The Diary of Anne Ku

GREECE

17 May 2000 Wednesday

Sorry for neglecting you, dear diary.

Actually, I was thinking about you every day in Greece.

The largest of the Dodecanese Islands, Rhodes is only 7 miles south of Turkey. I wonder if that's where the name for Rhode Island in the US comes from.

Every day was sunny, clear, windy, warm, and dry. Every day was what I wish it would be in England. No wonder all the signs are no longer just in Greek, but also in English.

What a contrast to the first time I came to Greece - some fifteen years ago. It was my first stop in Europe. I was looking for the beautiful Greek gods in mythology books I had read as a child. Instead, the beautiful men I saw on the island of Mykonos were mostly gay. So I ventured off to another island - only to be burnt by the sun. Nevertheless, I vowed one day to return, to explore the other islands, for my first experience of Greece held such promise.

Greek tavernas. Peaceful Greek villages. Fresh souvlaki and gyros. Lovely people. Most of all, crystal clear waters of the Aegean and Ionian Seas.

This time, instead of the quaintness, I saw hordes of British and German tourists. The menus were no longer Greek to me. The restaurants were proud to present "full English breakfast", "fish and chips", and pizzas of every orientation. The shops catered to the pub drinking, football watching, loud techno bunch.

Sadly I had to retreat to my hotel, where at least the swimming pool was crystal clear. And I could dive into it, dreaming of the Greece that used to be.