My boyhood home

At seven in the morning we reached Hannibal, Missouri, where my boyhood was spent. I had had a glimpse of it fifteen years ago, and another glimpse six years earlier, but both were so brief that they hardly counted. The only notion of the town that remained in my mind was the memory, as I had known it when I first quitted it twenty-nine years ago. That picture of it was still as clear and vivid to me as a photograph. 

From this vantage ground the extensive view up and down the river, and wide over the wooded expanses of Illinois, is very beautiful—one of the most beautiful on the Mississippi, I think; which is a hazardous remark to make, for the eight hundred miles of river between St. Louis and St. Paul afford an unbroken succession of lovely pictures. (Slightly modified from Mark Twain’s The Life on the Mississippi) 

I spent 25 years of my youth in Illinois and like Mark Twain my affection for Illinois biases my judgment in its favor; I cannot say but every time I visit it especially the largest and most beautiful of its cities Chicago I feel coming home. The picture was taken on Chicago’s lakefront here I used to live.  Nearby the Chicago River begins from Lake Michigan. Its waters eventually empty in the Illinois River a major tributary of the Mississippi.  The Illinois River joins the Mississippi approximately 20 miles to the north of the Missouri River and the city of St Louis. 

On the terrace of my boyhood home, in Athens’ St Nicholas neighborhood, playing backgammon with my childhood friend Theodosis (on the left) while my little brother Nikos is watching the game.  Mount Egaleo is noted in the background of the picture. (circa 1959)

"Top Three"

Well, three months have gone by, since I uploaded “Top Ten”.  At that time, the post about New Orleans was the most popular.  We now have a new champion.  The gold medal goes to Porto Rafti, while New Orleans and Cook County Hospital take the silver and bronze medals respectively.  The “Porto Rafti” post was an attempt to show the beauty of the bay at the east shores of the Attica peninsula. 

Porto Rafti is a popular destination for Athenians and celebrities alike such as George Harrison of the Beatles who vacationed there in 1979.

Amazingly, the post about “Cook County Hospital” is now more popular than “Mothers and their children” and “San Francisco”, that were second and third, three months ago.  Cook County as it was affectionately called is a legendary institution that trained more physicians in the U.S. than any other for almost 100 years. 

Here comes the sun 

Here comes the sun, and I say

It's all right

Little darling

It's been a long cold lonely winter

Little darling

It feels like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun 

Here comes the sun, and I say

It's all right

Little darling

The smiles returning to the faces

Little darling

It seems like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun

Here comes the sun, and I say

It's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes

Little darling

I feel that ice is slowly melting

Little darling

It seems like years since it's been clear

Here comes the sun

Here comes the sun, and I say

It's all right

Here comes the sun

Here comes the sun

It's all right

It's all right

The bus trip.

The final leg from Chicago to Columbus, Ohio was a mere 360 miles. With this trip our journey came to an end as we returned to where we started.

We made this journey on the Megabus that departs outside the Union Station on Canal Street in Chicago and makes stops in Indianapolis at OSU Student Union and downtown Columbus. There is no doubt it is the slow way to travel as it takes one hour by plane versus 6 on the bus.  Of course in the one hour you have to add a couple more hours that you should arrive to the airport prior the take off time.  You should be prepared to wait in long lines, remove your shoes, belt etc and God forbid if you carry a small bottle of water!  Keep in mind that due to adverse weather conditions thousands  of flights have been cancelled so there is a good chance that you may sleep at the airport.  Recently most of the airlines charge even if you carry a suitcase and I am willing to bet in the future they will add an extra charge to those who are overweight!  So go bus! 

The flag of the State of Indiana has 19 stars, with the outer circle representing the 13 colonies and the 5 stars in the semi-circle stand for the states admitted to the Union prior to Indiana.  The star above the torch symbolizes Indiana, the 19^th state.

The flag of the State of Ohio is unique due to its shape.  Ohio’s flag unlike all other is shaped like a pennant and is referred as a burgee.  The large blue triangle represents Ohio’s hills and valleys.  Inside the triangle are 17 white stars, the 13 to the left surrounding the large circle represent the colonies while the 4 to the right symbolize the next four states to join the Union.  The large red circle represents the first letter of the state’s name and also the fruit of the state tree, the buckeye.  The three red and two white stripes symbolize the land and water routes of the state.