The Twist

 So about a week into my trip, I got Covid. Ugh.

It came on me like a freight train, moving from afternoon fatigue requiring a nap, to shivering and putting on extra layers as I went to bed, then waking up in the middle of the night drenched with sweat, throwing off the covers and lying on top. My throat had been getting steadily more and more sore, and in that middle of the night session I felt like there was a knife down it, and a hammer hitting my head on top and in the back. I had been taking my temperature throughout, and it went one time just above 100, barely a fever. So I thought, maybe it's allergies. Maybe the headache is a migraine. But at first light, I dug out the test kit I'd brought along, and was frankly terrified when it turned positive. How many times in the past three years have I felt poorly, and tested, only to have it be negative? But here it was, and likely true. 

The fear wasn't for how sick I was going to get, it was the implications of being sick while on a ship in a foreign country. What was going to happen to me? How would I lose control of what would happen to me?

When, according to my daily schedule in my room, the medical office was supposed to be open, I masked up and went down. There was a Greek doctor and a Philipino nurse on duty. I told them my symptoms, but not about my self-test. At that point I had no more fever. They gave me a release to sign before giving me another test, and I hesitated several minutes before going ahead with the official ship's test. Again, the issue was, what will happen to me? How will I lose control over what will happen to me, once I'm in some system as being positive? But I went ahead, because I'm so much of follow-the-rules person. Of course, their test was also positive.

They told me I should isolate in my cabin. They gave me some kind of decongestant, to be taken at night. They gave me so tablets for a cough. They gave me some vitamin C. I asked what was in the decongestant, the cough tablets the ingredients, but I didn't understand the answer, and they seemed to think being told when to take it should be enough. They assured me the progression would probably be no worse than a bad cold, and they had no access to antivirals, but I shouldn't need them anyway.

So back to my tiny but cozy ship's cabin. They brought me menus, and took my meal orders over the phone, and delivered them by tray into my room. I took my Extra Strength Tylenol, religiously every 7-8 hours (no more than 3 doses per day) and took my temperature just before renewing each dose. Never again did I have even the tiniest fever. I did not take the nasal decongestant or cough medicine, never needing it. The nose dripped but wasn't plugged. My throat was sore, and I had brought a long a large collection of cough drops / throat soothers, which I partook of liberally. I had loaded up my kindle with books and my iphone with recorded books and my ipad with TV shows and movies before leaving home as I knew there wouldn't be internet available on the ship. The first day, I slept more than half the time away. I woke up the next day feeling almost normal, so time passed as I devoured some books, marched ten steps up and down my room, did a few desultory body weight exercises and stretches, sat on my tiny little veranda to get a glimpse of Greek scenery going by.

And I worried. I mentioned no internet. What I had was my cellphone with an international data plan. So when we were cozied up to the land, and I had connectivity on the phone, I had slow and small internet access. Generally at night we were at sea and there was no coverage. So I tried to look up international regulations about traveling with Covid, any regulations on the airline site, hotels in Athens, etc., and was more frustrated than satisfied. The first couple of days it was more formless worrying in between feeling bad and choosing to drown in some books rather than actually figure out any plan of action. I realized how having money makes everything easier - if I needed to stay in Athens for some days, it wouldn't ruin me. But I had done absolutely no research on Athens, since the only time I would have spent there would have been while staying on the ship. Hotels.com had 967 hotels available in Athens, and I had no notion about neighborhoods, properties, etc.. I felt I couldn't cope and just went back into my books.

The day before we were due to leave, I went back to Medical and asked them about leaving. The doctor and nurse worked for the ship, and they said folks from the tour company that chartered the ship would be contacting me. They said guidelines recommended isolating for five days, but there was no ban on flying, and in their experience most people just went home. So I reached out (not for the first time) to the program people on the ship, and they finally got back to me. Their main question was, "do you feel well enough to fly?" and for me, clearly, the answer was "yes". Except for a mild sore throat, a slightly dripping nose, I had no symptoms except tiredness. I wanted home, in my own house, in my own bed! So they made arrangements for me (and, it turns out, a few other covid-positive passengers) to be transported to the airport separately from the other passengers. I was able to check in for my flight on my phone, and there was a moment of trepidation about what questions I would be asked. But the airline asked many questions about documentation and paperwork, most of which did not apply to US citizens, and never about symptoms or test results. 

We had been divided into small groups for the trip, and on the last day one of the women from my group came by to ask how I was doing and if I needed anything. She had NOT been told I was Covid-positive, and I was ... embarrassed to tell her. As if it was my fault, and I worried that I might have infected the others.  We spoke through the open door of my cabin, distanced, and she didn't run away from me when I told her. 

