A summer of archeology

I returned from Europe and Greece and had one more year of college. I chose anthropology as my major. I was especially intrigued with archeology. So, the next summer I decided to go on an archeological dig. But where should I go? There were so many possibilities. Until that time in my life, I was a total city girl never venturing out into any wilderness areas. I looked at Cahokia in southern Illinois, somewhere in Idaho where I was supposed to construct my own living accomodations (me a city girl doing that? Really?), New Mexico where there were watermelon breaks in the middle of the day. There was also Arizona. I discussed my possibilities with a guy I knew and he said go to Arizona where there is all that cool pottery. Sounded like as good a reason as any other. So off to Arizona I went. I lived in a tent for the summer, dug up artifacts and skeletons and yes cool pottery. On weekends, I and my friends traveled all over the southwest. Til today, that is one of my absolute favorite places in the United States. Monument Valley is really one of my favorite places in all the world. And yes, I was no longer a city girl.

The experience of doing archeology was wonderful. Holding a piece of pottery in your hands, feeling the connection to that woman who had fashioned it over 800 years ago, was truly fabulous. No matter where I travel, if there are ruins to see, I am compelled to see them. From Pompeii to the Cliff  Dwellings of the United States, to the Greek ruins of Ephesus in Turkey, I am totally captivated.

In writing my novel Echoes in the Mist, I used this knowledge as I created the conflict between Julia, who thinks it is wonderful to bring Greek treasure to Western museums so everyone can see them and Stephano who fervently believes Western archeologists are plundering the treasures of his country which should remain in Greece.

Hydra Island

So in my college days, money was pretty tight.  We wanted to go to a Greek island and therefore we chose the one which was the closest to Athens and which costs the least amount of money to get to on the ferry.  The island was Hydra.  It had wonderful beaches, restaurants and there were absolutely no cars.  The only means of transportation were boats, feet, and donkeys.One night we became lost on the winding cobble stone streets in the total darkness, hearing the sounds of donkeys but not being able to see them. I had totally fallen in love with Greece after only a few days in the country.  I sensed my boyfriend didn't feel the same way and I vowed to come back someday with someone who would appreciate it the way I did. At that time I had no idea why I felt such a connection to Greece. But I loved the sky and the water and the people.

Athens and the Acropolis

We took a boat from Brindisi, Italy to Greece. We did sight seeing in Athens where I  learned about the  Elgin Marbles or as the Greeks would say the Acropolis Marbles. Greece was ruled by the Ottoman Empire for four hundred years until 1825. .In 1801,  Lord Elgin, the British ambassodor to the Ottoman Empire marveled at the beauty of the  Parthenon and thought the marble sculptures should be displayed in England. So he asked the ruling Sultan who gave him permission to take them away.  I was very intrigued with this story and the violation of the ruins that belonged to the Greek people.  Today there is still controversy regarding where the Elgin Marbles should be displayed. My thoughts about the Europeans carting away Greek treasure became the basis of my story Echoes in the Mist.

The Journey begins

My journey starts when I was in college. My friend Debby, who is now my editor, and I decided to go to Europe. We went on a group tour with other college students. We were going to visit England, Scotland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Austria. As you can see I was not supposed to visit Greece. But alas then my boyfriend at the time, appeared and asked me to leave the tour and go with him to Greece since he heard it was a great place to visit for a few days.

Happy Thanksgiving

I am so thankful for the inspiration that made possible the crafting of Echos in the Mist.  In the coming days, I am looking forward to sharing how this book came to be.  In the past, I had almost no contact with Greek people and Greek culture.  So, how did it happen that I wrote a book about all things Greek?  Check back soon to learn more!