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. 

There's always a catch...

Up to this point it probably seems that I've been living the life, vacationing in Greece for five weeks, nothing but relaxation. But there's the catch, you see. This is a study abroad program which means every weekday, I have to wake up and go to school. While I'm not exactly ecstatic about that fact, it's definitely a sacrifice worth making if it means I get to live in Greece.

So, my class at Deree is an art history class focusing in classical antiquity. That means all of the major sites and monuments in Greece (specifically Athens) are the focus of our studies. Since this is the first time I've taken a history class (that isn't U.S. history) since 10th grade, it's somewhat refreshing. I'm realizing that not only do I not mind going to class, but I am genuinely interested in the topics. Dr. Arafat is a great professor. You can tell he knows what he's talking about and he doesn't try to assign a ton of work with no purpose. He makes the class interesting and is great about answering any questions or clearing up any confusion. One of the coolest aspects of this class is that, since it focuses on antiquities that are kept in museums that are mostly in Athens, we get to do site visits instead of actually going to class for a lecture. These site visits are basically 2-4 field trips per week to museums to actually see the pieces we're studying. This is extremely helpful because 1) It's just easier to see the patterns of design and function in person than trying to see that in a picture 2) It makes everything so much more interesting and 3) I feel like I have a better appreciation for the pieces because I've seen them in person and he gives us the background on it, important facts about it and its history while we're looking at it. I will admit, at first, I was a bit disappointed with this class simply because I had hoped to have a Greek professor and at least a few Greek students that we could make friends with yet when the first day of class rolled around, I learned that our professor was British and every student in the room was American, with the exception of one Greek student. It wasn't the class I was expecting from a school with a 90% Greek student body. I figured that maybe most Greeks that attend Deree have seen these things before and learned about them over the course of their entire education so the last class they're going to want to take is one that is about the history of their hometown. It would be like American kids choosing to take a U.S. history class; it happens, but it's rare. I also noticed that our professor doesn't seem to care if people are late to class or aren't paying attention. He doesn't care about laptops in the room and was surprised when we asked him how we were being graded. He told us this is his first year teaching at Deree and he has never taught Greeks before or very many Americans. So clearly this isn't a result of teaching Greek students who are never on time to class and who are taught to memorize but not ask questions. I wonder if maybe British students are similar in that regard? Since Dr. Arafat is not Greek and he doesn't teach Greek students I can't really come up with a "Greek" explanation for why the class is so relaxed. Dr. Arafat's class is extremely interesting and despite the fact that we don't get any homework or assignments, I feel that I'm learning more than I have in most college classes to this point.

We also are taking a Greek language class to help us learn the basics of the Greek language so we can get by. To be honest, this class is a little frustrating to me because we don't get credit for the class, we don't get grades, but we still have to go to the class, sit through the class and spend what could potentially be free time  exploring Athens in the class. It's not that I don't want to learn the Greek language. Actually, I really think the class is helpful in that respect. It's just that, if I have to go to this class anyway, I'd much rather take a few tests, actually legitimately learn the language and get credit for the course so I wouldn't have 3 awkward summer credits left to complete. Plus, it's jam-packed into days where we already have two other classes which just means we're all tired and irritable. Don't get me wrong, the class itself isn't bad. It's just that it's another class that we have to take....except that we don't get credit. I noticed the other day during Greek class, a good 2/3 of the class was at least ten minutes late. I tried to gauge the professor's reaction to their tardiness, knowing that it's a very different ordeal here and was surprised to note that she actually looked a little irritated. I tried to figure out why this may be since everyone here seems to be on true "Greek time." I figured that maybe she was used to teaching Greek to American students (or students from elsewhere around the world) who are usually more punctual, so the fact that some of the students were late was frustrating. Other than that theory, I've got nothing except that maybe she's just a punctual Greek.

The last class is Dr. Kaplan's class. We get together a couple times a week to discuss the book we're reading (Dinner with Persephone), we talk about the things we've noticed in day to day Greek life, and we try to analyze those differences and make connections with what we know about Greek culture. This blog is also a part of that class, though I'm writing it for myself and my family as well. We also have to keep a daily frustrometer which gauges our frustration level (particularly with cultural differences). We're doing site reports on major ancient or modern sites in Athens during which we have to convince our classmates to go see them (my site is the Panathenaic stadium). We also have culture reports which involve researching and presenting on a certain aspect of Greek culture (I'm researching the "evil eye").

