Greece trip, part 6

The Temple of Olympian Zeus


Royal Guard at the palace of the Greek King


Temple of Poseidon at Sounion


Day 5: Thursday, March 26
Athens, Sounion, to Athens

I don’t remember much about the mornings after this point, only that we got up late and ate breakfast too long; our room was consistently late to the bus. First we drove through Athens to get to the Roman Temple of Zeus. Eugenia explained that Hadrian and Zeus were worshipped side by side in the temple. The temple is huge!! The pillars towered over our heads; I strove to capture the entire thing in a single picture. As we looked up at the temple, we saw the Acropolis in the distance, not too far away. It was grand! We also saw the ancient Roman agora around the temple. Once again, I was completely blown away by the majesty of this place. Hadrian’s Gate still stands; we have the entrance to the agora and then the remnants of the temple. I imagined walking through Hadrian’s Gate from the outside as a visitor to Athens, seeing the huge multitude of people, animals, shops, and buildings in the agora and around the temple, its huge stature dominating the entire marketplace. I would walk up the stone steps, loosen my mantle, and kneel, paying homage to Zeus and Hadrian at once, amazed at the myriad of colors and peoples in the agora. I was yanked back to reality as Eugenia hurried us around the site. It was that damned schedule again. Next, we went and saw the Olympic stadium built for the archery in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. It was big and the day was beautiful, but it frankly did not hold a candle to the other things that I had seen on the trip. I did buy a nice book and some postcards there, however. Next we stopped outside the palace of the King of Greece. Greece has a President, a Prime Minister, and a King, with the Prime Minister having the most power and the King being essentially a figurehead. We got to take pictures next to the guards of the palace, who did not move a single muscle. We got a passing glimpse of the statue of the Woodcutter as we drove by. Unfortunate, for it’s Dr. Pappas’ favorite statue and it looked pretty good to me too. Next we stopped outside the library of Athens. Lots of pigeons were in the square and Amy got some feed poured into her hand and cringed as she was swarmed by pigeons. It was gross and looked really scary, too. We got back on the bus and passed the Technological University of Athens, which had some great sculptures of Athena, Apollo, Socrates, and others. I’m told that we passed Schliemann’s house at some point along our drive to Cape Sounion but I missed it and I’m still kicking myself. As we got closer to Sounion, we passed the Xenia Café (!!!!!!). Xeni means foreigner; see Appendix B. We sighted the Temple of Poseidon before we got there; Sounion is the southernmost cape of Attica and provided a great lookout. The Cape is very beautiful and the temple stands majestically above the water. Eugenia pointed out where Aegeas threw himself off the rocks and where Lord Byron, my namesake, carved his name into one of the stones of the temple (Ravel did as well). She explained to us the intricacies of its architecture, including the fact that it has only 16 flutes to mitigate wear from the sea and the elements. The Temple was truly beautiful and we stayed for quite some time to take pictures and take it all in. I imagined mighty Poseidon striding out from Sounion into the sea, taking mastery of his realm as sailors and gulls wing in from the indomitable sea. Sounion, the Temple of Athena on Aegina, and the Acropolis from an equilateral triangle. Such mastery!! These Greeks were, and are, truly amazing. All I remember from the rest of the day was that it was a sunny, oceanic blur of a bus ride back to Athens, and that I felt like I truly belonged in a tour bus traveling through Greece with 14 people I met only a week ago and far from my friends and family and my home.

[Although that was a fine dramatic ending, in the name of accuracy I must continue today’s log. Later that night we decided to go out to a club (some of the others had been out the night before). We asked around and found a place called Lava Bore where young college students would be. We got dinner first and then went in about 11. We were the only ones in there! It was so funny; I speculated that everyone was probably still hung over from the night before, when they had their Independence Day celebration. It was fun but not exactly what I was expecting—too bad since clubbing is not a thing that I will do very frequently ever again, in all likelihood. But, we all had fun and I got a little slice of chaos, so it was a good time.]

Greece trip, part 5

Poros Island


Hydra


Beautiful Hydra again.

Some of you (David) have asked me to include the appendices that I mentioned. They are not done yet, so I will post them up as a final post when I have covered all the material in this journal. I'll link them all by keyword so they will be easy to find.

