The Greece Adventure Begins!

Those of you who are reading this, and know me well, know that I am almost always up for a trip. I’ve often said that “where” is not all that important, but that I’m just keen to “go” most anywhere and check it out. That is not to say I don’t have a list of my top 10 (or 20 or 30) places I’d like to go. It’s a bit of an eclectic list and the reasons a particular place is on the preferred list is neither predictable nor consistent.

Greece has not ever been on that list. Yet here I am--writing while sitting on a balcony on the Island of Syros overlooking the Aegean Sea. Oh my! We are definitely NOT in Kansas anymore--not that I was in Kansas to begin with, but you get the idea!

I will never forget getting off the plane in Phoenix with my middle son, Cyrus, many years ago when he was about 14. As we walked into the airport, he said, “Mom, we could be getting off anywhere in the world!” I loved his enthusiasm! I felt that sense of wonder as we deplaned in Athens, Greece. But, let me start at the beginning.

Jeshua is my youngest son, and is currently the “Director of Choral Activities, Chair of Music  Department, DMA-Doctor of Music Arts”at Bethel College in Mishawaka, IN. He called me last fall and invited me to go along with a small group of his Bethel College singers-Voices of Triumph- to the Festival of the Aegean, a choral festival on the Island of Syros, off the coast of Athens, in the Aegean Sea and part of the Cyclades Islands. I didn’t even have to think about it! Of course, YES!

Syros is one of those little islands southeast of Athens. The Aegean Sea is between Greece and Turkey.

So Tuesday, July 10 I climbed in one of two vans in the Bethel College parking lot along with Jeshua and 14 students and off we went to Chicago’s O'Hare airport to start the adventure. Jeshua had set us up with a United Airlines group flight. They did a great job. We were able to print out the 16 luggage labels and get the luggage checked through all the way to Greece, even though we were flying to Newark, NJ, changing planes and then on to Athens. We also printed off the boarding passes for both flights. I was TSA Pre, which made the security check through very easy for me! Plus when you are walking with a cane, people are amazingly solicitous.

And we're off!!

The flight to Newark was uneventful and then we boarded our “home in the skies” for the next 10 hours. I thought we might be on one of those huge planes, but it was just 2-3-2 seats across holding about 250 folks.

Almost there! 

Lots of entertainment options, a good dinner follow by ice cream, plenty of water and other beverage options made for a pleasant flight in spite of the sleeplessness. I took a couple of short naps, but no real sleep. It was 5:30 p.m. when we left the US and 10:30 a.m. when we arrived in Athens...plus 7 hours time zone difference for Indiana and 10 hours for California.

Somewhere over the very north Atlantic, day turned into twilight.