School definitely isn't at the top of my summer to-do list but if that's what allows me to experience this amazing country, then I'm happy to grin and bare the educational portion!

"The Stadium of All Athenians"

I got another early start Thursday morning to go see the Panathenaic stadium before class. Since I'm doing a report on it, I had already researched its history. The location of the stadium, in ancient times, was nothing but a valley between two hills where nude male athletes would race in track events. The original wooden stadium was created in 556 BC but it was not until 329 BC that the actual stadium was built in marble by Lykourgos. The stadium was host to the athletic portion of the Panathenaic games which included religious ceremonies, athletic and cultural events. In ancient times, the athletic portion was nothing but running events and races. During the 2nd century AD, under Roman rule, Herodes, an orator and sophist, sponsored many renovations to the stadium which included changing the stadium from a rectangular shape to the horseshoe shape seen today, rows of marbles seats, a vaulted passage under the stands that leads from the stadium center to the outside and many statues of marble, bronze and gold. At the time, the stadium was one of a kind, unrivaled.

A portrayal of what the stadium is depicted to look like after
Herodes' renovations.

As Christianity spread, so too did the prohibition of the bloody gladiatorial duels and celebrations that the stadium housed. Subsequently, the Panathenaic stadium lost its splendor. It became a reminder of ancient times, as tourists stalked up with their cameras and guidebooks. 

Finally, in 1896, the stadium was given a chance to relive its ancient glory with the first modern Olympic games. And so it was that the glorious but disheveled Panathenaic stadium was renovated once again to be brought to use in modern times and remembered as host to the first modern Olympic games. Now, the Panathenaic stadium is used for special occasions, such as welcoming home soccer heros, or triumphant Olympians. Even to this day, it remains an important part of the Olympic games as the Olympic flame begins its journey every year from the Panathenaic stadium.

Okay, history lesson is over. I promise. Seriously though, this stadium is pretty cool. It, in all of its quiet splendor, sits right on one of the biggest streets in Athens, six lanes of cars going back and forth, surrounded by modern apartments and shrouded in the sounds of honking horns, chiming church bells and yelling pedestrians. In front of it stand hordes of tourists snapping pictures and cheesing but not bothering to go in and experience the long history that is the Panathenaic stadium. I knew better than to pass up an opportunity to experience some of antiquity, so I paid my 1,50 € and entered the stadium just under the high-flying Olympic flag.

Surrounded by the thousands of stands and tons of marble, I stood on the track of the stadium mesmerized at its size and quality, its subtle and symmetrical beauty, the simplicity and detail. It's hard for me to imagine how, in antiquity, people built something so massive using such heavy materials without any sort of machinery. But they did. And with a few renovations, the stadium is still standing in all of its ancient glory.

Not only can you walk around in the stadium, climb the stands and visit the museum, but you can run on the track, where Olympic athletes, ancient and modern, have competed. You can stand on the Olympic podium to receive your medal (Okay, not the real one. I'm guessing the real one is made of a better material than wood...but you get the picture). And you can bet your bottom dollar that I capitalized on this opportunity. 

Okay, so maybe I'm no sprinter...

But I wouldn't mind an Olympic gold in showjumping...

After having my major tourist moment, I climbed the hundreds of steep steps to the top of stand 21 for an amazing view of the acropolis. Athens is so incredible to me. The shocking yet somehow beautiful blend of ancient and modern is so unique and completely characteristic of Athens alone. There I stood, in the 2,500 year old Panathenaic stadium, looking out over modern day Athens, taxis, trains, pedestrians and modern buildings included, with a clear view of the ancient acropolis in the distance, the ancient Temple of Olympian Zeus just three traffic lights away. To my knowledge, there is not another city in the world with such a perfect blend of long history and contemporary life. 

After that amazing view, it was back down to ground level to check out the Olympic museum. This is where I passed through the long, dark tunnel created by Herodes that athletes walked through to go into the stadium, the sound of the crowd of 80,000 echoing off of the walls as their hearts started beating faster, the light at the end slowly growing bigger as they entered the massive stadium that could bring them glory or shame. At the end of the tunnel was an abrupt conversion from ancient stone to modern building as the museum met the end of the tunnel. Here, there were videos from past Olympic games, summer and winter, and further on was a room full of Olympic posters and their corresponding torches, all original. 

