Spain

since I'm not actively traveling right now - I've been reminiscing about some great trips from ages ago. My junior year in college, I spent a few months in Spain studying at the Universidad de Salamanca. It's one of the oldest universities in Europe, and Salamanca was the perfect town for us to study, explore, party... basically have lots of adventures. I lived with two other girls E & M, and our Mama (Carmen)- we were located at the far north side of the city (Calle Petunias), so the program gave us bus passes to get around Salamanca more easily. Below us lived two other girls in the program (did I mention there were 27 girls and 3 guys? lucky guys) - they lived with Flora, another older mama - total bffs with Carmen. We found lots of ways to get into trouble.... here are just a few:

-missing our stop (and the next 3 stops) on the bus

-taking pictures of every mullet we could find

-the situation game. where one of us would blurt out a situation, and the others would have to make faces and we'd take a quick pic. In looking back at the pictures - all the faces are similar, and we have NO idea what the situations were.

-one night we opened a bottle of wine in our room, but we didn't have a corkscrew (and didn't think to get a twist-off bottle), so we had read that you can use a toothbrush to force the cork into the bottle and then drink. it was so hard to push that cork into the bottle that by the time it went through, we splattered wine EVERY where - including the walls. ooooh we were in trouble.

-technically you're not allowed to drink outside of the bars in Spain, but we had to follow the tradition - it's called botellon (bo-tay-yAWN)

-eating was always a bit of a challenge - the Spaniards don't really have breakfast (or at least not a large one), and then the main meal wasn't till 2 or 3 in the afternoon. by the time we'd get home from school for lunch we all thought we were dying of hunger. our Mama was a FANTASTIC and authentic cook - so the apartment would smell incredible - adding to our mini food depression. then we would chow down for 20 minutes and roll back to school for afternoon classes. Madre Carmen did not make extra food... so this one time, we got in from a late night of dancing and decided we were going to die of hunger unless we had a snack. leftover pasta from lunch - perfect, we thought. oh my gooodness gracious, we have never seen Carmen so angry. She gave us a whole speech about communication, and how it's not right to take what wasn't ours, and on and on. Apparently that pasta had been for our lunch the next day- and we totally messed her up for meals the rest of the week. We apologized, of course, but we felt horrible for weeks and weeks about that. Spanish guilt, go figure.

Oy, there are a LOT more stories... I'll have to do a continuation of this post, so that it doesn't get too long.

the wildest.

It was my first trip to Uganda. The last week of my trip - I had been running my tiny little world for 3 weeks, and I think I learned more in that time than I learned in my last year of college. I'm sitting in my office, with my trusty (adopted) watchdog at my feet and in walk 5 gigantic men. I mean, they were huge. Each one probably the size of two of my brothers. I had my confident manager self on, so I welcomed them in and asked what I could do for them. They proceeded to begin asking invasive questions about my office.

"Madam, we are from the police department. How many non-Ugandans are in your office?" "One. Me." (surprised faces) "Do you have a work visa?" "No, a tourist visa." "Madam, you are not here legally." "Yes I am, I work for the United States Agency for International Development. The United States Government." "Mzungu, if you don't have a working visa - you will be in violation of the Ugandan immigration rules. We will be forced to report you to the police."

At this point, my dog is barking at the intruders (yes, thank you Tequila!!!), and my driver Big John is standing intimidatingly in the doorway. I realize that these men are not as scary as I thought, and then I raised myself to my full height, and told the men, "Gentlemen, I am on my way to Kampala in the morning. I will check in at the American Embassy and then I will send a copy of the visa to the police office." (that's the police) The men left, and a few staff came into my office to ask me what went down. I explained what the men said, and my team said, "Oh those thugs just wanted Christmas." (meaning they wanted $$$$!)

Of course, I had to report the 'incident' to my boss, as well as our US Government counterparts. it was totally embarassing that I never asked for their names or identification - I was cowed by a few idiot thugs. Can't believe I was so naive! I was grateful for the presence of Big John and Tequila, though. As were my parents when I told them the story. Big John always took such good care of me!

here's the police barracks I would have gone to if I had answered those thugs the wrong answer:

rolling thunder part 2

My friend Sarah used to work at a school where the kids weren't allowed to say 'cool' 'dude' or 'awesome' because the administration thought kids these days say those words too much without developing a good vocabulary. I tried it one day, and found it next to impossible. so, I do try to use other words in my vocabulary when I remember.... but sometimes a thing comes across my path that can only be described as awesome. today, that thing is my Mom. Maybe many of you haven't met my Mom - I don't need your input. she is awesome.

