From the Lists: #40 The Heart of the Matter

I am quite a fan of Graham Greene. His prose is direct and concise. His characters are easily identified as people we all know. Their problems are often our problems, or the problems experienced by our family and friends.

The Heart of the Matter (1948), set in pre-war British West Indies, introduces an excruciatingly honest policeman, Scobie, whose average boring life could only be made better if it were to become slightly more boring. He is so honest, in fact, that he is suspected of being a master deceiver.

Of course this ideal existence cannot last. Great literature after all, rarely focuses on happy, wealthy, or contented characters.  Once Scobie takes his first baby steps into deceit, the slippery slope opens before him. Suddenly his formerly secure career, relationships, friendships, and immortal soul are in danger. In the end, Scobie despairs in his inability to reconcile his perceived sins with his deep-seated religious faith.


The lesson to be learned from this work can be summed up by the following rhyme attributed to Sir Walter Scott:  "Oh what a tangled web we weave / When first we practice to deceive."

I found this a quick and fun read. It is easy to see why it sold over 300,000 copies upon its release. I give it two thumbs up!

From the Lists #43: Dance to the Music of Time (Volumes 4 - 6)

I am still unhappy about 12 books qualifying as a single entry on the List of 100 Best English Novels of the 20th century, but what is a boy to do? Slog through them all and get it over with. Perhaps with the holidays coming up, I will finish up with Nick and his friends.

So here goes - the next three novels in the 12 pack:


A Night at Lady Molly's (1957)
As the fourth book opens, the heady pleasures of the 1920s have begun to give way to the austerity and worries of the 1930s. Even so, the whirl of London life continues: friends commit to causes and to spouses, confess adulteries, and fall victim to dissipation and disillusion. As Nick moves ever more comfortably in the worlds of art, culture, and society, Powell’s palette broadens: old friends make appearances, but new ones take places on the stage as well—including Isobel Tolland, whom Nick knows at first sight he’s destined to marry.

Casanova’s Chinese Restaurant (1960)
The fifth book, and possibly the best titled of the dozen, opens with a long flashback introducing a new character and Nicks current best friend Hugh Moreland. As the novel moves back into contemporary times, Nick marries Isobel Tolland and launches happily into family life—including his new role as brother-in-law to Isobel’s many idiosyncratic siblings. But even as Nick’s life is settling down, those of his friends are full of drama and heartache: including Hugh Moreland risking his marriage on a hopeless affair with Nick's sister-in-law, while Charles Stringham has nearly destroyed himself with drink. Full of Powell’s typically sharp observations about life and love, Casanova’s Chinese Restaurant offers all the rewards and frustrations, pleasures and regrets of one’s thirties.

The Kindly Ones (1962)
As volume six opens, rumblings from Germany recall memories of Nick's boyhood and his father’s service in World War I; it seems clear that all too soon, uniforms will be back in fashion. The looming threat throws the ordinary doings of life into stark relief, as Nick and his friends continue to negotiate the pitfalls of adult life. Moreland’s marriage founders, Peter Templer’s wife—his second—is clearly going mad, Uncle Giles passes away, and Widmerpool is, disturbingly, gaining prominence in the business world even as he angles for power in the coming conflict. War, with all its deaths and disruptions, is on the way.

I have added the miniseries to my Netflix queue. I am very tempted to simply spend a few evenings watching how Nick's life progresses rather than spending many more weeks completing the remaining six novel in the series. Would that be cheating?

Probably.....

Would I be able to forgive myself?

Not likely....

When I started this series the weather was warm and spring like. Now it is cool and autumnal. Will the seasons of 2012 mirror Nick's life? It does appear to be so.

Next up: #40 The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene.

Monemvasia - The Gibraltar of Greece

After a long day touring Santorini followed by the captain's "formal" dinner, I was a bit pooped - so I made it an early evening. Our next port was Monemvasia, which no one had really heard anything about. I do not think I was alone in assuming it would be just another tourist stop full of souvenir shops. As such, I decided to linger in my bunk a little later than usual on this final day of our cruise.

Monemvasia - the Gibraltor of Greece

When I emerged, I was shocked to see this behemoth of a rock sticking out of the Aegean Sea. It was huge. About a kilometer away was a small port with what appeared to be some waterfront restaurants and shops.

After a few cups of coffee, we headed ashore to see what there was to see and to get our last authentic Greek meal. After perusing a few down-on-their-luck shops stocked with end-of-the-season remnants, we decided to head back to the waterfront and find a restaurant with wifi. We were greeted by an excited and enthusiastic restaurant owner who ushered us to a table on the water. After a few questions we all settled on some choices that would allow everyone to have a little taste of a lot of things.

Glenn, Lanny, Jay, John

There was fresh pita, tzaziki spread, olives, tomatoes, saganaki (fried Greek cheese), fresh anchovies, sausages, and grilled squid. Once again, I was in heaven. The sausages were greasy, the anchovies sweet and fresh, the tomatoes juicy, the tzatziki smooth and tangy, the olives salty, and the squid was perfectly charred with a sweet tender flavor. Woof!

The spread

Fresh Anchovies Marinated in Olive Oil and Vinegar

Grilled Squid

To the rock and walled city

After feeding, John decided to head back to the ship. Jay, Lanny, and I had another beer and relaxed by the water chatting about the trip, life, and the long trip home. After we settled the bill, we decided to see what was on that big rock across the cause way. We hopped the bus and rode up the hill to the entrance of the walled city.

We were told that the streets of the walled city were too narrow to allow cars, much less buses, so we were dropped off at the tunnel entrance to the city.

Entrance to the walled city

OMG - what a delight. Had we known this jewel was tucked behind those crumbling walls, we would not have spend our morning poking around the port city.

