Yesterday, GT’s Kim Krol blogged about some of the places she dreams of visiting, and she mentioned that she has always wanted to visit Greece. Although my world travels have been somewhat limited compared to some of my globetrotting GT colleagues, I can say I have been blessed with the opportunity to visit that beautiful land. You might understandably think, because of my last name, that it came about through connections with my husband’s side of the family. He has visited there twice, but both times before we were married and neither time with me. No, my exposure came on a cruise enjoyed with my two sisters back in 2000, when we visited Athens and then a number of island ports on our way to Istanbul.

One can’t visit an ancient country like Greece and not be overwhelmed by the history of the place. I remember climbing up the Acropolis in Athens, crossing stone and marble polished by time and millions of footsteps and marveling that I was walking where some of the most amazing figures of Western Civilization had trod. And the scale of the Parthenon and the other temples and structures there! No image — not even fancy 3-D graphics – can give you the same sense of its grandeur as will simply standing in the midst of it all.

So many of my memories of my Greek travels are on a smaller scale, but they are no less full of strong and delightful sensory images. On Santorini I revelled not only in those famous views of whitewashed, tile-roofed buildings clinging to the edge of the caldera over a shimmering blue sea, but also in the intricately patterned streets paved in black and white pebbles. On Crete we visited the Palace of King Minos at Knossos. I have vague recollections of that site, but I distinctly recall our trek through the local market stalls, picking out grapes and peaches and savoring local cheeses and olives. On Rhodes we skipped shopping and the usual sightseeing and opted for a few quiet hours on a deserted beach, enjoying the lapping waves and warm sun.

Some of my favorite experiences occurred on the island of Patmos, an unplanned stop on our itinerary when high winds and rough seas kept our ship from visiting Ephesus in Turkey. At first I was hugely disappointed because I very much wanted to explore the history and famous ruins at Ephesus, but Patmos turned out to be a peaceful, enchanting oasis. Well known as the place where St. John wrote the Book of Revelation, it is nevertheless a small island that doesn’t seem to be overrun by tourists. I strolled paths lined with ancient rock walls and shaded by olive trees, amazed to see enormous geranium plants the size of large shrubs and covered with brilliant red blooms. I stopped in to light a candle for my husband’s grandmother (Ya Ya) at one of the literally dozens of tiny chapels and churches scattered all over the island. Its foot-thick walls encased a space that would perhaps hold eight worshippers, but the feeling of serenity and eternity there was as palpable as any I’d felt in a grand cathedral.

Of course, as all you travelers out there know, the best part of going to new destinations is meeting the people there, and the Greek people are warm and generous. We were welcomed to a sidewalk cafe in the Plaka in Athens by the proprietor. While he freely brought plates of olives and cheese to our table (”You must try these!”), he told us of his time in Chicago and his business there. In a jewelry shop in Heraklion on Crete I expressed an interest in how some of the pieces were made. The owner ushered me upstairs to a tiny workshop to see how beads of silver were spun out into thin threads and then coiled to become intricately designed bracelets . . . I bought three.

This spring I will return to Greece, and I’m already anticipating the warmth of both the climate and her citizens. I know, Kim, when you get there, Greece will not disappoint.

 Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader