tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69720274051003754312024-03-21T19:24:35.602-04:00May the Road Rise up to Meet YouMollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070586464402569223noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972027405100375431.post-1120728624571517112010-05-30T04:04:00.000-04:002010-05-30T04:07:02.659-04:00Feta You Than MeAs a Christmas present this year, my parents (ever-so-loving that they are) bought my sister and I a plane ticket to Europe. Tenaya finally cashed in her voucher and I found her waiting, bags in hand, on my front step about 2 weeks ago. . . okay, maybe that’s not what happened, but the end result is still the same: W-G sisters take Europe!!!<br /><br />The first few days were filled with jet lag, walks through the National Gardens, visits to the Acropolis, Temple of Zeus, National Archaeological Museum, and New Acropolis Museum. I enlightened her with the taste of Grill and Pita, that fantastic gyro place near my apartment which sells huge pitas stuffed with greasy meat, tzatziki, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and fries for only 1.80. She also came in time for CYA’s farewell dinner where we all dressed up and traipsed down the street in our heels to the cafeteria whose tables were laid with white table cloths, appetizers, wine, and bread. Tenaya acted as my personal photographer for the night, and would follow me around taking the last pictures that I would ever have with my friends. <br /><br />The day that I was supposed to move out of my apartment, Tenaya and I made our way down to the port at a chipper time of 5 am and jumped on the ferry to take us to Naxos. Not only is it the biggest island of the Cyclades, and one of the largest potato producers in Greece, Naxos is also a beautiful island with great beaches! We stayed at a great hostel/hotel which was a pretty close walk to the rest anywhere we wanted to go in the main town. We spent the first day walking around town and exploring, ending our night at a little restaurant where we ended up meeting an interesting guy at the table next to ours. He was an anarchist who spent his life traveling around Europe, leaving the job when he was not satisfied with the employer. The second day we spent the day getting burnt and swimming at the beautiful beach, and enjoying the sunset through the Apollo’s doorway—the entrance to, and only remnant of an ancient temple right on the sea—and enjoyed a drink at a café right on the edge of the sea. As it is the biggest island of the Cyclades, we decided to rent a car the next day driving the scenic, winding roads of the island, stopping off at various sanctuaries (both Pagan and Christian), towers (for which Naxos is also famous), korous (male statues made out of marble) which were 20-40 feet tall, and sitting on rocks at the edge of the sea for a picnic lunch. We made it back to Naxos Town to buy locally made cheeses, olives, and other goods for a little dinner. Sadly, the next day we had to take the long ferry back to Athens, after having a wonderful relaxing island time!<br />In getting to Athens, we were a little worried about where we would sleep for the night, as I was already kicked out of my apartment, and the friend from CYA that we were going to stay with (her aunt lives in Athens) had decided to visit the islands before she went back to the states.<br /><br />Luckily, Popi, the housing director, was at CYA when we went to use the internet, and gave us keys to an apartment which had not yet been cleaned. Hurrah for a night of free lodging! After we dropped our stuff off (which turned out that it was being used by another student and her friends as well) and went to do the last exploring of my former home. It turned out to be one of my favorite nights in Athens! We walked around Ermou (the street of shopping off of Syntagma), Monistraki, and in back alleyways that ran along the Roman Agora, Hadrian Library, and other sites up to the rock which juts out next to the Acropolis (where St. Paul converted Athenians to Christianity). When we walked up to the rock, we got the beautiful remnants of sunset, and were able to see the beauty that is Athens at night. We were greeted by two Greek men who meant no harm, who talked with us for awhile about traveling (one of them currently owns a bar in South Africa, and was back visiting his family), and who could not believe that Tenaya and I are sisters, because I am so tan and she has “white feta cheese legs.” On the walk back, past the Acropolis, we walked by the New Acropolis museum, where there was an orchestra and singers performing the soundtrack to Phantom of the Opera in the warm night air of the entrance. What a nice way to end my time in Athens! We finished off the night with a trip to the Ouzerie (like a tavern, but who specialize in appetizers and grilled meats to go with ouzo) to get Tenaya the traditional Greek dishes like fava puree, saganaki (fried cheese), tzatziki, wine, Greek Salad (tomatoes, feta, olives, cucumbers, and onions), and fried calamari (since they were out of the octopus we wanted to order).<br /><br />Since our flight leaving Athens was not until the late afternoon, we were able to explore a bit more of the city. I toured Tenaya and one of the girls who also stayed in the apartment around, showing them Hadrian’s Library, the Ancient Agora, but ran out of time, and was not able to make it to the Karimikos. Caught our plane, and were off to Rome!Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070586464402569223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972027405100375431.post-5397694353918720572010-05-22T02:45:00.003-04:002010-05-22T02:58:53.190-04:00The Waning Days of Greece: Santorini and Farewell to AthensSo due to the horrible act of procrastination, I have yet to tell you about, or show you pictures from my school-led trip to Northern Greece (Delphi, Meteora, Thessoloniki, and a handful of other locations). It was an amazing trip, and I promise that someday I will tell you all about it. However, if I don’t move on with my life, you’ll never know any of it.<br /><br />The first of these exciting adventures is Santorini: home of the epic volcano of about 1600 BC which wiped out the Minoan civilization and sent tsunamis halfway across the world. Half of the huge island sank into the ocean, creating the fable of Atlantis, leaving beautiful stratified cliffs along the western half of the island. I went with a few friends and met up with some others in our hostel in Fira (Thira). Decided to rent a car to tour the island and ventured to the black sand beaches, white sand beach, and Red beach (which had huge red cliffs behind the beach and crystal clear water). One of the days, we took a one-day cruise on a motorized sailboat to the mini-island in the middle of the caldera which held the creators of the volcano (which we hiked down into). It then brought us to another little island in the middle of the caldera where we jumped out into the middle of the sea and swam up an inlet where there were hot springs of vibrant yellow sulfur. Then we stopped at a little town on another island for lunch and back to port for the evening. Santorini, or specifically Oia (Ia) is the stereotypical Greece of the imagination: white-washed buildings interspersed with bright blue domes of churches overlooking the beautiful Aegean Sea. We ended up going to this town (where Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was filmed) for the infamous sunset and a nice dinner to end the 4 day weekend. We stumbled on a great bookshop run by a few young American ex-pats who, in addition to smoking at a cluttered desk including a mug of scotch, invited us to dinner for their extra borscht. Had I been with less people, I would have gladly taken them up on their offer for some fun conversations that were bound to be sophisticated and intellectual. But, alas, we were stuck petting their little puppy and browsing the amazing collection of used books which were scattered around on the homemade shelves inside the tree-house-looking room. Everybody left that shop with a calm and content attitude about life and our vacation, to go with whatever item we purchased (I got the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver in French (Les Yeux dans les Arbres) to help me improve before going back to la France.) We then finished off the trip the next day with a memorable ride up the side of the cliff in Fira—on a donkey.<br /><br />Going to Santorini was a nice way to go out with a bang, because as soon as we got back to Athens, it was back to the books. Exams were even closer than around the corner, and I had quite a bit of studying to do on top of planning my trip with Tenaya and saying goodbye to all of my friends and Athenian landmarks. Luckily, I made it through. Picked Tenaya up from the airport, toured her around for a bit, and then went to the CYA farewell dinner. It was reminiscent of a high school dance: everybody was dolled up and running around taking pictures like they hadn’t seen each other in years, or were trying to fit in as many pictures before they all left… understandable. However, it was really weird saying good bye to all of these people that I realistically know that I will most likely not see again.<br /><br />Overall, I am really glad I chose to study abroad in Greece. Not only did I gain exposure to another culture, it was one that I probably would not have explored on my own. By studying in Greece, I was able to get a taste of Europe, but see where it mixed with the eastern influences, and witness the results of ancient history firsthand. On the bright side, I was here during a historical turning point, not only for Greece itself, but also for Europe. The political and economic reforms which are taking place in Greece will soon be sweeping the EU. Even though I did not get much personal exposure with the Greeks (other than a bit at marble carving), I made many American friends who I would like to stay in touch with in the future.<br /><br />Sorry for the extremely long blog, but I had to kind of tie things up a bit. Soon, I’ll try to post more about our Northern Greece trip, since it was so beautiful and I learned so much. However, from here on out, I will be sharing this blog with my lovely sister Tenaya in our travels and conquests around Europe.Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070586464402569223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972027405100375431.post-4776860468076143642010-04-11T11:02:00.005-04:002010-05-22T02:44:32.268-04:00Checking Off AsiaWow, so apparently, I'm the worse blogger on the face of the Earth. As much as I had planned on writing about everything on time, I just keep putting it off, and then I have more to write about, so I put it off longer... a bit of a mess. So I'll try to give you a "brief" overview.<br /><br /><br /><br />First stop: The second half of spring break, which I started to write a long time ago, but never finished.<br /><br /><br /><br />Despite the warning against Americans traveling in Turkey, I went with two of my friends on a ferry from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Lesvos</span> to cross the border. Kate gets us into the most random situations, and I ended up finding myself in the front of the boat <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">steering</span> the ship and had the best view when the dolphins came jumping alongside our boat!<br /><br /><br /><br />We spent a day and night in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Bergama</span> (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Pergamum</span>), where we payed a flat rate to have a cab drive us around to the hot tourist spots all day: The Acropolis (which was MUCH bigger than the Athenian Acropolis, and beautiful with all the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Greco</span>-Roman structures), something that was Red-brick and looked very Roman, and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Escleapion</span> (which was similar to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Epidauros</span>, dedicated to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Escleapius</span> the healing god, and was very extensive with a theatre, tunnels and other buildings). We also found a great restaurant right next to our hotel that was super cheap, and our first experience with the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">amazingness</span> that is Turkish food. I had a dish called <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Beyit</span>, which was seasoned, grilled chicken wrapped in something that was like a cross between a tortilla and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">phyllo</span> dough with a tomato sauce on top. They also had a Turkish specialty, Sheep brain soup, on the menu which I unfortunately did not end up trying, though I now regret that. Turkish food is somewhat similar to Greek food, but it has much more flavor and spice to it.<br /><br /><br /><br />The next day, we attempted to go to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Cannakale</span>, which is to the north, and right next to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Troia</span> (Troy), however the guys at the bus station thought we said something else, and were going to put us on a train to the south to switch buses and go back north...something that would have added a few hours onto the drive. Luckily, we realized it (after we bought our tickets) and got off the shuttle at the bus station and just got a new bus ticket. Meanwhile, the Turkish, who are much nicer than the Greeks, welcomed us with open arms, and brought us tea and chatted with us. They are very hospitable, and they're ALWAYS drinking and offering tea! However, most of the people do not know English at all, or if they do, they know pick-up lines or just hello and thank you.