A voyage to the Aegean through history and culture

All my trip photos can be found here <https://www.smugmug.com/app/organize/Travel/2026/Med-trip-26>

Knowing the popularity with tourists of the Mediterranean region, I was somewhat reluctant to book this tour. Can one really appreciate the ruins of Ephesus when they are filled with the passengers from a 3000 capacity cruise ship?

As it turned out, the Overseas Adventure Travel trip turned out to be very enjoyable despite the crowded venues. Our 18 day adventure began in Istanbul where Heidi and I arrived a day before the actual tour started. After meeting our tour leader and the other 17 fellow travellers, we made our way north to Ephesus after spending two more days in Istanbul. Near Ephesus, we boarded a 50-passenger cruise ship and visited several Aegean islands over the next week. On reaching Piraeus, we boarded a bus to visit Meteora and Delphi. We ended our tour in Athens, flying home quite exhausted.

I will leave the details of the trip for you to read below in a very good summary written by our tour guide Katarina, a native Greek, who took exceptionally good care of her small flock. She called us her “ducklings.”

A few reflections on the trip:

1. I was once again very happy that I booked a tour instead of planning a trip like this independently. While we may have spent more time in some places and less in others than I might have done if solo, we saw all the major attractions of the area. No hotel reservations, no ticket purchases, no transportation arrangements - just hand over the luggage to a porter and relax. I rarely needed GoogleMaps, ironic since this is the first international trip I’ve taken that my T-Mobile connection worked consistently.
   

2. A knowledgeable guide made all the difference. Enthusiastic and well-informed about history, religion and current living conditions, Katarina narrated our visits to all the museums, mosques, monasteries, and archeological sites. Beyond that she served as a problem solver should someone in the group needed something.
   

3. Most of the other 17 members of our group were my age or older. Everyone seemed to do a very good job of keeping up - encouraging to know that some were 10 years older than I am - so perhaps I have a few good years of travel left in me! Unlike many groups, this one did not seem to have THAT person who was constantly late or slowed us down. Very nice.
   

4. Our small 50 passenger cruise ship Arethusa was perfect. The public areas were beautiful, the cabins were comfortable, and the food was exceptional. But I had never encountered such a pleasant and helpful crew - from the captain to the room cleaners. My only criticism is that included in the cost of the cruise was an unlimited pour of local wine. And yes, I drank way too much… Everyday on board, I was so happy that I was not one of those poor souls on a 3000 passenger ship sitting next to us in port with the swimming pools and casinos.
   

5. Intelligent timing of our visits to popular sites decreased the problem of huge crowds. We managed to beat the rush, often leaving our ship at 8 instead of the other cruise ships' 10 o'clock departure times. One exception was the Acropolis where I am sure it was congested any time of the day. But again, I knew going in that this was a popular area. I suppose I should be happy that more people have a chance to travel nowadays, but I do miss the Greece from 40 years ago.
   

6. Even the best food gets old after a while. I don’t think I will be eating at any local Mediterranean restaurants any time soon. Olives, kabobs, pita bread are all great foods, but at EVERY meal? For the occasional independent meal, Heidi and I sought out burgers or pizza just for the change.
   

7. I thought that the historical aspects of this trip would emphasize ancient Greek culture, so I was surprised by how much we learned about the Greek Orthodox Church and the tumultuous 19th century history of the region. I don’t think Odysseus was mentioned once nor did we visit the caves of the Cyclops, rocks of the Sirens, or the lair of Circe. Like visiting cathedrals in Western Europe, visiting Orthodox churches was fascinating for the first dozen or so, then they became repetitive and they all ran together in my mind.
   

8. Our visits to local homes and businesses were a nice part of the tour. We watched a woman in her home using a hand loom to create rugs. We visited a small apiary and learned more than I ever knew about bees. We had supper in a local residents' home near Meteora. While I am sure OAT compensates these folks for our visits, every local with whom we interacted was friendly and kind.
   

9. Our preconceptions of a place may be quite different from the reality. Meteora was one place I had never previously visited but had always been on my (hiking) bucket list. In my mind these monasteries, perched on impossibly high rock outcroppings, were remote, isolated places visited by only a dedicated, adventurous few. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Wide highways filled with cars and tour buses led to parking lots with short, if steep, stairs to the monasteries themselves. I guess I was sort of relieved. I read that after the Acropolis in Athens, Meteora is the most visited place in Greece.
   

