Day 7: Tuesday, May 13. The first "official" class day. In our 5 previous days in Italy there has been a lot of teaching and learning, but none of it has gone on in a classroom. Kim and I set out walking in the morning with the objective of buying her a cell phone that will work here (the program provides one for me). European and US cell phones use different transmission systems. Most newer smart phones are able to work on either and just require the purchase of a SIM card for Italy, but since we don't have a smart phone that does us no good. We went to the shop Filiberto recommended and had settled on what to buy when the clerk told us we would need Kim's passport. You can buy a phone without one, but Italy wants to know who has what number, so you can only purchase a SIM card with identification. Kim and I parted without a phone as I headed off to work.

I started class at 1 p.m. (this week - next week times will change). One student arrived a little late, through no fault of her own. She had been taken by Angelica to see a dermatologist for what looked to me like mosquito bites. She had tons of them. The dermatologist prescribed a couple of creams and they went to the pharmacy, but they only had one of them. A second student never made it to class. It seems as she was stepping off the bus she rolled her ankle. She ended up at the hospital where they x-rayed and determined that it was sprained. She has to wear a brace for three weeks. They also prescribed anti-inflammatory pills and a mild pain reliever. This was a major issue today. Because her condition was not life threatening, she had to wait for hours at the hospital. Angelica and Serena (the program office manager) tag-teamed waiting with her, making it impossible for them to do a lot of the things either of them had scheduled to do today.

Class went 1-3 p.m. The students were to have a mini "survival Italian" lesson after, so I went back to the office where I met the Oregon professor. Galen has been here almost six weeks with a group of 18 U of O students studying food and sustainability (their program runs 10 weeks, so they will finish a few days before us). We had a nice chat in between working.

At 5 p.m. the students of both groups were scheduled to meet. All of them seemed very excited to be together. There was lots of chatter. Interestingly, my group is 10 males and 7 females, while the Oregon group is 15 females and 3 males. Angelica had made ciambellone in between her trip to the hospital and her Italian lesson for the students so they were able to socialize and share a snack (Kim helped set up and serve).

Unfortunately a thunderstorm moved in this afternoon. We all made it to class dry but none of us left that way. We were fortunate in that Filiberto and Angelica drove us but the students weren't so lucky. We drove to the hotel to check on our newly disabled student, who seemed in good spirits in spite of it all. Kim never had a chance to make it to the store today so we had to go out to get something to eat, rain or no rain. Kim and I opted for the nearest restaurant/pizzeria. We got two different plate-sized pizzas. The rain kept other customers away so we spent most of the time talking with the pizza maker/cook and the waitress. The food was good - a little pricey but not ridiculous.

Day 5: Sunday, May 11: Kim and I went to 9 a.m. mass at Santa Croce (Holy Cross), the closest church to our apartment. We were among the youngest in attendance. I did actually see one kid in church, but he may have been there with his grandpa. The music was all a cappella, so my suspicion is that families attend a later mass. There were also folding chairs set up in addition to the normal pews, so I also surmised that other masses may be better attended, because they weren't needed at 9 a.m. After mass we stopped in a nearby shop for coffee/tea and pastry. We stood at the counter and ate like locals.

We met up with the students at their hotel at 10:15. The program for the day was to walk them to the classroom so they could see the route. A few had actually gone out exploring the previous evening and had found their way to the center of town. Filiberto provided us all with maps and bus passes so we're ready to go wherever and however. What would normally be a 20 minute walk took somewhere around an hour, partly because we needed to stop along the way to explain things, partly because we stopped so students could take pictures, and partly because 17 students walking together just takes longer than one person walking. I advised them not to go out alone, but I also told them that they probably don't want to walk around town as a group of 17 either.

We took the students to lunch at the student cafeteria just to show them how it is done. In the U.S. I told the students that the most economical way to eat would be at the student cafeteria, where a full meal is only 5 Euros (just under $7). Like most institutional food, it's not great but it's a pretty good deal. I certainly wouldn't eat all my meals there but would likely eat a good number there to economize. It turns out the majority of the students aren't going to go that route. It's their choice. After lunch we did some more walking around so they could get their bearings. It just happened to be flea market Sunday, a once-a-month chance to buy old stuff.

