Sinking in Santorini

It sank, right before our eyes just off the sun baked cliffs of the caldera. It seemed inconceivable, even impossible, but it happened on April 5, 2007 and we were there.

But I guess I’ve jumped ahead of myself. Since I last wrote, we’ve been to Venice, Cortina and Athens. We took the train from Florence to Venice where we stayed a week in a spacious apartment near the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, near the end of the Grand Canal. The weather was chilly but we had some clear, sunny days and Venice was as enchanting as ever. We avoided most of the tourist attractions but did tour St. Marks Basilica and took a day trip to Murano, an island filled with glass blowing factories and showrooms. Midweek, Jacob and I took a road trip to Cortina for a day of skiing in the Dolomites. They had gotten a couple of feet of snow in the previous week and conditions were reportedly the best of the season. The mountains are steep but generally groomed and very dramatic. In spite of the great conditions, very few people were there and we found untracked powder and corduroy for much of the day.

From Venice, we took the train back to Milan and then flew to Athens where we spent 4 nights before heading to Santorini. Athens was much cleaner and cosmopolitan than I remember it 25 years ago. We stayed in a rooftop apartment about 6 blocks from the sea and 25 minutes by trolley from downtown. We hit all the obligatory sights in the City and gave ourselves a heavy dose of Greek history and mythology. Then we set out for Santorini to meet up with some Canadian friends that we had met in Vietnam.

Ron and Grace Sarosiak lived in Toronto before they packed up their two girls Savannah (11) and Zoe (6) and headed off to tour the world for 12 months. Ron is an Actor and set decorator and Grace is a school teacher. They started their voyage in Fiji and moved west and we happened to connect on our first day in Vietnam and for several days after that, we seemed to be on exactly the same schedule. We kept in touch by email afterwards and managed to coordinate schedules again in Santorini and Crete. It’s been wonderful to spend time with them. Their stories are funny and familiar and we’ve bonded through our children and a common commitment to this extended travel experience.

We got a cave house a couple minutes aways from theirs in Oia, perched right on the edge of the cliff overlooking the caldera. It took a full day of searching before we settled on the Strogili Villas. Ronn had negotiated an incredible deal for a one bedroom place and I felt certain that if I could get to Santorini, we would find something comparable. Unfortunatlly, is was not to be. We arrived during Easter week and no one was in the mood to negotiate. So began an expensive and sometimes frustrating week in which we were unexpectedly shuffled to another property andt then missed our ferry to Crete, thanks to our shuttle bus. We had to book into a budget hotel on the outskirts of Fira for the night and wait until 5:45 the next day to catch another ferry. But I digress. Let me get back to the story you’re still waiting to hear about the spectacle in Santorini.

It was about 4pm on Thursday when we first noticed the enormous cruise ship listing to one side as it appeared to be heading away from the port in Santorini. We thought it was an optical illusion at first, a distortion of perspective perhaps created by the angle and distance. But binoculars reinforced what the naked eye could recognize, the cruise ship was riding dangerously low in the water and leaning precariously, as if it could capsize at any moment. The drama continued to unfold over the next 12 hours as they rescued almost 1200 passengers and crew before the boat disappeared into the cobalt blue depths of the Aegean Sea. Rescue boats and a variety of aircraft circled the site for many hours and news reports began hitting the airwaves late that night. Reportedly, the Captain hit a reef near the coasline and then proceeded to cut 25 meter gash in the side of the hull. He hand the crew now face possible criminal charges for, among other things, environmental damage caused by leaking fuel and oil that was contained but plainly visible. It was a grand if improbable spectacle, one I hope I only see once in a lifetime.

The Agony and the Ecstacy. Florence Italy

Irving Stone wrote a book by the same name about Michelangelo. Since we're in his hometown, I stole the title. I bought a sketch pad two days ago because I convinced myself that I could draw portraits like the artists that hang out in Piazza Navona in Rome or outside the Ufizzi Gallery here in Florence. They make it look so easy; 15 minutes and they're done. Start with the eyes; they all do it. I guess if you get those wrong, there is no hope. I read somewhere recently that you can't truly see something until you draw it. My problem is that I can't get my hands to draw what my eyes see. Perhaps modern art could be my forte. I have found that I study objects and people much more closely if I intend to try to draw them. Whether I do it or not is much less important. Another life lesson I should have picked up about 35 years ago.

Metaphorically, the title also speaks to the harsh realization that our trip is coming to an end soon. We have 7 more weeks before we head home. I'll head back to work shortly thereafter. The kids want to spend some time at school before the end of May and we'll begin to put the house back together. But life will never be the same for us. Much as we had hoped, the trip has opened our eyes and our minds. We are all confident world travelers now and I don't think there is anyplace that would seem too far away or exotic. Lots more on this later. For now, I'm trying to catch whatever ecstacy remains in our adventure and forget about the agony of being a crummy artist who needs to go back to a real job soon.