10. While on the tour, I was somewhat disappointed that we did not walk more, climb more, just get more exercise. But I have to say, that also appreciated what downtime we had, being able to sit and read and relax. I suppose as one ages, any movement at all should be considered a win…
    

As always, I write to reflect, to aid my memory of an experience that starts out vivid, but rapidly fades into the pastels of the past. Here’s hoping your next trip is as enjoyable as this one was for me.

From trip guide Katarina with permission:

Dear Ducklings,

Now that we have completed our farewell briefing and shared our final dinner together, I would like to look back at the wonderful journey we have experienced over the past two weeks.

Our adventure began in Istanbul, where we explored the Hippodrome, admired the magnificent Hagia Sophia, discovered the colors and aromas of the Spice Market, visited Topkapi Palace and enjoyed the unforgettable views of the city during our Bosphorus cruise.

We then flew to Izmir and continued to Kuşadası, where we visited the remarkable ancient city of Ephesus and learned about the traditional art of Turkish carpet weaving. From there, we boarded the Arethusa and began our journey across the Aegean.

Our cruise introduced us to the unique character of several beautiful Greek islands. In Patmos, we visited the Cave of the Apocalypse and the Monastery of Saint John. In Kalymnos, we learned about the island’s sponge-diving tradition and visited a traditional local home. Santorini offered us the ancient settlement of Akrotiri, a special farm visit and the breathtaking village of Oia. In Paros, we explored Paroikia, Marpissa and Naoussa, while Mykonos welcomed us with its winding streets, windmills and Little Venice. Finally, in Syros, we discovered elegant Ermoupolis and enjoyed its distinctive architecture and local traditions.

After saying goodbye to the Arethusa in Piraeus, our journey continued into mainland Greece. We traveled to Delphi and explored its extraordinary archaeological site and museum before spending the night in the mountain town of Arachova. The following morning, our visit to the local honey farm gave us a glimpse into rural life, beekeeping and honey production.

We then continued north to the spectacular landscape of Meteora, where we visited its historic monasteries, admired the remarkable rock formations and enjoyed a memorable home-hosted dinner with local families. On our return journey to Athens, we visited the Monastery of Saint Stephen and enjoyed lunch by the Aegean Sea, where we also celebrated Phil’s and Charlene’s birthdays.

Back in Athens, we explored the neighborhood around our hotel and visited the Acropolis. Even the rain could not diminish the privilege of standing before such an extraordinary monument! During our panoramic city tour, we also saw the Greek Parliament, the Athens Trilogy, the War Museum, the National Gallery, the Panathenaic Stadium and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Tonight, we shared our final meal, exchanged memories and said our farewells. Tomorrow morning, most of you will begin your journeys home, while a few members of our group will remain in Athens a little longer. To those departing, I wish you safe and comfortable travels, and to those staying, I hope you enjoy your additional time in Greece.

Thank you for your curiosity, enthusiasm, patience, kindness and wonderful company. It has been a true pleasure and privilege to share Turkey and Greece with you. I hope you return home carrying not only photographs and souvenirs, but also many happy memories and new friendships.

Safe travels, and I sincerely hope our paths cross again one day.

With love,

Your Trip Experience Leader and Mama Duck,

Catherine Patrikiou 

You never know the impact of childhood experiences

Lake View gravel pits, 1959

Last weekend, I biked the Sakatah Trail from the small town of Elysian to Sakatah State Park, just east of Waterville here in Minnesota. It is a lovely, mostly flat and shaded path, that took me not just past sloughs and lakes and fields of corn, but through memories as well.

When I was a boy, my dad took the family to visit some old Iowa neighbors who had moved to Minnesota. They were living on a farm on Long Lake in the western part of the state. The farm, as I recall, had the usual old farm house, out buildings, and a barn. But what made it remarkable to me was that it sat on a lake. And there was a dock with a boat tied to it right behind the barn. Those lucky people could jump off the dock anytime they wanted! It was then that I decided I wanted to have a house on a lake.

