So I think today may have been the ultimate indication that there just isn’t that much to do in Northern Greece. We got to sleep in this morning until 7:30 and left our hotel in Kalambaka. It might sound like I’m being sarcastic when I said sleeping in until 7:30 but I’m not, our usual wakeup call is at 6 or 6:30. I think the only reason I was even able to sleep that late was because we just had daylight savings time end. After a few hours in the bus, driving through lots of snow, we stopped at what did not appear to be an archaeological sight. Turns out our first sight today was the cheese capital of Greece. It is a teeny tiny town where we spent an hour and I had my final Greek kateifi.
After the cheese capital, we spent a few more hours on the bus, drove out of the snow and stopped at the largest wax museum in Greece. It is privately owned and the man who built it spent 30 years of his life building the building and all of the wax figures to go inside. The museum follows the modern military history of Greece beginning with resistance against the Ottoman Turks and goes through WWII. It sounds cool but it was actually one of the creepier things I’ve ever seen. The whole museum was underground and very dark. One of the figures had just had his skin flayed off.
After the wax museum, TOumaxou decided to call it a day and took us to the hotel. I think we’re all very, very ready for Italy. One more night!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
“Hefty and Prominent” 3-26-07
We got back from Spring break almost a week ago. It took a while to transition back into the swing of things but everything is back to normal now. Now we’re in our short tour of Northern Greece. We have one more night in a Greek hotel then we’re getting on a ferry for Italy.
Northern Greece has been pretty uneventful so far. On Sunday (March 25th) was Greek Independence Day. We celebrated with a free day in Thessaloniki, which is the second largest city in Greece. Jeanna, Jess and I went down to the water to see the parade. This was my second Greek parade experience and was significantly less funny. For the first half, men and women wearing traditional dress from all the regions in Greece paraded down the road then the second half was full of every student over the age of 12 in the whole city, I’m pretty sure. Besides some great mullets and the Lesbians (citizens of the island of Lesbos) in tradition clothes, it wasn’t too exciting. I did get to see a man selling a device that would roll prefect grape leaves on its own.
Right now I’m trying to get in all of my favorite Greek food so I really will be ready to go to Italy. Last night I had souvlaki and ice cream from “The Daily Pleasure” (a great brand!), tonight I got kok for dessert. I just have to get kateifi (a hairy pastry, with angel hair pasty and honey) and then I’ll be good to go.
Northern Greece has been pretty uneventful so far. On Sunday (March 25th) was Greek Independence Day. We celebrated with a free day in Thessaloniki, which is the second largest city in Greece. Jeanna, Jess and I went down to the water to see the parade. This was my second Greek parade experience and was significantly less funny. For the first half, men and women wearing traditional dress from all the regions in Greece paraded down the road then the second half was full of every student over the age of 12 in the whole city, I’m pretty sure. Besides some great mullets and the Lesbians (citizens of the island of Lesbos) in tradition clothes, it wasn’t too exciting. I did get to see a man selling a device that would roll prefect grape leaves on its own.
Right now I’m trying to get in all of my favorite Greek food so I really will be ready to go to Italy. Last night I had souvlaki and ice cream from “The Daily Pleasure” (a great brand!), tonight I got kok for dessert. I just have to get kateifi (a hairy pastry, with angel hair pasty and honey) and then I’ll be good to go.
Mykonos is not Las Vegas, what happens in Mykonos goes to the blog, it does not stay in Mykonos!
The above is blog writing wisdom from Frank.
For Mom and Dad’s last day in Athens, we were thinking about spending the day in Peiraius, Athens’ port city. I got out of the shower to get ready to go when they told me that Dad had been up all the night before with bad dreams. Turns out, he had nightmares that my suitcase (which was not in the best shape) had fallen apart on one of our flights. So instead of going to Peiraius in the morning I took them to Attika, the Athens department store to go suitcase shopping. I decided to stick with black and red so that I wouldn’t throw anyone off too much and especially not myself (my old suitcase had been my home for two and a half months).
