A Greequel from Ruby

Welcome one, welcome all, back to Mount Olympus, may you catch the goats that roam freely through life’s path.

For the last time.

Better get a-catchin’! Your time is running out… you know what they say about all the time in the world…

Dad told me not to write a Greecap, as I so wittily named them last year, since I had already written a whole blog. I publicly agreed that this was for the best, but secretly I felt very left out.

All of my secrets come out in this blog guys. It must be the false sense of distance created by a screen.

So I decided to write one anyway! I could have done an airport day blog, but it was fairly chill as a whole and I am a very proud member of the Procrasti-nation so there is really only so much I can do.

Welcome, to Greecap: the Greequel!

(I just laughed for a minute over my top tier naming skills).

It feels like an age since I woke up my sisters, singing “Ey, It’s The Holiday”, accompanied by Lil Nas X. Longer still since I laughed at the station name “Hoofddorp” in Amsterdam, despite the latter happening after the former.

I suppose that’s a testament to my lack of comprehension of time- something that has been troubling me for a year. (Or more? Who knows, not me!)

Amsterdam was awesome, I liked the concert honestly, but no one in that whole arena loved it as much as Tate did, which made it all worth it. The first of many family dance circles happened in Amsterdam, and it was a very peaceful place that I would like to live in someday, I think. However, of all the many things that I could list as the most memorable thing to come out of that trip, I would have to say, “Dyslexics, Nil” which is something we have used on the regular during this trip as soon as someone misspells or misreads something.

Tis the small things really.

Tate would disagree. For her it’s the big, Johan Cruyff Arena sized things.

An Eight Minute Power Nap later, we were back in Paris, and with No Small Amount Of Difficulty, we made it to Greece one day later.

I secretly love travel days.

Santorini was sort of a fabulous mess. It was stereotypical towns, filled with activity and life, contrasted with empty lands, and then full beaches and rugged mountains. One might say it was Random But Decidedly Banging. This was the first time I had a Guest Star on my blog, and I love both of the guest starrers for their help.

In all seriousness, I really did love Santorini and the quiet comfort of sitting on a rooftop as the sun sets, writing the blog and feeling the happiness that comes with the first biscuit times - now biscuit and beer - of the trip.

And, as we all know, I Am A Very Delicate Noble Flower, (and a god teehee) so if I like something, it’s that it was good.

Onto Naxos! (I feel like my Greecap: the Greequel is too long, but Once Again, I Am A God, at least I am in the world of my blog, so I can do what I like, and why ruin a good thing?)

Naxos was a rather nice place, if the shared house was perturbing. I made my peace with it, and I lived visiting the first two temples of the trip (Apollo and Demeter). I wonder if I will ever come back, to Naxos, to Greece. Maybe in Five Years Time.

Bros and foes, I am having a hard time adding some of these blog titles in understandable ways, so, let me pretend these ones were cleverly snuck in: This Is Grate! Modern Art. Cluck Cluck.

I know, I know, no one is smarter and sneakier in their writing than me. No need to applaud. Oh, well, if you insist. I do love to take a bow.

Anyway. I think I’ve gone mad.

Onto Ikaria! Which I thought was spelled Icaria, but I guess not. The second guest star, and no one could Spot The Difference before it was too late. There’s no shame in that though, mum’s blog was hilarious, and honestly if I were reading someone’s blog and their mother wrote it one day, I don’t think I would ever dare to comment “hey is that your mum writing not you” if the thought even crossed my mind. So.

But Ikaria was nice, I remember sleeping in the front room with Allegra, reading Only the Brave with her, and feeling like we were in Star Wars because of the lights through the window. I remember the turtle beach, and how dad knocked over a pile of pasta in a supermarket and said “Don’t Put This In The Blog” but of course I did, and of course, the loss of a limb found on the modern teenager.

Oh yes. My phone. The “Crunch.” (that I didn’t hear) of its life leaving still echoes (metaphorically; I reiterate, I did not hear it) in my very soul.

