Thank You

I’m in transit today, and this is the first year I’m without my family on Thanksgiving. But I’ve never been more thankful in my life. I’m so thankful to have loving family and friends around the globe looking out for me. I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to study in Europe not once, but twice, opening my eyes to so many new points of view and making me braver and stronger. I’m thankful that I’ve been healthy this whole semester. I’m thankful for all of the classes I’ve taken with smart and kind professors. I’m thankful for good food (even though the turkey and cranberry sauce are lacking over here).

And a huge shoutout to my parents for being supportive in letting me go on crazy adventures to learn about the world. I love all of you, even though I don’t say it enough. I’m missing you today, but you’re in my heart and even though I’m having a great time, I can’t wait to see you at home!

A Weekend in Istanbul

So I’ve neglected this blog for a little longer than I meant to (whoops) but between midterms, a trip to the Peloponnese (you can see pictures here but I don’t really have a lot of extra words to say) and a weekend trip to Istanbul, I’ve been quite busy. But I do have some things I want to say about Istanbul before I leave for fall break tomorrow!

I want to say first and foremost that I had an incredible time. I traveled with my roommate, Emily and a friend of ours, Amber. We did have a little bit of a hard time with Turkish men–we found them to be much more aggressive and forward than Greek men (which is saying something, since Greek men aren’t known for being shy!) and I was glad I was with two friends as, even all together, I still felt ill at ease at some points. Still, it was a wonderful trip and we had a fantastic time. I would definitely recommend a visit to any of my friends, as long as they travel in groups!

We arrived at our hostel at midnight, after some confusion at the airport, and we were happy that a young man from reception met us downstairs and helped us carry our bags to check in on the 7th (!) floor. I realized right away that Istanbul is a very vertical city–most places we went into were very long and narrow but were several stories high. We were treated to Turkish hospitality right away, with a warm tea while we checked in. The little caffeine boost was just what we needed to venture out for a little midnight walk!

Unlike Athens, central Istanbul was nearly deserted at midnight, with no cars on most of the streets except for a few cabs hopeful to gain our fare (they wouldn’t have any luck–our hostel was a three minute walk from the Blue Mosque). While we were exhausted after our travels, our eyes widened as we took in the sight of the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque lit up in the darkness, windows chock full of Turkish Delight and baklava, and storefronts displaying silk harem pants and cashmere scarves.

That night, as we settled in to our room we shared with a friendly young German woman named Nora, we slept lightly, too full of excitement to sleep soundly. We were all awoken at 5am to the Islamic call to prayer ringing out in beautiful, clear voices before the sun was even close to rising. Groggy from our lack of sleep, we wondered if the beautiful music was a part of our dreams, but when we woke up later that morning until we realized we’d all heard it. Our hostel offered us fresh, soft bread and jams, hard boiled eggs, and of course all the tea we could drink for breakfast, with a view from their rooftop balcony:After we’d filled ourselves up, we set out for our obligatory first stop: the Hagia Sophia.

This place left me speechless. It took my breath away. No pictures can do it justice. The scale is absolutely incredible and the mix of Orthodox iconography and Islamic script was not only beautiful, it spoke to Turkey’s long and complicated past. I was so moved by this experience, I can’t put it into words.

Afterwords, we found a comfy, dry space to eat traditional Turkish pancakes stuffed with potatoes, spinach, and meat.

Our energies renewed, we headed to Topkapi palace. I was nervous at first as the first few rooms of the complex we moved through were full of impatient, pushy tourists, but after we reached the courtyard, the crowds eased up and we were able to spend some time relaxing in this beautiful corner.

We somehow managed to fit in a visit to the Grand Bazaar about an hour before it closed and while it wasn’t as crowded as we had been warned, it was still an overwhelming experience. So many things to buy, such a limited student budget! We did try our hands at haggling, and I think we got some pretty good deals (or at least got prices down to reasonable). Again, I was shocked by how forward and bold Turkish men are–I’m not really a fan of this, but sticking with friends, I felt pretty safe. We had one really cool experience when my friend wandered into a carpet store. She did not intend to buy a rug that night, but we sat on the second floor of this carpet store and sipped on tea for about an hour and haggled without the intention of buying, which ended up helping us get the price down to a point where Amber couldn’t resist any longer and bought a pretty rug she’d had her eye on. Maybe that was the salesman’s ploy all along, but whether this was the case or not, we had a lovely time chatting with him about life in Turkey.

Can you tell I’m uncomfortable?

After walking around all morning, afternoon, and evening, we stopped for a quick coffee and checked back with the hostel to see if they had found any activities for us to do that night. Our friend who had given us tea the night before had found two things for us to do: see a whirling dervish and visit a Turkish bath!

We arrived at the cafe just as the dervish was taking the stage, and as we sat in the shadow of the Blue Mosque, surrounded by hookah smoke, listening to live music and sipping on apple tea, I truly felt that I had been transported to another world.

