As I look out at the sea, I actually cannot believe that I live here.

Well, I did it. I MOVED to Greece. I sit here at Allegro Cafe on the port of Mykonos... The skies are briliant blue with light pillows of white deep on the horizon. Greek music plays in the background as I sip my Cappuccino. It is a national holiday today... To celebrate the beginning of the revolution when the Greeks pushed the Turks out of Greece after their 400 years of occupation. I woke to drums in the streets this morning... apparently there was a parade.

My LONG journey here began 3 weeks ago... 3 weeks of traveling (not to mention CRAZY partying)across the US, from Boston to Seattle... to Savannah... to Minneapolis and back to Boston. And then finally, to Greece.

When I arrived at the airport on Tuesday (a special thanks to my dear friend George -- without you, I would have never made it), I checked in to my flight to find that my bag weighed 40 kilos (About 83 pounds). The maximum that they will allow you is 32 kilos (70 pounds) which comes with a 50 USD surcharge for being 10 kilos over weight. After some creative manovering, and discarding of a few less than neccessary items, I was checked in, through security and waiting to board my flight. Suddenly it struck me... I was moving. Not just moving, but to Paradise in a country where I speak no more than a few phrases of the language... My stomach flipped.

The first leg of my journey (6 hours) did not seem long at all. I spent the entire flight awake and watching the in-flight entertainment. One hour was spent sobbing while watching "Hachiro: A Dog's Story". If you have a dog, this is an incredibly sweet film. If you have a dog that you just left for a couple of months on the other side of the world, it is on the verge of sadistic. I arrived in London exhausted. Dragging my two huge carry-on bags that probably weigh around 30 kilos, I made my way through the security check point and to my connecting gate.... Layover time: 3 hours.

The flight from London to Greece (4.5 hours) seemed like an eternity. As we dropped through the cloud covering I saw a huge green canvas. I have never been to Greece in the spring; by summer when I arrive, it is quite dry and most of the vegetation is gone. It was gorgeous. Of course, there wasn't a skyway available when we touched down, so out in the middle of the airfield, I dragged my bag down the long mobile stairs to the bus that would take me to customs. In no time at all, I was waiting for my bag... My giant, green 32 kg bag with no wheels that contained what was left of all of my possesions. The time was 14:00... My bus scheduled to depart at 14:10. At 14:08, I saw my bag, ripped it off the conveyor and ran out doors... Dragging behind me 64 kg of luggage (for the record, I am quite sore today). I made the bus... Off to Rafina.

By the time I stepped off the bus in Rafina at 14:45, I had been awake for 24 hours. Completely beat up and dragging my bags, I made my way to the ferry ticket office.

"Yassas... One ticket to Mykonos on the 17:30," I said, very politely
"The ferry is sold out" said the woman behind the desk.
"Well, what are my options," I replied.
"There are still tickets for the ferry tomorrow morning"
"I can't stay here over night... Is there a stand-by list?"
"You can stand here and wait to see if something opens up, but first check the other (12) ticket offices... They may have something."

And that's what I did... I dragged my bags from office, to office along the port and finally:

"That ferry is sold out.... Wait we have one first class ticket," said the girl.
"How much is that?"
"40 euro."
"Of course, I'll take it... It is only 10 euro more than a regular ticket."

I grabbed my "golden ticket" and walked to the same portside restaurant I always do to wait for my ferry. One delicious "Greece Salad" and a Mythos beer later, I dragged my bags across the long loading zone and boarded the boat.

First class wasn't much different than economy. There was a glass door that separated the two, but the ammenities were the same. A guaranteed seat was nice though. On board I met a trio of attourneys on their way to Tinos for the holiday weekend. Very nice and entertaining. We chatted for the next 4 hours of holidays on the islands, our jobs, our families... Sharing a mutual disdain for the pack of wild children in our cabin that were screaming and climbing the walls, literally, like little monkeys. As we arrived in Tinos, we exchanged contact information and said farewell. An hour later, I would arrive in Mykonos.

At 23:00, the voice came over the intercom.

"We arriving in the port of Mykonos. Please disembark the boat."

I grabbed my many bags and dragged them to a waiting taxi that would drop me off at the main square in Chora. As I walked through the winding streets of town, dragging my bags behind me, I searched for my friend Mixalis's flat where a key waited for my under a doormat. I had not been here in 9 months so it took a while and a very backwards route, but I finally found it. At last, I was home (or home for the next week or so until I find a flat of my own).

Mixalis and Panos were both at work when arrived and the house was quiet. I dropped my luggage and immediately jumped in the shower. It was cold, but still felt so great. On the otherside of the door, I suddenly heard "Yassu Tana." Panos was home.

He showed me how to turn on the hot water for later use and we sat and chatted. Mixalis arrived an hour later. Reunited, we sat at the kitchen table catching up. At 1:15, I received a text from Tharos (one of the attourneys from the boat):

"I thinking about you. I like you."

I didn't respond. I continued chatting with Mixalis and Panos for a couple of hours. Finishing the evening with an episode of Top Chef Season 5 and retiring for the night around 3:30 Thursday morning. 26 hours after my journey began and 38 hours since my head had seen a pillow. I didn't awake until noon.