Monday, March 3rd

After months of planning, and countless nights filled with anxious anticipation it is still unbelievable to be sailing through the Aegean, watching the Acropolis fade into the horizon. All roads lead here, right? It felt that way, and even during my journey when hope was fading, I still made it here. We all did.

It’s exciting to be able to share my excitement with other people. No one at home can really grasp the full reality of this trip. These girls understand. They worked just as hard, if not harder. They too spent countless hours bombarding anyone who would listen with details of the impending trip. It makes it easier.

This will be my first full length trip on a ferry. It is about 7 am , and the perfect time to be here. The sun has just come up over the mountains, illuminating a city rife with history.

I must say, I have never been more inspired by one city. Yesterday, when I stood before the temple of Zeus I was overwhelmed with such great emotion that I nearly fell to my knees. If I had thought to bring a journal with me it would have been a magnificent entry.

I can only imagine what it must have been like to wander amongst such great minds. It’s a sentiment that I have expressed before, but it really hits me every time I stand before an ancient (or modern) masterpiece. It reminds me that the excessive technology that we are bombarded with is interesting....but admittedly inhibiting. How often have we felt overcome with a detached paranoia when leaving our cell phones off or at home? How often have we opted to drive through a beautiful part of town instead of walking or riding our bikes? And how many Sundays have we sacrificed to watch football or the latest episodes of our favorite rom-com-drams? Know that I do not say these words perched on any sort of pedestal, but I have seen what analog players have done before our digital world, and I envy that. I carry my mind in a six pound box with a 13.5 inch screen. Their “mind boxes” stand hundreds of feet tall, and capture the spirit of an ancient world.

I think it is high time we all expand our boxes.


Ashley