When we got back to the room, I got to repack everything into my new suitcase with all of the new clothes (well, new to me for the trip) and I sent home all of my warm clothes home with Mom and Dad in my old suitcase.
For Mom and Dad’s last day in Athens, we were thinking about spending the day in Peiraius, Athens’ port city. I got out of the shower to get ready to go when they told me that Dad had been up all the night before with bad dreams. Turns out, he had nightmares that my suitcase (which was not in the best shape) had fallen apart on one of our flights. So instead of going to Peiraius in the morning I took them to Attika, the Athens department store to go suitcase shopping. I decided to stick with black and red so that I wouldn’t throw anyone off too much and especially not myself (my old suitcase had been my home for two and a half months).
When we got back to the room, I got to repack everything into my new suitcase with all of the new clothes (well, new to me for the trip) and I sent home all of my warm clothes home with Mom and Dad in my old suitcase.
Spring Break blogging from Laney
3/12/2007
Dad and I arrived in Athens today, 1:50 Athens time and 06:50 am C’ville time (or maybe 7:50 with the earlier daylight savings time. We had no difficulties and even found the correct bus to take from the airport to the hotel. We thought riding a bus would allow us to see more sights than the metro. We tried to exercise in the airports between flights by walking the concourse several times and even found time to split a beer. This evening we have been walking the streets of Athens to find our way around. It’s a good thing Jackie isn’t here because there is a shoe store on every corner. We went to the parliament building to see the changing of the guards. While watching them I couldn’t help but think of that has a future costume for one the classics Halloween parties. They wear shoes that look like LLBean duck shoes with large tassels that protrude from the toe. They also wear skirts with white stocking and tassels on the lower leg behind the knee. You should probably Google it to get the full picture. While we were eating dinner this evening in an authentic Greek restaurant, we saw 4 groups of armed police walking by. There is a big protest in the square in front of the parliament. They have pretty good music too. We are all set for a big day of touring some of the historic sites tomorrow and looking forward to meeting up with Kakie on Wednesday morning at the airport.
Love, Mom
3/13
We started the morning, after breakfast in the hotel, which provided lots of laban, with a walk to the Plaka. There are stray dogs that lie in the street and don’t seem at all bothered by passersby. They seem well fed but lethargic. We walked by a butcher shop with lamb hanging in the window with the head still attached, which was a little surprising. Perhaps they have to prove that it is not the dog.
We felt very confident with map in hand that we could make it to the Acropolis so through the Plaka and up the hill we went. We saw one or 2 homemade sides that indicated we were on the right path. As we wondered our way up the hill, we were walking on very small pathways that passed by the open windows & doors of peoples homes. Because we could see the Acropolis as we walked, we continued on the path up the hill stopping occasionally to appreciate the view that is until we came to a dead end and a kind man came from his house and said “Acropolis?” He pointed us in another direction, gave Jim a Greek lesson and sent us on our way. It wasn’t intuitive to walk down the heel when we were trying to go up, but we did and found our way to the north entrance of the Acropolis and enjoyed the visit for several hours.
We also tried our first Greek coffee. I can mark that one off the list.
3/14
Got an early start to catch a bus to the airport to meet Katherine. Her flight from Turkey was on schedule and Jim was standing at the gate with his Davidson cap on so she couldn’t miss him. The first student out asked if we were Stewart’s parent and said that she would be out as soon as she retrieved her luggage. It was worth the trip to see her big smile and sigh of relief when she walked through the doors and saw us. We spent the next several hours in the airport waiting on our flight to Mykonos. We met several of the other Davidson students, looked at all of her pictures, listened to stories and told a few to catch her up on family and friends. The Athens airport is very nice with all types of stores and restaurants. We had a nice lunch while we were waiting on the flight.
The flight was a short one with a bumpy landing due to strong winds. We picked up our luggage and headed via cab to the hotel. At the hotel we asked for a map of the island but the hotel keeper said there were no more maps and a map was really helpful because the road/paths would not be on them and we would get lost anyway.