<br /><br /><br /><br />We arrived at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Cannakale</span> in one piece, to a beautiful hotel from the Ottoman times. It was a very cool city, right on the water. We walked around and saw the horse that they used in the movie Troy! The next morning, we waited for a long time to catch the shuttle to Troy along with a group of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">helarious </span>Brits around our age. I had heard that there wasn't anything to see at Troy, however, I was quite surprised. There are a fare amount of ruins around, and we had to do a 1 hour power tour so that we could get back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Channakale</span> in time to catch our bus to Istanbul. Made it with time to spare, and took the six hour bus ride up to the former Constantinople (lucky me, for I got to watch movies in Turkish).<br /><br /><br /><br />In Istanbul, we met up with two other girls from our program who were were rooming with at the hostel and did a little bit of night exploring around the city. The next day we packed in as much of the tourist <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">hot spots</span> as we could, and went to the Blue Mosque, Cistern, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Hagia</span> Sophia, and the Palace. All the buildings were beautiful, and I loved the Cistern since you walk around over a pool of water with goldfish, with the only light being little orange lights at the base of every evenly spaced column. The Blue Mosque and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">hagia</span> Sophia were outstanding. Huge domed ceilings and beautiful mosaics and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">frescoes</span> everywhere. At the Blue Mosque, we had to take off our shoes and cover our heads at the door, which made it a fun and unique experience. In the afternoon, we ventured by the tram to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Taxim</span> square where it seemed to be much more modern, and a bit less touristy. Did some shopping, since everything is SO cheap (especially compared to Greece) as the Turkish lira is only worth half of the euro, and everything is cheap to start with. We ended up going back to the hostel for a beer and some cards, and went to a great little restaurant down the street from us which had amazing Turkish pizza.<br /><br />The final day, I went to the spice bazaar! It was outstanding...I think I found heaven. There were big baskets of spices everywhere along with bulk teas, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">turkish</span> delight, and occasionally some other things thrown in for fun. The men would shout pick-up lines to try and get us to stop, which made us walk along to the other shops. I bought a bunch of spices and can't wait to use them! (Saffron was much cheaper than anywhere I've ever seen it.) I then met up with my friends to go to the Grand Bazaar, which was similar to the spice bazaar, but had all sorts of merchandise, from wooden backgammon boards to scarves, lamps to jewelry. It was extremely packed and we found ourselves getting lost quite often through the covered hallways that ran through the bazaar. After we left, we grabbed a quick lunch and hopped on the Friendship Express--the overnight train that runs from Istanbul to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Thessoloniki</span>.<br /><br />It was such a great trip! No time for pictures right now, but someday maybe they'll appear.Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070586464402569223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972027405100375431.post-10401151458985257182010-04-10T17:18:00.011-04:002010-04-10T18:29:51.775-04:00Limnos and Lesvos- Spring Break Oh-Ten!<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-X84Rqr_c_9yrWleQtEk4rYa3v3wPU59guSNaKHJcclDrN3fwyQ1ooCJssrPnH8JNA0eGvJFIxTd7Wq9cpO9VkrBiXBy00Dcn7HtJFyhnHME-TBXMxCaUNpyoLHuGMA1HqXIDOPfiAqZ/s1600/DSCN4168.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458622158683266706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS-X84Rqr_c_9yrWleQtEk4rYa3v3wPU59guSNaKHJcclDrN3fwyQ1ooCJssrPnH8JNA0eGvJFIxTd7Wq9cpO9VkrBiXBy00Dcn7HtJFyhnHME-TBXMxCaUNpyoLHuGMA1HqXIDOPfiAqZ/s320/DSCN4168.JPG" border="0" /></a>On the wall of one of the fortress/castle on Limnos... happy Greek day!</div><div align="center"></div><br /><br />Well, as soon as spring break snuck up on me, it was over.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I started off our week and a half vacation by flying to Limnos, a northeastern Greek island, along with 4 of my friends (Megan from Barnard, Emily and Eric from Notre Dame, and Kate from Toulane). After being picked up by our hotel owner who did not speak very much English, we wandered around the town. There were a lot of people out and about, because it was Greece's Independence day, but that meant that the only things that were open were tavernas. We enjoyed a chilly, and extremely long lunch about 5 feet away from the Mediterranean Sea. One of our favorite dishes was a baked feta and herbs in a tomato sauce covered with another cheese. Also, I tried retsina for the first time, which Limnos is famous for. I cannot say that I enjoy it very much. Retsina is white wine that is flavored with pine resin. It had the smell and what I imagine the taste to be of nail polish remover.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />We then walked up the town's mountain to a Venetian fortress which overlooked the two coves and the Sea. It had some pretty cool mini caves and a lot of easily-climbable rock faces. Kate and I thought it was a great idea to climb down a grassy/rocky slope to the sea down below. Turns out that it was much farther, and more difficult than we had originally imagined. We bonded over the fact that we may not make it out alive--always a fun topic. It was completely worth the hike though, because it was so serene and beautiful at the bottom of the slope, and we were able to stand out on rocks being pelted by the waves.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Back up and to our hotel/hostel to warm up and start our continued tradition of playing cards at any lull in the action. Since Emily, Eric, Kate, and I are all from the Midwest (Kate is also from Indiana, even though she goes to Tulane) we all knew how to play Euchre, a popular card game in the Great Lakes region. We went out to an Ouzerie for dinner which had some of the best tzatziki that I've had since coming to Greece. Ouzeries are similar to Tavernas, but only offer the appetizers to go with the ouzo. Since this is what we usually get anyway, it was fine, and much cheaper. Eric and I split a bottle of ouzo that was made on the island, and I realized that I actually like the taste of ouzo when it has been diluted by ice cubes and accompanies dinner. The black-liquorish flavor kind of cleanses the palate in between dishes.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458638158921410626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5zNNTmYPgLSjP-VVQaDTZbffeHrsanSHNXK9_ctMnttkQ26Id827ALpLBEaHGEirXxpe7lbaMF-BrEd0_5gu3H8CoWGx95yUwqi49LpfxGpwp6n-4QW6ApkPeE4mfO4WGn9-nyHGKxafa/s320/DSCN4190.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div align="center">Sunset at the marina in Limnos</div><p><br /><br />The next day, we were planning on renting a car so that we could drive to the other things Limnos has to offer, such as waterfalls, hikes, hot springs, and flamingos. However, none of the car rentals were open until later in the day, so we lounged on the beach for awhile. We then found out from the car rental place that we were supposed to be 23 to rent and/or have an EU license. Since we had neither, we ended up hanging out around the town again, playing a lot of cards, and getting fun coffee drinks at a cafe/club overlooking the Sea. Went back to that club later in the night for their extremely fun fruity mixed drinks (I stuck to a gin fizz). </p><p><br />Said bye to Limnos the next day and boarded the 7 hour ferry to Lesvos (a little southeast, bordering Turkey) where we played endless amounts of cards and a fun character-guessing game that they play in "Inglorious Bastards"... long enough that Emily ended up getting a post-it-note sunburn on her forehead.<br /></p><p>We arrived in Mytilene, the main town of Lesvos, in the afternoon, and spent the afternoon wandering the city (pretty big for an island). We found yet another Venetian fortress and climbed (illegally?) up the walls into the castle. It was not nearly as big as the one on Lesvos, but it was much better preserved. We went to a taverna on the way back to the hostel, and I finally got to try the coastal speciality of Greece: grilled octopus drenched in lemon. It was pretty good, but I would rather have squid. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Os0fz12B-oEF_zVuGh7FvLcQjLzzmdawI4IO7v0YrtM1UROgxGlykRoHxKU3Vkstk1zPv4bUN0DkIhpE9oJ8QVnswvHjSVAzC2VaQh1jlc3WmkfVJGyQs7jRPLVSADv2SRwL1Nue-ljJ/s1600/DSCN4228.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458622510165595490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Os0fz12B-oEF_zVuGh7FvLcQjLzzmdawI4IO7v0YrtM1UROgxGlykRoHxKU3Vkstk1zPv4bUN0DkIhpE9oJ8QVnswvHjSVAzC2VaQh1jlc3WmkfVJGyQs7jRPLVSADv2SRwL1Nue-ljJ/s320/DSCN4228.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Fortress/castle in Mytilene. I clmibed the trianglular wall support to the right (farther away) and went into the round area of the castle.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><p>The next day was Emily's 21st birthday, so we woke her up with mimosas in the morning, and proceeded to go rent a car. (Don't worry, Eric didn't have any mimosa, and he was the one driving.) Apparently, the car place we went to did not have the 23 year old rule, so we got a car without a problem... except for the fact that Eric only knew a little bit about driving a stick shift. That was an adventure in itself, and provided a lot of entertainment and joking. Luckily, Kate knew a bit, and directed him through the process and we were able to drive across the mountainous terrain to the other side of the island, stopping at a huge monastery, anti-climactic petrified forest, seafood taverna, and the home of Sappho along the western coast. As you may have guessed, the name of the island, Lesvos (spelled Lesbos in Greek characters), is linked to the word lesbian. Sappho, the first woman poet from around 6th century BCE was renowned for her poetry, some of which was erotic and directed towards women. When, in the 17th century AD, people were starting to define sexuality and fragments of Sappho's works were discovered. Thus, Lesvos became a site of pilgrimage for the newly defined lesbians, and continues to be so today. The beach we visited had a bunch of interesting interpretive sculptures of Sappho but was too windy and chilly to sit by the water. So we ended up not staying for sunset and instead made the beautiful and windy drive back to our hotel (complete with sing-a-long in the car).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-V78ifVQFpA4cvT2u50biI-RMwLOxt3w1QGDVdmA2Qo7hcHyeYYE0UYPMOiAzYcNgQ4oqwRC5Sw3QrPcrjY8X4J8HJvON4vxZYH0xjzg4SJtZ8PQ6Qn0r2DxDTCseGEt8VjiJBoOzo20C/s1600/DSCN4283.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458623011968911602" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-V78ifVQFpA4cvT2u50biI-RMwLOxt3w1QGDVdmA2Qo7hcHyeYYE0UYPMOiAzYcNgQ4oqwRC5Sw3QrPcrjY8X4J8HJvON4vxZYH0xjzg4SJtZ8PQ6Qn0r2DxDTCseGEt8VjiJBoOzo20C/s320/DSCN4283.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Skela Erossos, home of Sappho (the town, not that hut)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The following day was quite relaxing. We started off the morning by driving up north to the village of Molovos where we participated in a 115 degree Fahrenheit mineral hot spring. The white dome was situated directly on the sea, and as directed by the woman who ran the bath, we slowly, slowly, slowly (siga siga!) dipped our limbs into the scalding water. When our whole bodies were submerged, we would stay in for 2-5 minutes, slowly slowly get out, and then go jump into the Mediterranean (whose big waves were knocking us against the rocks). We then repeated this process another three times or so. The room itself was pretty interesting. I had to duck through a small archway (like I was entering a hobbit house) into a domed room pierced with holes allowing beams of sunlight to pierce through the steam and enter the clear pool that was about fifteen feet long by five feet wide. I felt so relaxed and rejuvenated by the end of the process! Continued our day by eating lunch at a taverna overlooking the hills and valleys of the town where we got to go into the kitchen and pick out which meat we wanted (amazingly spiced and grilled lamb and pork) to go with our Greek salad, cheese rolls, tzatziki, and white wine famous in the region. We then drove down to the south where there is the longest beach in Greece. Sadly, it was too cold to swim or even bask in less than a long sleeve and pants, but we had fun just relaxing. And after a few more games of cards, it was time to go to bed, and say good bye to Lesvos. Eric and Emily caught their flight out early the next morning, and Kate, Megan, and I continued on our way through customs, and onto the ferry to Turkey.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458623781443336178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jEawHbuahjTdFeBuS-zAf4H9K2vRRUKGOMWvxaGoKAg1FRhEPTOMqwD_ceKu-OeLMC4_Nw1WFiO5NwsPqatN4tToGUJIxC7Bho3e4ynVgFLWQSBYW0rlSyXy0KF5vdMEMisipudfST5J/s320/DSCN4253.JPG" border="0" /></p><p align="center">Hanging out at a random meadow in the mountains of Lesvos</p><br /><p></p>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070586464402569223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972027405100375431.post-75683619321284671842010-03-24T18:56:00.014-04:002010-03-24T20:04:08.670-04:00Dust storms, and Islands, and Markets, oh my!<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiBSFXAd6u6A_KmTVW7yJ1sUn20DfOnDWzrjW84JyJ6yXVTRMRpLTNPCkw2JIUg-Y0QKaQbk1lTSrmJ3rrR4VL8zyvf2pYduHPzn6dzek0WfseF1qEOpQdB3qZ7LqEe5R-IS25sqkMHdA/s1600/DSCN4115.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452353568965508210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiBSFXAd6u6A_KmTVW7yJ1sUn20DfOnDWzrjW84JyJ6yXVTRMRpLTNPCkw2JIUg-Y0QKaQbk1lTSrmJ3rrR4VL8zyvf2pYduHPzn6dzek0WfseF1qEOpQdB3qZ7LqEe5R-IS25sqkMHdA/s320/DSCN4115.JPG" border="0" /></a> Well, this blog may have less details than the past ones, but that is due to me leaving in approximately 6 hours for spring break! (I don't want to leave too much unsaid.)