Tuesday, September 18

 
It seemed impossible to think about continuing the travelogue on Tuesday. Such terrible violence, unthinkable, really. I woke up from a nap to see the first tower on fire and sat for four hours glued to CNN. Incomprehensible, really.

Now, a week later I'm back from Greece. John was in Ireland when it happened and is just making his way back today. I'm praying he arrives in the US safe and sound.

I'm in turns impressed, then dismayed about what I'm seeing from the US. The outpouring of emotion and compassion was touching, and it's brilliant to see how heroic and unselfish some people are. But I'm sick to death of the "they can't get away with doing this to Americans" rhetoric and startled by the reports of violence against muslim people. It's sad that there were so many victims, but no more sad that it was America than if it had been Northern Ireland or Kosovo or Iran or Indonesia. The sanctity of life has to be as applicable to Kurdish, the Zimbabweans, the Pakistanis as it is to the Americans. Hopefully this helps shore up our resolve to protect life and freedom and democracy and human respect and not just simply an exercise in American isolationism.

Unfortunately, I also fear this is all pointing out what an inarticulate, jargon-mongering fool Bush is and one can only hope he does as little damage as possible.

I hope everyone's loved ones are safe and well.
posted by Brian Jensen 4:31:10 PM

Monday, September 10

 
So much to catch up on. The next day I woke up late and didn't get an early start to Delos, the ancient holy island off of the coast of Mykonos, but I made the 12.50 boat and had two hours to explore it. It's a fascinating archaelogical dig/relic to the god Apollo. It was destoryed over several centuries and now one can walk amongst the ruins of temples to Poseidon, Apollo, etc. On the way back I started talking to a group of German men who asked me to take a group photo, and noticed several of them were good looking, but didn't think a thing about it. Later that night, I ran into them again in a bar and ended up talking (and heavily flirtying with one of them, a Berliner named Gunther.) Long story short (now that I have to pay for internet minutes) we hooked up and spent two days hanging out together. We were both realistic that this was a holiday fling and made no promises or embarrassing declarations. On our last night together, however, he said "you're only single because you're not trying." Which struck me as possibly true. Danke schon, Gunther!

Today I left Myknos to take the hyperjet ferry (which sails across the ocean) to Paros, then the regular, cruiseliner-like, ferry to Santorini. It was a bit cloudy and I was sitting in the shade on deck so didn't grease myself -- stupid mistake, I'm now red as a lobster. It was a beautiful trip, but nothing prepares one for the sight of the caldera. Santorini, or Thira as the Greeks call it, was once a round island, with a thriving Minoan cuulture. Several thousand years ago, a volcano in the centre of the island erupted, leaving the volcano, and a ring of island around it, like a doughnut. People have settle on this caldera, building houses the flit over the clifftops high above the sea, and despite volcanic eruptions and earthquakes that have destroyed their villages, have stayed.

When the ship approaches Thira, it looks like any other greek isle, but when it turned the corner, one starts to see the magnificent incline of the cliffs and the small white villages set precariously atop. Its an amazing view. The ferry docks and we board a small bus that scale the steep, zigzagging road to the top of the caldera. Stunning. My hotel isn't as grand as the hotel in Mykonos, and the view is rather poor. But two minutes walk from the hotel and one is on a footpath on the caldera and the sunset was amazing. It walked it until dark, then stopped at a sunset cafe, Zafora, to eat lamb stew and drink Santorini wine. Now, with I can feel the extremity of the sunburn, and the ever-present bobbing of the Aegean sea internally, but love it here.

I'm running out of minutes, more soon.
posted by Brian Jensen 8:55:48 PM

Friday, September 7

 
Day five. Last night I forced myself to go out again. At sunset I went to a funny little bar called "Kastro" that sits overlooking the ocean. They open these enormous windows and play classical music and the breeze drifts through and causes the cieling lamps to sway -- the whole thing had a very expressionist Hungarian feel about it. I met a 55 year old queen (with a 21 year old's buffed body) and before I knew it got swept up into his group. He's been here every year since 1980 and seems to know everyone. He calls himself "the catalyst". The group of gay men were men he'd met the night before, the week before, 20 years before and we all went out to dinner and had a howlingly good time. I didn't get home until 2am and am knackered today. Am meant to meet up with them later, but may opt for sitting on my balcony and reading.

Got up late, then went to the Island of Delos, an archaeological site that was once the Ancient Greek Holy Island. Walked around for two hours admiring the ruins (and feeling a bit like one myself)taking pictures. It's strange to walk all over something thats beena ruin long before there was civilisation in Europe!

Now it's time to find a little bit of lunch then return to the hotel to lay by the pool.

I like this life of leisure!
posted by Brian Jensen 2:15:24 PM

 
Hello from Greece. I had to escape the mid-afternoon heat to sit under a fan sipping ice water and checking email. It's beautifully warm in Mykonos (whoever thought I would say such a thing) and when one's days are meant to be spent meandering and swimming and laying around the beach, hot weather is a great thing.