With a few directions from the inn keeper, we set off to find a place for dinner. So many of the places are closed for the winter. We found a small family-run restaurant and had a nice dinner and watched 2 men play backgammon. The young women eating at the table beside of us rolled her own cigarettes. Many people smoke here but don’t roll their own that we have seen.
3/15
After breakfast in the hotel, we headed out to explore. When we were by the sea, one of they fishermen befriended us and took us around to see a few sites. The wind was so strong that the fisherman did not go out. Mykonos is very quiet in the winter time. I think the locals enjoy the tourist more when there are so few. We walked for hours and finally stopped when we came across a Starbucks for a little taste of home. When we returned to the hotel it was so late that we decided to combine lunch and dinner.
Around 5:30 we headed back down the maize of streets to the waterfront to find a place to eat. We enjoy ordering a couple of appetizers and entrees and eating family style. Of course we are trying the local beers, Mythos and Alpha so far.
3/16/07
Today we were determined to find a fortress that we read about in the National Geographic travel guide, no one seem to understand when we asked about how to get the fortress. We were pretty sure that we could see it up on the mountains so we headed out on our own. After a very long hike we discovered that what we were seeing was a beautiful resident and stone fencing. We continued our hike for an hour or so longer and stopped along the road at a café for our third Greek beer, Fix, and lunch. We also found a .99 store to visit.
Dad and I arrived in Athens today, 1:50 Athens time and 06:50 am C’ville time (or maybe 7:50 with the earlier daylight savings time. We had no difficulties and even found the correct bus to take from the airport to the hotel. We thought riding a bus would allow us to see more sights than the metro. We tried to exercise in the airports between flights by walking the concourse several times and even found time to split a beer. This evening we have been walking the streets of Athens to find our way around. It’s a good thing Jackie isn’t here because there is a shoe store on every corner. We went to the parliament building to see the changing of the guards. While watching them I couldn’t help but think of that has a future costume for one the classics Halloween parties. They wear shoes that look like LLBean duck shoes with large tassels that protrude from the toe. They also wear skirts with white stocking and tassels on the lower leg behind the knee. You should probably Google it to get the full picture. While we were eating dinner this evening in an authentic Greek restaurant, we saw 4 groups of armed police walking by. There is a big protest in the square in front of the parliament. They have pretty good music too. We are all set for a big day of touring some of the historic sites tomorrow and looking forward to meeting up with Kakie on Wednesday morning at the airport.
Love, Mom
3/13
We started the morning, after breakfast in the hotel, which provided lots of laban, with a walk to the Plaka. There are stray dogs that lie in the street and don’t seem at all bothered by passersby. They seem well fed but lethargic. We walked by a butcher shop with lamb hanging in the window with the head still attached, which was a little surprising. Perhaps they have to prove that it is not the dog.
We felt very confident with map in hand that we could make it to the Acropolis so through the Plaka and up the hill we went. We saw one or 2 homemade sides that indicated we were on the right path. As we wondered our way up the hill, we were walking on very small pathways that passed by the open windows & doors of peoples homes. Because we could see the Acropolis as we walked, we continued on the path up the hill stopping occasionally to appreciate the view that is until we came to a dead end and a kind man came from his house and said “Acropolis?” He pointed us in another direction, gave Jim a Greek lesson and sent us on our way. It wasn’t intuitive to walk down the heel when we were trying to go up, but we did and found our way to the north entrance of the Acropolis and enjoyed the visit for several hours.
We also tried our first Greek coffee. I can mark that one off the list.
3/14
Got an early start to catch a bus to the airport to meet Katherine. Her flight from Turkey was on schedule and Jim was standing at the gate with his Davidson cap on so she couldn’t miss him. The first student out asked if we were Stewart’s parent and said that she would be out as soon as she retrieved her luggage. It was worth the trip to see her big smile and sigh of relief when she walked through the doors and saw us. We spent the next several hours in the airport waiting on our flight to Mykonos. We met several of the other Davidson students, looked at all of her pictures, listened to stories and told a few to catch her up on family and friends. The Athens airport is very nice with all types of stores and restaurants. We had a nice lunch while we were waiting on the flight.
