Athens

The entire time I've been in Greece, there has been one place that I have wanted to go more than anything: Athens. Even before I graced the streets of Greece, I've dreamt of going to Athens, specifically to see the Theater of Dionysus and of course all the other monuments as well.

Low and behold, a couple weeks ago the school brought the entire study abroad program on a weekend trip to Athens. It was incredible. We arrived around dinner time on Friday night. Our hotel was awesome! The beds were so nice. Rain and I got a little rowdy and indulged in a few minutes of jumping on the beds! We didn’t have anything planned for the night so the Diakonia crew (the ten of us that are in my hotel) went to dinner together at this cute little restaurant. Most of us ate some delicious pasta. Kosmas even treated us to a few tunes on the piano. It was a very relaxing night.

The first thing on the itinerary the next morning was a tour of the new Acropolis Museum (built this past summer) and all the monuments. The museum was different than any other museum I’ve ever been in. The best part about it was that underneath the museum there are excavated ruins. In the museum they have used glass for big parts of the floor so when you are walking through you can still see these ruins. It adds a whole other dynamic to the presentation of the ancient artifacts. It preserves the culture and history of Ancient Greece while also allowing Modern Greece to grow and expand. The tour of the monuments was breathtaking. You only think you know what these ancient buildings will look like, but when you actually see them in person they are astounding. You can’t help but stand there and fantasize about ancient Greece. It’s so easy to stand there and imagine people walking around with gladiator style shoes and beautiful robes.

The Music Hall

Diakonia at the Parthenon!

Unfortunately the Parthenon was undergoing construction when we were there. The interesting part of that, however, was that they are attempting to reconstruct parts of it from new marble. Therefore you can visually see the differences between the ancient remains and the fill-ins. Some people didn’t like the idea of basically reconstructing these monuments, but in my opinion it would be great to come back in 10 years and see all these buildings in full.

After our tour the school took us out to a traditional lunch at a local tavern where we got to eat gyros! Of course, one of my favorite parts of this trip would be the food. After lunch, a couple of us went off to get a closer look at The Theater of Dionysus. That was quite possibly one of the most magical moments of my life. Unfortunately, I can’t even describe to you how I felt sitting there in the theater, because was beyond words.

Me at the Theater of Dionysus

The next day we went to see The Changing of The Guard, which is basically a ceremonious exchange of shifts between the guards at the>>>>>>>>>. After this we had some free time, so we all went to get crepes and coffee and then went shopping at the market.

Overall, my trip to Athens was fantastic. It really truly hit me that I was in Greece.

My European Adventure with Tara!

Step One: Florence, Italy

My journey began with a flight over to Florence, Italy to meet up with Tara. I didn’t really get a lot of time in Florence because we found out that Italy was planning a ground transportation strike (luckily not on the flights!) on the day our flight to Amsterdam was, so we had to take the train into Milan a day early. During my short stay I did get to see the Duomo and had a little while to walk through the market. The city is very beautiful. The streets are all cobblestone and the buildings are pretty short and made of bricks. Nothing like the chaotic cities of the US.

Step Two: Amsterdam, Holland

Amsterdam was a great start to our trip. The best part about it, was that it has so much more to offer than just the partying and the red light district. Tara and I went to the Heineken Brewery to get the “True Heineken Experience”. This museum was probably one of the most interesting museums I’ve been in. We were constantly being stimulated by fun facts and more importantly fun people. The employees really seemed to enjoy working there and really made us feel very welcome. And of course they gave us beer, so I’m sure that had some positive effect on the experience as well.

Our next museum was The Anne Frank House. This was one of the most powerful experiences we had in Amsterdam. I was completely unaware of the fact that the actual house her and her family were hidding in was in Amsterdam. I just thought it was somewhere in Holland. It was a great surprise to learn this though because the museum was in her house. We were able to walk through the house where there were saved artifacts from the house and videos of people who knew her. At the end of the tour, there was a video of her father. Basically he was talking about how he had no idea that his daughter was as affected as she portrayed in her diary. This brought me and many others in the room to tears. I can't even really explain the experience of this museum let alone the impact it had on me.

