Our flight from Roatan to Los Angeles felt long but smooth, and we were thrilled to finally arrive at our Greece pit stop: a condo in Marina del Rey. Super nice, great location, A+ on bed and bedding (the importance of which should never be underestimated), and a kitchen where we could finally cook instead of eating out daily. Visited the Getty Villa Museum (outstanding collection of Greek and Roman art), checked out a cool used bookstore (The Iliad), got some solid pickleballing in at Westchester Playa, chuckled at some comedy (Chocolate Sundaes at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood), had some good dinners both in and outside our place, walked around our ‘hood, rode bikes along the beach, and did a fun puzzle. Also went to the (shockingly overpriced) movies and saw Together (thrillingly disturbing), Weapons (surprisingly clever and thoroughly entertaining), and Naked Gun (got a few laughs, but no one can compare to OG Leslie Nielsen IMHO). All in all, despite a hair catastrophe still too traumatic to yet commit to permanent history and losing a gem from one of my favorite rings, we thoroughly enjoyed our week and a half stay in So Cal. 

From LA we flew a total of 16 hours(!) to Athens, not including an overnight stay in Turkey. Stayed one night at the sumptuous Athens Sofitel (yum), and then took a puddle jumper from Athens to Skiathos (less than a half hour), followed by a one-hour ferry ride to Skopelos. Needless to say, we were ready to relax when we finally arrived at our destination. Sweet little island, with one notable claim to fame: it’s the site of several scenes from the Mamma Mia! movie. Skopelos is pretty pricy for Greece (maybe because of this distinction?) and exponentially more green than any island we’ve visited so far, with temperatures significantly more mild and civilized than we’ve ever experienced in Greece in August. We could actually wear long sleeves at night; Symi by contrast is undoubtedly a pulsating hot rock right now. The vibe is different on Skopelos, too: super mellow, with a seemingly higher level of understated sophistication and class coupled by a marked absence of gawdy tattoos and inebriated, high decibel tourists.

After a day of well deserved jet lag recovery, we spent four of the next five at the beach. The beaches on Skopelos are beautiful, more than one with (generally Greece-elusive) sand, all complemented by typically picture-perfect turquoise waters. It never ceases to amaze me how contentedly we can do nothing but read and swim and chill on the beach for 10 – 11 hours at a time, and then be bizarrely exhausted at day end as if we had actually exerted some real energy. I’d blame it on the jet lag, but you can only use that excuse for so long …

Finally finished 52 Pickup, a high-promise-but-low-delivery, unduly drawn out, and ultimately disappointing read. Suffice it to say I was happy to get it over with. Busted out the books I’d purchased at The Iliad with zero expectations, and have been pleasantly surprised by the first of my take: Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger. The methods and frequency of her intermittent interactions with the reader can be tiresome and distracting, but the story at least flows well, and is so far both compelling and unpredictable.

Our week in Skopelos flew by, and I’m glad we got to visit. Perfect place, season, and duration to start our extended Greece vacay. Next up: Thessaloniki, where we’ve threatened to go for years. It’s the second largest city in Greece after Athens, so the energy and entertainment will be totally different, We should be just rested enough to fully appreciate it.