Delia McCrae | Article and Photos

On my recent trip to Greece , a brief stop in Paris on our way to Athens was pure romance . That is , until we spent several days navigating a web of flight cancellations related to France ’ s rotating transportation strikes . What a start to a vacation that became as memorable for its misadventures as its adventures !

A mishap occurred during our first night in Athens . I was preoccupied after receiving news that my brother-in-law had been moved into palliative care in Toronto . After turning off the bathroom light , I returned to bed only to roll off the edge of the mattress and onto the floor . Surprised , but uninjured , I repeated this simple manoeuvre of getting into bed . Ouch ! When I fell a second time , I put out my right hand to brace my fall . That hurt .

My wrist was sore but not visibly fractured — according to the interested locals who directed me to a nearby private clinic . But the orthopaedic surgeon x-rayed and confirmed a break , then carefully set my wrist and placed it into a brace . My right wrist , lower forearm , and thumb needed to be immobilized for six weeks . I thanked the Greek gods for my travel insurance when I paid the bill .

The next day , a bus tour to Cape Sounion was the perfect antidote to this setback . Fatigued by this unexpected injury and uncomfortable in my sling , I soaked in the spectacular scenery as the bus wended its way along the sparkling , azure Aegean Sea and let the healing begin .

Columns of Poseidon ’ s temple — built from marble around 440 BCE during the Golden Age of Athens — stood proudly on a cliff sixty metres above the sea . It was easy to envision the god of the seas keeping watch . This tangible connection between past and present resonated as I walked the ruins . The beauty of the site gave me deep appreciation for the wisdom and creativity of Greece ’ s early inhabitants .

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