Things I won't miss about Greece...

• The lack of separate checks at restaurants
• I've already discussed this in a post. It is so frustrating. I can't wait to go out with my friends in the U.S. and ask for separate checks!
• The absence of Taco bell and chik fil a
• I may be in Greece but I'm American, I need my doritos locos tacos and waffle fries. I can't help it. 
• The sidewalks
• Let's make a 3 foot wide sidewalk then plant a tree right in the middle of it. Then, we're gonna put dumpsters and even bigger trees all up and down it! Oh, and dogs can poop on it too! Seriously, I just started walking in the road...
• Walking 2 miles from the market with heavy groceries
• At first, I overloaded myself and nearly died walking back to the dorm, especially when we went to Carre-four or the Bazaar. When we shopped at Effie's it wasn't too bad, and after a while, I finally learned my lesson and bought lighter. 
• The staring
• I know it's a different culture but honestly, no matter how hard I try, I cannot make myself understand how it is not interpreted as rude here. It's really uncomfortable too...
• Chicken Pitas
• I'm sorry, but after about twenty of these, I had had enough. Now, I really don't care if I ever have one again...though that might change when we get back to the States.
• Lack of air conditioning in most places
• It's hot. I sweat constantly. Everybody does. The difference is that the Greeks don't seem to care...I can't not care. It bothers me. I hate the heat. I've been showering more than once a day on many occasions
• The crappy and confusing European washers and dryer 
• 5 dryers and eight hours later and my clothes are finally dry. This one doesn't work, that one just makes your clothes really hot, but doesn't actually dry them. This one shuts off in the middle of a cycle. That one is possessed and your clothes smell now. Go wash them again. This may have just been the case with the washers and dryers in the dorm though...
• Not being able to flush toilet paper
• It's the little things, really. To be honest, I had a few uh-oh moments. It wasn't terrible but it was another thing we had to keep up with. Taking out the trash every day, not to mention it's just a little gross. 
• Stairs
• I've climbed enough stairs, rocks, hills and mountains to last me a lifetime. 

Things I'll miss about Greece...

• The food
• Such good food and such fresh ingredients. It doesn't get much better than that!
• Incredibly fresh and juicy fruit
• The Farmer's market had the most incredible fruit. The fruit back home won't be able to compare.
• The ease of public transportation
• It really was designed for stupid people...and I thought it was hard at first...
• Mountains
• So pretty. It's so nice to wake up every morning, open my shutters and see the beautiful mountains on the horizon.
• Our incredible group of people 
• We seriously had the best group of people. I've made some incredible friends who I probably never would have met if it weren't for this trip. I hope we can stay in touch. And our leaders were perfect. They know so much about life here and the culture and they really prepared us well for this trip.
• Palmie Bistro
• PALMIE :( I love that place. It's so Americanized....which I guess isn't good since we're on a study abroad trip, but it's so good and they give discounts and it's right there if we ever need food in an emergency, and oh my gosh, the chef's potatoes :O 
• Drinking age of 18
• It was really nice to be able to order a glass of sangria or wine with dinner. I'm going to miss being able to order drinks when I get home.
• The lack of humidity
• I'm pretty sure I'm going to choke on the humidity when I get back to Florida. Greece is hot, but it's not humid and that makes the heat so much easier to bare. 
• The numerous coffee shops and bakeries
• So convenient, especially if you need a quick snack on the go. It's so much better than buying an icee and a bag of chips from the gas station...
• Crepes
• Christmas crepe! White chocolatey, banana goodness. I don't even know what I'm going to do without that amazing crepe in my life :( 
• Mousaka
• Without a doubt my favorite Greek food. I don't know why...I just love it!
• Merenda (a European off-brand Nutella but better)
• They don't have it in the States :( It's even better than Nutella!
• Being so close to so many social hubs
• It is so easy to go out and find something to do if you're bored. Boredom doesn't exist. Even just people watching is really interesting. 
• The endless incredible photo opportunities
• I got more practice with my camera than I ever expected to get. This country is absolutely beautiful. Of all the different landscapes we saw there wasn't one that wasn't breathtaking.

The First Cemetery

After Nicki gave her site report on the First Cemetery, and we had a group discussion about Greek burial practices, I knew this was one place I had to see before we left. Since we're leaving in four days, I figured today was as good a day as any, so I grabbed my frozen water bottle, hopped on a bus and headed for the cemetery.

Upon walking into the cemetery, I was immediately struck by the numerous massive grave monuments that could rival that of JFK's. I snapped a few pictures, not sure if that would be insulting to the families of the dead whose monuments were so glorious they had to be famous people, or rich, at least.

I mean, really. Is the twenty foot marble monument
really necessary?

Needless to say, it was pretty cool to see all of the grave monuments. I'd never seen anything like that back home. This cemetery is specifically for the really rich and the really famous, since those people are the only ones who can afford it. The honor of being in this cemetery seems to be similar to the honor of being in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C. And let me tell you that cemetery is beautiful. The exact rows of pristine, white crosses covering every inch of every hill. It's amazing. But it is so different from the glorified, materialistic projection of wealth that was seen at the First Cemetery. It was interesting...but what I saw next took the cake by a landslide. 

The Ossuary. Greeks have this practice of burying their dead relative for three years, digging them up, cleaning their bones, then placing them in a little metal box which then goes into an ossuary. 

Yep, it's a skull...

These were the little, "boring" graves for the
people who were going to be placed in an
ossuary after their three year mark was up. Some
of them were a few months overdue...

So basically, an ossuary is a place for the bones of dead people. We had a lot of discussion about why this is and came to the conclusion that it's partially a result of a lack of land in Greece. The little land that they do have, they try to use for agriculture, so there is a very small amount of land space available for burial. But I think it also has to do with the mourning period. After three years, the family has to clean the bones of their dead relative and put them into a pit with thousands of other peoples' bones. It seems a little callous, but I think it would definitely help the family come to terms with their loss. 

I hope the Greeks don't mind me posting pictures of this....apparently, it's sort of taboo in their culture. But I'm trying to justify it by the fact that I'm American and this is just really unbelievable. One of those "pictures or it didn't happen" moments. 

   

It was interesting to see how differently things were done, even the burial practices. The First Cemetery was actually one of the coolest places I've seen since I've been here. I really enjoyed my visit and would recommend it to anyone who goes to Greece in the future. 

The Financial Crisis in Greece

It's hard to live in a country that is in such a bad financial state without noticing the effects, and believe me, there are many, but not all are bad.

One of the most prominent, at least for me, a tourist, was the lack of staff at historical sites, museums and other tourist attractions. At some places, it didn't make much difference, while at others exhibits were closed off or the hours were extremely minimal, defying the hours that were promised on the website. Still, we managed to work around it.

It's pretty much impossible not to notice the amount of people that go around begging for money, since they will come right up to you and start speaking to you in Greek, telling you their pitiful story that tugs on your heartstrings...at least, I'm guessing. There are people, we called them gypsies, who sat on the side of the tourist streets and tried to win your affection; children with their cute puppies playing the accordion, women with their little baby all swaddled up. There were even black men in the flea market trying to sell knockoff designer bags. Most of these people appear not to be from Greece, and I was informed by my art history teacher, that Greece has open borders, so anyone who is trying to make it into Europe can do so through Greece. Because of this, there are tons of immigrants from other countries, middle eastern countries in particular.

Going into this trip, we had heard a lot about protests and riots, bus strikes and power outages, but we did  not see a single sign of any of these activities. In fact, every time I went to Syntagma square (the main site for riots and protests since it's the location of the parliament building), I didn't see any indications of past or future riots.

In terms of hospitality, the Greeks were extremely hospitable, particularly in restaurants. We rarely dined at a Greek style restaurant without being offered free deserts, free shots or the like. I'm not sure if this is in response to the financial crisis, maybe an attempt to gain regular customers, or if it was just a result of the Greek culture, in which business is usually done with people you know and are close to, and dissatisfaction spreads quickly. More than likely it's a little bit of both, but regardless, it was a positive effect of the financial crisis...if you can really call any of the effects of such a terrible situation "positive."

I didn't expect to see so many Greeks spending money so freely. The articles and resources I read in preparation for this trip all seemed to agree on the fact that the financial crisis is affecting just about everyone. No one is really getting by unscathed. While I'm sure it affects some people worse than others, you would never guess that based on how often you see them out and about, shopping, getting coffee and other extra-curriculars that cost money. I will say that when they do go out to restaurants and bars, their purchases seem to be minimal; maybe one small cup of coffee. But I'm guessing all those cigarettes aren't cheap either!

One of the positive effects (again, not sure if that is the right wording) that I really enjoyed was the month of July, during which all stores on Ermou street (which is basically Greece's 5th avenue) have incredible sales; thirty, forty even fifty percent off! Seriously, these sales just about put Black Friday to shame. It was pretty clear that the Greeks enjoyed it too!

