Bougatsa

In the summer of 1986 I gave up my life in Chicago as a clothing salesman and window display genius to chase the girl I loved and lost. Carla had started traveling in Europe to get away from me and to find a new life. She found it in Chania - a small town on the north side of Crete. I quit my job and apartment and left to Crete in June on a five month charter flight. My goal was to surprise her - which I did. And I knew that when she saw me - it would be love everlasting. Unfortunately - I didn't know it would be with Georgios - her Greek fisherman lover. Over the next five months - my journey became magical and enlightening. Spending months in a cave reading Patanjali's Sutras pretending to be the Buddha. Getting wasted with crazy Nazi killing goat herders. Pirating a yacht with a couple of rough boy Navy deserters from Yorkshire. Then finally returning home - spending a week in Central Park and along the highway to Chicago. And ultimately finding out why I made the journey in the first place. To escape the morning Sun - I would always crawl to the shade of the nearest rock. But then I would remember the sweet pastry of life - Bougatsa. And I would head to the nearest bakery looking for Heaven.