The same sense of shame pervaded me at the airport. It's very inefficient to get from Athens to the US east coast. Basically, you have to fly to central Europe and then catch a US bound flight from there. In order to make the connections, you have to be on the first flights out of Athens in the morning (mine was 7 am). Because it was recommended being at the airport three hours ahead, and it took up to an hour to get to the airport from the ship, it meant leaving the ship at 3 am. The airport was crowded with many of the other 200 passengers from the ship all doing approximately the same thing. I was double-masked - surgical mask inside KN95 - put on headphones, stuck my nose in my kindle, and avoided any eye contact or acknowledgement. I *really* didn't want to have an out-loud conversation in the airport gate room about my flying with Covid. I also was not happy with the idea I was typhoid Mary spreading germs intercontinentally. I rationally thought the risk to others was low - Day 5, double masked - but I still feel like deciding to fly home was one of the more selfish things I've ever done. 

It was a tough trip on my virus-battered body. It might have been better for me, as well as everyone else, if I'd gone to a hotel for a couple of days. But that's behind me now, no longer an option. It took me several days after I got home to recover simply from the fatigue of the trip: up in the middle of the local night after 2 1/2 hours sleep, then 22 hours before I reached the front door of my house. I was masked all but about half an hour of those 22 hours which added to the discomfort. I switched out masks, going with a really good N95 with behind-the-head elastic straps on the long flight. During what turned into five hours in Frankfurt airport, I bought a sandwich and found a deserted section of the terminal with no-one around me for a big distance, and took off the mask and ate slowly. My nose was never so congested I couldn't equalize my ears on the flights, hooray, but still it was a slight drag to be breathing through the mask all the time. I ubered home, and the trip from the airport was double the normal time. I was so happy to get home and just fall into my very own bed.

I missed a big family wedding on Saturday to my great regret. Thanksgiving dinner is up in the air (so happy again to be a perpetual guest, not on the hook for hosting or cooking). I am likely to show up masked to chat for a while, and then take a doggy bag home to eat alone, unless I get negative tests by then. (Not yet). Still the little dripping nose and slightly sore throat, no fever.

As I assess my condition, I'm not sure what is fatigue, what is boredom, what is laziness. This is a perpetual battle for me. I've been for short walks, done small amounts of raking, worked out slowly, body weight exercises, with my trusted trainer over video. My big boy is living in my basement, did some grocery shopping for my empty refrigerator, leaves on Saturday. We've only talked in passing, me masked and keeping my distance. He turns THIRTY tomorrow, and we're going to have a partially outdoor celebration for him. 

So that's me. Poking along. Not terribly ambitious. But so happy to be in my sun-drenched room, in my favorite chair, not feeling too bad, puttering every now and then with my plants. Excelsior!

Greece

Syros

I went to Greece! This has been on my travel wish list since I was a teenager, but this particular trip was a bit of an impulse. I decided to experiment with taking a trip with a tour company all by myself, without knowing anyone at all on the tour. The company is Road Scholar, once upon a time known as "Elder Hostel". Their thing is old Americans that have intellectual curiosity, so their programs include an educational element, not just gawking and shopping. 

My cabin had a small balcony!
Also a very comfortable bed.

Road Scholar has chartered a small(ish) cruise ship for the next few years, and in line with their approach, they refer to it as their "floating campus". So there were about 200 passengers aboard, larger than the ship I took to Iceland but orders of magnitude smaller than regular cruise ships. They divided us in advance into groups of about 25, based on one of two activity levels we could select in advance, with a Greek guide. It was all old people, and I was surprised (but shouldn't have been) that I was on the young end of age distribution. Thanks to my conditioning work, I was also at the more fit end, though not at all alone in my abilities.

The first night, we had a welcome aboard talk in the lounge. We learned that contrary to plans, instead of staying in Athens and touring the Acropolis the next day, we were instead setting sail to the island of Syros, which had been scheduled for our last day aboard. They swapped out the two days because of a planned general strike in the country - much of what we wanted to see in Athens wouldn't be available. I was happy at their flexibility and responsiveness!

About halfway up the steps in Syros

There were two restaurants on board, one a sit down dining room and the other a buffet. (It turns out they served the same food in both.) That first night, I walked myself down to the fancy dining room, where there was a line and a person doing the seating. I told him, "I'm on my own, but would love to be joined to a table with others." He sent me to a round table for eight, where there ended up one couple and the rest single people on their own like me. Good conversation! People are really interesting! 

The ship cast off some time during dinner, and arrived at the island of Syros very early the next morning. We met with our groups for the first time, and were issued "whisper devices". These are a very good idea, especially with old people. They are basically low-power radio receivers that fit over one ear, with the group leader having the only transmitter and microphone. It made it much easier to hear what Antonis was saying, while maybe wandering a few feet away and looking at something else. 

