I had my second experience at the bakery tonight! It was amazing. The owner is so friendly and open to answer any questions that I may have. I have a lot of new recipes to share, especially one for spinicopita!
Now it's study time.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Olympics 2008: Torch Passing Ceremony
The flame made it's way from Olympus to arrive in Athens on Sunday, March 29 at 3:00 pm. The ceremony was awesome!
We 2008 Olympic Website stated that the ceremony began at noon but after arriving at 11:30, a friend told me that the ceremony wouldn't begin until 3:00 pm! I decided to wait it out and it was definitely worth it. I landed front row seats and ended up meeting a bunch of people from my program who were more than happy to join me.
Details on the ceremony to follow.
We 2008 Olympic Website stated that the ceremony began at noon but after arriving at 11:30, a friend told me that the ceremony wouldn't begin until 3:00 pm! I decided to wait it out and it was definitely worth it. I landed front row seats and ended up meeting a bunch of people from my program who were more than happy to join me.
Details on the ceremony to follow.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Bakery Love!!
I went to the bakery the yesterday to find out when the best time to volunteer would be. After being told that I could come in on Monday, the store owner's parents gave me a grocery bag full of croissants (there were small ones filled with either chocolate, ham, sausage, or nothing, and large ones that were either plain or chocolate filled) and bread. AMAZING!
March 21 - March 26: Santorini
Hello all!
This past weekend was simply amazing. Although my time in Athens has been enjoyable, the time I spent in Santorini was one of the best times I have had in Greece thus far.
Before I begin telling you about the trip, let me explain how I was able to miss so much class. Normally everyone in the program has no class on Friday. Fortunately for us, we also had March 25 off. The national Greek holiday celebrates two things, Greek indepdence from the Ottomans and annunciation (when Christ's birth was announced to Mary. Enough of the history lesson and onto my trip.
We left from Athens at 5:00 am and took the subway for about 45 minutes to Piraeus, the city's major seaport. We quickly boarded and were ushered up to the top deck. Seating inside the ferry was divided by price class, with the most expensive 'seats' being rooms with beds, the second-most expensive seats being reserved Brookstone-esque seats, and the least expensive seats being any seat that could be found on the roof of the ship or in the lounge of the fast food restaurant. Since we were poor college students we bought the cheapest tickets we could afford and fought for bench seats on the roof.
After two hours of rough seas and failed attempts at sleep, we realized that being exposed to the elements was uncomfortable. We all fought for seats inside and easily took unoccupied seats after the ferry's first island stop (there would be 5 more stops).
The 8 hour ride concluded and we arrived in Santorini at around 3:00 pm. We were picked by a friendly hostel worker and were taken away to Villa Manos, our lovely hostel. We checked in and began exploring our surroundings. The nearest city was a 45 minute walk away and on our way, we found a grocery store that allowed us to stock up on breakfast and lunch materials. Also in town, we found many quaint restaurants and used our free time to compare prices between them.
We headed back to our rooms and took naps. Later we called taxis had dinner at the Rooftop Gardens taverna. My friend and I shared orders of Musakka (a lasagna-like dished that is comprised of eggplant, noodles, and a hint of cinnamon) and salmon pasta. (Surprisingly, Greece has really great pasta. I guess Italian culture must have rubbed off on them.) Later we stopped by this pseudo Irish bar, Murphy's. The bar was filled with Americans and for one of the few times, I heard English spoken more than Greek.
We ended the night and headed back to our rooms.
The following morning (11:00 am) I headed off with my flatmate from back home, Carrie, and her two friends that were visiting from Rome. Her friends were leaving the following day (Sunday) so they wanted to be sure to see as much as they could. We went back to Fira and found that the buses left every two hours and traveled all over the island. Fortunately, we arrived 10 minutes before the next bust was leaving so we were able to immediately depart to the south side of the island.
The bus ride cost 1.90 euro and took us on a beautiful tour of the island (something we were not expecting). We ended up in Perissa, the black sanded beach that is most popular with the tourists. Since it was March, there were only 6 other people on the entire beach, allow us to absorb the true beauty of the beach.
We were really hungry by this point in the day, so were went searching for gyros. Unfortunately there were not gyros to be found (which caught us all by surprise because there were gyro shops throughout Athens and Fira). I guess it not being tourist season has it's downside. Eventually we found a beach front taverna and the cook told us he would make us a 'gyro'. Six euros and a huge meat-filled pita later, we headed back to the beach for a little R&R.
After a while the bus came and took us back to Fira. We were planning on catching sun set in a town called Oia that was located on the north side of the island. When in Fira, we ended up meeting two of our other friends that were staying at another hostel. We decided to 'do sunset' (I knew you'd like that mom) and caught the bus to Oia at 5:00 pm.
It took us about an 30 minutes to get to Oia and arriving two hours before the sun would go down gave us plenty of time to explore the city. Every step we took exposed us to views that were exponentially amazing! We first rounded the corner to find a blue domed church that overlooked the ocean. Reaching the church and turning to the left, we viewed a cliff full of white and blue homes that overlooked glistening water. The way the sun reflected of off the peaks of the waves made it seem as though the ocean were coated in diamonds. We reached a point that overlooked the entire city and the ocean. Every direction you looked was breathtaking.
With time the day became increasingly overcast and the sun ended up setting behind a horizon of gray clouds. We walked away from the cliffs into the interior of the town and found a cozy restaurant. It was it's first day open, and after 3 failed order attempts I settled for a chicken pasta dish.
