where it all began

my obsession with greece, that is.

that's me, with the white hat, standing with my dad -  and my sisters, who have always been more fashionable and cool than i. we're standing in syntagma square in athens on my first trip to greece, on our way to cyprus where my dad had business. all i remember is being blinded by the light of the place, mesmerized by the color of the sea, the sound of the language. i fell in love with - and was also unsettled by - this ancient landscape that spoke to me. 

i was planning this post some months ago....however, with my father's recent passing, i look at it today through different eyes. now both he, and the taker of the photograph - my mother - are gone. i have heard that you feel like an orphan once both your parents die. i don't know how i feel yet - it's too soon. for now, i look at this scene fondly and remember how my love of travel, exploring the world - and most undeniably my passion for greece started here.

one more thing that does not escape me as i look at this foto, is that my face seems blurred out, almost unrecognizable. 

not surprising, and it makes sense... 

...for in a way, greece helped to form me.