The End of the Tunnel

posted in: Greece, Highlights, Medical 4

The Amazing Marvin is visiting his relatives at the moment.  He is at Zea Marina, a major base for the Sunsail and Moorings charter companies.  This means that around 5 pm he gets to see Leopard 38s, 44s, and fellow 48s cruise by on their way to med-moor by the superyachts.  We have seen very few catamarans so far in the Med, especially Leopards/Moorings, and now we are surrounded by them.  Marvin is tipping his hat a lot here!

The Burnetts got to Piraeus, a suburb of Athens, via the Corinth Canal.  It was their first canal transit!  It is a very cool canal to transit, mainly because of the steep walls and the extensive history.  It feels like you are going through a massive tunnel, with Athens at the end.  Nero started it but left it unfinished, the French and the Greeks finished it (1800 years later), and the good ol’ US Army Corps of Engineers fixed it up after the Germans trashed it in WWII.  Of course, when it comes to ambitious architecture projects, the Burnetts have learned to substitute the word, “Nero,” with: “6000 Jewish slaves.”

The Burnetts have explored Athens, including the Acropolis and the awesome National Archaeology Museum.  The museum brings home the impact of the dark ages.  Society can get amazingly advanced, with sophisticated art, science, and architecture, (and STYLE — Wow!  the Mycenaeans!) and then a bunch of people with better weapons and no respect for culture comes by and then, WHAM!, time to start over in 1000 years.

Speaking of the threat of an impending dark age triggered by stupidity, those who don’t follow our BurnettsAhoy Facebook page might not know that Mel recently got an article published on KevinMD, a doctor website.  It’s all about how sailing has helped her not hate her job so much, but it’s also about the many, many flaws in the way medicine works in the US.  This article is here, if you feel like a downer.

If you feel like an upper, check out our pics!

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4 Responses

  1. William Hu
    | Reply

    Hey Melinda I read your post on KevinMD- yo go girl! You are doing what so many of us wish we could do. The saddest thing is that the overlords that are destroying medicine are often themselves MDs who refuse to admit they have screwed up and have no solutions other than hiring more administrators and external consultants. Just like the big telephone companies had to be broken up, it’s time to break up the academic medical centers and their Wall Street ways of doing business

    • Mel
      | Reply

      William! Good to hear from you! I agree that “having no solutions” is the problem. Medical administration seems to take its lessons from how to sell cars, and it just doesn’t work. I really think we need more research into ways to limit bureaucracy and ways to guarantee ethical practices in a profit-driven industry…

  2. Ann W
    | Reply

    Loved your article Mel–my boyfriend forwarded it to me–he too is a neurologist on a personal sabbatical (two months now) from the dysfunctional corporate American medical system. We just got back from a couple of weeks in Ecuador–nothing like world travel to awaken one’s senses to the passion of life! We both look forward to following your family blog.

    • Mel
      | Reply

      Thanks! Yes, there is more out there than quality measures!

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