GREECE

Constantinope has Turkish baths, and Athens that lovely debris

-Stephen Sondheim,  Follies

Ever since I can remember, I have been a hellenophile. (And Spell-check has just informed me that ‘hellenophile is not a word. Who cares.)  I knew every Greek god and goddess and their super powers (this is not only because of comic books, but also the “Deities and Demigods” handbook from Dungeons and Dragons. If you ever want to know how many hit points Zeus has, I’m your guy!) In grade 7 geography with Mr. Cottam, I remember putting together this elaborate 2 poster-board project on Greece. I consulted numerous encyclopaedias, and coffee table and travel books. I went to travel agencies and got brochures with colour pictures of beautiful beaches and sprawling hillside villages of white square houses. Don’t forget, this was waaaaaaay before the Internet. (You kids today have it easy!) I remember this project hanging at the back of the classroom for several months, and after class, I would go up to look at those pictures of Santorini, Crete, Mykonos, Athens, Olympia and Lesbos. (Ah, Lesbos. The word always made me titter. The word titter makes me titter. Especially in combination with the word Lesbos). Some day, I said. Some day. Fade to black.

Fast-forward 25 years, and the now-adult James Higgins is working as a music director on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean for seven months! We didn’t get to Athens until about a month into my contract, so I had to be patient. I had already had remarkable experiences visiting Italy, the Motherland, and expected my pilgrimage to the cradle of modern civilization to be just as amazing, if not more so.  The day finally arrived, and I decided just to walk around and get the lay of the land.  So from the port of Piraeus, this lone traveller walked 30 minutes to the train station, paid his 80 cents, boarded Athens’ very modern and quiet subway, and headed forth to his date with destiny!

I liked Athens.  I had a very nice time walking around the Plaka, with its narrow winding streets and charming little stores and cafes.  I saw Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of the Olympian Zeus, which was quite remarkable. I walked through this big park and saw a really odd zoo with stray cats and turtles.  I had an incredible souvlaki with the best tzaziki I’d ever had (they put French fries in the souvlaki there. I found it weird but delicious). I didn’t get to the Acropolis, but I knew that I’d be back. In short, I had a really lovely day.

But…

I kinda wanted some sort of mystical experience, an epiphany if you will. But I didn't have one. Maybe I was expecting too much. Maybe my hopes were too high. I felt a little defeated and deflated. I was very melancholy for a while.



A few days later, we sailed into the breathtaking caldera of Santorini. As the ship dropped anchor, the sight of the iconic white square houses clutching to the side of the cliffs took my breath away. I rode a donkey up these ancient winding stairs leading up hundreds of feet as countless people had done for thousands of years before me, and I was captivated by the picture postcard Greece I had dreamt of since I was a little boy.  The boys for the band rented 4X4s and drove to the beach, but I spent the day alone, walking as far as I could in any and every direction. The air was hot and fresh. The sky was a giant expanse of the bluest blue I had ever seen. The reflected sunlight rippled in the calm ocean.  And it happened. I fell in love with Greece, unequivocally and unapologetically. Over the course of the summer, we visited Mykonos, Navplion, Olympia, and Athens again (where I finally got to visit the Acropolis and commune with the Ancients), each place with its own charm and mystique. Sometimes, when you imagine great things before seeing them in person, your expectations of the future can undermine your experience of the present. That's what happened to me.  Silly James. 

PS If anyone can help me with formatting tips, I would really appreciate it. This drag-and-drop thing is convenient, but produces some pretty ugly results, as this entry shows.