The buses were no longer running by the time we finished dinner, so we had to catch a taxi back. We decided to hang out with our friends that were staying at a hostel in Perissa.
We hung out in their room for a while and later went and played pool. It was a good night despite the fact that when I returned to go to sleep, my roommates were nowhere to be found. I ended up sleeping in the girl's room. :/
The following morning, I bid Carrie's friends farewell and found that our friends had rented quads. Carrie and I decided to do the same and our island adventures truly began. We toured the entire island, first visiting red beach, then black beach, and then Fira. A total of 12 of us went on the trip, making our gang of 6 noisy intimidating to other tourists.
The rest of the day was spend driving around or eating.
The following morning the whole group drove up to Oia for lunch. It was an hour drive from Thira where our hotel was, but the drive was beautiful. After Oia we returned the way we came and found a private beach. The sand was black with a blue tint, different from the other black beach in Perissa that we had visited earlier. After napping and reading for a while, the group had to return their quads so they headed back to Thira.
After returning the quads, we grabbed dinner at the Rooftop Garden (again) with some new friends that we had met at the hostel. We went back to Murphy's for a spell and then called it a night; we wanted to make sure that we were well rested for the big trip home the following afternoon.
I woke at 10:30 to the sound of wind pounding on the window. This was not a good sign because if it was too windy the boat could not port. With the wind pounding on my body and grains of sand flying into my eye, I drove into town to return the quad. I got back, packed my things, and waiting in the lobby to be taken to the port. Neither the hostel host nor us knew what would happen with the ferry, but we decided it was best to wait at the port than to miss the ferry. At 11:30 we were eventually driven to the port.
We descending from our hostel to the port and realized that we would most likely not be leaving when we saw a car being pushed around by a massive wave. We had nowhere else to go so we waited at the port. Our ferry was supposed to arrive at 3:30 but after talking to one of the ferry representatives, we found that if the ferry were to arrive it would be at 8:00 pm. We continued to wait. At around 7:30 pm, more and more people came to the port. By the time 8:00 pm rolled around we saw the ferry but discovered that it could not dock because it was too windy. Fortunately one of the hostel workers was there to pick up people that were supposed to be getting off of the boat. He told us that we could have our old rooms back, so we obviously took him up on the offer.
Upon arriving back to the hostel we grabbed dinner and went straight to sleep. It had been a tiring day.
The following morning was less windy and everything went according to plan. Our ferry left at 4:00 pm and landed in Piraeus at 12:30 am; we were back in our rooms by 1:00 am. Wow. What a trip!
ENJOY THE PICTURES THEY'RE CHRONOLOGICALLY ORDERED!
This past weekend was simply amazing. Although my time in Athens has been enjoyable, the time I spent in Santorini was one of the best times I have had in Greece thus far.
Before I begin telling you about the trip, let me explain how I was able to miss so much class. Normally everyone in the program has no class on Friday. Fortunately for us, we also had March 25 off. The national Greek holiday celebrates two things, Greek indepdence from the Ottomans and annunciation (when Christ's birth was announced to Mary. Enough of the history lesson and onto my trip.
We left from Athens at 5:00 am and took the subway for about 45 minutes to Piraeus, the city's major seaport. We quickly boarded and were ushered up to the top deck. Seating inside the ferry was divided by price class, with the most expensive 'seats' being rooms with beds, the second-most expensive seats being reserved Brookstone-esque seats, and the least expensive seats being any seat that could be found on the roof of the ship or in the lounge of the fast food restaurant. Since we were poor college students we bought the cheapest tickets we could afford and fought for bench seats on the roof.
After two hours of rough seas and failed attempts at sleep, we realized that being exposed to the elements was uncomfortable. We all fought for seats inside and easily took unoccupied seats after the ferry's first island stop (there would be 5 more stops).
The 8 hour ride concluded and we arrived in Santorini at around 3:00 pm. We were picked by a friendly hostel worker and were taken away to Villa Manos, our lovely hostel. We checked in and began exploring our surroundings. The nearest city was a 45 minute walk away and on our way, we found a grocery store that allowed us to stock up on breakfast and lunch materials. Also in town, we found many quaint restaurants and used our free time to compare prices between them.
We headed back to our rooms and took naps. Later we called taxis had dinner at the Rooftop Gardens taverna. My friend and I shared orders of Musakka (a lasagna-like dished that is comprised of eggplant, noodles, and a hint of cinnamon) and salmon pasta. (Surprisingly, Greece has really great pasta. I guess Italian culture must have rubbed off on them.) Later we stopped by this pseudo Irish bar, Murphy's. The bar was filled with Americans and for one of the few times, I heard English spoken more than Greek.
We ended the night and headed back to our rooms.
The following morning (11:00 am) I headed off with my flatmate from back home, Carrie, and her two friends that were visiting from Rome. Her friends were leaving the following day (Sunday) so they wanted to be sure to see as much as they could. We went back to Fira and found that the buses left every two hours and traveled all over the island. Fortunately, we arrived 10 minutes before the next bust was leaving so we were able to immediately depart to the south side of the island.
The bus ride cost 1.90 euro and took us on a beautiful tour of the island (something we were not expecting). We ended up in Perissa, the black sanded beach that is most popular with the tourists. Since it was March, there were only 6 other people on the entire beach, allow us to absorb the true beauty of the beach.
We were really hungry by this point in the day, so were went searching for gyros. Unfortunately there were not gyros to be found (which caught us all by surprise because there were gyro shops throughout Athens and Fira). I guess it not being tourist season has it's downside. Eventually we found a beach front taverna and the cook told us he would make us a 'gyro'. Six euros and a huge meat-filled pita later, we headed back to the beach for a little R&R.
