I know it's been a while, but it surprised me to look at this page and realize it's been over a month. I came back from an amazing spring break to find winter fully flown from this part of the Meditteranean, and in these last few weeks it's hard to find spare time amidst classes and travel. When I do, the last place I am to be usually to be found is in this computer lab, in the company of humming machines and slate grey formica, the world outside alive. But with one long weekend of rambling behind me and another one ahead, these few days in the city are all about the homework, bright sun be damned.



Prague, Stassinou's most recent destination and my first trip outside of Greece, was incredible. We had the good luck to stay with friends there, and it made all the difference in the world to have quality people who knew their way around by our side, not to mention a beautiful apartment to crash in at the end of the night.



We wandered, celebrated 4/20, went out in paddleboats, and ate at amazing vegetarian restaurants, among other things. My favorite place was probably the Lennon Wall, a free form peace monument of sorts that helped inspire the Velvet Revolution.



This weekend, at the last minute, I am headed out to Cairo to see that most fabulous specimen of style and humanity, the one and only Ian Renner. I had looked into it earlier in the semester but was unable to find a flight, so I was basically beside myself when one mysteriously appeared on expedia a few days ago. It'll be an adventure, for sure.

After that, it's pretty much a mad dash to the end. It's hard to believe there's less than a month. I have mixed feelings about this, and no time to go into them now. But whatever comes next, I will be home soon.

Independence Day

Earlier in the week, Athens was a sodden and slippery grey world. The rain blew sideways, whipping through the trees and across the plateias in diagonal sheets – umbrellas were comical in the face of such elements. On the way home from the gym, I slipped and fell on the marble sidewalk, tearing a big hole in the knee of my pants and doing some damage to the skin beneath. As I limped back to Stassinou, singlemindedly focused on dry socks and soup, it occurred to me that I’d just about had it with the rain.

Thus it was a surprise and a relief to awake Friday, field trip day, to shafts of blue between the apartment buildings of my neighborhood. We set out for Brauron, a coastal religious site just across the Attic plain, but arrived to find that it had rained there too, to say the least.



So our ever-intrepid fearless leader Diamant led us on a scramble up a nearby hillside, where we could sit on rocks among the scrubby vegetation and goat poop and at least gaze upon the temple of Artemis, flooded as it was. Oddly, I think I preferred it this way – it was fun.



Then it was off to Sounion and the very well preserved Temple of Poseidon. A lot of it has stood continuously, and it’s been a sort of beacon for grecophiles for a long time – Lord Byron carved his name on one of the pillars somewhere, but we couldn’t find it.



The location in the landscape was pretty nice, it was sort of out on a peninsula.



This is also the spot where, according to the myth, Theseus’ father threw himself to his death in the sea when he saw his son’s ship returning with black sails. I probably shouldn’t be smiling in this picture, but the wind was incredibly strong and blowing inland, and the difficulty I felt trying to stand there struck me as funny. I couldn’t have made the jump I’m imitating if I tried.



Today was Greek Independence Day.



There were two parades, one of schoolchildren and one of the military. I much preferred the former, although the latter was better attended and obviously considered the marquee event.



The number one sight was definitely toddlers in costume. Awesome.



There were just thousands of kids in this thing – it was pretty staggering.



Almost everyone around me was a parent with a video camera, craning their necks for the approach of school number whatever to come round the bend. It reminded me of home somehow, of my own childhood, which is an unusual feeling for me here – I lingered, and talked with them about it.



I didn’t take any pictures of the tanks and police cars and firefighters, the myriad military men. I just didn’t care really. It struck me though, what rapt attention people paid to them, the respect they were paid. Perhaps its because Greek Independence is a much more recently realized ideal than it is in the states, or maybe it’s because a term of military service is compulsory for young greek men. But it was a big event.



I had my eye on something else.



This is embarrassing, but I sort of thought he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen in that moment, ridiculous uniform be damned. I took an entirely inappropriate number of pictures.



But alas, all good things come to an end – they took to the streets behind a marching band, and I was left to watch yet another line of motorcycles putter by.



Most of my flatmates were away, and it was quiet, so I got pretty much all the academic work done that stands between me and spring break. When tash comes we’ll probably go to an island for a few days, maybe Naxos or Andros. Then Wendy and I are off on the first for Rhodes, Crete, and finally Easter on Santorini. It’s been fun seeing pictures and hearing stories about all my friends breaks back home (road trips! Concerts in Colorado! Cornwallbridge!), and I think I’m ready for some rambling time of my own…wish me luck.

olympia and delphi

Last week we had one day of classes, and then took to the road in cushy green buses bound for Olympia and Delphi. The trip was kind of like summer camp, in ways good and bad.



It was great to see the archaeological sites with professors, but the sightseers are arriving in force in Greece as the weather warms and Easter approaches, and between them and the insulating pod of my fellow students it was hard to feel like I was really seeing sometimes. I think one of my favorite things might have been the small mountain towns we stopped in along the way.