So, this weekend I decided to take a motorcycle class - to prep if I ever go live overseas (I'd like to have a motorcycle), and to work on my skillz. Anyway, I was debriefing with my mom afterwards - just talking about some of the techniques and things I'd learned. She's great to talk to because she is a counselor - wonderful at listening thoughtfully. She mentioned how excited she was that I was learning this (albeit a bit nervous), and I said, "Well you did something like this, right?" Mom started reminiscing about this time when she lived in Venezuela - and was riding her motorcycle up a mountain range, back and forth on switchback dirt roads... and she wiped out, the motorbike wasn't even hers, and she had to kick start it again on a hurt ankle, but the kickstart was bent. ridiculous.


My mom is a rockstar. Growing up, she had her pilot's license and used to fly a tiny plane back and forth from Baltimore to Ocean City every morning to deliver newspapers. Who even does that? But it goes farther back than my mom - my grandmother gave up her modeling career to go into the airforce during World War 2. There she met my Grandad (she taught him how to fly), then raised 4 kids, and later she took up horsebackriding and real estate sales. Just a snapshot of the coolness factor. I have a long way to go, clearly.

I know other people's parents are similarly cool - so here's to the people who made us who we are.

little did I know...

It's been almost 2 years, and I think I'm finally ready to tell this story. For a while, I was too embarrassed. Is your interest peaked yet? ha.

It was my first trip to Uganda, first trip to Africa, first everything - I don't know a whole lot now, but I knew even less then. The farthest I had ever gone was Spain, so after two 8-hour flights and a layover in Amsterdam - by the time I arrived, I had no idea which way was forward or backward. There was a driver waiting for me at the airport (an intimidating experience if you've ever been looking for someone who just wasn't there - do I really trust any of these people to take me to where I'm supposed to go?), and he drove me to the Imperial Beach resort. Little did I know there were two Imperial Beach resorts, and he took me to the wrong one! Whatever, I didn't care - there was a bed, and got up to my room and unpacked - still totally overwhelmed by the smells and total darkness. I knew I couldn't go straight to sleep because I was waiting for Hashim (name changed for privacy) to drop off my phone. Hashim had been our driver since the beginning of the program 6 months prior, and I'd spoken with him over the phone many times before. After a couple hours, he finally showed up - explained that I went to the wrong hotel and he had been waiting for me there. Oops. I was too tired and confused to really care. He gave me a phone and told me he'd pick me up the next day to head up to Gulu. We drove the 5 hours in almost total silence, since I was looking out the windows, and he was focused on not hitting any chickens in the road. From that time through the rest of my stay in Gulu, Hashim was back in Kampala - but he'd call every once in a while to make sure I was ok.

Well, it was time for me to go home for Christmas - I'd been running the 30 person office, managing millions of dollars, buying crazy things, and I think this was the craziest learning experience I've ever had. Big John (another driver) took me back to Kampala, and Hashim was supposed to drive me to the airport the next day (mind you, this whole time I had never spent more than 12 hours in the big city - that's for another post). Hashim told me he had a gift for me. He handed me a box the size & shape of a dvd, covered in shimmery-red-hearts wrapping paper plus a card. I wasn't sure what to do - but for some idiotic reason, I thought the best thing would be to open it right there in front of him. Don't ask me why.

I opened the package to find............... a dvd-size plastic box containing black lace lingerie. The box said something like 'Petal soft and ever fresh' and had a picture (of course) of some hot african mama wearing the babydoll & thong. But the best part is the size of the items he got me: SUPER XXXL. Triple Extra Large. triple. I've never been so dumbfounded in my life. In case you were wondering this is not a typical gift between acquaintances in America. I think I said something like, 'Oh you really shouldn't have.' and escaped the car as fast as I possibly could.

So, there you have it - my introduction to the ways of African men and their expressiveness to mzungu girls. To answer your inevitable questions - NO, I never wore the lingerie. But I think I still have it somewhere - it's too funny to let go.

wandering a new direction...

