I naively thought that I would be able to sleep late on my vacation. However, I got overly enthusiastic about the excursions, and signed us up for one every day. We have to be at the departure room at 8:15 every morning. I had no idea when I signed up that the excursion people were crazy. I have become a zombie sheep in a tour group. (To be fair, we have seen some extraordinary sights in a short amount of time, and the guides have been interesting. And I've learned to power nap in the afternoon.)
The first excursion we signed up for was labeled "strenuous." It wasn't. The second excursion was labeled "moderate," and it was more strenuous. Today's excursion in Rhodes was labeled "strenuous," and it was. Finally, truth in labeling! We climbed many ancient and worn steps to reach the Acropolis of Lindos. Then down the steps again through the winding and narrow streets (sometimes fighting donkeys for the right of way). Then up a bunch of steps to view the Palace of the Grand Masters in the Old Town of Rhodes. Both were worth it.
There were a couple of kids in our group and they raced up the Palace's steps. I hate them. (Actually, they are pretty great kids. At one point, our teacher -- er, guide -- asked us to name the gods/goddesses depicted in a floor mosaic. The adults said, "Um, er, hmmm." The kids said, "Athena, Poseidon, Nike, and Helios," without hesitation.)
At lunch some of the people next to me clinked their wine glasses together and said, "Kampei." Hey, I thought, I resemble that remark, so I horned in and Kampei-ed with them. Nothing breaks down the conversation barriers with fellow Asians than a good Kampei. One of them sounded strange, so I grilled him. "Where are you from?" I demanded. Virginia, he said. No, I said, you're not. Well, he allowed, I grew up in Texas. There was some cognitive dissonance as I listened to someone who looked like he could be my Hawaii cousin talking with a Texas drawl. It was fun.
The bonus at lunch is we sat across a husband and wife from Istanbul. What? No way! The whole reason Tom and I are on this trip is that it was supposed to terminate in Istanbul, with a couple of other Turkish stops. Because of recent terrorist acts in Turkey, the cruise company cancelled the Turkish ports. Tom and I had to make separate arrangements to fly to Istanbul. I've always wanted to go to Istanbul and getting to see Greece was supposed to be the bonus.
Farouk and Ayse were the perfect lunch companions. They spoke impeccable English, both having spent considerable time in the US. Their three children all attended schools in North America. Ayse taught me how to say hello and how to make a toast. When I asked her how to say thank you, she burbled something at me. I tried to parrot it back. She rolled her eyes and kindly said, "Just say 'merci,' that works just as well." Well, merci for that! They insisted on giving us their contact information. The world is really a kind place. And that's today's lesson.
The Acropolis is a pile of stones.
Coughing up an ancient hairball.
When they built this street about 800 years ago, they must have known how wide cars would be.
Steps
And more steps
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