Venice - the most serene republic

Venice

Venetia – the most Serene Republic

Everyone has heard of Venice. The city with streets of water, where cars are boats, and at high tides even the side walks require gum boots. A city of history, trade, the crusades and ancient trade routes; also of renaissance artists, composers and architecture, where scientists could be free of the harsh censure of the medieval church.

Venice is my pick for the trip - one of my favourite cities, a place that I want to experience with the kids and my husband.

There is something so different in

Venice from any other place in

the world, that you leave at

once all accustomed habits and

everyday sights to enter an

enchanted garden.

Mary Shelley

And that is where we are today. Getting ready to enter the enchanted garden, the unreal beauty of time out of place. But first we much pack our bags a day early so that we can escape the ship. Even though we are meant to stay one more night on the MSC Musica and end up back in Bari, we just cannot stay - the service is too poor, the ship unclean and just not comfortable to be on... So off we will get and having booked a hotel using my iphone the night before, (oh how different travel has become these days!), we can look forward to not just a day in this marvellous city, but a night and next day as well.

our guide showing the kids a map of venice

The skies are looking an ominous grey and the forecast is for rain. Luckily the charm of the city is not in its blue skies and perfect beaches, but the history and the accessibility of its art and architecture.

We are scheduled to meet our guide Erika at 11 am at the church of San Zaccaria, right in the heart of Venice. This is another of the tours that we have booked through Context Travel (like the one in the Vatican city), which is tailored for families with young children to bring the city alive. I may know about the history of Venice, but I am not familiar enough with the city itself to teach the kids without loosing their interest. I’m pretty sure that if we go to a museum at this point in our trip the kids faces would glaze over so bad they’d turn into museum statuary. So instead Erika is going to be taking us on a “Lion Hunt” in Venice, something that has supremely caught the kids minds and imaginations for weeks. And of course during our travels through the Mediterranean and up the Adriatic we’ve been constantly reminded of the Venetians and their part in the history of the region.  We’ve spotted many a lion proclaiming who controlled the region along the way….

After a long winding walk through Venice we meet up with Erika, ready to start our hunt, but before we are allowed to learn about the Venetian Lions she sits the kids down on an old well outside the church, pulls out a huge map of Venice and it’s surrounding territory and launches in to the history of early Venice to help the kids understand this extremely unique city.

The Doge's Palace

When Rome was falling and the barbarians were ransacking what is now Italy, the people who lived in the north got tired of being brutalised. So they took to the marshy islands at the top of the Adriatic and started building a community that wouldn’t be plundered. At first they built on the furthest island out, the Lido. But when the times changed and the so-called barbarians got ships they found out that this strategy wasn’t the best. They retreated to the islands that are today known as Venice, nestled in between the outer islands of the Lido and the inner islands that act as a buffer to the mainland. Venice is unique in cities as it has never had a defensive wall. It doesn’t need one. It has the sea and the ever-changing course of the sand islands that are created by the tides of the area. And so a seafaring nation of traders ruled the waves for a thousand years. A proud culture that was the height of western civilisation of its day, and as it’s symbol it adopted the winged lion…

The Lion, as the symbol of Venice, is simply everywhere here in the city. It is usually depicted with wings and it’s paw upon a book, either open or closed, depending on whether Venice was at peace or at war when the statue was carved. Generally in Venice itself the Lions have an open book with the Latin inscription:

“Pax Tibi, Marce, Evangelista meus”

Which means to those of us who doesn’t speak Latin:

“Peace be upon you, O Mark, my Evangelist”.

It is said that the Lion is a metaphorical representation of Mark the Evangelist who is the patron saint of Venice; at least he has been since the 800’s ad when some enterprising Venetian merchants stole his body from Alexandria. He was brought back to Venice to give the city religious prestige to go along with its up and coming business reputation. Not a bad ploy, and even today St. Mark’s body is entombed in St Mark’s basilica, in St Mark’s square – the heart of Venice. And we think marketing is a modern invention. Bwahaha.

Liam learns about roman numerals

All background history lessons checked off the to do list and the kids are armed with a page of photos each. There are lion’s to be found! And we are off. Through the crazy crowds we maze through the winding back streets until we pop out onto waterfront, past the Doge’s palace, the eerie bridge of sighs and ease our way into St Mark’s square. We stop over and over to see if the Lion’s they find are the one’s on their treasure map. And along the way Randall and I are able to pepper the guide with a few of the grown up questions as well.

One thing we didn’t figure into our tour was that not only was it Sunday in Venice, and the Feast of the Ascension but it was also the final day of the America’s Cup so the city was completely filled to the brim with tourists from all over. Wow. As we headed in to St Mark’s square just before noon the crush of bodies was at its height! I think I now know the real reason Venice is “sinking”!

Parade of the Ascension in St Mark's Square

But along with the crowds we also lucked into a rare event. The ancient clock tower in St Mark’s Square had a special show that only happens on the feast of the Ascension. When it strikes noon there is a parade of the three wise men following the angel do a slow walk across the ancient face of the tower. Statues that date back nearly a thousand years - and they get to come out and show off to the world just once a year. The kids were not that impressed, they were more excited by the Lions and the sheer scale and intricacies of the buildings around us, not to mention the novelty of the streets made from water. But for me it was a unique handshake with the past. There go the statues that were carved so long ago, who would have been state of the art technology way back then. And they are carrying containers of Frankincense, just like the ones that we so recently saw in Oman. History seems so far away, but really it’s right here with us, you just have to have eyes that are not dead to the past or the present.

In this crowd there is no time to argue about sandwich choices!

Moving on through the square – oh so slowly through the crowds – we finally convince the kids there is more of Venice to see than just St Marks Square. We pop into a little sandwich shop and pick up some sandwiches to eat along the way. It’s a crush, but with a little food we are all happy again. Lolling on a huge Lion statue we polish off the last of the food and are off again.

We stop to admire a plaque high up on a wall that shows an old lady holding a cooking pot. This, Erika tells us, is to commemorate a rebellion that almost happened. It seems the nobles of a particular family thought that they could be running the government more efficiently than that of the current Doge, so they decided to stage a rebellion and take over the government.

As you do.

So, as they rode down the street, early in the morning, to take over the government and gain control. As they rode past, an old lady looked out the window, figured out what they were doing, and, liking the government that was already in power threw her stone cooking pot out the window and hit the leading horseman on the head. He fell off his horse causing such a commotion that the troops in back, thinking that they had been discovered before they could gain the element of surprise, turned tail and fled. Thus ending any coup that was intended to happen. The old lady was thanked by the government, (the one that stayed in power) by guaranteeing that her rent would not be raised for the rest of her life, and that of her descendants. And they continued to live with the low rent for over two hundred years. Sweet!

That’s one of the things I love about Venice. It may have been ruled by a certain number of patrician families, but the common people certainly were an ever-present force that shaped what those families did with their power.

The servant's entrance of an old Venetian palace

Most of the tourist shops along the way sell carnival masks and they enrapture Liana. The history behind the “doctor’s” masks is so intriguing to me. Everyone has seen the mask with the hideous long nose, something like a huge hooked beak of a bird. The doctors would wear these masks when going into houses of plague patients. Back then they thought the plague came from noxious gasses in the air so they wore these huge beaked masks and filled the nose with herbs and spices to ward off the disease. (Let’s hope it warded off the fleas that actually carried the disease.) The masks they sell these days come in many shapes and sizes (including the doctor mask) and just about every colour. Some are truly artistic creations, with feathers and paint and blown glass.

in front of the Rialto Bridge

By the time we reach the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge it is time to say goodbye to our lovely guide. But before she goes she offers to help us find our hotel, given how maze-like Venice can be, we gratefully accept her offer. Once we know where we are going it seems so simple, but I’m sure if we had been trying to find it on our own it would have taken quite some time! After walking down a very narrow (think one and a half people wide) alleyway we pop out onto a very deserted canal and square. We knock on the door of the building that faces the canal and presto, here is our hotel. It was once a nunnery back in the 12^th century and has mainly been a private residence all these years. Now our hosts have restored a few of the rooms and are renting them out. We have two bedrooms with a kitchen and dining room – all with windows and a small balcony that overhang the canal! And original period paintings painted into the plasterwork. What luck, we couldn’t have found a better place for our family if I’d spent a year researching it!

We spend the better part of the afternoon getting our bags from the ship (a drama in itself!) leaving them at the Venice train station and making our way back into the town by water taxi.