Day 4: Wednesday, March 25
Piraeus, Poros, Hydra, Aegina, to Athens

We got up too early and loaded the bus at 7:30, headed for the port of Piraeus. Our one-day cruise would take us first to the islands of Poros, Hydra, and Aegina, in that order. As we boarded the ship we were greeted by a couple in traditional Greek costumes. It was really exciting to be on a cruise ship—I had never been on one before. It wasn’t a super fancy cruise ship, but I don’t plan on being rich so I have to get excited about these kinds of things because I’ll probably never get to do them again. After we set sail, Becky and I stood on the bow and jumped right when the boat hit the top of a wave. It was really fun and it quickly became apparent that the water was going to be extremely choppy; it ended up being a long day. We were on the boat for quite some time before we reached Poros. I was glad to have a day where I didn’t have to worry about seeing ruins or museums, although that aspect was really my cup of tea. I mainly talked with George, Ryan, and Dr. Pappas; Ryan is quite in tune with a lot of my beliefs about music and I think that he is willing to be hippified—that, and I want to be introduced to all of the classic rock that he listens to. Very cool—I made some new connections that day. I was amused when I came down from the top deck and found Shannon, Jess, and Amy all crashed facedown on one of the tables in the galley. The day was quite nice though not as warm as I would have liked. After a lot of chilling on the boat, we finally reached Poros. We got only half an hour on this island, so we didn’t have the chance to really go anywhere. First, Amy, Jess, and I tried to get a glimpse of the Independence Day celebration that was going on in the street (March 25 is the day of Greek independence from the Ottoman Turkish empire). Then we had somewhat of a fiasco while Amy tried to photograph fish in the water. With our remaining time, we explored around some of the houses farther from the shore. They were very beautiful, tall and white with blue roofs, and closely packed to create romantic byways and small alleys. We barely made it back on the ship and set sail for Hydra. More relaxation and talking on the ship; lots of great stuff happened there but my talk with Ryan was the standout. They had music and dancing on our way to Hydra, and I got up there with Amy, Jess, and Becky and tore some holes in the floor. It was a lot of fun, though I must still lament the lack of rhythm in the general tourist populace.
We reached Hydra and I instantly fell in love. Hydra is so beautiful!! Everyone wanted to stay on the shore and look at the shops, but I ranged around the island as far as I could in the time that we were there, taking in the sheer beauty of the land and the sea and the architecture. The sky was blue, clouds were sparse, the water shone like sapphire, trees rustled in the warm breeze, and wild flowers sprouted along the path. I could have spent weeks on Hydra alone, swimming, hiking, and sailing all day with a lover, climbing up the mountains by night to gaze at Orion. One hour served only to set in me a deep passion and reverence for the peaceful and beautiful isle. I cried inwardly as we boarded the ship; perhaps I will never see it again in my lifetime (I know this is a lie, for I will return to Greece—perhaps tracing Odysseus’ route—at any price). As we got nearer to Aegina, the weather changed for the worse—the seas became dark and choppy and rain brewed as Poseidon shook his angry fist at our puny vessel. When we landed on Aegina, it was raining hard; we booked it for a restaurant and grabbed lunch. Our group included Amy, Jess, Jeff, Becky, Kelvin, and Shannon. Great times with better friends. It was a GREAT restaurant, I joked to Jeff. That was all we had time for. I rather wanted to see the temple to Athena on Aegina but it required motor transportation and more time than we had. The ride back took forever, but we got to see some authentic Greek dancing and listened to some great music by a pianist and clarinetist. Becky danced with the main dancer and her picked her up and swung her around. Kelvin was coerced into the same situation, as was a very skinny Japanese man who tried to pick up Shannon and then failed. We were laughing almost constantly, but damned if it wasn’t a long ride! Very tired, we made our way back to the hotel and rested up for our next day of adventure: Athens and Cape Sounion, home of the Temple of Poseidon.

Greece trip, part 4

The Navel of the World


Mountains around Delphi


George, Jeff, and me at Delphi


The Sphinx in the museum at Delphi


I need to give you some more information before I go on. People on the trip:
Davis
George
Nate
Kelvin
Jeff
Ryan
Amy
Jess
Shannon
Becky
Kate
Katelyn
Ashley
Rachel
Jessie
Dr. Pappas
Eugenia (tour guide)
Yorgos (bus driver)

Also, a lot of things aren't defined in my journal because I studied this stuff all last quarter so I didn't need to cite or define a lot of it for myself; also keep in mind that for this reason I knew a lot more coming in than did anyone else (which earned me the whole Lord thing, I suppose). If you have any questions about anything just let me know.

Day 3: Tuesday, March 24
Delphi, Itea, Thebes, Cithaeron, to Athens

We had a delicious and satisfying breakfast in Delphi. When I got up I was greeted by a view of a nearby mountainside; the mountains around and in Delphi are beautiful. I was always proud of my Pacific Northwest heritage and I’m a huge fan of the Cascades, but these mountains blew me away. I remember remarking to Amy that the mountains in Greece are curvy and the trees pointed, while in the States it is just the opposite. Funny. Yet another sign of the reversal that I experienced there, and the greater reversal that was about to come into my life. (The night before, Eugenia had provided us with some information about what we were to see today. Delphi holds one of the only four bronze statues in all of Greece: the Charioteer (whose badassery is cemented by his prominent sideburns)!!! She also mentioned that the Priestess was the most respected person of the ancient world, even above politicians.)
First we stopped at the Tholos of Athena, farther down a different mountainside than the uncovered portion of Delphi, which is in fact only eight percent of what stood there (and perhaps still waits to be uncovered). The Tholos is one of only three round structures in all of ancient Greece, so it was very exciting. Eugenia mentioned here that the ancient Greeks were in fact not that religious; that is, they did not believe in the gods as devoutly as we think they did. She explained that worship and sacrifices were mainly made to gain and hold political favor. Funny how they had the same political maneuverings that we do; yet theirs were elegant and beautiful, while ours call to mind maggots feeding on feces. She told us that the Greeks would occupy an area and then invent a myth to justify their presence—after all, nothing comes from nothing.

As we left the Tholos we gazed up at the Oracle, majestically built right into the side of the mountain. I could hardly breathe as we walked up to the entrance gate, where I was denied yet another beautiful ticket. As began our climb up the mountain, I could feel my spirit rising. Delphi! Here we were! First we came to the Roman forum, with a walkway and shops for buying holy items and sacrifices. Eugenia turned and pointed out a nearby mountain where Aesop (Aesopos) was cast off after disbelieving one of the priestess’ oracles. We then saw the Navel of the World, the place where Zeus’ two eagles met from opposite ends of the world. The whole time we climbed, the view kept getting more and more beautiful., the steep wooded mountains shrouded in mist and dimmed by sunlight. I liked the treasury because its frieze depicted Theseus’ battle against the Minotaur. We also saw a wall with the names of emancipated slaves scrawled all over; masters had the right to free slaves at any time. I took this opportunity to pick up Greek phonemes and to learn to (haphazardly) read some of the writing (see Appendix B).
Finally, we made it up to the temple. I was pleased to learn that it has three sections, just like the megaron at Mycenae. It was truly majestic when it still stood. The foundation is very beautiful, and leads the imagination to think of what type of rooms were in there and what each might have been used for. As we continued to ascend I imagined lines and lines of men and donkeys bearing lavish gifts for the Oracle, each hoping to hear a bounteous fortune, each bending her words to his own will. We saw the theater of Delphi on the way up to the highest uncovered portion, the stadium of Delphi. There were signs prohibiting climbers from mounting the cliffs; I’m sure many have tried. At the top, we admired the stadium as Dr. Pappas told us about Mr. T (I also remember that Nate got some, shall we say, attractive pictures of the scenery). On the way down, I joked about how great of a job the priestess had: she got smashed and then got to look at the mountains all day. Sounds good to me. Eugenia told us that the water has ethylene in it, which is why the fumes gave the priestess her high; she added that the people of Delphi are slower than most, for this reason. As we walked back down the mountain, I remarked to Dr. Pappas what a great journey this was in the ancient times. It’s not like Oedipus hopped in the car to go to Delphi! It was a great pilgrimage through mountainous terrain, slow, hot, and tiresome, I’m sure. Though I would endure it all just for a glimpse of the pristine beauty of those mountains.

