Reflections: 2 months of Changing Courses

Remember summer vacations as a kid? It would always seem like the memories of the summer were longer than the school year, yet it was only a few months. That’s what it’s been like for me since I left for this new life aboard Sailing Yacht Juno. So much has happened; I just can’t believe it’s only been 2 months.

There have been some unexpected stages in my “adjusting” to all this.

Of course I expected the drastic change of lifestyle to be hard and prepared to be kind to myself. But I think all in all, it came easily. What I did not expect were these 3 things: Nightmares, Guilt, Gypsy-ness.

NIGHTMARES: Since I have been away I have had vivid dreams most every night. Each one is the same with a little variation. And it is each and every dream that I am back at my job, not really employed but observing or having conversations with past clients or co-workers. I’m trying to get back to the boat, somehow stuck there. It’s never a good dream. I wake up exhausted and feeling hurt by what was said. This, I never expected or prepared for. After 26 years of business, I left a little hurt and I guess can’t just resign and leave it behind after all. I ask everyday: When will the dream stop? Please go away.

GUILT: I went through a stage of feeling guilty of this great opportunity that I am living. Feeling almost undeserving---for lack of a better word. Then I started asking myself, if not me than whom? So I would list all my friends and say; “do they deserve this?” The answer was always yes. So between being in the company of many others and the thought that I am simply taking a year and a half of retirement and moving it forward, knowing full well I’ll enter the “work force” again. I am at peace with being here.

THE GYPSY IN ME: I am getting used to the idea of moving around a lot. The longest we have stayed anywhere since leaving Italy is 10 days. I like it. I find myself getting restless and anxious for what’s next after being somewhere a while. After living in the same place, with the same job for so, so long, who knew?!

Two months seem short in the scheme of 12-14 more months…and there are so many more places to see, people to meet. If only the bad dreams would stop.

European Fashion Alert

Take a deep breath girls, MC Hammer pants AND leggings are coming back. Also really bright flowered flowing tops.  When I have gone to Europe before, I will see something that I can't believe they are wearing. Yet within a few years it is in our stores and I own it. Here are some photos to show you what is coming!

Greek street dogs

Athens, Crete, Paros and Santorini, Greece---Having been to Greece before, I was aware of the stray street dog population. I was curious to see what the status was after the 2004 Olympics when they made an effort to do something.

Sadly, there were just as many as I remember. Being a dog lover, it is just overwhelming. Below is some information. On Paros, a local organization named PAWS sells before and after postcards of Dogs and Cats that have been rescued. Most puppies are found by trash bins and weigh less than 1 kilo!

FROM: www.greecetravel.com/mazarakis
"...dog catchers in Greece used to step in and round up as
many strays as they could. The strays were held in the local municipal dog
pounds for a period of no more than 90 days, and if no one claimed the
dogs, they were typically then put to sleep.
This system kept the stray dog population down to a manageable level up
until about 10 years ago. At about that time, a local animal rights
activist group found out about a particular dog pound that kept their dogs
in miserable and inhumane conditions. They visited the pound and filmed the
scene. Then they took their evidence and presented it to the local District
Attorney who in turn issued a warrant for the responsible mayor's arrest.
That mayor was charged with the crime of "maltreatment of animals" which is
a very serious offense in Greek law. He was convicted and sentenced to
several months in prison along with a stiff monetary fine. As a result,
almost every municipality in Greece dissolved their dog pounds and fired
their dog catchers. " (from www.greecetravel.com/mazarakis )

FROM NBC SPORTS WEB SITE August 6, 2004; Athens, Greece - Thousands of stray dogs being rounded up before the Olympics are not in danger of being killed or subjected to harsh treatment, Greek officials said Thursday, despite growing international concern about the animals' welfare.
"We are very sensitive about this issue ... I am at the disposal of anyone who wants to inspect the conditions under which these animals are being kept," Deputy Agriculture Minister Alexandros Kontos said.

Animal rights groups say as many 15,000 dogs could be snatched from the streets in greater Athens over the next week, and have expressed doubts over the government's pledge to free the strays after 45 days.

Kontos, in charge of coordinating the collection with municipalities, said about 1,000 dogs had been placed in kennels so far, under a $4.8 million program sponsored by the ministry.

Government estimates have placed the capital's stray population at under 5,000. Stray dogs are a familiar site in Greece and for decades have been left free to roam city streets.

Earlier this week a group of strays were discovered the Olympic Village after evading a massive security sweep of the site by police and soldiers. The government and Olympic organizers say they are strongly opposed to euthanizing street animals and insist their neuter-and-return schemes are working.

"Our country has been slandered abroad over the issue," Kontos said. "Animal rights groups do not have a clear position. We believe our program is protecting these animals. We will not change our targets."

On Tuesday, the London-based World Society for the Protection of Animals called on Greek officials to assure strays will not be mistreated. WSPA spokeswoman Susan Sherwin said the government and the International Olympic Committee had failed to respond to the organization's request to give details about the mass collection.

"This problem is very close to being swept under the rug and our fear is that thousands of dogs are going to be inhumanely rounded up an euthanized," Sherwin told The Associated Press, speaking by telephone from Framingham, Massachusetts.

"We need some transparency and to know what is happening to the animals," she said. "It's highly dubious that 15,000 dogs are going to be rounded up and kept somewhere and will be released after the Olympics."

Kithnos---goats on the beach

Kithnos, Greece---We are at an unusual anchorage. Imagine two islands next to each other joined by a long sand bar. On each side it is deep enough to anchor. From one side you can see all the boats who anchored on the opposite bay. I quick dingy ride or swim and you can swim on that side. Early one morning I heard the sounds of goats. Reminded of my childhood, since we raised goats, I went "up top" the boat and sat with my coffee and watched a parade of goats moving from one mountain island to the other by way of the sand bar. It was an unusual site since the boats were anchored so close.

Athens

I have been to Athens several times before. The trains, buses and metro make it so easy to get around. We are staying in the most amazing Marina named Zea in Pateuras, a short distance from Athens.

After seeing the Parthenon again, I left my friends for some exploring and shopping alone. Here are some sites

Seeing one of the Gaza floatilla boats in Athens

I didn't know exactly what I was taking a picture of when I saw this curious looking boat in our Marina outside of Athens, Greece. A political statement surrounding this boat and the many young people boarding it. They left that morning.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100531/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

Now I know.

Zea Marina: our home for 3 days near Athens

Just one word. Wow.