MYCENAE

First stop was just after crossing the Isthmus Canal (I have one picture from this stop and the rest are from Mycenae) to see how deep and narrow the canal is.  We could see one boat passing through with little room on either side…definitely amazing compared to the Cape Cod Canal!  Our professors also pointed out that people throughout the past few thousand years had tried to create this channel, and showed us the signs of previous attempts.  Very cool!

On the bus to Mycenae we passed by Mount Parnassus and through the region of Nemea, home to the Nemean Lion (one of Herakles’s famous labors) and the Nemea wine that Hannah and I got from wine George!

Next we toured the ancient site of Mycenae.  We saw Grave Circles A and B, although my class had visited the goods from these burials in Athens at the National Archaeological Museum before the trip, the shaft graves and tholos tombs typical of Mycenaen civilization.  One tholos tomb is named the Tomb of Clytemnestra, but it has nothing to do with her, just as the Treasury of Atreus does not necessarily have anything to do with him.

#1: View of the site of the Mycenaean city center.

#2: Vasso, the trip coordinator for CYA, standing just up one level from the site of the palace.  She is one of my favorite Greeks ever!

#3: The Treasury of Atreus.

#4: Tim, Kristin, Fiona and Lani at Mycenae.

#5: The Isthmus Canal at about 8:30am (we left Athens very early).

#6: With Fiona and Kristin at the Lion Gate!

#7:  Some friends standing on the mound of earth above the Treasury of Atreus.

#8: More friends in the entrance hallway to the Treasury of Atreus.

#9: The supposed “tomb of Clytemnestra.”

#10: Grave Circle A.

Peloponnese Trip!

This week, Monday through Saturday, the program is taking everyone on a big tour of the Peloponnese!  We’ll drive on buses, spend the nights in three different cities and tour Nafplio, Mycenae, Tiryns, Sparta, Kalamata, Pirgos, Patra and Delphi.  On this past Tuesday an acclaimed historian gave a presentation at CYA on the more recent history of the Peloponnese to prepare us for the trip.  He was a very entertaining storyteller and told us stories and fun facts from the Crusades to present day.  I can’t wait!

From Γεια σας to Γεια σου

It’s amazing to think that I’ve been in Athens now for three weeks as of tomorrow!  I’ve gotten used to jaywalking on every street, eating dinner at 9:00 at night, and resenting the ATMs for giving me 50s, which small coffee shops will frequently refuse.  Greek has formal and informal conjugations of verbs and pronouns, so that you first say Γεια σας as “hello,” but once you know someone after as little as one meeting, you can address them with Γεια σου!  This literally means “health to you,” but just hello in everyday conversations.  Instead of “cheers,” the Greeks say Γεια μας, “health to us.”  I’ve made it to Γεια σου (the informal one) with a handful of locals here, so I think that means that Athens feels like home!

Just tonight I went to the Megaron with Catherine, Francesca and Rachel to see the Russian Ballet’s Swan Lake!  The theater was filled with the CLASSIEST Greeks I’ve seen yet…but there were very few Americans, so that was cool!  Despite the crisis, there are about 16 functioning theaters in Athens, all mostly full.  The Megaron hosts concerts, lectures and performances with special offers for students, so I am sure I’ll be back sometime in my next three months!

First two pictures are from the weekly farmers market that comes go Παγκρατι, our neighborhood, on Fridays called the Lycee (couldn’t figure out how that one was spelled in Greek).  The honey stand lady gave us taste tests before we ended up buying honey from a fir tree!  

The next three pictures are from a night a few weekends ago when a handful of people from my program went out together to a karaoke bar.  It was pretty ideal that we dominated this one place and that there were very few Greeks.  That way we didn’t have any opportunities to be embarrassed of being too American since we were all American!  I have a picture with the other Lucy on the program - we both can’t believe there are two of us on this program since we rarely meet other Lucy’s our age!

Hannah, Catherine, Rachel, Fiona, Francesca and I found a 24 hour crepe place that delivers in Κολωνακι, one of my favorite areas of Athens!  I’ve gone back to explore on my own a few times already since going the first time.  Κολωνακιis a high end area with lots of fashion stores and patisseries (and therefore lots of French on the signs!).

