Everything that has a Beginning has an Ending.

 

NASA said that its InSight Mars mission has ended.  The robotic spacecraft after a more than six-month journey landed on Mars, Nov. 26, 2018. Since then, InSight has been studying the planet's interior and seismic activity.  It detected more than 1,300 quakes with a 4.7 quake that shook the planet for six hours. On De. 21, 2022 NASA announced that two attempts to contact the spacecraft failed, likely because its batteries had lost power after dust accumulated on its solar panels and the rover fell silent thus its mission has ended.

This blog was a byproduct of a mission to transport the car of my friend the late Milos from Florida to his son in San Francisco.  My son John decided that it was risky to me to drive alone so we drove the three thousand miles together.  From San Francisco we returned to Chicago ( 2000 miles) by train and then by bus (400 miles) to Columbus, Ohio for a total of 5,000 miles.  My intend at that time was to stop posting but on advice of a friend, I continue posting mostly on my travels.

The most memorable posts were from an epic journey when together with my brother and two friends brought a sailboat from Spain to Greece a 1,400 nautical miles journey. It was our Odyssey and I described it as such on posts from Aug.15, 2015 to July 16, 2016. 

In the past 10 years, I uploaded 228 posts in my blog Cross Country Chronicles but as Jack Kornfield said in his Buddha book "everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well" 

There are many individuals from my immediate family, and those who love and care about me who encouraged and inspired me to write.  I want to thank and express my gratitude to seventy thousand plus individuals who followed my musings. I wish them all a good a pleasant trip in their lives. 

2013-2021; a Travelogue

In the past 7 years, I uploaded 202 posts in my blog Cross Country Chronicles.  As this is the first post of 2021 and maybe the final of this series that started with a trip, I took with my son John, from Orlando to San Francisco to Chicago and on to our starting point Columbus, Ohio.  Also, it included among others the remarkable crossing from Spain to Greece on my brother Nikos 29-foot sailboat Okyrhoe.  The trip from Florida to California and back to Ohio is described in 55 posts in January and February 2014.

The trip from Spain to Greece is described in 23 posts from August 2015 to July 2016.  There are many individuals from my immediate family, and those who love and care about me, to friends I love dearly, to professional associates at places where I lived and worked, and all those who encouraged and inspired me to write.  I want to thank and express my gratitude to all and wish them a good a pleasant trip in their lives.  The pictures in this post are from Porto Rafti, the beautiful little bay, I have made my domicile while in Greece.

                                                                       The three pictures in this post were taken by my brother-in-law Kostas Fotos.

Symi

Symi or Simi (Greek: Σύμη) is an island that belongs to the Dodecanese group of islands.  Its population is now 2,500 inhabitants down from 25,000 at the end of the 19th century.     

The history of the island begins in the ancient times. According to Greek mythology Syme was a water nymph that fell in love with Poseidon. Eros gave them pathos and the two had a son.  Syme’s son name was Chthonios and it was he who named the island after his mother when he became its king. In historic times the island is mentioned in Homer’s Iliad as its king Nireus send three boats and he and his men fought on the Greek side in the Trojan War.  

Archaeological evidence indicates Symi was continuously inhabited, and was part of the Roman and Byzantine Empires until its conquest by the Knights of Rhodes in 1373. The conquest of Symi fueled the Knights' interest in Byzantine war technology such as the Greek fire, and ship construction.  It was such knowledge that launched a period of several centuries of prosperity for the island.  In 1522, Symi was conquered by the Ottomans who allowed it to retain many of its privileges. Symi along with the rest of the Dodecanese changed hands several times until 1948 when it became part of Greece.    

Symi attained the height of its prosperity in the mid 19th century, primarily from shipbuilding and maritime commerce.  The similarities between the boats in antiquity such as that used by Greek Queen Kleopatra, the last of the Pharaohs, and those of yesteryear are amazing.  The name of modern wooden skiffs is sandala from the Greek word for sandals. 

The colorful neoclassical mansions covering the slopes near the main city date from late 1800s and early 1900s resulting from the prosperity the sea trade created.  Symi’s narrow streets, steps and houses are painted in vivid colors inspired from the sea and the sky and are reminiscent of the art deco style seen in Florida. 

Simi was also known for sponge fishing a trade that has moved to Florida when many of its inhabitants immigrated to Tarpon Springs after WWII.  Those hardy individuals who brought their knowledge, their stamina and desire to make an honest living also brought information on how to built traditional wooden boats called trachantiras or trochantiras in Byzantine Greek meaning curved bow or trechantiria in modern Greek that means a fast moving boat.

The island has become a haven for tourists, many of whom are now permanent residents.  Expatriates enjoy the good weather; lay back life style as well as mingling with the locals in many of the island’s festivities.