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| Mykonos 1996: John, Kristin, Keith, Janice, and me |
Way back in 1996, a group of friends from Raleigh heard
about a party being thrown on the Greek Island of Mykonos called the 12
Gods Party (I forgot how simple and innocent the internet was back then…). So about 10
or so of us bought our tickets and jetted over to the Aegean Sea for a week of
parties, food, drink, dancing, and fun under the deep blue Aegean sky. It was a whirlwind tour – much of which was
lost in a haze of drugs and alcohol and parties that lasted into the wee hours
of the morning.
Sadly, many of the memories of happy times shared together
that we did retain were soon overshadowed by our arrival home to a city
devastated by Hurricane
Fran. We were lucky in that we missed the storm, but we returned home to
the aftermath. Luckily for me, my dear friend Clodagh was able to prepare our home for
the storm accompanied by only the pets we had left in her care.
At that time, I lived in an old, established neighborhood.
The streets previously shaded by old growth oak trees near the University were,
upon our return, entangled with the remains of 50+ year old tree trunks,
limbs, and electrical wires. Our freezers were filled with rotted food, and for
some of us, our roofs had been caved in by felled trees. Five days without
electricity in the sultry summer sucked away much of the joy and happiness we
retained from our time in paradise.
Sixteen years later, John and I are closer than ever as
friends and we are returning to the Aegean Sea older, wiser, with more
appreciation for the life we have been blessed with and love we have for
partners, friends, and family. Many things in our lives have changed, but our
friendship has never been more solid. As John would say, “We are fiercer
than ever!”
Rather than spending our entire time on a single island,
this trip will be an adventure that I will hopefully never forget. We will
be setting sail from Athens on a clipper ship with 150 other passengers. Our itinerary will bring us back to Mykonos,
a place where our lives seemed to change for the better so many years ago. We will also be visiting the Greek Islands of
Patmos, Santorini, Menomvasia, and the Turkish port of Kusadasi. The history geek in me is giddy with
excitement. The enthusiastic tourist in me can’t wait for new experiences. My
taste buds are tingling with the thought of new eating adventures and my feet
are itching to be dancing again with friends under the Aegean stars.
Opa!
Coincidentally, just as in 1996, as I prepare for this journey there is a hurricane brewing
in the Atlantic. We are all hoping and praying that Isaac either turns north heading out
to sea or comes ashore as a tropical storm providing some drought relief for
the Midwest.
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