Scan Update and Greece, 2019

     First of all, let me say that recent follow-up CT scans of my chest, abdomen, and pelvis indicate that my oral chemotherapy, Xalkori, continues to do its job.  My brain MRI this month was about the same as the one in July, which found the tumor to be a bit bigger than earlier, post-CyberKnife, images.  There are no new tumors.  My team of doctors still feels that I have delayed radiation necrosis, and have nothing to worry about, at this time.  I'm going with that, because I'm not symptomatic and...I trust them. 

Jerry, Brigid, Wynn and me, at the Arch of Hadrian

     Since 2018 was such a crappy year, Wynn helped me do our best to make 2019 a better one.  So, along with traveling to Portugal in the Spring, we made our way to Greece in October. We traveled with our next door neighbors and dear friends, Brigid and Jerry.  Brigid and I used Rick Steves' Greece:  Athens and the Peloponnese travel guide, online information and tips from our family and friends to plan our trip.  I'm sure she'd humbly agree with me that we did a fantastic job planning every detail! 

The Parthenon, at the Acropolis

The Porch of the Caryatids, at the Acropolis

      We spent a day and a half in Athens, and really feel that was plenty.  We were told that there are 10 million people in Greece; 5 million living in Athens.  It's much like many large European metropoleis, crowded and somewhat grimy.  Graffiti is everywhere. We stayed in a really nice AirBnB in central Athens, so getting around wasn't too bad. There are many ancient sites to see around the city, [Ancient Agora, Arch of Hadrian, Temple of Olympian Zeus], but my favorite was the Acropolis, the ancient city at the top of Acropolis Hill, where you'll see loads of ruins and a very impressive sprawling view of Athens below.  It was our intention to visit the Acropolis Museum, but - a word to the wise -, it's closed on Mondays, so we missed it.  

 



 

Mycenae

 
     
     We hired a driver/guide who drove us to the Peloponnese peninsula, making stops at the canal in Corinth and Mycenae, an ancient fortress city. 

 Nafplio at sunset.  Notice la luna.

    

     We ended the day in Nafplio, a beautiful coastal city on the Argolic Gulf of the Aegean Sea.  Wynn had his first swim in the Aegean Sea here. 

The amplhitheater at Epidavros

        From Naplio, we hired another driver/guide who drove us first to Epidavros, and then onto Ermioni.  Epidavros was the healing center of ancient Greece, and home to Asklepios, the god of medicine.  Asklepios was Apollo's son, and it is in Epidavros that you will find the remains of a hospital, other medical facilities, a bath house, a stadium and amphitheater.  There's a small museum that includes ancient surgical tools.  When we visited the amphitheater, I stood on the designated spot, and Wynn and Brigid walked to the top row of seats.  Before taking their picture, I said, "Smile", (unamplified and purposely in a normal speaking volume).  They heard me...loud and clear.  This theater holds 14,000 and is still used, regularly, to this day.  Our driver took us to Ermioni, where we caught a 30-minute ferry-ride to a small island called Hydra, (pronounced "Ee-drah".)

     Hydra is unique in that there are no cars nor motor bikes on the island...only donkeys.  It's small and extremely hilly, with streets so narrow that fully-loaded donkeys can barely get through. 





 

     Every morning, boats arrive with all needed island supplies, (food, water, building materials, merchant wares - everything.) These items are loaded onto donkeys and delivered all over the main city, Hydra Town.  We went to Bisti Beach, only accessible by boat.  


 

Congratulations to Nathan and Banshamlak!

     From Hydra, Brigid and Jerry went onto the island of Santorini while Wynn and I hopped a plane to visit Nathan in Tel Aviv for the weekend.  Nathan became engaged in September to Banshamlak, (pronounced "BAHN-shahm-lock"), so we wanted to see them and meet some of her family.  Although it was a quick visit, it was wonderful to be with them both.   







     We rejoined Brigid and Jerry on the island of Naxos, the largest island in a group of islands in this region called the Cyclades.  Naxos isn't as built-up or touristy as say...Santorini or Mykonos, so it was quiet and a bit slower.  Because it rained the day we planned to tour around, we signed up for a day-long bus tour.  It was probably our best option, given the weather.  We stayed in a family owned hotel, Nastasia Village Hotel, which was lovely.

Windmills on Mykonos

      After two days on Naxos, we took a ferry boat to Mykonos for our last three days.  Mykonos is famous for it's beaches and night life. When I say, "famous for it's night life," I mean loud night clubs with pounding music spilling into the streets with lean, tall, dark and handsome men employees, who call out to young women walking by, while waving their arms, inviting them to come into their clubs.  The key word in that last sentence is 'young'.  Each time Brigid and I walked by a night club, with Jerry and Wynn behind us, these handsome men would take one look at us, drop their arms, and it was like....crickets.  At first, as I walked by these silent men looking at their feet, I said, "Oh. Come. On.", with a smile on my face.  By the end of our walk, I turned back and said, "Listen...we didn't always look like this!"  We went to a beautiful beach, by public bus, called Elia.  It has lounger chairs and beach umbrellas, with drink/food service and nice restaurants close by. We stayed at a great place called Aeolos Mykonos Hotel, run by an incredibly attentive owner, Gus. 

A small portion of the Delos civilization

     
     We took a 1/2-day trip to Delos, by ferry, from Mykonos.  In its day, Delos was an important and busy port city, in terms of religion and commerce.  The ruins on Delos give you a great sense of how active these civilizations were in ancient times.  It's fascinating.  There's no shade on this island, so wear a hat and bring water.  The museum is good, and has air conditioning. 


     
     Our trip to Greece was amazing and traveling with Brigid and Jerry was easy.  In no way was I disappointed, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention two negative observations.  1)  I love green and lush terrain...think Lake Tahoe/Sierra Mts and the forests of the Rocky Mts.  The waters of the Aegean Sea are natural variations of blue that I have never seen before, but the Greek islands are volcanic, brown and scrubby.  It seemed like much of the region is gray, beige...and dusty.  I love history and really loved standing in the places where the mythical stories I have read took place.  However, after two weeks in Greece, I was a bit ancient-ruined out.  There's so much.  And, 2)  I was disheartened when looking at ruins, either outdoors or in museums, and reading that the item I was admiring was a replica, with the original being housed in a museum in another country.  I asked a tour guide why that is and was told that many antiquities were sold to other countries or wealthy collectors and replaced by "exact replicas", (in a tone implying that it was the same.) 




      I will end this blog on high notes:  The food...all food...in Greece is outstanding.  Whether we dined at a mom-n-pop eatery or a fancy Athenian restaurant, it was all amazing.  We didn't have a bad meal the whole time we were there.  The people of Greece were wonderful to us as tourists.  They were friendly, cheerful and helpful.   
 




     Would I go back?  Without hesitation.  Based on conversations with some Greeks we met along our trip, I'd love to visit the islands of Crete and Rhodes next time.