After a while the bus came and took us back to Fira. We were planning on catching sun set in a town called Oia that was located on the north side of the island. When in Fira, we ended up meeting two of our other friends that were staying at another hostel. We decided to 'do sunset' (I knew you'd like that mom) and caught the bus to Oia at 5:00 pm.
It took us about an 30 minutes to get to Oia and arriving two hours before the sun would go down gave us plenty of time to explore the city. Every step we took exposed us to views that were exponentially amazing! We first rounded the corner to find a blue domed church that overlooked the ocean. Reaching the church and turning to the left, we viewed a cliff full of white and blue homes that overlooked glistening water. The way the sun reflected of off the peaks of the waves made it seem as though the ocean were coated in diamonds. We reached a point that overlooked the entire city and the ocean. Every direction you looked was breathtaking.
With time the day became increasingly overcast and the sun ended up setting behind a horizon of gray clouds. We walked away from the cliffs into the interior of the town and found a cozy restaurant. It was it's first day open, and after 3 failed order attempts I settled for a chicken pasta dish.
The buses were no longer running by the time we finished dinner, so we had to catch a taxi back. We decided to hang out with our friends that were staying at a hostel in Perissa.
We hung out in their room for a while and later went and played pool. It was a good night despite the fact that when I returned to go to sleep, my roommates were nowhere to be found. I ended up sleeping in the girl's room. :/
The following morning, I bid Carrie's friends farewell and found that our friends had rented quads. Carrie and I decided to do the same and our island adventures truly began. We toured the entire island, first visiting red beach, then black beach, and then Fira. A total of 12 of us went on the trip, making our gang of 6 noisy intimidating to other tourists.
The rest of the day was spend driving around or eating.
The following morning the whole group drove up to Oia for lunch. It was an hour drive from Thira where our hotel was, but the drive was beautiful. After Oia we returned the way we came and found a private beach. The sand was black with a blue tint, different from the other black beach in Perissa that we had visited earlier. After napping and reading for a while, the group had to return their quads so they headed back to Thira.
After returning the quads, we grabbed dinner at the Rooftop Garden (again) with some new friends that we had met at the hostel. We went back to Murphy's for a spell and then called it a night; we wanted to make sure that we were well rested for the big trip home the following afternoon.
I woke at 10:30 to the sound of wind pounding on the window. This was not a good sign because if it was too windy the boat could not port. With the wind pounding on my body and grains of sand flying into my eye, I drove into town to return the quad. I got back, packed my things, and waiting in the lobby to be taken to the port. Neither the hostel host nor us knew what would happen with the ferry, but we decided it was best to wait at the port than to miss the ferry. At 11:30 we were eventually driven to the port.
We descending from our hostel to the port and realized that we would most likely not be leaving when we saw a car being pushed around by a massive wave. We had nowhere else to go so we waited at the port. Our ferry was supposed to arrive at 3:30 but after talking to one of the ferry representatives, we found that if the ferry were to arrive it would be at 8:00 pm. We continued to wait. At around 7:30 pm, more and more people came to the port. By the time 8:00 pm rolled around we saw the ferry but discovered that it could not dock because it was too windy. Fortunately one of the hostel workers was there to pick up people that were supposed to be getting off of the boat. He told us that we could have our old rooms back, so we obviously took him up on the offer.
Upon arriving back to the hostel we grabbed dinner and went straight to sleep. It had been a tiring day.
The following morning was less windy and everything went according to plan. Our ferry left at 4:00 pm and landed in Piraeus at 12:30 am; we were back in our rooms by 1:00 am. Wow. What a trip!
ENJOY THE PICTURES THEY'RE CHRONOLOGICALLY ORDERED!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Habanero
After stopping by the post office to send some my, I ran across a store that appeared to have a wide variety of ethnic spices and food. The store's name was "La Tienda." Not deceived by the Spanish title, I noticed that the store had foods from Thailand, China, and Mexico (to name a few). After speaking with the store owner (who conveniently spoke English) I found that the store served as a supplier to the area's major ethnic restaurants and hotels. After speaking with the owner for a while I discovered that she was born in Spain and grew up in Colombia. I told the women that ethnic food was really lacking here and that I especially missed my Latin spices. She told me that she had some peppers she thought I would like and gave them and some frozen corn tortillas to me. I happily skipped home, excited about my new find!
Little did I know what had been given to me. I knew that corn tortillas were pretty generic but since they were frozen, I looked online to figure out different ways to cook them. I had no idea what type of peppers the woman gave me, so I also did a little research. These peppers looked like the mini-bell peppers we all are used to, but my researched SEEMED to indicate that they were Rocotillo Chiles (rated at 2,500 Scoville Heat Units - pretty mild).
I some olive oil in a pan and let it warm while I unfroze sliced my Chiles. When the pan warmed up I threw the peppers and the tortilla in and waited. Everything seemed to be fine at first; the tortilla was crispy and the peppers were blistered.
After I took my first bite into the tortilla I realized that everything was not fine. I experienced the hottest sensation of my life! My virgin mouth couldn't handle it! I began to cough and immediately put the tortilla down. I though I was having an allergic reaction or something so I tried to drink some water and leave the room.
I left and felt a little better. After I returned to the kitchen area, I realized that it was spicy chili smoke that was causing my cough so I opened a bunch of windows, threw the chilies down the drain and ran into my room.
I looked for additional information on the mystery pepper and found that it was a Habanero (rated at 325,000 Scoville Heat Units - pretty spicy!).
