After an easy, hour long bus ride to Tripoli from Sparta we stopped. At this stop, there didn't seem to be much around, but we had seen signs telling us we were in Tripoli. One of the girls got off the bus and asked to be sure where we were, but we were all a bit skeptacle as we had read in our guidebooks about the big new bus station in Tripoli. A man, seeming to be nice at first, told us that we were in Tripoli and this is where we needed to be, so we all got off the bus. Next thing we know he's telling us we should take his cab to Nafplio because there is no bus to Argos until the next morning. He took us to a small bus station with a woman who didn't speak any English and as my frustration mounted that this man had basically tricked us off the bus, we decided to leave and make our way to the proper bus station to get our bus.
We looked in the guidebook and found the address and asked someone on the street where the plateia (square) we needed was. After making our way down there (passing the cab driving once who had followed us and offered again to take us in his cab) a man at a kiosk told us that this was where the bus station used to be but that it had now moved to the other side of town. Now in a bit of a frenzy because our bus was leaving in half an hour, we booked it across town. That persistent and obnoxious cab driver had followed us further and was shouting at us from his cab as we walked by and I had to resist all urges to turn around and punch him in the face... but don't worry, I didn't.
Finally we made it to the proper bus station in Tripoli, just in time for our bus to Argos, only to find out that the cab driver was actually right and there wasn't a bus to Argos until the morning, the one we had called and asked about earlier in the week had been cancelled. Oh how the stress levels rose. We were trying to find some alternative form of travel to Argos when who should appear in the bus station but that same cab driver. We finally told him off, politely, and he loomed a bit but kept his distance. Katie, being the collected person she is, befriended the man who worked behind the counter at the bus station and he gave us a number for a reliable taxi company to call. We wound up taking two cabs to Nafplio (we had to end our trip there, so we decided to just make it our home base) and paid 50 Euro a cab. The drivers were very nice and even pulled over at this cliff's edge so that we could take pictures of a spectacular view.
Upon arrival in Nafplio we had one last task to perform... we had to find a hotel. After wandering around, inquiring about prices in various hotels, using a combination of Greek and English, we found a small hotel run by a little old woman with blue hair. She spoke very little English, but enough was communicated and she set us up with a double room and a triple (there being six of us, we split up 2 and 4). The double room had the use of a hall bathroom as well as a sink, and the triple room, which could only be accessed by going through the double and through a courtyard had it's own bathroom, although it was without a shower curtain. We were so greatful just to have a (cheap) place to stay that we went out for a nice warm dinner and went to bed.
The next day we were back on track and got some breakfast at a bakery, apples from the Laiki, and took a bus to Mycenae. If you're like me, you don't know much about Mycenae, but I will inform you (or refresh your memory, for those of you who do know about it). I've been told that Mycenae may be the oldest ruins I will ever visit. They were excavated in the late 1800s by Heinrich Schliemann. Although there is no conclusive evidence, he and others have suggested that these ruins include the tomb of Clytemnestra and either the tomb of Agamemnon or the Treasury of Atreius. The site was absolutely gorgeous especially with such beautiful weather. The sun was shining and it was warm. It took my breath away and I am so glad we went. We had enough time to see the entire site as well as the small museum, and I am thoroughly enjoying the benefit of being considered a European Student because all of these sites and museums have been free.
We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing in Nafplio, eating, drinking, and enjoying the water. All-in-all it was a successful and eventful weekend. I am very proud of us for our first entirely independent travel experience and am looking foward to next weekend when my apartment, our friends Therese, Matt, and Tony, and I all head to Hydra, an island not far from Athens.
Stay tuned... more to come.
Friday, February 29, 2008
From Athens to Sparta
I'm sorry for the delay in my posts. The past weekend was quite a spectacle and I've decided to write about it in parts, also because I have limited time on the internet this morning and may only get half of it up.
Our weekend trip was intended to be Athens to Sparta to Tripoli to Argos to Mycenae to Nafplio and back to Athens. It wound up being Athens to Sparta to Tripoli to Nafplio to Mycenae back to Nafplio and back to Athens. Let me describe for you the events of Friday morning.
