The snow finally melted (thank God)! As beautiful as it was, the followed two days left Athens covered in ice, resulting in my slipping and falling in front of an ambulance. Can anyone say awkward!
During the week I had class, followed by dinner parties at different apartments. I'm not sure if you could tell from the picture, but our apartment is too small to allow us to host any dinner parties. Nevertheless, our apartment is home the Mellisouzer (Mel-i-sou-zer), or a little burger made with Margarita buns (Margarita means sunflower in Greek and the rolls come joined together in this shape).
Many of my classmates went to Thessaloniki this weekend but I decided to stay behind and do a little of independent exploring. On Friday we took the metro to Piraeus, the sea port. I had never been to a legitimate sea port before, so I assumed it would be like a glorified version of Dana Point (where the Queen Mary is). My assumption was definitely incorrect. I got of the metro expecting to find quaint cafes and boutiques, but I was meet with crowds of bustling people, car horns, the smell of oily water, and construction. We did a little walking around and found calm inside a relatively new and extra-large church.
After our break we headed back to the metro station and found a masses of people, fire trucks, and ambulances in the middle of the street. When we cut through the crowd we found a train that had broken through a wall, suspended in midair. We started freaking out. You couldn't see any bodies on the train but we all assumed the worst. After a while we realized that the train was in a holding area and that the operator who was changing the train must have lost control of the train and rammed it through the wall. In a later newspaper we learned that a man walking on the sidewalk near the wall was killed and four maintenance people were injured. Click here for the media's take.
Still in shock and surprised that the Metro was still open, we headed back home and I took a nap.
Later in the night I made pizza completely from scratch! It was so much fun. I made my own dough, sauce, and ran to the grocery store to get fresh cheese. My first pie turned out kind of sloppy because I had a hard time tossing the dough. It ended up in a doughy mess on the pizza pan :(. The second one was a lot better except that I put too much flour down (to prevent it from sticking), so there was a coat of flour on the bottom. Hopefully next time will be better.
Even later in the night we went to Pisiri, an area of the city known for its restaurants, clubs, and bars. I had heard about this place call the Beer Academy so we wondered for a while until we finally found it. The place reminded me of back home (Yardhouse and Heros, for those of you who know) except there were all of these beers that I could barely pronounce. We had a few, grabbed a gyro, and went to sleep content.
The following morning I wondered around the city in search of the meat market and a place that sold razors. After 3-4 hours, I found the meat market. It was quite a spectacle, there were pigs heads, halves of animals, and fully plucked chickens hanging everywhere. It was intense but I couldn't help but to want to make dinner out of all of that fresh meat! After I walked the market, I began my quest home and came across this store, NotosHome. The store really reminded me of home - it was kind of like a Bed, Bath, and Beyond, with a kitchen and furniture section. There I found my razor (it took about 30 minutes for the staff to find someone that spoke English), and some kitchen supplies. The store had 6 floors and at the top there was a cafe that overlooked the city. It reminded me of the Cheesecake Factory inside the Macys in San Francisco and had I not been broke, I would have stopped and had a cappuccino. I will definitely be making another trip over there.
I headed from the store with my goodies. (There was an extra spring in my step because I was excited about shaving my overgrown beard - people were starting to stare. A man in the grocery store a couple of days ago asked where I was from and when I said California, he said, "Oh, that explains the beard." Haha!
I finally arrived home and like the day before, I took a nap. I awoke, made dinner and then headed downstairs to hang out with some friends. I wont go into the details, but the conversations that we had that night about people, life, love, and religion will never be forgotten. It was great to finally get past the small talk and know someone from their core. Good times.
Today I just slacked off and browsed the web. Another week in Athens is in the back. More to follow.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
SNOW Day!
Today is my first snow day! Yay! Classes were canceled because most professor either A) couldn't get to the center due to the snow or B) called in "sick". I am definitely not complaining, the snow gives me more time to work on internship applications. Woot woot!
Check out the below email from the program director, it gives you an idea of how big a deal snow is here.
"Paidia,
Athenians are all in a state because the weather forcast for this weekend and early next week looks catastrophic. For those of us who grew up in places where winter is winter, this forecast might look pretty normal: snow, ice, cold temperatures and a colder wind chill factor.
Be warned, the entire municipality of Athens has fewer than 6 snow plows (if that many), so if it does snow, there will be total and complete chaos until the snow melts. And, the melting may take a few days as the temps are meant to hover around freezing for a few days.
Take care. Dress warmly.
Jan"
It's pretty chaotic out there; there is about an inch of ice coating the roads and streets. I just saw a man trying to get the snow off his driveway with a broom. Haha. I can't blame him, i'd probably be trying to do the same thing.
To top it all off all of our pipes are frozen; since our apartment is heated by water heaters, it is freezing cold in here. Water will not come out of any facet, so my taking a nice hot shower is out of the question :(.
More updates to follow.
Check out the below email from the program director, it gives you an idea of how big a deal snow is here.
"Paidia,
Athenians are all in a state because the weather forcast for this weekend and early next week looks catastrophic. For those of us who grew up in places where winter is winter, this forecast might look pretty normal: snow, ice, cold temperatures and a colder wind chill factor.
Be warned, the entire municipality of Athens has fewer than 6 snow plows (if that many), so if it does snow, there will be total and complete chaos until the snow melts. And, the melting may take a few days as the temps are meant to hover around freezing for a few days.
Take care. Dress warmly.
Jan"
It's pretty chaotic out there; there is about an inch of ice coating the roads and streets. I just saw a man trying to get the snow off his driveway with a broom. Haha. I can't blame him, i'd probably be trying to do the same thing.
To top it all off all of our pipes are frozen; since our apartment is heated by water heaters, it is freezing cold in here. Water will not come out of any facet, so my taking a nice hot shower is out of the question :(.
More updates to follow.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
SNOW! Part 2
Here are the photos as promised. The picture of the man and his daughter is absolutely adorable! The Greeks making the snowman were the owners of the local market; they were more than happy to have their picture taken!
A little introspection
I just thought I'd share some of the mental changes I've been going through while here.
Starting out on the trip I tried to completely integrate myself entirely into Athenian culture and lifestyle. This seemed perfectly logical to me but I feel that I may have gotten a little carried away. During my initial days here I honestly considered staying here for the rest of my life. As funny as it sounds now, I seriously considered it.
As time goes on the more I realize how much I love the U.S. and all of the opportunities and benefits I have as an American. I have definitely taken a lot of things for granted. Not to say that Athens is not a wonderful place or that I am not trying to fit in or learn about the culture but I feel that earlier on I may have gone through a slight identity struggle where I completely wanted to remove myself from everything American and become completely Greek. It sounds really weird writing this out, but I honestly think it was the case; maybe it was because it was my first time legitimately outside of the country or maybe it was for other reasons. Who knows.
I there are so many things I love here in Athens: people who will drop everything to talk with you and share stories about their lives, the street markets full of Greek chatter, smiles, and fresh produce, the cafes where you are looked at strangely if you leave before less than an hour or two have passed, and not to forget, the artifacts. On the other hand I truly love the U.S. and look forward to the days when I can come home and personally share all of my stories with everyone. Athens has definitely caused me to look at who I am as a person and I'm loving every minute I spend here.
Forgive my ramble.
Starting out on the trip I tried to completely integrate myself entirely into Athenian culture and lifestyle. This seemed perfectly logical to me but I feel that I may have gotten a little carried away. During my initial days here I honestly considered staying here for the rest of my life. As funny as it sounds now, I seriously considered it.
As time goes on the more I realize how much I love the U.S. and all of the opportunities and benefits I have as an American. I have definitely taken a lot of things for granted. Not to say that Athens is not a wonderful place or that I am not trying to fit in or learn about the culture but I feel that earlier on I may have gone through a slight identity struggle where I completely wanted to remove myself from everything American and become completely Greek. It sounds really weird writing this out, but I honestly think it was the case; maybe it was because it was my first time legitimately outside of the country or maybe it was for other reasons. Who knows.