<br /><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="left">Since I last wrote, I have completely finished my midterms, turned in my two papers, celebrated the Americanized holiday of my ancestors, developed a nice base tan, and walked through fish guts in the minority section of the city. </div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="left">One day, I woke up seeing yellow. Everywhere I looked outside had an <span style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00">odd</span> glow as if we were being attacked by aliens. Later, after seeing a dirty film covering all of the cars, I learned that there was a huge dust storm in Egypt which had mixed with the rainclouds over Greece to create mud, which fell from the sky covering everything. Turns out I wasn't imagining the yellow haze.<br /><br /></div><div align="left">Recently, I have been hanging out with a new group of fun people (all from New England). Last week, I went over to their apartment (only half a block away from mine!) to make dinner and watch a movie with them. Today, a few of them joined me with another one of our friends to have a Mexican dinner night. It was so nice to finally have Mexican food again. Especially since, according to my Greek professor, the Greeks hate Mexican food. </div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">St. Patty's day was a fun day. Some of the students started celebrating early in the morning, however I had a paper that was due that day, so I avoided all contact with people until the afternoon. Lily and I had marble carving that night, so we were not able to hang out with people for the full night, but we ended up meeting up after the class was over. I went with a few friends to an Irish pub in Monistraki (where we went for the superbowl). By the time we arrived, there were tons of English speakers spilling out into the the pedestrian street with Guinness in hand, and Celtic music being blasted in the background. I had a good time, but ended up leaving on the earlier end (to think that 2:30 in the morning is the earlier end among college students) because I had an 8:30 on site class the next morning. (Which ended up being canceled, giving me 2 extra hours of much-needed sleep.)</div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8r-Fmc6LjltiD366oOIKkwySRTnLJqZjbRzTkZ_-StoACrczkFzfK8YChO8MOlKtJOi6q77BJfmc_ZBHgF9w3zhgp3wmgQCNsSpOsHn88qxMWfSGxnjxKORje1ovekwn3nklrhiltS2oy/s1600/DSCN4079.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452351406507297970" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8r-Fmc6LjltiD366oOIKkwySRTnLJqZjbRzTkZ_-StoACrczkFzfK8YChO8MOlKtJOi6q77BJfmc_ZBHgF9w3zhgp3wmgQCNsSpOsHn88qxMWfSGxnjxKORje1ovekwn3nklrhiltS2oy/s320/DSCN4079.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3BCNwBVKsT_nOy02FcwBguKi2HyiBqZv1D_Awy-ZP7phDjdDUPK_CdJNYiX6-f3f3-0rap_BSeuQLC7fXHjFV-zHp9gwJTDBSNT5RkKJYKadYQg4iZjDnhX3vKxTXzEwdWz2pzb8iyIc/s1600/DSCN4059.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452351738866022242" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3BCNwBVKsT_nOy02FcwBguKi2HyiBqZv1D_Awy-ZP7phDjdDUPK_CdJNYiX6-f3f3-0rap_BSeuQLC7fXHjFV-zHp9gwJTDBSNT5RkKJYKadYQg4iZjDnhX3vKxTXzEwdWz2pzb8iyIc/s320/DSCN4059.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br />Packed James Joyce Pub Irish Marble Carving</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452352137490715442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiFVVeOS6GfDOZpQkOi9V2K_jJzYxzEM451dc6dJJO0GLnPErXURcmCxDMRZhyphenhyphenp0T2S2PeLCWID8oaHkfrdaEJsK0cj264Y3jX2tRnXRcOGqX-BHJ-BbCFjagUj2K_TnXg8OqXKu0q8wa/s320/DSCN4058.JPG" border="0" /> Zee unfinished product<br /><br /><br /><div align="left">While studying abroad, it is easy to get stuck in a routine of where you go, who you hang out with, and what you do at what times of day. Lately, I have been realizing that I am falling prey to this, and have been looking around for new ways to explore Athens. I had been meaning to go to Omonia at some point, and this pushed me into finally going. Omonia is the section of Athens where it is recommended that you always travel in groups, especially, if you are unable to avoid it, at night. Greece has a huge 'problem' with illegal immigrants, and somewhat of a problem with drug users and prostitution. Unable to deal with these problems, the government swept all of these to Omonia. The positive aspect of all this meant that little neighborhoods have been created within Omonia, producing some of the best food in Athens. And where the best food is, there has to be the best markets. So finally, the other day, two of my friends accompanied me to the Omonia Central Market where there are about four blocks packed with butchers yelling to customers and one another, haggling over the price of a lamb's head, and taunting the "pretty ladies" with a whole carcass of ... lamb? I was in heaven. However, not only did they have meat, but branching off was another few blocks of anything that one can find in or around the water. There were snails, squid, crabs, muscles, and even the body of a shark with its head propped up behind. At the end of the various proteins there were a few stands selling fresh spices. I wasn't able to buy anything at the time, but I am looking forward to going back and getting the freshest of meats for the lowest prices and creating my best dinner yet. </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3FamlyELcGAmdV_h6JpMP5Ma4cZQFBYLqSJPQIl7oa7MaefRLFvZwz3-BFgcxX2N11xzo-cAUHLHWzqIZ9K-n9OiZ48kWOmLZBFPglzzTPhjLBmT_O0GnlFvMbrNdAwNq-bTRriH_a5v/s1600/DSCN4092.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452349146938742610" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3FamlyELcGAmdV_h6JpMP5Ma4cZQFBYLqSJPQIl7oa7MaefRLFvZwz3-BFgcxX2N11xzo-cAUHLHWzqIZ9K-n9OiZ48kWOmLZBFPglzzTPhjLBmT_O0GnlFvMbrNdAwNq-bTRriH_a5v/s320/DSCN4092.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlb7YIuJ4MpPdfDzm0RQkkozayHDNOc8XIDcSZd9pYfjXARLAZXHXvBe1ScaQWb2CtIEUK0_W_pWm4-BL_fQstQEdPTRjQaA0Ztoj6fBU4glqH3FgbBdvKhyA-5eEbyQC6xzJbMymTbMop/s1600/DSCN4088.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452349574007649858" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlb7YIuJ4MpPdfDzm0RQkkozayHDNOc8XIDcSZd9pYfjXARLAZXHXvBe1ScaQWb2CtIEUK0_W_pWm4-BL_fQstQEdPTRjQaA0Ztoj6fBU4glqH3FgbBdvKhyA-5eEbyQC6xzJbMymTbMop/s320/DSCN4088.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="right"> </div><div align="right"> </div><div align="right"> </div><div align="right">Meat Market!<br /></div><div align="left"><br />Sharkie<br /></div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcQ5grATfjLpYlV4UoSwegYyaG36vrvexX582rOW-QV8yRVMK6yLEGtiFzy7qYvH35CvXifIczrai7krHW9kUBdhTESewMNQEjFfusjFl1S8_dlo0TYm0JP4i9ts0nivUNrdF1X4F8myl/s1600/DSCN4089.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452349873323528770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcQ5grATfjLpYlV4UoSwegYyaG36vrvexX582rOW-QV8yRVMK6yLEGtiFzy7qYvH35CvXifIczrai7krHW9kUBdhTESewMNQEjFfusjFl1S8_dlo0TYm0JP4i9ts0nivUNrdF1X4F8myl/s320/DSCN4089.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiueYLPqyRcOj-2M0in6L_mad-f0QapIQPjrvowG5MtwXCITRH44gXX8djnOODu5VfaUGStbP6yTVwFH284jf9D1AXVMrn3BRbXzftWbI9LHQQVm9lJBDL2X7qNo6dHPIsY1TF5BgP6ahCc/s1600/DSCN4091.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452350121546050642" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiueYLPqyRcOj-2M0in6L_mad-f0QapIQPjrvowG5MtwXCITRH44gXX8djnOODu5VfaUGStbP6yTVwFH284jf9D1AXVMrn3BRbXzftWbI9LHQQVm9lJBDL2X7qNo6dHPIsY1TF5BgP6ahCc/s320/DSCN4091.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="left">The cow knows what's coming</div></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="right"> </div><div align="right">Pig hooves and fish<br /></div><div align="left">This past Saturday, I went with a few friends (the same that I have been talking about throughout this email) to Aegina, a small island just an hour ferry ride from Piraeus. It was a beautiful, relaxing day and we bummed around in the sun, checked out one of the two temples, and enjoyed a very leisurely lunch overlooking the sea. </div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhos5z6ieZ2rltregjyFdIMzI2z8Rwr9P84Zi50mK8bxWyfaFHFT9W4Fbd0QLVJoHQ7KAtv_zsto5_TRTmHjhOIm82tkyPOBU9D1LNk3xGuWd0jCKiKQUp9sG6HsodNzFb_kH2jbmGTs61P/s1600/DSCN4124.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452348224494298802" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhos5z6ieZ2rltregjyFdIMzI2z8Rwr9P84Zi50mK8bxWyfaFHFT9W4Fbd0QLVJoHQ7KAtv_zsto5_TRTmHjhOIm82tkyPOBU9D1LNk3xGuWd0jCKiKQUp9sG6HsodNzFb_kH2jbmGTs61P/s320/DSCN4124.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwUY281OLWExvIKzH-sLogf3bXth2PLqQxxA7bDZNH1WuSFRSV0CAsoqvCDEHrGpMRQ9_Dvz5bjFiU1G5hsiQLUUC8-_I4AnPDR5OHjWIXwpmOIzvsb4MXNZydxSAfg43TnzQxC5zOnQr/s1600/DSCN4105.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452348559342025810" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwUY281OLWExvIKzH-sLogf3bXth2PLqQxxA7bDZNH1WuSFRSV0CAsoqvCDEHrGpMRQ9_Dvz5bjFiU1G5hsiQLUUC8-_I4AnPDR5OHjWIXwpmOIzvsb4MXNZydxSAfg43TnzQxC5zOnQr/s320/DSCN4105.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="left">Kendra, Lynn, and Nikki overlooking the rest of Aegina Temple of Aphaia</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><br /> </div><div align="left">As for now, I will be gone from tomorrow (the 25th) to the 5th of April for my spring break. A couple islands in the west (Limnos and Lesvos), and a few places in Turkey (Pergemon, Troy, Galipoly, and Istanbul), and ending up in Thessoloniki for Easter! There will be lots of pictures, have no fear. </div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070586464402569223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972027405100375431.post-42369217555345835612010-03-09T11:18:00.003-05:002010-03-09T12:20:25.923-05:00Videos from the PeloponneseHey All!<br /><br />I have recently been informed that I could post videos on my blog (who knew!) Thus you are now graced by this new realization by being able to check out my sound-less videos from the Peloponnese. Sorry if they make you a bit motion-sick. . . enjoy!<br /><br />At Methione:<br /><p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzK4rn-eWEihTKNIHLVb34sTomVtO9c3r-HEw3L4jR5JR2ZujZnLUuNAxeExSU_RUpY5TBV7jIiHoYKmyeiPQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p>Thiolos Tomb at the Palace of Nestor</p><p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyH1pZvpgg77JEZEFC8ejqJTzfr33zzrv9jTzOa9foQUWNpENHQZE9v1BMoodW8B6FPOMcKC71BbseOW6BloQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p>View from the Spartan Acropolis: Lecture by Prof. Nigel Kennell</p><p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxzsNWw4XonTk_cCPUCkJ3GzMh1PKRqbPsHYo962qRIfbOxvD6l-YxxitP3Ct2AOAI8xVGQjlm5rey-K1dI0g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p><p>View from mountain at Meistros</p><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyLincxB-BLl67TTzBR2saG82dEJcN9Mmebic7dTIZlQp9Zs0E4-OmCUyHKmkcdQWnUhrgYSN-JfKjEV1_Ieg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070586464402569223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972027405100375431.post-52217271360919495132010-03-08T01:14:00.026-05:002010-03-08T03:36:18.986-05:00Journey Through the Peloponnese<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvkAEQqCt7p6c9YrnxgOvMNcu_2PIx4oE59wJf6gkwSdxisw058IZUuxAszLjhUN1Cijs9Vepel0ZkbUacl28QHFc8U6ANkZ3kAWVdkY5fq-ZhtzpX5xXptuloZqHPWQycsTmR3NsI9BA/s1600-h/DSCN3982.JPG"></a><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRxXcyTrvznsg4W30qc7HKKbQHykS6KHSS9JGtCrvOwf0BvbsPgrzGpcRhy5t6480L69UK3Q10W8wOWlBWnyzv4lAxcOJ6E0QvUf6DX_cJoFf9sfBEveEuO9GJT3oo25X-QcBeEsDB7Ad/s1600-h/DSCN3741.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446147970948542962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRxXcyTrvznsg4W30qc7HKKbQHykS6KHSS9JGtCrvOwf0BvbsPgrzGpcRhy5t6480L69UK3Q10W8wOWlBWnyzv4lAxcOJ6E0QvUf6DX_cJoFf9sfBEveEuO9GJT3oo25X-QcBeEsDB7Ad/s320/DSCN3741.JPG" border="0" /></a>At Methione<br /></div><div>Bloggers all over the world will cringe at the thought of me, because once again, I have waited three full weeks to write this. Things have been a little crazy around here, so I guess I have a bit of an excuse, as you will see. </div><div> </div><div align="left">Okay, where did I leave off?<br /></div><div> </div><div align="left">The week of February 22, our school took its first extended field trip: 5 days and 4 nights in the Peloponnese, the large landmass west of mainland Greece, separated by a thirty foot canal. We were separated into three buses, each taking a different path, so I was able to form friendships with people that I did not know at all before the trip. </div><div> </div><div align="left">The first day, my bus went to Isthmia (the site of one of the Panhellaic games like the Olympics), Nemea (site of the Nemean games), and ended the day in the town of Olympia. Isthmia was hard to visualize what it once was, because almost every structure we saw had tumbled into ruin and was partially charred by a fire that went through causing its demise. However, there were some interesting Roman bathhouses from around 2nd century AD with mosaics that had been covered up, and a great heating system for the water. Nemea was a little easier since the Palaistra (or the "un"-dressing room) where the athletes prepared for their events was still partially standing, as was the tunnel that led from it to the stadium. We were able to walk through the tunnel, hear other students give their presentations about the site while sitting on the original forms of seating for the games, and even run a stadion (regular foot race). After seeing a temple (to Zeus?) and the potential site for the Hippodrome (area to compete in the horse-races), we were back on the bus and heading towards Olympia where we stayed the night in the quiet little town playing cards and eating a wonderful taverna dinner.<br /></div><div> </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-kexThxoCaValdWzvHFBlfik-xMx0MkwNxhJkOJwDqScfj0RVhZM3FweCL0JPQclHnzPsyf_FBXAwZ4075AK-gXDAzsCPqxvpqLaeLfyTfyHb7OAhyUGJtM68Z38CttVzHu3JNdmT2b5/s1600-h/DSCN3665.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446148587279064290" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-kexThxoCaValdWzvHFBlfik-xMx0MkwNxhJkOJwDqScfj0RVhZM3FweCL0JPQclHnzPsyf_FBXAwZ4075AK-gXDAzsCPqxvpqLaeLfyTfyHb7OAhyUGJtM68Z38CttVzHu3JNdmT2b5/s320/DSCN3665.