We were instructed to take a cab to the bus station, that it was the easiest and most efficient way to get there. I believe this was a subjective rather than objective opinion, because for us, hailing a cab in Greek turned out to be quite a challenge. We started on one road then decided to move to a different plateia (square). There, everytime a taxi would stop we would shout to the drive where we wanted to go, "KTEL Alpha!" but had little success. After splitting our group of 6 into two sets of 3 we tried to divide and conquer. My group was able to get a cab with relative ease (and I mean relative to the other group of girls), but only after throwing our Greek out the window and shouting "Bus Station!" Once in the cab, with another lady already going somewhere, the cab driver spoke little to us and had small coversation with the woman. After she got out he picked up another person and proceeded to recount the story of how he wasn't sure where we were going because apparently we so horrifically mispronounced "KTEL Alpha" that he didn't understand us. Of course this conversation was in Greek and while I could understand enough to get that that was what he was talking about, my conversational skills are not strong enough to point out how rude he was being. But in the end we got to the bus station, so we can't complain too much.
The other group of girls were not so lucky. While we waited at the bus station they tried fervently to hail a cab. Finally they got one and let us know, so we bought their bus tickets for them (if we missed the 8:15am bus we would have to wait there until the 10:00am bus). Katie asked the woman at the desk to see if they would hold the bus for us and they said they would wait 5 minutes. It took about 8 for the girls to get there and the YaYas on the bus were getting annoyed. As soon as they got out of the cab and saw me, I yelled for them to run and we hurried our way to the bus. It was quite an adventure, but we made, just barely.
Sparta was probably the most uninspiring place in Greece I've been to thus far. There was a miniscule archeaology museum, a sanctuary to Theonides that looks like a random pile of rocks in the middle of a park, and, most interesting of all, the Olive Museum. Thankfully we only spent a couple of hours there, just long enough to see everything there is to see in Sparta. From there we took a bus to Tripoli, the smoothest of our travels that day.
Check out my next post to read about the rest of my weekend, it's too long to put in one post alone.
Our weekend trip was intended to be Athens to Sparta to Tripoli to Argos to Mycenae to Nafplio and back to Athens. It wound up being Athens to Sparta to Tripoli to Nafplio to Mycenae back to Nafplio and back to Athens. Let me describe for you the events of Friday morning.
We were instructed to take a cab to the bus station, that it was the easiest and most efficient way to get there. I believe this was a subjective rather than objective opinion, because for us, hailing a cab in Greek turned out to be quite a challenge. We started on one road then decided to move to a different plateia (square). There, everytime a taxi would stop we would shout to the drive where we wanted to go, "KTEL Alpha!" but had little success. After splitting our group of 6 into two sets of 3 we tried to divide and conquer. My group was able to get a cab with relative ease (and I mean relative to the other group of girls), but only after throwing our Greek out the window and shouting "Bus Station!" Once in the cab, with another lady already going somewhere, the cab driver spoke little to us and had small coversation with the woman. After she got out he picked up another person and proceeded to recount the story of how he wasn't sure where we were going because apparently we so horrifically mispronounced "KTEL Alpha" that he didn't understand us. Of course this conversation was in Greek and while I could understand enough to get that that was what he was talking about, my conversational skills are not strong enough to point out how rude he was being. But in the end we got to the bus station, so we can't complain too much.
The other group of girls were not so lucky. While we waited at the bus station they tried fervently to hail a cab. Finally they got one and let us know, so we bought their bus tickets for them (if we missed the 8:15am bus we would have to wait there until the 10:00am bus). Katie asked the woman at the desk to see if they would hold the bus for us and they said they would wait 5 minutes. It took about 8 for the girls to get there and the YaYas on the bus were getting annoyed. As soon as they got out of the cab and saw me, I yelled for them to run and we hurried our way to the bus. It was quite an adventure, but we made, just barely.
Sparta was probably the most uninspiring place in Greece I've been to thus far. There was a miniscule archeaology museum, a sanctuary to Theonides that looks like a random pile of rocks in the middle of a park, and, most interesting of all, the Olive Museum. Thankfully we only spent a couple of hours there, just long enough to see everything there is to see in Sparta. From there we took a bus to Tripoli, the smoothest of our travels that day.