I had a few more bites of my spicy tortilla and now it sits atop our kitchen table with a sign that reads "Eat me. :)". Hopefully the rest of the apartment will feel my pain.
March 17 - March 20: Rough Week
This week was by far my most intense week here. Check out what I had going on.
Tuesday: Greek Midterm
Wednesday: Greece and E.U. Midterm
Thursday: Religious life in Greece Paper and Presentation, Athens on Site paper, Greek Key map and Walk Response
I pulled an all niter Wednesday night; no fun :(.
On Wednesday there was a huge protest, check out the photos.
I went to a marble quarry today (via Charter bus - nice) that provided the building materials for many of Athens great structures. There was this cave that was used by the military for secret operations; it was really cool!
This weekend I will be in Santorini! I can't wait to put this week behind me.
Tuesday: Greek Midterm
Wednesday: Greece and E.U. Midterm
Thursday: Religious life in Greece Paper and Presentation, Athens on Site paper, Greek Key map and Walk Response
I pulled an all niter Wednesday night; no fun :(.
On Wednesday there was a huge protest, check out the photos.
I went to a marble quarry today (via Charter bus - nice) that provided the building materials for many of Athens great structures. There was this cave that was used by the military for secret operations; it was really cool!
This weekend I will be in Santorini! I can't wait to put this week behind me.
March 14: Sounio
We took a school-sponsored trip to the Steel mines of Sounio and the temple of Poseidon. Don't let 'school-sponsered' title deceive you because the trip did anything but go according to plan.
The mines of Sounio were really interesting, the silver was used to raise money for Greece's navy. After learning about how silver was mined and processed to create a finished product, we made our way to Latvio.
Latvio serves as home to the Temple of Poseidon and one of the worlds top 10 most beautiful and affordable beaches. While the ends made the trip worthwhile, the means were definitely costly. We were dropped of - literally - 4 miles from the site (although we didn't know it). After breaking from the path to blaze a new downhill path to an ancient site where silver was processed, we continued our search for an ancient lookout. We soon realized that we were again not where we wanted to be and were forced to scale a rock wall. No joke.
We made it to the lookout castle and then began the long walk to the coast (where the temple and nice beach is located). We finally arrived to the coast, had a nice lunch along the coast, and then viewed the Temple of Poseidon. The view from the Temple was breathtaking, the way the sun hit the water made it look like the sea was coated in millions of diamonds.
Tired from the day, we all boarded the bus and slept the whole way home.
The mines of Sounio were really interesting, the silver was used to raise money for Greece's navy. After learning about how silver was mined and processed to create a finished product, we made our way to Latvio.
Latvio serves as home to the Temple of Poseidon and one of the worlds top 10 most beautiful and affordable beaches. While the ends made the trip worthwhile, the means were definitely costly. We were dropped of - literally - 4 miles from the site (although we didn't know it). After breaking from the path to blaze a new downhill path to an ancient site where silver was processed, we continued our search for an ancient lookout. We soon realized that we were again not where we wanted to be and were forced to scale a rock wall. No joke.
We made it to the lookout castle and then began the long walk to the coast (where the temple and nice beach is located). We finally arrived to the coast, had a nice lunch along the coast, and then viewed the Temple of Poseidon. The view from the Temple was breathtaking, the way the sun hit the water made it look like the sea was coated in millions of diamonds.
Tired from the day, we all boarded the bus and slept the whole way home.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Corfu Weekend (March 7 - March 9)
Sorry for the wait. My weekend in Corfu was really interesting; I definitely learned a lot.
After getting out of class early (6:30 pm), I met up with the 5 ladies from the program I would be traveling with (one was my roommate and the others lived together down the street). We proceeded to the bus stop, caught a bus downtown to Omonina, and then walked to catch another bus that took us away from the downtown area and into a more industrial area. We disembarked form the second bus and walked into large terminal that housed charter buses that were going to all over Greece. At this time it was 7:30 pm and our bus was leaving at 8:30 pm, so we grabbed a quick bite and relaxed.
We boarded the coach bus and the journey officially began. We had planned on sleeping throughout the ride, but as usual, conversation took precedence over rest. The bus stopped a few times for snack/restroom breaks and after a solid 8 hours we arrived at the port (5:00 am). At the port we got off the bus and boarded a ferry (that the bus also boarded). The ferry was really nice - it had comfy bench seats that were perfect for sleep! After we awoke the the sound of bustling Greeks, we got of the ferry and re-boarded the bus (6:00 am). The bus took us to another bus terminal in Corfu Town where we met our contract from the hostel (7:00 am).
We drove for another 45 minutes, checked in, ate breakfast (eggs! and bologna-looking meat), and went to bed (9:00 am).
At around 3:00 pm, we woke up and did a little exploring. The hostel we stayed at was equipt for over 900 guests, but today we were 6 of 20. We walked to the beach and found that most stores were closed, but fortunately we found an ATM! This was a big deal because we were told by the hostel that they were the only people that could provide us cash. This wouldn't have been a big deal, but they charged a 5% transaction fee when any card was used.
The adventure continued and we continued to explore the deserted city that was located right along the shore. Despite the overcast weather, the area was extremely beautiful. The lack of tourists made the experience much more unique and much less chaotic.
We headed back, took another nap, and had dinner at around 8:00 pm. There had been rolling power outages throughout the day (pension protests), and just before we began eating, the lights went out. Fortunately the staff was well prepared and had plenty of candles on hand. Dinner preceded the usual game of catch phrase with strangers that soon became our good friends.
