This was a dream in which I was younger, unattached and had the freedom to choose to extend a Greek holiday. The wish fulfillment messages of the dream are obvious.
I didn't wake up from this dream feeling sad that my life is no longer so free and easy. I just thought, that's a nice dream. And, then rI emembered how I was once that girl in real life, arriving by plane on a Greek island. When I was 23, I did my big post-college trip to Europe. I was gone for six or seven months and went on various adventures. One was to fly from London to Greece, bop around one of the islands, get over to Turkey and meet up with my parents in Istanbul at the start of their tour up the Danube River.
I flew to Corfu -- the cheapest flight I could get. It was an early morning flight that landed me on the island. I spent the day hanging out in and around Corfu town before catching an overnight bus to Athens.
I was by myself, and I'm a bit amazed that I was once that girl who was able to arrive in new city in a new country where I didn't speak the language. At the Corfu airport, I managed to exchange money -- always the first thing you would do -- and get myself to town and to the station where I could buy the overnight bus ticket. I can't even remember how I figured out that I could get a bus to Athens -- probably by reading The Lonely Planet guide.
As I think about this, I'm amazed I was once that girl and that I once did things like that. I suppose that took a kind of courage or naivety. These days I attempt to draw on some form of courage for other more mundane things: getting out of bed, making calls I don't want to make, writing in this blog, etc.
Hmm, I can still feel that breeze.
1 comment:
Cliched maybe but there is something about the Greek isles that never leaves one.
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