Some days I'm lucky enough to get out of class a bit early and make it back to my room to see the sunset. Even after a long day of classes and listening to some of the people here talk, these are the things that really make Hofstra a great place.

Greece: Friday, January 22nd

So this is my final post of the Greece Blog, but not the final post of the blog! I plan to keep updating the blog with photography and smaller entries so there’s no need to worry. It’s been a lot of fun keeping up with the blog and I’m proud to say that I’m one of the few people who held out and didn’t cave in to buy an Internet card. It’s one of the things I noticed while I was here in Athens, that businesses are more than willing to let you use their Internet and will gladly give you their password, as long as you are kind and willing to pay for a coffee. This also goes for the rest of Athens: if you make and effort by learning a few words of Greek the people are much more likely to make an effort to help you. I know this sounds like common sense, but Americans tend to expect people to know English no matter where they are. Even a simple kalimera (good morning) or efkharisto (thank you) goes a long way. It was one of the improvements I put on our evaluation sheets for Hofstra, to make sure that the group knows some basic Greek before you go.
Overall the trip was great. People got along as a group until the end of the trip, but that was bound to happen when you have competing egos. The class went very well and was actually one of the more interesting classes I’ve taken. I also got to see more of Athens than most of the group, I decided early on that this was a great opportunity to see a city where they are in the process of restoring their past and building their future at the same time. There are major plans in progress to restore the Parthenon as well as a lot of the other temples and ruins throughout the city. Athens has realized that their primary source of income in Greece and Athens is tourism. One of their main exports (cotton) is no longer being exported because their prices are too high. Therefore Greece has decided to focus on updating their city with a rebuilt metro system, pedestrianizing streets to make the city more enjoyable for walkers, and placing a huge emphasis on their history. All of the improvements have made the city an extremely modern city that is an attraction for all ages.
The trendy cafes, the museums, the shopping areas, and plenty of activities for kids makes for a pleasurable experience in this up and coming European city. Also, as Greece continues to take charge in assisting the Balkan region in building the economies and infrastructure, the improved transportation through Europe to Greece will help them create a destination in Athens for travelers. Thanks to Greece's membership in the European Union, Greece has been able to give money to their neighbors to improve the roads and railways through the region.
This trip has been a great experience for me. I've been able to explore Athens alone when the group wanted to hang out, and I've also been able to join the group for big excursions throughout Greece and Athens. It was definitely a good thing that we only had 22 people in the group as we all became close and will no doubt continue to be friends into the future. It's also been a good amount of time away from home. 2 and half weeks is a good amount of time to fully experience a city without feeling too homesick. That being said, I can't wait to come home. I miss the familiarity of it all and I definitely miss all my family and friends.
So thanks again everyone for following along, I hope you've all enjoyed the updates and the pictures, I know I've enjoyed writing it all down. It helps me keep track of what happened! So be sure to check back in every once in a while to see any new updates and pictures, and thanks for following! Yiassas!

