I woke up several times in the middle
of the night, despite purposely staying up late enough that I
wouldn't jet-lag myself awake after an exhaustion-induced nap. The
reason was coughing, sore throat, or being unable to breathe. When
Bobby and I got up in the morning, I was seriously considering
skipping what was supposed to be the best tour of the trip to stay in
bed. Luckily, I had a sudafed tablet in the recesses of my purse,
and it got me through the day. I'd have been really upset if I had
missed out on the island cruise because of a stupid fucking cold. I
was still coughing a bit and took naps whenever possible while
waiting for things to start, but I could participate in the day in a
meaningful way.
The cruise was an all-day affair. We
got up early, went to the bus, then the boat, and had a lengthy trip
out to Poros. On the ride, they had some people teaching traditional
Greek dancing, as well as live music, for a portion of the time. Of
course I participated, and it was really fun. I think there may be
video evidence somewhere of me and some other chorus members
attempting not to trip over our own feet and each other's as the
music speeds up. Bobby and I also went up to the top deck where
there were bars to play on and bolted-down tables to jump over when
everyone else was keeping warm in the lower level lounge areas. We
did spend a good amount of time there ourselves, mostly napping when
there wasn't something specific like the dancing to do, and
socializing a bit with some members of the choir that we don't
normally have a chance to talk to. I like that trips are good for
things like this, because our regular rehearsals are pretty much all
business.
We had a little over an hour of time to
spend on Hydra. You could take a donkey ride if you wanted (a
traditional mode of transportation), but it was just a cheesy little
ride around the block for five euros, and we decided it would be
better to just explore the city on foot. Almost everything was
closed because the new year is a holiday they take very seriously
over there, but luckily the island was nice enough to just explore
without an activity in mind. I took pictures of so many flowers, and
doorways, and alleys, and hill-top panoramic views, and cats, that
I'd killed half the battery in our camera. It didn't help that we
were too tired to remember to charge the thing last night. The
weather was so much warmer and nicer than yesterday. At one point I
even took off my gloves and the first layer of sweatshirts. There
were a lot of cats on this island, moreso than the Parthenon had, and
a few dogs, too...I'm not sure what the deal is with all the strays.
They do seem to be better-fed and better-groomed for the most part
(with a few very sad exceptions) than you'd expect strays to be, and
also very social. I nearly tripped over the most beautiful white cat
with striking light blue eyes because it was trying to rub up against
me. I'm allergic, so I'm just trying to take pictures from a
distance, but Bobby went all cat-whisperer on me and had mobs of them
coming up to him and at one point literally fighting to be pet. At
one point, the aforementioned white cat and an equally striking black
cat were being pet on opposite sides of him, and it was like this
strange cat yin-yang thing going on...until a calico came up and
hissed one of the cats away because it wanted a turn.
The ride to the second island was just
about long enough for lunch. Half the people went with us, the other
half would go after the island, because the dining room wasn't big
enough. The food was a buffet, of course, and with similar fare to
what we'd been eating at the hotel for supper. They did have stuffed
grape leaves, though, which I hadn't had in so long that I didn't
remember if I liked them or not. I now know why I didn't remember; I
thought it was just OK. If it had been great or terrible, I'd have
known what I thought about it. They also had a walnut-honey cake for
dessert, which was by far the best part of the meal. I followed this
up with some more nap time before the island of Poros.
On Poros we had a bit less time to
explore, but we did manage to get up to the top of their biggest hill
for a breathtaking but also scary view of the islands in the
surrounding sea. Bobby also picked a grapefruit from a tree that was
just hanging over the alley-stairwell full of ripe fruit, and he did
this by jumping straight up into the air. Never a dull moment with
that boy. On the ride to the third island, the other group was
eating, and the little half-deck area with a bar and a shop were not
nearly big enough for everyone not eating. By this time, the sun was
sinking and the wind was picking up, so it was cold outside, where we
wound up spending the majority of our time before the dining room
opened to everyone again. I borrowed Bobby's coat and fell asleep in
a chair while he jumped on things. The medicine was pretty well worn
off by then, but I need to save my one remaining pill and cough drop
for tomorrow's concert. After that, it won't matter what I sound
like, and hopefully I'll be getting over it by then, so drugs won't
be necessary.
Aegina was the third and final island
we would visit, and everything was closed on that one too. It was
too big to just walk around on for two hours, so we booked one of the
cruise's “optional” bus tours. I liked being in a warm vehicle,
and it did have some pretty scenery, though pictures were not easy to
take, due to it being a moving bus. We did stop to see a nice
cathedral briefly, and get some pistachios, which the island is
famous for. After the bus portion, our tour group went to a
restaurant to sample some local food. It was mostly seafood that was
very clearly once a living creature with a face, and some salted
vegetables. They also gave us this liquor called “oozo” which is
like drinking licorice on fire. I don't like licorice anyway, so
after confirming that I didn't like oozo, I let Bobby have my share.
He doesn't drink but he loves licorice, so this drink was a mixed
blessing for him. We had enough time after to wander around and find
a little bakery that happened to be open, and we got some baklava and
other little desserts for later.
More napping and intermittent Greek
dance lessons took up the trip back to the mainland, where we got
back on the bus and went back to the hotel. We were theoretically on
our own for supper, but we were too tired to go out again, plus it
had gotten really cold and windy again, so we stayed in and ate our
cold leftovers from Angie's Way. Bobby went to bed right away, but I
wanted to write and color a bit more. But now it's time for sleep.
Our final concert is tomorrow. I just hope I feel better by then.
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