Athens dropped behind us. I can’t say I feel much remorse. The time there had been mixed; there have been good days, and a good dive, an interesting hotel, and a busy dangerous beautiful city. The plane took off, I was glad to have wheels up.
The Aegean airlines served a hot meal, even though the flight was only two hours. Hot pasta with cheese, a white roll, a fig bar. And! Free wine! Surprising, but welcome. A counterpoint to the baggage charges. Aegean isn’t a budget airline, but does charge 35 Euro for every checked bag. My bag is strictly one cm longer than allowable carryon, but drew no second glances. Justin had only a small backpack now, with his few newly purchased clothes. So I suppose we saved money there. I discarded the cheap knife I had picked up in Croatia, and the last bit of delicious fig and lemon jam I had got there as well. With my small bag of toiletries each under 100mL, in a clear bag, I was ready to carry on.
The plane flew over the coast of Croatia. We looked down,, recognizing the shape of the bays we had visited on the sailboat. The island of Vis passed below us, sandy and rocky shores crisp against the blue of the ocean. The clouds had cleared in the immediate area, allowing us the nostalgic view. That had ben a very good trip, a very nice time. We had been fresh and eager, and the ocean provided the road to travel. I saw some impossibly tiny white specks on the water, sails catching the wind. Very few boats out now, the last few weeks of the good sailing season.
The ocean spread below us, a deep blue. The sky could be seen even further above our flight, the same impossible blue, deep as eternity. The two colors bracketed our viewpoint, the clouds scudding in wisps below us. Between the two blues, both deeper in their own way than my mere mind can comprehend, we fly. On to Venice.
Wherever you are, Be There 