South of Naples, we sailed past the Stromboli Volcano and the picturesque village of Ginostra situated on the slopes just below its fiery mouth, then through the Strait of Messina between Sicily and Italy. Students went to class learning about Greek politics, art, music and history while getting acquainted, building community, and organizing clubs and activities. Several resident directors who had been quarantined on the ship since Italy were released, relieving a great deal of stress for the Residence Life Team. Our voyage leadership team (VoLT) continued to work through ongoing COVID challenges, and the Field Team prepared our excursions for Greece. We produced our first Green Sheet, a document distributed to all voyagers with safety and contact information, as well as details about their field programs and classes. We met with staculty to prepare them to lead groups in Greece and coordinated last minute details with the tour operator through a phone call in the Executive Dean’s office.

We came alongside in Piraeus as staculty were enjoying traditional Greek appetizers in the Chappy served by the best bartenders ever, Ingrid and Jun. Voyagers cheered, took selfies and reveled in arriving at our first port. Flooded with memories of our final approach to South Africa in March 2020, I was buoyed by a sense that we might actually complete this voyage.  The entire SAS community came together for our first Logistical Preport, a gathering held the night before each port to provide country-specific information about safe and appropriate travel. Unfortunately, a time that should have been fun and exciting as the first voyage after a 2-year hiatus was dampened a bit by some challenging stress management issues.

We awoke the next morning to a message from our Executive Dean, Shaun, inviting the VoLT to an early morning meeting to prepare for disembarkation. When we walked into the meeting room, we were surprised to see Captain Kostas waiting for us. The Greek government had just informed him that we would be required to test every passenger every day they wished to leave the ship. Since Italy, we had tested the full community twice, each time learning ways to refine the system, but it is a big job and a huge lift for our small medical team. During our half-hour meeting, we brainstormed and discussed and honed a plan for our 4 days in Greece. Because we had tested for arrival, testing would be on days 2, 3, and 4. We would recruit volunteers, set up an assembly type line in the Lido restaurant, prioritize those with field classes, programs, and flights, and use “sea chat” and “sea mail,” as well as signs on the gangway, to inform everyone. We devised systems to safely and discreetly inform and isolate those with positive results and their close contacts. We broke our huddle and went to work preparing.

The first voyagers crossed gangway about 10 a.m. and just after noon, we met up with Lew and Mary Ann Cutter, friends we had met on our 2017 voyage and set forth on a mission to find Greek coffee. We ventured up the steep, cobblestone streets of Piraeus to a small shopping area where we found not only coffee, but pastries, Oozo and Dr. Mark. Further meandering took us to a market, pharmacy, candy shop and church. We were struck by the beauty of the sidewalks lined with orange trees, the ocean view from the hilltops, and the number of cats crossing streets, lying on hoods of cars, or wandering in and out of shops and cafes. Just as I was headed back for our meeting with the tour operator, we ran into Luke. He and I returned to the terminal together while and the Cutters stayed in town for lunch.

It was fun to finally meet our tour operators with Excursions Greece in person after working with them through email and Zoom for many months. A family-owned business, they were extraordinary partners invested in our mutual success. Over pastries and chocolate, we reviewed our itineraries and clarified questions.

Captain Kostas, who is Greek, recommended a small, local restaurant where we met up with Scott and Bob for dinner and a discussion that would further turn Chris’ retirement on its head. Another shift in his work responsibilities that, if accepted, would be announced enroute to Cyprus. We shared a variety of delicious appetizers, cherished time with friends and tried to avoid eye contact with several cats who seemed to believe if they stared hard enough, they could will a morsel of food off our forks. Greece was the end of Scott’s time on the voyage. He was excited to be meeting up with son, Tate, in Germany and returning to the home office in Fort Collins.

Our time in Greece was extraordinary. We visited the Acropolis on a cold, windy day, sharing a tour with the Crisler family who were kind enough to donate handwarmers to get me through. We reheated at a rooftop café overlooking the Parthenon and shared fresh tomatoes, olives and feta cheese with Ken and Hyla Cushner. Together with the Lindas, we joined a field program to Ancient Corinth. A site that was occupied from before 3000 BC, we walked where the Apostle Paul addressed the Corinthians and took in breathtaking views of snowcapped mountains through the ruins. The program also included a visit to the Corinth Canal followed by a tour of a family run olive farm where we learned their process for making olive oil and tasted their unique olive oil varieties.

On January 14, we received word from Sara that the Italian government, perhaps with some intervention from the American Consulate, had allowed Will and the remaining SAS student in isolation at the Medea Resort to take an antigen test rather than PCR. Nervously awaiting the results, we walked along the shore of the Aegean Sea in search of a café with good coffee and wifi. My heart lept into my throat when Chris’ phone rang. Though reception was poor, and we could barely hear, the word NEGATIVE was loud and clear. Tears of joy welled and spilled down my cheeks. At the nearest café, we tapped into wifi, called Will back to ascertain details about next steps and toasted to freedom with a bottle of Oozo! Will would spend the night at the hotel where Sara was staying. Together, they would travel on the following day by train to Rome where he would stay with his friend Devin until he could get a flight home.

The celebration continued when we took the Lindas and friend, Harley, back to the restaurant recommended by Captain Kostas. We had more appetizers to try and were happy to support a local business with such kind proprietors. The sun set as we drank more toasts to Will and the dedicated ISE staff who tirelessly support all of us. Walking back in the dark, the lights on MV World Odyssey in the harbor below guided us home as we felt lighter, hopeful and full of gratitude. Ya Mas!