I there are so many things I love here in Athens: people who will drop everything to talk with you and share stories about their lives, the street markets full of Greek chatter, smiles, and fresh produce, the cafes where you are looked at strangely if you leave before less than an hour or two have passed, and not to forget, the artifacts. On the other hand I truly love the U.S. and look forward to the days when I can come home and personally share all of my stories with everyone. Athens has definitely caused me to look at who I am as a person and I'm loving every minute I spend here.
Forgive my ramble.
SNOW!
The weather in Athens has been extremely bipolar (literally) this week. We have had days when the sun would be shining and days when the rain and wind would cut through the thickest North Face jacket (read: mine :/). All that aside, forecasts predicted snow today and believe it or not it is snowing.
Naturally I was really excited about this because I have never been in the snow and had it snowing at the same time. While out last night the snow began falling and it was simply magical! Snow is the most beautiful/wonderful thing ever. Everyone in our group had this huge snowball fight and despite the fact that I hit an unsuspecting girl in the face with one of my tightly packed balls, it was a really great experience. Trying to get a grip on the whole "snow" thing I have been asking my friends from Colorado all of these dumb snow questions and they look at me like I'm crazy until I tell them that I've never seen real snow.
To top it all of snow in Athens is the California equivalent to snow in LA, so the Athenians are just as enamored by snow as I am! I've witnessed a fair share of accidents and cars struggling to get up hills in addition to the many children and adults in the streets having snowball fights. Enjoy the pictures. I'm going to take more and upload them later!
Naturally I was really excited about this because I have never been in the snow and had it snowing at the same time. While out last night the snow began falling and it was simply magical! Snow is the most beautiful/wonderful thing ever. Everyone in our group had this huge snowball fight and despite the fact that I hit an unsuspecting girl in the face with one of my tightly packed balls, it was a really great experience. Trying to get a grip on the whole "snow" thing I have been asking my friends from Colorado all of these dumb snow questions and they look at me like I'm crazy until I tell them that I've never seen real snow.
To top it all of snow in Athens is the California equivalent to snow in LA, so the Athenians are just as enamored by snow as I am! I've witnessed a fair share of accidents and cars struggling to get up hills in addition to the many children and adults in the streets having snowball fights. Enjoy the pictures. I'm going to take more and upload them later!
Acropolis
This past Thursday I finally went to the Acropolis! It's strange to think that I've been in Athens for 3 weeks and I have just now visiting the most famous site in Athens. Surprisingly I can walk to nearly anywhere in Athens in about 20 to 45 minutes, no matter how far away it looks. The Acropolis was no different, it only took me about 30 minutes to walk there from my apartment. Sweet!
The Acropolis, especially the Parthenon have a presence throughout the whole city because these sites are visible nearly everywhere you go. Visiting the Acropolis was breathtaking; aside from the ominous temples, the view from the top of the hill was insane. You can see from my pictures a large theater. You would think that the Athenians would be the ones to build it, but I have found that most of the large structures in Athens (aside from a few key temples, i.e. Parthenon) were built by the Romans during their time of power.
From the top of the Acropolis, you could see for miles and miles. I thought that the word Acropolis meant the area that contained the Parthenon (and other temples) but it actually means upper city. Apparently there are many Acropoli (plural?) throughout Greece but obviously the hill that serves as the base of the Parthenon is the most famous. Enjoy all of the pictures!
The Acropolis, especially the Parthenon have a presence throughout the whole city because these sites are visible nearly everywhere you go. Visiting the Acropolis was breathtaking; aside from the ominous temples, the view from the top of the hill was insane. You can see from my pictures a large theater. You would think that the Athenians would be the ones to build it, but I have found that most of the large structures in Athens (aside from a few key temples, i.e. Parthenon) were built by the Romans during their time of power.
From the top of the Acropolis, you could see for miles and miles. I thought that the word Acropolis meant the area that contained the Parthenon (and other temples) but it actually means upper city. Apparently there are many Acropoli (plural?) throughout Greece but obviously the hill that serves as the base of the Parthenon is the most famous. Enjoy all of the pictures!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Freezing!
