YOB: A New Bucket List

By Beth

As you are all aware, the Year of the Birthday is over. Been over for some time, though that didn't stop us from doing some of the things on the list. In hindsight, we really were a bit too ambitious. So the last time I went to see Lara, we discussed those items that were left and what to do with them. Lara and I are all about lists, and adventures together, so we decided to make our own Bucket List. This new list has no time frame, so no pressure to get it done. We can also add to the list if we want and remove things that we deem unreasonable. We came up with the list while at Buffalo Wild Wings, or walking through the woods (I did some rock-and-tree-hopping, Lara did not). Our environment may have influenced some of the items on the list. So here is what we have so far, one will hopefully be completed this weekend, but I won't tell you which one, that would take some of the fun out of writing the article to go along with the adventure.

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YOB International Adventures 2010 (Part 7) Crete

By Lara

Honestly? After Turkey, Israel, and Egypt, Crete wasn't terribly spectacular. It was pretty, though. The water was beautifully clear. The people who wanted to go swimming were encouraged to do so. I just wandered from shop to shop doing some last minute souvenir buying. I meandered over to the lake. I look some pictures of churches. I ate some mediocre gellato. We didn't have very long on Crete. I think it was only about three hours. I got back on the boat early and camped on the fifth floor deck to people watch from above. I'm also fairly certain that I went to bed early that night.

We disembarked the next day and rode back to the hotel. Karen held a farewell thing for us in the hotel lobby with coffee and some sort of uber-sweet thing. The remaining eight of us decided to go out to lunch to get our fill of souvlaki and tzazicki and baklava. Food was consumed. Photos were taken. Jokes were made. It was wonderful.

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YOB: International Adventures 2010 (Part 6) Egypt

By Lara

We got up really early for Egypt. The first part of the tour was a three hour bus ride into Cairo. Our tour guide was interesting. I tried to stay awake for his lecture because he was so excited and knowledgeable. I did not succeed. I don't think I slept through a lot of it, though.

Cairo was interesting. No one in Cairo drives inside the traffic lines... not buses, not sports cars, not 1950's style Fords, nor the donkey carts. They all just weave and honk their way forward.

Our bus managed to weave and honk its way to the Egyptian museum. I was excited about the museum. I grew up watching enough PBS that four thousand year old statues make me tingly with anticipation. Plus, I was going to see the King Tut exhibit on its home continent! That's when our guide mentioned that under no circumstances could we bring a camera inside. My heart grumbled a bit, but I reminded myself that there was a gift shop.

Ok. We braved the exuberant throngs of people to get inside the museum. If Egypt has fire codes, I cannot imagine that we didn't violate about a hundred of them to squeeze into the museum. We didn't get a lot of time to look at the statues. I probably would have lingered over more of them, but I had no desire to be left behind in Egypt... or crushed by a tourist stampede. I did, however, get to see Tutankhamen's underpants.

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YOB: #3. Leave Random Gifts On Doorsteps (Part 2)

By Beth

This one is going back quite a bit in my memory. It was one of the first things we did in the Year of the Birthday and my memory is not as strong as Lara's. You'll have to bear with me, I may embellish a bit!  But, honestly, it's probably good that I waited so long to write about this event; gave me a chance to see how those who found the random gifts responded.

Who doesn't like getting presents? And who wouldn't find an anonymous, though tasteful, gift intriguing? Who left it? Do I have a secret admirer? Are they watching me right now? How do I look? Do they see the lettuce in my teeth? Or is it a secret message from the CIA or Her Majesty's Secret Service, requesting immediate dangerous action on our part? You know if either Lara or I were to receive such a gift we would create an elaborate story involving monkeys, glitter, secret weapons made from lipstick tubes and dashing, British spies. The thinking behind leaving random gifts on doorsteps was just that: people would wonder and imagine similar storylines. We're all about using our imagination, Lara and I. We were also hoping to hear about the reactions of the recipients, so we chose people we (mainly I) would have some interaction with after the fact.

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YOB: International Adventures 2010 (Part 5) Mykanos/Israel

By Lara

Most of the day on Sunday, we were at sea. I distinctly remember writing in my journal, napping, and being cornered by Karen for an hour in the lounge. Most of the time, I just let her talk. It was easier that way. She had quite the monologue about cruise ship disasters. I did a lot of trying not to think about it.

We got to port in Mykanos mid-afternoon. All of the houses were whitewashed with blue roofs and shutters. It makes for an eye-pleasing effect. There was a rather long period of waiting for the shuttle bus to take us into the main village of Mykanos. I mostly remember being windblown. Aine and I may have pretended to be in 80ies videos. I remember there was singing.

The village was beautiful. Karen led us on a walk-through to the windmills. The streets were all whitewashed and cobble-stoned. The weather was ideal. The water was inviting. The churches were quaint.

Half way through the town, we met Petros. Petros is a giant pelican and something of a local celebrity. I thought he was adorable until he yawned his beak inside-out. That was creepy.

While most of the rest of the group visited the shops, I tried to find some quiet places to just sit and drink in the experience. Everything was so bright and beautiful. Also, it was Sunday, so I popped into one of the churches to take a little bit of reflection time and prayer. Greek Orthodox churches do tend to be a little bit more ornate than is my taste, but they are still churches and they are part of the experience.

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