Sunday's dinner was our "welcome to Macerata" meal. Filiberto had arranged for us to have dinner at Trattoria da Ezio - my favorite restaurant in all of Italy. Normally closed Sunday night, they were open just for us. It's not a big place (23 of us pretty much filled it) but all the pasta is hand made daily. Mirella (who with her husband Giovanni and their son Marco own and work the place) is not only a wonderful cook - she's also quite a character.  

I was pleased that every single one of them liked it. We have some picky eaters in the group but even they were quite happy. I told them that this was probably the best meal they would have on the trip, and a couple were sorry that we didn't put it off to the end because now everything else will fall short. It's not really in their price range, but several plan to treat themselves at least once before we leave. 

Today was Mother's Day, and thanks to my brother Jack I was able to Skype with my 95-year-old Italian mom back in Florida. 

Day 6: Monday, May 12: Once again Filiberto and I met the students at their hotel for a walking orientation. We went around their neighborhood showing them restaurants, bar/cafes, grocery stores, etc. We had already shown them the closest laundromat yesterday. Once they had the lay of the land, we took them on a bus toward the classroom. The program provides a monthly bus pass for them so they can take the bus to and from class, but they also have the opportunity to explore. Filiberto suggested that in their free time they might just want to take a bus to some neighborhood they haven't been and to walk around. In less than a week, I'm betting I can predict who will and won't try doing that. In fairness I'm not sure how daring I would have been at 20 or 21. I've taught overseas a number of times but never did a study abroad program myself as a student. 

Kim and I did a "pizza walk" for lunch, and so did several of the students. A number of places in town sell pizza by the slice. It's made on cookie sheets so the slices are rectangular and there is a tremendous variety of toppings. Different shops do it differently so if you get a slice at one place it's only natural that you would go somewhere else to get something different. You can walk around town and look in shop windows as you eat or just stay in the shop (not like a restaurant with tables and chairs - just a small counter area). 

After the break we had another discussion with the students, telling them some additions to their schedules. Students asked me about things, like how much farther we will walk or when they will pay their room deposits and I just have to tell them that I don't know. I learned on my previous visits that things will happen when they happen and there's no point trying to know ahead of time. Unfortunately it sometimes causes problems. Today the schedule said we would finish our walking tour at 6:30 p.m., so Kim and I planned to meet up then. I didn't know, however, that Filiberto had planned for the tour to end at their hotel (he walked them back showing them a shortcut), so Kim was in the center of town and I was almost to our apartment. Fortunately Filiberto and Angelica met there and drove back to the offices, where I met Kim. We walked back to the apartment, stopping to buy wine and some produce. We had our first meal in the apartment: 

bread, salami, cheese, peppers, pears, olives and wine may not be a very elaborate meal, but you would be hard pressed to eat better. 

Day 3: Friday, May 9: Most of the students were able to get a good night's sleep. It's tough to spend time enjoying the sights on lack of sleep, but it's especially tough to walk long distances and pay attention to information. Isn't sleep deprivation a torture technique? Well, we left the hotel about 8:30 a.m. and walked a few blocks to see Santa Maria degli Angeli, a church that had been a Roman bath in ancient times but was converted to a church with help from Michelangelo. From there we jumped on the Metro (after another warning about pickpockets) to head to the Vatican. This is Filiberto's third trip to Rome in the past four weeks. First he took the regular semester-long group, then last week he had a special field study from the University of Oregon, and today our group. I thought Rome was pretty crowded but he said it was so much worse last week. The beatification of two popes was two weeks ago and the crowds were still pretty big. It made maneuvering around the Vatican pretty difficult. We visited the Vatican Museums only hitting a few highlights, the Sistine Chapel, climbed the dome of St. Peter's, and visited the basilica (including the tombs on the lower level) all before stopping for lunch at 3 p.m.

Filiberto explained that we had to do it that way to avoid crowds. Going from our paid admission to the Museums to the dome to the cathedral meant we were able to avoid a good deal of the line of people waiting for each. Leaving at any point would have meant a long reentry time. A skilled administrator like Filiberto is invaluable to an experience like this. And while I'm on the subject, Kim, Angelica and I were working pretty damn hard, too. It was not easy keeping our group together in the crush of the crowds. At some points in the Museums I could not see our entire group because of the crowds. My role on these excursions is border collie trying to keep the group together. Thankfully Kim and Angelica were also doing the same thing so between the three of us we managed. Anybody who thinks I'm just over here having a good time has no idea. Yes, I'm having a good time - but it's a lot of work, too. After a lunch break we then toured St. Peter's square, the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps. When we got back to the hotel, we had spent 10 hours out touring (with a 75 minute break for lunch), most of which we had spent on our feet. We again had dinner together and the students were a little more lively. Clearly a night's sleep - and a day together - made them more convivial. After dinner, a former Iowa State student and his wife met us for a drink. Jason and his wife just happened to be vacationing in Italy. In 16 years since I left ISU I had not seen him in the US, but we met in Italy. It was great catching up.

