Repacking for Greece, A Mediterranean Odyssey
by Sally Jane Smith
Meet Sally
Sally Jane Smith has lived on five continents and visited thirty-three countries, but she gives credit to Greece for turning her into a writer. In 2006, the bus on which she was travelling through Sri Lanka suffered a head-on collision, breaking both her body and her spirit. A decade on, she journeyed to Greece in a quest to recover her wanderlust – and proved it is possible for an out-of-shape, middle-aged woman on a budget, equipped only with a guidebook and her mother’s 1978 travel diary, to experience a remarkable adventure. This is the story that became the ‘Packing for Greece’ series. Sally’s story of her great-great-grandmother’s extraordinary life appears in the anthology Itchy Feet: Tales of Travel and Adventure. Her exploration of travel and grief is included in the Newcastle Short Story Award Anthology 2022. Sally’s first book, Unpacking for Greece, was selected by Greek News Agenda as ‘Reading Greece Book of the Month’ for July 2023.
sallyjanesmith.com
About the book: "Repacking for Greece: A Mediterranean Odyssey "
When a long-forgotten, apartheid-era arrest record derails Sally’s plans for a Canadian family holiday, she packs her mum’s 1978 travel diary and sets out solo for Greece instead. As she journeys to the landmarks her mother once visited — and discovers many more — Sally immerses us in Greece’s awe-inspiring landscapes and fascinating heritage sites. She delights in absorbing the country’s rich history and connecting the dots between legend, location and contemporary literature. Insightful, intelligent and with an infectious sense of wonder, Sally embraces a gentler approach to travel: facing her fears, abandoning old anxieties, and finding joy in the simple pleasures of her own Greek odyssey. The second release in the ‘Packing for Greece’ series travels to Athens and Delphi on the mainland; Nafplio, Mycenae, Epidavros and Methana on the Peloponnese Peninsula; and the islands of Hydra, Aegina, Poros, Kefalonia and Corfu (with a side trip to Albania).
What readers are saying
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Major Greek-Australian newspaper, Neos Kosmos “With her distinctive voice and infectious passion for Greece, the Philhellene author invites readers to embark on an odyssey that celebrates wanderlust and the resilience of the human spirit.”
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Richard Clark, bestselling novelist, travel memoirist and award-winning journalist. “In this sparkling sequel to Unpacking for Greece, Sally Jane Smith embarks on another unexpected Odyssey to the country, this time carrying less baggage. Travelling solo, she leaves her anxieties behind and manages to find joy through the healing power of a land she has grown to love. An engaging companion, Sally’s life-affirming book reminds us all to seize the moment.”
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