Unpacking for Greece by Sally Jane Smith

Title: Unpacking for Greece

Author: Sally Jane Smith

Genre: Travel memoir

Publisher: Journeys in Pages

Published: 1^st June 2023

Format: Paperback

Pages: 245

Price: $24.99

Synopsis: When Sally sets out for Europe with her mother’s 1978 travel diary in her pocket, she is searching for the wanderlust she lost in a devastating overseas road accident.

As she ventures into the heart of the Mediterranean – wandering volatile landscapes, exploring historical sites, pairing books with places and savouring the tastes of Greece – she finds it is possible for a clumsy, out-of-shape woman on a budget to experience a life-changing journey.

In a story told with warmth, humour and a fascination with Greece’s natural and cultural heritage, Sally connects with her past, overcomes her fears and falls in love with life again, one olive at a time.

Book One in the ‘Packing for Greece’ series travels to Athens and Meteora on the mainland; Monemvasia, Sparta and Methana on the Peloponnese Peninsula; and the islands of Santorini and Rhodes.

~*~

During a trip to Sri Lanka, Sally was involved in a traumatic bus accident that left Sally badly injured and feeling lost. Born in South Africa, and living there during apartheid, and then living throughout the world, finally settling in Australia. It is her mother’s 1978 travel diary that sets Sally on a new travel path to find her kefi, her zest, her wanderlust. And that diary takes her to Greece.

Book one in the series explores Sally’s first trip to Greece in 2016, where she visited Athens, Meteora on the mainland, Monenvasia, Sparta, Methana during her trip to the Peloponnese Peninsula, and the islands of Santorini and Rhodes, where Sally absorbs the history of Greece, the way the people lived during antiquity and the way they live now. She experiences generosity and kindness, language barriers and inspiration as she traverses the Mediterranean country. It is in Greece that she reconnects with herself and finds her kefi, her wanderlust, thorough wandering volatile landscapes, exploring historical sites like the Acropolis and museums that tell the story of Ancient Greece, all the while pairing books she loves with each place – a connection that evokes a sense of delight throughout the memoir. She also savours the many tastes of Greece – finding new foods and discovering that it is possible for, as she describes herself in the blurb, a ‘clumsy, out-of-shape woman on a budget’ as she experiences a life-changing journey. She brings Greece to life for those who have never been there, and for those who have, shows what it is like now, what is different and what could have been the same in the past. It merged ancient and modern effectively and gave it life.

Throughout the book, organised into the areas Sally explored in Greece, the stories are evocative and inviting, pulling the reader into the book. They get to go on the journey through Greece with her, learning the language, its history and culture, seeing the differences in how the country operates – a surprise for many who may be used to travel working in certain ways, though this is simply to highlight that travelling in every country has its differences, its challenges and its surprises that can make a journey truly special. After all, that is what experiencing a new country and culture is all about. Everything in this book is carefully written about as Sally follows the journey her mother took, and enriches it with her knowledge and understand of respecting culture, cultural icons and archaeological sites that was not as prevalent a few decades before. The contrasts between her attitude and her mother’s attitude are stark – and reflect the different times they were travelling in and what it meant for each of them, and the ways understandings have changed. These ponderings made the book interesting, breathing life into Greece and antiquity.

Unpacking for Greece shows the reader an off the beaten track sort of tour – one that Sally put together with Lonely Planet, some research, learning the language as she went and a bit of spontaneity. This book was spontaneous and fun, filled with lessons and adventure and musings on what the journey meant for Sally and how it affected her. Her voice shone through, pulling me along on the journey through Greece as she rediscovered herself, and set things up for the next book, Repacking for Greece, which is due soon. I am looking forward to continuing Sally’s Greek Odyssey with her – and keen to read My Family and Other Animals as soon as I can.