This trip was beautiful on so many levels. It had an exciting itinerary, new friends, excellent guides, fantastic learning opportunities, and delicious food. Here are a few things not included earlier:
Controversial Topic
The “Controversial Topic” for this trip involved the “relationship between Greece and Turkey. ” It was presented over two sessions during the week that we were sailing the Aegean. It seems that, as has been the case in other countries we have visited….the relationship is complex! A few takeaways…..
The guides started with a quick review of the history of Greece…this clip presents a brief summary of their slides:
Then…..Some positives!
There is economic cooperation. Both countries benefit from partnerships in trade, tourism and investment.
The countries share historical influences in cuisine, music and cultural traditions, with diaspora communities in both countries.
Both belong to NATO and align on some defense initiatives and dialogues to reduce tensions. They help each other in times of natural disasters like earthquakes.
Next up were some of the problems!
The focus was on territorial disputes and Cyprus.
Territorial and maritime disputes exist in the Aegean Sea over airspace, territorial waters, and certain islands. Hydrocarbon resources fuel these disputes.
Cyprus: Since Turkey’s 1974 intervention in Cyprus following a Greek-supported coup, Cyprus has remained divided. Turkey recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, while Greece and the international community recognize the Republic of Cyprus. This issue remains a central point of friction.
A few more of their slides about the Greek Expansion:
And finally, A big problem, REFUGEES AND Migration
Greece, as an EU border state, frequently faces a high number of refugees and migrants attempting to enter Europe via Turkey. Both countries have clashed over migration policies, with Greece accusing Turkey of allowing migrants to cross to put pressure on the EU and Turkey insisting it needs more support to handle refugee flows.
TODAY
And, of course, let’s throw in a few other controversies!
Religious and Minority Rights: Greece has a Muslim Turkish minority in Western Thrace, while Turkey has a Greek Orthodox minority, mainly in Istanbul. Both communities have faced challenges regarding religious and cultural rights, which has led to mutual grievances.
Military Tensions: Both countries have a significant military presence and occasionally display military power, especially in the Aegean. Military incidents, including airspace violations and naval standoffs, create a volatile situation that sometimes requires NATO or EU intervention to de-escalate.
Life on our Ship, the Athena!
Two OAT groups were combined during the week we sailed the Aegean…so we have gone from 19 to @40+ people….still a minuscule group compared to other cruising ships! We can not say enough good things about the condition of the ship, the extraordinary Athena staff, the scrumptious food and ship safety (all staff were male!) This was just one happy place for the week we were sailing!
We would gather each evening the Ship lounge for drinks and a presentation. Wine and Beer were included!
We had Traditional Greek Dancers one evening.
Another evening, we had the Incredible “Athena Beach Boys” band! These were staff members from many different countries/languages, all singing American music, in English!
Of course, it does not take much to entertain seniors, and pretty soon, we were on our feet to the music!
I have so many pictures of food! I will just add one…along with our very talented pastry chef! Every night the decorated dessert plates highlighted a creative dessert.
They made a big deal out of celebrations in people’s lives!
Needless to say, we were very impressed with what this staff can do on one little tugboat size ship!!
New Friends
Another highlight of the trip…the new friends we met! Because of the format/options, we had four different group sizes at various times throughout our month of travel.
These are the 19 who were with most of the time:
Suzanne and Bill from South CarolinaPete and Joan! From New York CiryJim and Jan from Wausau, WisconsinOur old traveling buddies, Joe and Ellen, from Madison, WIChuck and JoAnn from Edina, MNDell and Jeannie from Colorado SpringsMaureen from Jacksonville, FLBarb and Bill from Jacksonville, FLTom and Janet from Rochester, New York
Very unfortunately, we had two leg injuries in the group, and they had to return home early:
Barry and Susan from Los Angeles, CACathy from Portland.Her injury occurred early in the trip; water marbling was one of the activities she did get to enjoy.
Old Friends
It was a complete surprise when we ran into these two at the hotel in Athens. They are Barbara and Harry from California. We met on a trip to Nepal/Bhutan/India last year. We hope to see them again….Harry, although in his upper eighties is absolutely ageless. Originally from Australia, they both inspire us!
Well, that’s it for now! I still have notes and pictures to review, which will probably amend this blog. But for now…these are the memories!