It may sound ridiculous to be so impressed with something as simple as a torch but to stand in a room surrounded by Olympic torches of the past (Moscow, Tokyo, London, Sydney, Beijing, Athens, Munich, Seoul) is pretty amazing. Not only do these torches represent their countries and the respective Olympic games that were held there, the athletes who triumphed, the state of the world at the time, they represent an international unification of countries all around the world, with different lives, beliefs and people, and they represent a history that goes back farther than you or I can imagine. 

The Panathenaic stadium was impressive to say the least. It's hard to believe that something so striking and ancient still exists in the hectic everyday of modern Athens, but it serves as a reminder of the past, of the long history that this city has, of the people who used to live where we do now. The stadium, along with a lot of other ancient Greek monuments, creates a legacy that has endured and will endure longer than just about anything else in the world.

The Dining Debacle

So, it's possible that I could just be set in my American ways and find the unimaginably different Greek dining as a sort of annoyance simply because it's not like home. And this is probably the case, despite the fact that I'd like to think that even the Greeks could agree with some of my complaints about Greek dining.

First of all, what is up with all these bottled drinks? Every drink you order, whether it's water or a soda or tea, comes in a bottle. Let me tell you the problems I have with this: 1) No free refills. It gets expensive for someone like me who typically downs 3-4 glasses of water or soda per meal. 2) I MISS FOUNTAIN SODA! This bottled crap gets old fast. I honestly don't think I've had real caffeinated soda since I left the States. 3) It is never as cold as an iced drink would be. In the heat of Greece, coldness that borders on freezing is an absolute necessity.

Now let's get down to business. Enough with the minor annoyances.

One of the biggest frustrations for my American self is the amount of time between when you order and when you actually get your food. I mean, I know that the Greeks carry a more relaxed mindset when it comes to time and that dining time is family time, but damn it, I'm hungry! I want my food! And I can name more than one occasion within the past two weeks where I've had to wait 30 minutes to an hour if not more for my food (or even for the check). Back home, this would probably result in customers walking out or a waiter/waitress getting little to no tip, but here it's not even a thing. It's normal, it's not something the locals even notice. It's their time to socialize, to catch up.




Now, let's talk about the check. I have never, in my life, had a restaurant bring the check with the food. For convenience purposes, it's nice but if you're hoping to order dessert or another drink, you have to get another check. The complicated part is when you dine with a group of people and you're all paying separately because Greeks, for reasons still unbeknownst to me, don't do separate checks. This really complicates things when you're in a group of students who carry nothing but 20 and 50 euro bills because that's all the bank gives out. So not only do you have to figure out how much each persons meal and multiple bottles of drinks cost, but you also have to find some way to pay for a 8 euro meal in exact change with a 20 euro bill. And when everyone else at the table is in the same position, you have no way to make change. Occasionally, there is exchanging of smaller bills for larger, or friends buying meals for friends with the promise of a free lunch the following day but always, there is overpaying. Someone overpays, someone underpays, someone doesn't pay at all and in the end, everyone is frustrated. To be honest, it seems like I'm one of the people that always ends up overpaying and after a while, that adds up. The check issue is probably the biggest annoyance of all, simply because it makes what is typically a simple task very complicated.

To be honest, most of these frustrations are nothing but adjustments to be made in order to live in and understand the Greek culture. And coming into this trip, I was prepared to have situations like this. Still, it's things like this that make me miss the comforts of home.

The Lakia Agora

Farmer's Market! That's what we get to experience every Monday right around the corner from our dorms. Tons of people lined up, selling fresh fruit and veggies, fish that were just swimming around a few hours before, even clothes. And all of it is so ridiculously cheap.

Since market hours are different here, I decided to capitalize on the opportunity to buy the freshest fruit available in Greece and took a nice morning stroll through the farmer's market. I ended up buying bushels of the best strawberries I've ever had, kiwi, bananas and, I regret to admit, peaches because I just really wanted to try them despite the fact that I'm allergic (let me just say that did not go well).

Brianna, paying for her fruit.

I don't even know how to describe how amazing this fruit was. As fresh as could be, not overrun with pesticides, tasty and juicy. After all was said and done, I only ended up spending 6,40 € (about $8) on everything. Fresh Greek fruit for cheap? Doesn't get much better than that! I can't wait until the Lakia Agora is back next Monday!