Day 4: Saturday, May 10: We had all of our stuff out of our rooms by 9 a.m. We went to the Campodoglio, the Roman Forum (this time from above), the Pantheon, Piazza Navona (my favorite square in Rome) and Campo di Fiori. We ended the formal Rome tour at 1 p.m. and gave the students 3 hours to go where they wanted. At 4 p.m. they were to be back at the hotel to get their bags and walk about 4 blocks from the hotel to where our bus was waiting.  Rome's streets are a mess and there was no way a bus could make to to our hotel. It was at this point when they understood the value of packing light. In my role as border collie I brought up the rear behind a student who was really struggling with her stuff. She had a wheeled suitcase she pulled by a strap, but it kept tipping over because it was not balanced, and because of the condition of the streets and sidewalks. Our driver is someone I know from our previous Italy trips, so it was really a feeling of "heading home" when I got on that bus.

There were only 2 or 3 students who made it the whole way without nodding off. I felt sleepy but there was no way I was going to miss out on the Italian countryside. Our route. We drove across the mountains and saw the tallest peak of the Apennine range. In our short drive we saw quite a diversity of landscapes, including the Adriatic Sea. Even though actual driving time is under four hours, we made a couple of stops. Experience has taught Filiberto not to go more than a couple of hours with a group of students without taking a bathroom stop. We finally reached the hotel about 9:30 p.m. and got all the students checked in. They seemed pleased with the accommodations, which are much more modern than their Rome hotel. Also they were 3 and 4 to a room in Rome, and now they are all in doubles. With an odd number of females, one got a single. She was pretty excited about that but for fairness we will probably have to rotate that room among them. 

It's day five of our 35-day Italian adventure. I will briefly hit some highlights.

Day one: departure day - May 7. Kim and I drove to Nicole's in Indy. It gave us the chance to see Riley before leaving, and it also provided us a way of getting to the airport without having to leave the car, thanks to Nicole. Of course she got the use of our car, which I think was a good trade for both of us. As per my usual we arrived at the airport earlier than needed. Still, we were not the first. Not having all 17 students on the same flight was a little bit stressful, as I didn't know whether everyone made their flight. Whoever does this next year may have to decide for a group flight. The biggest disadvantage will be the inconvenience to whoever wants to leave from a more convenient airport. This year, three students had a direct flight from Chicago. Had we had a group flight, they have been forced to drive to Indy, and to add a flight. Not sure what is best.

Day two: Italy arrival - May 8. As it happened, the Chicago flight was delayed, so rather than getting here before us, they arrived a little later. That was not a big deal, except that the map we provided of the airport confused them. They were waiting inside the baggage claim area rather than proceeding through customs and exiting. We were all waiting for them outside the secured area. Thank goodness for Facebook and free wifi in the airport. One of the students posted that they were waiting in the baggage area, and one of the others saw it and was able to message them to come out. It didn't matter as we still had to wait for our charter bus to arrive. Filiberto and Angelica met us at the airport and rode with us to our hotel. After quickly settling in, we took off to see some sights.

After some orientation to the Rome transit system, we went first to the Colosseum. People who have never done this before can never appreciate the value of having a skilled leader like Filiberto. He had already purchased the Roma Passes before we arrived, so we did not have to deal with anything at the Metro station. Despite large crowds at the Colosseum we were able to skip most of the lines and proceed in. Of course he was also a masterful professor, providing students with the context necessary to understand what they were seeing. It's difficult. I know. Understandably, first time visitors are probably most focused on getting pictures rather than understanding context, but to make the experience as educational as it should be requires it. Filiberto knows not to overload them, and it was only our first day. So we walked up through the Forum where he was able to explain some important points while the students were able to take dozens (hundreds?) of pictures of antiquity. Tour time for the first day totaled "only" about 5 hours. We did have one student who opted to stay behind. When we arrived at the hotel she told me she felt a migraine coming on due to lack of sleep. I certainly didn't want her to suffer the whole day walking around, so I told her that as long as she was comfortable knowing what she was missing, it was OK with me if she stayed behind to rest. She was able to rejoin the group for our first dinner together in Rome. 

