Delos: Tiny Island, Huge History

The uninhabited island of Delos was our next destination.

Unlike the previous day in Santorini where we were joined by six cruise ships, we had Delos to ourselves. Our ship had about 600 passengers, but I would say that only a third of them got off the ship. Which astounded me, because this was such an interesting destination. An island that is nothing but an archaeological site? (Have I mentioned how much I love these things?) But I didn't mind because it meant no issues with crowds.


In Greek mythology, Delos is where Leto went to give birth to Apollo and Artemis after being seduced by Zeus and the island has been a religious sanctuary since the third millennium BC. However, it rose in importance in the 5th century BC as the site of the Delian League. Comprised of several Greek city states united by Athens, the Delian League joined together to defend themselves against the Persians. Delos was selected as a neutral central location for the league members to meet. The common treasury for the Delian League was kept on the island.


Eventually Athens power grew and they became the leaders of the league. At that time the treasury was moved to Athens and all meetings and decisions happened there. However, Delos remained an important religious sanctuary with many cults based there. Especially the ones for Apollo.


During Roman times it's geographic position made it an important port within the Aegean Sea, eventually reaching a population of 25,000 inhabitants. On the darker side, it had one of the largest slave markets in Ancient Roman times, although many tour books choose not to mention this fact.


It began to decline in 88 BC when it was sacked by King Mithridates of Pontus. Eventually it was abandoned. Now it serves only as an archaeological site and museum. But it was never a true "dig." Because of the rocky nature of the island, and the lack of soil, very little was ever covered up.


We explored the site on our own, following a clockwise path through the ruins.


Immediately inside the entrance are three Temples to Apollo. Only three of many on the island.

But don't ask me to tell you which one that is!


Working our way around we came upon the Terrace of the Lions.

Dedicated to Apollo by the people of Naxos around 600 BC, it originally had 9-12 lions.

Time has diminished the ferociousness of their snarls. (By the way, these are exact replicas. The originals are in the museum located on the island.)


After visiting the original lions and other Delian artifacts in the museum, we continued on our way. We next began to climb Mount Kynthos towards the first sanctuary which was built in a cave around 3000 BC. But it was hot and there is practically no shade anywhere on the island, so we only went as far up as the Temple of Isis (facade with columns pictured below) in the area of the island dedicated to the worship of foreign gods.


We stopped to rest in the one bit of shade we had found anywhere on the island and enjoyed the view.

After a brief rest and a chat with another couple who were working their way around the island in a counter-clockwise pattern, we continued towards the Theater District.

It's the best preserved area on the island, perhaps because it is sheltered from the wind?


And what would a Theater District be without a Theater?


But it also has many houses which were once home to some of the wealthiest of the island's inhabitants. This is from the House of the Dolphins, named for the design in the mosaic floor.

The ship left Delos at 11:30 am for the very short sail to Mykonos where we were scheduled to spend the afternoon and evening.

Breathtaking Beauty of Santorini

From our first glimpse of Santorini we knew all we had heard wasn't just hype. It is one of the most dramatically beautiful places I have ever seen in my life.


Formed by a volcano, Santorini was originally a much larger island. Approximately 3600 years ago the volcano located beneath the island had what many geologist agree was likely the largest volcanic eruption in the history of earth and formed the current archipelago of four island surrounding the caldura, essentially the cauldron of the still active volcano that is located beneath the sea. On Nea Kameni island you can still see some of the vents that allow the heat and sulphuric gas to escape.

Due to the sulphur fumes and the danger of lava flow, this island is obviously uninhabited.


In 1967 an archaeological site was discovered on the south end of the island. It was a Bronze Age city, likely Minoan, although more evidence is needed to determine that. It is thought that the eruption is what lead to the Legend of Atlantis. However, because no bodies have yet been found, such as were found at Pompeii in Italy, it is thought the people living there heeded the warnings of the earthquakes and abandoned the city before the eruption happened.


Unfortunately, the site was closed during our visit so we were unable to go to this important, and very active, dig. Excessively disappointing. Have I mentioned how much I love archaeological sites?


But we did get to see much of the remainder of the island!


We had signed on for an excursion that included Oia, a tasting at a local winery and Fira, the largest town on the island.


We started in Oia (Ia in Greek and pronounced E-ah), where I raced about as quickly as I could taking photos of the most picturesque village on the island. (We were the first tour bus to reach the village, so there weren't many people to muck up my photos. But I knew the tour buses would arrive. And so they did. When we left there were more than 30 full sized buses in the too small parking lot, which lead to the constant shuffle as buses came and went.


Oia is best known for the Cave Houses. Built into the cliff that forms the upper reaches of the volcanic cauldron, they are gloriously beautiful either from a distance...