Our first big stop was Olympia, home of the ancient games and a really important religious sancuary. It was pretty and peaceful but didn't grab me somehow compared with the other places we went. We did, however, restage footraces in the ancient stadium, which was pretty hilarious.



In traditional fashion, the women raced separately from the men, but it looked like the women were faster. One of our professors offered a cash reward to the winner, in leiu of the customary olive oil, parade, and free food for life from the government. Being an Olympic champion was a pretty good deal back in the day.



The second leg of the trip, Delphi, was perhaps one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen in my life.



When we first got there we went to the lower site at dusk, soon to be escorted out by the ancient cat-loving groundskeeper. Nonetheless, it was the perfect time of day to be there, perfect slanting light.



The temple of Athena was probably my favorite building, which is a little odd given that Delphi is the oracular sanctuary of Apollo. But it just fit the landscape so well, and I like how it was sort of tucked into the corner of the site.



Our marathon tour of the upper site the next day was worthwhile but a little harrowing - it was st. patrick's day, and the steep slopes were packed with fidgety children, pushy old women, and drunk people of all ages. It felt like half tour, half obstacle course. In the end, it was good to get back to Stassinou and eat an orange out on the balcony, listening to the relative calm of the Sunday street below.

This weekend I'm taking a short field trip with my history class, but otherwise I need to stay in Athens and get some work done....because NATASHA IS COMING TO TOWN NEXT WEEK!!!! I am beside myself with excitement. But before that, I need to give a class presentation at the Acropolis monday morning for archaeology class. That will certainly be ten minutes to remember.

That's about all the news that's fit to print - over and out.

routines

It was a mellow weekend, after a hectic week of midterms - lest for a day trip to Rhamnous, where i took these pictures, I just bummed around the city and tried to do homework. I've grown unaccustomed to being stationary, and writing papers is like pulling teeth these days.



I have, on the other hand, become accustomed to Athens. With that comes affection but also some annoyance, some petty complaints with the way things differ, now that the newness of it all has mostly faded and I am faced with my identity as a resident of the city. I think it's this familiarity that has sort of sparked some awareness of what this place lacks, and has brought on my first bout of homesickness.



It goes without saying that I miss the people I love - I miss knowing and being known, more than I can explain. But it's also some small, unexpected things. I miss my road bike, the blurring green in my peripheral vision, the private wandering. I miss magazines, the familiar inconsequential patter of day to day life. What few we get here become cherished possessions, tattered by readings and sitting in pieces on the radiator in the living room. I miss being able to eavesdrop in line at the grocery store, or at a corner waiting for the light to change, and being able to read what I see on the street, getting the full scope of the world around me. Perhaps most oddly of all, I miss my adorable deceased pet rabbit Duncan. It's ridiculous, but sometimes I look at how big and bare my room is here, and I think of how much space there is for him. I guess he was for a while my constant traveller.



So anyways, these are my thoughts. It's hard, but in a sense it makes it real as well, and for that I am grateful. We travel a lot, and in many ways I am having the time of my life, but it is by no means an extended vacation. It's a life, nonetheless worth living.



This week the whole school is setting off on a weeklong field trip to Olympia and Delphi - our only day of classes is tomorrow. I'm looking forward to seeing more, and getting a change of pace. For now, there is a paper to write on the separation of church and state in ancient greece. It seems like one could spend their entire life on the topic and I'm not entirely sure what I plan to say about it in five pages, but I'm about to find out.

Kriti

This weekend I headed south to Crete, with my flatmates Shannon, Claire,
and Katherine, for a few days in the sun. My environmental studies
teacher has described the Greek climate as nearly bipolar, with cool wet
winters and clear dry summers. Even though it’s been mild compared to
what I’m used to, I’ve noticed all the pictures from my trips had thus far
been gray, gray rocks against gray clouds, a charcoal shaded world. Crete
was full of blinding, glorious Mediterranean light, and whet my appetite
for the late spring to come.



On our first day we went to Knossos, the largest and most important
archaeological site of the Minoan civiliation. The Minoans were an
advanced Cretan people who were building large centers and making
incredible art thousands of years before the birth of Christ, when Athens
was still a sparsely populated backwater town.



The British archaeologist who excavated the site, Sir Arthur Evans,
decided to associate it with the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur and
did a lot of reconstruction and promotion that his peers found dubious at
best and more often outrageously speculative. For example, the room above
was found with a rather humble chair against the wall, so he dubbed it the
throne room of King Minos. While I sympathize with Evans’ critics, his
work made a beautiful and engaging historical destination for modern
times, which is a lot more than I can say for many of the weedy and
decaying Mycenaen sites I saw in the Argolid. I liked being at Knossos.



The Minoans are known for their frescoes – this reconstructed one behind
me shows a ritual called bull-leaping.



We then had a picnic lunch under the orange trees. After I was done I let
this cat clean out the can of beans I was eating, and we caught a bus to
Hania.



Hania is a really gorgeous coastal town in Eastern Crete, with charming
Venetian architecture and a well-preserved old quarter. It was so breezy
and warm by the water, but we could also see snowy mountains a few miles
distant. There were a lot of cafes down on the harbor and we spent a lot
of time there, sitting outside drinking coffee.