By coincidence, Ball State Honors College also has a group of students in Rome at this time, so after dinner Kim, Filiberto, Angelica and I were able to meet up with Jim and Connie Ruebel for a little while. It was a pleasant ending to a very long day. 

Annual newsletter. Those of you who are Facebook friends probably already know most of these things, but here goes:

January: Anthony returned from his deployment in Afghanistan. Of course we are proud of his service to our country, but we are so glad he’s no longer overseas.

February: Kim finished Phase Two of the new flooring. Phase One was wood flooring in the dining room and porcelain tile in the entryway. The second phase involved wood for the kitchen, living/family room and porcelain tile in the guest bath. In addition to “standard” flooring work it required a plumber to break through 8 inches of concrete slab in the bathroom to locate and repair a leak (one of the few things Kim doesn’t do is use a jackhammer). Later she did Phase Three, extending the wood down the hallway and into our bedroom. Only carpet remaining in the house is in two bedrooms.

March: Kim and I traveled to Harrisonburg, VA for a couple of days as part of my Fulbright Ambassador position. I visit universities and conferences to encourage faculty applications. We also visited Pittsburgh in April, Indianapolis in Sept., Valparaiso (IN) in Oct. and Ames in Nov. I asked to be invited to Iowa State at that particular time so I could attend a ceremony at the Greenlee School posthumously awarding Barbara Mack the School’s highest award. If you work at a university and would like me to come visit (at no cost to your university), get me invited. Information is at http://www.cies.org/ambassadors/Flyer.pdf.

April: Kim visited the Caristi grandchildren near Tacoma. Anthony and Megan got to have a brief vacation and Kim loved having the kids to herself. I made my annual trek to Vegas. Honest – I wish it were somewhere else. At least they have direct flights from Indy.

May: Kim and I shared our anniversary with Joe and Nicole at a “cabin” in Brown County. It was a pretty nice place, complete with satellite TV, hot tub, pool table. We had a good time taking it easy. It just so happened to be the “Taste of Brown County” weekend, so of course we did a little eating, too.

June: Saw lots of Kim’s family at a get together at Jacque and Stuart’s house in St. Louis. It’s always great to see Kim’s family. It was the first time most of us had been together since Kim’s mom died in 2012, so it was especially nice to be together.

July: We hosted a couple of college students (just a couple of days) from Malaysia and Indonesia who were in a program at Ball State. We were challenged because they are Muslim and it was Ramadan, so we didn’t eat dinner until 9:10 p.m. and they wanted to eat breakfast before 5 a.m. I also had the honor of speaking at BSU’s summer commencement ceremony. Immediately after, we headed down to my mom’s in Florida. Of course – visit Florida in July! We stopped going down and back at my brother Tony’s in Atlanta. Both my brothers were with Kim and me at my mom’s. We had asked her if she would rather we spread out our visits or plan them to coincide, and she preferred the latter. She says because it’s more festive that way, but I think it’s so we’re not around too much. J We did some work around the house: replaced screens on the porch, painted the kitchen, plastered walls. While there Jack installed a computer with remote software so he can Skype with her – even created a Facebook account for her. She’s 95 now and still doing well.

 

August: This was a challenging semester, as I picked up an extra class. A colleague resigned two weeks before the start of the semester, so I and another colleague “took one for the team” and absorbed some of her load. The semester sure flew by. The big August news, though, was the arrival of Tony Pons, our foreign exchange student from Mallorca, Spain. Tony has really acclimated himself quickly. He’s made tons of friends and has gotten involved. As a junior at Muncie Central High School (only 15, but advanced) he was in the school play and is on the Swim Team. I am extremely impressed with his dedication. He has to leave the house for practice Mon, Tue and Wed at 5:30 a.m., Fri at 4:30 a.m. and Sat at 8:30 a.m. We have been doing our best to give Tony a complete American experience, including everything from sitting around watching TV, to college sporting events, to outdoor concerts, to his first American Halloween. Yes, he trick-or-treated a little, but also went to a party, and volunteered at the local Haunted Forest for charity. He’s very excited about the Christmas decorations and presents under the tree (he says it looks like a movie).