The next three pictures are from Πλακα, one of my other favorite areas that I’ve seen so far!  It is slightly touristy, but less so than the main walk up to the Acropolis, and it has more art galleries than generic tourist shops.  We found a really cool store with exotic dried fruits where I got a mix of hibiscus, aloe vera, goji berries, and the best dates I’ve had in my life!  While walking around Πλακα we came across at least four different ruins and monuments, including the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates (in the picture with Hannah and Francesca).

The last picture was the poster on the back of the door in a restroom at a restaurant.  Just read it until you hit the phrase, “You ugly diamond…”

I visited “the big rock” next to the Acropolis to see the sun set after class one day, but it was a bit too overcast to see the sun.  There probably is a better name for “the big rock,” but I don’t know it yet.  The first two pictures are from that perspective.

Next are three pictures of graffiti, which covers many buildings in Athens!  As my modern Greek teacher told me, the young people don’t care to see beautiful things, so they draw graffiti everywhere.  Granted, she is a bit older and knew Athens without all of the graffiti it has today.  The exception, she showed me, is the white house with blue shutters:  this is the home of a Nobel Prize winning poet, and they respect him, so there is no graffiti on his home.

Next is a church from the time of the Turkish - Ottoman occupation of Greece.  Churches of this style are sprinkled throughout the city, all with domes at the top, made of the same roof materials and in prime intersections in the city.

Last is the Greek flag made of feta and olives :)

A Cafe Lifestyle

I’ve come to realize while I’ve been here that I’m not a big coffee drinker.  I love my espresso, or maybe a cappuccino, but I think it’s best in small quantities.  However, during orientation, the program introduced us to frappes, which have the caffeine of four cups of coffee, warned us of past students who have ended up in a doctor’s office from too much in a day… and taught us how to make them at home with instant coffee, an ice cube and a cheap go cup that looks like a sippy cup.  I tried my first frappe over the weekend.  It was my last!

There are a number of cafes close to the apartments and the center, and I’m trying to test out as many as I can.  The one closest to school, named Stadium cafe after the Panathenaic stadium just around the corner, has these cups to amuse the many CYA students who visit from semester to semester.  We’ve realized that they give the pink cups to the women and the grey cups to the men.  I’m challenging myself to be on a first name basis with the shop owners I visit often.  So far, Gregory at Stadium is one of my first local friends!  

Some cafes close around 3:00 in the afternoon because Greece has quiet hours, and many businesses close during that time only to (maybe) reopen (some days…I’m not sure which yet) around 5 or 6.  I had to hunt for a while the other day to find one that would not close for the siesta, but landed at one with a handful of old men reading the paper.  I felt slightly out of place as I opened my workbook to begin copying the alphabet…

Everyone spends lots of time in cafes, because by buying even a simple tea or coffee, you effectively have rented the table and are free to stay.  In the US, you can be pressured out of a restaurant or cafe for sitting for hours and buying only one thing, but this is normal here!

1/22/2014 

The Parthenon from my first visit to the Acropolis.

First Impressions

I’ve made it to Athens!  I’ll be living in this beautiful city for the next four months of my life, doing my best to learn the city, become a local, and make the most of each day.

I live in a simple but beautiful apartment in the neighborhood of Pagrati that is close to the center of the city with four other amazing roommates from my program, College Year in Athens.  I’ve already seen that CYA is clearly a well-established program over 50 years old that seems to offer many opportunities to see the city from an academic perspective and to dive into Athenian culture.  About 80 students are here with me at CYA, all from various schools around the US.  I’ve already met some really great people!

Most of my days have been structured with orientation activities, but a group of us ventured to the Acropolis during a long lunch break on my third day here!  I rallied a few of us to go, including one full-year student who was more than willing to tour us around and tell us fun facts he had learned from his ten visits to the site last semester.  It seems pretty standard to visit the archaeological sites in Athens multiple times during a semester!  It was amazing to climb the Acropolis and finally see its context.  In classes at home, it is difficult to imagine how it is in person, but it’s right in the center of the city. One of my favorite things from that trip was THE olive tree of all olive trees (the picture at the top of my blog, and perhaps the inspiration for my title…).  When Athena competed against Poseidon to become the patron god of the city, she gave this exact olive tree as a gift to the people.  It gave oil, wood and food and so was better than Poseidon’s spring of salt water.  I also passed the spot where there is supposedly the mark where Poseidon struck the earth with his trident to create this spring.  From the top we could see a 360 degree view of the city with the Aegean Sea and the mountains not far off.  Athens is huge, spread out, and relatively low compared to the cities I know in the US.  It was a nice chance to orient myself from above – I could see the stadium of the Panathenaic Games, for example, which is adjacent to the CYA building and two blocks from our apartment.  From that I could see our neighborhood and the far ends of the city I haven’t even thought of exploring yet.  All in due time.  

