Soussa and the Goatahs

The cruise to Greece and its many associated islands is now a memory stick filled with photos, a stack of daily cruise ship newsletters to help me remember where we were when, and suggestions for changes that could benefit others who contemplate the cruise experience.

Highlights? There were a few, including being “hexed” by an elderly woman dressed all in black who stopped me in the Athen’s Plaka to insist that I accept a gift bag from her that I did not want. I insisted; she persisted; I walked away with the bag after she refused to accept money for it. It was her penetrating eyes that locked onto mine and would not allow me to look away that did me in. The “hex kit” had a dirty bowl, some plastic utensils, a piece of candy, a baby romper, and something written in Greek with two numbers: 7 and 2. She kept telling me “two sisters” over and over, piercing me with her stare, and it was eerie. I kept the bag until Athen’s airport, at which time I tossed it, but I did keep the note, although I have no idea what it says.

Being the only two tourists at the “stepping out” ceremony at Athen’s main government building. The Sergeant of the Guard talked to me, posed for a fierce picture, and also invited me to take a picture with one of the costumed soldiers performing the stepping out, but I declined as I felt that was disrespectful of their military service.

Sitting on either the bow or the stern of the boat, mesmerized by the vastness of the sea, and touching my Scandinavian ancestors.

Learning how to shower in a corner of a very tiny bathroom featuring a hand-held shower extension and, at its deepest point, two feet of usable space. The trick is not to turn around.

Lowlights: being told to shut the window to turn on the air conditioning in our Athen’s hotel room; however, no matter how tightly we shut the window, the air conditioning did not come on. It took two days to realize that is an example of an austerity measure in a crashing economy. Ditto the lack of light bulbs in light fixtures.

Being corrected at the cruise ship dinner table for using the wrong eating utensils. The correction was done subtly, but it was done.

Coming back to the cabin and finding that the male staff had folded my dirty pajamas and placed them on the turned-down sheets. Creepy.

Being almost, but not quite, unable to climb into the excursion buses. How hard would it be to provide a step-stool? Ditto the “great race” mentality at the sights of interest: many members of the groups I joined had limited mobility, including me, but there was no accommodation for anyone. Keep up or stay behind and find your own way back to the boat at your own expense.

Learning that my first 5 excursion choices had been canceled and I had to stay on the ship because the level of walking difficulty was too stringent for my mobility ability. Yes, I talked to the excursion people, armed with visual aides, and pointed out that it appeared people with mobility issues were being discriminated against as all the appropriate excursions for us had been canceled. Magically, the 5th excursion was back on the possibilities list, and I joined a bus filled with 29 others magically signed up for the canceled tour. And it was the best tour of the entire trip!

People: Carol, whose husband died a year ago. The couple who had to leave as scheduled on their cruise to avoid breaking their contract and losing their investment. It did not matter that his mother, at age 96, did not live through the weekend. Lola, who won the title Queen of the Ship, but disavowed that she is a drama queen. Gino and Sandy; Ann and Marie. And the rudest French couple ever!

Places: Heraklion, Patmos and San Torini for beauty and friendliness; Istanbul and Izmir for the frustrations of the tour guides, the people, the traffic, and the bazaars.

Would I take another cruise? Perhaps, but only if I had the finances to book on a much better ship, have my own private cabin, and could take my time wandering about. The excursions cost too much and were designed to get customers into local businesses that bribed the tour guides/bus drivers to do so. My tour group literally spent less time seeing the Blue Mosque and the Haga Sofia in Izmir than we did at the local rug store! I refused to go into the business and sat across the street, enjoying coffee and the best rice pudding I’ve ever eaten.

Soussa and the Goat-ahs? Our very Greek tour guide in Heraklion had a charming accent that sounded almost Scandinavian, and she ended many words with the “ah” sound. When she talked about all the goats and sheep on the island, but not many cattle, I was with her, but she transitioned into a story about Soussa, the leader of the Greek goat-ahs, and lost me until she began naming the goat-ahs: Athena, Hercules, and so on. Got it and a good laugh.