September: I keep trying to invite people to visit. Kim’s sister Jacque and husband Stuart took us up on the offer. We gave them as much of a red carpet treatment as we could, including a Ball State football experience.

October: RILEY IS BORN! On October 18, daughter Nicole gave birth to Riley Kaplan, her first child and our third grandson. Kim and husband Joe were in the room for delivery, while I sat next door in the waiting room. Please don’t be too critical of me. I wouldn’t have been any help during delivery, and Nicole said she would have been uncomfortable knowing that I was bothered by her pain. Nicole, Joe and Riley are all doing great. It’s also a real treat having them only an hour away. No telling how long we will be able to enjoy that luxury.

November: Headed to St. Louis for Thanksgiving. We always have a great time with Kim’s family but this time was even more special as little Riley and Tony experienced their first ever Thanksgiving, made their first trip to St. Louis, and rode up in the Gateway Arch for the first time. I doubt Riley will remember it, but we have pictures to prove it J

December: Our annual Holiday Open House had 80 people, I think. I may have lost count of one or two but that’s pretty close to correct. Because we host a six hour party, it gets spread out pretty well. There is probably an hour when it’s pretty crowded but for the most part it’s manageable. Kim doesn’t feel like we should put an end time on a party but after six hours I’m pretty much exhausted and think people should go home! 

For the past several years I have used this blog exclusively when traveling, but I decided to use it this year for the annual newsletter. It's a simple URL I can send to everyone, I know how to easily edit it, add pictures, etc. Kim and I have pretty much given up sending Christmas cards except for people who don't go online (i.e., our moms). It's more environmentally friendly not to waste the paper, it saves tons of money in postage and greeting cards, and it helps relieve the December crunch.

2011 had a tremendous highlight, and a terrible blow. The great news (not just good - great) is that our second grandson was born. Matteo Kellen Caristi arrived in April.

Kim was able to be in Washington to take care of his big brother Luca while Matteo was being born.

Our daughter-in-law Megan has set up a super family blog. If you'd like to see pictures and see what Anthony's family is up to, visit Chaos and Cuddles.

The terrible blow came just after Thanksgiving when Kim's father passed away. He had been weak for a number of years, and hospitalized on a couple of occasions, but hung in there. Finally a one-two punch of a heart attack and pneumonia were just too much for his 86-year-old body to take. Kim and her sisters did an amazing job of bringing everything and everyone together in just a few short days for the wake, funeral mass and internment at a military cemetery (Dad was a Marine). With the time before and after Thanksgiving, Kim ended up 18 days in St. Louis while Nicole and I made 2 trips totaling about 7 days.

We did have more pleasant travels this year. In May we drove down to Florida to spend a week working on my mom's Hallandale house. Despite a lot of hard work we were able to see several friends (Mark, Dave, Brisette, Lou and Leslie), spend a night with Wendy and Dan, a night with Kim's Aunt Trudy and Uncle Carl and a night with Jae and Gemma. We timed it so we would be able to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in Savannah, GA. It was hot, but we enjoyed walking around the town, seeing the history, taking pictures...and eating.

In July we celebrated Kim's 50th birthday (welcome to AARP). Nicole planned and executed a surprise party completely on her own. My only task was to get Kim out of the house for the day. When we got back from Indy, the house was filled with friends and treats Nicole had spent the day preparing.

Then came the drive of a lifetime. Kim and I drove 5,500 miles in three weeks. We set out from Muncie stopping first in Ames, Iowa, where we were hosted by our friends Tom and Linda for a couple of nights. From there we drove to Ft. Collins, CO, where we were hosted by our friends Martin and Mary Catherine for four nights. Then we drove to Jackson, WY for a night, visiting Grand Teton National Park. I believe Jenny Lake is the most beautiful place I have ever seen in the US. From there is was one night in West Yellowstone, MT, and a day exploring Yellowstone National Park. I knew about the geysers but didn't realize they have beautiful falls/canyons, too. One night spent on the road at a random hotel in Idaho and we reached our destination: Anthony and Megan's house in Washington. We got to spend a week relaxing, getting to know Matteo, getting reacquainted with Luca, visiting the zoo, Farmer's Market, etc. I could not believe that their kitchen window perfectly frames Mt. Rainier.