The Acropolis: Adventures and Misadventures

After an exhausting day in Delphi, we reluctantly got another early start on Sunday, to head into downtown Athens to see the Acropolis and the Plaka. Since we're in a quiet suburb of Athens, transit into downtown involved taking a bus to the metro station and then the metro into Monistiraki (the district which is home to the Acropolis, Agora and Plaka). Take a group of college students, most of whom have lived in Florida their entire lives, where transportation is achieved by car, or not at all, and you've got a clueless bunch, save for the few lucky souls who have traveled enough or even lived in a place where metros are a popular form of commute. After listening to Mr. Dr. Kaplan explain how the tickets worked, the 90 minute expiration time, the process of "cancelling" (which seems like a terrible name for activating a ticket), the different stops, transfers from bus to train and vice versa, I was a little confused. But once we were actually in transit, things started to make more since. We hopped on the B5 bus around 9:30 which took us to the metro station. From there we walked straight through the ticket booths and scrambled onto a train. This was not only my first time on a metro, but also my first time using public transportation of any sort save for a few taxis in New York City. Up to this point, my knowledge of metros consisted of what I've seen in movies. And since Greeks don't strike me as the type to jump up and start dancing and singing on a fast-moving train (which when you think about it must be really difficult) as Collins so exuberantly does in Rent, the images, I'll reluctantly admit, that were running through the back of my mind during the twenty minute train ride, were those from the final scenes of Final Destination 3. Okay, so, more than likely, the train I was on wasn't likely to speed up to unstoppable speeds, running out of control through the tunnels of Athens, just before it derailed, split into a thousand pieces and decapitated every passenger. But the shakiness of  our car, accompanied by the occasional dissonant scraping of metal on concrete certainly didn't help erase those images from my mind. Morbid thoughts aside, I actually sort of enjoyed the metro. It's quick, it's efficient and it got me from point A to point B without any difficulties. Not to mention, it was pretty cool to go underground in one neighborhood and come back above-ground right smack in the middle of downtown Athens.

From the central square of Monistiraki (which means "little monastery" for the little churches that can be found in the area), we could see the acropolis just peaking over the smaller buildings and shops that surrounded us. As we began our ascent, I immediately thought of the infinitely long and exhausting climbs we endured in Delphi just one day before and wasn't exactly thrilled to do it again. After fifteen minutes of steep hills and ginormous steps, we came to the Aeropagus (a giant rocky hill, named for Ares, that was used as a court of appeals in ancient times) which after a few more loathed stairs, offered an incredible view and an extremely rejuvenating breeze.

The view from the Aeropagus

While we waited for the Kaplans to purchase our tickets for access to the acropolis, I decided to get a refreshing drink. Let me just say that there is nothing like fresh-squeezed orange juice in Greece, on a hot day. So I ordered my orange juice from the drink stand next to the ticket booth and asked the vendor how much I owed him. There have been few times in my life when I've considered cussing someone out. But when this guy poured me a relatively small glass of terrible, watered down orange juice and told me I owed him 4,50 € (approximately the equivalent of $5.60), I momentarily wished I knew how to cuss in Greek. I guess I felt like since he poured it, I had to buy it, but the more I think about it, the more I wish I had shoved it back and told him to keep his jenk orange juice. I guess I got sucked into the tourist trap that is the acropolis.

While we're on that, let me just say that since I have been in Greece, I have never seen so many tourists at one place, as I did at the acropolis. And that was also the first time I'd run into any American tourists (aside from our group). To be honest, the amount of people on the acropolis was overwhelming. Still, I ignored that and enjoyed exploring the ancient acropolis. It was incredible to see the Parthenon, still standing, thousands of years later, after surviving explosions, imperialism and the everyday wear and tear of nature.

The Parthenon!

 

The Theater of Dionysus

The Pandroseion

We have seen so many ruins since we've been in Greece, but I honestly can't even begin to describe how breathtaking they are. I mean, I always thought it was cool that something so old was still in tact, but now that I'm seeing them in person and actually learning about them and the history that surrounds them, it's just incredible to see these things and to imagine what they were like when they were first built, to be able to walk on that ground. What's so intriguing is that these ancient ruins, which represent thousands of years of history and an Athens that we can't even imagine, are just blended in among the modern buildings and streets of Athens. You could get off the metro climb the stairs and find yourself surrounded by 5-6 story buildings, taxis going every direction and people walking around like crazy, but look off to one side or another and you're likely to see some sort of ancient ruin. It's surreal but it serves as a reminder that there is more history to this city than just about any other in the world.

