Hydra, Poros and Aegina

The Saronic islands cruise, 3 of the 9 in total we will visit today. First one, Hydra, has no vehicles on it. Apparently very small and we will have a short time to wander around the small port city.

Poros will be second stop after lunch, and also small.

Aegina, famous for many things Greek including large groves of pistachio nuts. I will make a purchase and eat to enjoy on the cruise back to Pireaus.

There is a few bars and a shop selling jewellery and handbags, a few t shirts and scarves on board the cruise ship.

Long day .. Just got back to hotel, about 9 pm. Sun came out today and shone brightly. Very much enjoyed the day. I recommend this one day cruise.

Going to embark on Azamara cruise on the Journey tomorrow.

Good night all,

Wish you were here.

Kalimara

Athens, rainy, early morning and off to a small one day cruise to the Saronic islands. I see a spot of blue overhead and predict hot and sunny afternoon on the sea.

As we leave the Sofitel airport hotel, we are on the highway, and on the overpass a very large Swiss airplane drives along the bridge over the road just above us. Quite the site! The sun is rising in faint pinks and blues in the cloudy skies.

Rolling hills dotted with olive trees and vineyards. Mom asked about eating olives direct from the trees and the cab driver tells us how. If cut, 15 days covered in water, changing the water daily. 30 days if not cut. Olives and grapes grown together, trees protecting vines from winter winds. All four seasons, winter being a short month or two. Some trees can get to be 300 to one thousand years old.

On the bus we joined at hotel Bretagne for our one day cruise.

In the same spot as I was just a few months ago with Steve and Sarah, Sergei, outside Plaka, the market shopping area of Athens. Off to the side, very congested apartment buildings, about half and half rented and owned. 5 million people in Athens, 11.5 in all Greece. Significant unemployment especially for young people. (Double for those under 28 years of age).

Across from the ruins. Stopping at hotels to pick up other passengers. Narrow roads congested with drivers working. Big bus navigates the turns, almost on a quarter, euro!

Lots of motorcycles and scooters are used for transport. Our driver this morning told us of the cities financial issues and housing, employment situation. Quite grim actually. Back to being a tourist and sharing my tourism dollar. Doing my bit for the Greek economy.

Taxis seem to be the only vehicles moving, the streets so narrow with small compact vehicles parked on both sides of street.

Tina is our tour guide and organizer on this bus. She speaks in Greek with the driver, such an intense language, almost angry. I see familiar signage, Shell gas stations, large BMW dealership, there must be money here in addition to the poverty and obvious graffiti. A big city that does not hold a lot of interest for me, but fun being here not too long ago and seeing the familiar.

Olympics were here in 2004 and new highway and other buildings were part of this time. Since then, paying it all back.

Athens Sofitel

No sleep, no food (although some evidence of spillage on clothes), fluid retention and exhaustion. Yup, here we are in Athens. We arrive at the airport arrivals and I see the pastel coloured fuzzy elastics attached to the wheels of my mom’s suitcase and almost squeal with delight and relief. Our luggage has made it to our destination!

My bag arrives only seconds later, with stickers from England and New York from my last cruise adventure in January.

We find a cart. On our way to the Airport Information kiosk I see out an automatic door …. Our hotel. Right there! A bit of rain is falling so we take some time to put on our jackets that we are otherwise carrying. We walk over the road in just a matter of a minute.

Greeted with service, smiles, class and grace, our luggage leaves our arms to be wheeled around by some body who gets paid handsomely, we hope, to make guests feel pampered. We have been upgraded they say … And up the elevator to our lovely room. Wood accents, white linen …. Big shower room … closet space …. We have arrived.

A wee nap, just an hour or two to catch our breath after I wander back to the airport to purchase bottled water. Showers, clothes changed, drink more water, take vitamins and apply lotions and creams.

Dressed for downstairs dinner of Greek something. I am craving the crisp veggie Greek salad and perhaps a glass or two of white local wine, off dry.

We make the choice to eat at the bar / lounge instead of the fancier restaurant. We are greeted by well dressed folk in long black aprons and hair up nicely.

Did I mention how nice people dress in Europe? Out of ten, Americans and Canadians are about a 3. As soon as we are in a foreign airport the rating up to about a 7 for slim, well dressed, fashionable, including both men and women, to travel. Shoes, bags, dressy clothes and accessories. Wait staff are about an 8 out of ten, never disappointing.