Greece: Wednesday, January 20th

January 20th 2010
It’s coming down to the last few days of the trip and everyone is just about ready to go home. It’s been a good amount of time to be away from home, but people are starting to get a little antsy and no one has any patience to deal with the issues anymore. It’s all very exciting when you stay out of it and observe from afar. But the personal issues will be over soon thankfully. However there are still a few days left and everyone has to put up with each other for a bit longer. But who wants to hear about those issues when there are so many exciting things to see! Our last big excursion of the trip to Mycenae and Epidavros (Epidaurus) went smoothly and we had an incredible day for sightseeing. The weather was fantastic even though the forecast for the week had predicted rain so we were very lucky to have sunshine to see the spectacular theater at Epidavros and the ruins at Mycenae.
The theater in Epidavros is a must see for anyone traveling to Greece as long as you have an extra day or two to travel out of Athens to see the sites. The bus trip took us about 3 hours, but on the way to the two sites you have to pass over the Corinth Canal which is an amazing work of engineering. The canal was built through the rock and is very narrow, just wide enough to let smaller ships through. We stopped to take a quick look and then it was back on the bus. We finally got to Epidavros and headed straight up the hill to the theater, which is by far the star attraction at this site. The theater is nestled in the hillside with impressive views across the valley. Once we stood in the center of the stage and serenaded the audience with a song we scrambled up the steps to the top to fully appreciate the acoustics of the theater. The theater seats up to 15,000 people and no matter where you sit you can clearly hear the person standing at the bottom. No microphones allowed! Microphones actually mess up the sound of the theater. The rest of the sites are insignificant compared to the theater, but Epidavros is actually undergoing a significant restoration project to rebuild all of the temples and buildings at the site. It’s all very expensive to do this of course, so progress is slow. We took a quick tour of the site but then we were back on the bus to head on to Mycenae.
Mycenae was the hub of an extremely successful civilization that was around nearly a thousand years before the Golden Age in Athens and it is built on the hillside with views across the entire valley. There are three main areas at Mycenae. The archaeological ruins, consisting of the walled city of Mycenae at the top of the hill called the acropolis (high city), the museum and the treasury of Atreus. We started at the bottom of the hill and passed through the famous Lion Gate entrance on our way up to the top of the hill. It’s a short hike to the top, but the view across the valley is breath taking. The museum is brand new and was also worth walking through. We also took a quick detour to the treasury of Atreus which is a domed room built into the hillside. but we didn’t have a lot of time to linger as we had to be at the restaurant for lunch.
We had lunch in restaurant that looked like an 80s restaurant built for extravagant weddings, but the food was excellent. The restaurant is in the middle of nowhere but apparently does great business because of the view of Mycenae. After lunch we hopped back on the bus and made our way back to Athens.
Tomorrow we have an exam for class and then on Friday we have a free day to wander Athens and see anything we may have missed. I’ll post some reflections tomorrow when I have a chance, we’re about to head out to dinner so check back for a final posting! Kalispera everyone!

Greece: Wednesday January 20th Slideshow 

Greece: Saturday & Sunday, January 16th & 17th

Not such a nice day today. I guess we had been very lucky the whole time we've been here, only having rain once so far. But today is cold, windy and rainy. I know I shouldn't be complaining since it's over 50 degrees, but hey, we're a little spoiled over here. But since it is so gross outside, and because I've only been to one museum so far, I decided it was time to get some culture. I have 3 museums on my list and hopefully I'll be able to make it to most if not all of them. I want to make it to the National Archeological Museum, the National Historical Museum, and finally the War Museum. In Athens all of the museums close around 3 or earlier so I got up very early in order to get a good tour of some of the museums. Since I can't do all of the museums in one day I started with the king of all the museums in Athens: the National Archeological Museum. The museum is bit far away and you can either take the 15-20 minute walk or take a quick metro ride for 1 euro up to the Victoria Metro Station and walk the 2 minutes to the museum.
When I finally got to the museum it was empty, there were only a handful of tourists who dared to venture out into the rain. The museum has one of the most complete collections of Greek statues, artifacts and archaeological findings in the world. I spent a good amount of time there and took some great pictures, especially of the bronze statue of Poseidon (or Zeus, they still can't agree who it is) and the young jockey on the horse that was found in the sea. One of the strangest things that's happened so far, happened while I was in the museum. A kid stopped me because I was wearing my CCA soccer jacket and asked if I had played on the team. I said yes and he proceeded to tell me that he plays on the Colby team with one of my teammates from CCA, Dan Sidman. It certainly is a small world. But there were museums to see and people to watch so I finished at the museum and walked to my next stop: The National Historical Museum.
The National Historical Museum is one of those stuffy, musty old museums where you're afraid to touch anything in fear of it disintegrating. Once you get over the unique aroma, the paintings on the walls and the beautiful displays of swords and guns is what truly steals the show. It's fascinating to see the gold plated guns and the elegant curved swords that the military leaders and soldiers used in the Greek War of Independence. It's a small museum though and you can tour it in about an hour.
I'm going to include Sunday in this post too because it is basically a continuation of Saturday.
The forecast had been saying rain all day Sunday so when I woke up I was pleasantly surprised to see the sun shining on the Acropolis. My alarm clock roommate woke me with some rumbling snoring that shakes the room, so I rolled out of bed and grabbed some breakfast at the hotel. I had read that the War Museum was supposed to be an interesting place to stop and so I made my way over as soon as breakfast was done. When you arrive, you are greeted by some undeniably impressive airplanes and enormous guns that make you stop and wonder how people could ever want to use these killing machines on their fellow human beings. But war is a huge part of our culture as humans, no matter where you live or what government you live under. Whether it is for self-defense or to take over another country every country has war in their history. It is important to understand how people fought in the past in order to see the mistakes we have made, and then hopefully create a world where we can live together. Ok, enough about that. On to the neat weapons! Even if you are against war, one can appreciate the intricate designs of the swords as well as the complex carvings on the gold plated guns. However the museum is very poorly designed and the lighting is atrocious. For a fairly new museum a lot of the lights were out and it was hard to see a lot of the details. But the guard dressed in his blue and black fatigues was a nice fellow with very good English, (not sure what he's going to be hiding in wearing blue and black fatigues, but who ever knows what the military is up to) and he gave me a good tour of the museum. Alright, enough guns for me, time for a cappuccino fredo!
I'll post pictures when I get back to the room. One week until we come home! Antio!