Overall, I'm sure that I can't even begin to comprehend all of the effects in the short amount of time that I spent in Greece. There were some that were very evident in day-to-day life, though I'm sure I don't know the half of it. In the future, I really hope Greece can come out of this financial state and make a comeback.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus

As a part of our art history class, we make site visits to ruins and museums that have items of significance from classical antiquity. Friday, our destination was the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Despite the fact that it was the 9th site visit we had made in a matter of two weeks and the fact that we had to be there at 9 am, I was actually really excited to see the temple. I mean come on, it's where Hercules found out he was the son of Zeus and where he finally met Pegasus and vowed to make himself a true hero! Okay, I'm kidding. But seriously, the biggest temple of any god, 104 columns all the way around, a ginormous ivory and gold statue of Zeus inside. How freaking cool is that? Obviously, I was pretty happy to finally see the temple. Although when we got there all I saw was 15 standing columns concentrated into one corner and one collapsed column (there were originally 104). It was kind of sad to see how ruined this temple really was. Trying to imagine it when it was still completely in tact was difficult, but I managed to get an idea of what it must have been like to stand in front of something so massive and to walk inside and pay homage to the enormous statue of Zeus. I tried to imagine actually building it but that didn't work out so well...I've been here for five weeks, seen ruins left and right, yet I still don't understand how, in ancient times, people could build such massive structures out of marble or limestone. You definitely have got to give the ancient Greeks credit for that.

Part of what really enhanced my experience at the temple was having some knowledge of its background and history. The previous week, in our class with Dr. Kaplan, we each presented a report on a site in Athens. Brianna had Olympeion and gave a really interesting presentation about the history of the temple and the site itself. I was really fascinated by the fact that the temple took nearly 600 years to build. Through various reigns and rulers, this temple stood as a constant, never being finished until 600 years after it was originally started by a completely different person with completely different people. Yet, it still got finished and it's still partially standing today. This temple is absolutely incredible; the detail of the massive Corinthian columns and the beauty of the site itself, with the acropolis overlooking it, and Lycabettus hill in the distance. It's a shame the temple had such a short lived glory because all it takes is one quick look to realize how incredibly phenomenal it was.

One thing is for sure: If this temple says anything about what Zeus was believed to be like, he must have been a freaking awesome guy. 

The Amazing Spiderman...with a Greek twist

The Amazing Spiderman came out in Greece last week and our group decided to go see it at the theater in our neighborhood. The cool thing about this theater? It's outdoors! So we walked into the movie right at 9 o'clock when it was scheduled to start (we're starting to understand this whole "Greek time" concept). It was not at all what I was expecting from an outdoor theater but it was really cool. The "theater" was a small courtyard full of rows of semi-comfy folding chairs. Up front was a giant projector screen where the moviewas played (duh). There was a little booth where you could buy small popcorn, soda, even alcohol, but I was shocked to see that they didn't have candy. The prices were cheap compared to our movie theater prices back home. I bought a drink and took a seat close to the front to watch the movie. At first there was still a little daylight so it was difficult to see (it doesn't get dark in Greece until 9:30ish). But once the sun was down completely, I could see perfectly. Most Greek people (excluding children) speak pretty good English, so the movie was in English with Greek subtitles, thankfully. What really surprised me despite the fact that I knew it was coming was the random "intermission" right in the middle of the movie (in the middle of a pretty intense scene nonetheless). There wasn't any sort of fading, or warning, the movie just cut off, out of nowhere and started playing a very weird advertisement for Domino's Pizza. It was strange, but allowed for restroom breaks and snack breaks, if necessary. I liked that I didn't have to sacrifice movie time to go to the restroom. The intermission lasted about five minutes, after which the movie resumed, once again with no warning or indication.

One thing I noticed while watching the movie was that Greeks don't seem to mind talking during a movie. Personally, I hate when people talk in the movies if they can't keep it to a whisper...and I don't think Greeks know what whispering is. But this was only a problem at the beginning of the movie; they quieted down after a while. The theater was about half-full but the majority of the people there were Greeks. I'm not sure if Greeks actually have interest in Spiderman (we were told superhero movies aren't really a big deal here), or if they were just there because it was the only movie playing, or if maybe movies are another form of social interaction that helps them maintain their "in group" but it was cool to see so many locals enjoying a movie that is probably a big deal back home.

The outdoor theater was a very different experience but it was pretty cool. I can't say that I wish all theaters were like that back home (the heat and bugs were enough to bother me) but it would be nice to have a few for nice days. Although I don't miss the incredibly expensive tickets and overpriced concessions of the theater back home, I do miss having candy to eat during movies...

The Cerulean Paradise

On weekends, day trips seem to be the name of the game. And this weekend was no different. This weekend's destination to Hydra (pronounced "ee-dra") was one of the most exciting, simply because of the lack of plans. We literally had one thing planned during the 10 hours we were there and that was lunch. Other than that, we had absolute and total freedom to do whatever we wanted and it was really nice.

Hydra is a really small island, located in the Saronic islands off the coast of Attica. So, to get there we had to take a sort of ferry, more commonly known as a hydrofoil. Hydrofoils are high speed boats that are elevated on metal rutters which are wing-like to allow them to get above the water in order to move faster.

An older hydrofoil

The hydrofoil we took to Hydra.

Now, for someone like me who has an extreme propensity for motion sickness, the thought of a super fast boat on the rocky waters of the Aegean sea was a little nauseating. And when the seat I was assigned was facing backwards, I was justifiably worried. After switching seats with a fortunate soul who was born with a stomach of steel, I got comfortable and tried to push any thoughts of sickness out of my head. While we waited for everyone to board, the rocking and rolling of the boat next to the dock was extremely unnerving and for once I was longing for the bitter, vomit-inducing taste of Dramamine. But once we were in transit and picking up speed, I quickly realized that this would probably be one of the most comfortable boat rides I've ever taken. Shortly after we began our hour and a half journey to Hydra, I fell asleep and didn't wake until we reached our beautiful destination. 

Hydra is a very small island; only about 25 total square miles. It's so small that cars aren't allowed so transportation is done by donkey, bicycle or foot. It has a population of 2,700 and thrives on tourism. Hydra is absolutely beautiful. I'm not sure if there's a law in place that requires orange roofs or if the town roofer only builds orange roofs, but let me tell you, the uniform beauty of the white-washed houses with their orange roofs and blue shutters is so cliche and characteristic of Greece, but still so unique. I took one look at the houses in the harbor and I knew I was in Greece. It's that sort of defining design that you'd expect on a Greek island. And it's beautiful. 

When we got off of the hydrofoil we were greeted by a tour guide who would give us a brief tour of the harbor and surrounding buildings (okay, so I lied about lunch being the only organized activity). This is where we got an introduction to the history of Hydra and got to explore the harbor in Hydra Town. 

       

The "donkey" that is most definitely a pony...

After the tour we changed into our swimsuits and set out in search of a beach where we could relax and cool down before lunch. We headed in the general direction of the coast and after about twenty minutes of walking came to a beautiful beach with crystal blue waters and gorgeous rock cliffs. When we got down to the beach, we realized that this was similar to the beach we visited in Sounion; that is, club style, with lounge chairs, umbrellas, waitresses and a full bar. After paying only three euros per person, we claimed our chairs and let the relaxation begin. 

We took a quick dip in the ever-chilling waters of the Cerulean sea, enjoying the see-through blue waters and the panoramic views of cliffs in the distance, before trekking back across the hot, rocky shoreline to our chairs. I decided to order a pizza (which turned out to be one of the best pizzas I've ever had), and my favorite refreshment on a hot Greek day; fresh-squeezed orange juice. We spent a few more hours swimming, and napping, taking in fully the Greek practice of siesta time, before beginning our trek back to the harbor for lunch. 

Finally, we headed back to the harbor, eager for a free lunch and full tummies. We ended up eating at this traditional Greek restaurant that served traditional Greek food in traditional family style which, if you haven't already figured it out from past posts, is my absolute favorite kind of food/dining. After the numerous shared plates of fried cheese, spinach pies and Greek salad, we were given an option of lasagna or Aubergine, an eggplant dish. I ordered the lasagna for myself, not entirely sure of my approval for eggplant and was pleased to see that it was a different sort of lasagna than I'm used to. All of the food was delicious, and despite my deep disgust for watermelon (which was for dessert), I managed to choke down a few bites at the end of the meal so as not to appear unappreciative or rude to the restaurant staff. 

After lunch, it was back out on the town for shopping. And let me tell you, these shops will not let you forget that Hydra relies so heavily on tourism. In all of our travels so far, I haven't seen anything as ridiculously priced as the shops in Hydra. I ended up not buying anything due to budget and a decent sense of self-preservation. As the heat rose, shopping became too taxing, so we found a nice shop on the harbor, ordered cold drinks and relaxed until we had to meet up again to go home. 

When we met up back at the dock to wait on the ferry we were all exhausted (having gotten up at 5 am) and much to our dismay, the ferry was late...very late. We are constantly reminded about "Greek time" here and how being on time isn't really a common occurrence, however, the ferry being 30 minutes late put even Greek time to shame. Finally, we saw the red and white of the hydrofoil in the distance and eagerly shoved our way through the mob of people  waiting to get on (there is no such thing as a line in Greece). We got comfortable once again and began our transit back to Piraeus, the port in Athens. Although we were scheduled to get back around ten, we ended up getting back to the dorms closer to 11 o'clock. The hydrofoil we were on broke down in transit and couldn't get up to full speed. After about twenty minutes, they got it fixed and we were on our way. 

The clock tower overlooking the harbor.

Despite the long day, Hydra was really nice and relaxing. Although we had to get up super early and didn't get back until late at night (and I had a midterm the next day), it wasn't exhausting. Hydra is a beautiful little island and has such a cool history and culture. To anyone who is visiting or plans to visit Greece, definitely add Hydra to your list of visits. It's totally worth it. 

Football with the locals

Friday night we decided to head to the local soccer field to kick the ball around and play some frisbee. A few people from our group had a really awesome soccer experience the week before when they were invited  into a pickup game with the local Greeks. We weren't so optimistic as to think this kind of thing was likely to happen again, but still, we headed to the field content to play amongst ourselves if that was how things worked out.

Getting onto the soccer field was the hardest part. There were multiple groups, each having their own staked claim on a portion of the field, and us Americans had trouble finding open green turf. Finally, we settled for an unattended goal at the end of the field and started passing and kicking, happy to be upgraded from our outsider spot on the dirt. Now let me tell you a little about my soccer skills...they don't exist. Unless you count a semi-organized team of 5-year olds, I have never played soccer, really ever. My hand-eye coordination; it's good. My foot-eye...not so much. Needless to say, I was a fish out of water on this ginormous green square filled with locals who have been kicking a ball since they could stand. So when we were invited to play soccer with some of the local kids, I was terrified.

We accidentally kicked the ball out of our claimed patch of turf. A Greek man who appeared to be in his 40's stopped the ball with his foot and stood there while I ran to get it. When I came up he asked me where I was from. We talked for a minute or so about the U.S. and then he invited Chase, Mary, Lauren and myself to play a game of "football" with his two sons. What surprised me about this interaction was that it wasn't his sons who invited us, in fact, they had no say in the matter at all. Their dad just sort of volunteered them. Still, we were faced with an incredible opportunity, so we agreed and divided up into teams. It ended up being the two Greek guys (they were about 15 and 12) and me on one team, against Lauren, Chase and Mary on the other team.

I warned my teammates (Bill was the older one's name) how much I sucked at soccer but they didn't seem to mind and to my surprise, actually passed me the ball numerous times throughout the game. I ended up scoring three or four goals during the game and even began to figure it out. I really didn't expect them to ever pass me the ball once they realized how terrible I was, but they went out of their way to make sure I got it. Showing all of us up with their incredibly well-trained kicks and fakes and then passing it to me in the gentlest of ways. Here we were, playing soccer with two people from an entirely different country and culture who speak an entirely different language. The game went on for about thirty minutes at which point we were too winded to keep going (I'm pretty sure these guys were laughing at us). We invited them to join us in a much calmer and less exhausting game of frisbee but they decided they would keep playing soccer so we thanked them and went back to our corner.

We played frisbee for another 30-45 minutes and then realized that everyone was leaving the park and took that as our cue to go home. On our way out we ran into Bill and his brother and father once again. They were the ones closing up the park. I still wonder if maybe they own it. Anyway, Bill's father was talking to us again, asking where each of us was from and explaining the ease of learning Greek compared to learning English. We talked for about five minutes during which time Bill's father tried to get us to exchange facebook information. He started speaking with Bill in Greek and, to me, it seems like Bill didn't really want to exhange facebook info. We didn't have paper anyway so we could politely refuse, for Bill's sake.

What really struck me about this whole situation was that everything we did with Bill and his brother was suggested by their father. He's the one that set up the soccer match. He's the one that started the conversation about facebook. To me, it was very different to see a dad so involved in his sons' lives. I mean, it's like that in the U.S., but you'll never catch a parent telling their kids who to play soccer with or exchange facebooks with. I do remember his dad mentioning something about how talking with us on facebook would help Bill's english and our Greek so I wonder if maybe it was a way for his sons to make American friends through which they could learn better english. Their english was pretty good already but I know the pressure to speak fluent English in non-English speaking countries is great, and the skill is incredibly valued, so maybe all Bill's dad was trying to do was encourage fluency.

Either way, it was a really fun experience to play soccer with local Greeks. It really reminded me how incredibly unifying soccer is. It's the most widespread sport in the world, capable of crossing so many cultural barriers. Despite the fact that we came from two different countries and spoke two different languages, we all had a common ground in the soccer game that we played. And soccer doesn't just serve as a connection across cultures, it serves as a connection within cultures as well. As I looked around, there were tons of local Greek kids all joking around and playing soccer. And though they may not all have a strong passion for the sport, they love it because of it's connective factors. It reminded me of watching the Greek vs. Germany soccer game at a local bar in the neighborhood. The crowd went wild when they scored, made offensive gestures to the German prime minister in tandem and shared each other's company. "Football" serves as a common ground between just about everybody in the world. And to see something so unifying in action is incredible.

Σούνιο [Sounion]

The Fourth of July may not mean much to Greeks, but at the American College in Greece, America's Independence Day is significant enough to cancel classes. So, instead of waking up super early and laboring through modern Greek life and ancient Greek history, we got to sleep in a little bit (is it sad that 8 am is now considered sleeping in?) to head to Sounion, a beautiful seaside town located at the southernmost point in Attica.

Now, I know I've probably used the words "beautiful," "breathtaking," and "incredible" countless times throughout my blogs, to the point of exhaustion, but there are very few words that can accurately describe just how incredibly beautiful and breathtaking this country is. Around every corner you see ancient ruins. Yet everywhere we go has its own story, its own history, its own landscape and people. And Sounion is no different. It is truly breathtaking and beautiful. 

After a pleasantly short bus ride, we piled off the bus at Cape Sounion to visit the Temple of Poseidon (god of the sea in Greek paganism), a beautifully made and well-preserved temple overlooking - you guessed it - the sea! It was a very short climb to the site of the temple where we experienced some of ancient Greek history through the still-standing structure that is the Temple of Poseidon.

Located at the top of a cliff overlooking the sea, the Temple of Poseidon offers absolutely gorgeous views. They seriously just keep getting better...

Rumor (or mythology, if you wanna get technical) has it that Cape Sounion is where Aegeus, King of Athens,  committed suicide by jumping off a cliff into the sea to his death when he thought his son Theseus had died in a battle with the minotaur. And thus, the sea into which suicidal Aegeus hurled himself, was thereafter named the Aegean sea. In the end, it was nothing but a misunderstanding. Theseus was actually alive, but the forgetful teenager didn't change his ship's sails to white as he'd promised to do if he survived and so, upon seeing the black sails on Theseus's ship, Aegeus impulsively leapt into the sea and, in place of a suicide note, left the expansive Athenian empire to his very alive son.

The Aegean Sea
Thanks to Aegeus for having a really cool name.

After exploring the site of the temple and taking an excessive amount of pictures on the exact same rock, we climbed back onto the bus, eager to rid our tummies of that hollow feeling. The best part about lunch? I honestly can't tell you because there were so many good things about this lunch. 1) It was included in the excursion, which means we didn't pay a dime! 2) We got free drinks in addition to our water; soda or wine (I had the wine) 3) It was traditional Greek family style dining (aka - my favorite kind of dining ever) 4) with traditional Greek food that was very very tasty 5) It was indoors, with air conditioning, overlooking the beautiful Aegean sea.

With our bellies full, and our exhausted energies renewed, we climbed back onto our beloved bus once more with the beach in mind. Originally, I was expecting some wide open, tourist packed, rocky beach with freezing cold water (these Eastern hemisphere seas just aren't that warm...) and to an extent, I was right. However, I didn't expect to be led into a modern, popular beach club complete with remixed 80's hits, cabana boys and shaded chairs. It was an unexpected yet pleasant surprise. 

 

Although I was right about the freezing cold water (seriously, you can't even imagine) and the rocky beaches that make you wish swimming allowed for shoes, I was wrong about the tourist part and pleasantly surprised to see that we were some of the few tourists present. Most of the people there, were either local Greeks or vacationing Europeans. This was extremely refreshing, since most of the places we go are sufficiently swarmed by large tourist groups. The one thing I can't figure out is why this place didn't have many tourists, and after doing some research I came to the conclusion that it's probably related to the fact that, since it's somewhat overshadowed by the more popular cities and sites, Sounion isn't a huge tourist destination. I also learned that Sounion is one of the most expensive places to live in Greece with homes costing upwards of twenty million euros. It's an upscale summer home setting for Europeans who can afford it. And the ones who can apparently like private, well-maintained and modernized beaches with full bars...tourists, not so much. 

After an extremely chilling dip in the water (literally) and the exhausting swim, against the current in deep waters, back to shore, I was sufficiently exhausted, and spent the rest of the afternoon lounging and relaxing. 

All in all, Sounion was rejuvenating. The day wasn't jam-packed so it wasn't stressful or super exhausting, and we still got a taste of history by visiting the Temple of Poseidon. It was a great way to celebrate the Fourth of July.

It's More Than Just Coffee

After a brief trip to the agora on Sunday, Chase, Maddie and myself headed out in search of Da Vinci, a local coffee shop where we would sit and take notes on the activity in an attempt to better understand the everyday life of Greeks and the role that coffee plays.

Upon entering the abnormally well-tailored building, we quickly realized that this wasn't just any ordinary coffee shop like the chains we would walk by during our commutes downtown. The modern design and upscale atmosphere combined with the gloriously clean and well-made couches and chairs and the soft rock music made for quite the setup. Indoors was an overly shiny marble staircase that led to who knows where, and a bathroom with waterfalls for sinks and mahogany detailing. The restaurant portion housed long tables fit for large families and held hardly any people save for one family who seemed to be celebrating something. Outside was the pool, with it's cerulean blue water and beach-like entrance, complete with tiki huts, colorful yet sophisticated lounge chairs and its own bar. Here, there were some people, though not as many as we found in the coffee portion, most lounging on chairs and mostly women.

We went back onto the patio and sat down at a table for the "coffee shop" experience and noticed a few strange looks, mostly from the waiters. I actually don't think these looks had anything to do with being foreign, I think it was related to our age. This was not an ordinary coffee shop, as I said before. Its quality and design indicate wealth and exclusivity. Being teenagers, we were clearly out of our price range and our league. And as I looked around I realized that we were the youngest group there. Most people we saw were middle aged, with a few exceptions. The youngest that I saw appeared to be in their late 20's, possibly early 30's, but just about everyone there looked like they belonged. I also noticed that there seemed to be more men. While there wasn't an overwhelming difference in gender, there was a notable discrepancy. The men were mostly in groups of 3-4, and were dressed fairly nicely considering it was a Sunday, not a workday. I did notice a few couples, who lounged on the couches, bordering on what would be considered indecent exposure back home. But I guess that's just a cultural difference here. We save our overly affectionate moments for private. They feel it's necessary to share it with everyone! It also might be related to the fact that Greeks usually live in the same apartment building as their parents, even into adulthood, so maybe it's hard to get privacy at home? Either way, these couples had no shame. We also noticed that here it wasn't as open as most coffee shops, where the patio has a clear view of the sidewalk and street outside. This patio was surrounded by a sort of impermanent wall, which I suppose was to offer privacy and preserve the quality of the shop.

For the most part, it seemed that everyone was drinking coffee, despite the fact that this was also a bar but that might be related to the fact that it was only 2 pm. I tried to get the waiter's attention to ask for a menu, to no avail. So I quickly grabbed a menu from another table that had just been vacated (the only group we actually saw leave the coffee shop during the 45 minutes we were there). I scanned the menu for coffee-based drinks, in desperate need of a caffiene boost, only to see the prices, at which point, I slammed the menu closed and prepared myself for withdrawals. The clean, crisp design and "pomp" of Da Vinci was very clearly reflected in its prices. My guess is that maybe the public pool it offers inflates the prices a little bit, not to mention that at a place as fancy as that, you would expect to pay a little. I'm also guessing that its exclusivity and sign of social status probably cost you a bit too.

Though I haven't really been to many coffee shops in Greece, all it took was one glance to realize that this was no ordinary caffeine stop. The overly showy atmosphere was clearly too much for anyone affected by the financial crisis (unless people burn through their credit to appear wealthy) and to be honest, it was too much for my taste. Despite it's uniqueness, Da Vinci differed from no coffee shop in Greece in that it serves one main purpose: socialization. Although I'm sure the coffee is good and the pool feels nice, I don't believe I'll be making another visit to high class Da Vinci...except maybe to use the waterfall sinks in the bathroom...

The Peloponnesian Tours

We began yet another day trip early Saturday morning to the Peloponnese which is almost an island, but not really because of a very small connection to the Greek mainland...but then they built a canal so now it really is an island...only not really. Whatever it is, the Peloponnese is a beautiful place, home to Corinth, Mycenae and Nafplion, full of wonders from ancient times to modern.

We started the day off with an early morning bus ride to Corinth. Unfortunately, our everlasting exhaustion yielded no relief during this time since Corinth is a mere hour by bus from Athens. So, we trudged up to the ancient ruins of Corinth, clinging on to every ounce of energy. Here, the Kaplans' friend and fellow professor/archaeologist, Kim, met with us to give us a guided tour of the temples and agora. We've been in Greece for 3 weeks now and I'm realizing that it's really easy to forget just how incredible the ruins and the history behind them is. Sometimes I feel myself forgetting how crazy it is that we're standing in the middle of a marketplace that is 2,000 years old and that was once used by people like us. So, to get a real tour by someone who really has a passion for the history, is not only enlightening but extremely valuable to appreciating and understanding the history of these ruins. 