Hi everybody! So, it's been a few months - I know. This past summer, I went to Greece and Uganda, got my brother all married in California, and got myself a new job. busy summer! I'm working for another USAID contractor called Chemonics International, and loving life so far. My new project is in Haiti and no, I haven't gotten to travel there yet. More posts surely to come, but this fall is quite slow on the international travel front. I just realized that I've passed the 2-month threshold - the longest amount of time I've been in one country since December 2009. crazy! Hasta pronto--

Rugby Club and Ethiopian Restaurant

The last time I was in the same country as a terrorist attack was Tuesday, September 11, 2001. On Sunday, July 11, 2010 al Shabab attacked the local civilian population in Kampala, Uganda, a group of people watching the World Cup finals. It's a tragedy that al Shabab attacked outside of its own country (let's not even get into the tragedy happening within that country itself). You can read political analysis on NY Times or BBC, but here's my experience of the events:

I'd arrived in Uganda on Tuesday evening, spent a wonderful few days in Mbale and was just finishing a fabulous weekend in Gulu. We finished up our homemade lasagna (a treat!) and headed over to Boma Hotel to watch the game on the only big tv screen in Gulu. We had so much fun watching the game - it wasn't until the next morning that I had any idea what happened: Suicide bombers set off multiple explosions in highly-populated areas inside Kampala- inside the Rugby Club and Ethiopian Restaurant in Kampala (as well as couple other locations where fortunately the bombs did not detonate).

It felt so unfair to be attacked from a source outside the country - for something that the majority of people in Uganda had nothing to do with. Thankfully, everyone on my team was safe - but the number of close encounters is chilling. For my colleague Moses, his brother was at the Rugby Club and just decided to leave 15 minutes before the bomb went off. My friend Sophia, her brother-in-law was going to watch the game from the Ethiopian Restaurant but decided to skip it because they weren't serving pork that night.

People were very sober the following day- not panicked, and not even bothering to check in with all their friends until the list of deceased came out in a couple days. A couple of my colleagues hearkened back to the days of the LRA attacks, when they would hide at night for fear that they would be kidnapped. They remembered hearing the Black Mamba (a heavy metal gun, from what I understand) and said that in comparison AK-47s sound like popcorn. popcorn. Amazing resilience.

I drove through Kampala this past Friday (7/23) to get to the airport, and I found it very interesting to listen to the radio - all the DJs were talking about how nobody would be going to bars in Kampala that weekend. "The latest thing is house parties and office parties, if it's acceptable to party in your office," they said. My driver and I chuckled at this. Other changes that we saw - just in the brief 2 weeks following the attacks include: screenings at all bars - even in Gulu!! We got frisked and even my tiny handbag was searched. inconvenient? yes, but so important for the country to take seriously this risk. Uganda used to be this place that felt very free and open - now it feels a lot like any other country.

Now Somali refugees in Uganda face uncertainty, as well as the nations supporting AMISOM. Countries and people react and evolve based on their circumstances - terrorism is not a new phenomenon in Uganda, but certainly one which we all hoped was finished. The death toll continues to increase - last I heard it was 84 people who were killed. My heart goes out to the families and to the mourning country of Uganda. Already the world seems to have moved on- there are so many tragedies to read about in the news.

Maybe best to end this post with a quote from the hero Nelson Mandela- he says, "To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

travel tip...

I don't have a whole lot of these because every time I travel, there seems to be some wild and unusual occurance that leaves me both stressed and panicky and full of travel amnesia. Example: on the way to the airport, I passed 7 African Union convoys which made my trip from Gulu to Entebbe not 5 hours, but 7. I tried really hard to get my driver to join one of the convoys (take that, Gaddafi!) but he wouldn't do it. Or that time in Milan when everyone told me I had already flown on this ticket, which was clearly not true because I was standing in the airport talking to them. Or how about when my plane landed in Zambia instead of Zimbabwe? Yeah.

Anyway, back to my travel tip: if you are ever flying through Amsterdam (which I recommend because this airport is very user-friendly and the KLM people are almost always cute and helpful) and you have a long layover, but don't want to go into the city (actually that is quite easy - you just hop on a train)-- Get a yotel booking. Yotel is one of those airport hotels - you get a comfy bed, wifi included, and a shower. it's dark and peaceful and private. basically heaven inside an airport after that 8 hour all-night plane ride from Africa.

Also in the Amsterdam airport- there's this hot cheese pastry that I get every time I pass through (after 3 weeks in Gulu with no cheese - this is also heaven). It's a bar next to the sushi restaurant, and you just ask for the hot cheese pastry and the nice Dutch man will help you out.

