Tell me, Muse, of the man of many ways, who was driven far journeys after he had sacked Troy’s sacred citadel.
Many were the men whose cities he saw, whose minds he learned of,
many the pains he suffered in his spirit on the wide sea,
struggling for his own life and the homecoming of his companions.
— Homer, The Odyssey, Rhapsody A

Because Ithaca will always wait.

The Greeks have a word, Nostos, meaning homecoming after a long journey.

Not just the physical return, but the inner one: the process of finding yourself again after being changed by what you’ve lived through.

My journey to Kalymnos began more than ten years ago, long before I ever thought of it as a homecoming. A close friend was getting married on the island, and my husband (then boyfriend) and I decided to make it our first big adventure together. We planned a four-week trip - starting in Italy to explore my roots, and ending in Greece to climb, celebrate, and soak up island life.

I thought Italy would capture my heart completely. But it was Kalymnos that claimed it.

Where the mountains meet the sea.

Back then, Kalymnos felt untouched - raw, welcoming, alive.

The locals embodied philoxenia - that deep-rooted Greek spirit of generosity and friendship toward strangers. Within days, we felt less like visitors and more like family.

We met fishermen who swore they’d once been pirates, watched Easter dynamite explode across the cliffs, and celebrated our friends’ wedding in true Kalymnian fashion - laughter echoing over the Aegean.

At that time, Masouri had only two restaurants - The Climbers Bar and Aegealis. The Climbers Bar blasted 70s and 80s rock into the night; Aegealis was where I’d retreat when I needed quiet to call home and talk to my daughter. Soon, I didn’t need to order - the owners, and their daughter Popi, already knew what we wanted. We ate there every night.

That family became my family. And more than a decade later, they still are.

A family found on foreign shores.

On our next visit, we brought my daughter, who was about ten at the time. She fell in love with Kalymnos just as quickly as I had. Within days, she knew every cat by name, played barefoot with the neighborhood children, and spent her afternoons swimming in the Aegean or climbing the gentle routes that rise right from the village.

Kalymnos was so safe and close-knit that I trusted her to wander Masouri on her own to pick up groceries or a pastry from the local shop. The shopkeepers knew her by name and always greeted her with a smile. She’d return with sun-warmed bread in her hands and a new story about whoever she’d met along the way.

She adored our Greek family at Aegealis, and they welcomed her like their own. We celebrated Easter together in the traditional Kalymnian way-church bells ringing through the hills, the scent of roasted Mouri lamb in the air, and dynamite echoing across the cliffs in joyful chaos.

When it was time to leave, she cried crocodile tears, clutching her small souvenirs and asking when we’d return.

Our next trip brought another chapter to our story-a three-legged cat named Gaia, who instantly captured my daughter’s heart. Their bond inspired me to write a children’s book about their friendship, a love letter to the island that had given us both so much.

Nostos - the art of returning.

Over the years, we’ve returned again and again.
Each time, the island feels both familiar and new - like rereading a favorite book and finding another layer of meaning.

I’ve climbed beside people from all over the world, shared meals with locals who remember me by name, and watched my daughter grow up alongside the same families who first welcomed us.
The climbers here are passionate and kind. The locals, endlessly generous. Life unfolds with a rhythm that feels like medicine - a pace that invites you to breathe, to connect, to simply be.

In Greece, you learn that living well isn’t about constant striving. It’s about presence.
You move your body in the morning, linger over meals, swim when the sea calls, rest when you’re tired, and greet strangers like friends.

This is Nostos - returning to yourself.
It’s also the foundation of Alpenglow Wellness: to Move with purpose, Recover with intention, and Thrive in simplicity.