The dogs of Greece

I'm back from Greece and finally over the jet lag. It was an amazing trip and I'm suffering from that sadness that occurs when you return from a great vacation. It's hard to describe the experience in words, but I'll try: I was up close and personal with art and architecture that I had only seen in my art history books (breathtaking!). The food was amazing (very vegetarian-friendly!). The weather was fantastic. The Greek air and water did wonders for my skin (or maybe it was the olive oil?). The climbing, hiking, walking, etc. counteracted the feta cheese consumption and I lost 4 lbs. The Greeks were beautiful and nice (for the most part), but the Americans I got to know were much more impressive.

My travel companions, who were virtual strangers when I left NJ, turned out to be wonderfully kind, generous, and funny people. I'm proud to call them my fellows. THANK YOU, or more appropriately, EFHARISTO to Emily, Bill, Maxine, Sara, Misty, Tom, Joan, Barbara, Denyse, Nancy, Peter, David, Fred, and Mary for being so much fun and making this trip fantastic. I miss you already and it saddens me to think about our fellowship experience drawing to a close. I hope we keep in touch. Regardless, we will always have Greece.

One of my favorite aspects of Greece was the abundance of dogs. I was in heaven. I had read about the stray dog population in Athens, but had no idea how prevalent the dogs were till I saw them myself. On more than one occasion, as our tour guide Rula would be explaining the historical significance of a temple or statue, I'd wander off to photograph a dog or two. It might have seemed to the fellows that I have an unhealthy obsession with canines. Hopefully now they understand that it's simply an occupational hazard. I ended up with some great shots, some of which are featured above. They will surely make their way into artwork some day.