Car Sickness and Leprosy (Greek Adventures Vacation Journal! Day 3 - A.M.)

Alright, so the first Great Greek Adventure was GETTING OUT OF BED.  Jet lag is a thing.  Although, I was running a little on adrenaline and fueled by excitement to be in GREECE that it wasn't too hard.

Headed downstairs for a lovely breakfast.  My favorite part, which has been a staple of all hotels that provide breakfast is the automatic/espresso/coffee/hot water machine!  yay.  Because i needed all the coffee, and filled up my water bottle with hot water for tea.  Swiped my first tea bag of chamomile, which I was excited about because Greece reportedly has outstanding chamomile.  And I don't disagree.

Eggs w/ peppers!

 The street outside our balcony.

Nectar of life (tea)

Photo credit: Chris

wikipedia map

After filling up on food and blowing a kiss goodbye to Agios Nikolaus (which we barely got to see.  It is reportedly a beautiful, artsy, sleepy but bustling town.  It is next to the Gulf of Mirabello, which means "beautiful sight" in Italian.  Legend has it that the water is bottomless and that the goddess Athena used to bathe in it.  Also, during WW2, the retreating Germans dumped all their tanks there and nobody has seen them since.  hmmmmm.....), we hopped in the car and I excitedly started taking pictures of all the charming grecian things along the road, and immediately felt really really gross.  Like car sick.  

what?

So, thankfully I had preventative provisions intended for the ferries in my purse.   I had no idea if seasickness might be a problem, so I was prepared.  I took some ginger tablets, and put on my seabands <--- bracelets that put pressure on acupuncture points on your wrists.  I did notice a difference right away, but I was already so far gone, that there was no turning back.  We arrived at our destination, the dock for the boat to take us on our 10 minute ride to Spinalonga.  I sat on a bench for a few minutes and was not feeling better so I took some Dramamine from Julia.  Due to my experience with BPPV last summer (Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo - long story short: vertigo and inner ear issues that I received physical therapy for.  Which by the way, several of the women in my cancer support group have also had inner ear issues.  So I think chemo permanently screwed up my vestibular system.  YAY!), I also had prescription dramamine in my luggage, plus another big-guns-nausea prescription (which I never did take on the trip, yay!)  Turns out the dramamine rx came in VERY HANDY this trip.  I ended up taking it for most car trips.  The roads in Crete are extremely windy/curvy and European drivers be CrAzY.  Then in cities, all the turning and buildings moving rapidly across my vision, I just COULD NOT DO IT.  So every time we were in the car, I put on my seabands, usually took a dramamine pill (which rx dramamine is a smaller dose so that you can take it repeatedly as needed thru the day), and closed my eyes.  Often times, I wrapped my travel pillow around my neck (you guys, this is the BEST TRAVEL PILLOW), and Chris made jokes the entire trip about my "vegetable mode".   Well, I'm glad I figured out what I needed to do to not be car sick, because that would've put a huge damper on the trip.  Whew!

So anyways, Julia's lifesaver Dramamine started working in about 10 minutes and then it was time to get on the boat for Spinalonga.   (You guys, my brain continued to live on Spinalonga for about 4 weeks after this moment, because I was reading "The Island" by Victoria Hislop, which is all about Spinalonga.)

And here's the part where I start to upload a BILLION pictures.  And if you don't like it, THIS ISN'T THE BLOG FOR YOU.  Byeeeeeeeeeeee

wikipedia map

wikipedia pic:  panoramic view from the mountain.  That little island is Spinalonga

THIS CAT!!!!!  (I think this is my favorite picture from the entire trip)

photo credit: Chris

So what is this beautiful paradise called Spinalonga.  Well, its a little tiny island off the coast of Crete, which is an old venetian fortress (1578), then occupied by the Ottoman Turks (1715).  But most recently in the 1950's it was a leper colony, one of the last active ones in Europe.  (<--- that's what Victoria Hislop's book is about.  And its super fascinating, and spoiler alert: they CURE leprosy on this island.)  And now, its a tourist attraction.

Yep.

So after Spinalonga, we headed for a stop in Matala for lunch.

internet map pic

Matala is a quiet fishing hippie village, with impressive formations of sandstone rock cliffs with their famous caves.  Too bad we didn't stay longer here.  It wasn't a fave spot, and the lunch was inferior to almost every lunch we had in this delicious country (Greek salads =  I discovered I have a limit of how many tomatoes I enjoy eating.  So much lycopene!).  However, I'm realizing now as I read this, it was a missed snorkeling opportunity.  The clear waters of Messara Bay are said to have ancient ruins to be seen in the depths.  Its also the location of the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece.  We couldn't possibly DO IT ALL.  But in hindsight, I wish we had allowed for more time here.  (And I could say that for about every location in this beautiful delicious country.)

 photo credit: Brent

photo credit: Chris

tentacles!

Also, Matala was mentioned in this Joni Mitchell song, Carey.

The wind is in from Africa
Last night I couldn't sleep
Oh, you know it sure is hard to leave here Carey
But it's really not my home
My fingernails are filthy
I've got beach tar on my feet
And I miss my clean white linen and my fancy French cologne

Oh Carey get out your cane (Carey get out your cane)
And I'll put on some silver (I'll put on some silver)
Oh you're a mean old Daddy, but I like you fine

Come on down to the Mermaid Cafe 
And I will buy you a bottle of wine
And we'll laugh and toast to nothing and 
Smash our empty glasses down
Let's have a round for these freaks and these soldiers
A round for these friends of mine
Let's have another round for the bright red devil, who
Keeps me in this tourist town

Come on Carey get out your cane (Carey get out your cane)
And I'll put on some silver (I'll put on some silver)
Oh you're a mean old Daddy, but I like you
I like you, I like you, I like you

Maybe I'll go to Amsterdam
Or maybe I'll go to Rome
And rent me a grand piano and put some flowers 'round my room
But let's not talk about fare-thee-wells now
The night is a starry dome
And they're playin' that scratchy rock and roll
Beneath the Matalla Moon

Come on Carey get out your cane (Carey get out your cane)
And I'll put on some silver (I'll put on some silver)
You're a mean old Daddy, but I like you

The wind is in from Africa
Last night I couldn't sleep
Oh, you know it sure is hard to leave here, but it's 
Really not my home
Maybe it's been too long a timesince I was 
Scramblin' down in the street
Now they got me used to that clean white linenand that 
Fancy French cologne

Oh Carey, get out your cane(Carey get out your cane)
I'll put on my finest silver(I'll put on some silver)
We'll go to the Mermaid Cafe, have fun tonight
I said, oh, you're a mean old Daddy, but you're out of sight

The cats!!  Gosh, you guys.

We hadn't even been in Greece for 24 hrs at this point.  Behold this wonderful adventure!  (Its going to take me all summer to document this trip, ya'll.)