Greece January 16th & 17th Slideshow

Greece: Friday, January 15th

We have a break in the weather! Today was a beautiful day with high clouds and unusually warm weather. Well, any weather here is nice compared to back home, but it's still nice to have warm weather when you're spending the day touring Athens and the surrounding area. I have already seen a lot of the various neighborhoods within Athens so I decided it was time to move out to some of the suburbs. I started following some of the local professional soccer teams based out Athens like Panathinaikos and Olympiakos, both of which are huge rivals here in Greece. Olympiakos' stadium is in Piraeus while Panathinaikos' has two places they play, one about a half an hour away at the Olympic Stadium and the other one in Athens. I had read that the Olympic stadium was an impressive stadium so I took the metro out to the huge complex. A side note about the metro - rebuilt in 2004 for the Olympics, the whole metro is sparkling. Nearly all of the metro stations in the city have all new escalators, signs (both in English and Greek), and very helpful maps. The Athens Metro is a little different from your typical subway system in that they are very trusting when it comes to your ticket. There are no gates into the Metro so you have to insert your ticket and walk through rather than have a gate that opens for you. I guess the city trusts everyone! Also, when they were building Syntagme Station they uncovered a lot of buried buildings and ancient relics so the city made the station into a small museum with some of the artifacts they found. It's not a very complicated system, so navigation was very easy. So I got on the metro in Syntagma Sqaure right next to our hotel and had to change trains once in order to get onto the green line.
A half an hour later and I was standing in front of the enormous steel gateway entrance with the two reflecting pools and the stadium in the distance. The complex has the large stadium for soccer, an indoor pool, tennis courts, and a bunch of smaller soccer fields. Everything was closed up so I couldn't get a look at the field itself, but the stadium is impressive from the outside.
I had also read that there was a mall nearby, and I was missing some of the typical American food so I ventured into the nearby city to find some lunch. After grabbing a cheeseburger in the fancy new mall I was stuffed and ready to head back to Athens. When I got back I wanted to head over to the other famous soccer stadium in Athens, the original home of Panathinaikos. I had read that the soccer fans in Athens are an extremely dedicated bunch of hooligans, and that they had "decorated" the outside of the stadium in green and silver graffiti. Basically the entire exterior walls of the stadium are covered in Panathinaikos graffiti, especially Gate 13 where the players enter the stadium. Actually, if you pay attention to the gaffiti around the city you'll see a lot of references to Gate 13. But it was great to see the soccer culture in Athens and to see how sports fan show their loyalty for one of the most popular sports in the world.
I looked at my map and saw that I was right at the base of Lycabettus Hill, which is one of the highest points in Athens proper. Standing at 909 feet I prepped myself for the hike up the steep hill. When I got to the top I was greeted by an absolutely breathtaking panoramic view of the city. I was also greeted by two enthusiastic old men sitting in front of the church on the top, smoking cigarettes and making fun of the tourists no doubt. They offered to take my picture for 5 euros but I politely declined. I took a few pictures and then headed down the southern side of the hill.
When I got to the bottom I was in one of the more ritzy parts of the city, Dexameni and Kolonaki. These two neighborhoods have all of the fancy, expensive stores with all of made up ladies in their oversized sunglasses and undersized dogs. I took a quick tour of the area and then made my way out of the area and back to the hotel. After a long day I grabbed some dinner and planned for the next day - museums. The weather is supposed to be nasty until next Wednesday so I'm going to see if I can see a few museums in the rain. Until tomorrow, antio!

 Greece: Friday, January 15th Slideshow

Day 9

I’m back to the blog after a couple days, we’ve been busy with class and doing things in the local neighborhood so there hasn’t been much to update. But not to worry, plenty has happened in the past couple of days and I haven’t forgotten about you! And what the guidebooks don't tell you is that many, if not all of the cafes and bars around Athens offer free wifi. All you have to do is ask and they are more than willing to give you the password. It's nice to get a coffee or something small so they don't think you're jsut mooching off them. Athens is actually trying out a new internet tactic in the busiest part of the city, Syntagma Square. They offer free wifi around the whole square for 17 months just to see how it will work out.

Today we all got up at 5:45 to catch the 7:00 bus to Piraeus, (which is one of the biggest boating ports in the world) to get onto the boat for our three-island cruise. We boarded our boat while the sun was coming over the mountains, and thankfully we’re supposed to have a beautiful, clear day. The plan was to go to the smaller islands further away and then eventually make our way back to Piraeus. Our first stop was a tiny island south of the Peloponnese called Hydra. The island doesn’t allow cars or motor bikes so it was quite nice to walk around the island and not have to worry about getting run over. Also, as soon as we stepped off the boat we were greeted by 20 cats, all lounging in the sun, waiting for the tourists to give them a little love.

We were given about 2 hours to explore the island so I jogged up the mountain, in between the white-washed houses with colorful doors, through people’s back yards, past the barking dogs and up to a large landing with a view over the red tiled roofs. It was really peaceful sitting above the city with only the noise of a small school down below with the kids playing soccer in the warm winter morning. I took some photos and headed back down the steps to grab a coffee and have a look in the local shops.  After an hour of hanging out and people watching in Hydra is was time to get back on the boat and move on to Poros.

A short boat ride and we arrived in Poros, an even smaller island closer to Athens. Here, cars and motorbikes are allowed to speed through the streets. A couple of us took a quick hike up the hill to look at the clock tower while everyone else decided to stay at the cafe and have an afternoon drink. We only had an hour here so before we knew it we had to be back on the boat. They leave a sign out front of the boat saying when they are leaving and they told us to be on the boat 10 minutes before the posted sign. It was inevitable that some of the kids were going to have a hard time staying on schedule and sure enough missed the boat. We had already pulled off when they came running toward the landing, so the boat had to pull back to the dock to pick them up. Typical. Now that we had everyone on the boat it was time to head over to the last island, Aegina.

Aegina is a much larger island with a much bigger city than the previous two islands. We had about 2 hours to explore so naturally everyone had had a very tough day sitting around and chose to sit on the boat or at a cafe. To be fair some chose to walk up and down the main street. But I figured the point of the excursion was to explore the islands and see how the Greeks lived. I broke off from the group and headed into the town to take some pictures. There was even a closed off area with some ancient ruins that many people didn't get to see so in the end everyone missed out. I got back with about a half hour to spare so I got a coffee and watched some of the local soccer teams play on TV. 

Back on the boat, we had an hour boat ride back to Piraeus and then a bus ride back to the hotel. By the time we got back everyone was dead tired and ready for bed. Most people had to be up at 5 in the morning for their flights and trips abroad. 

I have the weekend to myself so hopefully I'll be able to find some things to do. The weather is supposed to be gross so it looks like the museums are going to get some of my money. Hope everything is going well back home and check back for more updates! Antio!

 

Greece Day 9 Slideshow

Update to Day 4!

So some of you may have heard already, but the other day a bomb went off in a dumpster about 2 blocks from our hotel. Apparently it was the leftist guerrilla group in Athens trying to make a statement and get some recognition in Greece. No one was hurt and everyone is fine. We were actually sitting at a restaurant when we heard the explosion, and we were all joking that it was an explosion thinking it was nothing. But all is well and no one seems to care too much about it.

Today was a quiet day because of class, but a small group of us are sitting in an Internet cafe checking email and uploading pictures. We're leaving for Mycenae on Wednesday, so until then I'll keep the pictures coming!

Kalispera!

Greece: Day 4

Day 4

Great news, I've finally found some free, reliable Internet close to our hotel. Apparently Athens has a new service for the area right next to our hotel in Syntagma Square where they offer free Internet for the first 18 months. The only problem is the area is swarming with pigeons and people keep dropping food for them. There are literally 20 pigeons around my feet, occasionally nipping at them.

