My Vacation Photos

A lot of cat-itude included.

I hate looking at other people's vacation pictures.

I've always been this way, but I have become even more so recently. I can find the most beautiful photo of that place you visited on the internet. That photo will be focused, artistic, and aesthetically pleasing.

Looking at your vacation photos is equivalent to telling me about last night's dream.

Sorry, but it's boring. Plus, did you have to show me ALL of them?

Right now is when you should stop reading if you feel the same way.

Right now is when you might think I have some nerve.

If you own the "Cats of the Greek Isles" calendar, you will be disappointed by the rest of this newsletter. I have included my amateur photos of some new furry Greek friends.

You've been warned.

My husband and I returned from a 15-day trip yesterday. We celebrated his milestone birthday the way he loves most- journeying through some Greek islands!

This trip was even sweeter because it almost didn't happen.

When United Airlines sent us our check-in email, my passport was flagged. Countries within the European Union do not allow non-EU visitors unless they have at least six months remaining on their passport expiration date.

This is part of what’s known as the Schengen Agreement. Ireland is the only EU country that waives this requirement.

Google it. It’s a thing. Don’t let this happen to you. I could not even board the plane since my passport expired at the beginning of November.

To say we were disappointed is an understatement. We canceled our roundtrip air tickets. It was a complete cat-astrophe.

We hadn't traveled overseas since 2019. We planned the same trip last summer, but a new COVID wave derailed us. We had to cancel then, too.

You can imagine how we must have feel-ined.

I managed to get a new passport in Philadelphia the next day. I hope you never need to spend a day in a U.S. government passport office. I spent many hours waiting, practicing breathing, and trying to stay paw-sative. I quickly learned that I needed to meditate more than I already do because I did not manage my emotions well.

For five hours, I was cat-atonic.

While nerve-wracking, the time I spent in the U.S. Passport office was not wasted. I left there with a renewed passport in hand. Against all odds, the trip reassembled itself.

We visited Zakynthos, Kephallonia, Crete, Rhodes, and Andros. We also made a day trip to Marmaris, Turkey. We built in an added buffer day to explore Athens.

We both agreed that it was the best vacation ever. Some might say it was purr-fect.

The Greek people are generous and friendly. They especially loved when my husband spoke in Greek back to them.

The Euro and the U.S. dollar were equal in value. Compared to our American standards, everything was cheap.

Every meal was fantastic. I shouldn’t fur-get to mention that everything was fresh and delicious.

Except for a single day, our vacation was sunny and warm.

I had to turn on the heat when we came home last night.

WTF.

I usually write about yoga and its connection to daily life. But this morning, I woke up at 3:30 a.m. jet-lagged. I decided the best I could do is to write about what’s foremost in my mind.

Today, it’s cats.

The Greek Isles are loaded with them, roaming around looking pretty. They are relentless negotiators who do not break eye contact as you eat.

Everyone feeds these manipulative creatures. When you see how cute they are, how could you not?

Please let me know in the comments if 1) you'd like to hear more about my trip or 2) I’ve missed any cat puns.

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