Happy travels, people!

uganda again

I have just one more post for Greece and a post about the Kampala bombings, but in the meantime, here are a couple of memories from the present:
-I taught my first exercise class last week. I was at the gym, lifting weights, minding my own business when a group of 25 women entered the gym. They were in skirts, flip flops, all manner of 'exercise gear' and they started asking me to teach them something (apparently the instructor did not show up). I thought, 'ok what can I show them that won't injure anyone? not kickboxing for sure.' So I took the ladies into the group exercise room (I use this term very loosely) and we did a yoga class-- sun salutations, downward dog, plank- the works! I was a bit worried when some of the women dropped out, but nobody collapsed so I suppose we did fine. After the class, the ladies clapped and everybody shook my hand- it was great.
-I've adopted yet another baby- his name is Ethan and he's the love of my life. I'm on track to becoming his godmother....
-Last night two of my gym buddies told me- 'You are just very fine, please don't reduce (lose weight) or increase (gain weight). It's not good to be too fat or too skinny.'
-there's no power in Gulu at the moment, so we've been having cold showers (yep, this time i get a shower rather than just a bucket of cold water!) and incredibly slow meals, but over the weekend to top it all off- there was no water at my hotel.
-yesterday at lunch, the staff asked me if there were any maize meal or posho in the US - I said, no we don't have those. Nobody could believe it - 'you just eat rice?' they asked me. Well, no, there's bread and pasta. No way, they didn't believe we fat americans could survive on bread and pasta and rice.
-Ugandans know how to SMACK TALK. I've never seen anything like it. On Sunday I was playing pool with a bunch of people and they were all, 'I hope you have gone to church today, because you need to say your prayers.' and 'Please sit and relax, while I take my white ball and win this game.' it's totally courteous and totally hilarious. If you're just starting a game, you say to everybody, "Who am I caning?" (meaning whom am I going to beat?)
-if you have a zit, at least 12 people will ask, 'oh no, my dear! what has bitten you?'
-apparently the baby-doll/empire waist style is not common here in Uganda. Last week, 4 out of 5 days at work I was told, 'Wow, that top would be so nice for a pregnant lady.'
-no matter what you are doing - you always answer that mobile phone. One of my friends at the gym had just arrived, was doing situps with weights, and chatting away on the phone. Another guy was kicking my ass at pool with one hand, and talking on his mobile with the other.
-every time I come back, my friends tell me, "But you were lost." meaning I haven't been around for a long time. I still haven't figured out how to respond to this- mostly I just say, "Yes, but I've come back."
i still love this country- can't help it.

Mykonos Island

Nowhere will compare with the beauty of Santorini or the beaches of Crete- but Mykonos comes in as my very third favorite Greek island. The buildings are beautiful, the alleyways are winding and curious, and the tourism is at a super high level. Becky and I had adventures all over the island, but I think the best way for readers to see it is to check out the pictures. Enjoy!

Knossos Palace

sidenote- i knew i should have finished these Greece posts before leaving for Uganda. it's difficult to remember the trip details while i'm far away on yet another continent....

The last day of our visit to Crete, Becky and I visited the ancient Palace of Knossos. This place has been around for over 3000 years - and got covered up by earthquakes over many years. Like many other places in Greece, this palace existed both in ancient mythology and in real life. The king of this ancient civilization certainly did some outrageous things that have made him legendary, but back in the day the Cretans had a well-functioning and incredibly advanced society. You can see evidence of their ingenuity all over the palace - they had store rooms for grain (for when foreign governments came to bring taxes), heated baths, and an extensive piping system that is still studied today by engineers.

The palace is quite extensive, and we got to see the royal living quarters, huge store houses, the throne room, and even a little section for religious ceremony. The place is still under excavation by archeologists, but they have re-made so much of the ancient palace that it's quite a fun and interactive tour. Our tour guide was very entertaining- she made the whole group act out an ancient myth- assigning roles and making sure everybody was paying attention!

For the rest of the day, we got to tour around the port city of Heraklion- although Becky and I decided that the our time would be better spent in Zara and then in finding some incredible greek crepes for our tummies. what a good day!