A relatively quiet morning for us Americans, which sounds a bit strange, but a few kids went over to the travel agency to see how much it would cost to take a trip to Rome, Amsterdam or Santorini. It looks like a lot of kids are going to go to Santorini for  165 for 4 days and three nights. The kids going to Rome got a trip for the same amount of time for  380. It’s a bit expensive for me so I’m going to stay in Athens and get some peace and quiet next weekend.

In the afternoon I decided that I wanted to do some exploring around the southern neighborhoods of Athens. My intention was to go over to the National Gardens, which is near the Parliament building, and then head over to the Zappeion, which is another enormous public building. All of the roads surrounding the Zappeion are closed to traffic so people have a chance to walk around without having to fear for their lives. After the Zappeion I looked at the map and realized I still had a few hours left to explore so I made my way over to the Panathenian Arena. The arena is this huge U-shaped construction with a full sized track in the middle. Right next to the stadium is a hill with views overlooking Athens and back toward the Parthenon. A quick hop over a fence and a scramble up the steep paths and I was at the top with breathtaking views of the city.  

Back to the hotel for dinner and then another night out exploring the Athens nightlife. Tomorrow will be another early day as we head up the hill to the Acropolis and the Parthenon. Pictures aplenty I'm sure. 

Kalinikta everyone!

Greece Day 4 Slideshow

Greece: Day 3

Day 3

It's been hard finding internet, and my computer's wireless internet is no longer working so I'm hooked up by cable in a cafe right next to the hotel. I feel a little bad using their cable so I'm going to have to keep the posts a bit shorter.

Kalimera! Up at 7:15 for our trip to one of the most significant archeological sites in Greece. This “goose-bump” site has everything, incredible ancient remains, a brand new museum, and a panoramic setting on Mount Parnassus, with views down to the Gulf of Corinth. The only bad thing is that it takes about 3 hours by bus to get there. Once we were out of the city it turned into beautiful countryside with endless fields and the mountains in the distance. However, the majority of the houses were quite dilapidated. After making a few stops we finally made it to Delphi. Nestled in the mountain side are three tiers to the ancient ruins. The first tier has all of the treasuries where the pilgrims would bring gold and other gifts (bribes) for the gods in hopes of pleasing them. The only treasury left was the Athenian one, as it was rebuilt in 1906. Continuing up the Sacred Way as the pilgrims did we made it to the second tier that once had the majestic Temple of Apollo. Only a few of the columns remain but it still takes your breath away as you look through the columns out across the valley. Finally the third tier has the theater. Apparently they just decided to not let tourists run up and down the stairs anymore. Probably a good thing to keep the foot traffic to a minimum. We learned that the pilgrims came here to get advice from the oracle and her advice came out in riddles or mostly just gibberish. A recent study was done on the area to determine if the site had some kind of special quality and it was found that the fissure that the oracle was sitting on produced methane gas in small amounts, so the oracle was just getting high all day and spouting riddles. What a job! So back down the same path we came up and onto the bus for some more delicious Greek food in town.

The town of Delphi is also perched on the side of the mountain and made for some beautiful pictures. After the best meal I've had yet, we headed back to Athens for dinner and a night on the town.

My roommate took us to meet his cousin in one of the towns just a few stops on the metro. We finally got to experience some of the real Greek nightlife, including ouzo. For those who don't know what ouzo is all about, its a clear, extremely strong alcohol that is mixed with water or an ice cube. Once you put the ice in the ouzo turns a milky white. Not my favorite, but great to try it. We got back pretty late but we have to get up early yet again to go to the travel agency for our trip next weekend, more on that when I find out where we're going.

They're kicking me out so I'm signing off. Until tomorrow, antio!

Greece Day 3 Slideshow

Greece: Day 2

Day 2

No one ever reminds you about getting jet-lagged. It’s one of the most difficult things to deal with when traveling. I decided it was best to stay awake until I really couldn’t keep my eyes open, and then I might have a good chance at sleeping through the night. I went to bed at 7 and then woke up at 6 this morning. Even though it was still dark outside I quietly left the room to tour Athens as it slowly woke up. Grabbing my camera and then a “micros flidzani kafe” from a small shop I set out to look around before the streets got busy with speeding cars and careless motorcycles. I meandered through the dark streets exploring some of side streets and took about an hour walk trying to get myself oriented with the city and made a loop back to the hotel.

