But, have a really nice day, no matter what happens, OK?

Beautiful Santorini provided the most amazing vistas to calm the mind and spirit, and prepare the body and soul for returning home to the USA.

White is the color of the Greek Isles– furniture, clothing, waiters and tourists dressed in white, walls, ceilings, and roofs, path ways painted grey but outlined in white.

Blue shutters and doors …

Quintessential Greece.

Sun glasses – big ones – de rigour as is sunscreen…

Many roads traveled, people met, thought-provoking situations and loneliness experienced, fulfillment enjoyed….  “thank you, life” are the three words that sum the last 10 months up.

Thoughts before I return to the USA after 10 months of traveling thru Portugal, France, Italy, Jordan and Greece:

Kindles compete with I-tablets and the mass-produced mystery novels bought at the “international press shops”…

White skin turns pink — in some cases, painfully pink – a sure-tell sign of a tourist…

Single travelers – strike up conversations with everyone – you never know where it will lead.  People are willing to share their experiences …really!

What DO tourists carry in those small backpacks when they are seeing the sites?

Bangle bracelets and gold earrings contrast the bronzed skin – a constant in beach resort destinations…

Smart phones abound…very convenient for self-portrait shots …

Cameras with 8 inch lenses wait for the perfect shot of the sunset, the bridges in Florence, the Eiffel Tower, the fields in Cinque Terre…

“Oh My God” has become an international expression….along with “actually” and “exactly”…

English is the international language, French disdain the use of it, Indians speak it crisply with an English lilt and days-gone-by expressions such as  “properly chilled”, “I shall not..” but go back to Hindu when irritation strikes,  Italians love their food and all aspects from its growth to the table top – whether it be a family meal or a snack with the early evening wine, overly polite and friendly Americans ask apologetically for something, American tourists do tend to travel in groups, most visitors try to pronounce basic words of the country’s language, Germans trudge up and down the paths or streets, Asians ALWAYS have small umbrellas with them…

Trains and buses provide transportation for those with and without vehicles.. easy, easy, easy traveling….I wish the USA had the same system….

Train stations closing in smaller towns..indication of new generation moving on..

Agricultural land is for sale, tourism is becoming more and more an economic base…

Walk 2 blocks off the main streets and see the “real” town….

Worldwide skepticism propagates daily regarding countries governments….

America’s influence is dwindling….and a constant source of derision in discussion about America….but, yet, most people really like Americans! Friendly, friendly people….

Chinese language schools are multiplying…  Chinese are traveling…

Adventure travel companies have made everywhere accessible in the world by the internet/google/baidu/emails & advertising … ie: the Undiscovered Italian Coast” – Cinque Terre was “discovered” by Rick Steves…

Don’t believe everything you read..the French were very friendly to me!

Common threads — immigrants, unemployment, low wages, gap between incomes is rising, energy concerns, “how do we get more tourists”, education issues, borders or lack thereof in Europe and issues associated with that, people want a say in their government…

Read opposing opinions, listen – no, really listen, then speak, leave the table with the agreement to agree to disagree and be friends….

Cash in the air miles or save some money and go someplace different…leave your comfort zone and then, leave your culture and pre-conceived notions when you board the plane or train or car..with the final step being:   erase the chalkboard of the mind and let the new experience write new sentances on that board…

At home, help someone who is lost or doesn’t speak the language ….

Home is where the atmosphere cloaks the body like a down comforter and a breath is exhaled with a soft smile.  That “home” may be the hotel room for the night.

Going home today…. a soft smile will be on my face when I see my family & friends and those blue skies of the southwest…

cya…

me