Liam's night before his birthday dinner

Today is Liam’s 10^th New Zealand birthday – meaning that if he was in New Zealand at the moment it would be his birthday – so in true only son spoiled fashion we decide to take him out for a “night before his birthday” dinner celebration and eat at an old restaurant that has been around since the 1400’s. The kids have the pizza (imagine that!) and I have the traditional squid and polenta cooked in squid ink. The kids are revolted, but all have to try a bite at the same time. We then comb the streets looking for the perfect gelateria to end the evening, and end up buying some masks as well. The girls pay out some of their own money to buy Liam a statue of a Venetian Lion for his birthday present tomorrow.

Even though it is after nine o’clock it is still quite light, but we herd the kids back through the narrow alley to our hideaway apartment. They are mostly used to sleeping in one room now, but there is always the restless giggling and/or arguing that accompanies the settling down process. But soon all is quiet and Randall and I can enjoy the sounds of the canal outside our window and the occasional gondola passing by.

What a beautiful city. It is certainly beyond expectation to be here with the family. Accessible history, art, architecture, food and an inclusive ambiance, it’s easy to see why Venice is, and has been, such a draw to people from far and wide.

Croatia and the medieval city state of Ragusa...

Dubrovnik, Croatia

A Medieval city, Sea Food galore and the unfortunate incident of the speedo that blocked my view…

Croatia - our eighth country so far on this trip! Hard to believe we’ve been travelling for so long, but overall it seems like a blink of the proverbial eye. We have all found our travel rhythm and I can’t say any of us are travel weary yet. Not a single utterance of the dreaded phrase “can we go home now” has occurred… In fact we are all thirsty for more sights, history and gastronomy! The kids are living up to our family motto of the travelling family.

 

Today we are visiting the town that Lord Byron proclaimed as the “pearl of the Adriatic” - Dubrovnik, the nearly intact medieval town that crowns the southern Croatian coastline. It’s just a little taste of the Balkan states for us as we only have a morning stop before heading up the coast to Venice, but you couldn’t ask for a more picturesque place.

And one filled with it’s own unique history. It’s said that a town was founded here in the 6^th or 7^th century AD, but more than likely there was an earlier Greek settlement. The town of Dubrovnik has been a UNESCO world heritage sight since the 1970’s and is probably one of the top ten well-preserved medieval cities that you can still visit today.

Originally the Republic of Ragusa, the city of Dubrovnik (called Ragusa until 1918), reached its heyday in the 15^th and 16^th century AD when it’s maritime powers rivalled that of Venice herself. Ruled with the principles of town planning left by the Romans it was a wealthy and flourishing republic with almshouses, hospitals, plentiful public works and a society that valued the freedom of its citizens. In fact it abolished the slave trade in 1418 – how many hundreds of years before England and America?! It sounds like it was quite the enlightened place of medieval Europe. Unfortunately I don’t know that much about this old country, when someone says Dubrovnik to me I immediately think of the Balkan wars of the 1990’s.  

 

I was here as a very little girl with my parents, but the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990’s and the ensuing war kept all tourism at bay for quite a long time. Sadly the Yugoslav army needlessly bombed Dubrovnik for over seven months catching the outrage of the international community. I remember my mother crying when she read about it in the newspaper. There was no military reason for the Yugoslavs to do so, as it was of no military use, simply an old medieval town. Over 50% of the old town had been bombed with considerable loss of life, but the residents restored their beloved city (with substantial foreign aide) and followed the UNESCO guidelines for restoring their city to it’s former charm. Once the dust had settled in the war, the general in charge of the Yugoslav army was tried by the international Criminal Tribunal and sentenced for his destruction of Dubrovnik. Such needless waste.

So the city we walk through today is half rebuilt from when I was there as a child. There is simmering anger from the people of the town that such an outrage could be perpetrated on the city. There are many signs and posters documenting the bombing, and even a walking tour dedicated to seeing exactly where the bombs fell. It is still so fresh in all the citizen’s minds; they probably can hear the bombs falling in their sleep.

Entering through the main city gate

Inside the "aquarium"

looking across the town

It’s another perfectly beautiful day when Randall, Liam and I catch a taxi from the dock into the town. The skies are so blue and the walls of the town are a sandy colour with a distinct colour of red roof, it make you want to just stop and stare. 

Once we are close to the old town the taxi lets us off, as there are no cars in the old town. Pedestrian only. We get the full medieval effect by walking in on foot, through the huge main gates and down the Placa, or main street. Liam was suitably impressed by the thickness of the walls and the remains of many a cannon. We do a good several hours of walking around the town, drinking in the ambiance, and trying to capture the feel of the medieval world. The old church and the saints that are built into the outside of the sea walls all are now familiar to us from our travels, but are different enough to appreciate the difference of this once enlightened city state.

The sea walls of the old town

some of the amazing red coral jewelry

We take a quick tour through the town’s aquarium, which is a bit of a disappointment on the piscine side, but is a remarkable tour through the insides of the outer town wall.

We also go into a coral shop (initially because it is called Clara’s Stones) and get a first hand demonstration on how the coral is carved. There are so many stores in this part of the world that sells this uniquely coloured coral. It come from the Mediterranean and legend has it that when Perseus cut off Medusa’s head the blood the came from her neck dripped into the deep of the sea and the red sea corals are all that is left. Oh yes, how I love Greek legends. It’s spectacular jewelry, but a bit our of our price range, so we end up finishing our day with a taste of the local seafood, the most gigantic platter of fish, squid and mussels I’ve ever seen. The fresh flavor and the relaxing atmosphere ended our stay in the ancient town of Ragusa, but it was just perfect.

the heart of the old city

A seafood feast!

I was the very last passenger back on the ship before it hauled up the gangplanks, departing for Venice. The ship, not a highlight of our trip to be honest, due to the poor management, poor food and general lack of hygiene was at least very tall and offered the most amazing views of our trip out of Dubrovnik. Its mid day so I head up to the very top of the deck to avoid the herds of over tanned Italian sun worshippers that are literally fighting over deck chairs. Something about the greasy bodies is cloying to me. I get myself a chair on deck 16 and relax enjoying the view, and relishing the alone time. I am the only person on this side of the deck as there is a stiff wind up here that the sunbathers weren’t appreciating.

Unluckily for me, just as I had the camera raised to my eye, poised to take a stunning picture of the Franjo Tudman Bridge, the most foul and heinous crime was perpetrated upon me. A gigantic hairy (sweaty) man wearing what can only be said to be severely undersized speedo decided to stop directly in front of me and lean on the rail. (Remember I was alone on the big old deck, so he could have chosen anywhere.) It was a scaring event, one that I may never, ever get over. But at least for you my friends I was so utterly dumbstruck that I was unable to grace this blog with a photo.

just after the speedo incident, I was too traumatized to get a proper photo of the bridge. LOL

And so I end today’s blog about our experience in this medieval Croatian town and it is time to steam our way up the Adriatic… getting ever closer to the most serene republic of Venice….

If you want to see heaven on earth, come to Dubrovnik.

George Bernard Shaw

 

The many faces of Juliet!

Corfu

Pictures do not do justice!

Coming into Corfu must be one of the most brilliantly beautiful sights to see from a boat.

The "new" Venetian fortress

Smooth blue ocean with the island of Corfu on the left side and the mainland of Greece and Albania on the right side. Green forests and sturdy looking Venetian citadels. A cheerful looking town perched between two massive forts with brightly coloured houses spilling bougainvillea and geraniums down their sides. Sheltered bays on one side of the island and pristine beaches on the other. Could you ask for anything more in a holiday destination?
And sailboats a plenty sail these waters with merry makers from all nationality types. Just as ships and sailors have been travelling through here since the dawn of human history.

I've never been here, and it's been thirty years since Randy was here, so this is new territory for the family. We are only stopping for a few hours, but it's the perfect place to have an afternoon stroll, eat some food and say goodbye to classical Greece and prepare for medieval history. Although it seems like we did that yesterday when we left Athens as Corfu is distinctly Venetian!

walking through the old streets

The Venetians ruled the Adriatic for hundreds of years and Corfu was one of their beautiful cities that sprang up along the coastline. The fortresses are Venetian, as is the layout of the town, but Corfu does have a history that spills back to ancient times. This was the island that Poseidon brought his new bride, Kerkyra, the daughter of a river god, and as a wedding present named the island after her. The beautiful nymph Kerkyra (which became Corfu over the millennium) left her name as Poseidon's gift of immortality to their love.

Checking out some of the old Venetian canons

And now it's our turn for a taste of Nymphs, Venetian forts and gyros if I'm lucky.

