Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jog
Entry for Sunday, 30 August 2009
I am not sure where the title line came from. Our family uses it every time we return home. NB: Leaving home song is "Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's On a Trip We Go. . . ." The Destination closes the song. Yes, I was heard singing it quietly on the bus as it drove me to Logan Airport to catch the first flight of three to get to Crete. And, Yes, I sang it as the plane took off from the Araklia Airport heading for Athens for the return home trip. I like to sing. The family reunion of many years ago presented nieces and nephews with the concept that all my siblings have instilled "Hi Ho, Hi Ho. . . ." into each family's tradition for traveling.
The trip home was uneventful, if not very tiring. All tolled, it was 24 Travel hours, door-to-door. I tried to sleep, but each plane came equipped with at least three babies linked to "Tag Team" fashion such that when one baby's vocal cords needed a break, the next in line took up the work. I was not a baby fan 15 hours into the trip and 32,000 feet over Atlantic waters. Airbus 300 needs Baby Ejectors.
I've previously posted notes about Crete. Here are a few more:
Topography: The island would be three or more times larger if it flattened its folded surface. The coast is not very wide. The coastal plane quickly rises to high mountains and roads that cross them. One that has a museum at its top is 804 meters = 2637.79528 feet above sea level. The UP is followed by a lot of down, but not enough to get to sea level. There are villages on the way down that seem to be glued to the mountain's sidewall.
Beaches: Mostly pebbly. Not many "Sand" beaches that I found. I think that they are rare for the island. When sandy, the sand is usually covered with tourists.
Tourists: Two types
Type one: I need my pub on the beach. These folks are looking for the amenities that they have in their originating country. I found this to be a horrible cancerous growth near the beaches and avoided them, or fled in full terror retreat whenever I found myself within the regions.
Type two: They are looking at another culture and want to sample that alternative culture as a visitor. They try to cause the least impact on the locality. They might speak a bit of Greek, but, if they're like me, try hard to watch and see how others live their lives in harmony with the locality.
Buildings and such: Wow - this is a complex observation. When I was driving around the agricultural areas, I wondered: How OLD is that stone wall? How old is that house? That windmill could be a hundred or a THOUSAND years old!!? There are NO windmills in the USA that are a thousand years old (same for rock walls, houses, roads etc.). The timeframe is humbling.
Old Windmills some 800+ meters above sea level - there is a constant breeze.
Wild Plants: The trees around my house are GREEN. The unattended vegetation that I saw in Crete was BROWN or tan. The plants that are not tended also have HUGE thorns on them. I was constantly pierced by things that - on initial inspection seemed benign, but when brushed against - put huge holes in my legs and arms. I am glad that I always hike with long sleeves and trousers. Shorts and short sleeves are just asking for a generalized blood donation to the local flora.
Natives: Really fine folks. I will admit that a large portion of the national income is from tourists - but even so, the folks that I met were pleased to help me when I was lost, provide answers to "What's This?" on the menus and showed interest in me and my visit. I (sadly) can't say that about my travels around the USA (sigh).
I'm happy to be home. I spent the day getting things back together. Yesterday was a blur. I went to bed at 7pm and woke to walk the dogs at 6:30. The Biologic clock underwent a Radical Reset. I hope that the folks at the hospitals understand "Jet Lag"
More later,
Doc
Grade: 6.0
Oh, and as promised, a picture of an island off the northwest corner of Crete:
I am not sure where the title line came from. Our family uses it every time we return home. NB: Leaving home song is "Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's On a Trip We Go. . . ." The Destination closes the song. Yes, I was heard singing it quietly on the bus as it drove me to Logan Airport to catch the first flight of three to get to Crete. And, Yes, I sang it as the plane took off from the Araklia Airport heading for Athens for the return home trip. I like to sing. The family reunion of many years ago presented nieces and nephews with the concept that all my siblings have instilled "Hi Ho, Hi Ho. . . ." into each family's tradition for traveling.
The trip home was uneventful, if not very tiring. All tolled, it was 24 Travel hours, door-to-door. I tried to sleep, but each plane came equipped with at least three babies linked to "Tag Team" fashion such that when one baby's vocal cords needed a break, the next in line took up the work. I was not a baby fan 15 hours into the trip and 32,000 feet over Atlantic waters. Airbus 300 needs Baby Ejectors.
I've previously posted notes about Crete. Here are a few more:
Topography: The island would be three or more times larger if it flattened its folded surface. The coast is not very wide. The coastal plane quickly rises to high mountains and roads that cross them. One that has a museum at its top is 804 meters = 2637.79528 feet above sea level. The UP is followed by a lot of down, but not enough to get to sea level. There are villages on the way down that seem to be glued to the mountain's sidewall.
Beaches: Mostly pebbly. Not many "Sand" beaches that I found. I think that they are rare for the island. When sandy, the sand is usually covered with tourists.
Tourists: Two types
Type one: I need my pub on the beach. These folks are looking for the amenities that they have in their originating country. I found this to be a horrible cancerous growth near the beaches and avoided them, or fled in full terror retreat whenever I found myself within the regions.
Type two: They are looking at another culture and want to sample that alternative culture as a visitor. They try to cause the least impact on the locality. They might speak a bit of Greek, but, if they're like me, try hard to watch and see how others live their lives in harmony with the locality.
Buildings and such: Wow - this is a complex observation. When I was driving around the agricultural areas, I wondered: How OLD is that stone wall? How old is that house? That windmill could be a hundred or a THOUSAND years old!!? There are NO windmills in the USA that are a thousand years old (same for rock walls, houses, roads etc.). The timeframe is humbling.
Old Windmills some 800+ meters above sea level - there is a constant breeze.
Wild Plants: The trees around my house are GREEN. The unattended vegetation that I saw in Crete was BROWN or tan. The plants that are not tended also have HUGE thorns on them. I was constantly pierced by things that - on initial inspection seemed benign, but when brushed against - put huge holes in my legs and arms. I am glad that I always hike with long sleeves and trousers. Shorts and short sleeves are just asking for a generalized blood donation to the local flora.
Natives: Really fine folks. I will admit that a large portion of the national income is from tourists - but even so, the folks that I met were pleased to help me when I was lost, provide answers to "What's This?" on the menus and showed interest in me and my visit. I (sadly) can't say that about my travels around the USA (sigh).
I'm happy to be home. I spent the day getting things back together. Yesterday was a blur. I went to bed at 7pm and woke to walk the dogs at 6:30. The Biologic clock underwent a Radical Reset. I hope that the folks at the hospitals understand "Jet Lag"
More later,
Doc
Grade: 6.0
Oh, and as promised, a picture of an island off the northwest corner of Crete: