The week following the Orthodox Easter we had a break from classes. During this vacation I spent a few days relaxing in Athens and then headed to Thessaloniki with Katie and Kelly. The appeal of Thessaloniki is that it is the second largest city in all of Greece (second only to, you guessed it, Athens). While we did not have a lot of time there, we saw everything there was to see. We visited the White Tower which was at one time a prison and rests along the coast, a replica of the Agia Sophia in Turkey, the Arch of Galeus, the Rotunda which was first a church, then a mosque, and now again a church, the Agio Demitrio, and the Museum of Byzantine Culture.
The White Tower wasn't open while we were there so we were not able to climb it, but from the outside it is impressive and stands very much on its own along the water. Similarly, the Agia Sophia was not open, but from the outside it is impressive, although not nearly as well maintained from behind and the sides as one would expect. The Arch of Galeus has beautiful frescos all around the base and its height is immense. The Rotunda is under severe construction so it did not quite have the grandeur I expect it does when fully restored. The Agio Demitrio was my favorite stop of the day. It is a grandiose cathedral with flowers everyone and beautiful icons and adornments. It was in no way tacky and had a real brightness to it that is often lacking in the churches in Greece. We were able to see the relics of Saint Demitrius and get some holy water from the golden holy water tap by the front altar. The museum was a bit of a rushed experience as it was about to close, but the coins, jewelry, icons, and costumes of Byzantine times were beautiful and gives on the sense of how beautiful and romantic the time period was.
We ate delicious dinners at great restaurants and made our way to a renowned bakery to get some tsureki, which were utterly delectable. Our hotel was very picturesque from the outside and was very beautiful at one point, I'm sure, but the rooms were a bit... well it's hard to explain really. High ceilings and beautiful molding, but blankets with cigarette burns and dull paint, but a very clean feel and smell. The mixed opinions were not an issue as we spent little time there and only one night. To get home we wound up taking an overnight train (without sleeping cars). Thankfully I can sleep on almost any moving vehicle and was seated next to someone who did not bother me with chitchat and kept his distance.
I hope to one day go back to Thessaloniki as I feel my time there was cut a bit short and it is a clean and energetic city. But I am very happy I got there for the time I did and it was a relaxing but busy vacation.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Easter in Athens
As most of you know, Greece is strongly identified with the Greek Orthodox Church. This means that religious holidays are national events. Easter is no exception. Easter in Athens was quite a spectacle for days. Although I did not experience it myself, on Good Friday there is a large procession at night throughout the streets of the city center in which they carry around a beflowered tomb of Christ. Saturday is another large event. During the day a small procession comes through the city of Athens with a flame leading the way. That flame is a flame that is the “light of Jerusalem” and is used at the evening service. At 11pm on Saturday a very large church service is held at most churches. I went to the service held at the biggest cathedral in Athens. It was so densely populated, that unless you were some dignitary or high religious leader, there was no way to get into the actual sanctuary. While speakers send the melodious sound of the priests’ chanting into the square, local Greeks were using the time more as a social gathering than a religious experience. The most intriguing display of the evening was the blatant combination of church and state. Upon the arrival of the President of Greece, about a half an hour late for the service, he received a military salute and a band struck up to announce his entrance. The cacophony of the precision of a military band with the fluidity of celebratory chanting was unexpected and unique. All I could think was that such a thing would never happen in the United States, a country that perpetually tries to avoid and argues over the combination of politics and religion.
Halfway through the service the light of Jerusalem is brought out into the middle of the square so that everyone may light their candle from the flame. Apparently the tradition is to light a candle and take it all the way home with you and make the sign of the cross in front of your house in order to bless it for the year. Most people left after receiving the light, but the service continued on for an hour or so following.
The next morning my parents, roommates Sara and Katie, and Katie’s mother and grandmother, and I all went to the morning service. It was a beautiful service with the priests dressed in their best vestments and flowers covering the church. The smell of lilies and incense filled the air and the sound of chanting was soothing. Although the service was entirely in Greek and I only understood bits and pieces of it, it still possessed a certain power and joy that only the Easter holiday can create.
After the service our group went to a local taverna for some traditional lamb roasted on a spit. It was delicious and the spirit of the holiday was evident among everyone in the restaurant. Overall, Easter in Greece was an amazing experience and awe-inspiring as one can see an entire nation (more accurately, the majority of a nation) joined by one strong belief. This type of unity does not exist in the United States, and from my experience that is both a positive and a negative thing about each country. I was very glad to get to experience such a big event in the course of Greek life as it has become a part of my life.
Halfway through the service the light of Jerusalem is brought out into the middle of the square so that everyone may light their candle from the flame. Apparently the tradition is to light a candle and take it all the way home with you and make the sign of the cross in front of your house in order to bless it for the year. Most people left after receiving the light, but the service continued on for an hour or so following.