The following morning we awoke, grabbed some breakfast, and prepared for our adventure. Since the city was dead (it is an off-season), we decided the night before to explore Corfu Town. We began our walk at 10:00 am and despite the fact that the walk to the bus stop should have only taken 30 minutes our lack of knowhow resulted in our arriving at the bus stop nearly an hour or two later. We were told that the bus would be arriving at 2:00 pm by someone we had met along our walk but by the time 2:30 pm came around we realized that the bus may not be coming. There were rumors that the bus may be coming at 3:00 pm, and it fortunately did. We boarded to meet some of our hostel-mates that had received a ride from one of the hostel staff members.
We made it to the city, had a delicious pita, grabbed some food to smuggle back to the hostel (there were signs everywhere that read, "No outside food or drinks"), and tried to figure out when the next bus would be leaving the city. Dinner was included in the price we paid for the hostel and was always served at 8:00 pm, so we obviously wanted to make sure that we made it back in time for dinner. After talking to the man at the bus stop, we determined that the hostel had misinformed us about the location of the bus terminal. (We should have used a little more foresight and put less trust in the staff to a hostel whose name was 'Pink Palace'). The correct terminal was located downtown and we had 5 minutes get there. We all ran but were only met by red taillights. We called the Palace and after a series of phone calls, they agreed to come pick us up.
We were picked up, made it back in time for dinner, and kept the night low-key. There were rumors that a group of 40-60 Americans were coming the following day so we were trying save energies for them. Carnival was also supposed to occur in Corfu town the following day.
Sunday morning. We woke, had breakfast, and prepared for another trip to Corfu Town. The Palace scheduled a bus trip for Carnival and at 3:00 pm we headed to Town. In case any of you are wondering why Carnival is celebrated, here's the answer. Since Greece is 97% Orthodox, the festival celebrates the beginning of lent that was to occur on the following day.
We arrived to a rainy Corfu Town that was covered in confetti and music that was being pumped out of large sets of speakers strategically placed throughout the city. Thinking we had missed everything, we grabbed some coffee and tried to bide our time until our 7:00 pm pickup. After camping out in a dry coffee shop for an hour or two, we headed outside and happened to wander to right into the parade! The music was loud and despite the rain runoff that drenched the shoes of all those standing on the sidewalk, everyone's spirits were high.
The parade ended, we were picked up, and ate dinner. The last night was out of control. Let's just leave it at that.
We woke at 5:00 am and began our long journey home. It was a difficult bus ride that I would rather not remember. We arrived back to our apartments at 8:00 pm. Quite a day.
After getting out of class early (6:30 pm), I met up with the 5 ladies from the program I would be traveling with (one was my roommate and the others lived together down the street). We proceeded to the bus stop, caught a bus downtown to Omonina, and then walked to catch another bus that took us away from the downtown area and into a more industrial area. We disembarked form the second bus and walked into large terminal that housed charter buses that were going to all over Greece. At this time it was 7:30 pm and our bus was leaving at 8:30 pm, so we grabbed a quick bite and relaxed.
We boarded the coach bus and the journey officially began. We had planned on sleeping throughout the ride, but as usual, conversation took precedence over rest. The bus stopped a few times for snack/restroom breaks and after a solid 8 hours we arrived at the port (5:00 am). At the port we got off the bus and boarded a ferry (that the bus also boarded). The ferry was really nice - it had comfy bench seats that were perfect for sleep! After we awoke the the sound of bustling Greeks, we got of the ferry and re-boarded the bus (6:00 am). The bus took us to another bus terminal in Corfu Town where we met our contract from the hostel (7:00 am).
We drove for another 45 minutes, checked in, ate breakfast (eggs! and bologna-looking meat), and went to bed (9:00 am).
At around 3:00 pm, we woke up and did a little exploring. The hostel we stayed at was equipt for over 900 guests, but today we were 6 of 20. We walked to the beach and found that most stores were closed, but fortunately we found an ATM! This was a big deal because we were told by the hostel that they were the only people that could provide us cash. This wouldn't have been a big deal, but they charged a 5% transaction fee when any card was used.
The adventure continued and we continued to explore the deserted city that was located right along the shore. Despite the overcast weather, the area was extremely beautiful. The lack of tourists made the experience much more unique and much less chaotic.
We headed back, took another nap, and had dinner at around 8:00 pm. There had been rolling power outages throughout the day (pension protests), and just before we began eating, the lights went out. Fortunately the staff was well prepared and had plenty of candles on hand. Dinner preceded the usual game of catch phrase with strangers that soon became our good friends.
The following morning we awoke, grabbed some breakfast, and prepared for our adventure. Since the city was dead (it is an off-season), we decided the night before to explore Corfu Town. We began our walk at 10:00 am and despite the fact that the walk to the bus stop should have only taken 30 minutes our lack of knowhow resulted in our arriving at the bus stop nearly an hour or two later. We were told that the bus would be arriving at 2:00 pm by someone we had met along our walk but by the time 2:30 pm came around we realized that the bus may not be coming. There were rumors that the bus may be coming at 3:00 pm, and it fortunately did. We boarded to meet some of our hostel-mates that had received a ride from one of the hostel staff members.