So we went around the port town of Syros, which was actually built in the nineteenth century by refugees from other Greek islands who were displaced by the fighting against the Ottoman Empire as Greece emerged as an independent country. We only went a couple of miles total, with a few hills. Everything was interesting! After lunch, I returned to the town alone with my camera and toiled up the hill into the oldest part of town and to the church on top. There were warrens of streets and narrow alleys with stairs the only way to reach many destinations. I lost myself in the picture taking, loving the shapes and textures of light. 

Iconic Mykonos

Before dinner that night and almost every night, there was a session in the lounge, recapping the current day and previewing the next. I joined a group of single women in the lounge, and we ended up eating dinner together. More interesting stories!

The next day was Mykonos! My parents had been to Greece in 1967 and my mother had raved about Mykonos. That's when it went on my wishlist. She said the light was like no other place on earth. 

Iconic Windmills

The light was certainly great. This place has the classic whitewashed stucco with brightly painted wood trim that is iconic of the Greek islands. But according to our guide, nobody goes to Mykonos anymore because it's too crowded. We were the off season, and that meant we could make our way through the tiny twisted alleys of the old town just fine, but nearly everything, from restaurants to boutiques, were closed. I was enthralled with the romantic images. But the high end names on the various closed-for-the-season shops indicates how high end the season must be. But beaches! We didn't see them, they were on the far side of the island, but that would be my suggestion for an in-season visit, rather than the crowded town and shopping.

Me learning from the trip photographer

When our tour was over, we had the rest of the day and night to explore the town on our own. I fell in with another group of women to eat lunch in one of the few open restaurants, and somehow the conversation turned to death. Widows all, they each had gripping and heartbreaking stories of lost family members, children and siblings and spouses. At one point, they turned to me. "Do you have a traumatic death story you want to share?". "Not that I want to share" I said. 

After lunch, I had another solo session with my camera and scenery, very content. Dinner that night was with the same people from lunch, with a much more lighthearted conversation. The ship stayed put for the night.

Ruins on Delos

The next morning, very early we took a small local ferry boat to the nearby island of Delos. No-one lives on Delos, except for the watch cats, and a few rotating guards. The island was a sacred place in ancient times, and now the whole island is reserved as an archeological site. Our guide made the piles of rubble very relevant, describing the temples, the marketplaces, the life in the houses. Returning to Mykonos, we had another afternoon of photography before another dinner with the widows. 

A note on the cats: nobody claims to own cats, but they are well taken care of. People feed and water them everywhere, at least partially in acknowledgement of their important vermin control role. When our boat, the first of the day, pulled into Delos, a parade of cats, maybe twenty of them, came trotting down to the dock to greet us. They all had their tail sticking straight up in the air, very cute!

Mary's House?

The next day was Turkey! We put into a port city, and boarded buses to Ephesus, another ancient city partially excavated. Our first stop was a house that legend says Mary the mother of Jesus lived in, though documentation is sketchy and the most of the actual house is newer than her time. But John the Evangelist was definitely in Ephesus, and supposedly he would have been taking care of Mary. I think our guide made a good point when he said, "So many people are praying here, it must have power whatever the historical truth is."

Ephesus

Then we were off to the huge city of Ephesus, where there is a partially excavated site stretching for more than a mile along a hillside. Again, our guide made things come alive in a way that would have been hard to get on our own. One of the highlights is a collection of houses they have excavated and preserved by putting a roof over it, and putting ramps and skywalks to allow you to see things without damaging them. As an inveterate reader of historical fiction and fantasy based in the various vaguely Greek settings, I loved picturing life in these fairly large, several story high, houses.

The Houses at Ephesus

Dinner that night was with our small group, with our leader. We closed the restaurant down and I was exhausted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Italian architecture - Synagogue, Kos

The next day was the city of Kos, close to the mainland of Turkey. Our guide has a lot to say about the various occupations of the Greek islands throughout the tour. Kos was occupied by the Italians in the 1920s through World War II, and because an earthquake leveled much of the town during that time, the architecture of the rebuilt city clearly reflects their influence. The tour was to an ancient site dedicated to healing, and then a walking tour of the town. We had time to eat in a cafe and do a little low key shopping in this not-very-tourist oriented place.  Losing energy and with no date for supper, I ate alone in the buffet restaurant, much more quickly than the sit-down place would have been. Very early to bed.

Santorini ahead: note white clifftop cities

Recovered frescoes - Santorini

But I was up before sunrise the next morning to watch us coming into Santorini! I saw sheer cliffs capped with white, and it took a moment to shift from Iceland spotting of glaciers to understanding these were whitewashed stucco towns clustered on the edges of the cliffs. This time, we had to anchor out in the big bay and get on a small boat to a small dock on the island. We boarded buses and were off to another ruin and museum. The town of Akrotiri at the southern end of Santorini was covered by volcanic ash (just like Pompei) in an eruption in 1627 BCE, and so it is an exceptional snapshot and well preserved. A small portion has been excavated, and all of that has been covered over by a roof with walkways. The best and most fragile furnishings and decorations have been relocated to the museum, but again, it is fairly easy to picture the town the way it must have been. If there is only one archeological site you visit in Greece, this would be it. 

Clifftop views!

After the tour we had an opportunity to wander the cliff top town. Again, a lot was closed because of the season, but me with my camera was content. But I was tired, my head hurt, my nose was stuffed, my throat was sore, and I rode the cable car down to the boat landing to go back to the ship and lie down.

Next: An unexpected twist to the story!

I am hanging on for dear life here - scared of heights!
Also too tired to stand up straight.

Air Frying

Brussels Sprouts

My vegan girl got an air fryer a couple of years ago, and has raved non-stop about how wonderful it is. I was interested (I've eaten some good stuff she has cooked) but I can't add any appliances to my small kitchen unless I get rid of something to make room. I know that anything I store in the basement won't get used (except if it's once a year, such as the cookie press). I can't abide the thought of cluttering my already busy countertops with more things.

I finally figured out that Cuisinart (and probably other brands) make combined toaster ovens / air fryers. The section of counter I use for the toaster oven is small, with an overhanging cupboard. I saw something at Costco a few weeks ago I thought might fit, and a second visit with a tape measure made it clear. In the interim, I did some research on-line. The exact Costco model wasn't available elsewhere, in a typical move for them. But the nearest equivalent on Amazon was about $100 more expensive - not always the case, but knowing that made me feel good. I got it, and found a good home for my perfectly good old toaster oven with my boy.

Zucchini

Yes, guys, air frying really is wonderful. It is, actually, convection cooking. Convection ovens had a moment back in the 1980s, and in fact I had one. But they were considered tools primarily for cooking roast meats a little faster than in the oven - mine had no broiler type element for browning and really was a dud. I didn't use it much.

But now, in my mind, air frying is for vegetables! And right now is the season for roasted vegetables! I've made brussels sprouts, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, butternut squash, vidalia onions.... The basic technique is the same for each. Cut into chunks (about an inch is good, things shrink dramatically as the air blows the moisture out). Put into a bowl, toss with olive oil and salt, perhaps some herbs or spices, then spread in the fryer basket. Cook for some variation of 400 to 450 degrees for eight to twenty minutes, stirring them up from time to time. Zucchini and eggplant each got extra steps of being salted in a colander for a few minutes before tossing with oil and cooking - it pulled moisture out.

I had to laugh at one recipe that was extremely precise on the temperature: 390 degrees!, but then said to cook for 8 to 12 minutes, requiring you to keep an eye on it. I'm from time to time checking recipes online to get an idea on timing, but mostly I'm winging it since recipes vary so much. My girl often steams the veggies in the microwave before crisping them up in the air fryer. I would do that for a special recipe, but so far I've been quite successful without that extra step. I think I might do that with potatoes - potatoes and sweet potatoes are my girl's standard breakfast.

Cauliflower

I recently roasted some butternut squash in the oven, with shallots, and it was quite a bit squishier than the air fryer makes it. The characteristic of air frying is less moisture, nicely browned, and less oil used in cooking them. The zucchini really had a nice nutty flavor, both better flavor and way better texture than recent sauteed dishes I've had. I did the cauliflower tossed with zaatar as well as olive oil - it was great! But I had to do the big head in two batches, a little too much for my small oven. I often buy cut up butternut squash at the store because I find handling the whole big hard squash to be enough of a barrier to keep me from cooking it. So now, I toss the already-cooked chunks into a bowl to toss with oil, and then toss into the basket and I have cooked winter squash in about 15 minutes from opening the fridge. I bought cut up portobello mushrooms and did the same thing. They were dry when done, and I put them in an omelet with onions and cheese and I liked them enormously. Brushed with liquid smoke portobello mushrooms are a form of vegan "bacon", adding umami and smokiness to dishes. I have some liquid smoke, and I'll give that a try. But just the shrooms without the smoke were quite tasty, with a somewhat firmer texture than when sauteed.

So I'm very happy with my new kitchen appliance. One word of warning - most air fryers, including mine, don't have a great deal of capacity. It wouldn't work for big family meals, not to make a big dish, unless it was possible to do things in shifts. But it might be interesting to use it to do something as an ingredient in a bigger dish - mushrooms, for example. But because mostly I'm cooking for myself, a meal featuring one really great vegetable with perhaps a little meat on the side is just fine for me.

My next experiment, probably tonight, will be air frying an apple (as an alternative to microwave "baking"). Toss with neutral oil and cinnamon, serve with a little butter and sugar.