My Road To Happiness

Yeah. Not really sure what happened here. This appears to be the day I “lost” while in Lindos. Here’s what I do know:

1. I spent the previous night in the apartment on Mt. Everest.
2. I met Vanessa’s father (Spa Lindos) and committed to staying 2 nights in one of the Tsambika’s Studio Apartments he owns just below the Acropolis (and across the alley from the Melenos Lindos Hotel).
3. I twisted my ankle when I failed to see that the extensive private balcony in my new apartment has a step down right in the middle. Typical.
4. I tried to ignore that I twisted my ankle and walked around on it all day. Ouch.
5. I went back to Rhodes, packing everything I owned and checked out hastily, with my heart beating double time from excitement, like I was going on the lam. I think that’s because it was so spontaneous and I was going “off plan” with no idea how it would all turn out. Cool.
6. I nearly tipped over the Toyota Yaris (twice!) as I attempted to get down to and back from the parking lot at the the main beach in Lindos. Totally scary.
7. I hauled not only my belongings from the car (1 rolling duffle, one large duffle strapped on top) but the items still waiting in Mt. Everest (big satchel and many plastic bags) from one end of the village to the other where the new apartment was.
8. I had another unremarkable dinner at another large, empty restaurant called Symposio. At least the waiter was a cutie.
9. I collapsed in a heap at the end of the night in my new apartment.

During this day I’m fairly confident that I spent yet another idyllic afternoon at Giorgo’s. Since I was there at least 2 x a day, every day since Monday, I think that’s a safe bet. I was writing my heart out under the shade of the trellis in a rare state of contentment. This may have also been the night I closed the place down by camping out until 1:00 am. Again, writing.

Wednesday's Dinner

At this point I’ve been in Greece long enough to form some opinions of my own as I compare the experience to other places I’ve been. For your reference, I’ve been to Europe many times (England, Scotland, France, etc.) and spent two weeks traveling all over Israel and Egypt. I begin to see that this place has very little in common with anywhere else I’ve been.

I wondered what I would feel like during this trip, being on my own and all. I wasn’t worried about missing the company of others. I’m pretty self-contained and spend a good deal of time with myself and my own thoughts. I wasn’t concerned about my safety b/c I travel alone for work at least twice a month, all over the United States. I’ve become comfortable with that. I took great pains to research this trip, get organized and stack the deck in my favor as much as possible. Still, I felt some discomfort and I couldn’t quite identify what it was.

Sitting in Giorgos over the next few days I began to put my finger on it. Greece (to me) has little connection to the culture of Europe and it’s little sister, America. This probably makes me sound a little simple. Of course I know it’s located in a completely different part of the world, it’s culture is older and the language – unfamiliar. I guess I was operating on a subconscious idea that since so much of European and subsequently, American culture can trace it’s origins to Greece – it would be a similar experience. Not so. Not for me.

Terrace at Tsambika's Apt.

This idea really solidified a few days later at the cafe Les Deux Magots in Paris. I’ll just mention briefly the sense of relief I felt the minute I was in a cab headed from Charles de Gaul airport to Paris. In that moment I realized how uncomfortable I’d been (even while enjoying myself) in Greece. From the cab’s back seat I thought, “I understand THIS. I know how this place works. It looks/feels exactly like New York.” Shoulders relax, contended sigh.

I am surprised and little disappointed with myself that I’m less open and adventurous than I thought. It’s fair, as by comparison to many people, I am. The unfamiliar surroundings of Greece must have set me a little on edge and that is all on me. Sipping my coffee in Paris, I realized that I could sit here all day and not be noticed. In fact, as I looked around the cafe, there were several women sitting alone. They were reading, chatting on their cell, whatever. In Greece, I just didn’t see that happen. Keep in mind, I’m talking about a small village here. In Athens, that might be perfectly acceptable. But, here in Lindos, you do not go about unnoticed as a woman on her own. In fact, I can’t think of another woman traveling solo I saw the whole time.

Inside Wednesday Night's Apt.

“Greece is for Lovers” or so the t-shirt says and that’s pretty much it. There are families for whom Lindos is a long-held holiday tradition and they arrive en mass. There are large gangs of young people on a “spring break” style drinking / hook-up spree and affectionate couples in every other place you go. I think it made me a bit of a curiosity. Greece has a bigger sense of community than any other place I’ve been and the best description of their attitude toward me is one of gentle concern. “Is she alright?” “What’s she doing here by herself?” “Maybe she needs help.” It’s kind of cool, but also kind of uncomfortable for me as I really do like to fade into the background and that isn’t as easy for me in Lindos.

That’s about all I can remember. I must have gone back to the apartment and fallen asleep.