Inside the walls of the old fort

Midway through the day we disembark in the main town of Corfu, also named Corfu. It's a good thirty minute walk from where we are docked up into the UNESCO heritage old town. It's not hard to navigate through the old streets, just follow the simple rule of keeping the top of the (new) Venetian fortress in line of sight. Then once you pass the "new fortress" (started in the late 1500's) you wind your way through the streets toward the "old fortress"(built after the town was destroyed in the late 6th century AD).... Both are imposing structures and the town grew up between the two, safe from pirate attack and worse. The streets are winding and somewhat torturous, especially for pushing a stroller in, the first and last time I would use it on the trip! Poor Juliet, she was humiliated that I pushed her around all day in it. But now I know that my baby is no longer a baby and can hike with the best of us, it's time to leave it behind. Gee, where does the time go?

yum, yum, Gyros!

After suitable meandering through the town we end up at the old fortress and cross over onto the little island that it sits on. The kids are all on lookout for Venetian Lions, something that we have prepped them for. The Lion was the symbol of Venice and depending on what the circumstances were when the Lion was erected the meaning would be different. But, more to come on that subject when we reach Venice itself. Needless to say we identified quite a few, statues and plaques on the walls to identify the Venetian buildings.

The fortress hosts a number of ancient cannons and Liam would probably still be there today inspecting the mechanisms that made them work if the girls hadn't unanimously bullied him out of the fort and into the main town for lunch.

It's our last chance for Gyros! So of course we stop for the most extravagant helpings of gyros (and coffee for me) before walking back to the ship, or should I say waddling after all that food?

We leave Corfu after such a short amount of time, but as Randall and I stand on deck watching us depart the Ionian waters, we make a promise to return, when we have the time to do justice to this destination, and get to know it a bit better.

As the sun starts to sink we watch the shoreline of the mainland go by. Somewhere along the shore is the border between Greece and Albania. What a difficult time this shoreline has had in the past hundred years. What would it have been like for the Albanians living in abject poverty to watch the sun set behind Corfu with its abundance of Western holiday makers? Or was it really as simple as they hopped on a boat and got work as cabana boys without need of a Greek passport. I am ignorant of the ways of the Eastern block in this region and its hard to know the truth of those times with all the cold war propaganda from both sides. But when you are in this area and you see how close it all it, you would be blind not to sit back and wonder just a little bit what makes people so closely related geographically have such different fates.

And speaking of fates, Croatia is next, another brief stopover, but a taste of this world none the less....

One last Greek sunset

If I can put one touch of rosy sunset into the life of any man or woman, I shall feel that I have worked with God.

G.K.Chesterson

St. Paul, the Acropolis and Worry Beads

Athens – Cradle of Western Civilization

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

So says the famous Greek philosopher Socrates some 400 years before Christ. 

I never really understood that quote until recent times, but these last few months I have taken it to heart. I suppose it is only naturally when you lose the people that raised you; to question who you are and what you stand for.

However, as I go through this journey, I must say that Socrates’ famous statement, “everything in moderation”, should apply to self-analysis as well, too much examining and you have paralysis setting in.

But enough said, on to Athens….

Something fantastic happened here in Greece all those thousands of years ago. A blossoming of thinkers and doers that shaped the way our modern world has become; encouraging active thinking and critical deliberation from all of the people, starting with the common citizens on up to the politician and the scientist. Democracy was founded here. Medicine defined. Artwork depicting real humans doing real things was created. Athens, considered the apex city of the ancient Greek world, was the cradle of Western civilization.

The beautiful Parthenon, temple to Athena

We are docked in Piraeus, the port town of Athens, and awake to a crisp morning. Perfect for touring. Liana is raring to go. She has had her plan of seeing the Parthenon and the ancient Athenian acropolis for many a month. It’s only a half an hour by taxi, and we are there in plenty of time to have a leisurely day exploring the ancient part of the city.

Liana keeps us entertained during the taxi ride with stories that she knows of the founding of Athens. The city is named famously for the Goddess Athena. “Do you know the story behind that?” asks Liana.

