Greetings From the Islands

Greetings from the Greek islands...

This place is incredibly stunning. Just finished Santorini and I can honestly say that it is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. I did see the Acropolis in Athens before I took the ferry ride over and for a moment realized that I was standing on a place that has been walked on by millions and millions of people. It was a unique, but strange feeling to think about how life was like way back then and how it has changed.

I've so far taken way too many photos and written about 40 pages in my journal. However, my first few nights I had a different sort of reflection. The first night I went to this little Greek joint in Athens and the servers kept on bringing me wine 'on the house' and the only thing I was reflecting that night was the bottom of the wine bottle ;). The second night after the long ferry ride that rocked back and forth brought me to see the reflection of the toilet bowl bottom, but after getting over being sea sick and seeing the place I was staying in Santorini, I quickly brightened up...the sea pills helped to. Planes, metros, buses, automobiles and ferries...I should make a movie.

On the ferry to Mykonos from Santorini, I met a Canadian that was waiting for transportation and we started to chat as we were both a little frustrated that nothing is on time here and we might miss our ferry. He was from Vancouver and had been traveling all over, but had the most horrible things to say about every place. I absolutely adore Vancouver and all he had to say was that it was filled with homeless and heroine kids. He hated the Cayman Islands that he lived for five years and now he was bitching about how the Greek islands are not going his way. So, I left that conversation, realized that I could just sit there and bitch with him, or I could use my brain and figure out another way to get to the port because obviously the taxi was not coming. After some smart thinking, I ran and asked a local to drive me with a huge smile on my face...sure enough, I found myself to the port on time. A few minutes later after wondering if the Canadian made his bus on time, I saw him throwing up his hands and cussing at the ferry and I got to wondering, is it really that bad to be stuck on the most stunning Greek island for another day?

Sometimes we as people are so self-centered that when one thing goes wrong, it can be the end of the world, or the end of a good day and was it worth it? Do we realize that we are just tiny specks in this vast world? Do we realize how antique the world really is and millions of other people have walked the same road? Just like there are hidden treasures, there are enchanting places and we have to be able to open our eyes, truly open our eyes to discover the world's charm all around us...not as we'd like to see it, but just as it is.

Discovering Santorini's Charm:

1. Quad...I use to hate this mode of transportation mostly because it reminds me of hot dessert and loud noises, but this time, it showed me sparkling white villages, curvy roads along the Med. Sea and expansive space.
2. Blue churches...a familiar mark here however I was drawn to it not because of the color, but because it continuously whispered to my being.
3. The sun in all stages of its life...as a Lion, the sun helps me play, grow and appreciation. When the sun sets in Santorini, you can hear clapping and whistling for miles.
4. Buildings built right on top of one another...it reminded me that we have to let others hold us up sometimes in order to really realize our worth.
5. Hidden staircases and underground streets...just like people, we have to take the time to look beyond the apparent because fortune cookie finds are all over.