Peloponnese

Our final day in Greece was jam-packed with sites and touring. We started out with a delicious breakfast made by Yaya (scrambled eggs with feta & tomatos? yes please), then got on the road to Mycenae, Nemea, Epidavros, Corinth and Nafplion. We visited ancient temples, palaces, spas, theatres, and stadiums, plus the beautiful scenery of mainland Greece. By the time we got to Nafplion, it was night - actually the best time to be in that little town, because you can sit by the water or the main square and just watch the beautiful lighthouse or the fortress at the top of the mountain. Greece continues to amaze me - you can round a bend, and come across an excavation of some site - probably 4,000 years old. and probably filled with amazing innovations that our modern cultures have yet to fully realize. For example, the Greeks had an invention used for the starting line of races - it was a ropes and weights system (similar to a catapolt) that ensured if you started before the command, you would trip. how amazing.




The Peloponnese is so beautiful - rocky mountains surrounded by turquoise water, and
everything is so close- We visited 5 sites in 10 hours! This was a wonderful way to finish our trip - we got a taste of the history of the country and its influence on the western world.

Athens & Delphi

Day #1 of our mainland tour, Becky and I hit all the hot-spots of Athens in about 5 hours and then hopped in the car to visit Delphi. This day was the culmination of so many things that I'd studied as a kid- ancient mythology, Athens, greek drama and philosophy, roots of democracy, even architecture styles! it's truly amazing what influence Greece has had on the western world.

I will admit that standing outside the Parthenon made me tear up. it is such a majestic building - so old, and such a work of art. Everywhere you go in Greece, there is something ancient - whether it's the origin of a word or a piece of marble toppled from a majestic palace on the side of the road. It's a bit hard to describe the wonder of it all - so here are some pictures to take you back in time with me.

the Gorge

Becky and I decided to hike the Samaria Gorge, 4 days into our trip- the longest gorge hike in Europe- that's right. It's not that we're hard core, but when you have two options and one of them is called 'the Lazy way' and the other is called 'the Long way' - what would you choose?

The bus picked us up at 5:10 a.m. (still dark in Greece), and drove us up into the White Mountains. It was incredibly beautiful to watch the mountain range shimmer in the sunlight- they went from a dull gray color to pink to white. We had this cute little tour guide, Ingrid, who spoke about 7 languages and told us to look for her on the hike - she would be 'the one wearing Ferari red!' The bus stopped to give us a chance to eat breakfast, but Becky and I were already WAY prepared with snacks, breakfast, and about 2 gallons of water/gatorade. The hike begins at the top of the mountain range, and you climb down a couple miles into the gorge and then hike along the bottom of the gorge until you get to the beach. Pretty much the best way to end a hike. The whole thing is 12 miles, and takes about 5 hours.

Everything was very barren and dry- yet at the bottom of the gorge was a stream of crystal clear mountain water. There would be tiny pink or blue flowers every once in a while - again I could not understand how they survived the wretchedly hot sunlight. The texture of the rocks was also very beautiful - as the water wears down the limestone over thousands of years, it creates patterns and shapes on the rocks. But I think the most wonderful of all was the sheer immensity of this ancient, natural landscape. It was so big - all around us, totally engulfing. We are so small in this big world- just tiny people with so little effect on a planet that doesn't even seem to notice us. That gorge didn't care if we came, went, or just sat on our bums- but we got to appreciate its beauty. They say if you hike the Samaria Gorge, you have conquered the isle of Crete - I don't think that's true.... more like if you hike the Samaria Gorge, you get an amazing 5 hours of nature, crazy sore muscles, and then you get to spend the afternoon on a black pebble beach.

Santorini

mmm, how do you start writing about the most beautiful island on earth? it's a lot of pressure! Santorini was beautiful from the first moment we drove away from the port - up, up, up the mountains into the town of Fera. It's the Greece you see on postcards - those blue rooftops and whitewashed buildings built into the mountainside. Becky & I arrived on Saturday afternoon, did a quick drop off of bags at the hotel, and busted a move to the bus station where we hopped a bus to Oia ('eeea') for the afternoon and evening. We soon discovered that we had arrived during the HOTTEST part of the day (about 2 p.m.), and there is not one square inch of shade on the island. No matter, we wandered the winding streets, took innumerable photos, and drank in every possible view. There are so many beautiful things - really, everywhere you turn - a door, a gate, a little wall covered in creeping vines. It's the simplicity of the buildings (very simple lines and architecture) and the solo use of two colors (which by the way are the colors of the Greek flag) that makes everything else stand out. I still marvel at the flowers that could survive in such brilliant sunlight - Becky and I almost withered! We weren't sure we would make it to sunset, but what a good thing we ducked into a tiny bakery shop and scarfed down some snacks and sweet treats to hold us over.