But this was nothing compared to the experience of the Turkish bath, or hamam. This experience was a little bit more spur of the moment than our main priorities, but it was something I’d heard other people say good things about, so I was excited to go. We went to the bath recommended by our hostel and opted for the massage option to treat ourselves after a long day of walking in the rain, and it was worth it! The whole experience was so relaxing, from the warm towels we received when we first walked in, to the sauna, to our massages (with buckets of foam!), to a dip in a cold pool afterwards. We ended up staying for two hours and when we were finally done, I felt the cleanest I think I’ve ever felt. We smelled heavenly as we walked back to our hostel, and we all slept like babies that night. The next day we took things a little bit easier. We started with a visit to the Blue Mosque, which was absolutely stunning. The Blue Mosque, unlike the Hagia Sophia, is still a functioning mosque, so women are required to cover their heads and everyone is required to take their shoes off. We spent quite a bit of time here, hypnotized by the beautiful painting all around the mosque and discussing our feelings on covering one’s head. It was my first time covering my head in public and I have to say, it was quite warm and hid the fact that I hadn’t showered that morning!

We slowly made our way to lunch (pita with barbecued meat and hummus for me!) and then the Egyptian Spice Market. I was a little turned off by how crowded this market was and actually ended up getting separated from my friends. Luckily we had set a meeting point and I found them there a few minutes later, but I was traumatized by the experience and we headed back to our home base to go to a quiet cafe and write postcards.

Since we were leaving early the next morning and we had to use up the rest of our Turkish lira, we decided to treat ourselves at the bakery a few floors down from our hostel room to baklava and Turkish delight for dinner (with a healthy side of apple tea, of course). I managed not to eat the entire store full, and had our friendly neighbors wrap some up to take home as a sweet memory from Turkey.

Changing Seasons/Midterm Thoughts

The season changed very quickly in Athens: on Thursday morning I had class at the Ancient Agora at 8:45, and when I woke up, ominous clouds were gathering in the distance. The wind picked up throughout the hour and a half we spent at the Agora and just as I was returning to the Academic Center, rain started coming down in torrents and the temperature dropped several degrees. As I walked into my Modern Greek class, my teacher Marinetta announced that this is fall–gone are the sunny, 75º days in Athens, here to stay are chilly, rainy days.

Not all changes I have encountered here have taken place so suddenly. I find myself slipping into routines: going to the grocery store on Mondays to pick up the food I know I’ll like, picking up a gyro for dinner when I’m in a rush and want something filling, going to the friendly cafe down the road with good wifi and excellent choice in music. I realized the other day that I’m becoming accustomed to life here. Even though I face daily challenges, mostly having to do with my lack of fluency in the Greek language, I’ve settled into a pretty normal routine. This made me a little sad to realize; I studied abroad to challenge myself, to push myself out of my comfort zone, and yet here I am finding a comfort zone across the sea. I can’t pinpoint a moment when I stopped thinking of my semester in Athens as a scary challenge I would never get used to and started thinking of it as a routine I’ll go through for the next few months until I come home, but something has been changing inside of me very slowly.

I realized how bad it was getting a week and a half ago when we went to Delphi to see the oracle and I thought to myself, “Meh.” It’s an incredibly beautiful place, but after seeing Crete and Meteora it seemed small and less impressive in comparison.  I’ve been spoiled by all the travel here, so much so that seeing one of the most important sites of the Ancient Greek world hardly left an impression on me.

To some extent, I knew this would happen. Eventually, when the newness of a place wears off, everything seems less exciting and more normal. At the same time, I’m determined to battle this, because I’m having the most fun and feeling most fulfilled when I’m exploring something new and learning all I can. So I have a couple of plans: I bought a sketchbook last week and I’m determined to get out and explore the museums (especially since it seems the rain is here to stay); I’m planning a few trips coming up within the next few weeks (spoilers 😉 ) and I’ve been enjoying learning about my future destinations; and of course, I’ve been looking out for fun things to do here in Athens.

Yesterday was OXI day and I was reminded of why I came here in the first place. Seeing children dressed up and carrying the Greek flag with pride reminded me that this country has such a rich and complex history and culture that I’ve barely begun to comprehend. I was frightened by the huge police presence, especially after being questioned several times and sent back from places I apparently wasn’t supposed to be; I was out of my element and I didn’t fully understand everything that was going on. But at the National History Museum, a friend and I were greeted with a smile and free admission, and encouraged to see and learn all we could. At the cafe, our friendly barista made us a warm cappuccino and brought us little chocolates after we’d been sitting in the cold for a while. And at dinner, I sat with friends I’ve made here and enjoyed delicious Greek food and wine and a night of conversation. I came to the realization that it’s alright if I’m finding routines and getting comfortable; something new and exciting to discover is always just around the corner.