Unfortunately the trip can’t be all fun and games, we do have to learn something while we’re here. Our history class with Dr. D is the “History of Modern Greece” meaning the history of Greece starting from when it officially became a nation. Class took place in a modern building that houses the German university in Athens, and goes from 9 until 12:30 Monday through Thursday.

In the afternoon Dr. D took a small group of us on a more detailed tour of the surrounding area. I had mentioned that I was wanted to take a walk around the Acropolis and he was excited to show us the way. We walked through the Plaka which is the tourist trap neighborhood, then around the Acropolis on the Periphery path, into the Monastiraki which is another shopping area where we got lunch at a small taverna, and then back to the hotel. We got back to the room and then relaxed for a bit before heading out to dinner at our restaurant, Diros.

The school pays for dinner (well, we already gave them the money so I guess we’re just forced into eating there) and we’re treated to some expensive, mediocre food. I got the baby lamb with veggies, a side of eggplant mush and carrot mush, a Greek salad, and some chicken broth soup with rice. Three of us split a Greek bottle of wine, and then we topped it all off with a caramel cream flan dish. After dinner we all headed out to a small restaurant close to our hotel for drinks. Since we all had to be up early the next morning the smarter people in the group stuck to a couple beers while others were more adventurous and tried ouzo. Let’s just say a few people didn’t make it to the bus the next morning. What a great start to the trip!

I’ve been having a tough time getting Internet in our room for free so I’ve been searching for some place to get free wifi. The large electronics store across the street from our hotel offers free wifi for about a half and hour before they shut you off. As soon as I find a reliable place for free Internet I’ll post some more pictures.

Off to bed, we have an early morning tomorrow as we venture towards Delphi. Kalinikta everyone!

Greece Day 2 Slideshow

Day 1

Day 1

We’ve arrived! We made it to Greece, a little tired, but still very optimistic about the start of a new chapter in our lives. Stepping out into the 55 degree weather was a real challenge for us. We all agreed we missed the snow and bone chilling temperatures. We took a 45-minute bus ride from the airport to our hotel, which is actually in the center of Athens, very close to Syntagma (Constitution) Square. Our driver George is still figuring out how to shift gears but after some lurching we finally made it. After unloading our bags we finally got to our rooms and had a chance to settle in. The room is nice, three beds, all similarly rock hard with matching stains. This is an ominous start already. Looking for something to ease our anxiety we pulled open the ancient door and we were pleased to see the Parthenon on the Acropolis in the distance.

But we didn’t have much time to relax before we had to be back by the Square and meet for the bus. Our energetic professors had a whole afternoon laid out for us with a tour of the Temple of Demeter. The temple is one of the few remaining archeological sites in Greece where one can run amok about the site with complete disregard for the fragile state of the crumbling stones. There were a few signs explaining all of the significant landmarks, but overall the site is left to careless tourists to trod upon. At the top of the hill was the museum housing some of the more intact figures, statues, and artifacts. But quick! The professors/tour-guides/slave drivers are urging us on! Back to the bus for a quick ride into the hills overgrown with low-lying greenery, gray rocks and olive trees for a traditional Greek style lunch.

Thankfully my roommate on the trip has family from Greece and could tell us what a lot of the food was. Beginning with bread and feta cheese we moved to a free for all salad consisting of all sorts of greens piled together on one plate with some tomatoes for flavor. Then the wine was served, which was surprisingly good. We were also served some homemade french-fries which were much better than any greasy fast food french-fry you might find in the states. The main course was the most interesting part. Three plates came out, and since none of the waiters spoke any English we had to guess what it was. Finally one waiter came over and said that one plate was “lamb”, another plate was “lamb in fire”, and the third plate was, “how do I say this, um, inside of the lamb, sort of.” Inside of the lamb means the liver apparently. Topping this all off with another serving of warm wine we were ready to head back to the hotel to get money, send some emails and hopefully catch some z’s. Tomorrow, classes begin with Professor Demertzis and hopefully we can all catch up on some sleep. Off to dinner, and eventually bed!

Kalispera!

Here's the link to the photos

 Greece Day 1