...or close up.

Just as the other mobs of tourists caught up with us, it was time to move on. But I did manage one last shot of this cat...

...who seemed undisturbed by the now steady stream of people walking past its napping spot.


Although it was not yet noon, we next headed for a local winery. (It's 5 o'clock somewhere, right?)

We actually weren't terribly impressed by the wine as it tasted rather thick and vinegar-y to us. In discussing it later with one of the sommeliers on the ship, he said that the weather is too warm and dry to grow grapes for good reds and whites, but that the Santorini dessert wines are quite nice.

However, I was impressed with how they grew the vines. Because there is a constant, strong wind on the island they cannot grow grapes how you would normally see it done. Instead, they weave the vines into a basket shape. The grapes grow into the middle of the basket and are therefore protected from the wind. Rather ingenious, actually.

We were also impressed at this shot of the road up the side of the caldura, which we could see clearly from the winery. Even more winding than in Switzerland!

And we were astounded by the many ships that had arrived after ours. By the early afternoon, six cruise ships were anchored there with thousands of disembarking passengers.


Our next stop was the town of Fira. We were supposed to go on a short walking tour with our group, but we decided it was time to ditch the group and head out on our own. I felt as if I walked past every single passenger from every one of those ships through the winding and tightly packed streets of the town!


To get back to the ship, you can choose the cable car, donkey ride or walking. Since the walkway was in full sunlight, not to mention covered with poo from the aforementioned donkeys, we went with the cable car.

With its plummeting ride down to the harbor.

Note: Cable Car photos courtesy of GLH. I sat with my eyes tightly closed and prayed not to die.


Later, as the ship departed for Delos, we caught this photograph of the sun setting over one of the volcanic vents.

Exploring the Ancient Games at Olympia

On Thursday morning the shipped docked at Katakolon, a small fishing village that is a jumping off point for those headed to the nearby site of Olympia, where the Olympics were played in ancient times.

Artifacts have been found that date the site as far back as 4300 BC, when it was a small settlement and religious sanctuary. Prehistoric divinities known in ancient times as the Titans (Gaia, Kronos, Rhea, etc.) would have been worshipped here.

During Mycenaean times (2nd millenium BC) the cult of Zeus began to form and there is evidence that games in honor of Zeus began to be played. However, it wasn't until 776 BC that the games were reorganized into the panhellenic tradition we are familar with today. The height of the ancient games was from the 5th century - 1st century BC.

After the Romans arrived, the games continued to be played, but were no longer as important as they once had been. However, in true Roman style, the building program in the area continued and impressive structures, designed to illustrate the impressiveness of the Romans, were constructed.

In 393 AD, Theodosius I, emperor of Byzantium, ended the games by imperial decree. Eventually he also ordered that any remaining monuments be destroyed by fire. Christianity had arrived and the glorification of the Greek and Roman gods could no longer continue. Earthquakes in 522 AD and 551 AD caused the complete destruction of the remaining buildings. For a short while a small settlement of Christians lived there and a partially destroyed building was turned into a Christian Basilica, but eventually it was completely abandoned and over time the winds and rain covered the ruins with earth. The site was rediscovered by archaeologists in the 19th century.

As getting from the dock to to Olympia is not easy on your own, we had arranged to go with a tour group from the ship to the site. Our group was relatively large, about 35 people. The tour guide spoke with an extremely thick accent that was difficult to understand. Then when we arrived at the site the tour guide stated we would go to the ruins first. I was extremely disappointed because from everything I had researched, the recommendation was to visit the museum first to gain an overview that would help you envision how it once looked.

So, after a quick conversation with the guide and instructions about where and when to meet, we ditched the group and headed out on our own.

We started at the museum, where we purchased an inexpensive guide book that would lead us around the museum and through the ruins. The museum was very well done.

In addition to artifacts found on the site, such as this Bronze Shield and Helmut dating back to the second half of the 6th century BC...

And many Greek and Roman statues including...
Nike of Paionios, which was found in the Temple of Zeus and, according to the inscription, dedicated in honor of Zeus during the last year of the Archidameian War in 421 BC.

Hermes of Praxiteles, a statue which dates to the 4th century BC. In this statue, the messenger of the gods is depicted holding the infant, Dionysius.

After the museum we walked back to the ruins. Our first view was of the East Colonnade of the Gymnasium.
Originally constructed in the 2nd century BC, the gymnasium was an enormous open-air courtyard surrounded by covered colonnades and was used as a training area for the athletes.

Walking past the Gymnasium, we came upon the Philippeion.
Dedicated by Philip II to Zeus after his victory at Chaironeia in 338 BC, it was one of the loveliest and most graceful of the constructions on the site. Philip II died before it could be completed, so the monument was finished by Philip's son, Alexander the Great.