We stopped in the Museum of Delphi before heading out. We got to see the tripod that the Oracle sat on, as well as a statue of the Sphinx (the same one that Oedipus killed; there is only one). Here, the big things were the Kouroi, the Catalonian Boar, and the Charioteer. Eugenia explained how the Kouroi and the Charioteer show the progress of sculpture as they get progressively more realistic. Here we also saw the first musical notation. It consists of symbols above the text of a bardsong that dictate what techniques are to be used there. Here it was, the beginning of man’s transformation from beast to sentient. It was amazing! Eugenia moved on too quickly for me; I was stunned by the shock of such a magnificent finding. They really did do it all first. A pox on Rome! Though they tried, they could never best the Greeks. How can any accomplishment match the magnitude of these ancients? They did it ALL first.
We moved through to the Charioteer. It was great, but I was still reeling from the musical notation. He is one of only 4 bronze statues left in Greece; the rest were melted down after being copied, the bronze used for other things. Before we left, I asked Eugenia about the real locations of some of The Odyssey; see Appendix B.

We stopped for a delicious lunch in the port of Itea, along the coast near the base of Delphi. We got to take some beautiful pictures of the Aegean Sea, whose name was explained to us later. I touched it; I have touched the Aegean Sea. The meal was great; I tried a fried whole small fish. It was disconcerting to have to eat the bones and the scales, but it was delicious. The wine went especially well with the fish. Here I earned my new nickname when Dr. Pappas yelled, “Tim! Tim! Tim!” to get my attention. He did it again several times throughout the trip, though I think after this it was less of an accident than he made it out to be. We passed through Thebes on the way back to Athens. Eugenia pointed out the mountain where Oedipus was left to die (!!!). It’s quite far from Corinth—Oedipus did a much better job of running away (at least physically) than I had first thought. We also stopped briefly at Cithareon before making it back to the Hotel Stanley. Everyone was tired but really excited for the cruise the next day! No museums for a day!

Greece trip, part 3

Pictures won't upload. I'll try and get some up here; in any case, the Facebook pics should be up within the week.

Day 2: Monday, March 23
Olympia, Cangathi, Patras, to Delphi

We woke up to a beautiful view in Olympia. The hotel balcony allowed us to look out over the town and see some of the mountains. The air was clear and fresh, and the breakfast was delicious. We headed out for ancient Olympia around 8:30, so we had quite a bit more sleep than we had in Athens! The admission tickets were shiny and beautiful; I was sure to keep mine, unaware that due to my age it would be the first and the last that I got. As we walked into Olympia, some workers were weedwhacking the grass among the ruins—yet another juxtaposition of ancient and modern! I began to think that this idea could be a huge overarching theme—and later, I was proven right. The ruins were fantastic! First Eugenia showed us the palestra, where the athletes competed in pagratio, boxing; the palestra is surrounded by the stoa (in fact much like the covered walkways of Shorewood). My favorite thing was the Temple of Zeus. The pillars are gigantic! I got a good scale picture of Amy; it takes more than six of her to reach the top of one of the pillars. Many fell during earthquakes, revealing their masterful and clever construction: iron rods are placed in the middle of all the discs to keep them straight and stable. Each disc was huge unto itself; Eugenia mentioned that they would have been floated from Naxos and other islands, where all the marble was located. She also showed us the writing on ancient stone tablets. We got to see where cheaters in the games had to donate a statue inscribed with their name—it served as both a punishment and as a resource booster for Olympia. We had a 60 meter race on the ancient starting line—Kelvin won and I pulled a close second (though Dr. Pappas thought that Kelvin should have been disqualified after watching video footage). Next we saw the Shrine of Hera, where the sacred flame was lit by a mirrored bowl held by her disciples. When we got to the museum, we were able to see a miniature reconstruction of all the buildings in Olympia, which was very cool to see. I regret that I had not seen it before we walked around; it would have made my experience much richer and more imaginative. Inside the museum, we saw the facades of the temple of Zeus. One depicts Apollo and the Centaurs; the other features Oinomaos the lord of horses. I was excited to see the nine Labors of Herakles. We also got to see a picture of what the statue of Olympian Zeus looked like before it was destroyed/stolen/lost. It looks an awful lot like every depiction of Christ that I have ever seen—it was indeed as Eugenia said: “Nothing comes from nothing.”