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br />Roman Bath House at Isthmia: Feb. 23</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">A floor would have been built over these stacked bricks. In another room connected to the one with the stacks by a tunnel, there would be a fire, the heat would travel through the tunnel and the heat surrounding the bricks would heat up the floor above, thus heating the water held in that room for a hot bath! </div><div> </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VWn6uaFjiOpt3seJcFHQbMYa5FNq78Cnqsm-hE0f91Yc7GF5e-66QfJ8l9HkmqT7azXdeWppT8hEr4FAZ-S9eoJFMBys4ZtXTDsqrH5-rLm3dUvJOVT8ufHLF1_B8U5z5sIXM5cXkx7I/s1600-h/DSCN3694.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446150095947550066" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VWn6uaFjiOpt3seJcFHQbMYa5FNq78Cnqsm-hE0f91Yc7GF5e-66QfJ8l9HkmqT7azXdeWppT8hEr4FAZ-S9eoJFMBys4ZtXTDsqrH5-rLm3dUvJOVT8ufHLF1_B8U5z5sIXM5cXkx7I/s320/DSCN3694.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4hp8Cp6JR_ILiKbCCoKUjBjpS77sGaaVpqH7dUPInWs33ijqBZjUCyIxTk_vkdDEUQNOrVujxLJHDUALcZ3ojhlbUcT0Idh-XgqbONzitrFGbWU2sOqkx1yREeg20De9HTHdH_Y6rZVM/s1600-h/DSCN3688.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446149695415975314" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4hp8Cp6JR_ILiKbCCoKUjBjpS77sGaaVpqH7dUPInWs33ijqBZjUCyIxTk_vkdDEUQNOrVujxLJHDUALcZ3ojhlbUcT0Idh-XgqbONzitrFGbWU2sOqkx1yREeg20De9HTHdH_Y6rZVM/s320/DSCN3688.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><div><br /></div><div align="center">Nemean Games</div><div><br /></div><div align="left">About to run the Stade race, and in the ancient starting position: one foot in front of the other with "toes" curving over the grooves, knees slightly bent, and arms straight out in front. </div><div><br /></div><div align="left">The next day, we were scheduled to go into the site of Olympia (while the modern Olympics were being held halfway across the world!) However, the gods had other plans, and told the guards to participate in the general strike all across the country, so we were unable to go into the site, and had to see what we could (just the stadium, potential site for a house of Nero, and the tips of the Temple of Zeus) from one of the roads. I gave a presentation on Pelops, who has a hero shrine at Olympia, and is sometimes credited for the creation of the games (and so much more...) Because we cut so much out of our schedule by not being able to go into Olympia, we were able to go to a Venetian castle and fortress called Methione in the southwest corner of the Peloponnese. This was probably one of my favorite things that we did on the trip, and I am so glad we went! Mother nature was nice to us, so we had beautiful weather, and all over the inside of the fortress was covered in bright green grass and beautiful spring wild flowers. The castle was at one point in Ottoman control (as was all of Greece...) so there are a few buildings representing Turkish architecture (the typical rounded roof). The structures were sound enough that we were able to climb all over the fortress walls and walk over the little bridge to the mini island that was the prison. Oh yeah, did I mention that the walls came right up to the Mediterranean? After frolicking around for a few hours, we drove to the nearby town of Pylos, a beautiful sea-side town where we spent the night. (After eating one of the best taverna dinners I've had since coming to Greece... influenced by sitting for 4 hours with good wine and great company.) We celebrated the amazing weather by sitting out on the pier watching the warm Mediterranean waves come in.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwhRKYwNbCqHQcnx3lxBBQ7QsCfoNnWzcQUBZv91zuuatAF2abjwe1TfFOBTd0OnaehRmeJ0gW6-zwzY-EevHnolAnctJD2BQagHfabJKukL0TSGpF_GjbrJK7_rHcGuaKyal0kELsPUX/s1600-h/DSCN3713.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446154319211298770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwhRKYwNbCqHQcnx3lxBBQ7QsCfoNnWzcQUBZv91zuuatAF2abjwe1TfFOBTd0OnaehRmeJ0gW6-zwzY-EevHnolAnctJD2BQagHfabJKukL0TSGpF_GjbrJK7_rHcGuaKyal0kELsPUX/s320/DSCN3713.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnxscY-Xlu3kjxJ0NRXaOVY7dxnYBUR3UwhOHKZuEQZvryUA-okQk3xzLiyhEDF4UUEyCgHy8Qc6fW46k2YimHv8eLzn5kdI3l5FLieY79CiTUiADlBLE7L1T7wG16jYOIOPyPwpw85DYg/s1600-h/DSCN3720.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446154764612406594" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnxscY-Xlu3kjxJ0NRXaOVY7dxnYBUR3UwhOHKZuEQZvryUA-okQk3xzLiyhEDF4UUEyCgHy8Qc6fW46k2YimHv8eLzn5kdI3l5FLieY79CiTUiADlBLE7L1T7wG16jYOIOPyPwpw85DYg/s320/DSCN3720.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="left">Olympic Stadium, 24 Feb. At left you can see the original seats for the Hellondykai (judges and planners) and at the end you can see the tunnel used to enter the stadium with the guards who were on strike just standing around smoking... the same thing they would otherwise be doing. </div><div align="right">Methione, 24 Feb.</div><div><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6v4XRTjGSMdj1FXcjpn7G5d2a9iJb4i3Mr5cAJ1aNhNpnCooCHwBqMT-yiqkKKqhWADXJLiZ2IPagMfEAd7ntjVR7x3Pz0pGGDfnESY3jlblZCbGH3eEx-37_C0aEf3P6IeAc9CHKdEb/s1600-h/DSCN3750.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446155821506899810" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6v4XRTjGSMdj1FXcjpn7G5d2a9iJb4i3Mr5cAJ1aNhNpnCooCHwBqMT-yiqkKKqhWADXJLiZ2IPagMfEAd7ntjVR7x3Pz0pGGDfnESY3jlblZCbGH3eEx-37_C0aEf3P6IeAc9CHKdEb/s320/DSCN3750.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBnwSvSPpYVqlK7LuB-Wn4ptf-56dzlTZYQ9elxk6cqyS1p5gsIoN2Qnbuzk7T9PnVSYbd_MyhmiDmS6cg2ZPQin5673SgpCEMaxL94sVpZrkmZIDEmF5d6mR0iZmlTknpHiG_yDYPtb0/s1600-h/DSCN3725.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446156113281711778" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKBnwSvSPpYVqlK7LuB-Wn4ptf-56dzlTZYQ9elxk6cqyS1p5gsIoN2Qnbuzk7T9PnVSYbd_MyhmiDmS6cg2ZPQin5673SgpCEMaxL94sVpZrkmZIDEmF5d6mR0iZmlTknpHiG_yDYPtb0/s320/DSCN3725.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><br /> </div><div align="left">So many pictures of Methione... we walked around that whole outer wall that you can see in the upper right picture. </div><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-JBeHV98tD8g44RyS25aVUpph5UGxNp_8J-oZ9HqxzwCb_HqS2IhFzm34gNvu3Oa008z7sfidYkFfXEQOQ76tqzEWoVD0vRDJtK4ePDdkL193S3MgxegshhiwmJC52_M5EHlX6yj38Oc/s1600-h/DSCN3751.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446156769737291634" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-JBeHV98tD8g44RyS25aVUpph5UGxNp_8J-oZ9HqxzwCb_HqS2IhFzm34gNvu3Oa008z7sfidYkFfXEQOQ76tqzEWoVD0vRDJtK4ePDdkL193S3MgxegshhiwmJC52_M5EHlX6yj38Oc/s320/DSCN3751.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQ3xSunkrT76LgAN5eLsXeSNVwlODvNFASZJcYii-gTxxjAg3OWbnLGtDjoaGURfn0X0yVXK4ptZrbEU0HCrM9JIxyvTgAsl21K_kSMAIiiRfQOGKMngtl7uyeSDj-fr3hYT7rZvF-vjR/s1600-h/DSCN3781.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446157398030342194" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQ3xSunkrT76LgAN5eLsXeSNVwlODvNFASZJcYii-gTxxjAg3OWbnLGtDjoaGURfn0X0yVXK4ptZrbEU0HCrM9JIxyvTgAsl21K_kSMAIiiRfQOGKMngtl7uyeSDj-fr3hYT7rZvF-vjR/s320/DSCN3781.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><br /> </div><div align="left">The next day, we got a bit of a delayed start (2 1/2 hours) from Pylos, because some drunkard students may or may not have done some hugely inappropriate thing in the hotel and were being grilled by the professors and hotel staff to see who had committed the...act (probably not what you're thinking, but also not fit for the Internet). So the rest of us were stuck in the beautiful town of Pylos for awhile to bask in the sun and dangle our legs into the water... what a horrible thing. However, that meant that the sites we were supposed to hit that day had to be rushed through. We went to the Palace of Nestor, a Mycenean palace (from around 1300s BCE) one of the best preserved palaces of that time. We also got to see their Thiolos tomb, which is a bee-hive shaped structure about 40-60 feet tall in the center consisting of stacked blocks of stone on top of each other without anything in between until they curve close enough in the center to be held by one stone. Quite impressive! After a quick picnic lunch in the mountains on the huge stones of an ancient wall similar to that of China's we hurried on to Messene, which was a beautiful site tucked into the mountains. Sadly, it was supposed to close 30 minutes after we got there, so we literally had to run through the site to get to the "important bits" before our time ran out. We then made the long twisting journey through the tallest mountains of Greece (beautiful!) to the modern city of Sparta (best pronounced if you leave out the R). There of course, were many "This IS Spartaaaaa" jokes (the movie 300 reference for those of you who don't watch inaccurate main-stream representations of history). </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicve03B_mUmbbIBNeNS_pp8hyV1Zlf0MbCEafjxTy2bd7qcQxPNbt2yfKIUjca8Kmhv37vv3Bm2hYxj0hG5cwoseY6_p2lichWlgncDa3uM31KqVV9i7InunabPqQ-_UN8GWqOKbBKO0_4/s1600-h/DSCN3806.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446162573813382690" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicve03B_mUmbbIBNeNS_pp8hyV1Zlf0MbCEafjxTy2bd7qcQxPNbt2yfKIUjca8Kmhv37vv3Bm2hYxj0hG5cwoseY6_p2lichWlgncDa3uM31KqVV9i7InunabPqQ-_UN8GWqOKbBKO0_4/s320/DSCN3806.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiir270So3rB7umlICj0Rj6iVNWZqkJwa6QQM3lDVd30PPbRa7N0Zort9vl3VthnGxJ9C13PKvvto6nbZ1DlQzcbE2kTwz_Ic15FEXjCoeJ5K-mMhax5npDrhUGIdwMTE0kJe8j8jLdF-Bt/s1600-h/DSCN3820.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446163114947071986" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiir270So3rB7umlICj0Rj6iVNWZqkJwa6QQM3lDVd30PPbRa7N0Zort9vl3VthnGxJ9C13PKvvto6nbZ1DlQzcbE2kTwz_Ic15FEXjCoeJ5K-mMhax5npDrhUGIdwMTE0kJe8j8jLdF-Bt/s320/DSCN3820.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br /> </div><div align="left">Pylos in the morning, 25 Feb. Bathtub in the Palace of Nestor, 25 Feb.<br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TFGD-pMNeNiTU5jeI8QEb4oLsgfyqkGt2HXhUH2fEx2JOSZIxp0Aw7_QE_5BN2dn0aK6aepGE2bgJVGhDlaKU_W7zbg0SDZolTrVEUv5dmrjQvW5aHyeDyz0mQhTHe0nwhPStvDUb_iK/s1600-h/DSCN3846.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446163833119932338" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-TFGD-pMNeNiTU5jeI8QEb4oLsgfyqkGt2HXhUH2fEx2JOSZIxp0Aw7_QE_5BN2dn0aK6aepGE2bgJVGhDlaKU_W7zbg0SDZolTrVEUv5dmrjQvW5aHyeDyz0mQhTHe0nwhPStvDUb_iK/s320/DSCN3846.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /> </div><div align="left">Driving through the mountains 25 Feb.<br /></div><div align="left">The next day, we walked through the modern city of Sparta to see the few stones of the remains of ancient Sparta... interesting, but if you are planning a trip through the Peloponnese, this is something you can skip. Towards the afternoon, we left Sparta and made our way to a near-by castle and working convent called Meistras. It had an amazing view (especially from the top of mountain we climbed) and had interesting architecture. It was originally Byzantine, then was taken over by the French and turned Catholic, and eventually made its way back into the hands of the Byzantium empire. Eventually, we left the site and drove to Naufplion, the first capital of modern Greece (after 1827 when they gained their Independence from the Ottomans) and where I was just a week earlier on a day trip with a few friends. Went on a walking tour of the historical aspects of the city with Anne, one of the professors on my bus. (This, of course ended with the arrival to one of the best gelatto shops I have ever been to.) </div><div align="center"><br /> </div><div align="left"></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqULWG4ZYaNX3Ikip7wyA0E0UMKAutjRzH13G2f1_ItJk6MjMORoCpAhTj0SMrKuDU1ipYnfQJfTao4vUgmkMIthBu_te-DcV-6AJuy3g8j7EdOnCjDeY1QTgjyj05kLof67daZKcWwOF2/s1600-h/DSCN3864.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446167751857381698" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqULWG4ZYaNX3Ikip7wyA0E0UMKAutjRzH13G2f1_ItJk6MjMORoCpAhTj0SMrKuDU1ipYnfQJfTao4vUgmkMIthBu_te-DcV-6AJuy3g8j7EdOnCjDeY1QTgjyj05kLof67daZKcWwOF2/s320/DSCN3864.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihm-PTkQLbvA0B9nsNiqYR9vbWxfEFRQvUSLir2RuVfxN77Iqf-QDbeHYeLvZMQNhyjlbrvPm1oo3MntbTSm9QH6cLifZdxPlovgjbRCRaVkXV91-vpoMTz7I3wjebLcH9qAzEK-B1iGp/s1600-h/DSCN3850.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446167055646861138" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhihm-PTkQLbvA0B9nsNiqYR9vbWxfEFRQvUSLir2RuVfxN77Iqf-QDbeHYeLvZMQNhyjlbrvPm1oo3MntbTSm9QH6cLifZdxPlovgjbRCRaVkXV91-vpoMTz7I3wjebLcH9qAzEK-B1iGp/s320/DSCN3850.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> </div><div align="left">Spartan sunrise, 26 Feb. This is Sparta? Spartan Acropolis, 26 Feb.<br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQncNJedj40ccDBqzm8qG18XkQCWbx9Q4bTa9q5PLvr4-J6QciCACv3_TaHsKMt67roSjd6rhp6ZhAqzZwM9CuOlHNSHHKwLT7w-eLFtK8CtUXWXEiq-ghREZukv7H-f_bfvyTk9mbdkOd/s1600-h/DSCN3919.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446168534298779554" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQncNJedj40ccDBqzm8qG18XkQCWbx9Q4bTa9q5PLvr4-J6QciCACv3_TaHsKMt67roSjd6rhp6ZhAqzZwM9CuOlHNSHHKwLT7w-eLFtK8CtUXWXEiq-ghREZukv7H-f_bfvyTk9mbdkOd/s320/DSCN3919.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"><br /> </div><div align="left">One of the churches at Meistras, 26 Feb. </div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="left">The next day (and last day of the trip) we went to Epidauras, the site of the first hospital, where patients would ask the gods to cure their illnesses and drink a potion so that they could sleep until the "gods visited them" and told them what to do. There was also a really interesting theatre which was engineered so that the person standing in the very middle of the theatre can be heard by anybody in the audience as if they were standing right next to the listener. A whisper can literally carry to the top row. Then, we went back to Naufplion to visit the Venetian castle/fortress which I had visited on a cloudy day exactly one week before. However, this time we drove up to the top, rather than take the 999 steps like I did the first time. Sadly, we did not have very much time to explore since we had to go back down to the town for a quick lunch before advancing to the famous site of Mycenae. Though the main city of the Myceneans, the site is also famous for the untrained archaeologist, Heinrich Schliemann, who found a whole lot of gold in a grave circle, and credited it to the burial site of Agamemnon. After awhile at this site, we were back on the bus, and heading back to Athens. Though a very interesting trip, it was going to be nice to be back at home and able to sleep in. However, again the gods had something else in mind for us. </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkncuE8bvCHBoXBB_jmC4Qjb7KezEj-Cn6iUGT3weARDDWzOuxovHN4mieXPPruOeOsBPb18z6QTv47l6RtoQjH7dzNnkXcpaPxA_ZpQRGYN7E0cL5Aoucq_FKbXWz-DE3pb7OILRqHLvT/s1600-h/DSCN3973.