Greece

At the end of August, I took a trip to Greece. I spent 26 days hopping from island to island and took a lot of pictures and video.

While on the island of Hydra, I sat down and started writing on my phone, using Word Mobile. I picked a spot overlooking the Mediterranean (not too far from Leonard Cohen’s old house) and started writing. The story begins with what I was doing at the time, watching people swim in the water, wishing I had the guts to do it. I can’t swim in the ocean. Just too many things lurking in there.

I usually don’t write while on vacation, but I can’t ignore inspiration. Besides, on my third day there, I was kind of running out of things to do, so thought I give writing a go.

I wrote a couple more times, once at a beach on Mykonos. I never lounge on the beach, but this one was so perfect, that I couldn’t resist. I waded in the water a little, exposed my blistered and bruised feet to the elements and let the Mediterranean wash over them. That’s as far as I went. I returned to my sun bed (is that what it’s called?), stretched out and wrote a little.

The story started out with a water theme, something dark and evil lurking within. I’m sure it’s because I was on or near the sea for so long.

I can’t be the only one turning paradise into a dark, foreboding death trap, can I?

I wrote a few more times, several of them while waiting for food to arrive. It’s such a jarring interruption when you’re really into your story and the waiter shows up. I don’t recommend it.

Anyway, I drank a lot of beer, ouzo and strong Cretan alcohol. I ate duck and goat and most of cod, leaving the head and tail on the plate. Walked a lot, got a lot of sun and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was the best trip I’d ever planned. I had some experiences, which I will share eventually and I highly recommend Greece if you’re thinking of traveling anywhere. The food is fantastic and the people are very nice and friendly.

My only problem is this: where to next?