What Is Your Superpower?

 

Heavenly view from restaurant on island of Kefalonia 

We departed Greece on June 22nd as we began our 48 hour non stop cruising up the Med to our next stop, Italy.  Reflecting back on our six weeks touring the Northern Ionian, it is easy to see why so many tourist flock to Greece each year and many of them, specifically, fellow Europeans decide to give up their homeland and settle in one of Greece’s many idyllic islands and quaint towns on the mainland.  I would consider such a move if there was a chance that a T.J. MAXX and a Dunkin Donuts franchise opened up somewhere there. I miss them both so much!

Just an observation about the Greek people....damn nicest folks I have ever met! While I enjoyed meeting my Croatians, the yelling really scared me! The Greeks are chill and go out of their way to make you feel at home. They are also amazing cappuccino drinkers-hot, cold, with froth, no froth.  They drink it while sitting for hours in cafes or while on their motorbikes zipping up and down busy streets. In Preveza, I saw one young man on a motorbike going through a roundabout  with a croissant in one hand and a cappuccino freddo with froth in the other.  This skill obviously is part of the driving test that Greeks must master to get a license.  

Touring Ithaca with our friends from Germany

Part of this sailing journey is not only being able to soak in the culture and sites of the places that we travel to but also meeting other cruisers along the way.  I must point out that one of the downsides of cruising is it gets lonely and you can get plain old sick of looking at your partner’s mug 24/7. So, meeting other like minded people becomes essential to avoid a man overboard situation, if you know what I mean! Thanks largely to Fred’s pick up skills, we have been fortunate to meet many cool and interesting people. FYI,  “Hey! Do you want to come aboard for a beer?,” seems to be the line that works best.  

I wanted to share one encounter we had with a lovely couple who we met while both boats were on dry dock in May at a local marina that really showcases what I mean by cool interesting people. We were invited on this couple’s boat for drinks and to view a video that they had made of their travels in Greece.  We’re thinking the video would be your standard YouTube amateur variety, unsteady drone shots with unflattering selfies...like our ones on CoKeMa.com ! This 40 minute professionally done documentary was breathtaking! The woman, who filmed, starred and narrated this piece of art, explained that she was a trained cinematographer, photographer, journalist, writer and stylist!  She had just submitted her 3rd travel book on Greece to her publicist and was soon to leave to do a photo shoot somewhere!!   My awestruck face quickly turned to horror when she then asked me, “ What do you do?”!  I frantically began thinking -What is my superpower?  My 30 year career of housing the homeless just didn’t seem to have the same “WOW'' factor as hers. In the end, I muttered something to the effect that I was recently retired and was in the process of thinking about what to do next.  Maybe I could learn to drive a motorcycle with a croissant in one hand and a cappuccino freddo with froth in the other?!? It’s a start!

Antio sas Greece! Thanks for treating us so well. Buongiorno Italy!  Looking forward to getting to know you!