For the rest of our time in Holland we basically walked around and got to know the town. We were staying in the heart of the town, where are all the coffeeshops were, so it was really nice to walk outside of all of that and see what Holland really looked like. The town is absolutely gorgeous. There are canals everywhere. We tended to just get lost, find a restaurant when we were hungry and then find our way back.

Step Three: Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona was certainly a incredible experience. Within the first 5 hours we got there, the people at the hostel were already convincing us to go to the club that night. It was a MONDAY NIGHT! We were completely burnt out from our weekend in Amsterdam, but do you think that stopped us?? Of course not. So we went to the grocery store, bought the cheapest box of wine that we could find, and began our night. The hostel brought us to a local bar where we got very cheap drinks and got to know some of the fun people in our hostel. Ironically, Tara and I actually ran into a girl who goes to MCLA with us. She is studying in France and just happened to be in Barcelona at the same time. Small world. We didn't even know she was studying abroad! After the bar, we all went to this amazing club that played the most ridiculous music (bon jovi, michael jackson) mixed with some of the best music (MGMT!). It was so much fun, and becuase it was so close to Halloween a lot of people were dressed up. Next thing we know we're on the metro at 5:30 in the morning, already hungover, and we hadn't even gone to bed yet.

The entire next day was spent getting to the train station to buy our tickets to our next destination. Why did it take all day, you ask? Did we get lost? Did it take a long time to get there? No, neither of those. In fact, we were so incredibly hungover that it literally took us all day just to get to the train station in back. It was so miserable. But I guess that is to be expected of Barcelona. When we did finally get to the station, we found out that all of the places we wanted to go were WAY too expensive, which was incredibly irritating, especially when your head is pounding and you are trying not to puke all over the attendant.

In the end, that gave us an extra day in Barcelona, so we decided to spend the next day in Montserrat. It is this monastery in the Montserrat Mountain Range in Catalonya. It was beautiful. It took us an hour on the train, a 10 minute cable car ride and 2 hour hike to get to the top and it was completely worth it. After all city like things we had been doing, Tara and I were dying to get into some nature. It was very relaxing. We were very grateful that we got an extra day to be able to do this.

Step Four: Morocco? No. Portugal? No. France? Sure, why not.

So, our original plan was to go to Morocco after Spain, but we would have spent more time getting there than actually being there. Our backup plan was Portugal, but that was WAY too expensive. Then on a last minute decision we decided to just go to Nice, France for the rest of our trip. It ended up being the perfect decision because we just spent the entire time on the beach. We didn't do anything but relax. Our one day trip was to the ancient village of St. Paul. It was a beautiful little town where we got gelato, and got to check out some really cool galleries. We also ate some french fries!

Of course there was so much more that Tara and I did, but if I went through every single detail it would be a novel.

There were a couple really big things that I learned on this trip. One is that sometimes things don't go as planned...and you just have to deal with it. Getting mad because you can't do what you want to do is a waste of time, because more likely than not, there is something equally as great or even better waiting just around the corner. Montserrat and St. Paul proved to be those better things. And I wouldn't give those up for anything. Another thing I learned is that it is a complete waste of time to be upset about the stupid little things that we all get upset about. In the end there are far worse things that could be happening. It's those downer moments (having to sleep over night in an outdoor train station for instance...) that just make the moment when you actually get to where you wanted to go, or accomplish what you actually wanted done a million times better.

Keep on the lookout for my next blog about Athens. I'm a little far behind in all my blogging, but I'm going to try to catch up in the next couple of days.

Adio! Kalispera!

Santorini

A couple weekends ago, the crew and I took a little weekend trip to Santorini. Although getting there was a long process (6 hour train, 9 hour ferry) and cut out a decent chunk of time available to us, we still had a blast. The island is absolutely stunning. It lived up to all my expectations.

