By Bob Van Leer

(AT SEA, GREEK ISLANDS, Thursday April 20, 2000) - Since we did not go east to Istanbul, Turkey, we have more than enough time to go from Kasadasi to Pireus. The captain decided on a slow tour of the Greek Islands. Greece has more than 2000 islands in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey.

   One of the most famous is Santorini, famed for the white buildings and blue roofs. It is one of a group of 14 islands called the Cyclades. The are in a circle and are remnants of an old volcano.

   Today we have to pack up and get ready for an early morning departure. We will fly Olympic Airlines, a Greek airline, to New York's Kennedy Airport, leaving at 11:50 a.m. Friday. At New York we board an American Airlines flight to San Fransisco at 10:20 p.m. But to this add the 10 hours time difference we lose going west. Since that is too late for a Medford flight we will have to stay overnight in San Fransisco and finish our journey Saturday, April 22 a total of 35 days since we left home.

   We will have traveled about 15,000 miles by air and 9459 statute miles by ship, for a total of close to 25,000 miles, and will have gone completely around the world. It has been a fabulous trip but we will be glad to get home.