Well, it seems that when the city of Athens was being built there was a dispute amongst the gods of Olympus as to whom the patron of this promising young city was going to be. The two most favored gods were Poseidon, lord of the sea, and Athena, goddess of wisdom and courage. As the story goes, the gods went to the high marble hill in the center of the city to present their gifts. First Poseidon struck the ground with his staff and out flowed a spring of water to ensure the people of the city that they would always have a drinking source. But upon examining the water the people of Athens realized that the water was salty, like the sea that Poseidon ruled, and so was undrinkable for them. 

Then came Athena, who planted a seed, which in turn became a massive olive tree, thus giving the city food, oil, wood and something to trade. She was the unanimous choice and not only does the city bear her name, but many temples and coins are in her honor.

So, our taxi ride into the city is entertaining. There is nothing like the ancient Greeks and their fascinating tales and legends. I understand why Liana is so enamored of its history.

Liana and I can both feel the ancient spirits here

And so, after waiting our turn in line with all the gigantic busses we climb through the olive groves to buy our tickets to the acropolis. These days they limit the amount of people who are able to enter into the acropolis so hopefully we can avoid the crush that is my memory of the times I have visited here with my parents.

A view of the Erechtheon, and it's graceful maidens

And so we climb the-oh-so-famous steps up the smooth marble that leads us back in time. It’s mostly white marble rubble that is strewn about, but the reconstruction that has been taking place here seems to rebuild the ancient buildings of this ancient capitol. As promised, it it not very crowded when we get to the top, so all that waiting was worthwhile. The very famous Parthenon rises dramatically in front of us.  Built at the height of Athenian power in honor of Athena, the Parthenon has been considered one of the world’s most perfect buildings. Its grace is evident, even after thousands of years of ravishment. The temple would still be standing in good nick today if the Turks hadn’t used it as a storeroom for explosives. In the 1600’s the invading Venetian army shelled the acropolis with the all too predictable explosion that explains the hole and roofless shell that the Parthenon is now.

Ah well, it is still marvelous. And all around are the remnants of the buildings that were the center of power here in Athens. The Erechtheon, a temple whose roof is held up by lovely ladies, stands to one side, and is a beautiful building all on it’s own. It is said that the spring that Poseidon created was within these walls.

And of course there is the Olympic flame which is kept here, symbolic for all the world that Greece was the founder and ancient owner of these games (although, why it's kept in Athens and not in Olympia is a bit of a question)...

The Olympic flame burns here, with the Parthenon in the backround

Looking out over Athens from the top of the Acropolis

And no one can come up here without taking in the view of the city itself. A mass of roof tops, ruins, hills and parks stretching out like a vast sea of humanity. The majority of Greece’s population lives here in Athens, about as many as inhabit the whole of New Zealand in fact! 

All the political machinations with the money and banking systems here in Greece during the past year or so have given the country much press in the outside world, but it seems to me as if life is going on as usual. This city has weathered many a storm in it’s past. The ghosts that roam these streets think the crisis of these times is quite a bit less dire than when the Persians sat at the gates or when the Ottoman Empire was occupying the city. Certainly a whole lot less bloodshed. But who’s to say it won’t come to that someday? May you live in interesting times, as the old Chinese curse goes? I’m sure the Greek people feel like they are in interesting times indeed.

Liana loves the antiquity of the place

As we descend down off the acropolis we wind around the roads at the base of the marble cliffs. Everywhere you go there are ruins of something. An aqueduct. A church. A marketplace. Liana is in heaven. She wants to touch and feel just about every rock that sticks up out of the ground. 

Before heading completely off the mountain I need to make one stop.

It is the Areopagus.

The small outcropping of smoothed marble just at the northwest foot of the Athenian acropolis. It was used from Mycenaean times, and before, as a place of meeting for judicial trials and political speeches. In fact the Greek author Aeschylus set the trial of Orestes at the Areopagus (if anyone tires of the drama’s of the "twilight saga", I highly recommend some ancient Greek plays – Orestes was on trial for killing his mother, who had killed his father, who had sacrificed their daughter to the gods – it’s pretty, well, dramatic, and a very good read!)

The view of the Acropolis from the Areopagus

But the Areopagus is most famous for being the place where the Apostle Paul gave his famous speech to the Athenian elite (found in the chapter of Acts in the bible). It is all about their temple to “the unknown god” and goes on to explain the nature of this unknown god. It’s a powerful speech.

One that my dad found particularly inspiring. When I was a little girl and we first came to Athens this was our first stop, not the Parthenon. It was so very important for him to stand on this spot and recite those lines, like a special link to the divine for him. Seeing him nearly cry while quoting Paul, saying the long ago spoken words, has always stayed with me.