We first took an overnight train to Athens from Thessaloniki where we then took a ferry to Santorini. The ferry made stops to various islands such as Naxos, Paros, and Ios. Unfortunately we weren't able to venture around the islands, but they were certainly beautiful to look at.

Our first night in Santorini was very relaxing. We decided to stay in Fira, which is known for its beautiful sunsets. We went out to a nice dinner on the edge of the cliffs and we were luckily able to catch the sunset. Even this picture does not do it justice.

It was at this dinner that I decided to try lamb for the first time. It reminded me of steak a little, but less salty. To be honest, it wasn't the best meat I've eaten, but that may be because I felt guilty for pretty much consuming a lamb. At the same time, I knew I needed to try it because I can now say I've tried pretty much all of Greece's delicacies: oyzo, greek salad, gyros, frappe and now lamb. I'd say that of all of those foods, the frappe and the greek salad are my favorite.

That night Paige, Domo, Trini and I decided to experience some Santorini nightlife. We went to a few bars and a club called Enigma. None of which were very crowded because of the off season but we still managed to have a good time.

The next day was cloudy and a little rainy. Bummer. But we got the most delicious crepes in all of Greece and the rain only gave us an excuse to do some serious shopping. I got two beautiful paintings amongst many other souvenirs.

After some shopping we went on a boat tour of the volcano next to Santorini. The best part about all of it was that we got to take donkeys down to the dock!! And let me tell you, riding a donkey is not easy and really does a number on your bum, but in the end it was well worth it. Once at the volcano we got the opportunity to walk all over the (still active) volcano. From here we got an amazing view of the cliff side of Santorini and the Mediterranean. Then they took us to some hot springs where we were allowed to swim. In order to get to the hot springs though we had to jump into the very cold Mediterranean and then swim about 300 feet to the warm water. It was well worth it. The water was very warm and there were a ton of mountain goats all along the cliff next to us.

Unfortunately the next morning we had to get up early to catch our ferry back to Athens. As short as our trip was, we still got a taste of Santorini that I will cherish for the rest of my life. It was nice to experience another piece of Greece that is different than the mainland and see the many similarities of the culture.

Because the ferry to Athens was so early we were able to see the sunrise on the water which may have been even more beautiful than the sunset, but I'll let you be the judge of that.

I would love to continue on and tell you about my mini trip around europe with Tara last week, but I really need to be studying for a mid-term. Be on the lookout for it soon though.

Much love! Miss you all!

Mt. Olympus

So, I have a lot to catch you all up on...

A couple weekends ago, our study abroad group went on a hiking trip up Mt. Olympus. The mountain we climbed after grape-picking was more of a small hill compared to this. I literally thought I was going to die at at a few points, but first let me give you some history.

Mount Olympus is the biggest/tallest mountain range in Greece. It is located along the borders of Thessaly and Macedonia. It is famously known as the home of the Gods. It was the home to Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Athena, Apolla, Artemis, and Hestia. During our second day we actually got to see the "Throne of Zeus":

We woke up early on a Saturday and took a two hour bus ride to Litoroho, the city in which our ascent began. We filled up our 1.5 liter water bottles from a spring at the base of the mountain that released pure and natural mountain water. It was the most refreshing water I have ever had the pleasure to taste. After re-adjusting our backpacks and of course taking group pictures, we finally began the 3 hour climb to our first refuge.

My roomate, Rain, and I quickly became hiking buddies. Luckily, her and I were going at a very similar pace. We had some great conversations and we stopped every once in a while to take in the beauty of these mountains. The pictures give this mountain range no justice whatsoever.

We also got to see some donkeys making their own descent from the mountain! Though I sound excited about this now (and for a short time on the mountain I was), these donkeys nearly knocked us off the mountain. The path we were taking was no more than 3 feet wide, so trying to let a donkey pass was quite a difficult feat. Luckily, I survived this first near death experience.