The flight was a short one with a bumpy landing due to strong winds. We picked up our luggage and headed via cab to the hotel. At the hotel we asked for a map of the island but the hotel keeper said there were no more maps and a map was really helpful because the road/paths would not be on them and we would get lost anyway.
With a few directions from the inn keeper, we set off to find a place for dinner. So many of the places are closed for the winter. We found a small family-run restaurant and had a nice dinner and watched 2 men play backgammon. The young women eating at the table beside of us rolled her own cigarettes. Many people smoke here but don’t roll their own that we have seen.
3/15
After breakfast in the hotel, we headed out to explore. When we were by the sea, one of they fishermen befriended us and took us around to see a few sites. The wind was so strong that the fisherman did not go out. Mykonos is very quiet in the winter time. I think the locals enjoy the tourist more when there are so few. We walked for hours and finally stopped when we came across a Starbucks for a little taste of home. When we returned to the hotel it was so late that we decided to combine lunch and dinner.
Around 5:30 we headed back down the maize of streets to the waterfront to find a place to eat. We enjoy ordering a couple of appetizers and entrees and eating family style. Of course we are trying the local beers, Mythos and Alpha so far.
3/16/07
Today we were determined to find a fortress that we read about in the National Geographic travel guide, no one seem to understand when we asked about how to get the fortress. We were pretty sure that we could see it up on the mountains so we headed out on our own. After a very long hike we discovered that what we were seeing was a beautiful resident and stone fencing. We continued our hike for an hour or so longer and stopped along the road at a café for our third Greek beer, Fix, and lunch. We also found a .99 store to visit.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Gunaidyn
We finished our tour of Turkey with five nights in Istanbul. It was great because we somehow wound up with 2 free days (we had t take a test on one of them) and a day of fun sightseeing. The only downside was everyone was looking so forward to spring break, it was a little hard to think about everything in Istanbul.
1. My hotel room looked out over Aghia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. They are beautiful and we got to tour both. Every morning at 5am I woke up to the Blue Mosque’s prayer broadcast over its PA system. Hearing the Muslim prayers from mosque has been very common in Egypt and Turkey, I just never thought it was being broadcast from inside my bedroom before. It was really close!
2. I was surprised to find out when we got to Istanbul that several Davidson spring breakers were also staying there. A good friend of mine Katie, was with them. We got to spend an unexpected evening together in Istanbul. That was fun!
3. Jeanna, Jess and I took a ferry to the Asia side of Istanbul. Most of the city is technically in Europe but there is a part that is in Asia. It was a fun afternoon, and not very touristy. We didn’t pay very close attention to the signs for the ferry on the way back. There were several gates and we just walked into one. It was the first time I got on a boat and wasn’t positive which continent it was going to. Luckily, we guessed correctly.
4. Several girls and I decided to go to a Turkish bath. We went to one that the NYTimes decided is one of the 1,000 things to do before you die. It was quite a memorable experience, and we’re all much closer now because of it.
1. My hotel room looked out over Aghia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. They are beautiful and we got to tour both. Every morning at 5am I woke up to the Blue Mosque’s prayer broadcast over its PA system. Hearing the Muslim prayers from mosque has been very common in Egypt and Turkey, I just never thought it was being broadcast from inside my bedroom before. It was really close!
2. I was surprised to find out when we got to Istanbul that several Davidson spring breakers were also staying there. A good friend of mine Katie, was with them. We got to spend an unexpected evening together in Istanbul. That was fun!