For the return trip we drove due east, spending a night in Bozeman, MT. The following day we made it to southwest South Dakota. We drove through Deadwood (it was raining and we had no desire to gamble), were surprised at the quaintness of downtown Rapid City, and then headed down to see Mt. Rushmore. We got there in the late afternoon, after a pouring rain, so the guys were streaked with water. The good news, though, was the iffy weather kept the crowds small. We didn't have a hotel reservation, and with the big Sturgis bike rally only 5 days away, we had to check several hotels before we found one - back in Rapid City. The next day we went back to Rushmore, made a quick visit to Crazy Horse, then on to lunch at Wall Drug followed by a visit to the Badlands. Another night at a roadside hotel, a quick visit to the Corn Palace and we made our way home.

Just recently we were able to celebrate Nicole's graduation from Ball State. On Dec. 17 I handed her her diploma as she walked across the stage. The following day, she moved out. 2011 has been quite a year for her, what with her graduation and getting engaged. 2012 will be a huge year for her as she and Joe get married in May then leave for Thailand to teach English the following week.

As I write this my mom is still at my brother Tony's house in Atlanta but she will return to our house sometime after Christmas, so Kim and I are really not going to be true empty nesters for very long. My mom is now 93 and still lives with us most of the time. Although she is quite capable of taking care of all her personal needs, she still is a handful in many other ways. Thank goodness my brother Tony is willing to take her periodically.

I'm in my 14th year at Ball State, and have applied for full professor. I purposely waited until this year, in part because a textbook on Communication Law that I coauthored came out in August. For those not familiar with academe, there are three ranks for faculty: assistant professor, associate professor and professor. Applying is a long process. I collected my materials in August to send out to two external reviewers (full professors from other universities). In November, my department colleagues voted unanimously in support of my promotion. In January it goes before the College of Communication committee and the dean. From there it moves to the provost, president and Board of Trustees. It will be early May before I know the outcome.

Happy Holidays and Best wishes for a fabulous 2012.

It's Sunday here in Greece. We leave for home tomorrow after 120 days.

These first couple of pictures I took at the farewell dinner. Unfortunately I didn't run around the table to get everyone. We sat at one long table so these people were all across from me.

Like so many other meals we've had here, this one was fantastic and served "family style." As
each new dish arrived it was passed around so everyone could have as much or little as they wanted.

As I reach the end of the time here I get reflective. I enjoyed interacting with the students and faculty but was exceedingly frustrated by the idea that attendance is so abysmal. I am opposed to giving points for attendance in my US classes but I think something needs to happen to get students to attend regularly. One suggestion

might be to make the grade based on more than one exam. If tests were more frequent it might
help. Of course it would mean a lot more grading for the professors so maybe some of them would prefer not to change anything.

This is Michael Meimaris, director of the University Research Institute of Applied Communication. He was the official host of the farewell dinner and his institute sponsored the panel discussion I did. Can you see he's wearing a Harley hat? Professor Sorogas took me out for coffee Friday as another farewell and Michael just happened by. He was flying off to Rhodes for a conference presentation. The professors are very
active. Despite any criticisms about the system here, I won't accuse the people I met of laziness.

I got a pretty bad picture of the open-air theatre. It was dusk: the big white screen kind of washes out the picture but I hope there's enough to get a sense of what it looked like. I took this about 15 minutes before the scheduled start time of the movie. The theatre had more people by the start of the film.

Yesterday (Saturday), Mark and Martha drove
us to Sounion. Kim had been wanting to make the trip for some time but we've never gotten around to it. Sounion is the southernmost point of the Attica mainland and just a little more than an hour's drive. I took this first picture as we stopped along the road, just 10 or 15 minutes away, so Kim could take pictures. Rather than settle for the roadside shots she climbed over the guardrail and walked down a few hundred feet for a better vantage. I will admit that her pictures are far better than mine but of course she has taken thousands (literally). On our excursion to Sounion I took 7 pictures. Kim took 81.

People visiting Sounion are faced with the choice of looking out at the natural beauty surrounding you or looking at the architectural marvel that is the remains of Poseidon's Temple. It was also nice to visit because it completed the equilateral triangle of temples made by the Acropolis, temple of Aphaia on the island of Aegina, and Sounion. Most people who visit Sounion do as we did: just set out from Athens and spend an hour or so there. As spectacular as it is, there isn't much
more there. When we arrived the first thing we did was to get a table at the restaurant/coffee shop at the base of the rock and have a drink before going up.