The second day we public-transited ourselves to the ancient ruins of Thera. The island is prety compact, so it only took about 15 minutes to get there. We arrived at the ruins at 10:15 a.m. - already the sun was scorching hot, so we did a SUPER SPEEDY tour of the ruins. (I think this was the place where Becky made me give a fake tour-- and then we kept finding signs that told us exactly what each thing really was, and how misleading my tour was. not that my tour group of 1 really cared.) The view on top of Ancient Thera was wonderful, which we very much expected by day #2 in Santorini.

The rest of our time on Santorini was spent wandering the little town of Fera where we were staying (wait for it - our little guest house was called 'Villa Popi'). We stopped by Mama's restaurant (Mama is the aunt of our mainland friend Chris), and she made us some concoction of pasta with tomatos and feta, and all was right with the world.

Santorini is idyllic and timeless. I understand during tourist season, it is pretty much gridlocked (gross), but with good reason. My favorite moments were those hours of sunset, where the whole town was lit up in golden light. It's not possible to describe it fully- I guess you all just need to buy plane tickets and get over there!

I guess my other favorite thing was this Greek gentleman's courtship of Becky from his open window above where we were sitting. It was quite romantic- Apostolos, if you ever read this - you might just want to put out the cigarette next time.

Navigation

Well, I guess I should just admit it. I know everyone has known this for quite some time now - but here goes: I am American, and because of that fact - there are some things I just don't know how to do. phew.

When Becky and I decided to go to Crete (many thanks to Aunt Chris for helping us find a great place to stay) - we were immediately and overwhelmingly told that we needed a rental car. No big deal, right? Wrong. a. Neither Becky nor I knew how to drive manual transmission, b. we had no maps. However, we were fully confident in our navigational skills and my ability to quickly learn stick shift. My younger brother, Calvin, started giving me lessons on his truck (I think it's a 1990 Ford Ranger Sport - old, rusted, and hence we lovingly call it 'the smuck'). Calvin is a very patient teacher, and I think he should probably go into that business someday. After 3 lessons and many, many stalls - we had done parking lots, neighborhood streets, and the terrifying town of Fairfax - I didn't think I was entirely ready, but Calvin had faith that I could do it. Lots of pep talks - even a pep text at the airport, and I had a do-or-die attitude. Becky, meanwhile, was all prepped - she knew her role was to be 'very, extremely calm!!!'

We land in the port of Heraklion after 20 hours of flying, a few layovers, and a 7 hour ferry ride. It's dark, and we couldn't find our vehicle or our rental company. Panic ensued. But after 45 minutes of searching, we called up our Greek buddy, Chris, who immediately got on the phone and helped us connect with the Sixt people. We signed some papers (who even knows what), got vague directions to the highway (oh yeah, still no maps), put our bags in the car, and got into our tiny, grey Nissan Micra.

I took several deep breaths, put in the clutch, and we were off. I won't lie and tell you that it was an incredibly smooth ride. But we only stalled a couple of times, and this little car was SO much easier to drive than the Smuck. (definitely a good way to learn - start with the toughest, and then everything else is EASY) Well, we found the highway and started driving up, up, up the mountains of Crete. Back and forth, so many switchbacks. Maybe Becky knew that Crete was mountainous, but I had no idea - so that was a fun surprise. Meanwhile Becky is telling me, "Abigail, um, can you see around that bend? Because I can't." subtle. yes, ok, I will turn on the brights. What a blessing that it was dark and we couldn't see the sheer cliffs that we drove on!

Have I mentioned yet how much I was praying? pretty much every second. this was ALL God's grace to us that we were safe on the road.

So, after about an hour we arrived to the area where our hotel was. We drove, drove, drove searching desperately for the street signs or ANY signs. All the signs in Greece are in Greek - can you imagine? They typically have English underneath, but that's really only the case on the highways. We were unable to find street signs anywhere once we had left the highway. Not even one. Well, being smart ladies - we stopped to ask for directions. The locals told us, "Go straight, only straight, very straight." Ok, that sounds easy enough. Nope, the road forks once, then twice, and then we are lost yet again. It's much easier to drive stick on highways than in little towns, so of course I was flustered. Finally an old gentleman told us, "It's just around the corner, come I will ride my scooter, and you follow me." What a blessing. The hotel was literally down a sign-less alleyway, about 500 meters. We might never have found it. Again, God was so merciful.