3. Jeanna, Jess and I took a ferry to the Asia side of Istanbul. Most of the city is technically in Europe but there is a part that is in Asia. It was a fun afternoon, and not very touristy. We didn’t pay very close attention to the signs for the ferry on the way back. There were several gates and we just walked into one. It was the first time I got on a boat and wasn’t positive which continent it was going to. Luckily, we guessed correctly.
4. Several girls and I decided to go to a Turkish bath. We went to one that the NYTimes decided is one of the 1,000 things to do before you die. It was quite a memorable experience, and we’re all much closer now because of it.
Monday, March 12, 2007
“…58, 59, 60. How do you feel?” 3-9-07
I think there must be some international school for tour guides where they all learn how to say and do the same cheesy things. At Karnak Temple in Egypt, our tour guide Hesham (who was full of it for so many reasons) asked us all to close our eyes for 60 seconds in front of an obelisk, which he referred to as a big “finger of silence.” I can’t remember what we were supposed to feel but it was definitely not all that moving. I have never had so many Japanese people looking at me. At Ephesus the other day Gulen went on and on asking us to imagine all the sensations water brings as an explanation for all of the imperial fountains there.
Last night we spent the night in Assos. It is an adorable town right on the Aegean and it is absolutely tiny. Our hotel used to be an acorn storage facility for acorns used as dye for rugs. We were the only people staying in the hotel but since yesterday was “Women’s Day” in Turkey there was a large group of women listening to live Turkish music when we got there. Anna Marie and I got tea at a café on the water.
Today we have a very long drive to Istanbul. It will total about 7 hours with a 25-minute ferry ride across the Dardanelles. This morning we stopped at Troy. It wasn’t a very spectacular sight in terms of remains but there is distinct evidence from 10 cities spanning over three millennia and they were working on the newest edition of the Trojan horse. It is always controversial as to whether there actually was a Trojan War as written by Homer, and if so, if it was actually at this site. But if there was a Trojan War and it was at the Troy where we were today, then I got to see the wall on which Achilles chased Hector around three times before killing him. Plus the first significant work of Latin that I ever read was the Aeneid which begins with the destruction of Troy.
After the ferry across the Dardanelles, we stopped at Gallipoli. I didn’t know much about it before going but it is a WWI site that is especially significant for Australia and New Zealand. Winston Churchill wanted to create a direct path from the Aegean to Russia, an ally so he created an eastern front to the war. New Zealand and Australia both under the British committed a lot of troops to the battle expecting it to be a quick victory. However, after eight and a half months of stalemate, they retreated allowing a Turkish victory. Jess Dwyer, who spent last semester in New Zealand, said Gallipoli is a great source of sorrow for the countries because they lost so many men but also a source of their national identity because even though they fought with the British it was the first time they were making decisions on their own. ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) is a heavily celebrated idea and on April 25th, ANZAC Day, every year, hundreds of Australians and Kiwis come to Gallipoli to remember. Mustafa Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, was responsible for the Turkish defense in the battle.
Last night we spent the night in Assos. It is an adorable town right on the Aegean and it is absolutely tiny. Our hotel used to be an acorn storage facility for acorns used as dye for rugs. We were the only people staying in the hotel but since yesterday was “Women’s Day” in Turkey there was a large group of women listening to live Turkish music when we got there. Anna Marie and I got tea at a café on the water.
Today we have a very long drive to Istanbul. It will total about 7 hours with a 25-minute ferry ride across the Dardanelles. This morning we stopped at Troy. It wasn’t a very spectacular sight in terms of remains but there is distinct evidence from 10 cities spanning over three millennia and they were working on the newest edition of the Trojan horse. It is always controversial as to whether there actually was a Trojan War as written by Homer, and if so, if it was actually at this site. But if there was a Trojan War and it was at the Troy where we were today, then I got to see the wall on which Achilles chased Hector around three times before killing him. Plus the first significant work of Latin that I ever read was the Aeneid which begins with the destruction of Troy.
