Copenhagen, Finally!

For years we'd been invited to Copenhagen but we hadn't been there since the girls were very young. So young, in fact, that only Irini remembers bits and pieces of the visit (most notably an accident that Uncle 'Eko had on our way to the airport - but that's not the kind of memories one hopes for). Olga and Alice had been inviting us for a while now and finally we were able to put the plan into action! 

We were only there for a few days but in that time we had opportunities to walk all over the place!  Beautifully nestled in the old, more traditional, center of the city, the apartment overlooks a wonderful canal not too far away from the cultural (and shopping) center of the city. The girls were immediately smitten by the city and "oh so happy" to have the chance to explore it!  Olga was the perfect host and little Alice ran around the place with her unbridled energy, wanting to be carried by her uncle and wondering when the next opportunity to play might be. 

We did a deep dive into the life of this family, from work places to favorite sushi spots, to meandering walks around the parks and stops in the local playground. We had conversations about all sorts of things and had a nice balance of 'daily life' (including visits to Alice's old and new schools), university campuses (which daddy wanted Irini to 'feel' by visiting the University of Copenhagen's city and purpose build slightly-out-of-town campuses) and shopping too, of course. It was this last item that seemed to pique the interest of our not-quite-so-young girls. They were fascinated by the variety of store options and did a good amount of looking and wandering. 

Is more Copenhagen in store for our future?  It would seem that we haven't quite gotten our fill. :-) With both family and culture/exploration/beauty there it feels like we'll be back. Thank you, Olga and Alice, for the love and the sharing and the care you took to make sure we were happy. And happy we most certainly were!  Love to all!

Reconnecting

Life, they say, is better shared. And so it is. After a wonderful few days in Ithaka we made our way to Lefkada where we met up with Ralph, Anne and Maria (whom we hadn't seen in-person in a while) and John, Zoi, Giorgo and Maria (who we'd never traveled with before). We (mommy, daddy and Irini) had been here before when our little one was around two years old. It was a trip with pappou at the time and we ended up on Vasiliki back then. Irini being so little our whole experience was scheduled around her "early" wake ups, early play time, early meal times and early get-to-bed times. It was, then, a very quiet experience. 

Not any more. Lefkada is a happening place, filled with people (especially in July) with lots to do. For us, of course, the priority was being with our people!  And so it was. Reconnecting. Chatting away. Speaking of what's happened and what plans we all have. In the course of a few days we managed to extend conversation to life's finer things (including dreams and ambitions and wine), politics, education and all those things that make conversations just that much more interesting. :-)

Our time there included a day on speedboats, where daddy had to learn how to drive one and everyone had their shot at playing 'captain'. Of course, apart from secluded bays and stopping in smaller grottos it was also a time for finding cliff jumping spots. It took us a while, but we finally worked it out!  And our girls did a few jumps before heading back to town. Being in crystal waters surrounded by friends (extended family, really) is a pretty special experience. 

Yes. Life is definitely better shared. We love you all!

Full Circle (or Spiral?)

It was 2007 when this blog was started. Back then there were no children (though Irini was getting ready to make her appearance). There were no stories. But there were dreams and there was the recognition that the title - Our Ithaka - represented the journey of our lives. It was about the journey being the destination. About the shared stories and growth would provide the spice that makes life's recipe that much more delicious. Back then Ithaka was a concept. Now, this summer, we've come full circle.

We finally made it to Ithaka, the island who's name was emblazoned on Cavafy's peom and after which this blog is named. Not that the name itself defines us, but it was "a moment" in our lives to get off a boat on an island that has been figuratively (until now) connected to our story. And what an island (like the story) it is!  We found it a perfect match for our style. Small enough. Calm enough. Beautiful enough. Green enough. Off-the-beaten-track enough. But not too much. And with people worth spending time with, friendly and talkative as if they haven't been jaded by the masses of people like us walking into their space for months on end. 

The island treated us so well - from Takas, our favorite "Beach Manager" to climbing the stone remains of Odyssey's Palace to chatting away with a young Cuban woman still learning Greek but working away in Kioni, to watching sunrise over Vathi bay it was as varied as it was food for the soul. Or our room, nestled along the side of Vathi's inner bay with the view to boats dancing in the slow moving water. The island spoke to us in the soft stories it tells. Part history and part present, it brought us a sense of being that was the perfect antidote for a long year. It was so nice, in fact, that daddy considered for one fleeting moment that perhaps adding one final blog post about it and bringing things "full circle" between that post in 2007 and our present journey. But as pappou says, it's also about spirals, not circles, and this one brought us to a place that simply was a moment on an ever expanding journey. There is no end but rather stops. And this was one. And a beautiful one at that.