Finally we are 'home,' and all we can do is fall into bed thanking the Lord for his kindness. The rest of the week we drove only when it was easy to find where we were going- why add extra stress to our vacation by trying to navigate the narrow streets of the tiny beach towns? We took lots of public transportation (which by the way is much cheaper than paying for gas in Europe, and I would say- we navigated just fine. Props to Becky 'the navigator' Verno and Calvin 'instructor extraordinaire' Griffith for their contributions. And really, praise the Lord that we had no accidents. Also praise the Lord that he kept us safe on all those public buses - there were lot of harepin turns, and a few times we thought we were going into the pretty blue water.

Overall, though, I found it quite fun to learn a new skill and adventure our way across the island. I sort of miss driving manual now... maybe Calvin will trade me for the Smuck every couple weeks - how will I ever convince him?

Creta

I'm standing in water - crystal clear, blue as the sky, the waves are lapping up around my elbows, and the wind is gently caressing my face. I'm on a sandbar off the island of Crete, and everywhere I look is beauty. To my left I see rocky crags of the island - many shades of brown, but they are shimmery in the intense sunlight. There is no shade in Greece - which Becky and I find out to our delight and consternation. To my right, the beach town built into another mountain. Behind me, the combination pebble-and-sand beach sparsely decorated with beach chairs and umbrellas. Becky is asleep in the sunshine, and behind our stuff is a tiny beach restaurant where we ate a giant greek salad for lunch. I think to myself, if heaven is like this - then I am in. In front of me, the water and sky converge in a lovely, confusing mixture of blues, turquoises, and greens. There is not a cloud to be seen.

Becky and I have alternated beach-days with site-seeing and excursions. Each day is its own adventure. We have already hiked the longest gorge in Europe (12 miles, see another post for that story) and tomorrow we will visit Knossos, the 3000 year old palace. Crete is a study in fascinating terrain - it's located on a fault line, and over centuries the island has been crumpled by multiple earthquakes creating beautiful mountains. The beaches switch between rocks and sand, and vegetation pops up in the most surprising places. We have visited the towns of Chania ('hanYA') and Rethymnon, explored the ancient ports, shopped, eaten SO much food, and just generally relaxed. For me, this vacation was the perfect combination of activity and rest - Crete was FULL of places to explore, but when we wanted chillax days - they were easy to come by.

More posts to come, but here are a few shots of Crete: free shots and dessert,

getting on the ferry,

and B exploring the ancient port of Chania

It's a little different this time...

As I mentioned a few months ago, my friend Becky & I are going to Greece on vacation in June. We have finally started planning (I held off as long as possible, but it was inevitable) - and I'm struck by how different it is to plan your own vacation as opposed to work trips! Here are some things to note:

-that plane fare is a lot bigger deal when you pay for it yourself

-it's not about proximity from hotel to the office, it's about proximity from hotel to the beach!

-I don't have to pack 'culturally appropriate' clothing. meaning that my shoulders and knees will be open air.

-I won't be carting thousands of dollars of equipment - not even a computer

-it's time - I have to learn how to drive stick shift. When I travel for work, we always have wonderful drivers... not so on the isle of Crete.

-we have time to DO things - like tour, relax, walk around, see the sites - rather than work work work.

-we don't get a per diem this trip? what!?

But, of course, some things are exactly the same:

-if you have someone on the ground, things are a whole lot easier. We are using a travel guide, recommended by a friend. He is incredibly helpful in finding good deals and getting us to where we need to be.

-planes, trains, automobiles & ferries - the bottom line is always transportation.

-get those frequent flyer miles.... any way you can!

-jet lag - Greece is 7 hours ahead of DC, so I guess Becky and I will have a couple days of haziness.

-closed airports, volcanic ash, and oh yes- the riots. Natural disasters still have no respect for vacationers, workers, or people headed home-sweet-home.

my expectations? simple. blue water, white buildings, adventures on the islands, a few days of touring the ancient land that I studied for so many years, and huge amounts of sunshine & sleep.

Snaps from Kenya

I'll let you in on a secret-- I'm terrible at uploading pictures to this blog. I can never seem to get the spacing right. So, to offset my impatience, here are some shots from Kenya, in no particular order (and your challenge? match the photo to my comment)

Giraffe center

I got to feed the giraffes!

baby elephants

Karen Blixen Museum

Flora n Fauna

Tortoise sex