We made it to the city, had a delicious pita, grabbed some food to smuggle back to the hostel (there were signs everywhere that read, "No outside food or drinks"), and tried to figure out when the next bus would be leaving the city. Dinner was included in the price we paid for the hostel and was always served at 8:00 pm, so we obviously wanted to make sure that we made it back in time for dinner. After talking to the man at the bus stop, we determined that the hostel had misinformed us about the location of the bus terminal. (We should have used a little more foresight and put less trust in the staff to a hostel whose name was 'Pink Palace'). The correct terminal was located downtown and we had 5 minutes get there. We all ran but were only met by red taillights. We called the Palace and after a series of phone calls, they agreed to come pick us up.
We were picked up, made it back in time for dinner, and kept the night low-key. There were rumors that a group of 40-60 Americans were coming the following day so we were trying save energies for them. Carnival was also supposed to occur in Corfu town the following day.
Sunday morning. We woke, had breakfast, and prepared for another trip to Corfu Town. The Palace scheduled a bus trip for Carnival and at 3:00 pm we headed to Town. In case any of you are wondering why Carnival is celebrated, here's the answer. Since Greece is 97% Orthodox, the festival celebrates the beginning of lent that was to occur on the following day.
We arrived to a rainy Corfu Town that was covered in confetti and music that was being pumped out of large sets of speakers strategically placed throughout the city. Thinking we had missed everything, we grabbed some coffee and tried to bide our time until our 7:00 pm pickup. After camping out in a dry coffee shop for an hour or two, we headed outside and happened to wander to right into the parade! The music was loud and despite the rain runoff that drenched the shoes of all those standing on the sidewalk, everyone's spirits were high.
The parade ended, we were picked up, and ate dinner. The last night was out of control. Let's just leave it at that.
We woke at 5:00 am and began our long journey home. It was a difficult bus ride that I would rather not remember. We arrived back to our apartments at 8:00 pm. Quite a day.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Tuesday, March 4
I did the usual Laiki (street market) trip to get my produce for the week. I also went to the Pynx for class later in the afternoon. The site was amazing! The flowers in bloom, warm sunshine, and breath taking views of the Parthenon left no doubt in anyone’s minds that Spring was here. Check out the amazing pictures!
Afterwards I went to the Technopolis public museum that is located in the gas district of the city. The architecture was amazing. Everything was surprisingly clean and well planned. This (and Omonia) is one of my favorite areas in the city.
Dinner Party! As usual, we had a dinner party with our neighbors. Roasted chicken and this tomatoey-bean/rice dish were served. We ended the night with a game of Catch Phrase. BUY THIS GAME!
Afterwards I went to the Technopolis public museum that is located in the gas district of the city. The architecture was amazing. Everything was surprisingly clean and well planned. This (and Omonia) is one of my favorite areas in the city.
Dinner Party! As usual, we had a dinner party with our neighbors. Roasted chicken and this tomatoey-bean/rice dish were served. We ended the night with a game of Catch Phrase. BUY THIS GAME!
Monday, March 3
I went on a walk for class to Omonia (the second major hub in the city besides Syngtama). We walked through the meat and fish market, places where you could by fresh spices, and discovered places that sold Egyptian and Persian food. I finally acquired some spices that had some kick to them! The spice Harissa is from Egypt and comes in two forms – green (milder) and red (spicier). Our teacher purchased it for us and I plan on using it on some chicken that I purchased.
BAKERY! I began volunteering at a local bakery, details to follow.
BAKERY! I began volunteering at a local bakery, details to follow.
Week in Review: February 25 – March 2
As usual, Athens didn’t fail to offer it’s share of new challenges and amazing experiences.
Monday was filled with a single class (Greece and the European Union) and a little exercise at the 1989 Olympic Stadium.
Although the track in the center of the stadium is closed to the public, a track at the top of the stadium provides locals with the perfect areas to exercise. Greeks have historically incorporated their architecture into nearby terrain and the Olympic Stadium was built into a hillside that not only provides a smooth track, but also hilly cross-country style paths. In addition to providing a track, pull-up & parallel bars, rings, and a cushioned bench for sit-ups offer exercise essentials to those who know how where the discrete entrance is located.
Anyways, on Monday after finishing my run and beginning to do pull-ups, I noticed an old Greek man walking an infant in a stroller. The man walked a short distance, struggled to turn the stroller, and began mumbling some elementary phrases in Greek to his infant (I actually recognized what he was saying!). I noticed that there was a huge turtle at the base of the stroller! Watching the old man communicate to the new born was so adorable, it absolutely made my day.
On Tuesday, I had the first lesson of a cooking lesson series. I learned how to make the simple yet delicious dish known as Penne a la Vodka. It was basically penne pasta with a creamy tomato sauce (contained heavy cream and white wine).
On Thursday, I went on an evening gallery tour with another class. We visited a variety of galleries. One featured art represented the struggle faced by those that were of different sexual orientations from the majority. Another featured images of youth (primarily young girls) that were sketched in black and featured other objects (often birds, or blood) that were colored (usually red). My favorite stop was at the local graffiti shop. As you can tell by the pictures below, graffiti throughout the city varies in quality but is everywhere. The shop featured more cans and varieties of spray-paint than I had ever seen in my life. Two artistic looking men that ran the shop were drunk but were surprisingly friendly and spoke decent English. The larger of the two came out of a back room with a plate, yelled, “Ooopa!!!,” and slammed a plate to the ground. We were all taken back (I had a shard fall into my shoe!) but felt that we were experiencing some thing authentic. The men told us to come back and hang out with them when they were sober; they would give us a tour and life advice. Ha!
I rushed back for my second cooking lesson (at 8:00 pm) and made lentil soup and corn bread. The soup’s primary ingredients are lentils and tomatoes. Once finished, white vinegar and olive oil are added according to the eater’s preferences. Obviously the corn bread was delicious (but not as good as mom’s) and a nice break from the norm.
