An Aegean Odyssey

From USA TODAY Bestselling author Kathryn Gaucicomes a vivid memoir of her life and travels across the ancient and spectacular islands of Greece.'I would be like Odysseus, wandering in search of adventure. How it would turn out, I had no idea:I would leave that to fate.'After more than thirty years as a successful carpet and textile designer, Kathryn decided it was time for a change: she wanted to become an author, and the first place she turned for inspiration was Greece, where she had worked as a carpet designer in Athens in the 1970s. With no idea of what she would write about, she took two months off and returned in 2005 in search of a new adventure. All she knew was that she wanted to find the old Greece that was quickly disappearing through modernization and tourism. It was a great leap of faith to make this change in mid-life, yet not being one to miss an opportunity, she packed her bags and set out alone, hoping to discover the beauty and rich tapestry of characters that had inspired such great writers of the past - Nikos Kazantzakis, Lord Byron, Henry Miller, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Odysseus Elytis, and Homer himself.Follow along with Kathryn’s journey as she explores the centuries-old mastic villages of Chios; the island of Lesbos, with its vast landscapes of olive groves and purveyors of the world’s finest ouzo; Karpathos, with its stunning beaches and crystal-clear turquoise waters; and finally, the majestic mountains and gorges of Crete, home of the God Zeus, the legend of the Minotaur, and that famous Cretan spirit of Zorba - the same spirit that fought against the Ottomans and the Germans in World War II.Staying in unspoiled villages and mountain retreats, she also discovers the mouth-watering regional food cooked in the age-old tradition. Along the way, she finds her own story - and discovers that a part of Greece will always be embedded in her psyche.'I sip my ouzo, cloudy with ice and accompanied by a small plate of mezedes, at a table along a sidewalk filled with pink oleander.''Somehow, I feel different. I can sense a peacefulness I don’t think I’ve had for years. I have begun to let go and really relax, and I wasn’t even aware it was happening.''Surrounded by nature and inspired by the courage of the Greeks with their turbulent past; sometimes glorious, sometimes bloody, I too have learnt to live with the rhythm of life.'