the summit, on the west side facing Athos, creating our own
icon hermitage. We foresee it being there for centuries.
By no means is Samothraki defined only by Mount Fengari.
There is in some quarters of the island an atmosphere reminiscent of the Flower Power Generation. This ambiance is reinforced by the occasional concert series held on the island that
would appeal to the grandchildren of Haight-Ashbury.
But, above all, Samothraki is the original home of an iconic
statue of global artistic significance now resident in the Louvre, The Winged Goddess of Samothrace. Upon first seeing it
in Paris and realizing its origins, I was resolved further to visit
its island home. The statue contributed to a lifelong appreciation of the female figure in art and ritual.
T
he Hertz van transported us seven hours to the port of
Volos after the ferry crossing from Samothraki to Alexandroupolis. En route we passed Mount Olympus. The next day,
after a ferry ride to Skiathos, we met the classic seventy-foot
sailing yacht which would be our home for the next twentythree days.
The shape of her white hull recalls those of the great nineteenth-century America Cup yachts. Her full displacement
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