From here we had our first look at the massive Temple of Zeus, which stood in the center of the sanctuary.
Destroyed by earthquakes during Byzantine times, the columns have toppled and it is difficult to imagine what it once looked like. But it was the site of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World -- The Statue of Zeus by the sculptor Pheidias, who worked at Olympia from 440-430 BC.

Here is a 1572 engraving depicting what the statue may have looked like based upon ancient descriptions of it which remain.

And finally, here is the ancient stadium.

This stadium dates to the 5th century BC, when the games were at their peak and had taken on their final form. The track is 212,54 meters long and 28,50 meters wide. The stadium could seat 40,000-45,000 spectators, who sat on the grass embankments. On the left of the playing field you can still see the area reserved for the Hellanodikai, or judges and games officials.

I could go on and on and show more photos, but the post has gotten long enough as is!

Station Announcement

We delay the post about our visit to the site of the Ancient Olympics to bring you this message about the Modern Olympics...

I love watching the Olympics. I mean, seriously love it!

I love it so much that back in the day when I had more vacation time than money, I would actually use vacation days to stay at home and watch the Olympics. Did not even care what was on. I would watch any Olympic sport the network happened to be covering.

Which surprises people who know me, because I actually dislike most sporting events. I find them extremely boring and not worth my time. But that's because most sports coverage focuses on the sport, which is the least interesting aspect to me.

The reason I love the Olympics is actually due to the stories.

One of my earliest Olympic memories is cheering on the 1980 American Hockey Team as they came from behind to win against the Soviet Union, eventually going on to win the Gold Medal. It could have been a movie script, especially with the back drop of the Cold War.

In 1988 I winched with empathetic pain when American diver Greg Louganis hit his head during a dramatic diving accident at the Seoul Olympics. And cheered when, with a throbbing headache and stitches in his head, he managed to defend his title and won a Gold medal.

In 1992 I cried when Derek Redmond, a British sprinter, tore his hamstring during the 400 meter semi-final in Barcelona, but was determined to finish the race. As he slowly limped down the field, with tears streaming down his face, his father ran from the stands. Pushing away the security guards who tried to prevent him, he reached his son, put his arm around his shoulder and helped him to the finish line. He only let him go a few feet before the actual finish so he could cross the line on his own.

In 2000 I was thrilled when Australian sprinter, Cathy Freeman, became the first ever Aboriginal Olympic champion. And how her happiness showed as she did a final victory lap, carrying both the Australian and Aboriginal flags.

I will even admit to watching with morbid fascination as the soap operatic events between Nancy Kerrigan and Tanya Harding unfolded during the 1998 Winter Olympics.

So with the Olympics upon us once again I eagerly sat down on Friday afternoon to watch the opening ceremonies and once again get caught up in the stories. And what a spectacular show it was! The amazing fireworks, the image of the final torch bearer being lifted and flown around the stadium towards the Olympic cauldron, and giggling at the Swiss team who went with a California surfer dude garb in their knee-length shorts. I was a bit annoyed by the British commentators, who weren't telling me any of the interesting back stories, but continued to blabber away about boring sports things.

And when the actual coverage of the sports began the next day I was sorely disappointed. We had been watching it on BBC. They weren't talking about the back stories. They weren't talking about what the athletes had to overcome to get to the Olympics. They weren't even talking about any of the scandals or politics. What were they talking about? The sports. How boring is that?

The only bit of fun was watching a British woman receive the Gold Medal in biking. And that was only because GLH insisted upon replacing the words of "God Save the Queen" with "My Country Tis of Thee" as loudly as he could. And even that would have been more fun if there had been a British person around at the time.

So we switched from satellite to US cable via SlingBox.

Thank goodness, the US commentators were Hollywood-izing the Olympics for me. Just the way I like it!

Because let's face it, without all the extra stories and video biographies, the Olympics is kind of boring.

Albanian Disappointment and Corfu Treasure

On the 23rd of July we anchored just outside of Sarande, Albania shortly before 7:00 am.

We were very excited about our trip to Albania. First and foremost, the ancient site of Butrint is considered an amazing archaeology site. First established by the Greeks, then the Romans and finally a Byzantine location, it was eventually abandoned and is now an amazingly well preserved example of the civilation and architecture of all three. Don't know if I have mentioned it, but I simply cannot get enough of the archaeological sites. I love 'em!

But we were also looking forward to Albania because, I admit it, we were considering it a good way to "collect countries." How many people do you know who have ever been to Albania?

Which is why we were disappointed by the ship's announcement a short while later.