Check out my next post to read about the rest of my weekend, it's too long to put in one post alone.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
From Valentine's Day to Snow Day
Valentine's Day
Not a typically large holiday in Greece, as Americans we decided to have our own little celebration of Valentine's day. One of the apartments was kind enough to host the girls on the trip and we had chocolate fondue, brownies, candy, cookies, and wine. It was really a pleasant event and the first time we had really organized ourselves without the program's influence. A girls' night out was in store afterwards, but my apartment was a bit under the weather at the time and we all decided to head back to our apartment where we watched a movie and went to bed. Not quite the spectacle it is in the United States, our Valentine's Day was a bit lackluster, but we managed to take the opportunity to get together and get a little dressed up.
A Weekend in Athens
The weekend following my Delphi excursion, I decided to stay in Athens and enjoy the city. Friday was a rather touristy day for me and the girls in my apartment. We went to Plaka which is a very tourist neighborhood right below the Acropolis. There I got myself a souvenir set of Drachma (the old currency of Greece) and a shot glass, of course. We ate lunch out at this restaurant we had frequented earlier this semester and enjoyed the same great Greek food. But we decided for dinner to try something a little more American and went to TGI Friday's. The food on the menu is the same as in the United States, but very expensive. It was good to have a small taste of home though, especially because I was pretty sick at the time and a bit homesick.
The rest of the weekend it snowed. Can you believe it? Yes, I saw snow in Athens. The Greeks were as surprised as I was and the city shut down in many places. And by that I mean, the public transportation was not running and all public offices were closed. The cafes and bakeries and grocery stores were still open. To celebrate the snow, Katie, Sara, Aubrey, and I (my apartment save for one) went outside and had a snowball fight with a couple of passing Arcadia students and went to a cafe. On the way back we decided to build a snowman with the snow on top of all the cars and ran the pieces up to our apartment. Ελένη, as we called her, didn't last very long, but we did manage to get some pictures with her. The rest of the weekend was a bit sleepy and I spent my time cleaning, organizing, doing schoolwork (yes, I actually have schoolwork here), and working on the largest puzzle ever mass produced. <--- If I haven't mentioned this before, I will discuss it in a later blog.
Snow Day
We actually had a "snow day" from school the following Monday. Well most students did, however, I only have an 8am class on Mondays and my professor lives nearby so we still had class, but the rest of classes were cancelled because of the snow. It was a nice chance to relax and enjoy the snow. The young Greek boys around throwing snowballs at us was less than relaxing, however, but not enough to dampen the unexpected holiday. Unfortunately, the weather did hinder any further exploration of the city, but I will simply have to pick it back up this coming week.
This weekend... Sparta, Argos, and Mycenae.
Not a typically large holiday in Greece, as Americans we decided to have our own little celebration of Valentine's day. One of the apartments was kind enough to host the girls on the trip and we had chocolate fondue, brownies, candy, cookies, and wine. It was really a pleasant event and the first time we had really organized ourselves without the program's influence. A girls' night out was in store afterwards, but my apartment was a bit under the weather at the time and we all decided to head back to our apartment where we watched a movie and went to bed. Not quite the spectacle it is in the United States, our Valentine's Day was a bit lackluster, but we managed to take the opportunity to get together and get a little dressed up.
A Weekend in Athens
The weekend following my Delphi excursion, I decided to stay in Athens and enjoy the city. Friday was a rather touristy day for me and the girls in my apartment. We went to Plaka which is a very tourist neighborhood right below the Acropolis. There I got myself a souvenir set of Drachma (the old currency of Greece) and a shot glass, of course. We ate lunch out at this restaurant we had frequented earlier this semester and enjoyed the same great Greek food. But we decided for dinner to try something a little more American and went to TGI Friday's. The food on the menu is the same as in the United States, but very expensive. It was good to have a small taste of home though, especially because I was pretty sick at the time and a bit homesick.
The rest of the weekend it snowed. Can you believe it? Yes, I saw snow in Athens. The Greeks were as surprised as I was and the city shut down in many places. And by that I mean, the public transportation was not running and all public offices were closed. The cafes and bakeries and grocery stores were still open. To celebrate the snow, Katie, Sara, Aubrey, and I (my apartment save for one) went outside and had a snowball fight with a couple of passing Arcadia students and went to a cafe. On the way back we decided to build a snowman with the snow on top of all the cars and ran the pieces up to our apartment. Ελένη, as we called her, didn't last very long, but we did manage to get some pictures with her. The rest of the weekend was a bit sleepy and I spent my time cleaning, organizing, doing schoolwork (yes, I actually have schoolwork here), and working on the largest puzzle ever mass produced. <--- If I haven't mentioned this before, I will discuss it in a later blog.
Snow Day
We actually had a "snow day" from school the following Monday. Well most students did, however, I only have an 8am class on Mondays and my professor lives nearby so we still had class, but the rest of classes were cancelled because of the snow. It was a nice chance to relax and enjoy the snow. The young Greek boys around throwing snowballs at us was less than relaxing, however, but not enough to dampen the unexpected holiday. Unfortunately, the weather did hinder any further exploration of the city, but I will simply have to pick it back up this coming week.
This weekend... Sparta, Argos, and Mycenae.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Delphi
This past weekend most of the Arcadia students went to Delphi. The trip was planned and organized by our Student Services Director so it made our first independent venture smoother and easier than had we done it all ourselves. For those of you not up on your Ancient Greek history (as I am not and have to look these things up before travelling) Delphi was considered by the Ancient Greeks as the center of the world or more colorfully referred to as "the navel of the Earth". There are many ruins (as is typical across much of Greece) including where the Oracle of Apollo sat, a theater, a stadium, a gymnasium, and a sanctuary of Athena. The Oracle of Delphi was supposedly able to communicate with Apollo and people would come from all over to ask the Oracle advice about whether or not to start wars, etc. according to Apollo's mood and what the Oracle saw happening in the future. Speaking in an unknown language, often the Oracle's prophesies and advice had to be interpretted by priests. Seems a bit convenient for the priests if you ask me.
The view from our hotel was amazing, as it was from basically everywhere in Delphi. The town is nestled into the mountainside and it seems a bit treacherous getting there with the sharply curved roads with cliffs at their sides that one must traverse in order to get there, but the danger is worth it. While we were there it was cold, windy, and snowing on and off. Apparently the weather was about as unpleasant in Athens, but being in such a beautiful and historic place helped one forget (if only momentarily) that it was frigid and blustery.
We did not stay in Delphi the entire weekend, as many of us ventured to the seaside town of Itea (don't ask me which sea, I'm not quite sure) for a few hours. While it was rather sleepy while we were there, and just about as cold and windy, the water made for a picturesque backdrop for a quaint, quiet, but friendly little town. A few of us went to check out the local church which was more ornately decorated than any I have seen thus far, and then found our way through a shop or two before settling into a Kafe. In one of the shops, the owner made pleasant conversation with us as he was familiar with Canada and the United States and before we left he offered us all a shot of Ouzo (only three of the seven of us accepted, myself included as I have read it is considered rude to refuse a drink which is considered a sign of hospitality... and quite honestly having a drink of Ouzo with a Greek shopkeeper just seemed like the thing to do while in Greece).
Overall the trip was pleasant and certainly Delphi is a must-see when living in Greece for 4 months. I'm not sure yet where my next trip will be to, but I hope to make many weekend trips throughout the country, as they give a much different (and in my opinion even more enjoyable) perspective of Greek culture and history. I shall let you know where I'm off to next once I've gotten a handle on my schoolwork (it's a little weird to finally have classes) and can put more focus and energy into planning.
Yasou!
The view from our hotel was amazing, as it was from basically everywhere in Delphi. The town is nestled into the mountainside and it seems a bit treacherous getting there with the sharply curved roads with cliffs at their sides that one must traverse in order to get there, but the danger is worth it. While we were there it was cold, windy, and snowing on and off. Apparently the weather was about as unpleasant in Athens, but being in such a beautiful and historic place helped one forget (if only momentarily) that it was frigid and blustery.
We did not stay in Delphi the entire weekend, as many of us ventured to the seaside town of Itea (don't ask me which sea, I'm not quite sure) for a few hours. While it was rather sleepy while we were there, and just about as cold and windy, the water made for a picturesque backdrop for a quaint, quiet, but friendly little town. A few of us went to check out the local church which was more ornately decorated than any I have seen thus far, and then found our way through a shop or two before settling into a Kafe. In one of the shops, the owner made pleasant conversation with us as he was familiar with Canada and the United States and before we left he offered us all a shot of Ouzo (only three of the seven of us accepted, myself included as I have read it is considered rude to refuse a drink which is considered a sign of hospitality... and quite honestly having a drink of Ouzo with a Greek shopkeeper just seemed like the thing to do while in Greece).
Overall the trip was pleasant and certainly Delphi is a must-see when living in Greece for 4 months. I'm not sure yet where my next trip will be to, but I hope to make many weekend trips throughout the country, as they give a much different (and in my opinion even more enjoyable) perspective of Greek culture and history. I shall let you know where I'm off to next once I've gotten a handle on my schoolwork (it's a little weird to finally have classes) and can put more focus and energy into planning.
Yasou!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
The Smaller Things in Life
So I've decided to take this post to give some details of the more minor aspects of Greek life that I fear may be overlooked by my bigger adventures. First let me start with the food...
There has yet to be a piece of Greek food that I have tried that I do not like. Bakeries, Cafes, and Tavernas line the streets basically everywhere you go. The Greek food aside, my apartment and I have started cooking on our own. Never had I really considered myself to be a good cook, or even a cook at all, but here I have managed to put together some rather delicious meals. The most rewarding part about cooking for ourselves is the fact that we put in a lot of effort to get the ingredients. The ever present language barrier presents itself in full force at the Laiki (open-air market) as well as the butcher, and the fact that most packages in the grocery store are all in Greek poses a bit of a challenge. These things aside we have managed quite well and are experimenting with new combinations of food... I believe the trick is olive oil, lots of olive oil.
Have you ever heard the term "Yaya"? Probably. In Greek, yaya is the term for grandmother and also used (at least by us) as a term of endearment for all of the older women walking around Athens. Although they often speak very little English, they are the first to try and help you out and I have heard a number of stories of people being saved by yayas. They aren't afraid to tell people off for you and you always feel safe around them. Their affection is immense, as one girl found out when she was hugged by a yaya after attempting to show her her watch when asked the time (we hadn't learned our numbers at that point). Not only are the yayas wonderful, but the "Papous" as well (grandfathers) who will stop you and tell you stories (in Greek of course) about cats or dogs or whatever you happen to be looking at at the time. It is these small, sometimes daily encounters with the older Greeks that make living here more culturally enriching as they capture "Greek Hospitality" in everything they do and have been the kindest to me and let me practice the most Greek out of all the people I encounter. I'm afraid older people in America do not get quite the same respect as they do here, but as a foreigner, you learn to respect them very quickly.
How many steps do you walk everyday? Some of you more than others. Since I've been here I've walked probably 5,000 steps. Although I wasn't quite sure what to expect about the landscape of Athens, it is certainly far "hillier" than I had assumed. And it seems everywhere worth exploring requires at least 2 flights of stairs. It's a good workout and I don't mind too much, but those last 50 stairs before getting back to my apartment after a day of exploring is defintely tiring. If you get the chance to visit Athens, do some squats before you come and be sure to wear comfortable shoes (although true Athenian women seem to have no problem in heels).
For those of you who have frequented New York City, or any city for that matter may have noticed a "pigeon problem". Here it is not so much of a problem as a catastrophe. They are everywhere! But it seems to me that the Greeks have much greater affection for these "rats with wings" than Americans. Children are not often scolded for trying to play with them, people constantly feed them, and outside of Parliament men offer you food to hold and to take a picture of you with pigeons all over your hands and arms. In fact, animals seem to be a large part of Greek culture. There is a large population of stray dogs living on the streets of the city, but they are not, for the most part, sickly or mangey, instead they are considered more like public pets and are often well-fed and healthy. Cats are the same way; many of them stroll around and people put food out for them. The mentality, I've been told, is that it is more natural for animals to roam freely than for them to be couped up in some small Athenian apartment and pet stores are a relatively new phenomenon that not many people deem necessary nor practical.