The ruins in Corinth were really beautiful. Hearing from Kim about the history and learning about Corinthian architecture in Dr. Arafat's art history class have given me a greater appreciation not only for Corinth's history but also for its people.

After we finished touring the ruins and the museum, Kim took us back to her home which was a short walk away, where she provided much needed and appreciated refreshments. We sat on her balcony, overlooking the ruins, taking in the beautiful scenery of the Peloponnese, while we chowed down on juicy oranges and moist apple cake. Then it was off to Mycenae. 

We climbed back on the bus, refreshed and rejuvenated after Kim's extremely thoughtful hospitality, and headed to Mycenae. Here we found the ancient ruins of what once was a major center and military stronghold of ancient Greece during the second millenium B.C. We wondered through the ruins, taking in the breathtaking landscape, the rolling hills and green mountains. The more we climbed the more beautiful the view got, but the entire way up, we were experiencing the incredible ruins of Mycenae, grave circles and tombs included. 

A grave circle in Mycenae.

Once we started down the back of what was probably the acropolis of Mycenae, Mr. Dr. Kaplan told us to get our flashlights out (we had gotten a rather conspicuous memo to make sure we brought  a flashlight). Since all I could see was what appeared to be walls of defense to protect the acropolis, I was confused, but I grabbed my flashlight anyway and let him lead the way. Then I saw this mysterious, giant hole in the rocks and realized that the steps leading down to it continued through it. Mr. Dr. Kaplan explained that this was a tunnel that lead deep down underground and was used as a source of water. I realized very quickly upon entering the tunnel that a flashlight was a desperately needed tool to navigate around as it was pitch black. We started our descent into the dark, hollow tunnel, the daylight disappearing as we went, gingerly descending from step to slippery step, hands following the damp wall for balance and to ease the discomfort of near blindness. With the stream of people going in and out, one slip of the foot would be the epitome of the domino effect. It wasn't long before we reached the bottom which was sort of like a small, waist deep pit. This is where the water would have come to in ancient times. As I stood in the pit, I looked up towards the tunnel entrance and saw nothing but the faint, shaky flashlights and phone screens of those who were still making their descent. It was a sort of eerie darkness, the rocks that made a sort of silent hum, echoing everything we said. It was then that I thought about a person, in ancient times, climbing down here for water, carrying a bucket in one hand, a torch in the other, and trying not to slip. That was when I felt a very sudden gratitude for indoor plumbing and electricity. 

The tunnel opening.

Climbing down the tunnel. The only light is from
the flash on my camera.

After Mycenae, it was back on the bus to the beautiful seaside town of Nafplion. Here, we visted a Venetian fortress from medieval times. It wasn't ancient, but it was old and it was absolutely beautiful. It was sort of refreshing in a way to see a different sort of historical building, a nice change of pace. This one dated back to the middle ages, and had little to no Greek influence. It was independent of Athenian rule during classical Greek times and had an entirely different history to it. Nafplion has one of the most beautiful views we've seen on this trip..and believe me, that's saying something.

After the Venetian fortress, we went into Nafplion to have lunch and spend some time enjoying the city. We ate lunch at what seemed to be the middle ground between sit-down dining and fast food where chicken pitas were the name. Let me just say, if I have to eat one more chicken pita...I might vomit. They were good the first five times and alright ten times after that, but now...I'm so sick of them. I mean, I know they're cheap but I can only take so many chicken pitas before I lose it. After that somewhat unsatisfying lunch, we headed out in search of the beach, which you think would be easy to find in a town surrounded by nothing but water. You would be wrong. We ventured through the cute little streets of Nafplion before finding ourselves back at the harbor where the bus dropped us off. There was water, yes, but no beaches. So, defeated, hot and tired, we plopped down on the dock and dangled our feet in the water, enjoying the view of a medieval fortress on the water.

Just before we left, we finally found a swimming hole not far from the harbor. Since we didn't come equipped with swimsuits, we had to sacrifice our dry clothes in exchange for a nice, cool swim. The bus ride back may have been a little damp and uncomfortable, and I'm sure the bus driver didn't appreciate our salty, wet clothed bottoms on his clean, dry seats, but it was well worth it!

All in all, it was a fun day, but by the end, we were ready to crash. It was cool to see the ancient city of Corinth, the even older city of Mycenae and the more modern counterpart in Nafplion. But swimming, fully clothed, in the ocean off of Nafplion; that's what I'll remember most about this day.