Aftermath

Hi all,

Well I am back in Athens, home sweet home of sorts, though I would like to tell you about the last few days on Crete. There was no more kayaking after the "incident" partly because no one was ready to get in another kayak and partly because we barely had any left! We only had 4 holes remaining after the incident (in the form of a double and two single kayaks). The day after, I slept most of the day, and I got a massage from a guide who is also a massage therapist, then went into town to meet everyone for our last dinner.

Deann and I became friends for life after going through such a scary experience and spent most of our time together at meals and in town (along with her husband Matt of course). Throughout our conversations one of us would often refer back to the rescue and our memory of what had happened. While my first instinct was to want to go home, it was good to be with people who went through the disaster with me because only they know what it was like - especially Deann because we were in the same kayak. There is nothing like a near death experience to bond people together.

The dinner was good, and then afterwards we went to a disco for a final hurrah! It was fun to see the guides boogie-down, even Glenna was dancing on tables (she is a grandma-but you would never know it). We had lots of fun fruity drinks with umbrellas and danced until 2 am!

Our very last morning together we drove to Matala and then to Heraklion. Deann, Matt, and I spent the day together waiting for our ferries to depart for Athens. Thankfully, our ferries left at the same time, though we were on different lines.

Once on the ferry, I went to the theater and watched the world cup game with fellow Grecian futbol enthusiasts. I'm glad Italy won, because I feel some sense of kinship with it because I studied there, although they played a little rough.

My ferry arrived in Athens at 5:45am and I took a taxi to my hotel. I don't love the neighborhood as much as I love Plakas, but the hotel is great. I slept until noon and then headed over to the National Archealogical Museum which was amazing. The works date back to the Neolithic Period which is 6000 B.C. I was just amazed by the quality and detail of the pieces and how well they have been preserved. I found the sculptures to be my favorite. I really admire the artists ability to know and create the human body in stone or marble. I found a giant head of Zeus and his left arm that was recovered to be especially beautiful and haunting.

Speaking of sculptures, the men were totally perfect with chiseled bodies and no fat, while the women, well, let me just say I was surprised to see that I share the same "problem areas" as Aphrodite...maybe they aren't "problem areas" afterall!

So I made my way back to Plakas on the metro. I feel right at home here. I may try to catch up with Matt for dinner. Deann went to speak at a conference in London so he is here alone. I may try, though, to make it up to the hill that Matt Lind recommended and watch the sunset from up there.

Peace. (Picture is of Loutro- town on Crete)