After the ferry across the Dardanelles, we stopped at Gallipoli. I didn’t know much about it before going but it is a WWI site that is especially significant for Australia and New Zealand. Winston Churchill wanted to create a direct path from the Aegean to Russia, an ally so he created an eastern front to the war. New Zealand and Australia both under the British committed a lot of troops to the battle expecting it to be a quick victory. However, after eight and a half months of stalemate, they retreated allowing a Turkish victory. Jess Dwyer, who spent last semester in New Zealand, said Gallipoli is a great source of sorrow for the countries because they lost so many men but also a source of their national identity because even though they fought with the British it was the first time they were making decisions on their own. ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) is a heavily celebrated idea and on April 25th, ANZAC Day, every year, hundreds of Australians and Kiwis come to Gallipoli to remember. Mustafa Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, was responsible for the Turkish defense in the battle.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
“Plan of the Runs” 3-7-07
We went to Ephesos a few days ago and went to the theater where Paul preached and the Ephesians rioted because of him. It was a pretty strange feeling to know that I was in the same place where all of that occurred and very little of the theater has been reconstructed. Chris Vincoli and I got lost for a hour or so there too. Jarrett was a little pissed about that, oops! I know we are all going a little crazy and are ready for spring break because we spent the entire day laughing at the entrance sign to the site that said “Ephesos; Plan of the Runs” (way to go Austrian archaeologists!).
Today we went to a Turkish rug “cottage”. We got a tour and a man extracting the silk threads from his cocoons of the worms he raises. He raises 20 million cocoons per year. These make the nicest of the rugs. All of them are dyed with natural dyes and then the colors are fixed with aluminum sulfate (I think, I do know that they used to use sheep urine). Then we got to see women tying knots on rugs in progress. The average rug takes at least five months of labor to be finished. Some of the silk rugs take up to two years. I ended up buying a rug after an elaborate display by the men at the cottage where we were served apple tea (it made the decision making a little easier. It was great!) I really love the one I got. It has white, brown and black in it and it is in the floral type design (though it’s not flowery). All of the colors are natural, from different colored sheep.
It wound up being a really long day though. We began at 8:30 in the morning and moved out of our Selcuk hotel, took a three hour drive to Sardis and ate lunch from the grocery store (one of my favorite parts of this trip) then we drove two more hours to Pergamum where we are staying tonight. Pergamum is where the rug shop is. After a quick dinner in the hotel (not as good as our last hotel), we had a discussion on some of our readings then we were dismissed to begin 80 pages of computer reading. It’s been a 14 hour day of going! There are a lot of differences between our professors- they couldn’t be more opposite actually. I think everyone is really ready for spring and then excited to see Toumazou again. There just hasn’t been enough breaking into of sites since we left him!
Today we went to a Turkish rug “cottage”. We got a tour and a man extracting the silk threads from his cocoons of the worms he raises. He raises 20 million cocoons per year. These make the nicest of the rugs. All of them are dyed with natural dyes and then the colors are fixed with aluminum sulfate (I think, I do know that they used to use sheep urine). Then we got to see women tying knots on rugs in progress. The average rug takes at least five months of labor to be finished. Some of the silk rugs take up to two years. I ended up buying a rug after an elaborate display by the men at the cottage where we were served apple tea (it made the decision making a little easier. It was great!) I really love the one I got. It has white, brown and black in it and it is in the floral type design (though it’s not flowery). All of the colors are natural, from different colored sheep.
It wound up being a really long day though. We began at 8:30 in the morning and moved out of our Selcuk hotel, took a three hour drive to Sardis and ate lunch from the grocery store (one of my favorite parts of this trip) then we drove two more hours to Pergamum where we are staying tonight. Pergamum is where the rug shop is. After a quick dinner in the hotel (not as good as our last hotel), we had a discussion on some of our readings then we were dismissed to begin 80 pages of computer reading. It’s been a 14 hour day of going! There are a lot of differences between our professors- they couldn’t be more opposite actually. I think everyone is really ready for spring and then excited to see Toumazou again. There just hasn’t been enough breaking into of sites since we left him!
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