My mind was confused. My body was struggling to figure out when bed time is. After a long, 10 hour flight from LAX, we arrived in Frankfurt, Germany. As it was my first time on German soil, I thought of my friend, Michael Blumenstock. I hoped to send him a message. We were in Germany for only a couple of hours, before our 2 and a 1/2 hour flight to Athens. 

I was overwhelmed by the thoughts of what Greece represents. I thought of the Greek’s influence on the world culture. Thanks to Greece, every four years we witness the world’s best athletes at the Summer Olympics. The Greeks are known for their mythology. Stories about Zeus, Apollo, Hermes, and others are familiar names. How about Greek food. The gyros, grilled chicken, and the salads have always been some of my favorites. When I think of philosophy, I think of Greek philosophers like Plato, Socrates, Aristotle. He Apostle Paul carried out some intriguing philosophical and theological discussions in Athens. While helping my daughter prepare for the Spelling Bee, I learned that a good number of today’s English words are derived from Greek. After the four Gospels in the Bible, the rest of the New Testament is written in Greek.  

I am honored and humbled to set foot on such a majestic soil that produced such a dynamic world influence. Thank you Jesus. 

Soon, we arrived at the cruise ship boarding station. Is this really happening? The moment seemed so surreal. Although, I have always wanted to go on a cruise, I have always thought I could never afford it. Whenever people have asked me which countries I would want to visit, I have always mentioned Israel. Now was my opportunity to step onto a cruise ship. A great blessing. Now, I was about to see my dreams become reality – visiting Israel.  

We were still numb from shock and a sense of disbelief when we checked into our cute, immaculate room. Thereafter, we had dinner. I chose a stir fry chicken vegetable meal. It was fresh and delicious. Rutendo and I sent at a table by the wind. The night view of the city of Piraeus provided a romantic, quaint background. I was experiencing the realization of dreams together with the love of my life. Beautiful. 
We attended the mandatory evacuation drill in a theater as big as any on land. We capped off the evening by walking around the deck. We admired the ship’s imposing structure and beauty. We walked round and round to reach our 10,000 steps a day goal. We did.