Tomorrow the modern Greek professors will take us to the farmer’s market in Pagrati to practice what we have learned in our “Survival Modern Greek” sessions this week!  It may be the highlight of my week, since I love markets like these.  I can’t say I’ve learned much, but every Greek I have met so far appreciates any effort I have made to speak the language.  The Greek people are kind and relaxed, and appreciate each day they have to live.  They roll with the punches and maintain a positive attitude despite hard times.  I hope that I can adopt at least some of their lifestyle!   

Looking Back

I am now back on campus at Tufts.  I already miss the staff and friends I met at CYA, as well as Athens itself.  The freezing temperatures here certainly don't make the culture shock of returning any easier.

Your time abroad is what you make it.  The College Year in Athens program was designed so well that it was easy to love and easy to have a memorable experience. The people I grew close with over the past semester will remain an important part of my life.  Similarly, the things I learned while abroad, both in and out of class, will stay with me as I continue in my college career.  The adventures I had, the people I bonded with, and the country in which I lived combined to make one of the best experiences of my life.

Greece has earned a place in my heart.  It is the type of place that you have to get to know in order to love, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to do so.  I lived in Greece during a critical time in its history.  To be able to be a part of the community and to watch the rapid changes occur was a unique and exciting opportunity.

As I look forward to my sixth semester at Tufts, I feel I have a better understanding of the world around me.  I have learned much about foreign peoples, my own country, and myself.  My time in Greece reinvigorated my desire to meet new people and to explore new places. Similarly, time away only increased my appreciation for Tufts. 

I truly look forward to returning to Athens someday soon.

Make the Days Count (Part 2)

 

Since we only have to be in the classroom for a few hours a day, there would be ample time to sit in the apartment or library.  Instead, I use that time to actively be in Athens.  Even when I have work to do, I go out to a café to complete it.  The city is filled with artsy cafes, cool teahouses, and traditional tavernas to sit for hours with a cup of espresso.

Usually, I like to try new places every time.  I figure there are too many awesome places to discover to go anywhere repeatedly.  My main exception to this is Avocado.  Avocado is a delicious, organic restaurant using local produce.  They offer free meditation on Tuesdays and have a very cool vibe.  Everything on the menu (and believe me, I’ve tried a lot of it) is yummy.  I sit from noon until 5 pm working and snacking. 

For the first few months, my friends and I diligently participated in a tradition of our own creation, “Cultural Wednesdays.”  Every Wednesday night, we researched to find something “cultural.”  We entrenched ourselves with Greek culture and found underground activities.  When discussing our outings with a staff member, he was flabbergasted.  Impressed with our success, he said that he would have to ask us for recommendations on Athens, rather than the other way around. 

One week, we attended an outdoor movie theater with stunning views of the acropolis.  Another time, we had a picnic in the Garden near a fountain.   One of my favorite outings was to Mount Lycabettus.  Looming in the not-so-distant distance, Mount Lycabettus is taller than the acropolis.  At sunset, my friends and I brought takeout from Avocado and hiked the (very large, lots of vertical inclines) hill.  The effort was worth it.  From atop the small mountain, we could see all of Athens lay out before us.  The view was spectacular as the sunset and the lights of Athens turned on.

Another unique experience came when we went to a photography exhibit. We were the only people there that were not locals.  Late at night, the space also became a jazz bar. Greek conversation swirled around us as the band played.  The music space had no roof, and stars helped to illuminate my friends’ faces.  The music and drinks were impressive and we truly felt like we belonged among the natives that night. 

Make the Days Count (Part 1)

Throughout the semester, my friends and I have made a concerted effort to make the most of study abroad.  As we travel nearly every single weekend, it would be easy to feel unsteady in your routine.  We have a more limited time in our home city than many programs offer. 