The next day, after a long night out, we walked out along a narrow pier to
a lighthouse at the end of the harbor and proceeded to eat oranges and nap
away much of the afternoon.



I’ve never lived in a large city like Athens before, and I love it, but
it’s hard, it’s crowded and polluted and often smells like exhaust and cat
piss. Thus it was a godsend to be away….particularly with midterms coming
up this week. Tough to accept that they’re already here.

After much hand-wringing and debate, I’ve decided to island hop in Greece
for spring break. There’s so much of the country to experience, and I
want to see as much as I can while I still have some of the language and
practical knowledge at hand. My goal is to hike a lot, camp at least a
little, and get to areas somewhat less frequented by tourists – currently
the itinerary includes Naxos, Santorini, and Crete.

Well, I must be off to bond with my books for an extended period of time,
although I must admit that all I really want to do is fall asleep,
listening to the birds chirping and dogs barking outside the open window.
Wish me luck.

Wheels on the Bus Go Round

Just to set the record straight....



I did indeed cut off my hair. I didn't realize what a nuisance it had become until it was gone! I'm very pleased to be without it. Anyways, over the weekend CYA hit the road, going to Corinth, Nafplion, Mycenae, Tiryns, Francthi, and Epidauros in the space of three packed days. The trip was challenged by overcast and chill weather, and by the frenetic pace with which we charged through the various ruins, but overall it was great. I wish I'd taken pics at Mycenae, which was amazing, but i forgot my camera that day - i'll try to talk about the shots I have.



Epidauros was an important healing sanctuary in the ancient world, dedicated to the cult of Asclepius. People would make pilgrimages to the site and make sacrifices or leave votives, hoping to cure various ailments. Often the votives were in the shape of what was bothering them - there are a lot of disembodied eyes, ears, and torsos, which is rather funny.



Epidauros in also the home of the best preserved ancient theater - there's still a festival there every summer where they do the tragedies in mondern greek. The acoustics are really pretty stunning - you can hear the person standing on that circle in the center from pretty much anywhere in the theater.



Surprise, surprise, my favorite site was the woodsy one, Franchti Cave. It has been inhabited for something like thirty thousand years, and therefore is really famous and important among archaeologists - I found it just fun to poke around in.



We were lead here, and elsewhere, by my history professor Steve Diamant. This is, while hilarious, a very unfair photo of him - he is in fact well spoken, nattily attired, and a veritable fountain of knowledge on the Ancient Greeks. It turns out that he worked on the excavations at Francthi during the early 70s, when the site was first discovered, and thus gave us an amazing lecture.



He then led us up over part of the cave that had collapsed, and we followed like so many mountain goats. A good time was had.



The time is going by at an entirely bewildering pace. This weekend I am headed to Crete with some of my darling flatmates, and after that it's basically a rush towards spring break. It's hard to navigate being a student, a resident of a foreign city, and a traveller all at once, and it often feels like I can't keep it all going at once. Nonetheless, it's wonderful. I guess I shall go prepare for class tomorrow morning - we're meeting at the agora, and there is reading to be done. kalispera.

Over the River and Through the Woods

Hello everyone-

It's a busy Wednesday, I just got back from an Environmental Studies field trip to the National Gardens. We saw an escaped african grey parrot, european robins, magpies, the requisite stray dogs, and some hilariously enthusiastic speed walkers wearing hilariously tiny shorts. My flatmate Mitzi's parents are in town and they're making us dinner in a while, I'm very much looking forward to fresh Mexican food. While feta cheese is perhaps one of the greater culinary inventions of the western world, I'm about ready for a change of pace.

This past Monday was Clean Monday, a national holiday in Greece. People abstain from eating meat, fly kites, and eat this special bread with sesame seeds that's made only once a year. I went on a hike with a Greek outing club on the island of Salamis, which is very close to Athens. The Athenians on the trip were rather absurdly well equipped for a day hike - most walked with serious trekking poles, wearing sturdy boots and frame packs. But they were incredibly welcoming and shared a lot of bread with us.



Near a monastery before the serious hiking began I met a man and his horse down by the water, and he offered to let me hop on for minute or two, which was lovely.



We then took the bus to the head of the trail, and hiked up over the mountains to the beach on the other side.



There the terrain opened up somewhat, and there were lots of great flowers in the fields that I should've taken pictures of, especially the poppies.



We sort of hopped over ridges along the shore until we reached the bus, tired and hungry. Along the way I saw a lot of kites, and a lot of men hitting octopi (is that the plural of octopus?;) against the rocks by the water. They tied them to ropes and then swung the ropes, from behind their shoulders and down to the ground - the tentacles flailed wildly as they flew through the air. Octopus is a very popular Greek food, particularly during Lent, but it is rather tough and chewy in it's natural state, and the beating tenderizes it. All in all, a good long day was had.

This weekend we're going on a schoolwide trip to the Argolid, which includes Nafplio, Mycenae, and Franchti, among other places. I'm thrilled to be travelling with my archaeology professor, and to be able to learn on site...reports to come.