This wait staff is no exception. I love Europe for the sense of style. It speaks of caring for oneself and always looking my best. I feel like a tourist after two days in the same duds. Oh well, about to change that as of tonight and tomorrow. Still a tourist but time to feel great about myself and my sense of visiting this rich country. Dressing in a complimentary style to a famous designer internationally renowned. I want to stand out … By fitting it, in a very classy way.

We lost Mary somewhere in the baggage shuffle. I wonder if we will see her again? I will remember her kindness.

Time now to relax and sleep soundly after our lovely meal of authentic Greek salad, a cheese plate and those fabulous olives. We each ordered a glass of local white wine and they poured another compliments of the house. Yippee.

Feeling no pain and ready to sleep, I will forward this blog written on my iPad and with my complimentary Internet.

Love this hotel, love my life!

Pam

In Zurich at the airport

A few hour wait here is a delight. 6 am we arrive and lots of duty free and other stores open for our wandering pleasure. I find some stickers for my checked suitcase and a few postcards suitable to send grandsons. The last lost art of mailing postcards!

The flight from Montreal to Zurich was packed. We were one row back from bulkhead seats and beside a seat with leg room. I was loving just being close to leg room …. And said that out loud. A lovely (in every way) woman says to me, in a charming accent (turns out she lives in Athens Greece) would I like to sit there because she likes to sit with her feet up and can’t on the end. Wow. I call her saint Mary. I really enjoyed the flight and stretched right out, could see in to business class. We flew SwissAir and this was my first time.

No food choices worked for me, but I ate the cheese and salad, drank water and wine and sat back. We saw a sun set which was lovely but the sight that took my breath away was the vibrant colours of the morning sunrise as we flew over southern England. Very deep dark red to light bright blue and violet.

Getting ready to board now to Athens. I believe we have emergency exit rows for the few hour leg. We have been playing cards and drinking water. Ready for the next adventure.

Wish you were here.

Love Pam

Halifax

We are at the airport with plenty of time for the flight to Montreal. We know we are going somewhere warm. Mom notices we are the only two people in the airport wearing sandals!

I bought two more postcards of the area to send to grandsons so they have excitement of checking the post office with mom to see if news from Grammie. I wonder if I should start this? Too late, I sent two from Toronto a few days ago. I will send the Nova Scotia cards from Montreal later today before we head to Zurich on Swiss air.

It is chilly here, but you can’t really tell if its raining for the fog.

Sharing a very venti decaf skinny with soy caramel macchiato for Starbucks we wait the last few minutes preparing to board Air Canada.

Just heading in to Toronto

Hi there. Can’t get the iPad to post in WordPress here in Toronto. Strange. I checked clock in Athens, 10:25 pm and 3:25 here ….12:25 mid day in Victoria. Same day. Friday 10 May.

Weather here cool, grey and glad I am inside with sporadic rain showers. I seem to recall now why I live on an island in the Pacific! Love living in Victoria, the weather, the people, the ocean waves, sea gulls…. My life.

Guess I will keep on writing for a while till the Internet works. A flight just left for Halifax but I guess there was no room for me. Mine is in another hour or so. I should check.

I just checked Facebook and lobsters available in Halls Harbour down home … Um, Nova Scotia! Lucky me, I hope. Mom sent me a note there is a lobster snack for me waiting …. Been a long time since I have had fresh lobster, I guess since I saw her last. Well, going to change that in a few hours.

In the meantime I am unable to get on to the Internet for some reason. I am so not a techy! I was connected, not sure what happened.

Oh well, I will just keep on keeping on and hope for some energy to shift and my connection to be easy.

Mine is now the next flight to go … In maybe an hour …. In the meantime I people watch, took a picture of some planes and bright sky that peaked out.

Wish you were here.

Pam

Clothes and mindfulness

Hi there, I take a look around the airport, seeking fashion advice. I notice a woman my age, wearing my lulu jacket. Ok. It is not mine, because mine is rolled nicely in a ball in my carry on.

I carry lulu in my in my bag rather than checking it in my luggage. I also wear layers of Lu Lu when travelling. Lu Lu is my staple travel wardrobe because the sleeves are long enough, the leg length is always perfect and the fit is body flattering and comfortable. A great product and I am always grateful for my daughters for introducing me to lulu long ago, as now she is an old dear friend.

I go to a last minute washroom stop and see another very well dressed stylish woman my age donned in lulu pants, also that I own. Do I only notice Lu Lu lemon clothes or is that all there is?