Because Sarande is a new cruise port, they have not yet finished their dock. Which means ships need to anchor off the coast and tender passengers to shore with smaller boats. As soon as we had anchored, the Albania port had sent a boat with Immigration and Customs officials to inspect the ship's documents and allow the passengers to come ashore. The water that morning was so rough that the officials were unable to tie up and board the ship. Which also meant it was too dangerous to try to get the ship's passengers to the shore.

So the ship pulled up anchor and we headed towards the Greek island of Corfu early. The original schedule had been Sarande in the morning and Corfu in the afternoon. The destinations are close enough to see each other across the short stretch of sea between them. In the photo of the ship above, you can actually see the Albanian coastline behind it.

As we sailed away I longingly watched the Albania coast growing smaller. So close, and yet so far away...

About an hour later we anchored in the harbor of Corfu Town, which is a cove and therefore somewhat protected from the still rough seas.


The history of Corfu (Kerkyra in Greek) begins in Greek mythology. Poseidon, God of the Sea, fell in love with Korkyra, a beautiful water nymph. In the typical method of the Greek gods, he kidnapped her and brought her to an island to begin their wedded bliss. He named the island Korkyra in her honor. Eventually the name evolved into Kerkyra. None of the stories mentions Korkyra's view of the events.

Because of its strategic position, it has a turbulent history of battles and invasions dating back to Anicent Grecian times. During the relative peace of the Roman Empire, it became known as a resort island. Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony were known to holiday here. And throughout its history it was always prized as a most excellent place for a vacation. In between the battles and wars, of course.

We immediately realized the real "Treasure of Corfu" and why it is one of the most popular tourist destinations among the Greek Islands. The weather was perfect! Mid-70's (22C) with a cool breeze and a beautiful landscape. And the weather varies only slightly throughout the year, never too hot and never too cold. Of the Greek Islands, this is where the Rich and Famous come to party, as evidenced by some of the private yachts we saw docked here.


Note: The not so rich and not at all famous party on Mykonos, which we visited later in the trip.

We tendered to shore and walked towards the Old Town section of Corfu Town.


Where we discovered that the Rich and Famous apparently also like to shop here. Every other shop was an extremely expensive jewelry store far beyond the means of most. And would someone please explain why you would travel to a Greek island, where it never gets cold, to buy enormous fur coats?

We spent a few hours window shopping and exploring the town before having lunch at an outdoor cafe. We asked about Corfu specialties, which turns out to be veal in a variety of ways. Since I cannot endure the thought of eating a baby cow which has been tortured, we got the generic Greek specialty platter to share instead of the Corfu specialty platter which included tortured baby cow done 5 different ways!

After lunch we wandered along the shorefront towards the Old Venetian Fort. Because, of course, the Venetians were also here.


Which involved another climb to the top...


But we didn't mind because the weather was so pleasant and breezy and it wasn't nearly as steep as the Acropolis! Not to mention that although the town itself was quite full of people, very few people had come to the Old Fort. Which seemed a shameful waste, but made it nicer for those of us who were there.

After the fort we explored the practically empty, but very interesting and worthwhile Archaeological Museum of Corfu. There were less then 10 people in the museum, and most of them were employees. I guess people don't come to Corfu for the history. Then it was back to the ship for another overnight sail.

Next up? The site of the Ancient Olympics! My own most anticipated destination on the itinerary.

Dubrovnik on the Croatian Riviera

After a day of sailing through the Ionian Sea, we arrived in Dubrovnik, Croatia.


The city was founded in the 7th century AD and was part of the Byzantine Empire. It was built on a small island just off the coast. Later, a group of Slavic people established a settlement at the foot of the Srd Mountain, which was named Dubrava, Old Croatia for "Oak Forest." By the 12th century these two settlements had joined forces and the narrow water way between the island and the coast was filled in, making the two settlements one larger town.

Eventually Dubrovnik, as it came to be called, established itself as a maritime city state which rivaled the the power and wealth of Venice. All that came to an end when a earthquake levelled the city, killing more than 5000 of its residents, in 1667. However, it remained an independent city state until it came under the power of the Hapsburg Empire in 1815. After World War I it became part of the newly formed Yugoslavia and was eventually incorporated into the USSR after World War II.

However, now it is remembered as being one of the cities under siege by the Serbs during the bloody civil war in the early 1990's. Due to its fortified walls, it never fell. And the only remnants of the 8 month siege are the slightly different colored roof tiles which had to be replaced due to heavy shelling. It has once become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Croatia, and deservedly so.

Since the old city of Dubrovnik is very small and extremely walkable, we had decided not to arrange a formal excursion. Rather, we simply meandered.

It's a good thing we weren't trying to get somewhere, because the streets are primarily extremely narrow alley ways which wend and wind their way through the city.