On the less random side of life, my apartment has been a wonderful place to live. Besides our adventures in cooking, our near location to the school makes visiting popular with the other students and there is an elementary school across the street from which children wave and yell hello from the windows when we stand on our balcony. I have taken up tea drinking and enjoy sitting in the sun on the balcony with a hot cup of tea and the company of at least one of my entertaining and gregarious flatmates. Although I have not had the best sleep of my life since I arrived, it was been adequate and I am slowly adjusting to the idea that if I want to shower I have to plan in an extra 20 minutes for the hot water heater to heat the water (we have to turn it on and off so as not to burst the pipes). Surprisingly, apartment and city life has not been too hard of an adjustment for me in the grand scheme of life in Athens, and it is certainly a nice little American oasis for us, although we are trying our best to practice our Greek at home too.
I believe that is all for now... just a glimpse at some of the smaller details of life in Greece. This weekend I will be heading to Delphi and I'm sure that I will have plenty to say about that later, so keep checking in.
There has yet to be a piece of Greek food that I have tried that I do not like. Bakeries, Cafes, and Tavernas line the streets basically everywhere you go. The Greek food aside, my apartment and I have started cooking on our own. Never had I really considered myself to be a good cook, or even a cook at all, but here I have managed to put together some rather delicious meals. The most rewarding part about cooking for ourselves is the fact that we put in a lot of effort to get the ingredients. The ever present language barrier presents itself in full force at the Laiki (open-air market) as well as the butcher, and the fact that most packages in the grocery store are all in Greek poses a bit of a challenge. These things aside we have managed quite well and are experimenting with new combinations of food... I believe the trick is olive oil, lots of olive oil.
Have you ever heard the term "Yaya"? Probably. In Greek, yaya is the term for grandmother and also used (at least by us) as a term of endearment for all of the older women walking around Athens. Although they often speak very little English, they are the first to try and help you out and I have heard a number of stories of people being saved by yayas. They aren't afraid to tell people off for you and you always feel safe around them. Their affection is immense, as one girl found out when she was hugged by a yaya after attempting to show her her watch when asked the time (we hadn't learned our numbers at that point). Not only are the yayas wonderful, but the "Papous" as well (grandfathers) who will stop you and tell you stories (in Greek of course) about cats or dogs or whatever you happen to be looking at at the time. It is these small, sometimes daily encounters with the older Greeks that make living here more culturally enriching as they capture "Greek Hospitality" in everything they do and have been the kindest to me and let me practice the most Greek out of all the people I encounter. I'm afraid older people in America do not get quite the same respect as they do here, but as a foreigner, you learn to respect them very quickly.
How many steps do you walk everyday? Some of you more than others. Since I've been here I've walked probably 5,000 steps. Although I wasn't quite sure what to expect about the landscape of Athens, it is certainly far "hillier" than I had assumed. And it seems everywhere worth exploring requires at least 2 flights of stairs. It's a good workout and I don't mind too much, but those last 50 stairs before getting back to my apartment after a day of exploring is defintely tiring. If you get the chance to visit Athens, do some squats before you come and be sure to wear comfortable shoes (although true Athenian women seem to have no problem in heels).
For those of you who have frequented New York City, or any city for that matter may have noticed a "pigeon problem". Here it is not so much of a problem as a catastrophe. They are everywhere! But it seems to me that the Greeks have much greater affection for these "rats with wings" than Americans. Children are not often scolded for trying to play with them, people constantly feed them, and outside of Parliament men offer you food to hold and to take a picture of you with pigeons all over your hands and arms. In fact, animals seem to be a large part of Greek culture. There is a large population of stray dogs living on the streets of the city, but they are not, for the most part, sickly or mangey, instead they are considered more like public pets and are often well-fed and healthy. Cats are the same way; many of them stroll around and people put food out for them. The mentality, I've been told, is that it is more natural for animals to roam freely than for them to be couped up in some small Athenian apartment and pet stores are a relatively new phenomenon that not many people deem necessary nor practical.
