Flying home tomorrow. Savoring every moment of our last day. I will miss the awe-inspiring beauty of this place. And the food. And the Greek people. And the olive oil....and...and...so much! Guess I'll have to come back to Greece. Blue doors. Ruin. Broken window. Disrepair. Strange stairs. Old doors. Loved this doorway at the church The church. Stairs to nowhere. I love doors. In a churchyard. At the monastery with the best 360 degree view on Santorini. Monastery bells. I hiked out on this ridge top. Along the spine of this hilltop. This was a great tour...four of us going through a defunct tomato paste factory. This used to be the number one industry before ... [Continue Reading]

Photos from our closing session and final reading. Another Write, Travel, Transform trip has come to a close. Talking about wrapping up the trip and re-entry. Filling out evaluations. Writing till the end. Our final reading as the sun began to set over Santorini. Surya listening Natalie listening Judy reading about Lesbos and the refugees Reading at sunset And I was the anchor Goodbye, Santorini. Goodbye Greece! ... [Continue Reading]

Here's another wonderful response to the prompt, "Since I've Come to Greece," this one from Joyce Bartlett, from Marblehead, Massachusetts: I've seen landscapes that look nothing like the place I wake up in most mornings of my life, even the water, the same H2O that I can see from my bedroom window, has been transformed into something bluer...or greener...or some indescribable turquoise that I think I have in my paintbox at home. I've seen leftovers of civilizations that had running water and toilets thousands of years before anyone else thought to do it, and art that brings tears to my eyes and makes me want to drag out an easel and paint something I've never painted before. Since I've come to Greece, I've heard fruit sellers singing sales pitches into the dusty city streets of ... [Continue Reading]

Yesterday, in our final writing group, I gave the prompt, "Since I've come to Greece," and I'm going to post several of the responses from my students. They provide a great recap of our two weeks together. This first version is by Marlene Bumgarner, who had the great distinction of being the only person on the trip to fall and break a bone--her foot in two places. She's been a real trooper ever since. Here's her version: Since I’ve come to Greece I’ve seen more tomatoes and cucumbers than ever before. I’ve seen gnarled faces, bowed backs, wide smiles on people who work the land. I’ve seen several different kinds of modern architecture and many ancient ruins. I’ve seen love and kindness, nurturing and caring between and among women who only met two weeks ago. I’ve seen the bluest ... [Continue Reading]

Today was a day I've been looking forward to the whole trip. I'd been told we'd be taking a boat from our new (and final) home base in Oia, Santorini, trekking to the caldera of the volcano that transformed this island, and then heading to a natural hot springs that had something to do with mud. The details were vague to me, but hot springs and mud sounded great. And I was ready for another hike. But before we could start on this adventure we had to walk down 200 wide steps down the cliff from our hotel to the harbor beneath. We met at the windmill, the best landmark for our hotel. I carried not only the requisite bathing suit (under my clothes), sunscreen, hiking sandals, water and a hat, I also an old towel that I could get muddy (supplied by the hotel), and my storytelling ... [Continue Reading]

Our traveling company has moved on to Heraklion and this morning we went on a tour of the Minoan palace of Knossos. While the rest of the group went to the museum across from our hotel, I decided I wanted to go out and stretch my legs on my own. I had five hours before writing class and I happily set off on foot. I had two missions--to find a copy shop and get some copies made for my students--and to buy myself a necklace. Several of our company had found a little jewelry store run by a guy born in Boston who now lives here--and I loved the necklaces they'd come back with. I had directions to the copy store, but they fell apart as soon as I started. So I just began wandering. The neighborhood around our hotel is tourist central and there are blocks and blocks of restaurants and ... [Continue Reading]

The Samaria gorge, located in west Crete in the White Mountains, is the second most visited tourist attraction on Crete (following the Minoan palace of Knossos) and it's definitely the most popular hike. The locals call it the “Farangas” or “Great Gorge," in admiration of its beauty and to differentiate it from the other smaller gorges of Crete. The Samaria gorge was continuously inhabited since antiquity. Due to the good quality of its wood and the greatness of the landscape, Samaria became a center of economic activity. Its timber was exported to Egypt and other countries and it is believed that pillars in the palaces of Knossos and Mycenae were made of cypress trees from Samaria. Ancient temples were found not only in the ancient city at the exit of the gorge, but in many places ... [Continue Reading]

When I was growing up and we traveled as a family, my father always got up early in the morning while we were all still sleeping. He'd go for an early morning walk alone before whatever town we were in truly woke up. He particularly lived boats and harbors, the funkier and more run down the better, even though he never went to sea. Often he'd come home from these outings with a local newspaper word that there was going to be fireworks or a county fair--or both--that very day, a cup of coffee from the local greasy spoon in his belly. When I travel, I love solo early morning walks alone. And I wanted to take you on one with me through these images: the Chania waterfront before the tourists, when all is still and the early morning light is soft on the harbor. The only people I saw this ... [Continue Reading]

Walking tour of Chania on the island of Crete... Lighthouse Ancient mosque A ride around the harbor? Greek flag flying proudly Ruins An excavation in the middle of town This is what they think this ancient Minoan village looked like And this was on the same corner...talk about a juxtaposition of old and new! Wooden penises in a souvenir shop Beautiful Cretan blanket With this sign on the door Loved this sign ... [Continue Reading]

This morning, as homework, I asked my students to write an ode to our home for the past four days, Milia Mountain Retreat. This is the ode that Jean West from Port Orange, Florida wrote: Even though I arrived when you were busy, quick hands extended fragrant coffee and toothsome cookies, making me feel as if it was a homecoming instead of a visit. You embraced me between arms of limestone and slate like my grandmother, earthy and earnest, and caressed me with herb-laden breezes and butterfly wings.