Legend has it that King Aegeus of Athens committed suicide here. His son Theseus sailed to Crete to try to slay the Minotaur. They had arranged that if he was successful he would sail back to Athens with a white sail. He did slay the Minotaur but the crew was too busy celebrating to remember to change the sail. Aegeus was anxiously waiting to see the ship and when it

rounded the cape he thought his son was dead and threw himself from the cliff. The Aegean Sea is named for King Aegeus.


The temple is now roped off so you can't get inside it but in earlier years it was famous as a place for visitors to scrawl their names. Lord Byron, very popular with Greeks, has his name carved in the marble, as does the composer Ravel. You have to have a very good camera to be able to get a picture of it from a distance.


Most shops are closed on Sunday so when we got back to Athens Kim and I needed to grab a quick bite to eat and jump on the tram to head downtown. We came with two checked bags and two carry-ons and we've left some gifts we brought behind, and we won't be bringing back some of the clothes we've brought (having to wear the same thing every few days means it wears out a lot quicker). Nonetheless we would likely be over the weight limit if we tried to stick to two bags, so we decided to play it safe and buy a cheap duffel. We were ranting about airline baggage policy. If one of our bags is just a pound or two overweight, we get charged $70. But, as
we are flying international and don't pay for up to two checked bags per person, we are encouraged to check more bags. Isn't that contrary to what the airlines are trying to do? I think I understand that baggage handlers wouldn't want all bags to weigh 90 pounds, but the end result is that instead of handling two bags now they will handle three.

Last night Mark and Martha took us out for another farewell dinner and once again it was spectacular. I think I've gained wait on this trip.

I'll finish with my cruise pictures today.

When I left off yesterday we were in the ancient city of Ephesus, outside the port city of Kusadasi, Turkey. Ephesus was huge, with 250,000 people: second only to Alexandria. It was a major city for centuries. History nuts can look at this chrononology. The ruins are well preserved because they were covered for centuries, much as Pompeii was. Ephesus wasn't buried in ash, though. It was the result of geographic changes.

They've had a couple of earthquakes. The city
lost significance when the river's natural course changed and what used to be a city on the coast was miles inland, drying up food and transport.

Hadrian, who seemed to be everywhere (seen his stuff in Italy and Greece, too - and he's got that wall in the UK) has this temple in Ephesus. He was quite a builder.

The most noticeable structure in the ancient city is the library. It was the third largest in the world at the time. Remember that most people that

long ago were illiterate. George the guide told us that in Ephesus, 25 percent of the population was literate, which would have been amazing. I have not researched that so I'll just have to take his word for it. Thank you, George.


Last night Kim, Mark, Martha and I went to the movies. We went to see My Life in Ruins, the new film with Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and Richard Dreyfuss. It opened here this week, but it opens next weekend in the US.


I'm not much of a movie goer but if I were, the theater we went to last night would be the way to go. It was an open air theater - like a drive-in but with tables and chairs. The chairs were sling back (like director's chairs) and the front row was chaise lounges. The refreshment stand had all the standards like Coke and popcorn but they also had a full bar and souvlaki that they made on a charcoal grill. You could smell it as you walked into the theater. For someone with a short attention span like me, they even had an intermission.


I won't say too much about the movie other than to say the Greek tourism board ought to pay money for all the beautiful pictures. I think the Greeks in the audience enjoyed watching it. Nia grouses about all the frustrations of Greece, that all the Greeks know and complain about, but she finally adjusts her attitude. Cute.


I was going to take Kim's picture at the library but she said I had posted enough pictures of her and not of me, so here I am (wearing my #4 tour sticker on my shirt).

I am a rank amateur posing for pictures compared to this woman. She and the guy she traveled with (her husband, we think) wore matching colors each day of the cruise and she was constantly posing for photos. They were everywhere and she really did "strike a pose" each time. We all speculated that she must be a model or maybe she was just a wanna-be. I have to believe they couldn't tell you anything about the trip - but they will have one heckuva collection of photos.


The arena at Ephesus is also quite impressive in size. George said it would hold 25,000 people. They had sporting events there, including gladiator fights and throwing Christians to lions. What constitutes a sport depends on who is in power.