On the less random side of life, my apartment has been a wonderful place to live. Besides our adventures in cooking, our near location to the school makes visiting popular with the other students and there is an elementary school across the street from which children wave and yell hello from the windows when we stand on our balcony. I have taken up tea drinking and enjoy sitting in the sun on the balcony with a hot cup of tea and the company of at least one of my entertaining and gregarious flatmates. Although I have not had the best sleep of my life since I arrived, it was been adequate and I am slowly adjusting to the idea that if I want to shower I have to plan in an extra 20 minutes for the hot water heater to heat the water (we have to turn it on and off so as not to burst the pipes). Surprisingly, apartment and city life has not been too hard of an adjustment for me in the grand scheme of life in Athens, and it is certainly a nice little American oasis for us, although we are trying our best to practice our Greek at home too.
I believe that is all for now... just a glimpse at some of the smaller details of life in Greece. This weekend I will be heading to Delphi and I'm sure that I will have plenty to say about that later, so keep checking in.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
The First Week and Many Adventures
Although it has really only been a few days since my last blog post, I have been ridiculously busy. I have been shopping at the Laiki which is an open-air market they have one day a week in at least one place in every neighborhood (there are actually 2 close to me, Tuesday and Friday). It is a great place to practice my Greek and to work on learning numbers, although right now I do feel at risk of being ripped off because I am noticeably American, but most of the vendors are very helpful. It is all fresh fruits and vegetables along with some clothes and other random items. I also ventured to the butcher with a couple of my roommates and he was extremely helpful, especially considering how little English he spoke and the fact that I could say I wanted chicken but not specify a breast rather than a whole chicken. After our little shopping adventures of the day my apartment cooked dinner for ourselves for the first time, and it was quite tasty if I do say so myself.
Our program gave us a little public transportation test in which we had to take the Trolley to
On Thursday we watched the funeral procession for the Archbishop of all of
It has been great getting to know everyone on the trip thus far and they all seem adventurous and outgoing (which is pretty much what I expected of students traveling abroad to Greece) and I had a lot of opportunity to meet some new people and get to know others better on our weekend excursion to Nafplio. It is a city on the coast and there was shopping and cafes by the water with heat lamps to keep you warm while you sit outside. We found this great little store that sells only items made from Olive wood. Our program leaders took us all out to dinner where they set up a sampling of traditional Greek foods, all of which were spectacular and then we headed out for some gelato at a nearby store (it was actually run by Italians, so it was authentic gelato). I have had a wonderful time talking with the “adults” of our program as they have this wealth of knowledge about so much of
Our second day in Nafplio we climbed 999 steps to the fortress Palamidi at the top of a small mountain. The view was again spectacular and the water was such a clear blue. We spent hours walking around and exploring the old fortress/prison/church that resided at the top. After lots of hiking, some picnicking, and a little sunbathing, we walked back down the 999 steps (we actually only counted 908) and stopped at a café to rest our legs which were a little shaky from the walk down. We did a little bit more shopping and then I headed back to the hotel for a nap.
Once refreshed I ventured out for dinner with a bunch of other people, which whittled itself down to a small group of just three other people and myself at a restaurant recommended to us by a woman at the gelato place. There was live music played by two young men on mandolins and an older gentleman on guitar. They sang and many of the Greeks in the restaurant started singing along and clapping. A couple sitting across from us would get up every now and then to dance and really enjoyed how into the music our table of Americans got. They went so far as to have the waiter bring us some wine on them, and I went over to thank them and then asked them to show me how to dance. So the man danced with me in a Greek ballroom type style for one song, and the woman showed me another Greek dance to another song. I was able to talk to them in mostly Greek as they knew only minimal English and they introduced us to the musicians. We stayed until the musicians were done playing and the older gentleman invited us to go and eat with them. So we joined them for some food at a place near by and talked with them (mostly in English, although one spoke no English at all). They were so friendly and polite and although the language barrier was a little bit of a challenge, they spoke enough English for us to have good conversation. It turned out that they guys ventured to
I have to admit, our trip to Nafplio has solidified my love for this country and I have a new desire to learn as much of the language as I can and to visit as many places in and outside of
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