It's been so cold here the past couple of days. Yesterday my Athens on Site (field trip) class was let out early because it was too cold/rainy/windy to pay attention and take notes. It's actually supposed to be 0 degrees (Celsius) during the weekend! Yikes!
I have my first Greek language test tomorrow. Wish me luck!
I'm about to go get some shampoo and talk to the baker at a bakery I frequent to see if they will let me volunteer there for two hours a week. Hopefully they'll agree!
I have my first Greek language test tomorrow. Wish me luck!
I'm about to go get some shampoo and talk to the baker at a bakery I frequent to see if they will let me volunteer there for two hours a week. Hopefully they'll agree!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Delphi: Day 2
The second day we woke up early (10:00 am) for brunch (the typical yogurt, hard boiled eggs, cereal, tang) and headed out for the site of the the Temple of Athena one of the original Olympic stadiums, and an old gymnasium. Just below all of these sites, a new museum featuring artifacts removed from the sites was present. Some of my favorite were artifacts from the treasury. Sorry for the short post I'm about to go make dinner.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Delphi: Day 1
Hello all!
I just returned from Delphi on Sunday to my "home" in Pagrati, Athens. It's wierd that I can actually say that now because for some time it seemed like a place that was nothing but foreign to me. Anyways, on with the details from my trip.
Although it was not directly funded by Arcadia University, the Delphi trip was planned and subsidized by Universtiy staff. Boarded our charter bus at 10:00 am Friday morning and rode for about 3 hours before the bus doors opened and we were met with hudge gusts of cold wind. Delphi is a town that is located slightly below a ski town in the Pelopeneese Mountains, meaning that the cold I was used to in Athens seemed far insignificant to the mountain cold experienced.
We all got of of the bus, paired into groups of 3 and 4, and checked into our rooms at the Hotel Acropoli. The rooms were nice and suprizingly green - in order to get the lights and heater to turn on you had to enter you room key into a slot just below the light switch.
Four of my buddies and I (now labeled in the group as "the bros") drop our bags down and head into the little town to look for a light snack. (Planning ahead, I packed a sandwhich for the bus ride, while most of my friends didn't.) As you could assume, most were really hungry. We sat at this little cafe that overlooked the valley, ate, conversed, and then went looking anything of significance.
Assuming that the artifacts were further up the hills, we kept climbing step after step until finally we reached a zig-zagging grass/gravel path that led up a massive hill. Because we noticed that there were old looking stone walls, we kept climbing under the assumption that there must be more old things to look at once we reached the top of the hill. Battling wind and icey rain, we finally reached the top and found that instead of ancient ruins, there were breath taking views of the valley and the town below.
We cllimbed back down the mountain and went to take a pre-dinner nap. On the way down we ran into an adorable greek man who politely asked us to dine at his taverna for dinner and we told him that we would be back later.
After fininishing our naps, we headed back to the man's restaurant and were served more food than we could finish. At the restaurant we met the owner of one of the two clubs in town and we were told to stop by later.
"Down Town Club," was definitely an experience. Filled with teenagers, the people on our trip stuck together and spent the night dancing and tring not to feel creeped out by the youngins.
I just returned from Delphi on Sunday to my "home" in Pagrati, Athens. It's wierd that I can actually say that now because for some time it seemed like a place that was nothing but foreign to me. Anyways, on with the details from my trip.
Although it was not directly funded by Arcadia University, the Delphi trip was planned and subsidized by Universtiy staff. Boarded our charter bus at 10:00 am Friday morning and rode for about 3 hours before the bus doors opened and we were met with hudge gusts of cold wind. Delphi is a town that is located slightly below a ski town in the Pelopeneese Mountains, meaning that the cold I was used to in Athens seemed far insignificant to the mountain cold experienced.
We all got of of the bus, paired into groups of 3 and 4, and checked into our rooms at the Hotel Acropoli. The rooms were nice and suprizingly green - in order to get the lights and heater to turn on you had to enter you room key into a slot just below the light switch.
Four of my buddies and I (now labeled in the group as "the bros") drop our bags down and head into the little town to look for a light snack. (Planning ahead, I packed a sandwhich for the bus ride, while most of my friends didn't.) As you could assume, most were really hungry. We sat at this little cafe that overlooked the valley, ate, conversed, and then went looking anything of significance.