Had we been trying to actually get somewhere, we would have immediately become hopelessly lost. As it was, we were free to roam at will without the stress of following a map.

Eventually we came upon the central square and the Dubrovnik Cathedral.


Built between 1671-1713, the Romanesque Baroque construction replaced an earlier cathedral which was destroyed in the earthquake.


By the time we came upon the Old Harbor, it was late enough in the day (11:00 am) that it was getting a tad uncomfortable.

Although the temperature remained relatively low (about 80F/26C), Dubrovnik had extremely high humidity which was making it difficult to breath. So we headed back to the ship (and the wonderful air conditioning), which left a few hours later enroute to Sarande, Albania.

Experiencing Athens

We arrived in Athens late in the afternoon on 19 July. We grabbed a taxi for the trip from the airport to Pireaus, where the ship was docked. Imagine our surprise when we discovered our Greek driver had lived in Cleveland for more than 20 years! He and GLH chatted the whole way about All Things Cleveland.

For the first two days of the "cruise," the ship remained docked in Pireaus which allowed us time to explore Athens. We had arranged an excursion to the Acropolis and Plaka, the "old city" area of Athens which dates back to Byzantine times.

But first, our tour briefly stopped at the site of the 1896 Olympics, the first Olympics of the modern age.



The stadium was built facing the location of the Acropolis, our next destination.


There are actually many acropoli in Greece. In fact, the country is literally lousy with 'em because pretty much all of the many Greek city states had one. It was where the Gods and Goddesses were worshipped. Where the king and aristocracy lived. And where everyone would retreat for safety in times of trouble, which is why the sites were selected in the first place. They were the highest place in the immediate vicinity that still had access to a source of fresh water. Hence the term "acropolis," which means "top of the city."

But only the acropolis in Athens is called The Acropolis, because it is the best known of them all. With some artifacts dating back to the 6th millenium BC, it was inhabited long before the Ancient Athens we know of came to be. But the marble buildings and temples we were there to visit date back to the 6th century BC.

It was a LONG climb up. And so we climbed and climbed. In more than 100F (40C) temperatures. Surrounded by hordes of other tourists.


But we finally arrived and there before us was the Parthenon...


Built at the height of the Glory of Ancient Athens (447-432 BC), it was built to honor Athena, the Goddess of War and the protector of Athens, and replaced an earlier temple which was destroyed during the Persian invasion in 480 BC. It is considered the most important example of Classical Greek architecture.

Although all that was lost to me as I longingly stared at the two employees sitting in its shade. Their sole purpose seemed to be to keep the overheated tourists on the other side of the ropes and away from the shade. I hated them immediately. (You can see the objects of my jealousy, er I mean, disdain in the photo above, lower right hand corner.)

After a few minutes up there the heat began to overwhelm me and the masses of humanity caused my claustophobia to kick in. I handed the camera to GLH and told him I would wait for him at the foot of the hill, in the shade of the olive trees where, if my prayers to both ancient and modern gods were answered, there would be a nice breeze. (Praise to the Powers that Be, I did find a nice spot to sit in the shade to wait. And the breeze helped me to once again feel human.)

So here is what GLH saw before he, too, gave up due to the unpleasantness of the heat and crowd and joined me in the shade of the olive trees...



The Erechthion was built between 421-407 BC and was also a replacement of an earlier temple destroyed when the city was sacked by the Persians. However, it is best known for the Porch of the Caryatids (also known as the Porch of the Maidens).



And from the Acropolis you have some amazing views of modern Athens...



As well as the Rock of Arcopages...

The Temple of the Olympian Zeus...


And the Trission Temple...


Although we did not visit the last three sites. After leaving the Acropolis, there was time for an early lunch and a brief walk-about in the historic Athenian neighborhood of Plaka before heading back to the ship to recover in the blessed air conditioning and cast off for our next destination. One day I hope to return to Athens so I can appreciate it at a different time of the year, when the weather is cooler and the crowds slightly diminished.

Please Call Stella

Last night GLH taped a preseason Cleveland Browns football game, which we watched this evening.

As always happens when watching the first Browns game of the year, we were once again astounded by Bernie Kosar. A former Browns quarterback and now a commentator for the games, Kosar always sounds drunk. Seriously. Completely and totally wasted. He rambles, slurs and babbles his way through his commentary. He only does preseason games. They don't let him near the regular season. I suspect the only reason they keep him on at all is because he is a longtime Cleveland Hero.

This evening I decided to google Bernie Kosar and find out what the heck is the deal with the way he talks. I discovered two prominent theories:

• He was born and raised in the Youngstown, Ohio area and the way he speaks is merely a sample of that accent.
  
• He got hit on the head a whole lot while playing football. Bernie himself doesn't remember the exact number, but during his career he had at least 20 concussions.
  