When we made it to the refuge we were exhausted and starving and cold! Luckily, the pasta there was inexpensive and DELICIOUS and thankfully we packed warm pants and a scraf! For the rest of the day we hung out at the refuge, warmed up by the fire and had a glass or two of wine. It was very relaxing. We all went to bed around 9 or 10 so that we could get a good nights rest before another day of continuing our hike.

The sunrise the next morning was indescribable.

This refuge was 2100 kilometers high of a total of 2918 km. Unfortunately I did not make it all the way to the top. I made it 2600 km, but I'm still pretty damn proud of that. Now i have no excuse for not climbing up Mt. Greylock yet. Absolutely no excuse.

The second day of hiking was more brutal than the first. We all hiked for an hour and at a resting spot we all split off. Some went the hard way to the top and some went the easy way to another point that was close to the top. I of course decided to go with the easy route. After a beautiful, non-intentsive afternoon of walking along the mountain we had some tea and coco at another refuge at the top. Our hiking guide then gave us the choice of the quick, new way back or to just go back the way we came. Feeling exhausted and knowing we had another 3 hour descent after this anyway, we decided to go the quick way. If I have learned anything while being here, it's that the quick way is NEVER the easiest. There were a few points on our descent to the refuge where it got a little scary. No one was prepared for this kind of descent. I would have taken pictures if 1. my camera hadn't died right before we got to our point of interest, and 2. if i wasn't so focused on trying not to tumble down the mountain to my death. I'm not trying to scare anyone either, nor am I being over-dramatic. It was just a big part of the experience on the mountain and I would be wrong to not include it.

We got an hour break before we began the last 3 hour descent to the bottom. We ate some more spaghetti, swapped stories of our day and then continued on. I've never been more happy to be on a bus in my life.

I would love to continue with more adventures, but I must be off to Cinema Club. Oh yeah, I joined Cinema Club because there is going to be a huge film festival here in November. OHHH and speaking of movies, Taking Woodstock comes out this week in Greece. Unfortunately I won't be able to see it opening night because I will be in Santorini...darn.

kalimera kai adio! (good afternoon and goodbye!)

Grape Picking In Sykia

Hello from Greece!

I figured I would start a blog so I don't clog your inboxes with all my stories. I figured I'd save the emails for more personal stories...ooh la la!

Anyway, last weekend was probably one of the top five weekends I will have here. A small group of us were offered a discounted trip to Sykia, a small coastal city in the region of Chalkidiki, Greece. We got the opportunity to help a local Greek family pick grapes from a vineyard. After about 8 hours of picking delicious grapes in the warm Greek sun, we then all hopped in a huge barrell and stomped grapes for a little while. It was very sticky experience. The family then cooked us a delicious meal of greek salad, fish, and bean soup accompanied by the sweet homemade wine. It was the best dinner of my life.

Speaking of the food, nothing here has high fructose corn syrup or salt and it is all soo tasty. It is amazing how easy it is to tell the difference. I honestly probably won't eat anything at home now because I've already grown accustomed to the clean taste of all the food here.


But I digress. After we dinner a few of us went exploring in the "backyard". We climbed a small mountain (at least it was small compared to Mt. Olympus) that we named Pride Rock. Of course I started singing Lion King songs. After climbing back down with scratched up and sore bodies, we went back to our bungalow to settle in a little and later walked down to the beach. I touched the Aegean Sea for the first time! Then we all went to bed, exhausted after a hard days work and the next morning we woke up early and enjoyed a relaxing day on the beach. It was so refreshing to touch the ocean (well, sea) again.


Unfortunately, this small blurb of this weekend does not even begin to describe how peaceful, relaxing, and eye opening it truly was. We got to have a hands-on experience with a family that hasn't been tainted by the greed or obsessions that so much of the world has. They were the happiest and most welcoming family. I wish that we were able to have more opportunities like this. At the very least, I am grateful that I was able to participate in this amazing experience.

Until my next adventure, Kalinita kai Adio (good night and goodbye)

Sweens