To combat this, we are constantly exploring all that Athens has to offer during the week.  From Monday to Thursday, we made sure to take every opportunity to go out into Athens.  To create a sense of normalcy, I dedicated certain days to specific activities.  For instance, Monday is exploration day.  I choose a different neighborhood of this sprawling capital city and walk its streets with a friend.  Together, we seek out hidden side streets and shops, sip coffee in cafes, and appreciate the variety within Athens.  In this way, I have gained a true sense of the city and have made it my own.

Athens nightlife largely occurs on weekends.  The club scene is rather quiet during the week, compared to its rowdy nature on Friday and Saturday.  Mondays are still nights to dance in the clubs without quite as much of a crowd.  Other nights, my friends and I frequent bars like the Greeks do.  In an overly crowded, overly loud space, we find a table and post up.  Sitting outdoors if the weather permits, we sip a drink and socialize with our own table for hours. 

Greeks are friendly in some circumstances – and not at all in others.  At a shop or café, the locals will say hello and chat.   In a social setting however, they do not talk to people outside of their group. 

I often spend Tuesdays visiting museums.  With my school ID, I have free access to all of Greece’s museums and archeological sites.  Outside of class, I have viewed the artifacts in the National Archeology museum, the Acropolis Museum, the Benaki museum, and the Byzantine museum.  Initially, I saved the museums for rainy or cold days unfit for outdoor adventures.  However, as the semester progressed, I happily realized that days of inclement weather were infrequent.  

A snowy Christmas (market) in Berlin

I have just returned from Berlin.  Many flights in the hours leading up to my own were canceled due to strong winds and an entire airport nearby to Berlin was shut down.  So you can imagine how bumpy the flight was.  Sitting in the absolute last row, in a window seat that did not have a window (blank wall instead) I reminded myself that the motion sickness was worth getting to Berlin and that I was lucky that my flight wasn’t canceled in the first place.  With each dip of the plane and new patch of turbulence, I became less convinced by my own words.  I am happy to say that that was the worst part of the weekend.

While my friends and I were there, it snowed for the first time this season.  We all stuck out our tongues to catch the large, soft flakes and rejoiced in winter.  The Christmas markets were even more adorable in the snow. 

The twinkling lights, decorated tree, merry-go-round, and ice skating rink had us all feeling as if we had entered a winter wonderland.  We tried one of nearly every food item at the market, each savoring a bite from a shared pretzel, bratwurst, or waffle.  The hot cocoa and mulled wine were served in frosted mugs with depictions of winter in Berlin on the side.  The perfect drink and perfect souvenir, all wrapped into one.

The biggest surprise was the food.  German food is heavy sausages, potatoes, stews, and meat.  But Berlin is renown for its international and ethnic food.  I enjoyed superb Vietnamese.  The Mexican food was the spiciest food I have been able to find while abroad.  And the falafels were the best I have eaten outside of Israel.  The varied cuisines we found in Berlin were a much needed and appreciated change from the repetitious (yet delicious) Greek food in Greece. 

The nightlife in Berlin was unique.  The entire time in the city, we wore only black in order to avoid standing out.  When going out, we were instructed not to dress up.  The more casual we looked, the more we fit in.  A friend of a friend who studies in Berlin showed us the best spots.  One club was in an abandoned pool, while the next was an old power plant.  These spots were dark and dirty, and oh so cool.  Few people danced.  Those who did did the “Berlin Line Dance as we dubbed it.  Facing the DJ, men and women sidestepped back and forth.  Rarely, arms and heads bopped in time to the beat.  Shoulders and hips remained locked. 

During the day, we did the classic sightseeing.  The East Side Gallery (still standing portion of the Berlin Wall) hammered home the reality of Germany’s recent history.  The Jewish Museum was one of the very best museums I have ever explored, with a beautiful photography exhibit, an accessible history of the Jews, and a powerful Holocaust portion.  Unique architecture and interactive exhibits added to the overall experience. 

Greek Winter

Standing on the acropolis with my art and archeology class, I was acutely aware of one fact:  We have all become weather wimps.  Spoiled by the long, luxurious summer, cold weather in Greece took us all by surprise.

As the professor lectured, my peers stomped their feet to keep from losing feeling in their toes.  We huddled up for warmth and pulled our wool scarves tighter around our necks.  Each gust of wind caused teeth to chatter.  Our winter coats were not sufficient protection from the brutal cold.

The only problem? It was 45 degrees and sunny.  Of course, this is not warm.  But most of us are used to the much colder temperatures of winter in the northeast.   The months in Greece turned all of us into Greeks in regards to weather.