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446171269654092386" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkncuE8bvCHBoXBB_jmC4Qjb7KezEj-Cn6iUGT3weARDDWzOuxovHN4mieXPPruOeOsBPb18z6QTv47l6RtoQjH7dzNnkXcpaPxA_ZpQRGYN7E0cL5Aoucq_FKbXWz-DE3pb7OILRqHLvT/s320/DSCN3973.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TN_qjrJXlNIB2hkbLavrhjVbC7m42hTt5YfYEOPDErEd0Fj-ejm1wW6TcynAOBGgVHNyqnSf-B1eYPnj9uwviS2E6kVdnB2ZW-Z6w5-i0D1eC8fqHhsB0583-J70rj_0xRM9vx5by6bA/s1600-h/DSCN3969.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446170907758543922" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TN_qjrJXlNIB2hkbLavrhjVbC7m42hTt5YfYEOPDErEd0Fj-ejm1wW6TcynAOBGgVHNyqnSf-B1eYPnj9uwviS2E6kVdnB2ZW-Z6w5-i0D1eC8fqHhsB0583-J70rj_0xRM9vx5by6bA/s320/DSCN3969.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="left">At the theatre of Epidauras, 27 Feb. One of the students performing for us</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="left"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFvkAEQqCt7p6c9YrnxgOvMNcu_2PIx4oE59wJf6gkwSdxisw058IZUuxAszLjhUN1Cijs9Vepel0ZkbUacl28QHFc8U6ANkZ3kAWVdkY5fq-ZhtzpX5xXptuloZqHPWQycsTmR3NsI9BA/s1600-h/DSCN3982.JPG"></a><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTq3XoOvwWC652dZ3eGWEK3fEkMhA5kzfW-7M4nHYoC3-54qgppBsi9URIoWtTx9DR0DTk8fAnsOyGRxnOU5jl50xNQICJ8IL0CxoJSg_sk5b-KMEHGMxFDJnpNolnb7i8lxWSFfzYs3s/s1600-h/DSCN3982.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446172994940056626" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTq3XoOvwWC652dZ3eGWEK3fEkMhA5kzfW-7M4nHYoC3-54qgppBsi9URIoWtTx9DR0DTk8fAnsOyGRxnOU5jl50xNQICJ8IL0CxoJSg_sk5b-KMEHGMxFDJnpNolnb7i8lxWSFfzYs3s/s320/DSCN3982.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Pc9d1onGLYLwQMoTcfguQqDJp1cu7bn-ABNk225kddmHGmb4xniXLz9ApfTnr4Ue-iGfne_tGD9affb6ME1f4KJkqMY4OyraKvX24nx8uhfaKmHoGW_nYiKM6aN058Fi1gFDl9idWdyq/s1600-h/DSCN3979.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446171904266458802" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Pc9d1onGLYLwQMoTcfguQqDJp1cu7bn-ABNk225kddmHGmb4xniXLz9ApfTnr4Ue-iGfne_tGD9affb6ME1f4KJkqMY4OyraKvX24nx8uhfaKmHoGW_nYiKM6aN058Fi1gFDl9idWdyq/s320/DSCN3979.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">Outside the Thiolos tomb at Mycenae, 27 Feb. At the top of the fortress in Naufplion, 27 Feb.</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">My bus arrived first, about 2 hours ahead of the other roommates. So I made the treck with my bags up to the apartment by myself. When I got to the apartment, I stepped out of the elevator to see that our door was ajar with a piece of the doorjam hanging by a few splinters to the door, plaster and wood all over the floor, and couch cushions overturned. First thought: oh, somebody got home before me, that's weird. Second thought: figures, our apartment would be broken into. Third thought: oh shit, our apartment was broken into!!! By this third thought I had started shaking as the realization set in. Luckily, I knew that I probably didn't have much stolen, since all my valuble technology-type stuff was with me on the trip (SO happy I made the last-minute decision to bring my computer!) I went back to the Academic Center where I told the receptionist and waited for my roommates. The Director's assistant came in and called the police, and did all the dirty work. When all the roommates got back, we all went to the apartment together with the police, the Director, his assistant, and a few others to assess the dammage. As I guessed, I only had about 60 US dollars stolen from my locked drawer that had been pryed open. However, my roommate was not so lucky: she had her laptop, external hard drive, ipod, and other random things stolen. One roommate hid her laptop well enough that they did not find it, and the rest of us had ours with us. Two of the other girls had their credit cards and ipods hidden well enough as well. We trailed back and forth to the police station the next couple of days to figure out the police reports and all that kind of stuff. We also moved into a new apartment which we were given the option to stay in permanently. </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">The rest of this past week was essentially us debating whether or not to stay in this apartment (which we ended up doing, despite the fact that it's much smaller, because two of the girls refused to go back to the old apartment). There were highlights of the week, including eating Asian food twice (the first ethnic food I've had since being here), having a fun night in watching the old Willy Wonka and eating Chinese food out of the box, and going out to see the new Alice in Wonderland movie the day it came out. </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">But I have been a bad student. Just spent about 2 1/2 hours writing this instead of writing my 2 papers or studying for my 3 tests that I have this week... good thing the professor told me I should take extensions on the two papers...</div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">Next time, I swear, the post will not be insanely long. </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070586464402569223noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972027405100375431.post-74205242292248281052010-02-21T05:51:00.013-05:002010-02-22T01:55:28.582-05:00Carnival and Syros<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDHGSuauUX04bXNtVpK2oet2NQ3S6gce2PP4RzjJfC8pPsJzywgrLWBUL-CzT9ObULfJ_SWrbV9K3kOFRpAdcqH-ue0nUOEcP4OhlJA2dQvDNqSwQmILcBQW_YV-el3y1Mnigr2TJm2DM/s1600-h/DSCN3450.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440947642027243666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdDHGSuauUX04bXNtVpK2oet2NQ3S6gce2PP4RzjJfC8pPsJzywgrLWBUL-CzT9ObULfJ_SWrbV9K3kOFRpAdcqH-ue0nUOEcP4OhlJA2dQvDNqSwQmILcBQW_YV-el3y1Mnigr2TJm2DM/s320/DSCN3450.JPG" border="0" /></a>Sunrise on the Aegean </div><div align="center">February 12</div><div> </div><div align="left">Wow, so much for keeping up with my blog... 2 weeks later.<br /><br />The next week flew by with lots of work being put into presentations and papers and in anticipation for VISITORS! Martha (my future roommate in Ann Arbor) and Erin (a friend from a few classes and mutual friends), are studying in Aix-en-Provence for the semester and decided they should visit me for their week-long break. Quite the brilliant decision!<br /><br />After finally deciding on which island to go to for the 4-day weekend, we were able to book last minute hostel and ferry reservations for Syros, Greece, capital of the Cyclades. We set the journey off on an interesting note: by taking a 7:30, we had to leave my apartment at a bright-eyed 5:30 to leave us enough time to walk to the metro, take it to the bus, get off the bus too early, catch the next one to take us back to the metro, and grab our reserved tickets... Luckily, everything worked out fine, and we were able to take the cruise-ship sized ferry through the sunrise on the Aegean sea.<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440950379584340338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0nuvPxvAcZmj1iOQb9BOTjJjFKR30MZbrxqgNTzXq635CdNoaE46-UR8cApAJHg8NhWA6D59h87Sx2Ric2A2BesSkGwny5LDxAEAI-CgbXqnoiWbRTy6oC78Qtaa8Z9zPfASIG-X6t35/s320/DSCN3454.JPG" border="0" /> <div align="center">Erin (L) and Martha (R) in Kini, Syros<br />February 12</div><div><br />Our first day on the island, we had a bit of trouble finding our hostel. This was justifiable consider the the directions on the website said to "walk a few meters into the center of the town [Ermoupolis], on your seventh street on the left there will be a big clock and you will see the entrance to the market..." you get the point. However, we did not stress, for we had all the time in the world and decided to make our motto for the trip: every idea is a good idea. One of these ideas was to take the bus across the island to Kini, a beautiful beach town which was almost completely deserted due to our timing. We were able to take a walk along the coast, and eventually found the one open restaurant to have lunch on the water. Participated in the long-awaited siesta and went to a cute seafood restaurant facing the water. I gave Martha and Erin their first experience of a taverna dinner, ordering many of the favorites (tzatziki, bread, greek salad) and a local gem (grilled swordfish). We explored the dark town and climbed up to one of the many beautiful Orthodox churches on the island. </div><br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUcQx4sxe2xgFwU6KRNkPaGV5Id1nZZdFIuzxoGoKCU1480SGcScvjeRogAm8JK4ctsFxJNCTYDwcxdr37eVky8qJfpnZX8XRFqD1ipPIpbbPQ9FGTz-ofN6DfMY8cjDNVjPZwYlMz_G5/s1600-h/DSCN3484.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440951063324705490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUcQx4sxe2xgFwU6KRNkPaGV5Id1nZZdFIuzxoGoKCU1480SGcScvjeRogAm8JK4ctsFxJNCTYDwcxdr37eVky8qJfpnZX8XRFqD1ipPIpbbPQ9FGTz-ofN6DfMY8cjDNVjPZwYlMz_G5/s320/DSCN3484.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />With Erin on the windy hill of the chuch</div><div>Ermoupolis, Syros</div><div>February 13</div><br /><br /><br /><div>Saturday, we were able to enjoy our little breakfast of an orange and Greek yogurt sitting out on the water before catching the Syros Cycladic Museum. Though a small building, the museum held art dating from 3000-2000 BC from all over the Cyclades including sarcophagi, cycladic grave figurines, and the decorated frying pans. All of which I have been learning about in my archeology class. We then climbed to the top of the largest hill in Ermoupolis to a huge Orthodox church. It's always interesting to see the combination of ancient, old, and modern throughout Greece: there was a basketball court right by the church, and spectators not only have a view of the game, but also the Aegean sea and other islands. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVSs0PCekqAoHB3cUK6BzaShkKS9uNlFLOf3utsZeeeLonJi7DnHx2EhyphenhyphenxbmQNY-LEktw_tl4mcW0qlZCNBgV1kyne9_vq-dT0O7YVtxixDCtKNjJlPtCiD9qPQ4H0o0YbLHzbvWmUQI5/s1600-h/DSCN3469.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440948127272288562" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVSs0PCekqAoHB3cUK6BzaShkKS9uNlFLOf3utsZeeeLonJi7DnHx2EhyphenhyphenxbmQNY-LEktw_tl4mcW0qlZCNBgV1kyne9_vq-dT0O7YVtxixDCtKNjJlPtCiD9qPQ4H0o0YbLHzbvWmUQI5/s320/DSCN3469.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />When venturing down again, we learned that there would be a Carnival in the main square, however it ended up being a bunch of little kids dressed up in Halloween costumes, their parents (some dressed up, others not), and Latin music being pumped from huge speakers set up by the DJ controlling it. (We learned that the Greeks don't know how to do the dance to the Macarena... how sad.) Realize we weren't welcome at this party, we went off in search of dinner, and later, a bar to celebrate Erin's 21st birthday! We met a few nice Greek guys but ended up cutting the night short (just an early 3:00am).<br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div align="right">On the walk up to the huge church, Syros<br />February 13</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440952360585983778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmHyirlyV8kblmLsm1_3ycsvo6G3aaQUCMUdDHYY5R63IHu6RkeCgRzkxs3l0yfYbgYXBd_ZhiO3E-z1AzClkAdGPCSf4UK-qTEhtCeMi8uTryNALKLCPe4TCSeTBZco8997L4NG5Jzlh/s320/DSCN3481.JPG" border="0" /></div><p align="center">One of the views from the big church to the church of the night before and the Aegean Sea Ermoupolis, Sryos: February 13</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIT6BtEE8aemCvb4M8ti6JEWaM32zx6rsNKidlHhO3fPWN5DeJs40tQLBd6DiIoCLKJAioYqdA4xenkqSPWQL0VFZXKGvmg7wv01NHDxNB0-jtIkjzXADyP-2l76NGgLzDM4nXy2Feqez/s1600-h/DSCN3492.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440954388901235746" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAIT6BtEE8aemCvb4M8ti6JEWaM32zx6rsNKidlHhO3fPWN5DeJs40tQLBd6DiIoCLKJAioYqdA4xenkqSPWQL0VFZXKGvmg7wv01NHDxNB0-jtIkjzXADyP-2l76NGgLzDM4nXy2Feqez/s320/DSCN3492.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="left">Ermoupolis, Syros</p><p align="left">February 13<br /></p><br /><br /><br /><p align="left"></p><br /><br /><br /><p align="left"> </p><p align="left"> </p><p align="left">Saturday was Erin's birthday, and in celebration, collectively, we made a list of 21 things to do on her 21st. These ranged from 'eat breakfast on the roof of the hostel' to 'get a picture on a moped' to 'learn how to say "it's my birthday" in Greek, and tell a Greek person'. By the end of the next day, she had completed 17 things, and those that were left were completely unachievable. We had a big/fancy dinner at a local taverna (one of the things on the list) where Erin and I split grilled stuffed squid, slow roasted lamb with rosemary, and a Greek salad. What a wonderful meal! That night, we took a taxi up the mountain into a separate town called Ano Syros (old syros) where the oldest town on the island is located, and where cars cannot drive in the narrow streets. We weren't sure exactly what was going on there, but from the information we had gathered, it would be some sort of Carnival celebration sometime around 7 or 8. The atmosphere was quite festive; Everyone from kids to grandparents were dressed up in wild and crazy outfits (including quite a bit of cross-dressing), and it felt a cross between Halloween, 4th of July, and a parade party! It would have been a bit more fun if we had known a family who lived up there, because as we walked back from the costume parade (which is what ended up happening), covered in confetti, there were potlucks going on in all the buildings we walked past. This kind of fun family affair is essentially the only thing that has made me miss home. </p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZ4lKH2Td6V0inRS2dOq56_FUI5oUnb4eU8mzQny4Qe1ZC81zPJsrHkqOTfEK5susUyNgyD1xdAlaXy3ableIxjFhCCdeOD_Tv6ndAPlNPwANb2adFRYPb1k3WxbSZYeJVRhvb19lQI0j/s1600-h/DSCN3525.