We were late getting back to the ship but George announced on the bus trip back that he had talked with the ship and they were delaying departure. Thank you George. That gave him just enough time to drop us off at the shopping district outside the port. Thankfully we were not subjected to any lengthy sales pitches - it just meant we had to walk a little farther than if the bus had taken us straight to the ship. It's actually interesting to see what's in the shops, and I wouldn't have minded to spend more time. Kim was frustrated because things in Turkey are cheaper than in Greece and she had hoped to spend a little time in the shops. That didn't happen. Mark and Martha have a house in Rhodes and they told us there are shopping trips organized by tour companies to go from Rhodes to Kusadasi.

Onboard we had assigned seating for Saturday
and Sunday dinner. That was actually good because we got to know a few people a little better. The couple on the left are from Minneapolis and they were traveling with their son (back right). The couple front right were South Africans living in London. It worked out well for David (the son). He is doing a study abroad in South Africa in just a couple of months.

It was Greek Night in the restaurant so the waiter tried to sing, but.... Overall the ship entertainment wasn't much but I can't imagine that anyone expects much. The performers have other jobs onboard - they're not just entertainers, so obviously they don't give it all their focus.

This is my last Rhodes picture.

The video below was back on the ship after Rhodes. I had ordered a cake with dinner for our anniversary, but the ship throws in some "extras." One is mention of your anniversary in the daily shipboard newsletter. The other is having these guys come "serenade" you at your table. All 7 of us at the table were laughing pretty hard. If you play the video you'll laugh (or maybe cry) at the sound and get to see the cake.

We arrived the next morning at the island of Patmos at 6:30 a.m. I was so glad we didn't sign up for the tour: those people had to be in the lounge ready to go by 6:30. Kim and I ate breakfast and made it off the boat just before 8, which gave us just an hour and a half to visit.

That's really all the time you need. There is only one major attraction on Patmos: the monastery. This is the place where John wrote the book of Revelations. You can barely see it at the top of the hill surrounded by white buildings: homes, shops, etc. I know it will disappoint a lot of people but we never made it up the hill. We spent our hour in the port village just walking around.

As you might expect the village was pretty quiet at 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning. But there were several shops open (knowing there was a cruise ship scheduled to arrive must have an effect) and this guy selling fresh produce from the back of this cart.


We had to take a tender to get on the island. Patmos is far too small to have a dock that could
handle anything the size of our cruise ship. In
fact Kim and I were able to walk "across" the island. The narrowest point is right where we got off so we walked over just to be able to say we did (about 10 minutes). I only spent a few minutes on the island so I shouldn't judge but of course I will. It's a nice getaway for novel writing or escape from the rat race but otherwise... Some pilgrims might be upset with me for saying it but it my shipboard survey I suggested that they eliminate Patmos and add the time to the Ephesus visit. We had far little time at a major site.


The ship left Patmos about 10 and we arrived at the Kusadasi, Turkey port at 2. The archaeological site of Ephesus is 30 minutes away, so we bought the tour. The first stop was up the hill from ancient Ephesus at what is believed to be the final home of the Virgin Mary. The guide was honest in stating that there is no historical evidence and their belief is based on two things: Jesus told John to care for his mother, and John was in Ephesus. The second is that a 19th century nun had a vision of the house. In any event, the structure on the left is built over what was believed to be the house (no pictures inside). The ancient bricks only go up a few feel with modern construction above so if it is authentic it would be more accurate to call it "Mary's foundation" rather than "Mary's house."

This is our Turkish guide George and he was the highlight of the trip. He was a riot. His English was perfect but his accent reminded me of comedian Yaakov Smirnoff. He would explain something to us then go into third person, "But George, how can that be?" and return to his explanation. When he finished he would say "Thank you George." We got into the habit of echoing "Thank you George." If he saw a member of the group straying from the group he would call out "come over here George."


The funniest part was also the most frustrating but you had to laugh or scream. There was an extended family of about 20 Vietnamese-Americans on our tour. They were all wearing the light blue ball caps in the picture below. George could not get them to do anything he said. As the bus was arriving at Mary's place he told them not to stop in the souvenir shops, that they charge too much, and he would take us to a place next where everything was cheaper. They got on the bus after Mary's place with DVDs, books, post cards, etc. They must have money because then they bought more when we stopped at the place George suggested, they bought there, too. I would have been cynical that George was just trying to take us to a place he got kickbacks (and he probably did) but it was also true that stuff there was less.

It was impossible to take a picture of almost anything in Ephesus without having a blue cap somewhere in the picture. George said to me under his breath, "What did I do to deserve this?" Rest of Ephesus tomorrow.