Anticipation!

I leave next week for Greece!  This trip has been planned for over a year and now it is only a few days away.  How time flies!  This is my retirement gift to myself - a little long in coming as I retired three years ago.  But I've been saving for and anticipating it for a long time.  I've never been to Greece so I will be a true tourist there.  I say that because when I travel in France, I no longer feel like a tourist as it is my second home.  I feel pretty much at home in Italy as well although my Italian needs a little "vino locale" in order to start flowing freely!   But Greece!  The home of western civilization.  The home of the gods of legend and myth.  (The Romans loved the Greek gods so much that they stole them and gave them Latin names.)  I've been reading as much as I can about the places we'll visit: Olympia, the site of the original Greek games;  Santorini, the island famous for those beautiful blue domed roofs; Mykonos, the island of beaches and parties; Athens, the capital of democracy, of learning, of now faded decadence and power, the Parthenon.  Seven days of our two week trip is a cruise which originates in Venice - one of my most favorite cities in Europe.  Our first stop will be in Bari, at the heel of Italy - the home of Saint Nicolas they tell me.  And the last stop before returning to Venice will be Dubrovnik, Croatia - an ancient walled city on the Adriatic coast.  Except for Venice, this will all be new to me.  And I can't wait!!  I love travel.  I love learning new things about new places because it helps me learn new things about myself.  My son has told me many times that the travels he has done since he was 4 and I took him to Mexico (his first time out of the country) have helped him see the world in a different way than most of his friends and acquaintances.  Perhaps with more tolerance and understanding.  And he is extremely grateful for all of those experiences that have enriched his life.  I know exactly what he means.  It's something we talk about often.  The love of travel is such a part of who I am.  I mentioned in an earlier post that my dad's favorite phrase was: "It's just around the next bend!"  So here I go again, around the next bend, not really knowing what's there, but anticipating every turn in the path as I find out. I won't be posting again until I get back the week of October 24.  And then I'll have a wealth of new experiences to share with you.  Enjoy the new season while I'm gone.  A bientôt!