The Nappy Cat Chronicles

It’s been almost two years, so, I figure I should write something about it. In August 2006, I traveled with my friend Clare to Athens, Greece where we boarded a small cruise ship called the Perla and traveled with a Contiki group and visited Turkey, Greece, and a few Greek islands.

Unfortunately, I did not have a proper digital camera at the time and had to use my camera phone. Hence the poor quality of the photographs I shot. However, the beauty of the shot always relies on the beauty of the scene and we visited a few of the most beautify places on Earth.

My and Clare’s first destination was was Istanbul. We began on August 19th at Hagia Sophia:

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One of the first things that hit me upon entering Hagia Sophia is that its architecture is very Escher-esque; but, as a museum it’s very subdued. The next day, we visited the main gate of Dolmabahçe Palace:

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After a few photos, we moved onto the Blue Mosque (AKA the Sultan Ahmed Mosque). At the time, I thought nothing of it. But, reflecting now upon my visit, I remember feeling odd. I believe I felt that way because, until then, I had never been inside of an active non-Judeo-Christian house of worship.

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Next, we visited the Ottoman Topkapı Palace. Clare went off with someone else from our group to tour the inside. I needed a break so I sat and ate lunch with the two tour guides.

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On the 21st, we spent the day on the Greek island Mykonos. Clare and I ate calamari during dinner and, later that night, I got lost trying to find my way back to the boat while the rest of the Contiki group hung out in what looked like a closet (but was actually a club).

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The next day, we docked at Kuşadası. Clare and I split up again and I can’t remember why. I think she may have been feeling ill and decided to stay on-board. By that point, eating made me ill as well so I was surviving by smoking cigarettes and drinking water. Anyway, I walked miles to Ladies’ Beach and purchased more water. On my way back, I ran into one of the tour guides and we ate lunch at a café on the Guvercin Ada penninsula.

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On the 23rd, we spent most of the day on the Greek island Rhodes. Rhodes is an absolutely gorgeous island and our Contiki group got a discount at a laundromat in the city. So, while my clothes were laundered, I took in the sights. Clare joined me eventually. I gave her a tour and bought a pair of linen pants. We had a dressy dinner on-board that evening.

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On the 24th, we visited Santorini, the Greek island formerly known as Kallistē (“the most beautiful one”). The pictures literally jumped into my frame. Riding a mule down the long and narrow stare that led back to the dock was one of the most oddly thrilling experiences in my life.

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Sadly, the next day, our cruise was over and we docked at Athens. Clare and I had spent a day or two in Athens before the cruise so we wandered the city a bit and ate gelato.

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It broke my heart to leave. When we were on Santorini, I was 93.5% ready to grab all of my possessions from the cruise ship and setup as a drifter. But, I had to make sure that Clare made it to the Greyhound terminal in downtown Baltimore.

I think my next stop will be Tuscany or someplace nearby. And, for next time, I’m thinking “less camera phone” and more “megapixel.”