You win some, you lose some, I suppose.

And then it was a Speed Run to Lipsi, which was a very nice island, the first and only where we didn’t have a car. I remember watching Hamilton, continuing that theme at the beach where we were Searchin For An Urchin, watching the Euro 2025, doing strange dances, Allegra’s love of Brioche Bread on the tourist boat, giant chess, and much more.

I could list further things, of course, but you have read the blog already and so know it all, and as we all know, my blog is a paragon of Some Very Not Repetitive Journalism.

Although I have made my peace with repeating myself. A Peace Treaty, If You Will, between my perfectionist self and my lazy self. The dichotomy of Ruby (Lily loves that word, even if she hates repetition).

Onto Kalymnos! Where we were stalked by Allegra’s cousin, aka That DAMN GINGER BOY, where our house was so big that dad kept joking that he couldn’t see us, and where we got up to the see the sunrise that we were never gonna see. The sponges, dad’s driving, scuba diving…

Also, another memorable moment was given to us by Allegra, not a day goes by when I haven’t wanted to say this to someone when they ask how far something is. Of course, I am talking about “280km, Off The Top Of My Head. Oh yes, when Allegra’s plane cleared the atmosphere.

And of course, Kalymnos was the home of a feeling that happens each year.

SALT AIR!!! AND THE RUST ON YOUR DOOR!!!

That’s right, the moment when you can sing the song “august ” by Taylor Swift as loud as you can and just be really happy!!!

And finally, the home of puns. The island of many paths, trails, I can’t think of another synonym, but you get the gist, Rhodes!!

Or as I like to say, James Rhodes?

You may be sprinking that these sprokes are not sprunny. Well, You May Be Sprite, You May Be Sprong, but we sprade them none the spress.

(This is getting ridiculous, don’t worry, I am well aware. I have lost a lot of self respect).

I think my favourite thing on this island was Kameiros, So Rachel Said To The Paleontologist (never not funny- thanks lil) as well as tossing Allegra off the jet ski and the moment of pure panic just thinking “Oh Hot Damn, Allegra’s Gone!” And of course, my amazing skirt was one of the best things to come out of this trip, eternal thanks to mum and dad for getting to for me.

Of course, in terms of Rhodes puns, it would be remiss to not mention the main pun, the full circle moment, when Lil Nas X came back into play, as we gleefully sang “Take My Horse To The Old Town Rhodes” as we headed for Old Town Rhodes.

It’s these bad comedy moments that I’ll miss.

To be fair, bad comedy follows me wherever I go! Tis my specialty!

And the final night was one of the best. Delicious food, lots of fun, and jokes. We laughed. And We Laughed Some More at biscuit and beer time.

Oh my god I feel a weight has just been lifted off my shoulders at that last blog title making it in (well, except for “Extra Photos”- oh, would you look at that!). I regret my choice to do that. But, as per the Ruby Rule of Regret: will I regret it in five years? No, so it was worth it.

In all seriousness, Greece was an amazing holiday and I ofc love spending time with my family, even if I would never be such a sook as to write it in the blog haha, good thing this is just in my inner thoughts.

Oh no! My fingers have betrayed me!

As I sit here, writing my blog, listening to Lost Americana on repeat, as Allegra reads and Olivia watches K pop and Lily watches F1, mum and dad working in sync, I feel very peaceful and strangely nostalgic, which I’m beginning to realise just means that I love life, and that I have many a memory worth keeping and holding close.

In the fanfiction that I am currently reading (which is really good, I swear fanfic gets a bad rap (I myself used to think it was stupid) but some of the best books I’ve ever read are fanfics), a question that they keep asking, the central question of the book, is “what makes you happy?”, which has lead to me speculating this a lot.

And I think this does.

And so this is where we end our trek up Mount Olympus, folks.
The world is our oyster. Go forth, children. Teehee.
Bye family!!! 🫶Читать далее