Later in the evening, we all went to a friends apartment and hug out. We later went to one of the local tavernas nearby and had a few drinks and some great conversation with a smaller group of friends (5ish). I found that the Greeks look and treat you differently when you travel in smaller packs.
On Friday, I went on a “Sweet Crawl” with a staff member from the Center (Kim) and my classmates. After walking from the Center to our scheduled first stop, we learned that there was a bomb threat called on the McDonalds that we had just walked past. Police cars stormed in and the entire area was taped off. Kim told us that bomb threats were taken seriously and threats were made known four to five times a year. The most recent threat that came to fruition happened a couple of years ago and was not that serious. Bombs are intended to make a statement to the government and are not intended to hurt people (this is why most bomb threats occur early in the morning).
After our detour, we went to four different locations – a place that made honey and cinnamon doughnuts, one that served gelato, one that served traditional Greek dishes, and one the served chocolate. The walk took all day and spanned a variety of different regions throughout the city but was definitely worth the time.
Later in the night, we went to a nearby dance club known only as “Ethnic Club.” As sketchy as the name is, the Club was actually quite classy and we had to persuade the door man to let us in. Once inside we learned observed Greeks dressed up in a variety of different costumes that ranged from Minnie Mouse, to Elvis, to Shakira-esque belly dancers, to Devils, and Ladybugs. Carnival is scheduled to occur on March 5 and despite the fact that it was a week away, the Greeks dress up and go out for the two weeks that lead up to the occasion. While you most adults are not dressed up during the day, everywhere you look you see little kids dressed up in all sorts of different costumes.
On Saturday during the day I went to the beach! I only took .70 euro to catch a 45 minute tram to the beach. After wandering for a good 30 minutes in search of a way to access the sand from the road, we made our way to the shore. The sand was filled with semi-smooth pebbles and course sand; the terrain was definitely not comfortable to walk in barefoot. The cold wind and limited sunlight also made the experience rather chilly and unpleasant but fortunately good company kept all of our spirits high. Scattered throughout the beach were old men playing paddleball. They were all really good and quickly smacked the balls back and forth until one hit it out of reach of the other. When walking to the nearby beach-front café (which we didn’t end up dining at because it was too expensive), I had my first encounter with a topless sunbather. None of us saw it coming. One minute we were walking and we turned to the left and bare breasts were in our face. None of us tried to draw attention to the sight, but we were nevertheless surprised.
Later in the evening, I concocted this super food for dinner by combining lentil, whole grain rice, and veggies. After eating it plain that night, I mixed the leftovers with more veggies and eggs to make the ultimate morning treat! It’s my truly original, high-protein (and carb) creation.
After dinner, I hung out with some friends, watched another movie, and went to Psiri. People were again dressed up (but surprisingly not as much as the night before). We had a great time drinking coffee and watching the masses of greeks that walked past on the crowded streets. With the night winding down, we headed home and noticed a crepe shop in the distance. We knew that we really didn’t need to be eating a crepe this late at night but the smell and appearance of these warm and gooey treats lured us in. I had never had a crepe before but the Nutella (chocolatey-peanut butter) and banana dessert will leave me forever changed.
The following Sunday I woke up early and went to the privately owned Benaki Museum by myself. The museum had all the usual pottery and jewelry artifacts but also featured greek costume and clothing from different eras, items from the Greek homes, and two sitting rooms that were removed from ancient Greek mansions. It also had more recent war artifacts (guns, uniforms, etc.) and personal items collected from key political and artistic figures. The actual signed constitution from the War of Independence (1819?) was also present.
After the Benaki Museum, I visited the Papaloukas exhibit. Papaloukas is a famous Greek painter and the exhibit not only featured his art, but an analysis of how it was composed and what to look for in each piece. The painter believed in maintaining form in art and drew lines that formed angles in all of his work; some of the lines remained visible to help viewers understand the nature of his art. Later in the painter’s life his art became more abstract; it was these pieces that I liked best. Instead of using color for the sake of color itself, he used it to form edges that were to create contrasts – dark colors were used to create edges that formed brightness and light colors were used to create edges that formed darkness.
I after the Papaloukas exhibit I explored the city and tried to find a couple of places that were recommended in my Athens guidebook. I was only able to find Kraft, the first microbrewery established in Athens, but had a great adventure exploring the city. I made it back safely, did some homework and prepared for the first day of class.
Monday was filled with a single class (Greece and the European Union) and a little exercise at the 1989 Olympic Stadium.
Although the track in the center of the stadium is closed to the public, a track at the top of the stadium provides locals with the perfect areas to exercise. Greeks have historically incorporated their architecture into nearby terrain and the Olympic Stadium was built into a hillside that not only provides a smooth track, but also hilly cross-country style paths. In addition to providing a track, pull-up & parallel bars, rings, and a cushioned bench for sit-ups offer exercise essentials to those who know how where the discrete entrance is located.
Anyways, on Monday after finishing my run and beginning to do pull-ups, I noticed an old Greek man walking an infant in a stroller. The man walked a short distance, struggled to turn the stroller, and began mumbling some elementary phrases in Greek to his infant (I actually recognized what he was saying!). I noticed that there was a huge turtle at the base of the stroller! Watching the old man communicate to the new born was so adorable, it absolutely made my day.
On Tuesday, I had the first lesson of a cooking lesson series. I learned how to make the simple yet delicious dish known as Penne a la Vodka. It was basically penne pasta with a creamy tomato sauce (contained heavy cream and white wine).