I am not a Christian by name. In fact I feel sometime that I feel too much spirituality to pick a brand of faith. God is everywhere and in everything. Each faith has it’s own way to connect to the god that is universal. What is truly important is that there is a connection with God, whether it is through prayer, song, nature or meditation and I find it difficult to chose one over the other when they seem to be all parts of the same whole.. At least that is my view, but I am only just starting out on my journey into the realm of the divine.

With such memories swirling around it was important for me to bring my own little family up here, possibly more to pay homage to my dad, who is no longer with us, than to the apostle Paul. Talk about seeing ghosts! I could just about see him reciting the words and feeling the divine. I hope that wherever he is in the next life he could feel our love for him and his life long quest for enlightenment bridging the gap. Life is truly a miracle and the love will always remain.

In front of the Greek orthodox church in the Agora

I am truly lucky to have a husband that so understands me. I need a few moments to get myself together. And Liam has now maxed out on the historical stuff. He’s discovered that his shoes, combined with the ultra slippery marble, are kind of like skiing. Boys! Visions of him "skiing" right off the edge, or of us ending up getting his broken arm plastered in a Greek hospital flash before our eyes and Randall directs him quickly off the Areopagus and we head down into the Athenian Agora, also known as the Forum of Athens. A little less spiritual, and a lot more of the common people - although, ironically, the first building we go into a Greek Orthodox Church.

Looking onto the Agora and the temple of Hephaestus from the Acropolis

We wander around, enjoying the calm, olive tree filled ruins. There is a massive museum of the Agora, which, despite Liana’s begging, we do not go into. We do hike up to the graceful temple of Hephaestus, son of Zeus and Hera and blacksmith of the gods. At the top of the Acropolis looking down on the Agora we had remarked on it as standing out of the buildings with such grace. Largely unchanged in the over two thousand years that the temple has stood looking over the Agora, it again anchors us in ancient times. But, as the poppies, red and beautiful, remind us, that ancient history is behind us, and life goes on. So we leave the amazing ruins that define ancient Greece and head out into the big, bustling modern city that is modern Athens.

One of the many cherry vendors in Athens

Lunch is first on the agenda. In a square, with cherry and strawberry vendors selling their wares, we stop for a gyros, beer and fresh fruit. (And an espresso for me!) Then it’s off for some shopping.

Amongst all the other shops we find an amazing music store with every type of instrument. After many passes by, and several auditions, Randall finally buys a travel bouzouki for himself, with full approval from all of us. The small guitar-like instrument sounds a bit like a cross between a mandolin and something oriental. Very unique and we all enjoy the sound. It was made right here in Athens and when ever we hear the sound it will remind us of this amazing country. And some traditional Greek music scores may be on the agenda for Randall, yes! Christmas sorted!!!

Just before we head back to the ship I succumb to a komboloi shop.

Now, that may sound risqué but it’s actually quite cool. Komboloi, or worry beads, are a very strong tradition in Greece, and every Greek man caries his around with him. Said to relieve stress, keep the hands busy and pass the time I have had no interest in buying any for myself. It is said that the beads pick you and that you know when you have the right set of beads. Randall bought an amazing set of red coral beads on our date in Mykonos, but as a woman I felt I really didn’t need any. (We won’t mention my nervous habit of picking at my fingers when I feel stressed.) So when we walked into this shop I didn’t think anything of it, until I touched a pair of beads and just had to have them. Ten euro later I am now a proud owner of some beautiful stone beads that I have worried to death just on the taxi-ride back to the ship - who knew my fingers had so much nervous energy!

Fresh cherries and Greek beer, Life is Good

What a day we had. Liana felt it was not nearly enough. Her appetite is just being whetted for more journeys into classical history.  May it remain so! I feel as if I’ve had a moment or two with my dad, someone who was instrumental in developing me, but whose ghost I need to let go so that I can forge my own journey. And Randall and Liam got a good view of Greece. I know we’ll be coming back here sometime in the future.

And with that we are back on the ship just as a freezing bout of rain hits us. It’s good to be reunited with our littlest munchkins and prepare for the evening and tomorrow, our last taste of Greece (for this trip) – Corfu…..

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for. “

Epicurus