So I decided to examine these theories further. (Yep, football really is that boring to me.)

Which is how we got to "Please Call Stella." In attempting to find an example of a typical Youngstown accent, I stumbled across a website. The Speech Accent Archive has 935 examples of English as spoken around the world, both by native and non-native speakers.

Each subject was asked to read a script, which begins with the words "Please Call Stella..."

It was kind of fun. And I was finally able to prove to GLH that Cleveland natives say "da" instead of "the," just like they do in Chicago. Especially when they have been spending time with their Cleveland relatives.

Which means he can no longer mock me for my Minnesota accent coming out when I spend time with my family.

Update on Complications

I e-mailed the question to a couple of US-citizens-abroad-adoption-listservs. This is a common issue for US citizens living elsewhere who adopt via US domestic adoption.

Only thing to do is wait until after the baby is born, take the birth certificate and guardianship papers to any airport that has a ticket desk for the airline and you can book the ticket at that time.

It ends up more expensive due to the late purchasing of the infant's ticket, but in the grand scheme of things it's not the worst thing in the world.

What I find interesting is that you actually do not have to inform the airline you are in the process of adopting a child. But because the infant isn't with you on the incoming flight, they start asking questions. It's a red flag.

You really cannot blame them for wanting to make certain we are not kidnappers or traffickers. Hopefully these same policies prevent children from being taken from the country illegally.

Sidenote: We have now also been advised by the other adoptive parents that in the case of a transracial adoption it is best to always travel with a photocopy of the adoption decree. When it is obvious the child is not connected to you biologically, it raises questions in the minds of immigration officials, airline agents and security personnel. Especially when crossing international borders.

Complications: The Further Adventures of Dealing with an Airline

Unbelievable.

So, we talked and debated and gnashed our teeth and did it. We decided on a name that we both like and believe will be perfect for our Maybe Baby. We have informed various grandparents of the name, which was met with delight. We even called the baby's mother, who is happy because we picked the name she liked best from our list.

This evening we called the airline to complete our transaction. We explained the situation, once again. They found our saved reservation and we gave them the name of the baby. They then asked the baby's birth date.

Um, weren't you listening? The purpose of the trip is to adopt a baby. A baby who hasn't been BORN YET. We don't know the baby's birth date!

Alright, we can still do it. So the representative completes the transaction and even reserves a bassinet (aka Sky Cot) for us to use in our bulkhead seats. We hang up, happy the matter has been handled.

Then GLH decides to double-check our reservation online...

Infant is booked to fly with us from Zurich to San Antonio, before he is even born, as well as from Minneapolis to Zurich 6 weeks later.

Huh? We debated just leaving it as is, but then decided we'd better fix it. The airlines have a nasty habit of automatically cancelling the return reservation if the passenger didn't check in on the outgoing flight.

So GLH calls the airline. Again.

The person we spoke with recognized the absurdity of the situation and did everything she could to fix it. But we discovered a new problem. Apparently the Department of Homeland Security has deemed that a US citizen is not allowed to take a one way flight out of the US. They have to have a flight coming back. Getting a round trip for an infant and then throwing away the other half also does not work because, quite sensibly in this case, infants cannot travel alone. 

So we got bumped up to a higher level manager-type to try to figure this one out.

After a great deal of discussion and explanation on both sides, plus a whole lot of time listening to bad hold music, it turns out there isn't a way to book the flight for the infant at this time.

Instead, we apparently have to wait until the infant is born and personally go to an airport ticket desk with the child's birth certificate, passport and proof that we are legally allowed to leave the country with this infant (i.e. he has not been kidnapped and we are not traffickers). At which time the flight will be close enough that the cost of a one way flight for an INFANT IN ARMS will become astronomical.

So now the work begins. I am going to contact the adoption agency to see if they have any tips based upon past adoptive parents who have worked through this issue.

I will also start calling the airline again and again until I get to someone with enough authority to help us resolve this situation.

Sigh.

So, in the end we didn't really have to come up with a name right away. But now that we have, we're gonna stick with it. Because we've got other issues to handle and at least that is one thing on our task list we can mark as finished.

Name for Baby? Check.

Oh Boy!

It's a boy! Our Maybe Baby is a boy!

And we learned this not a moment too soon. We have 24 hours to name him. Which I am kind of freaking out about because I am a little superstitious about names and I would have preferred waiting until he was born. But we do not have that luxury.

See, last night we called the airline to purchase our flights there and back. Two adults on the way out, two adults and an infant on the way back. And in a Post 9/11 World, babies must be ticketed and their names must exactly match the name on the passport.