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440954992366510066" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZ4lKH2Td6V0inRS2dOq56_FUI5oUnb4eU8mzQny4Qe1ZC81zPJsrHkqOTfEK5susUyNgyD1xdAlaXy3ableIxjFhCCdeOD_Tv6ndAPlNPwANb2adFRYPb1k3WxbSZYeJVRhvb19lQI0j/s320/DSCN3525.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsaV1W5Fh4SoOJ8x3yU6coLSzniPZ5WJAL2VNK8McgJZOBT_DL0v410gUqkxBExGl02VuLLQTBuN40Fi9bmqeaw9OIrEFiH2aGQpLZGtuskb2dVDAMxZG1lRozYoKvP-5GFMzWxiuqFGl/s1600-h/DSCN3519.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440955599181791410" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsaV1W5Fh4SoOJ8x3yU6coLSzniPZ5WJAL2VNK8McgJZOBT_DL0v410gUqkxBExGl02VuLLQTBuN40Fi9bmqeaw9OIrEFiH2aGQpLZGtuskb2dVDAMxZG1lRozYoKvP-5GFMzWxiuqFGl/s320/DSCN3519.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><div align="center">Carnival Parade in Ano Syros</div><div align="center">February 14</div><div> </div><div>The last day we had to check out of our hostel early(ish) but didn't have a ferry out until the afternoon. Luckily, it was a beautiful day (we would have gone swimming, but we didn't have anywhere to shower off the salt afterwards) and we ended up basking on the rocks by the sea for many hours and returned to Athens with a bit of a sunburn. </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440956203016660018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAm3TDxuSxTUGH3ApgdCZeapbaQNrpmEc2HpFm7BwriTE7QMu1PS42OZra3nhqbNlLztUE01ap_7yJKCCl_RVh6hzLDfze7JeRpjYSbLNRsj20HmH2z-bOZD1QWvHkeYBKu0AnGX7bVoRi/s320/DSCN3542.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div align="center">Erin and Martha basking in the Greek ligtht enjoying the view of the Sea </div><div align="center">Ermoupolis, Syros: February 15<br /><br /></div><div>Quite the perfect journey, and a nice break from the busy life of Athens! </div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070586464402569223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972027405100375431.post-16381545512394061362010-02-08T09:34:00.012-05:002010-02-09T11:58:45.092-05:00Adventures Around Attica<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jg0T_DN73Pq7fiBsD4wZJud8GirBOMW5aQPCBckqpfrgVWvH5NWM1oc84qE_xpYT6sfk_ekUbKEWzawxcIL5Z-nr83tHM82_L0HyVPaey6eXcOIKjVlgYrr8Fm1_onjA13P8qVYsDQeU/s1600-h/DSCN3417.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436239649062508050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3jg0T_DN73Pq7fiBsD4wZJud8GirBOMW5aQPCBckqpfrgVWvH5NWM1oc84qE_xpYT6sfk_ekUbKEWzawxcIL5Z-nr83tHM82_L0HyVPaey6eXcOIKjVlgYrr8Fm1_onjA13P8qVYsDQeU/s400/DSCN3417.JPG" border="0" /></a>Temple to Poseidon, Sounio, Greece February 6</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>As promised, I will now let you know about the beauty of Attica which Athens tries so hard to cover. </div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div>The field trip that was scheduled for a few weeks ago was rescheduled for last Saturday. Our school was split up into three buses, all going different places. Though originally, my bus was supposed to go to Marithon, this time around, we were scheduled to go to Brauron and Sounio. I was much happier with this change of plan. Whereas I would have seen a grassy hill and hear the story about the Battle of Marithon, I now got to see actual standing structures of the past. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>Due to the flooding at the site, Brauron was closed, and we were once again herded to a different monument. Our first stop was Thorikos, home of the first stone theatre, which was made in 4th century BCE. This site is also famous for the mining of materials which go into making bronze. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>Then, we continued down the coast of eastern Attica to the tip of the peninsula. Sounio was the most beautiful place that I have yet to see in Greece. Located right on the sea, the Temple to Poseidon acts as a landmark to all ships, both leaving, and returning to Athens. Though only a few pillars remain, it is still possible to imagine the glory that it must have been when a whole temple. Even Lord Byron thought so, when he carved his name into one of the stones when there in the late 1700s. </div><div align="right"><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436285319190120018" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNxx1ZREfndRxr_x8jsediypspwWP9kWNt_Vq8WMTIIIHKkER5Z-L5mG-5-sK0RmkjwI7DbgWHT9uulDAtpUSJdRSGc1IEjied1hW_lQKhec7G4uXRaZXanQ4T91ha4kU-TXFoUeObtU_/s320/DSCN3396.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div align="center">Thorikos <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8Yp3WfP1GWUZULDTJtGTlgREomROSS90k-de2ydloQuGmjLYPhFX6qXxZYAbM0FOD08IcyR55-dfbLv7iF-H-yD7pCY3rQcnboEg-D4XEvH_1qBZEwkvhdb7EoLA0oiiQh6uSmQJ4qkD/s1600-h/joyce+and+me+at+sounio-+joyce.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436284653446231010" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 140px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8Yp3WfP1GWUZULDTJtGTlgREomROSS90k-de2ydloQuGmjLYPhFX6qXxZYAbM0FOD08IcyR55-dfbLv7iF-H-yD7pCY3rQcnboEg-D4XEvH_1qBZEwkvhdb7EoLA0oiiQh6uSmQJ4qkD/s200/joyce+and+me+at+sounio-+joyce.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8Z1w_caul8MBdvDcDZ_DIqRXw99usYnHjTroz3-_yFpcKXtRQouW2098VknjfnAs1HG8yn3rI8dNfLaoVuTsX_O3xxXXR_CmAyY01AcNtKSl-51284uaJNo9q6b27z-na5scYfXTfYgv/s1600-h/DSCN3429.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436283473875147682" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8Z1w_caul8MBdvDcDZ_DIqRXw99usYnHjTroz3-_yFpcKXtRQouW2098VknjfnAs1HG8yn3rI8dNfLaoVuTsX_O3xxXXR_CmAyY01AcNtKSl-51284uaJNo9q6b27z-na5scYfXTfYgv/s200/DSCN3429.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436286867018973778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 230px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5GsOtFu7Gi8TQauz_A0yIQ4t6MTDHd0hdh6n-j82BC7M_441JH-zeq2HwYT-haZt7wSggVN5NzTJs1sDVLq3_DBvoE4yh2tOxsNS9YJ6L6VURThHIGjYS-14JoJxGg-HowqchHOBMRX3/s320/group+shot+at+sounio-+joyce.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center">Sounio, Temple to Poseidon<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436286351379334850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHfoS-jZvuvdfJGmPCMH-yWP5sSaOmd3ci8CUDMFi62XWqvn10k8tSoCtWodw5HAwS0SHzMH03VP-BsjbsOyWMkMmCtLx3KBr-ysfNvGYgSjVc-8wNmL10C20MGlwEknbvbMLGp1B7ZAYs/s320/DSCN3400.JPG" border="0" /> </p><p align="center">4th Century BCE Theatre and Sea</p><div>After being blown to pieces at the top of the cliff, we returned to the bottom to have a picnic lunch on the sea shore. Sadly, it was windy and quite cold, so we had to shield ourselves behind the bus and were not able to appreciate the crashing waves to go with our sandwiches. </div><br /><div></div><div> </div><div>Sunday, after a long day of homework, discussing travel plans with Martha and Erin (both friends also from Michigan who are studying in France and who are coming to visit me for a week!!!), we had a nice roommate dinner and got ready to be Americans... afterall, it was the Superbowl! Now, I'm not the biggest football fan (unless Big10), but I did not want to pass up this chance at seeing Americans pretending to be Greek one minute, and the next walk into and Irish pub and go back to being American. (The good part about having it at an Irish pub was that Guiness was finally on tap, and the same price as the other beers.) We had a fun time; There were a ton of students from CYA and a bunch from one of the other study abroad programs, as well as a couple of random Greek, Welsh, and Australian men. And as if that wasn't enough, they gave away free superbowl food at halftime. The down part, was that I stayed awake till 5 am watching football only to have to get up at 7:45 for an orientation at the Blegen Library. </div><br /><div>Carpe Diem?</div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070586464402569223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972027405100375431.post-30198521034344953982010-02-07T10:38:00.011-05:002010-02-10T02:35:35.960-05:00The Life of Athens<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcOvw_GFraDzMtEOijU0JA6Czui8Ge0UVm7VcWEqJky9oqJX3RsXXvrKEKGJaFyugUP-z9R31pyZV8CSiHDXYpNo76W0KgJp_9eOsUpDuKLUKGafpnFrsvz2n4fNhLz4sbEqt3s2AkXfe/s1600-h/DSCN3368.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435882550607231314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcOvw_GFraDzMtEOijU0JA6Czui8Ge0UVm7VcWEqJky9oqJX3RsXXvrKEKGJaFyugUP-z9R31pyZV8CSiHDXYpNo76W0KgJp_9eOsUpDuKLUKGafpnFrsvz2n4fNhLz4sbEqt3s2AkXfe/s400/DSCN3368.JPG" border="0" /></a> Full moon over <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CYA's</span></span> Academic Center (where all my classes are held), <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Pangrati</span></span>, Athens </div><br /><br />Often, I avoid writing in my blog thinking it will take a long time, and cause me to miss out on other things. However, once I put off writing, I do more things, and it takes longer to do. So the following is a weeks worth of craziness, and in the future, I will try to update it more often.<br /><br /><br />Last weekend, Athens was lucky enough to have a few warm days. According to my standards, it was beautiful, and I was able to sit outside and read one of the days, and wear a sundress and sandals without being too chilly the other. The Greeks, however, were still wearing their fur coats, and gave me looks as if I was crazy. Little do they know...<br /><br /><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435888808349690354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBPfT9wtfi8m09_2_sT4cj0Dd9guR_yY-KgXzL3IFbn7RfW4uXcHD6tr0hQU8WKanBG4kcHWEfzL8Cxr4F-l0xv7D4tBgqOhp3JXdEmkz_7HAXE-HffO6qLoKLElHWO7wocy3_JAAZgJMD/s320/in+front+of+the+stadium-+elizabeth.jpg" border="0" />In front of the Stadium on a beautiful spring day, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Pangrati</span></span>, Athens, January 30<br /></div><br />Classes are finally starting to pick up. After the first few days of background material, we are getting into the subject material such as the funeral games and Olympics (for my Ancient Greek Athletics class) and the Greek origin story (for Mythology and Religion). However, where there is interesting material to learn, there are also projects and papers. I, mistakenly, signed up for presentations in two of my classes at the very beginning of the semester and have two papers which closely follow these presentations. At least the subjects are interesting: <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Artemis</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Pelops</span></span> for the presentations, and comparing a different origin story with that of the Greeks for my paper.<br /><br /><br />I went out with Lily and Liz the other day for drinks at a swanky bar in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Kolonoki</span></span>. Had a fun time, but I doubt we'll go back considering how insanely expensive the drinks were. We're starting to figure out this whole night life scene of Athens. Nobody dances... ever. If there are people dancing, it's the Americans with the Greeks standing around the borders of the dance floor nodding their heads. Also, there is no point in going unless you get there after about 1:30 or 2 and stay till 5 or so. As you can imagine, I cannot compete with this lifestyle very much, and often resort to staying in. (By often, I'm comparing myself to many of the other study abroad kids who go out 5 nights of the week or so.)<br /><br /><br />The Greeks make up this nightlife by drinking coffee... lots and lots of coffee. There is a whole art devoted to the process of making and drinking the coffee. Frappes, blended <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">NesCafe</span></span> (instant coffee) with a small amount of ice, milk, and lots of sugar, should be sipped very slowly and the last inch should be left at the end (which is better to do, since it's a bitter froth). Then, of course, there is the traditional Greek (also known as Turkish) Coffee sometimes found in the States. This is almost like an espresso, but made with a TON of sugar, and the grounds are left at the bottom. Needless to say, one is not supposed to drink all of it unless wanting to consume the bitter grounds. This should also be sipped slowly over long conversation debating politics and football (soccer to us Americans).<br /><br /><br />To supplement my eating, traveling, drinking, and socializing habits, I am getting a job busing in a fancy restaurant a block away from school. The restaurant put a call out for two girls to come in, and my roommate, Joyce, and I were the first two to reply! We'll be going in for a test run sometime this week. It won't be much, but at least we'll get tips and a meal! After we met the owner, I headed over to my weekly marble-carving class. Got to work on my marble for the first time! By the end of the class, I had 80% of the outline chipped away by hammer and chisel, a numb thumb and forefinger, and a sore arm and shoulder for the next four days.<br /><br /><br />Last Thursday was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Tsiknopempti</span></span> which translates into "smoked day" or "eat meat day." All of Greece goes out to Tavernas (small, family owned restaurants) and does exactly as the name suggests: eats a LOT of grilled and smoked meats. According to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Orthodox</span> tradition, it is the last day to eat meat until Lent is finished with the Resurrection on Easter. However, in current times, people eat meat up until Lent, and then go meat-less until the end of Lent. Regardless, I went with a group of 19 of our closest friends to a cute Taverna on between our apartment and school. Great food including, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">tzatziki</span></span>, french fries (which they serve with EVERYTHING), fried cheese, fried zucchini and eggplant, mint and lamb balls, chicken in a cinnamon tomato sauce, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">greek</span></span> salad, and grilled lamb. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but it was delicious! And to finish off the fun affair, at the end of the meal the waitress gave us streamers to throw at each other and across the table. Quite the festive event!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyiiuMoo06nNF11ScxXMgP_xCvjoHcce-tG90A5Gtlqpuj9WhCuMoTczRnKhNGYJMHjwqSep26oToLYMwbNYwkr1vUgkUnKEU1OdT8ecaPophI7TYlTyvk3NETHe4GFt1h9M4PRDn5oW4/s1600-h/group+at+eat+meat+night-+joyce.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435888017556572530" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeyiiuMoo06nNF11ScxXMgP_xCvjoHcce-tG90A5Gtlqpuj9WhCuMoTczRnKhNGYJMHjwqSep26oToLYMwbNYwkr1vUgkUnKEU1OdT8ecaPophI7TYlTyvk3NETHe4GFt1h9M4PRDn5oW4/s320/group+at+eat+meat+night-+joyce.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="left"><br />Group at the taverna for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Tsiknopempti</span></span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Pangrati</span></span>, Athens, February 4</div><div align="right"><br /></div>And, because this blog is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">sooooo</span></span> long already, I'll talk about Saturday's field trip, and Sunday's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">superbowl</span></span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">ness</span></span> in the next blog.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZI8_kxAdZuT9YpZI7OIPwL7xQoqfWQVmcw8wuMuWwqtQeXlVdMyZUS2sN67sPYasvcoXH6GQ7ROAPjHq2Dc19taKKN4KMMIf2QJX7NZxAG24u7Y6L3UoqArsemcgZxdSa8de9oDExGYuK/s1600-h/me+at+sounio-+joyce.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435884510547583314" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 239px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZI8_kxAdZuT9YpZI7OIPwL7xQoqfWQVmcw8wuMuWwqtQeXlVdMyZUS2sN67sPYasvcoXH6GQ7ROAPjHq2Dc19taKKN4KMMIf2QJX7NZxAG24u7Y6L3UoqArsemcgZxdSa8de9oDExGYuK/s320/me+at+sounio-+joyce.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A little teaser for the next post: Me at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Sounio</span></span>, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea from the Temple to Poseidon<br /><br /><br /><br />Thanks for reading this far, I hope to make them shorter for all of you in the future.Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070586464402569223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972027405100375431.post-57544596355174362362010-02-03T07:06:00.011-05:002010-02-03T08:49:04.963-05:00Food and Light<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpgmArJRUu5GlSXoUPTjio2lK7vPYS6dtjBgtOenr2nR5ju3W_Gvasrsv8dBmsKTFjAB54_p_VsmQB8YB1WxMeyHqQdBE1FhKKoTt4GbRdad17rDX15e5cTakPuHU0INGf769eoIWMM_u2/s1600-h/DSCN3345.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434009294296855858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpgmArJRUu5GlSXoUPTjio2lK7vPYS6dtjBgtOenr2nR5ju3W_Gvasrsv8dBmsKTFjAB54_p_VsmQB8YB1WxMeyHqQdBE1FhKKoTt4GbRdad17rDX15e5cTakPuHU0INGf769eoIWMM_u2/s400/DSCN3345.JPG" border="0" /></a> Not Wax Fruit! Farmers Market Purchases, January 29, Pagrati, Athens<br /><br /></div><div align="left">Travel writings can vary quite drastically. Some talk about food, others culture, and some just architecture. However, every travel article I have ever read about Greece somehow includes light. I will not break this longstanding tradition. The light here is almost indescribable. It's like the reflection off of freshly laid snow after having cloudy days for a month. The white-walled buildings enable it to emanate into even the darkest corners of rooms. The oranges soak it up to produce the sweetest, most succulent juice you have ever tasted. And all I want to do is taken endless walks around the city, exploring all that the light reaches. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">However, there is too much to do.</div><br /><div align="left">I cannot believe that a week has gone by without me writing. I am not sure how the time flies so fast, but it seems as though I was just uploading pictures yesterday! </div><br /><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434007959146436338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhbG7DLY2-IwbsW3v0xOjPHd6uxzAKgaWC8Jd2VOruDi61l-cRTF-8kJJjUuGtyga2EmhVp5U7_uUF-TQ-7N3-TdSnSWoPdeBsTw7kEuJMT-6DUnQ-Q-Ytq4hlsYMeTcS4SryvvERPOjD/s320/DSCN3378.JPG" border="0" /></div><div align="center">Girl Feeding Pidgeons in Syntagma Square, January 31, Athens </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><p>Last week, I participated in the first lesson of marble carving! I showed up at an underground studio filled with various sized blocks of marble, paintings, sculptures, and, of course REAL Greeks! At that point, I was the only student, but later in the session, four others joined me to listen to the six middle-aged Greeks performing a song to the rhythmic beat of their hammers and chisels. Our first mission was to find what we wanted to draw, draw it without much detail or shadow (which was my biggest problem), put it onto tracing paper, and then transfer the design to the marble using carbon paper. I decided on a figure similar to one of Athena, which I found in a book of ancient marble reliefs. Towards the end of the class, the owner of the studio came over the table where we were working, and invited us to clean up, and take part in eating various dishes prepared by the other Greeks, and homemade wine made by Dimitri (the studio owner) in celebration of the New Year. We were able to somewhat mingle with the adults, eat great food (smoked fish, grilled sausage, fresh tomato salad, and potato salad), and listen to fun music. At one point, one of the men recited a memorized poem to Apollo in Ancient Greek. Apparently, the group likes to celebrate as often as possible, and asked if we had any birthdays or special holidays coming up that we wanted to celebrate. Looks like we'll be celebrating Valentine's Day next week! And next time you're drinking wine, just do as Dimitri did, lean over to your neighbor, drop in a piece of apple and exclaim "Look! Now it's sangria!" </p><p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgioPl4EhgCI7peq5mP_tFRqFpuVTrssG-NQPf5w44oa7iZkYFr31-xS8cpbn6-iBlKr3ZHQQfIZ3RdyM738pfQez_y1iuOaHddRTnCSBU4Fz7G91viBjja-MfTr1hG1-tCmqO4QTCWHXIN/s1600-h/DSCN3360.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434005884527796306" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 179px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 235px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgioPl4EhgCI7peq5mP_tFRqFpuVTrssG-NQPf5w44oa7iZkYFr31-xS8cpbn6-iBlKr3ZHQQfIZ3RdyM738pfQez_y1iuOaHddRTnCSBU4Fz7G91viBjja-MfTr1hG1-tCmqO4QTCWHXIN/s200/DSCN3360.JPG" border="0" /></a>Continuing on the food note, I also signed up to take a cooking class last week. Or, at least, I thought it was going to be a cooking class. The thirty of us students expected to be split up into little groups and learn how to cook some traditional Greek food, exciting, right? However, when we got there, we were ushered into a room containing one big, professional kitchen and audience-style seats. It turns out, all we got to do was watch the chef prepare things, drink wine, and taste the pre-made versions of what he was making. Oh yes, and we were allowed to volunteer...to put garnishes on the plates. At least I left with a memory of good tastes, and the recipes to recreate these dishes (fava bean mashed up with lemon, fried vegetable balls, roasted grape leaf-wrapped lamb served with baby potatoes, and what they called "milk pie"-- a custard-like concoction with a phyllo dough crust).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzLYtHZyZuyLhjH6mzdVJKyxPMOyu7X-mbDXrbUQIe_s-_PNSKuKtvh40vTiIAeH5aQXJceVquAQCz6uS7ZTQff1JifjGTKweWU71sIbWp47tRrniNEC5oNOiNgQtUCIRIbMK6_7KQdld/s1600-h/DSCN3391.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434007187593639682" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzLYtHZyZuyLhjH6mzdVJKyxPMOyu7X-mbDXrbUQIe_s-_PNSKuKtvh40vTiIAeH5aQXJceVquAQCz6uS7ZTQff1JifjGTKweWU71sIbWp47tRrniNEC5oNOiNgQtUCIRIbMK6_7KQdld/s320/DSCN3391.JPG" border="0" /></a>Also, I went with a couple new friends to Kafissia, a suburb northeast of Athens, where there are cute shops, galleries, and other over-priced items. However, the next day, it was the extreme opposite: the Monastraki flea market, where you are surrounded by 'antiques', scarves and bags, and, of course, the typical fake name-brand items. A sight to see!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><div align="right">Monastraki Flea Market, January 31, Athens</div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070586464402569223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972027405100375431.post-73848122139890121632010-01-26T11:24:00.008-05:002010-01-26T14:50:22.373-05:00First Exploration of the Acropolis<div><div><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtatHNoZt6t0tR4pP1EIumc3brKo2XOzNlGLCbey3JUAP6EI8SiWc9PxNsig6UHdOTnjbNmDXlCEFwgMMtl3UxP-hMx5nxfGYk3RdDiLmSav0FuC2HVVkto06LN80QVdl7ir2YJscc8K3X/s1600-h/me+and+lykavittos+hill-+joyce.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431126712827243602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtatHNoZt6t0tR4pP1EIumc3brKo2XOzNlGLCbey3JUAP6EI8SiWc9PxNsig6UHdOTnjbNmDXlCEFwgMMtl3UxP-hMx5nxfGYk3RdDiLmSav0FuC2HVVkto06LN80QVdl7ir2YJscc8K3X/s320/me+and+lykavittos+hill-+joyce.bmp" border="0" /></a> At the top of Areopagus Rock by the base of the Acropolis, Overlooking Lykavittos Hill (where we climbed to the top the second night in town), January 23, courtesy of Joyce Chun<br /><div></div><br /><div>Wow, so little time has passed, yet SO much has happened! I guess I will just have to keep up with the blog more often as to not bore you with the long posts necessary to capture all of the details.<br /><br />Our dinner party turned out to be a ton of fun, and quite delicious. We made pasta with a sauce from fresh tomatoes, garlic, spices, and wine, a salad from feta, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, and mint, and had lovely cheese, bread, and wine brought over by the guys. Our apartment does not have a very big sitting area, so we ended up converting the double room into an extended living room for the night. Sadly, halfway through the meal, we were informed that the trip scheduled for the next day had been canceled due to weather (either the cold or rain, we weren't sure). However, we found the silver lining and continued to hang out, be merry, and play games late into the night.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2bt7qukZ9CE9HTJnIHEm-sAs5Hf48v4i6DZeuKoy_JAp9-QUYAyDdXpwVUbNQTPCKpy_MprOTYwwWjn5M3b7lrUV49BucljwknYKaFeMZ1viG2X0B5zjl60QHqV6SPE6e1n1oUZQRUGb/s1600-h/dinner+party-+christine.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431137006417095122" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2bt7qukZ9CE9HTJnIHEm-sAs5Hf48v4i6DZeuKoy_JAp9-QUYAyDdXpwVUbNQTPCKpy_MprOTYwwWjn5M3b7lrUV49BucljwknYKaFeMZ1viG2X0B5zjl60QHqV6SPE6e1n1oUZQRUGb/s320/dinner+party-+christine.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>At the dinner party (L to R): Mike, Joyce, Liz, Jimmy, Kate, Me, Melissa</div><div>January 22</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>After waking up to a woman singing and accordion music being played out on the street the next morning, I looked out and found it not to be cold OR rainy, in fact, quite the opposite! However, it was too late for the program to return to the original field trip, so we made our own. A large group of us ended up grabbing lunch and hiking all around the Acropolis (see pictures below) and into the surrounding area. We were unable to actually go up to the Acropolis and Parthenon due to the bizarre visiting hours they have. After a beautiful day of hiking, and a warm up at the new Acropolis Museum, we headed back to our respective apartments to get ready for our first "clubbing" experience in Athens. Apparently, it is hard to find a place where people actually dance, so after going to a chic bar and a place with older sketchy men, we decided to go back home in the wee hours of the morning. Apparently, clubs don't get "hopping" until about 4 in the morning... a bit too late for me to stay up! </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRPtBki7z0SxCJ-_nQYUVxE6BkQjJFo4Snz-INlNpx9RRQziYfSzLW8q-awLv3W7zubYEhofJ0CNLO4hakTDoEuj7X4TOBKMzqTGG15K0Hk7TkU36saVV3q8-hVQWOBLZN_UlXnk-OlPi/s1600-h/acropolis+3-+david.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431123990019336194" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRPtBki7z0SxCJ-_nQYUVxE6BkQjJFo4Snz-INlNpx9RRQziYfSzLW8q-awLv3W7zubYEhofJ0CNLO4hakTDoEuj7X4TOBKMzqTGG15K0Hk7TkU36saVV3q8-hVQWOBLZN_UlXnk-OlPi/s320/acropolis+3-+david.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br />The Acropolis from Philopappos Monument, January 23, courtesy of David Schneller</div><br /><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWaBPuyA73tuoEDMpOKv7hdwg3cvNgZ_98R2KK714amPNeRzqWZ5ujJxIeT99iOOgMrGHD-XoCfGCExwCf0zcDj8loLzTrfrdfB2WBYlO1IfB6pHpHBqd9V5yGk6TZnk38yPQZ5qJC1fp/s1600-h/girls+overlooking+the+bay-+joyce.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431125542846573330" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWaBPuyA73tuoEDMpOKv7hdwg3cvNgZ_98R2KK714amPNeRzqWZ5ujJxIeT99iOOgMrGHD-XoCfGCExwCf0zcDj8loLzTrfrdfB2WBYlO1IfB6pHpHBqd9V5yGk6TZnk38yPQZ5qJC1fp/s320/girls+overlooking+the+bay-+joyce.