After the acropolis, we made the descent back down the mountain, away from the cooling breeze, crazed tourists and overpriced orange juice, and stopped for lunch at a traditional Greek family-style restaurant. The Kaplans explained that it was their favorite restaurant in Athens and even offered to pay for lunch for the entire group (that's about 24 people, just so we're clear). Greek style dining involves everyone at the table sharing and eating off a bunch of different plates. So our table of six got to choose fourteen traditional Greek dishes to share including fried zucchini, dolmades, tzatziki and my personal favorite, mousaka. It was without a doubt the best meal I've had since arriving in Greece...and believe me, that's saying something. 

The one thing that went untouched? Greek salad. Go figure.

After our amazing lunch, Mrs. Dr. Kaplan gave us a tour of the plaka and then gave us some time for shopping at the flea market. I didn't really care for shopping at the time because I was too tired, so after I bought a much needed bag, I made a beeline for the shade. I spotted a periptero, which is like a little booth on the street that sells bottled drinks, snacks and magazines.

I went to buy a cold bottled water before I grabbed my slab of cool marble metro station steps. As I was getting out my wallet to pay for my water, a guy (let's call him Stan) came up to me shouting in Greek, holding a small bowl out as if he was begging for money. I immediately shook my head to make clear to him that 1) I didn't understand and 2) I wanted him to go away, and turned back to the cashier. He then switched to english saying that he had cancer and had nowhere to go. Since Stan wouldn't leave me alone, one of the periptero cashiers came out and stood between me and him, which quieted Stan but didn't ward him off. After I got my change, I turned to walk away and the cashier that was standing out there immediately stopped me and told me to put my wallet in my bag and close it before I left the stand. Meanwhile, creepy, stinky Stan was standing by. So, I listened to the courteous periptero worker and put my wallet away. The second my wallet was in my bag, Stan turned and walked away immediately. It was then that I realized that I'd just had a close encounter with a pickpocket and, if it weren't for the extremely nice periptero worker, I would have probably had my wallet stolen, and maybe even my entire bag. As freaky as that experience was, it was definitely a good wake-up call to have. It's a reminder that you can never be too careful. Still, I hope I don't get a reminder again.

Finally, after a long day at the acropolis, it was back on the metro and back to our quiet, suburban neighborhood to prepare for the first day of classes. Tourists, tourist traps and pickpockets aside, it was another incredible, if not exhausting, day in Attica. 

A birthday, ancient ruins, prophecies and a dead man...

Although I was exhausted from endless days with little sleep, I drug myself out of bed at 6 am (on my birthday) and got ready for another Greek adventure. Destination: Delphi and Arachova. When our group met down in the lobby of the dorm at 7 am, it seemed that everyone's excitement for Delphi was stifled by extreme over-exhaustion. I guess the fact that it was my birthday contributed to my obviously unshared energy. Once we got on the bus and were in transit to the ancient site of Delphi, I was out like a light, along with just about every other classmate, roommate, trip-mate and group leader.

Mr. Dr. Kaplan woke us all after about two hours on the road because we had come to a Greek rest stop where we could purchase pastries, breakfast, drinks, coffee, etc. Now, picture a rest stop in America, with the families piling out of their mini-vans, stopping for a potty break, the vending machines, the big bathrooms, the truck drivers going in and out. If you want to know what a Greek rest stop looks like, I suggest you completely erase any details of the rest stop you just imagined from your mind. The only words I can think of to describe it are disorderly, stinky, raucous, chaos. No, seriously. After I left the restrooms (which house toilets that apparently didn't come with toilet seats), I went to buy a pastry and a drink. They had rows and rows of sweet pastries, a separate coffee bar and a mini-market. I had trouble figuring out where I was supposed to pay for my food, but I figured that the mass mob of people standing around the counter with their wallets out was a good bet. I took a deep breath to brace myself for the wave of B.O. I was about to get slammed with (Greeks are supposedly super clean, but their smell would suggest otherwise) and sacrificed myself to the crazed, hungry, Greek mob. Apparently, lines aren't much of a thing in Greece. So don't try to stand in one, you'll never get there. I quickly learned that the best way to the front counter was through forceful (but still somehow polite) shoving. I finally made my way to the front and after a little bit of close listening to the cashier (it's hard to hear over a mob of Greek shouting) paid for my food and to put it frankly, got the hell out of that store like it was burning to the ground. That was an experience, albeit one I wouldn't like to relive, that really struck me as something I'm going to remember. And although it was extremely frustrating and overwhelming in the moment, it was actually kind of cool in a way, to do as the Greeks do. It highlighted the aspects of their culture that we, as Americans, find so confusing. The lack of order, the shouting, the mobs instead of lines. All of it ties back to the culture they were born into.

The Temple of Apollo and the beautiful view.

So, after that somewhat uncomfortable experience, we climbed back on the bus to begin the climb on the snaking mountain roads that lead to Delphi. Delphi was incredible to say the least. In ancient times it was the place where Greeks would travel in what was a sort of religious pilgrimage to visit the Temple of Apollo where they could speak to the Oracle, a prophetic virgin, and seek advice. The Oracle, under the intoxication of fumes that rose from the decomposing body of Python slain by Apollo, would "rave" in an unrecognizable form of speak, that was translated by the priest into hexameter and relayed to the inquirer. Naturally, these "prophecies" were always vague, so as to prevent any sort of blame for misunderstandings or bad advice. The history of Delphi is interesting in and of itself, but exploring the ruins really completed the picture.

 

 

After exploring the Delphic ruins and visiting the museum, we hopped back on the bus and stopped in the beautiful mountainside ski-town of Arachova, where we had a delicious lunch and browsed in the shops over furs, woven carpets, sculptures and authentic Greek houseware. We didn't get to spend a ton of time there, but I was thoroughly impressed at the quaint, uniform beauty that was Arachova. Not to mention, I had an incredible lunch; coq au vin with rice (That's fancy for rooster in tomato sauce)!

The main road that runs through Arachova.

 

After Arachova, we made our last stop at the Osios Loukas monastery before heading back to Athens. I'll admit, at this point I was kind of tired of seeing churches, and both exhaustion and an eagerness to get back to the dorm, made me want to skip the monastery. But I have to say, this was absolutely without a doubt one of the most beautiful monasteries I have ever seen. And it was definitely an experience.

When I got off of the bus, I immediately made a beeline for the restroom. Little did I know that a "toilet" was a foreign concept here. A hole in the ground is much preferred. Still, I haven't figured out why.

And yes, I really did mean a hole in the ground. 

I'd rather not go into the details of how you're supposed to go about your business when you use this, but I will tell you that I was perplexed and spent a good three minutes contemplating the science of it. Finally, I figured it out and left with a whole new appreciation for the porcelain bowl and seat that I'm accustomed to. 

Then, it was on the beautiful Byzantine monastery, Osios Loukas. These Byzantines didn't play around; as a sign of respect for the monastery, every visitor is asked to follow the traditional custom of covering their shoulders and knees, so most of us girls had to wear their handmade skirts, to get access to the monastery. 

The monastery was breathtaking, with ornate mosaics depicting scenes from the Bible covering the walls, the beautiful altars for preaching, the architecture both inside and out.

       

As I was browsing through the monastery, I came upon a glass case with a priest's robes laying inside. I figured this was just an example of the clothing worn by priests during Byzantine times, maybe an example of how they were buried. But as I looked closer I realized that this glass case was actually a coffin, and the robes were filled with a dead body. You can imagine my horror, at least at first. Then I realized that it was sort of cool to be able to see a dead body...I apologize for being bluntly morbid (but come on, seriously). Then I thought about the fact that I was standing in front of and looking at what once was a real person and what now is that person's dead body and I was a little shocked at the fact that his slowly decaying corpse was on display for all to see. There was no name listed, but after doing some research, I've learned that this person is supposedly St. Luke who died in 953 AD which means that he's been chilling in there for over 1,000 years.

Yeah, he's legit. And yes, that brown thing, sticking out of his robes, is his hand. 

Mrs. Dr. Kaplan explained that, because his hand is not completely white, he is still decaying, which means that he still has flesh on his bones. And since this guy died in 953 AD, these Byzantines had a hell of a preservation system, second only to the Egyptians and their mummies. Now, I'm not sure if there's some sort of eternal damnation for taking pictures of a dead saint, but there weren't any signs that said I couldn't, so here's hoping I don't go straight to hell for this.

Before I left the monastery I decided to take part in the prayer ritual, which involves donating a little bit of change, lighting a prayer candle, and then placing your candle in a tray with all of the others after saying a prayer. It's a different sort of prayer than I'm used to but it was cool to take part.

After our visit to Osios Loukas, we got back on the bus once again and began winding our way down the mountain, towards Athens. Despite the fact that I was exhausted, I didn't get any sleep on the two hour ride back and, to celebrate my birthday, chose to go out once again for dinner and ice cream with the brave trip-mates who were awesome enough to join me. 

Although it was exhausting, I have to say it was a great birthday, and to spend it in Greece...that's something I'll never forget.