The big tour de force was Praxiteles’ Hermes holding Dionysos. It was beautiful and perfectly formed, and it reads almost as well from the back as from the front (not from the sides, however). The girls were loath to admit it but I am sure that they loved Hermes’ well-formed buttocks. It has been slightly Romanized by additions to its sculpture. The other thing that I really liked there was the statue of Hadrian. His crest shows Athena crowned by Nikes above the depiction of Romulus and Remus with Lupus; Eugenia explained that this was because he considered himself an Hellenist and admired the Greeks more than his own people. The museum was frankly quite a struggle—Eugenia moved very fast and I naturally wanted to look at everything for hours. But Dr. Pappas wasn’t running no chickenshit outfit; we had a schedule and by God we had to keep it. We (or I, rather) reluctantly left the museum and loaded up.

On the way to Delphi, Dr. Pappas decided to surprise his brother-in-law Andreas by directing Yorgos to stop at his village. We took a detour and ended up in the small village of Cangathi. Andreas’ family dropped everything to open the local restaurant and prepare us a huge meal. For the next 3 hours, we ate, drank, and made merry. We had lamb, zhatziki, feta cheese, homemade olive oil, Greek salad, french fries (of course), chicken, and homemade wine. The wine was excellent, and is in fact the finest of all alcohols, for its taste and combination with food makes its consumption worth its mind-draining effects (truly, I jest; though on a side note, several people thought that I had too much to drink because I was loud, boisterous and funny at lunch—they had thus far met only the dark, reserved intellectual, not the brazen jester; of course I had such a small amount of wine as to make its effects negligible and so I laughed inwardly at their incorrect analysis). It was a fantastic experience—the Greeks have a lot more fun at meals than we ever could, I think. On top of that, Andreas was such a gentlemen, thoughtfully grasping each of the men as we walked by, and accepting no payment from Dr. Pappas. We were truly in good company. We were all sad to leave the beautiful little village and we slyly tipped our friends by hiding coins under plates. Perhaps this was how Odysseus would have welcomed visitors to his table, feasting and entertaining them to their hearts’ content. No time to think of mythology, though—off to Delphi!
We passed through Patras, and over the beautiful boatlike bridge linking the Peloponnese to Attica. Somehow I knew that this bridge was built to resemble Odysseus’ ship; as we passed over the dark water I imagined that vessel scudding over the black sea to Troy by night, for the moment blissfully unaware just as we were. We arrived late in Delphi, and after a cinnamon spaghetti dinner we went out to explore the town and to BUY THINGS! I splurged, quite funny since I spent slightly under three hundred dollars on the whole trip, including food, while some spent nearly one thousand. Here I had a laugh every time we turned the corner: the Hotel Aeolos, Dionysos Shop, Hotel Hermes. I had first noticed this at Myceneae—all of the shops capitalize on the mythology. My favorite was Clytemnaestra Rooms in Myceneae. With a name like that, I think I would have slept in the car! It was a wonderful night on the town; I went to bed excited for my most anticipated stop on the entire trip: the Oracle at Delphi.

