Our harbour-side vigil of the early hours - as described in yesterday's post - was rewarded with the arrival of the Kanaris. I don't know why I meticulously recorded the name of the ship. I did an online search in real time 2025 and located a ship of this name currently in the Aegean Sea. … Continue reading Big Trip Day 105 – To Malia
Author: Derek Lee
I was born in Croydon, South London and eventually settled in Northamptonshire. After more than 30 years as a clinical psychologist in the NHS, my welcome retirement finds me dabbling in bits and pieces - e.g., writing, running, martial arts and photography.
Big Trip Day 104 – Almost leaving Karpathos
It was a late morning rise at camp Jim & Derek today. We walked into town and bought 0.25 kg of monkey nuts each. In the late afternoon, we scurried back to camp with our treasure. Not being the best of campers, we struggled a bit with the fire - not helped by spilling water … Continue reading Big Trip Day 104 – Almost leaving Karpathos
Why Did the Buffalo Cross the Road?
It can be quite challenging to drive along our village roads. In some areas they resemble the surface of the moon. Meanwhile, the main road connecting to the village of Zdravets and the Varna to Burgas highway benefits from random patches of resurfacing undertaken by a fleet of diggers, trucks and assorted heavy equipment operated … Continue reading Why Did the Buffalo Cross the Road?
Meet the Village People
My earlier post mapped out the geographical aspects of the village, but it is of course the people that give meaning and texture to the terrain. I would like to introduce some of the people we have met since moving here, but I want to do this without appearing to be too disrespectful. They were … Continue reading Meet the Village People
Big Trip Day 101 – Karpathos to Karpathos
The sense of excitement and adventure that Jim and I have at being on this island cannot be understated. It is with reluctance and not a little literal liberty (and alliteration) that I suggest the island is starting to live up to its name. I mentioned in my previous post that not much happens here, … Continue reading Big Trip Day 101 – Karpathos to Karpathos
Avren – Welcome to the Village
Let me be clear from the start. This is not a chocolate box village. It is probably more akin to a box of frogs kind of village. It is essentially a working village set amidst forest and agricultural land. Some people have second homes here to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. but … Continue reading Avren – Welcome to the Village
Big Trip Day 97 – Karpathos
Yesterday we caught the 11.30 hrs boat from Piraeus to this quite remote island in the south eastern Aegean Sea. The journey took 27.5 hours. The "we" consists of Jim from Atlanta and myself. You may recall we traveled together to Matala a life time ago on this blogging odyssey. We disembarked at Karpathos (the … Continue reading Big Trip Day 97 – Karpathos
On the Move – To Bulgaria
[Note: This was written a couple of years ago but I have just converted it from a page to a post to help make my content more accessible. If you are interested in my Bulgarian adventure, further posts will be made under the Bulgaria Life category.] I am slowly transitioning to a life in Bulgaria. … Continue reading On the Move – To Bulgaria
Big Trip – Interlude
Revisiting memories can have some unforeseen consequences. I mentioned in my post yesterday that we tend to be protective of the narrative of our lives, it forms the foundation of our sense of self. We are not often called upon to challenge it. At times of trauma, especially if the event somehow echoes similar events … Continue reading Big Trip – Interlude
Big Trip Day 94 – Dafni (Third Night)
This is my third consecutive night at the Dafni Wine Festival on the outskirts of Athens. My aim to to sample wine from 36 different barrels. You gotta aim high! In the end, it turns out that I started at Barrel 36 and ended at Barrel 18. There were two I was unable to sample … Continue reading Big Trip Day 94 – Dafni (Third Night)
Psychologist on the Move 