Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Do you ever stop and notice how fast a year goes?

My summer has been wonderful. I've had a fun and eventful couple of months, but nothing can compare to the experience I had last year. On the 25th of August 2009, I had landed in Greece for the first time in my life!

I think why this trip affected me so much is that I've wanted it for so long. My grandfather came over from Greece over a hundred years ago, and I'm certain this had some influence on my long-standing dreams of travelling to Europe.

After years of planning and saving, I found myself exploring Athens: The Acropolis, the National Archeological Museum and the Temple of Zeus!

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view of Athens, Greece

After exploring Athens, we drove south to a town called Argos, which was very close to where my grandfather lived.

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town of Argos, Greece

 Though we didn't get to meet any of our relatives, simply standing in the incredibly hot, dry countryside and seeing what my Grandfather saw as a young boy was unbelievable to me. 

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outside of Argos, Greece

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I really don't know. Maybe it's just me. But I felt the strongest connection within myself to my family's past by just standing there, in the land of my mother's heritage. It felt comfortable and familiar. 

 There is something about walking where my ancestors walked that has changed the way I look at my family and how I see the world.

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sunset in Nafplia, Greece

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Karen xoxo

To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul.

-S.Weil