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>All of the hiking girls, top of Philopappos Hill looking west onto the Mediterranean Sea, January 23, courtesy of Joyce Chun</div></div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br /><div>Yesterday, I had my first Greek hospital experience. After all that we had to go through to get our original visas, they only last three months, so we have to apply for extended residency. Not only do we have to pay more, but we also have to get tested for TB, which includes a shot and a chest x-ray. Luckily, I ran into other students from CYA on the way to the hospital, so I did not get lost. Lots of waiting, a quick poke and x-ray, and I was on my way. Now let's just hope the reading goes well tomorrow... Also, on the way to the hospital, we used the Greek public transit for the first time. Even though we had been endlessly warned, one of the students was pick-pocketed. It's a good thing I was clutching to my purse for dear life. </div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4lJlsgL_iQz7kxt-c3fm0kYPBhOzLIS6mRW-azV-heF9bmYyeIRmcMHpTafWf7Er84ahCPEjxS1m5ZopSxJiEJt7kMkhLe6O4d6OqfmKmsGSZwZrfAgDM7XjEV6iCb7a_ElUgFITIO9_r/s1600-h/me,+liz,+and+joyce.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431128385448710802" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4lJlsgL_iQz7kxt-c3fm0kYPBhOzLIS6mRW-azV-heF9bmYyeIRmcMHpTafWf7Er84ahCPEjxS1m5ZopSxJiEJt7kMkhLe6O4d6OqfmKmsGSZwZrfAgDM7XjEV6iCb7a_ElUgFITIO9_r/s320/me,+liz,+and+joyce.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /></div><br /><div align="left"><br /><br /><div>Roomies getting ready to go out (Liz and Joyce), January 23</div><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><br /><div align="left"><br /><div>The final excitement of the day happened back at the Academic Center--I got to learn how to do traditional Greek dances! No, there were not any "Opa"s going around, but after working our way up past the first five dances (specific to different parts of Greece) we got to learn the dance everybody thinks of... to the music from Zorba the Greek! This one was my favorite, because though the initial steps are basic, we learned different flourishes on them, and had to speed up our dancing as the music got progressively faster...not easy when everybody is connected together in a circle. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjd40YXMTIo6eZTICDa9WduEZKWajqIya8OsMIDVFWQ_dBypJ4oX9YPO8e8fB6KqOW_4NSSU5mU-OPJQ08vXSbV7JfH8TRDi3FTy7J8xy4JSHql7TIwZ6yMz9DkbY2JV3zJMa-D5DD08RZ/s1600-h/roomie+shot+at+stadium-+joyce.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431132979403830498" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 202px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjd40YXMTIo6eZTICDa9WduEZKWajqIya8OsMIDVFWQ_dBypJ4oX9YPO8e8fB6KqOW_4NSSU5mU-OPJQ08vXSbV7JfH8TRDi3FTy7J8xy4JSHql7TIwZ6yMz9DkbY2JV3zJMa-D5DD08RZ/s320/roomie+shot+at+stadium-+joyce.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Roommates in front of the Acropolis and Theatre of Herodes Attiucus, January 23</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><div> </div><div>If I can experience this much of Athens within a week, I cannot imagine what else I will experience on this four month venture! However, fun and games will be slowing down a bit, as classes are starting to get harder. </div></div></div></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070586464402569223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972027405100375431.post-68935864717018055862010-01-22T08:30:00.007-05:002010-01-22T10:30:26.930-05:00Back to School<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6RN5oHSJwg8Znzam8bIPJ8OyEwIa89YvzMSIrzDKQpKiYJ71c3-YkG2iWHK-EVRtO2PfeQsS5fjVzdAEDpqk-8Hxm6hyphenhyphenJgCJvAwgEOYBIyDI2qkPHGtvlZBKYO1WYVPkSkhg_NDdQfor/s1600-h/DSCN3289.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429585705597575842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6RN5oHSJwg8Znzam8bIPJ8OyEwIa89YvzMSIrzDKQpKiYJ71c3-YkG2iWHK-EVRtO2PfeQsS5fjVzdAEDpqk-8Hxm6hyphenhyphenJgCJvAwgEOYBIyDI2qkPHGtvlZBKYO1WYVPkSkhg_NDdQfor/s320/DSCN3289.JPG" border="0" /></a> Sunrise outside of my plane, somewhere over the UK<br /></div><div> </div><div>Today is the second day of classes, so by now, everybody will have had their first class for every subject. Tuesdays and Thursdays I have all of my classes essentially back to back: Aegean and Ancient Greek Art and Archaeology taught by a British woman who grew up in a Greek village while her famous parents were off on archaeological digs. She is very excited about what she does, and is very knowledgeable in her subject, and I am excited to learn more about archaeology, especially since 80% of the classes will be held in museums around the city. Then, I have Ancient Greek Athletics, which may sound silly, but is going to be quite an interesting. The British professor will be showing us how integral athletics were to the ancient greek society, how politics played a part in the Olympics, how sports marked changes in age, and how it was used as a form of training for war. I also had my first day of Modern Greek! It's so enviggorating to be able to finally read signs and know how to say simple things like good day (sounds like Kali-MAra) and thank you (ef-ka-ri-STO). The professor is Greek, and seems to be teaching the language in a different way than most language teachers I have had in the past--maybe it'll make a difference in how my ability to retain it. The last class of the day was Ancient Greek Mythology and Religion taught by the same professor I have for Art and Arch. She has a great sense of humor and is excited to tell us "the juicy bits" involved in all of the myths. I have already signed up to do a presentation in a few weeks on the deity Artemis. Work already! </div><br /><div>Apparently, every day there is a farmer's market in one of Athens' neighborhoods, and one just has to go out and find them. For us, it's quite easy: both of the neighborhoods that College Year in Athens (CYA) students live in have farmers markets every Friday all morning until siesta. This morning, I went with two of my roommates, and we wandered the three blocks stuffed with oranges, fish, greens, herbs, persimmons, olives, and tomatoes. Even in comparison to France last summer, this market shows the more vegatables and fruit in one place than I have ever seen in my life! We weaved our way through little old ladies gossiping, friends shouting to each other, venders trying entice shoppers with their great deals. Planning mostly for ouor dinner tonight with the roommates and a group of guy friends, we were able to find juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, mint, zuccini, potatoes, sweet strawberries, oranges, and lots of olives. Can't wait to eat!</div><div> </div><br /><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429586015647172562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFfbhTEup5xGQFDeDK1-R9bp1Obwo1qXwwGWJAZgJtjdBwuf62SqarjkTAVze_iIgA8T5aF7eugkfqJTTq2CzMVwrHkb2ZRTbVPgkBsWsxitA_6-QAvyilSGfrcH7sgOyUfp-_CHrKq0uv/s320/DSCN3330.JPG" border="0" />Kate and Joyce in the Market after receiving free clementines </div><div align="center"><br /> </div><br /><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429586436566336642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9EVlTUkjrJU2MuMAvBa5CzD9xRM78AaNPllu0jS_mHStc9WTpl1yulTm9Z3z_Xq2MN8D2ORwGnGkNdIL0BB_sy_1ep5v4W2b6ni0w24WlrSK1O1ZtNuDPgNJXML2dSb8TcCBJclNE7bt/s320/DSCN3331.JPG" border="0" />A chilly, rainy day at the Market<br /></div><div>Tomorrow, I'm going on my first outing with CYA. The students are being split up to travel around Attica (the peninsula that Athens is on) to various archaeological sites for the day. I think my group is going to Amphiaraion and Marathon. </div><div> </div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070586464402569223noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972027405100375431.post-36783258783848608382010-01-20T12:19:00.008-05:002010-01-20T17:47:48.900-05:00Safe and Sound, without sleep<div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyvnZXITWk3hBz3IJj9zPX2CsJRcpWmAXzjWCdHyOESd1cBHKImyJBepYQ7cGT5QTGLgtQqRged4fbnHU5Akwqf9HQmbdHYEc5-OjIa9MnrWBvbGjgYD2i_H-y4dTGVlVUfiNzwdipkCL/s1600-h/DSCN3303.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428951461718058962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyvnZXITWk3hBz3IJj9zPX2CsJRcpWmAXzjWCdHyOESd1cBHKImyJBepYQ7cGT5QTGLgtQqRged4fbnHU5Akwqf9HQmbdHYEc5-OjIa9MnrWBvbGjgYD2i_H-y4dTGVlVUfiNzwdipkCL/s320/DSCN3303.JPG" border="0" /></a> View from the top of the hill, Kolonoki, Athens<br /></div><br /><div>Welcome to Greece! </div><br /><div>Or at least, that's how I felt as the plane from Frankfurt slid through the mist and fog to show a vision of rocky mounds tossed about in the sea. Okay, a little too poetic, but it was really beautiful. I made it to my apartment alright, but none of my roommates were there, so I made my way to the Academic center and got lost for a good hour. We have a great flat in the neighborhood closest to where our classes and meetings are, but it's the farthest away (only a 10 minute walk or so) out of the other apts. The six of us fit into four singles and a double with a spacious kitchen and comfy sitting area/living room; quite a lot bigger than I expected. My flat mates are nice; We all get along, and are becoming closer friends now that we hang out more. Joyce goes to Brown and is fro<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVuPXBIpxdrB52vPczU1UsXxkGg9BvPWW24CtkIh9ZmG3CmjyJ9QM_i6cpkxT0LACqvkCAQc-LlJbn6hKNE2Wsdi91PARFXY8Kg3TCIdRxyZBxCxbGBbhvhTUiGdL0wMZtKnbE1a65qrg/s1600-h/DSCN3318.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428952381780892290" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVuPXBIpxdrB52vPczU1UsXxkGg9BvPWW24CtkIh9ZmG3CmjyJ9QM_i6cpkxT0LACqvkCAQc-LlJbn6hKNE2Wsdi91PARFXY8Kg3TCIdRxyZBxCxbGBbhvhTUiGdL0wMZtKnbE1a65qrg/s320/DSCN3318.JPG" border="0" /></a>m SoCal, Melissa is from Iowa and goes to Pomona, Kate is from New Jersey and goes to Rutgers, Christine goes to Emory and is from Maryland, and Liz is from Texas and goes to Notre Dame. Quite a mix of personalities, schools, and backgrounds! </div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div>Partial view of my messy room; Goes out onto a balcony which I share with another single room and the double room. </div><div>Pangrati, Athens</div><br /><div>These first couple of days we have been meeting new people from all over the country, listening to what the program hopes to attain, and eat and drink wonderful Greek things! Yesterday evening, after the President gave his talk, I went with a couple of my roommates and some new guy friends out to dinner in Kolonoki (the wealthier neighborhood where other students live), proceeded to their apartment to meet their other roommates and some of the girls who live across the hall from them, and then all of us climbed to the top of the huge hill (quite a hike!) to look at the city all lit up below us. It was beautiful! At the top of the hill there was an a quaint old church and, as we had joked that there would be, even a little restaurant! We then made our way down to a different part of Kolonoki to a cross between a street and an alley (without cars) to enjoy a drink and conversation for awhile. However, because this neighborhood is wealthier, drinks were quite a bit more expensive than those in other parts of the city, and much more than they would be in the states. </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJ7z4smtwMOw7x8ZC8tyORtyPbmnKdPnon8_1U_DeIn3nSKBI6n0kWMrlWPXFiAteENrRLEFTx6-qjL8gXrIPt615dN8jOiYiAQwl4qqMA7ySvYtcyhMb4c3zroTpW_xp_Fk4gJSadZnk/s1600-h/DSCN3327.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428954523405441394" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJ7z4smtwMOw7x8ZC8tyORtyPbmnKdPnon8_1U_DeIn3nSKBI6n0kWMrlWPXFiAteENrRLEFTx6-qjL8gXrIPt615dN8jOiYiAQwl4qqMA7ySvYtcyhMb4c3zroTpW_xp_Fk4gJSadZnk/s320/DSCN3327.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><div>Roommates (L to R): Christine, Joyce, Liz</div><div>Pangrati, Athens</div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5Jr_F8qk7wd6y7QUWE7NIrIocZoxcG9nyvzHjYrwd_GDSmkXHiPmLBMUxN4NeRXid8AmM-KNe2jjow0Lu6K80pLQ0OWIwWTq_A2o0iE9OuIbw9pN1cMHn0fK0qINDI0KtKIOXReJ8F1E/s1600-h/DSCN3328.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428956612454087522" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5Jr_F8qk7wd6y7QUWE7NIrIocZoxcG9nyvzHjYrwd_GDSmkXHiPmLBMUxN4NeRXid8AmM-KNe2jjow0Lu6K80pLQ0OWIwWTq_A2o0iE9OuIbw9pN1cMHn0fK0qINDI0KtKIOXReJ8F1E/s320/DSCN3328.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Roommates (L to R): Melissa and Katie</div><div>Pangrati, Athens</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Also, there are stray dogs EVERYWHERE! They're not threatening at all, and if you pet them, they will follow you and "protect" you from cars, motorbikes, and other pedestrians. There are two dogs specifically that follow us around and make sure we get home at night. </div><br /><div>Classes start tomorrow! It'll be nice to get into a routine and find out who else has the same class. There are only 130 of us (25 guys, 105 girls...), so it should be pretty easy getting to know everyone!<br /><br /></div><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070586464402569223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6972027405100375431.post-67018847775310047292010-01-13T10:36:00.000-05:002010-01-13T10:53:36.080-05:00Pre-GreeceThough many of you know by now, I will be studying abroad in Greece this semester. The program (College Year in Athens) will be housing me in an apartment building with 3-4 other students from the States in the center of Athens where I will be taking classes for 4 months. The aim of this blog is to keep you informed about where I will be and what I will be doing while abroad.<br /> For centuries, people have been traveling to Greece, traversing war zones, dangerous seas, and encountering numerous diseases. Luckily, I do not have to deal with these hazards in present day, so they turn all of this trouble into getting a visa. Obtaining a Greek visa is quite a bit harder than would be expected for such a small country. It even surpasses the difficulty of gaining entrance to countries such as France, England, and Germany. However, despite the FBI criminal background check, fingerprinting, giving up bank statements and W-2 forms, and traveling to the Chicago consulate, I had my passport given back with my very own Greek visa a week before I was supposed to leave.<br /> Next thing on the agenda: Packing. How DOES one pack for 4 months in luggage small enough to haul on a 2 week voyage from Athens to Paris?Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070586464402569223noreply@blogger.com1