On Thursday, I went on an evening gallery tour with another class. We visited a variety of galleries. One featured art represented the struggle faced by those that were of different sexual orientations from the majority. Another featured images of youth (primarily young girls) that were sketched in black and featured other objects (often birds, or blood) that were colored (usually red). My favorite stop was at the local graffiti shop. As you can tell by the pictures below, graffiti throughout the city varies in quality but is everywhere. The shop featured more cans and varieties of spray-paint than I had ever seen in my life. Two artistic looking men that ran the shop were drunk but were surprisingly friendly and spoke decent English. The larger of the two came out of a back room with a plate, yelled, “Ooopa!!!,” and slammed a plate to the ground. We were all taken back (I had a shard fall into my shoe!) but felt that we were experiencing some thing authentic. The men told us to come back and hang out with them when they were sober; they would give us a tour and life advice. Ha!
I rushed back for my second cooking lesson (at 8:00 pm) and made lentil soup and corn bread. The soup’s primary ingredients are lentils and tomatoes. Once finished, white vinegar and olive oil are added according to the eater’s preferences. Obviously the corn bread was delicious (but not as good as mom’s) and a nice break from the norm.
Later in the evening, we all went to a friends apartment and hug out. We later went to one of the local tavernas nearby and had a few drinks and some great conversation with a smaller group of friends (5ish). I found that the Greeks look and treat you differently when you travel in smaller packs.
On Friday, I went on a “Sweet Crawl” with a staff member from the Center (Kim) and my classmates. After walking from the Center to our scheduled first stop, we learned that there was a bomb threat called on the McDonalds that we had just walked past. Police cars stormed in and the entire area was taped off. Kim told us that bomb threats were taken seriously and threats were made known four to five times a year. The most recent threat that came to fruition happened a couple of years ago and was not that serious. Bombs are intended to make a statement to the government and are not intended to hurt people (this is why most bomb threats occur early in the morning).
After our detour, we went to four different locations – a place that made honey and cinnamon doughnuts, one that served gelato, one that served traditional Greek dishes, and one the served chocolate. The walk took all day and spanned a variety of different regions throughout the city but was definitely worth the time.
Later in the night, we went to a nearby dance club known only as “Ethnic Club.” As sketchy as the name is, the Club was actually quite classy and we had to persuade the door man to let us in. Once inside we learned observed Greeks dressed up in a variety of different costumes that ranged from Minnie Mouse, to Elvis, to Shakira-esque belly dancers, to Devils, and Ladybugs. Carnival is scheduled to occur on March 5 and despite the fact that it was a week away, the Greeks dress up and go out for the two weeks that lead up to the occasion. While you most adults are not dressed up during the day, everywhere you look you see little kids dressed up in all sorts of different costumes.
On Saturday during the day I went to the beach! I only took .70 euro to catch a 45 minute tram to the beach. After wandering for a good 30 minutes in search of a way to access the sand from the road, we made our way to the shore. The sand was filled with semi-smooth pebbles and course sand; the terrain was definitely not comfortable to walk in barefoot. The cold wind and limited sunlight also made the experience rather chilly and unpleasant but fortunately good company kept all of our spirits high. Scattered throughout the beach were old men playing paddleball. They were all really good and quickly smacked the balls back and forth until one hit it out of reach of the other. When walking to the nearby beach-front café (which we didn’t end up dining at because it was too expensive), I had my first encounter with a topless sunbather. None of us saw it coming. One minute we were walking and we turned to the left and bare breasts were in our face. None of us tried to draw attention to the sight, but we were nevertheless surprised.
Later in the evening, I concocted this super food for dinner by combining lentil, whole grain rice, and veggies. After eating it plain that night, I mixed the leftovers with more veggies and eggs to make the ultimate morning treat! It’s my truly original, high-protein (and carb) creation.
After dinner, I hung out with some friends, watched another movie, and went to Psiri. People were again dressed up (but surprisingly not as much as the night before). We had a great time drinking coffee and watching the masses of greeks that walked past on the crowded streets. With the night winding down, we headed home and noticed a crepe shop in the distance. We knew that we really didn’t need to be eating a crepe this late at night but the smell and appearance of these warm and gooey treats lured us in. I had never had a crepe before but the Nutella (chocolatey-peanut butter) and banana dessert will leave me forever changed.
The following Sunday I woke up early and went to the privately owned Benaki Museum by myself. The museum had all the usual pottery and jewelry artifacts but also featured greek costume and clothing from different eras, items from the Greek homes, and two sitting rooms that were removed from ancient Greek mansions. It also had more recent war artifacts (guns, uniforms, etc.) and personal items collected from key political and artistic figures. The actual signed constitution from the War of Independence (1819?) was also present.
After the Benaki Museum, I visited the Papaloukas exhibit. Papaloukas is a famous Greek painter and the exhibit not only featured his art, but an analysis of how it was composed and what to look for in each piece. The painter believed in maintaining form in art and drew lines that formed angles in all of his work; some of the lines remained visible to help viewers understand the nature of his art. Later in the painter’s life his art became more abstract; it was these pieces that I liked best. Instead of using color for the sake of color itself, he used it to form edges that were to create contrasts – dark colors were used to create edges that formed brightness and light colors were used to create edges that formed darkness.
I after the Papaloukas exhibit I explored the city and tried to find a couple of places that were recommended in my Athens guidebook. I was only able to find Kraft, the first microbrewery established in Athens, but had a great adventure exploring the city. I made it back safely, did some homework and prepared for the first day of class.
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