Greece trip, part 2

Day 1: Sunday, March 22
Corinth, Epidavros, Myceneae, Lacadia, to Olympia

The flight was very late! We got into Athens about 2:30 AM. I called my parents to let them know that we had arrived; they were fine because it was still afternoon in Seattle. We met Manos at the airport. The ride back to the hotel seemed very long. When we finally arrived we got a hurried three hours of sleep. This was actually a good thing because it helped to reset our clocks to Greek time. Greece is amazing! We met our tour guide, Eugenia (who turned out to be amazing) and our bus driver, Yorgos (who also turned out to be amazing). First we drove through Corinth, stopping to see the Corinth Canal. It’s huge! 250 feet deep, with sheer walls carved through solid rock, it’s barely wide enough to let a single cruise ship through. Ryan and George wouldn’t stop talking about how fun it would be to bungee jump off of the bridge. You can count me out for that. This stop at Corinth was weird for me. It’s strange to think how ancient and mythical of a place Corinth is, and then to look at it today and see a smoky tourist shop and restaurant. I guess everyone wants to see Corinth, so the commercialization was inevitable. I had always imagined these places as pristine and ancient; I never really thought about or understood that they still exist in Greece today. The road signs along the way blew my mind. You’re just driving along and suddenly there’s a green sign that says “Athens 236 km.” Athens! The same one where Socrates walked! The same city that Athena blessed! I’m still not sure if I’m over the shock of physically being in places that I’ve only imagined. Anyhow, we continued on through Corinth to Epidavros, where we saw the Temple of Asklepios and then the theater of Epidavros. I was excited to see the sanctuary of Asklepios because he is one of the lesser gods, and Dr. Stacy mentioned him in a tangential discussion during his Aeschylus lecture. We got to see the first medical tools; my mom later remarked, “God, it would have been horrible to have had those rusty things stuck into you!” (I suspect that they weren’t that rusty when they were first created, but I stayed quiet). Eugenia also explained that Asklepios is the origin of the snakes associated with the caduceus. She showed us the plans of the temple, but I was more excited about the statue of Asklepios and learning more about his mythology. Then we made our way outside to the Theater of Epidavros. I had seen Dr. Stacy’s pictures, but it was still much more beautiful than I could have imagined. Eugenia told us that it was built using the Golden Ratio; this was how it achieved such marvels of acoustics. Of course, this design also makes it physically very beautiful. I imagined rows and rows of Greeks, poor, young, old, rich, powerful or weak, kings or priests or warriors, sitting there enjoying Oedipus Rex, Medea, or Agamemnon, with the priest of Dionysus sitting up front. It all happened here, thousands of years ago. Strange to think that I stood where once men sat!
The view from the top of the theater was absolutely magnificent. I got some great pictures of the mountains. I was so excited when we got there that I ran up and down the steps several times (my legs paid for this the next day). Eugenia had us go to the top of the theater while she dropped a coin on the stone circle in the center of the orchestra. It rang true and sweetly, almost as loud as if it were right next to me. The theater was amazing and I was sad to leave; I could have stayed all day. We got on the bus and headed to Mycenae. I loved Epidavros but I loved Mycenae just as much. It was an exciting approach and a satisfying resolution. The palace is simply awe-inspiring. I cannot believe the size of the stones used in the Cyclopean walls; I took lots of scale pictures to show everyone back home. The stones are huge! I didn’t realize it then, but I was to see many more marvels that firmly cement the Greeks as far ahead of our builders. We’re standing on their shoulders and yet we can’t even come close; you know that the Space Needle won’t be around for even a thousand years. It’s hard to believe that Mycenae was built by human hands. As we climbed up to the megaron, Eugenia turned around and asked us about the nearest mountain. Suddenly I remembered and cried out, “Oh! It’s Agamemnon sleeping!” She was very impressed and asked me how I could have known that. I wasn’t sure how to answer; Dr. Stacy mentioned it offhand when he was showing us his pictures of Greece back in the fall. This would turn out to be only one of many instances where I would show off my knowledge of Greek mythology and history. I was excited to see the megaron and Grave Site A, because those were some other things that Dr. Stacy had talked about more in-depth. I imagined Agamemnon sitting at the far side of the megaron, entertaining guests as the fire blazed and guards came in from outside. They would stay there all night listening to a bard tell stories even earlier than the Homerics. The surrounding countryside was craggy and beautiful, but I didn’t feel as much connection with the rest of the palace as with the megaron. The tomb was incredibly built, a cone in the middle of a huge. Eugenia explained that they probably built the conical tomb first and then constructed a mound around it to hide it from barbarians or thieves. It was built before Agamemnon’s time, though it may have housed his remains; when it was discovered it was completely empty, so I guess we will never know. As we were entering the tomb, Eugenia told us about the curse of Agamemnon. Right after her comment, a clap of thunder sounded, terrifying several of our members. They got on my case because I repeatedly mentioned that I thought Agamemnon was a jerk. Well, you know what? He was. And pox on that curse!

We loaded the bus and headed for Olympia. We were set to pass through the Arcadian mountains on our way. The stress and lack of sleep of the past few days must have caught up with me, because I awoke to a darkening sky and snow-covered mountains. It was very strange! I was suddenly thrust from the sunny peak of Mycenae to a shadowy arctic. Just what type of land was this? In all my dreams I never thought that I would see Greece. This sudden change of scenery was symbolic to me; just as I was plunged into snow, so I was plunged into an ancient land full of mysticism and lore. At that very instant, I changed and I began to realize the scope of the world. From the light into the dark, from confidence to the growing realization that I will live as Socrates did, always in search of truth and yet falling farther and farther behind every moment. I won’t prattle on, as I’m sure I’ll revisit this idea many times before my narrative is through. But! Still!

