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]