Into the PAGAN PAST (Printed, Color) PDF Download

Author: Jeff Steele
Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub
ISBN: 9781478231585
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 476

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Book Description
Note: This is the paperback with full color interior printing. To order the paperback with black and white interior printing visit:https://www.createspace.com/3935135After decades of being a closeted Hellenophile (lover of Greece), author Jeff Steele fulfills a lifelong dream in Turkey and Greece exploring the modern and ancient history and myths of these two fabled lands. INTO THE PAGAN PAST is part humorous travel narrative, part history book, and part fantasy tale. Lavishly illustrated by the author, this adventure story is sure to please all who love to explore.All 170 NEW, original, color drawings can be explored at:http://www.CelebrateGreece.com/IntoThePaganPastExcerpt from Author's Introduction:"Before I tell the tale of my modern age Odyssey, I suppose that I must introduce myself. My name is Jeff. I am an average American working stiff. I am not a scholar, or an archaeologist. I don't sit around a table, magnifying glass in hand, trying to decipher faded ancient texts. Nor do I drag ground penetrating radar devices behind me in an attempt to locate the lost tomb of Alexander the Great. No. I deliver mail for a living in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. My interest in ancient Greece goes back to those now distant days when I was a typically nerdy high school student (now, I'm a typically nerdy mailman!). I had taken a tenth grade mythology class, and was introduced to Homer's Odyssey as required reading. There was something about that epic tale that enthralled me. Perhaps it was the characters that were so alive and Jeff Steele vibrant. Or perhaps it was the plot of the story that was so appealing; a man trying desperately to get home to his loving family, and having to overcome almost insurmountable obstacles to do so. Whatever it was that grabbed me about that book, I have been hooked on ancient Greece ever since. I vowed that one day I would travel to that distant and historic land. Of course, it would be awhile before I could make that dream come true. Life has an annoying habit of interfering with dreams. But the time had come to take the plunge. My house was paid off, I did not have a car payment, and I had no children to put through college. I had sort of put any thoughts of international travel on hold, until one night I watched the Nia Vardalis movie My Life In Ruins. After watching this incredibly funny film about a tour guide and her group of misfit tourists, I turned to my wife and said, "I'm going to do that. I'm going to go to Greece!" I wasn't getting any younger. Like many people my age, I sort of had a bucket list of things to do bouncing around inside my head. Once I had made the decision to travel to Greece, I then had to decide whom I would take with me. I knew that my wife would not go with me, due to her fear of flying. No amount of begging or pleading on my part would change her mind. Instead, I asked my good buddy John if he would be interested in joining me. Because he was unemployed, as many people are these days, I told him that I would pay for everything but his meals, his souvenirs, and his passport. ... But I also offered to pay his way because John makes a great traveling companion. We have known each other since junior high school, and have since that time, taken several road trips together throughout the United States and Canada. Besides being my fellow road tripper, he was also the best man at my wedding. ... ...After further study and contemplation, I figured that if I was going to fly half way around the planet to visit Greece, then I had to make a pilgrimage to Troy. After all, the Iliad and the Odyssey are my two favorite books. How could I be so close to the ancient city of Troy, and not visit it? This meant that my trip would now include the country of Turkey, a land that conjures up exotic images of mosques, belly dancers, and pesky carpet salesmen. Altering my trip itinerary, Istanbul would now become the starting point of what was becoming an amazing journey!"