As I was wondering at the beauty of our snowy passage, Yorgos suddenly turned a corner and revealed a village cut into the very side of the mountain. We were at a perfect vantage point, but the light was too low for a picture. Too bad, for it was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. We stopped in the village, Lacadia, and Dr. Pappas bought us desserts in their tavern. All the old men were scandalized by the appearance of young United States women, and they were certainly surprised when Nate walked in the door!! We ate our fill and had a good time enjoying the scenery and each other’s company. I was the last to leave, and I thanked the barkeep: “Yassa, chalimera.” I was proud that I had conversed for the first time in Greek. Later I learned that I had said, “Hi! Good morning.” After that pleasant interlude, we continued on our way to Olympia. We arrived to a late and very large dinner in the hotel and hung out in the lobby for several hours before going to sleep. It was a perfect end to a magnificent day; I began to know my companions just as I was beginning to know the land of Greece, Hellas.

Greece trip, part 1

WARNING: this post is long. However, it is worth the read; please read it. I have posted it for you.

I think I will post one day of Greece each day, or more, depending on how bored I am. I will try to include as many pertinent pictures as I can; after this journal is finished I will get most of my pictures on Facebook and I will let you know when that happens. You should look at them because they really go hand-in-hand.






London from the plane. That's the Thames River.


Me n' Big Ben!


Westminster Abbey


Stained glass in Westminster Abbey


Athens at night (2:30 AM)

Day 0: Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21
Seatac, London-Heathrow, Athens

I took several days off school to prepare for the trip. My mom was not very happy about the fact that I got my travel insurance the day of our departure, but I didn’t suffer any harm so I think that turned out all right. We arrived at the airport several minutes late due to traffic, but it turned out all right since everyone else was having the same problem. As I stood in a circle with the others, I wondered what kind of a relationship I would have with them at the end of the trip. Everyone says that traveling with someone produces a special bond, so I was excited to see whether I would get 14 new best friends. Security and boarding were uneventful, but the flight was dreadfully long. I got a chance to talk with some of the group, and I did get some sleep, but the flight was still about six hours too long for my taste. I wondered why the stewards made such a huge fuss over closing the windows several hours in; later I realized it was because we were flying through an area that was experiencing day when we should be experiencing night (!)—very interesting. I was tired but excited to arrive in London. This was my first time on non-US or Canadian soil, my first trip abroad (because Canada really doesn’t count). When we stepped off the plane, I was amazed at how large and modern London-Heathrow is, and at the racial diversity there (from all of the Crown’s colonies, perhaps?). It was fun to try out my terrible British accent and to say things like “mind” and “hand baggage.” After getting off the plane and making our way through the airport, we boarded the Tube to see a bit of London. I will admit that I got quite a laugh out of the name of our Tube’s destination, though after the sixth or seventh stop Dr. Pappas shot me a look that plainly said, “stop being juvenile.” We got off at Piccadilly to see the sights. We started at Green Park, a beautiful park full of lush grass, flowers, and birds, and bursting with verdant energy. We continued through to Buckingham Palace Square. The palace was beautiful, ornately built and surrounded by elegant gardening and sculpture. Next we saw the old barracks and continued past more government buildings to Big Ben and the Parliament building, as well as the Eye of London. I was really hoping to get a glimpse of MI6, the British equivalent of the CIA; my friend told me about it before the trip. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite where I thought it was and we didn’t have time to look for it—next time, though!!! I didn’t catch the names of many of the things that we passed; I was in the back taking too many pictures, a habit that I thankfully curbed before we got too far through Greece. Next we went to Westminster Abbey, where Muzio Clementi, father of the pianoforte, is interred. I rather wanted to see all the tombs, but we didn’t have a lot of time and I’m sure they wouldn’t have let us anyway—Ashley did enough to tick them off when she asked for that official to pose with her sock monkey. We passed by Scotland Yard, which was neat, as well as the statue of Lord Nelson, which was tall. We tried to get into a pub for dinner but it was too full; instead we ate in the basement of Italian restaurant with a Romanian hostess who spoke 12 languages. We hurried back on the tube (some Brits “loffed” (laughed) at Dr. Pappas’ directions on the way) and made the flight with not much time to spare. I don’t remember a whole lot about London. Everything moved too fast and it was more of a blur for me, which is funny because some of us (and here I poke fun at a certain Miss Holmes) thought it was the best part of the trip.