Right now our flights are on a 24-hour hold while we come up with a name. We have to let them know by 11:00 pm (Swiss Time) tonight. Or we lose the current price on our tickets, which is higher than it was a month ago, or the month before that. With the way the price of airline tickets have been steadily climbing, we don't want to wait any longer to purchase them. (I wonder how much longer before the airlines start offering financing options and monthly payment plans?)

Thank God we know the sex. Otherwise we would have to go with a name like Chris or Pat...

And no, we won't be posting his name here, even once we decide what it will be. That's a little too much private information to post on a public blog.

But I have decided the baby's blog name will be Global Baby (GB for short). Because this child will have traveled more by the time he is 6 months old than the majority of people in the world ever travel in their lifetime. And because we fully intend to continue to travel, even with a baby, so seeing the world will be part of his education.

Forgetful

In addition to completely forgetting the grocery stores would be closed today due to the holiday, I also forget about the solar eclipse happening today. Only remembered it at about 11 am. An hour after it finished.

Even though I've been up since 7:00 am, I didn't notice an eclipse of the sun between 9:00 am - 10:00 am because it's cloudy and rainy here. I did notice it seemed a bit dark, but just figured another storm was rolling through.

Ah well, with the clouds we wouldn't have been able to see the eclipse anyway. And it was only a partial eclipse in this area anyway. The full eclipse happened much further east of here. Like in China and Mongolia.

Back to laundry and cleaning...

From Chaos into Order

We arrived last night from Istanbul. A bit later than expected. Apparently the Chaos of the Istanbul airport wins out over the Punctuality of Swiss Airline.

It was late and we were tired, so we caught a taxi home. He helped to gently readjust us. Even though he had an extremely Swiss name and appearance, the driver was speeding, changing lanes frequently and even passing on the right. Sort of like the Swiss version of a Turkish taxi driver.

The holiday was wonderful. We actually lucked out in the weather category. Athens was unrelentingly hot (over 100 F / 40 C) and Dubronik wasn't terribly hot, but did have an extremely high humidity that made it difficult to breathe. However, pretty much everywhere else we went was having an unseasonably cool temperatures. Even Istanbul was only 80 F / 30 C with low humidity and a steady breeze. Not bad at all.

And everything we saw? Wow! Well worth the bit of heat we had to endure.

I'll post more after unpacking, laundering and grocery shopping...

NOTE: Completely forgot we would be returning on a Holiday Weekend (Swiss Day). Grocery stores are closed today. Our cupboards are empty, so it's off to the train station grocery store for us.

Holiday in the Sun

We are leaving. We're off to Greece and Turkey!

"What?" I can hear you say, "You're going to Greece and Turkey in July? But Global Librarian, you hate the sun! You hate the heat! Have you lost your mind?"

Yes, I hate sun and heat. Greece and Turkey in July will have excessive amounts of both.

But I love my husband.

A few years ago we stopped giving each presents at Christmas and birthdays. Instead, we travel. At Christmas time we decide together where we are going. But it is each person's choice where they wish to go for their birthday trip.

GLH's birthday is the end of September. With the Maybe Baby due the beginning of October, it is too close to be able to take a trip somewhere. So GL gets his birthday trip now and he wants to go on a Mediterranean cruise from Athens, Greece to Istanbul, Turkey (with side trips to Dubrovnik, Croatia and Sarande, Albania).

I'm slightly concerned about the heat (yesterday it was over 100 Fahrenheit in Athens), but I have been assured by a Greek friend that air conditioning is common so I should be able to cool off when I get overheated. I will not go anywhere without my sunscreen, silk fan and parasol and the interior areas of the ship are all air conditioned.

The cruise we are taking seems to have been custom-made for me. Or custom-made for people who love history.

It is an upscale cruise line with smaller ships (only 500 passengers) which has a focus on history and archaeology. We will be visiting sites dating back to Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome and medieval times. There are local experts (university professors, archaeologists, anthropologists, etc) who will be provide lectures on the ship and the tour guides for our shore excursions have been carefully screened and selected for their extensive knowledge and presentation skills.

Actually, what I am most concerned about is that it will get very hot in Switzerland while we are gone and the apartment will heat up. Not only will that be bad for the cats, but when we get back it will take a while to get the apartment cooled again. But we'll deal with it if/when it happens.

See you again in August!

Language or Culture?

Which comes first? The language or the culture?

I've been pondering this question. As my German language skills have improved, I've been having longer discussions in German. Not debating philosophy, of course. They haven't progressed that far!

But I have noticed a couple of things about German which I believe impacts the culture. Or vice versa.

1. It is difficult to form German words and smile at the same time. Just the way you have to shape your lips when speaking makes a smile feel unnatural.

2. Because German sentences tend to be quite long and the action verb generally doesn't appear until the very end, everything you intend to say has to be carefully considered and planned. Compound this with the very structured word order and spontaneity becomes extremely difficult.