I am attempting to tan, but my efforts are mixed -- I've managed to completely burn any part of my foot not covered by sandal straps and my forearms and nose, but little else. I've also found the effort of tanning -- the greasing, the facing the sun, the not getting books and waterbottles greasy an enormous chore. But it's delightful sitting on Platy Yialos admiring the blue Aegean sea (and the mediterraneans). The water is crystal clear, and so saline that even I am blissfully buoyant in it.

The beaches are the best thing about Mykonos. They are stunning. I've been to three, including the party beach, Super Paradise -- which one gets to by climbing onto a precarious fishing boat and coasting around the southern tip of the island. Otherwise, Mykonos is simply a dusty, rocky, barren island -- very Arizona-like -- with clusters of stacked white cubist homes with brightly coloured shutters.

My hotel sits on a mountainside overlooking the ocean. I've taken to having a cocktail on my balcony about 7.30pm and watching the sun slip over the hills and listening to the tavernas on the beach begin their nocturnal parties. The rooom is tiled and cool at night.

The tavernas all seem to serve great food and I've gorged myself twice a day. The food is mostly fresh and my favourites have been the greek yoghurt and honey they serve at breakfast and the lamb souvlaki(grilled kebab-style and served with a dill yoghurt
sauce.)

Mykonos Town is smaller than I thought it would be and is a maze of small streets where one wanders and dodges the scooters and white vans. It was built that way to confuse pirates -- it seems Mykonos has always been plundered by someone or another. It's now very touristy, but one sees bits of Greek culture here and there. During the day its fairly quiet and comes alive at night when everyone on the island (it seems) is in a taverna or bar. I met a lovely Australian couple last night but they left today and have otherwise been
happily solitary (save brief conversations with Kostas, the amiable and cute hotel clerk). Tonight I'm going to sit in a bar in Little Venice and watch the sunset and attempt to be social again.

I'm here for another four days (how quickly it passes) before going on to Thira (Santorini). Tomorrow I'm heading out to the island of Delios, the ancient greek sanctuary to look at the archaeological ruins. And am planning to do little else.
posted by Brian Jensen 2:03:57 PM

Thursday, August 23

 
Bank Holiday Weekend. Hope everyone had a pleasant bank holiday weekend. The weekend that signifies the end of the Summer, the Notting Hill Carnival, and the intense tourist season. I'm glad it's all behind me -- I love Autumn and the fact that a week from now I'll be sitting on a beach in Mykonos.

The weekend was fairly civilised. Robert arrived on Saturday and lugged his bags through the heatwave to my little flat. He arrived hot and tired and needing to rest. We watched Quills, the Kate Winslet Marquis de Sade vehicle. It's a quirky little film that's neither dark nor graphic enough to be remarkable. It did, however, make me think that Joaquin Phoenix is a babe! We then ate dinner in Maida Vale and headed up to the north, north, north part of London for a BBQ in West Finchley. I'm glad we went because very few Organic people did (shame, shame) and Kirsty, our media planner/buyer is a lovely person. But it was still hot out and the wine wasn't cold and it all made me very sleepy.

Sunday we laid around watching the EastEnders omnibus (an entire week's worth of episodes shown in a row without commercial interruption) until Robert danced off to Northampton (by all accounts, charmless Northampton) to join the elderly parade through Althrop, Diana's resting place. I watched tv and went to bed early. Monday was just shopping for my upcoming holiday and working on my website.

There are now pictures of Edinburgh in the Images section.
posted by Brian Jensen 12:45:52 PM

 
Test, one, two, three, four
posted by Brian Jensen 12:29:37 PM

Wednesday, August 22

 
I think I've been losing data. Back form the Festival. Had a brilliant time in Edinburgh despite the never-ending downpour of cold rain. Highlights were Peepolykus, Kate Dimbleby as Peggy Lee in "Fever!" and Priorité ŕ Gauche (two English boys as French popstars touring England -- maxi bon!).
posted by Brian Jensen 2:55:47 PM

Friday, August 17

 
Went last night to 10 Tokyo Joe's the bare, plain, uninspiring, and badly ventilated nightclub for a client's marketing party and had a brilliant time. Lots of very fun people and free wine and good dance music. Spent quite a while talking to a very cute account handler from another agency who I told I had been skydiving several times, only to find out he had done over 175 jumps and was off to Perris Valley to do 50 more jumps in five days. Apparently, I'm a liar now as well. I would no sooner jump out of an airplane than jump off a bridge. Oh well, it meant I got to hold his attention for a while, which was lovely.

Off tonight, hungover and tired, to Edinburgh for the Festival. Have tickets for such interesting things as Her Aching Heart (a musical told with glove puppets) something called Wiping My Mother's Arse (which I'm hoping isn't told with glove puppets) and Priorite a Gauche (a play of two English men pretending to be French rap stars touring England.) I'll report back on Monday. Happy weekend.
posted by Brian Jensen 3:00:16 PM

Wednesday, August 15

 
I've finally decided about a holiday, two weeks on the islands of Mykonos and Santorini in Greece. It will be several days on a beach working on my tan (hah!) and reading and not being anywhere near a computer. I was incredibly indecisive.

I've also added new pictures to the Images section -- evidence on sunshine in London and other bits of Summer life.

Off to have drinks with Neil at Oriel.
posted by Brian Jensen 4:24:04 PM