In Greece, heavy dew brings out rain slickers and umbrellas.  Anything lower than 50 and the parkas come out.  I am not exaggerating.  And now, I am part of it. 

Weekend trips to locations such as Prague and Berlin are startling reminders of what real cold is.  And frightful indicators of what I have to prepare for when I return to campus in January!

From Hungary to Turkey for Thanksgiving

For fall break, I traveled with a few friends to Prague and Budapest, then continued on to Istanbul with a separate group.  Each city I visited was split into distinct parts by a river, which created an intriguing comparison between them. 

Budapest is my favorite city that I have visited on any of my travels thus far.  It is stunning in a less obvious way.  The history is tangible in the atmosphere, yet the city buzzes with an air of possibility for the future.  The weather was chilly, yet manageable (unlike Prague) and the leaves were fiery red and orange.  We explored castles and churches and went on a superb walking tour.  

Buda contained the famous castle, fisherman’s bastion etc, while we ate, went out, and stayed in Pest.   The ruin bars in Budapest were awesome.  Abandoned buildings are converted into bars without any renovations or improvements.  Each ruin bar is unique, with quirky artwork and vibes. 

Prague was pretty in a more obvious way.  The astronomical clock, Prague castle, and churches all reminded me of a fairytale town straight out of Walt Disney’s imagination.  We went -and added to- the Lennon wall.  It was so cold in Prague that we could only remain outside for about an hour at a time, before we needed to seek out a café to warm up.  This provided plenty of opportunities to explore the coffee, pastry, and café culture of Prague.  One day, we went to a wonderful old bookshop with art deco décor, plush couches, and fantastic hot chocolate.  

Istanbul was an exotic adventure.  Mosques replaced the churches I had grown accustomed to seeing on each block.  One mosque was more ornamental than the next, with the blue mosque standing out as the most famous and grand.  To me, the Hagia Sofia was the best aspect of Istanbul.  I have spent much of my college career studying the Byzantine Empire.  I therefore fully appreciated the importance of the site and its long history.  I stood, head back, in awe of the magnificent architecture and aware of all that had occurred within the space. 

The spice market in Istanbul was also incredible.  Dried fruit, nuts, spices, and teas stood in tall pyramids in every stand.  Men called out, attempting to attract our business.  They used dated references (calling us the Golden Girls) that were more humorous than irritating.  The colors, odors, and sounds of the markets were overwhelming in the best way.  I delighted in the sensory overload in the spice market, the market on the Asia side of Istanbul, and the Grand Bazaar.  

Toga party in Sparta for Halloween

CYA traveled to the Peloponnese this week.   Much like in Northern Greece, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the varied landscape of the peninsula.  We traveled from Olympia to Sparta, Nafplio, and Delphi.  These famous, ancient sites were as grand and awe-inspiring as I had hoped.  The oracle of Delphi had stunning buildings and views.  Olympia, the site of the very first Olympic games retained its majesty from centuries past.  We saw numerous buildings and artifacts that students around the world learn of, such as the Charioteer, the Lion Gate of Mycenae, and the temple of Apollo at Delphi.  The ability to see them in person compounds my education and leaves me continuously grateful.   

On Halloween, everyone on my bus held a Toga party in Sparta.  How could you not?!  

Nafplio was a magical little town on the coast.  The weather was warm and the sea literally sparkled in the sunlight.  We climbed a medieval fortress then proceeded to walk down the hundreds of steep steps back to the city center.  Each twist of the stairway brought a new view, more beautiful than the last.  The quaint town had red shingles and was dotted with ornate churches.  The sea was never far from view. 

The main streets of Nafplio were home to the usual tourist shops and restaurants.  However, a little searching brought true rewards.  We ate at a delicious, empty Greek restaurant down an alley lit by string lights.   We ordered appetizers one at a time, sharing each family style while sipping white wine local to the area.  After a few hours, we wandered into a gelato restaurant known as the best in Greece. 

The streets themselves were narrow and paved with cobblestone.  Flowers hung from every balcony and ivy covered the walls.  Old fashion lamps emitted a soft glow at night.  All in all, the town was picturesque and adorable.  For anyone traveling to Greece, I would highly recommend visiting the Peloponnese and Northern Greece, in addition to the islands and the capital.  Greece has so much to offer to anyone willing to adventure a bit out of the norm to enjoy it.