The next morning my parents, roommates Sara and Katie, and Katie’s mother and grandmother, and I all went to the morning service. It was a beautiful service with the priests dressed in their best vestments and flowers covering the church. The smell of lilies and incense filled the air and the sound of chanting was soothing. Although the service was entirely in Greek and I only understood bits and pieces of it, it still possessed a certain power and joy that only the Easter holiday can create.
After the service our group went to a local taverna for some traditional lamb roasted on a spit. It was delicious and the spirit of the holiday was evident among everyone in the restaurant. Overall, Easter in Greece was an amazing experience and awe-inspiring as one can see an entire nation (more accurately, the majority of a nation) joined by one strong belief. This type of unity does not exist in the United States, and from my experience that is both a positive and a negative thing about each country. I was very glad to get to experience such a big event in the course of Greek life as it has become a part of my life.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Sorry for No Blogs
Sorry for my delay in posting new blogs lately... be patient, in the next day or so I will post about Easter and my trip to Thessaloniki and one more to wrap up my stay here in Athens, Greece.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Syros and Mykonos
Two of my roommates (Katie and Kelly) and I decided to go on an abbreviated island adventure. We started our excursion with a night on Syros and ended it with two nights on Mykonos with a short trip to the Island of Delos. This was one of my favorite trips this semester. The islands have a certain personality that cannot be replicated on the mainland and they are extremely beautiful to boot.
Syros offers some amazing architecture that is great to observe as you walk around the small town. There is some good shopping and a very large town hall/courthouse building in the center. We did not spend too much time there, but we were there just long enough to appreciate its beauty and just short enough that we did not get bored. Our hotel was quaint and run by a friendly mother and daughter. The overall experience was a welcome one and a relaxing one that energized us for our time to follow on Mykonos.
Of all the places I have visited in Greece, only two have struck me as places I would absolutely want to live (thus far anyway). The first is Nafplio which I visited during orientation this semester and again a couple of weeks later. The second is Mykonos. It is a beautiful island that seems to be just the right size, not too big or too small. The beaches are beautiful, the people friendly, and the pelicans pink. The famous windmills are easy to find and small pedestrian walks easy to get lost in. For what is known as a major “party island” there is a real sense of community as you walk through the streets and shop owners call to their friends as they pass by on the streets. In the middle of the touristy shopping area is an elementary school with children running around everywhere and the narrow streets breed a sort of intimacy you cannot get other places.
Our hotel was an experience that made the island even more enjoyable. When we first arrived at the New Port, we realized that we were not expecting to arrive so far away from the main port. Suddenly our plans to walk to our hotel were not plausible and we had failed to make arrangements to get picked up. A woman was kind enough to try and help us find a cab, but when our attempts failed, she very subtly and politely offered to take us to her hotel since we had not already paid for our other reservations. She had a car at port already and told us her place was only minutes walk from the main city, plus it would be less expensive. So we accepted her offer and got in the car. Her husband joined us, Bobby, and he started talking to us about where we were from and told us a lot about the island. It turns out he used to live in Boston and knew a lot about the United States. He was extremely helpful and told us if we needed anything to come and find him and recommended we rent ATVs to get around the island which he would also help us do. He kept his word and when we were ready to rent our ATVs to tour the beaches of Mykonos he had a guy come and pick us up from our room and take us to the place to rent them at a good price. He also gave us a ride back to the hotel when we were walking back one night from dinner and he passed us on the road. Both him and his wife were very warm and made our stay extremely pleasant and he was always good for a laugh. When I asked Bobby how long he had lived on Mykonos his reply was “In 1978 I came for a weekend… it’s not over yet” and upon our departure from him he told us “You be sure to stay with us again when you come back… and you will come back”. Clearly he, as well as many other people we met, have a real love for the island, a love that I believe I have developed a little bit of myself.
The island is extremely diverse in terms of both animals and people. While there, I saw fish, goats, cows, yaks, chickens, cats, dogs, ostriches, and, of course, the pink pelicans. These birds are massive and just sleep out by the tavernas. They let you take pictures of them and even let you pet them (I know from experience). The reason they are pink is the same reason flamingos are pink, because of the food they eat. And the people, they are just as unique and diverse. In one night my roommates and I met people from Greece, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The evening entailed a plethora of accents and a lot of interesting personalities. It was great seeing so many people from different places all come together on this one small island just to have a good time and relax. They were all very friendly and spoke English which is always a plus.
The Island of Delos is an island that is nothing but an archaeological site. No one lives there. It is a vast expanse of ancient rocks, old temples, and relatively well-preserved statues. Sadly the island is not well mapped out for visitors and few signs explain exactly what you’re looking at, but its sheer size was impressive enough. The weather was less than pleasant as it was cold and windy (so windy my camera, which was set up to take a picture of us, got knocked down and tumbled down a column and some rocks… my screen and zoom no longer work). We made the best of it though and saw a good portion of the island before heading back to the small boat that taxied us back and forth from Mykonos.