The walled city was a warren of narrow streets, homes, shops, cafes, restaurants, chapels, and boutique hotels. Some renovated, others seemingly crumbling back into the rock.

Unlike the other islands we had visited, the walled city architecture is in the Byzantine style. The buildings, streets, and the city walls appeared to be constructed from the surrounding stone. Every corner and side street was like a post card. It was breathtaking.

 I am so happy we took a chance and spent the Euro for bus fare to have a look at this corner of Greece. Since the weather was so nice, we decided to walk back down to the port to catch the tender back to the ship.


Along the way, we passed this lovely swimming "hole." It was all I could do not to strip down and have one last dip before we returned to Athens, the airport, and then back home.

 

Cool and refreshing

The walled city from the harbor

Santorini - One of the 100 Places to See Before You Die

The marvels of modern medicine continue to amaze me. While my voice was not back to 100% when I woke up Thursday, I could at least communicate above a whisper and without croaking. Even better, the laryngitis does not appear to be moving towards a chest cold. The last few cruises I have been on, it seems that while the dreaded norovirus has been not a problem (due to the lack of children perhaps?), there has been a prevalence of kennel cough by the end of the trip.

Our skiff

After breakfast, we divided up into our tour groups and headed into port. Santorini consists of a circular set of islands created by a huge volcanic explosion some 3500 years ago. The volcano is still active and there have been periodic, minor eruptions over the years, including one about 50 years ago. Today’s tour included a hike up the central volcanic peak followed by a swim in the sulfur springs flowing into the sea from the bottom of the crater.

Jay, John Bruce, Glenn, and Lanny

The volcano peak's shorelinw

Sulfur vent - smells like the future...

The volcanic crater, located in the middle of the harbor, was like a moonscape. The ground was black, dusty, and mostly devoid of vegetation. There are vents along the trail from which steam constantly spews. When you breathe deeply, there is a slight hint of sulfur fumes in the air. There was a joke that we should all start getting used to this smell, as it may be part of our spiritual futures, if you lean in that direction....

Our tour guide, who had a very quiet, whispery voice and a thick accent, pointed out that it is possible that the Santorini volcanic explosion could have inspired the legend of Atlantis. It definitely destroyed the Minoan civilization, among others in the vacinity, with the volcanic fallout and tidal waves that followed the explosion. The effects of the explosion were felt as far away as ancient Egypt and affected weather around the world.

Not having hiked any other volcanic craters, I found this one to be quite impressive. Especially when you look around you and see the rim of the ancient volcano all around you in the distance with several towns, like snow or ash, strewn across the very steep peaks.

Hikers on the other side of the central crater

One of the three Santorini towns clinging to the rim of the caldera

Another large steam vent - ahh the smell of fresh air....

From the summit of the volcano, looking out to sea

The cove into which the hot springs empty

Following our hike, we boarded our skiff for the short trip to the sulfur springs. Several of our group were a bit hungover from the previous evening's festivities, while others decided that dipping themselves into hot water (91F / 33C) that smelled of particularly potent farts was not the way they wanted to end the tour. I hung back on the ship for a few minutes, then decided that I would most likely never have this opportunity again, so I stripped down to my tiny black underwear and took a dive off of the side of the ship, surfacing with my underwear around my ankles.

The springs flow into the cove from behind the chapel

I admit, I felt like I was in a movie. The water in the bay was deep, cold, and crystal clear. The springs were quite a long swim from where we were anchored and we were not provided with any floatation devices nor were there lifeguards in evidence. Can you imagine this occurring at a tourist destination in the USA?  Not very likely to happen.  Luckily, the sulfur smell washed off on the long swim back to the ship. 


Following the hot springs, we were dropped off in the Santorini port, where we took the funicular (cable car) to the top of the island for lunch, shopping, and a bit of relaxation. 

Port Santorini

No donkey rides for these boys...

Lunch in Santorini: Glenn, Lanny, Dave, Bruce, John

We found a great restaurant with a stunning view of the harbor for a particularly Greek lunch consisting of Saganaki, Tzaziki, Pita Bread, Beef and Chicken Kabobs. After a bit of shopping Dave and I stuck around in the city for a bit more shopping finishing with a glass of wine overlooking the harbor and our ship.  

Santorini

Santorini

Santorini

Santorini

Nice place to have a glass of wine - overlooking the harbor and our ship

Over our glass of wine, Dave and I debated walking down the donkey trail to get some of the local flavor, but we remembered the smell of the trail when we were in the cable car earlier in the afternoon and decided it was worth the 5 Euros to take the lift back down to the docks. Plus we had the captain's turn-about dinner to prepare for...

You may ask, what's a turn-about dinner.....Well sometime around 6:30 PM, the ship seemed to be overrun by these lovelies and their dates.

I was impressed by the level of participation and the enthusiasm with which our shipmates embraced this idea for a "formal" dinner. I love my people!

A Blue Day at Sea

John, Bruce, Lanny, and Jay sporting their blues

Our fifth day was a day at sea, which meant that we would spend the day relaxing. Unfortunately, someone must have put a curse on me because I completely lost my voice. I cannot remember ever being without it, but after a visit from the ship's nurse resulting in a week's worth of antibiotics, I headed to the pool for a day of reading and relaxation. Today's agenda: Breakfast, Nurse, Pool, Lunch, Pool, Deep Blue Sea Party, Dinner, Amy and Freddie, Bed.

By the end of the day, I could not even whisper, so I skipped the evening's underwear party and hit the sack around 11:00 hoping to awaken with my voice rested and ready for a day sarcastic, wry humor... 

Dave, Jay, Lanny, and John

John B and his blue balls - very clever

Jay, Dave, Bob

Alan

Dancing Ryan

The Crew: Lanny, Glenn, Jay, John, and Bruce