “met” Thanos the owner who has been so nice — but I had not known his name.

A visitor from London was there, too, and we had quite a chat. It turned out that he is IT and had developed Thanos’ website.

In some ways I would have liked to visit more with Thanos, who ended up quite busy, but I probably learned more about the shop and Greece from Chris — who definitely plans to retire from London to Greece.

And Thanos gave me a large, courtesy bottle of wine to take home. I am going to give it to Maria, however, because I don’t want the extra weight in my suitcase.

This will probably be the last posting before I leave Greece for the U.S. It has been a wonderful trip, but I am looking forward to the familiarity and conveniences of Lee’s Summit, Missouri!

Love & hugs,

Sharon

APRIL 30: I arrived at the Kansas City Airport about 11:30 p.m. April 28th. The flight home was smooth, including 10 hours from Athens to Philadelphia in a plane that was about 1/3 full, leaving many of us with three seats to stretch out over!

I fully thought that I would be rested and ready to tackle things that I needed to do when I got home — wrong!!!

I did get up the next morning for a scheduled 8 a.m. nail appointment, bought a few groceries, and went to a 1 p.m. hair appointment, but I could not focus on things like unpacking — and it felt like every bone and muscle in my body ached.

I think this is probably what they call jetlag.

At 7 p.m. I realized that I had fallen asleep on the sofa — and went upstairs to tuck myself in to sleep as long as I needed to. LOL

At 4:00 a.m. I woke up, reasonably refreshed, and began, at my own pace, to tackle things that needed to be done. By 8:00 a semblance of order had been established.

APRIL 30: Those of you who have been following my blog postings know that I gave Maria my last U.S. dollars in exchange for her beautiful apartment (I actually ended up paying $203.78 for three weeks lodging in Athens, Greece!).

This meant that when I arrived in Philadelphia on the flight home I had no U.S. currency. Of course, I knew that I could use credit cards in the airport either to buy a meal or use an ATM machine.

As I rested during the 4-hour layover, I noticed something shiny on the floor beneath a seat. I checked it out and it was a shiny new U.S. nickel. The message on it (for me, of course) reads “In God We Trust: Liberty 2022”.

I believe this trip did more than end boredom. I believe it set me free. Free to be the adventurous woman I am. Free to explore a world without boundaries. Free to see the world as an unlimited source of good.

Things that I already knew in my mind, and heart, were made very real. People who were strangers, were not. They truly were friends that I had not yet met. There was no fear … only curiosity — on both sides.

People on the streets and trains were curious about America, and eager to practice their English. In return, they met my needs for guidance and some tangibles — bottles of water twice, transportation to my hotel in Volos, etc.

My new friend Thanos, owner of Migniardise Coffee Shop at Veikou 30, Athens, Greece gave me a nice bottle of red wine in gift bag to bring home with me. I passed it on to Maria since I’m not a big wine drinker and didn’t want the hassle of finding room in my suitcase. He is a treasured part of my memories of Athens.

Of course I didn’t give everyone my address, but anyone who befriended me will always be welcome in my home.

The future? For now, Lee’s Summit is my home, and I love it here. Will it always be? Only time and experiences will tell. Maria helped me realize how blessed I am living in the U.S. And I have to agree. In comparison to Greece, America is new / Greece is old. America is modern — appliances, cars, homes, etc. Greece is a cultural treasure.

Life in Greece would not be friendly to me; though the people were.

Maria convinced me to join AARP (she used to work for the organization) as a source of deep discounts for guided travel. At the moment, my plans are to do one major trip a year, though probably two weeks instead of three, and one minor trip a year (I’m thinking Amtrak) to states in the U.S. that I have never visited.

I would say “Stay tuned for my next adventure”, but since it will probably be a year from now I will just let you know when it’s going to occur.

Love you all — and, yes, there will be a Greek themed party in the near future to thank my friends for all their love and prayerful support in my journey to self actualization.

Hugs,

Sharon