My parents were doing an island cruise at the same time that I was on Mykonos, so they were able to join us for a couple of hours and take a tour as well as do some shopping, a nice interjection into my stay there. The following day, our last day there, it was beautiful, warm, and sunny so we took our ATVs to the beach and laid out for about an hour and a half. Waiters came around and asked if we wanted drinks as we lay on the long beach chairs provided to the public and the slight breeze off the water kept us from getting to hot. It was really the perfect day and a great way to end a fabulous stay on an amazing island. We dropped off our ATVs and got on our ferry to head back to Athens. We were tired, but contented, and even the huge influx of loud and obnoxious Greek high school students on the ferry after a stop could spoil our satisfaction with the weekend.
When I return to Greece, I will definitely be going back to Mykonos, there is no doubt.
Syros offers some amazing architecture that is great to observe as you walk around the small town. There is some good shopping and a very large town hall/courthouse building in the center. We did not spend too much time there, but we were there just long enough to appreciate its beauty and just short enough that we did not get bored. Our hotel was quaint and run by a friendly mother and daughter. The overall experience was a welcome one and a relaxing one that energized us for our time to follow on Mykonos.
Of all the places I have visited in Greece, only two have struck me as places I would absolutely want to live (thus far anyway). The first is Nafplio which I visited during orientation this semester and again a couple of weeks later. The second is Mykonos. It is a beautiful island that seems to be just the right size, not too big or too small. The beaches are beautiful, the people friendly, and the pelicans pink. The famous windmills are easy to find and small pedestrian walks easy to get lost in. For what is known as a major “party island” there is a real sense of community as you walk through the streets and shop owners call to their friends as they pass by on the streets. In the middle of the touristy shopping area is an elementary school with children running around everywhere and the narrow streets breed a sort of intimacy you cannot get other places.
Our hotel was an experience that made the island even more enjoyable. When we first arrived at the New Port, we realized that we were not expecting to arrive so far away from the main port. Suddenly our plans to walk to our hotel were not plausible and we had failed to make arrangements to get picked up. A woman was kind enough to try and help us find a cab, but when our attempts failed, she very subtly and politely offered to take us to her hotel since we had not already paid for our other reservations. She had a car at port already and told us her place was only minutes walk from the main city, plus it would be less expensive. So we accepted her offer and got in the car. Her husband joined us, Bobby, and he started talking to us about where we were from and told us a lot about the island. It turns out he used to live in Boston and knew a lot about the United States. He was extremely helpful and told us if we needed anything to come and find him and recommended we rent ATVs to get around the island which he would also help us do. He kept his word and when we were ready to rent our ATVs to tour the beaches of Mykonos he had a guy come and pick us up from our room and take us to the place to rent them at a good price. He also gave us a ride back to the hotel when we were walking back one night from dinner and he passed us on the road. Both him and his wife were very warm and made our stay extremely pleasant and he was always good for a laugh. When I asked Bobby how long he had lived on Mykonos his reply was “In 1978 I came for a weekend… it’s not over yet” and upon our departure from him he told us “You be sure to stay with us again when you come back… and you will come back”. Clearly he, as well as many other people we met, have a real love for the island, a love that I believe I have developed a little bit of myself.
The island is extremely diverse in terms of both animals and people. While there, I saw fish, goats, cows, yaks, chickens, cats, dogs, ostriches, and, of course, the pink pelicans. These birds are massive and just sleep out by the tavernas. They let you take pictures of them and even let you pet them (I know from experience). The reason they are pink is the same reason flamingos are pink, because of the food they eat. And the people, they are just as unique and diverse. In one night my roommates and I met people from Greece, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The evening entailed a plethora of accents and a lot of interesting personalities. It was great seeing so many people from different places all come together on this one small island just to have a good time and relax. They were all very friendly and spoke English which is always a plus.
The Island of Delos is an island that is nothing but an archaeological site. No one lives there. It is a vast expanse of ancient rocks, old temples, and relatively well-preserved statues. Sadly the island is not well mapped out for visitors and few signs explain exactly what you’re looking at, but its sheer size was impressive enough. The weather was less than pleasant as it was cold and windy (so windy my camera, which was set up to take a picture of us, got knocked down and tumbled down a column and some rocks… my screen and zoom no longer work). We made the best of it though and saw a good portion of the island before heading back to the small boat that taxied us back and forth from Mykonos.
My parents were doing an island cruise at the same time that I was on Mykonos, so they were able to join us for a couple of hours and take a tour as well as do some shopping, a nice interjection into my stay there. The following day, our last day there, it was beautiful, warm, and sunny so we took our ATVs to the beach and laid out for about an hour and a half. Waiters came around and asked if we wanted drinks as we lay on the long beach chairs provided to the public and the slight breeze off the water kept us from getting to hot. It was really the perfect day and a great way to end a fabulous stay on an amazing island. We dropped off our ATVs and got on our ferry to head back to Athens. We were tired, but contented, and even the huge influx of loud and obnoxious Greek high school students on the ferry after a stop could spoil our satisfaction with the weekend.
When I return to Greece, I will definitely be going back to Mykonos, there is no doubt.
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