Much of my boyhood summers were spent with my grandmother and aunt in Lake View, Iowa. While their small house, hand built by my grandfather, did not sit on the shore of Blackhawk Lake, it was only a ten minute (hands-free) bike ride to public Crescent Beach. Although my aunt railed about how filthy the lake water was, we as kids loved it, taking swimming lessons there, playing in the sand, and diving off the two platforms just outside the swimming area - one high and one low. Friends and I would dive to the muddy bottom of the lake and bring up clams. Whether it was on Blackhawk Lake, in the nearby gravel pits where we would swim as a family Sunday afternoons, or in the dredge ditch near the farm where we lived, no time was better spent than in the water.

Happily, I have been able to spend much of the past 25 or so years living my dream of living on water. I’ve had three houses (well, one was a trailer house) on nice sized lakes and my current townhouse sits on a small pond. While the pond will not support a pontoon boat, it offers many of the pleasures of a larger body of water - birds and turtles to watch and the serenity of small waves.

Had my father not taken our family to Minnesota would I still have wanted to live on water? Perhaps. The trip was one I have long remembered fondly, spurred by last Sunday’s bike ride beside some beautiful Minnesota lakes. Which leads me to wonder what experiences I may have given my own children and grandchildren that they may long think about and even influence their aspirations. Might the trip with my daughter to China when she was a teenager instill a love of travel? Might the bike rides I did with my son along the Red Jacket Trail lead to a love of outdoor exercise? Might the Scout trips to the Boundary Waters and Philmont with my grandsons help them imbue the values they learned in Scouting? Or might being drug behind Grandpa’s pontoon boat on a rubber tube make them want one day to have a house on a lake themselves?

Don’t just experience life. Share your experiences with others. You may never know the impact.

Why I don’t use AI to help me write

Image source: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zsjbZHQVz/ 

Writing destroys memory and weakens the mind, relieving it of work that makes it strong. Writing is an inhuman thing.  - Plato (500BC)

The scholars who study writing and cognition are rarely reflexively opposed to AI. Many have spent decades anticipating a leap in computer-assisted writing, just like the one we are living through. They tend to be excited by the technology’s potential.

Still, their work casts doubt on the tech-industry push to embed AI at every stage of the student writing process, from brainstorming to drafting to revising. Research shows that traditional, unassisted composition is valuable, not despite its difficulty, but because of it. Writing builds our working memory, executive planning skills and metacognition — the ability to think about our thinking, weigh alternate viewpoints and revise for clarity and style. It takes decades to develop writing skills, from toddlerhood into adulthood.

“Writing is a technology for thinking,” Kellogg said. WHAT DO STUDENTS LOSE WHEN THEY STOP WRITING? Dana Goldstein, New York Times, 8/23/26

I often think about Plato’s quote above - the irony of the now long-valued "tech" - writing - was once considered a detriment to thinking. And now new AI tools for writing are posing the same conclusion Plato reached 3000 years ago. 

I have loved writing all my life. Both personally and professionally. And that may be why I am so very, very reluctant to turn any part of the process over to AI. I am an imperfect being. So my writing has imperfections as well. But as Leonard Cohen sings, "There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." Perfection in writing or in physicality is rather boring. Would AI in eliminating my errors, might it also be eliminating me?

As a secondary English teacher (many years ago, before personal computing, word processing, spell checking, etc), I divided my student writing assignments into four categories:

• Explanatory: Write instructions and why something may be important (How to change the oil in your car.)
• Descriptive: Write about what something does in a way others can understand it. (How does oil in a car impact its maintenance and how do you tell if it is done properly.)
• Argumentative: Write the pros or cons of a position. (List three reasons why regular oil changes are in the car owner’s best interest.)
• Creative: Write in a way which is personal and original that increases the impact of the writing. (Tell a story about something regarding automobiles that you find memorable in an engaging way.)

The case can be made for using AI to help the writer with the first three categories of writing. Skill with prompts and good review of the accuracy of the final product would still be necessary.

Creative writing, however, may well best be left to we carbon-based lifeforms. As I alluded to above, creative writing is about new ways of looking at the world, ways that may have rough edges, some contradictions, even exaggerations. Creativity is about solving problems or transmitting messages more effectively in new ways. (See Teaching Outside the Lines.) Which also means creativity can play a positive role in each of the first three categories of writing too.

I certainly recognize that my own writing “voice” is imperfect at best. I’ve never re-read something I’ve written to which I have not wanted to make some changes. And tomorrow, that will include this post. But I ask myself if I have ever read a “perfect” piece of writing.