So, did the Germanic culture produce a language that encourages formality and discourages smiling? Or did the German language produce the stoic culture? Or do they just build upon one another?

Discuss...

Too Much?

I spent part of the day reorganizing our books now that we have a new set of shelves to handle our expanding collections.

One of our largest collections is, not surprisingly, travel books. It is growing by leaps and bounds and actually starting to become perhaps even a bit excessive. Yet I don't want to get rid of them in case we travel back there, or someone we know needs to borrow it.

It crossed my mind that perhaps I should put the travel books in Dewey Decimal Classification order.

Is that going too far?

Any other librarians out there cataloging their collections?

Impracticalities

Since we've moved I've been holding on to some shoes.

Strappy, high-heeled sandal style shoes. I have a few different styles in a few different colors.

They are definitely of the "dropped off at the door" style of shoes as opposed to "take the train" and/or "walk on cobblestone" style of shoes. I haven't worn any of them even once since moving to Switzerland.

Now I know that many women here continue to wear these shoes. But I am a big ole klutz. And I tend to fall for no discernible reason while wearing practical shoes on plain pavement. Watching me walk on cobblestone, even in sensible shoes, is not pretty. Me walking on cobblestone in strappy, high-heeled sandals would be the equivalent of watching a train wreck and likely end with a trip (literally!) to the emergency room.

But I have held on to them because they look so nice on my feet and make me feel pretty. Occasionally I have even put them on just to walk around the apartment and look at my feet in the mirror.

However, European living does not leave enough storage space for keeping things you are not actually using.

The shoes are going away.

Still trying to decide whether to throw them away or donate them. On the one hand, donating them would perhaps allow them to be reused and limit what goes in the garbage.

On the other hand, I have larger than normal sized feet for a woman. And I think if I saw a transvestite traipsing about in my shoes, especially if s/he were more graceful in them than I ever was, would likely make me cry.

So what do you think? What would you do with the shoes?

Return to Ikea

We had hoped that our trips to Ikea were behind us.

But then we decided to adopt a baby. And even though babies are small, they do seem to need a fair number of accoutrements. And we want everything ready to go before baby arrives just in case we find ourselves a bit busy afterwards.

So today we returned to Ikea once again. Not too bad though as we only needed an addition closet and a bookshelf. We already had crib and other sundry items. Just needed a bit more storage. Partially so we can put the vacuum cleaner and so on in a closet so crawling babies do not pull them over on themselves.

Hopefully GLH will not exasperate his Ikea-Elbow Injury* while assembling the furniture. 

Fortunately, our upstairs neighbor was home when we got back from Ikea. In exchange for a couple of margarita's, he helped GLH lug the closet upstairs. Partical board is extremely heavy and I have never had much upper-body strength.

*Similar to Tennis Elbow, Ikea Elbow is a repetitive injury caused by screwing together many pieces of inexpensive furniture. Ikea is the preferred furniture store of college students and expats.

Cleaning Tip

Since we arrived in Switzerland there is one thing in the house with which I have constantly struggled.

Hard Water Stains

This is the hardest water I have ever had to deal with. It discolors our clothes, dries my skin and hair and leaves a strange scum on surfaces in the kitchen and bathrooms.

I have figured out some ways to overcome it. I use Calgon water softener and a special enzymatic clothing detergent for the clothes. I use Body Shop Shea Body Butter for my skin and Aveda Sap Moss Shampoo and Conditioner for my hair. And I scrub kitchen and bathroom surfaces repeatedly in hope of keeping it under control.

But the glass shower in the bathroom remained cloudy no matter what I did.

GLH is very good about using a squeegee after he showers. That helps. But I have tried every chemical I could find in the store to get rid of the scum and nothing worked to get it really clean.

Until now.

I decided to try something my mother used when she cleaned windows. White vinegar, water and baking soda.

Dontcha know! It actually worked! With a minimum of scrubbing even. Just rub it on then wipe it off with a dry cloth.

I highly recommend it.

Maybe Baby?

We are matched with a prospective birthmother. We have actually been matched for a while, but it is only now beginning to feel real. I cannot believe it is a few months away!

The mother is in San Antonio, Texas and the baby is due October 3rd. At the end of September we will go to San Antonio to wait for the birth. We do not know whether the baby will be a boy or a girl. S/he keeps hiding from the ultrasound. Either shy or stubborn, I guess.

We are calling the baby our "Maybe Baby." The mother is currently planning to place her child for adoption. But until the baby has been born, she has had time to reconsider her choice and the paperwork is signed, it is not our baby. Hence, s/he is our "Maybe Baby."

Fingers crossed!