On the plane now, enjoying a few glasses of room temperature water while others are enjoying coffee, soft drinks and goodies, not gluten free. I am listening to my iPhone audible book on mindfulness, with Sylvia Boorstein. She makes it sound so easy and everyday.

I have been on silent retreats, I am happy to recall, and remember how the energies arise and pass. So often the mind wants to tell a story about how the energy came to be or what to do with it next. If I can just be with the restlessness of the energy then it will pass, it always does. Falling in love, excitement, irritation, and awe…. Wave upon wave.

The sun is bright out my window as the plane flies over the Rockies and heads toward Toronto. I will have a few hours to practice in the airport waiting for the next leg of the journey taking me to Nova Scotia and in some ways, home.

Home is where my mom is and also where I was born. Home is where my early memories of returning on special occasions such as summer holidays to spend time in the arms of my extended family. Now my brother and mother live in Nova Scotia and I live on Vancouver Island at the other end of this vast country. Now my home is where my children live, and where my life is with Steve. Home is where I feel love and safety. It has never really been about geography for me. I have been in transition all my life, moving about.

I am experiencing a sensation and I will call it the joy of flying. If I sit with that feeling and energy it will shift to another and another. If I must name it, let it be love and positive language.

Thanks for listening, reading and travelling with me. I am on my way!

With love

Pam

Greek adventure pre blog

Hi everyone, so sorry I have neglected you.

It is 549 am on 10 May and I am at departure gate 2 in yyj Victoria airport. On my way to my next great travel adventure. Remembering Mothers Days from my past and anticipating this upcoming one.

I have to take a minute and applaud Westjet. The Captain stopped, took a few minutes, crouched down to speak to a very little boy. He introduced himself with a big welcoming smile. It was like out of a movie only I witnessed it in real life. Wow!

Going through security brings on anxiety. Some people, I have discovered, don’t do well with their anxiety! It causes them to not play well with others. I have to wonder how hard it must be for airport security to stay positive fresh and upbeat for an eight hour shift. Wow. People can really complain. I make a point to be grateful for security. To be grateful that my jewellery does not set off the alarm, grateful I have remembered my passport. Grateful I live in this country and get to travel freely around the world.

This blog and travel session will have overtones of mindfulness. Not really wanting anything to be different, witnessing what is. Can I be with it? Can I be present to my life over the next few weeks? Can my presence bring some kind of peace to my fellow travellers ?

Be with me now, hold me accountable and enjoy the ride. I am heading out on this Mothers Day weekend first to Halifax to see my mom. I reflect on how long it has been since I have been in her presence. Since we did that drive across the country a while back, the longest we have ever been apart in my 55 years. I am looking forward to being present with her and embracing our precious vacation.

The itinerary will unfold … Fly to Athens Greece. Spend a few days exploring little Greek islands. Then a fabulous luxury cruise aboard the Azamara Journey for 10 nights, back to Athens, back to Halifax and then home.

Thanks for joining me … I encourage and look forward to your comments.

Much love to all,

Pam

Financial Invincibility

Going from fear of your finances to financial invincibility does not need to be an impossible journey. Whether it is $500 dollars a month or $5 million dollars plus, let us walk together to reach your financial goal.

This book (the book I am writing) is for women. Of course you can share the lessons and conversations with your partner, but many of you won’t. As you know, many women feel like they are held hostage by their fear. They may feel that money is the reason to stay, or lack of money is a key stumbling block in feeling successful. Some women even feel shame for wanting to be financially free.

The ceiling is off. There was never a limit on freedom for women, except as we tell ourselves every day in our self talk. None of us are alone; many have lifted the ceiling and cleared the way for women internationally to hold the top business and influential positions around the world. More on that in the next book! (yup, there will be a sequel).

I invite you to be in book three, telling your story!

This first book is a compilation of the steps it takes, the mindset shifts and actions that will bring you to your goals, guaranteed. Are you a single woman living on a solo income? How about a married woman feeling like you want to make a contribution to the world? Or, like me, an international traveler to the soul, and finding a way to live travel dreams is what you most desire? Are you a professional woman making it in the company you work for, wondering how you will make your own fortune? Are you struggling to make the payments each month? Are you wanting to have enough investments to live off the interest? What is your story?

I want to hear it and I want to include you in this book. I want to help you become the leading lady in your life and the author of your story of financial invincibility.

Get in touch with me at pmacdonald@cruiseshipcents.com and let’s get started.

Ps. Book to be launched later this year, tell all your friends and family.