Assuming that the artifacts were further up the hills, we kept climbing step after step until finally we reached a zig-zagging grass/gravel path that led up a massive hill. Because we noticed that there were old looking stone walls, we kept climbing under the assumption that there must be more old things to look at once we reached the top of the hill. Battling wind and icey rain, we finally reached the top and found that instead of ancient ruins, there were breath taking views of the valley and the town below.
We cllimbed back down the mountain and went to take a pre-dinner nap. On the way down we ran into an adorable greek man who politely asked us to dine at his taverna for dinner and we told him that we would be back later.
After fininishing our naps, we headed back to the man's restaurant and were served more food than we could finish. At the restaurant we met the owner of one of the two clubs in town and we were told to stop by later.
"Down Town Club," was definitely an experience. Filled with teenagers, the people on our trip stuck together and spent the night dancing and tring not to feel creeped out by the youngins.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Nafplio
After exploring the farmers market (see below post) I grabbed made lunch (bread from the bakery, graveria cheese, and smoked turkey from the deli, and pesto) and headed to the bus.
After an hour on the bus, we stopped over the channel for a quick snack/shopping break and then we continued for another 2 hours until we arrived at the quaint little town of Nafplio. We all unloaded our things, were grouped into threes and sent into our rooms. Nafplio is a town that is known for two castles - a huge one atop an even larger mountain and a smaller one that is on an island about 300-400 yards from the shore. We explored the area and were told to be back to the hotel by 7:15 pm for dinner.
Still getting used to the shift in eating times, I we left the hotel at 7:20 with the group, group leaders, and a man that appeared to be the manager of the restaurant we would soon be frequenting. We arrived at to an empty, modern looking restaurant which had obviously been cleared out for our group. Starting with wine, bread, water 5-7 plates filled with traditional greek appetizers were passed around. We all assumed that a main entre was coming, but it never arrived (we later found that appitizers were purchased so we could experience a variety of different tastes). Nonetheless, we finished our wine and headed out to a couple of the local bars. The night ended with everyone in our group dancing in the middle of a bar, surrounded by a group of gawking greeks and one of our instructors - Petros (who was also dancing).
The second day, we began our quest to climb the 999 steps leading to the top of the huge mountain which housed the second castle. The climb was really scenic, so it wasn't too bad. Once at the top I separated from the group and strolled. Everything was so beautiful and I had a lot on my mind, so I ended up just sitting for a good 30 minutes, just looking out on the city and surrounding miles.
While on the top of the mountain my friends and I saw an area where groups of tourists were swimming. Being hot and sweaty from the climb, we decided to join the other tourists after getting our swimsuits. We walked for a good mile or two and arrived at this amazing little beach. There were only a few people swimming but we decided to wade in. We quickly realized why the water was so empty - IT WAS FREEZING! After throughly numbing our legs we sat on the shore and spoke about how life changing this experience was and how it was important to make the most of every situation. Earlier (before we had gone in the water) I suggested swimming to the buies that were 70 yards from the shore. We both agreed to swim to the buies before we headed back to the hotel and set off.
We started swimming at a pretty quick pace, but at about 40 yards, my buddy muttered that he was turning back. I could tell something wasn't right by the look in his eyes. On the way back he breathlessly told me that he was having a hard time swimming because he was starting to loose feeling in his legs. As we approached the shore he began swimming slower and slower; I tried tugging on his swimsuit but it was obvious that I wasn't providing much help. He ended up making it to the shore okay, but we both realized that he could have died. We definitely had a life changing experience that we'll both never forget.
After a long and somewhat quiet walk back from the shore to the hotel, we showered and met the group leaders in the middle of town for a scavenger hunt. The group leaders told us to do and greeks so we group off again and went through the town asking random greeks for answers to questions about Nafplio. Realizing that most greeks would not being doing a silly scavenger hunt, our group grabbed some coffee from the cafe and talked for about 2 hours until the end of the hunt.
