We have been called many things. Travelers, by default. But we like to be called Nomads. Explorers. Vagabonds. Adventurers. Wayfarers. Modern Gypsies. Wanderers. We’ve adopted them all. A growing breed of humans with restless feet and the inability to stay still, the inability to stay in one place. A gene for adventure curses through our veins. 

That is who we are.  Simple as that.

19+ years we have slowly, spontaneously circumnavigated the globe.  We have felt alive out there.  Mesmerized by a new culture, curiously feeling, tasting, touching, sensing our new environs. Soaking up the surroundings of the new country, exchanging smiles and genuine love with the people around us; us observing them as they observe us.  Discovering new landscapes, animals, exotic Nature.  And as we lay our weary heads down on yet another pillow, surrounded by our few possessions in a small bag, we drift into sleep with a satisfied smile on our face.

With a swift flip of a malevolent, political switch, Co-vid changed our world forever. Masks, lock-downs, injections, polarization, travel restrictions, digital currency and passports!  Personal freedoms disappearing before our eyes.  Will people seek the truth or allow things to be swept under the rug, only to be repeated later?  We each must answer this question.   Always question the narrative or freedoms disappear before us, in plain sight. Where the world goes from here is also up to each of us.

When traveling, the possibilities are endless.  But possibilities disappeared before our very eyes, for the first time in our lives. And so itchy feet were soothed by powder, surfing the net replaced wanderlust and everyone was forced to just stay in one place.

When traveling, change is the norm.  The only constant is the connection to the Universe that we pack carefully inside us – our strength and peace and our joy.  Without the blur and excitement of an ever changing environment, we were left with ourselves.  To some this is disturbing. To some comforting.  The fact is that “wherever you go – there you are.”   Luckily we like ourselves and like to spend time with ourselves.  But to us it was a new challenge.  After enjoying lovely Lake Toba in Sumatra for 9 months, as all hell broke loose, we squeaked our way back to Bali. We have been in one place for 1.5 years!  A record for our 21 years together. Taking care of everything we could in our new little world, we were forced to just BE. We traveled within.   Surrounded by the gentle, beautiful, exotic culture and people of Bali, we found that we liked what we discovered, inward and outward.

Hiding the bright, curious lights of nomads under a bushel basket only lasts so long.  Slowly our light shines through the darkness.  May everyone continue to quench their thirst for adventure.  Shine on dear nomads, shine on. The Universe beckons you.  And so we remain flexible, traveling when the world allows.

Our next destination: Greece.  We took a bus from the Athens’ airport to Napflio. Napflio lies a mere 2 hours from Athens but places one in a different century. 

This quaint, picturesque village is nestled between a Castle perched on the cliff above and a sleepy harbor below. Shops, restaurants, one of a kind B&B’s, a Greek Orthodox Church dark and full of mystery and ever present ice cream shops make this a lovely stop coming from where you are to where you are going!

Welcome to Napflio!  I had a reality check myself when taking the bus from Athens.  I was talking to a friendly young man from Canada in the seat ahead.  At our destination I collected all but one of my bags.  My carry-on bag, under the seat was GONE!  I ran outside and asked the young man, “Where is my bag?”  He said, I think the guy from Athens took it.  I went running into the small station.  I asked if we could look at the CTV footage.  Sure enough there was the friendly young Canadian guy heading to the bathroom with my bag.  They checked and there was my bag in the last stall, contents thrown all around.  Happy to have my things back we mentioned to the station master that this young man was traveling with no luggage, possibly hoping to acquire some along the way.  They noted his face and as suspected he showed up at 8pm, looking for a return ticket.  They delayed him until the police arrived.  His only defense was, “But I didn’t keep anything!”

The police hauled him off to jail for the night, warning him that he wasn’t welcome back in Napflio.  Moral of the story – with very clever thieves lurking worldwide, keep a close eye on your few belongings.  Or you may have even fewer.  I was immensely thankful my bag was recovered.  Thank you God!

Next Athens.  Athens is the heart of Ancient Greece, a powerful empire; known as the birthplace of democracy and home to some of the world’s most significant philosophers.

Records date Athens at 3400 years old. Having been inhabited for over 4,000 years, Athens has been submitted to nearly every form of government known to this day: monarchy, democracy, socialism, capitalism, even communism.  During its lifetime, the Parthenon temple has been used as storage for munitions, converted into a church then a mosque, and widely looted by former Ambassador to Constantinople, Lord Elgin. It also served as army barracks and was bombed by the Venetians in 1687. The city today is still dominated by 5th-century BC landmarks, including the Acropolis; the hilltop citadel topped with ancient buildings like the colonnaded Parthenon temple. 

We awoke to brilliant sunshine so off we went to the Acropolis.  Still under renovation, this time due to the effects of the city’s pollution, we enjoyed the ever stunning views of sprawling Athens below. One could just imagine philosophers like Socrates, Plato or Aristotle sitting gazing on this view, contemplating the meaning of life (instead of scrolling on their cellphone).

Plato’s Cave, is an allegory presented by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work Republic (514a–520a).  Plato uses the cave as a symbolic representation of how human beings live in the world, contrasting reality versus our interpretation of it. These two ideas reflect the two worlds in the story:  the world outside and the world inside the cave.  The cave is filled with prisoners only allowed to see shadows or interpretations of the outside world; only what their captors want them to see.  One prisoner escapes and is shocked at the true reality he finds in the outside world.  When he returns to the cave to free his fellow prisoners they threaten to kill him as he describes the reality he discovered outside.  Hmmm.  I wonder what Plato would have to say about our modern state of affairs??

The area at the base of the Acropolis, the Plaka, is a fun place to get lost.  It is filled with shops, sidewalk cafes, vendors, and street musicians.  It took us hours to make our way through the winding, narrow streets, stopping to get hot spanakopita (spinach phillo pastry) followed by a decadent tasting of samples then splurging in Chocolate & Love.  Ah yes, the taste still lingers.  Possibly Socrates would have asked if fine chocolate embodies the meaning of life?!

And so it goes…………………………………..Next we decided to mix it up a bit.  Off we sailed for 2 weeks on the Inaugural Mediterranean voyage of Sky Princess – one of the largest ships afloat. Until then Keep Laughing, Keep Living Life to the Fullest, and remember to plan a trip while the world is open!  To learn, to experience, and to feel all the spectrums of being human in this world.”  We are glad you stopped by. Take care and drop a line sometime!

Love, Light & Laughter, 

xo  Nancy & Joseph