Oh, by the way, we posted more pictures from London, Zurich and Milan. I should have the first batch from Southern Italy up in the next couple days. I think Anne Nelson's blog is up to date so you can see that we've been taking it easy for the last week. We're here in Florence for another couple of days and then on to Venice for 5 days. From there, we're headed to Greece and Turkey for the last leg of the trip before flying home.

New Photos from India, Africa and Dubai

Finally, we have reliable wireless internet and a moment to catch up. Blog update to follow but we wanted to get pictures up first. We left Africa on February 20th and flew to Dubai for a couple of Days. Then it was on to London for a couple days and now we are in Zurich. In a day, we will head to Southern Italy for the beginning of the last leg of our voyage. We have lots to tell since our last post but it will have to wait until tomorrow. My pillow is calling. Love to all.

Pune, India

We arrived in Mumbai two days ago, spent the night and then hired a driver to take us to Puna, about 3 hours away. We are staying in the house of Satyendra Huja's father for the next 5 days. Then we head back to Mumbai for a night before flying to Dubai and then on to Kenya. I didn't know what to expect in India. My last visit here was 18 years ago and much has happened. The Indian economy has been booming and Pune is the center of information technology in India.

Our first taste of Mumbai reminded me very much of my last visit here. Our hotel was not in a nice area and we were all shell shocked as we began to absorb our surroundings. The area looked like a war zone clogged with traffic and wandering refugees. A trip out of the hotel to find an ATM was exhausting. Having been here before, I knew that all of Mumbai was not like this but Liz and the kids were overwhelmed.

Puna, however, is a very different place. Less crowded, less pollution, cooler and signs of affluence everwhere. Modern shopping centers, luxury high rise condos and tree lined streets are unlike anything I ever saw here 18 years ago. We are enjoying the hospitality of Huja's brother and sister-in-law. The house, while old and certainly not of US standards, is located on a quiet shady lane. Will write more when I have a chance.

New pics from Thailand and Vietnam

It's Wednesday in Hanoi and an overcast day has faded to night. We're back in our hotel after another full day of sightseeing. The streets of Old Hanoi alive with activity, motorbikes fill every inch of the street while merchants hustle their wares along sidewalks packed with curious pedestrians. The story that has unfolded here over since the end of the war in 1975 is incredibly captivating, particularly for those of us who grew up during the war but even the kids seem genuinely interested. Today was our first day in Hanoi and we visited the tomb and residence of Ho Chi Minh, the ehnology museum, the temple of literature (Vietnam's first University founded in the 11th century) and the oldest Pagoda in Vietnam. It's been a similar pace throughout Vietnam from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang, Hoi An, Hue and now Hanoi. We're headed to Hai Phong and Halong Bay tomorrow, then back to Hanoi on the 19th and on to Bangkok and Mumbai on the 22nd. We'll get to rest for a week in Puna, India and we'll need it. It's hard to fully absorb this place in real time. I think I'll be reflecting for weeks or even months to try to fully understand what's going on here. It's odd but Liz and I both feel this strange connection to Vietnam and consequently their history and future seem somehow more relevant than that most other places in South East Asia.

We've posted some new pics from Thailand and Vietnam. Unfortunately, I lost our first digital camera in Thailand so many of our pictures are now being enjoyed by a Bangkok cabby. Nonetheless, we've posted some from Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Tha Tong. More to come but for now, we're off to dinner.

Sunday in Bangkok

Today we head to Vietnam and I wanted give you a quick update before we go. I have posted pictures from Brisbane and Singapore and will try to post some from Thailand in the next few days. We've been traveling with Jack, Daniel, and Duncan for the past couple of weeks. It's been great having them back in our lives and we're going to miss them. Daniel and Duncan left yesterday and Jack leaves tomorrow. We've toured much of northern Thailand, near the border of Myanmar and Laos. For a detailed account, you can read Anne Nelson's blog. I could spend pages trying to describe this place but I'm afraid I don't understand it well enough yet to be articulate or accurate. Upon reflection, I may have more to offer. For now, it's off to the airport and our next adventure in Vietnam.

New pics of Port Douglas and GBR

It's a rainy Sunday in Brisbane so we've come down to the Queensland State Library to use the internet to publish some new pictures. Now we're off to the art museum for the afternoon. Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. We saw Santa yesterday at the City market. It was about 30 degrees centigrade. Poor Santa!