Later that night we grabbed dinner at this taverna that featured live music. Some of the girls I was with fell in love with the two 20-somethings playing the mandolins. I'm not gonna lie, they caused me to swoon. The experiences was amazing! Everyone in tehe restaurant knew the words to the song and an older greek women sitting at the table beside us got up and began doing a traditional greek dance! It was really cool but I soon left and went to a couple of bars before we ended up at club known as "The Level." This club was really cool - it featured traditional and modern music. I was impressed by the few greeks that knew the dance moves to Young Joc's, "It's going down." It was hilarious! Some of the greeks even knew some of the hooks from popular songs so I joined in and our groups began to merge. It was a good time.
School began today and I only had one class - Greece and the E.U. So far they're recapping the world history with an E.U. perspective, but it's still interesting though. More classes to follow and a trip to Delphi this weekend. I'll keep you posted.
After an hour on the bus, we stopped over the channel for a quick snack/shopping break and then we continued for another 2 hours until we arrived at the quaint little town of Nafplio. We all unloaded our things, were grouped into threes and sent into our rooms. Nafplio is a town that is known for two castles - a huge one atop an even larger mountain and a smaller one that is on an island about 300-400 yards from the shore. We explored the area and were told to be back to the hotel by 7:15 pm for dinner.
Still getting used to the shift in eating times, I we left the hotel at 7:20 with the group, group leaders, and a man that appeared to be the manager of the restaurant we would soon be frequenting. We arrived at to an empty, modern looking restaurant which had obviously been cleared out for our group. Starting with wine, bread, water 5-7 plates filled with traditional greek appetizers were passed around. We all assumed that a main entre was coming, but it never arrived (we later found that appitizers were purchased so we could experience a variety of different tastes). Nonetheless, we finished our wine and headed out to a couple of the local bars. The night ended with everyone in our group dancing in the middle of a bar, surrounded by a group of gawking greeks and one of our instructors - Petros (who was also dancing).The second day, we began our quest to climb the 999 steps leading to the top of the huge mountain which housed the second castle. The climb was really scenic, so it wasn't too bad. Once at the top I separated from the group and strolled. Everything was so beautiful and I had a lot on my mind, so I ended up just sitting for a good 30 minutes, just looking out on the city and surrounding miles.
While on the top of the mountain my friends and I saw an area where groups of tourists were swimming. Being hot and sweaty from the climb, we decided to join the other tourists after getting our swimsuits. We walked for a good mile or two and arrived at this amazing little beach. There were only a few people swimming but we decided to wade in. We quickly realized why the water was so empty - IT WAS FREEZING! After throughly numbing our legs we sat on the shore and spoke about how life changing this experience was and how it was important to make the most of every situation. Earlier (before we had gone in the water) I suggested swimming to the buies that were 70 yards from the shore. We both agreed to swim to the buies before we headed back to the hotel and set off.
We started swimming at a pretty quick pace, but at about 40 yards, my buddy muttered that he was turning back. I could tell something wasn't right by the look in his eyes. On the way back he breathlessly told me that he was having a hard time swimming because he was starting to loose feeling in his legs. As we approached the shore he began swimming slower and slower; I tried tugging on his swimsuit but it was obvious that I wasn't providing much help. He ended up making it to the shore okay, but we both realized that he could have died. We definitely had a life changing experience that we'll both never forget.
After a long and somewhat quiet walk back from the shore to the hotel, we showered and met the group leaders in the middle of town for a scavenger hunt. The group leaders told us to do and greeks so we group off again and went through the town asking random greeks for answers to questions about Nafplio. Realizing that most greeks would not being doing a silly scavenger hunt, our group grabbed some coffee from the cafe and talked for about 2 hours until the end of the hunt.
Later that night we grabbed dinner at this taverna that featured live music. Some of the girls I was with fell in love with the two 20-somethings playing the mandolins. I'm not gonna lie, they caused me to swoon. The experiences was amazing! Everyone in tehe restaurant knew the words to the song and an older greek women sitting at the table beside us got up and began doing a traditional greek dance! It was really cool but I soon left and went to a couple of bars before we ended up at club known as "The Level." This club was really cool - it featured traditional and modern music. I was impressed by the few greeks that knew the dance moves to Young Joc's, "It's going down." It was hilarious! Some of the greeks even knew some of the hooks from popular songs so I joined in and our groups began to merge. It was a good time.School began today and I only had one class - Greece and the E.U. So far they're recapping the world history with an E.U. perspective, but it's still interesting though. More classes to follow and a trip to Delphi this weekend. I'll keep you posted.
Pre-Nauplion
Prior to leaving for our group weekend trip to Nauplion, I woke up to the sound of bells (it has to be from the church). I got up and went exploring once again and came across a street lined with different types of venders. It turns out that every Friday and Tuesday a street market is held. Anything that came from the ground, sea, and factory could be found there and everything was extremely fresh and looking delicious.
Realizing that the best deals would most likely be found at the market, my suitmate and I searched for toilet paper, paper towels, and garbage bags. Although these items were initially supplied by our program, the supply quickly ran out. (On a side note: because the plumbing is so bad in the city, no toilet paper is flushed.)
Scouting the market and picking up the supplies, we ran into a vender who recognized the William and Mary sweatshirt worn by my suitmate. This orange vender apparently lived in Washington for many years and cooked at an award winning Greek restaurant. He told us to google-search for the name of the restaurant and said we would find a newspaper article praising his cooking skills. We told the man we were traveling to Nauplion and he told use of a taverna where his "wife" played piano. He told us to tell his "wife" that he said hello; when we asked his name he told us in broken english that he would rather not say. We parted ways and headed back to our apartment, happy at how stereotypically friendly this Greek man was and glad we were able to find a bargain.
Yesterday there was a procession for the Head of the Greek Orthodox church. It was quite a moving ceremony. After walking past the Olympic Stadium (used in the 1989 Games)
we arrived on the main street where the procession was occurring. Near the front of the procession a band was playing. The song played set the tone for the 2-3 battalions of solders that followed; the atmosphere was somber but not depressing. After the soldiers passed, 3 more large groups of orthodox priests passed. You would think that they would be the ones that would show the most respect, but surprisingly they were the ones that seemed to be the most distracted today - during the parade we saw one priest answer his cell phone and later we saw many priests at restaurants having a good time. Following the priests, came the coffin containing the fallen minister. It was located on a trailer that was pulled by a military truck that held 15 or so seated soldiers. While passing the crowd began clapping; it was a really moving experience.
Realizing that the best deals would most likely be found at the market, my suitmate and I searched for toilet paper, paper towels, and garbage bags. Although these items were initially supplied by our program, the supply quickly ran out. (On a side note: because the plumbing is so bad in the city, no toilet paper is flushed.)
Scouting the market and picking up the supplies, we ran into a vender who recognized the William and Mary sweatshirt worn by my suitmate. This orange vender apparently lived in Washington for many years and cooked at an award winning Greek restaurant. He told us to google-search for the name of the restaurant and said we would find a newspaper article praising his cooking skills. We told the man we were traveling to Nauplion and he told use of a taverna where his "wife" played piano. He told us to tell his "wife" that he said hello; when we asked his name he told us in broken english that he would rather not say. We parted ways and headed back to our apartment, happy at how stereotypically friendly this Greek man was and glad we were able to find a bargain.
Yesterday there was a procession for the Head of the Greek Orthodox church. It was quite a moving ceremony. After walking past the Olympic Stadium (used in the 1989 Games)
we arrived on the main street where the procession was occurring. Near the front of the procession a band was playing. The song played set the tone for the 2-3 battalions of solders that followed; the atmosphere was somber but not depressing. After the soldiers passed, 3 more large groups of orthodox priests passed. You would think that they would be the ones that would show the most respect, but surprisingly they were the ones that seemed to be the most distracted today - during the parade we saw one priest answer his cell phone and later we saw many priests at restaurants having a good time. Following the priests, came the coffin containing the fallen minister. It was located on a trailer that was pulled by a military truck that held 15 or so seated soldiers. While passing the crowd began clapping; it was a really moving experience.
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