“Freedom or Death”

Discovering Another Side of Greece: A Weekend in Metsovo

We arrived in Metsovo in the early afternoon on Friday, and as we stepped off of the bus we noticed something unusual: the smell of a wood-burning fire, yellow-tinged leaves on the trees, and a distinct chill in the air. Those of us from the Midwest immediately broke into huge smiles, not realizing how much we had missed fall back home. Not that Metsovo is entirely similar to my home in Ohio–in fact, Metsovo was entirely different from what I expected and unlike any other place I’ve ever been.

We started out by talking a little bit about the unique history of the town and learned that many residents still speak Vlach, an unwritten language completely unrelated to Greek, and consider themselves to be Vlach as well as Greek due to their isolated location and strong cultural heritage. The combination of this culture plus the geography made arriving in Metsovo quite the surprise.

One of our first stops was the church in Metsovo. This region is known for wood carving and icons painted in the Cretan style, that is with olive oil mixed into the paint. The colors are absolutely stunning and brighter than the typical orthodox church.

We also visited a folk art museum, which was a restored home of an aristocrat. Again, the interior was completely unexpected: the thick walls and cozy tapestries made me feel like I was visiting somewhere much further north, as opposed to the Greece we typically consider to be warm and Mediterranean. While the fireplaces weren’t lit and there was no food cooking on the stove, I can only imagine how snug families who lived in this house must have been in their furs and large communal beds.

Before dinner, some friends and I wandered into a small park on a hill and saw a stunning sunset overlooking the valley. The weather got even chillier right away, and we hurried to a taverna our professors had recommended. The choices were limited: the taverna offered 2 types of meat (sausage and souvlaki), 2 types of cheese (feta and a traditional smoked cheese called Metsovone), bread and red wine. Naturally, we ordered everything and the owner brought out the fresh food on wax paper. We devoured it and then sleepily wandered back to our hotel to enjoy some hot chocolate and Greek delight next to the fire.

On Saturday we took a trip to the college town of Ioannina. Ioannina is on a lake and, like Metsovo, has a unique history. During each period in Greek history, Ioannina has been able to absorb new cultural ideas and populations while also maintaining a surprising degree of autonomy. As a result, it has seen Muslims, Jews and Christians living together in peace throughout most of its history.  It’s easy to see why–this town is so peaceful I couldn’t imagine any conflict ruining its tranquility. At the same time, it has known its fair share of notorious characters, including the infamous Ali Pasha, who was known for beheadings and throwing dissenters off of cliffs, but also modernizing the town. He was killed in a monastery on the island in the center of the lake by a single bullet, which can still be seen at the monastery today.

To round out the day, we stopped by the temple and theater of Dodona, the largest theater in Ancient Greece and the second most important oracle.  Although it has been destroyed and rebuilt many times (and is in the process of being restored now), this temple has been in use since neolithic times. At its peak, the theater could seat 18,000 people. I shivered a little bit when I stood at the center and thought about how thousands of years’ worth of people came here for advice and entertainment.

Finally, on Sunday, we visited Meteora. Meteora literally means “suspended in midair” and it’s easy to see why. Monks and nuns have considered Meteora a holy space for hundreds of years, and although it is now a major tourist destination, the monasteries and nunneries still feel as though they are floating in an alien landscape, far removed from anything familiar. We visited two monasteries (Megalo Meteoro and Varlaam) as well as a nunnery (Roussanou). While each was stunning in its own respect, I particularly enjoyed the nunnery. I found the monasteries to be a bit more impersonal because the monks hide themselves away to avoid tourists. The nunnery was far less crowded, although it was smaller than the monasteries, and the nuns seemed to be happy to see us. They showed us the traditional food, drinks, and crafts they make at the nunnery and were happy to answer our questions, although their English was limited. Even though I’m not religious, I felt much more of a connection with Roussanou than I had at either of the monasteries. It was secluded (it was quite the hike to reach the nunnery from the road!) and quiet and much easier to reflect on our beautiful surroundings. I spent a few minutes by myself on a small balcony with this view and could have stayed there all day.

Hiking Mount Olympus

This weekend was quite the adventure, to say the least.

Hiking Mount Olympus has definitely been one of the most challenging experiences of my time in Greece so far.  It was an incredible experience and I bonded with the other students on the trip, but we were underprepared to say the least. We started the day in high spirits, expecting a short-ish bus ride, an easy hike, a spectacular view, and maybe even a quick swim.

We ate our chocolate pastries within the first hour–“They’re good for hiking!” trip coordinator Nadia told us before leaving us with two guides who have hiked this trial several times before.  We laughed at their pep talk, thinking most of it was a joke.  I wrote parts of it down to remember some of the details I found so amusing at the time:

“Good morning! We have five hours left until we reach Mount Olympus [note: we thought the bus ride was 4 hours long total. We had already been on the bus for 2 hours at this point].  This is an extremely steep and narrow hike.  It will be quite difficult.  You must have a sandwich, fruit, and chocolate with you.  If you don’t have these things you can buy them in town before we leave.  People have died on this hike–but not with us.  Yannis has carried bodies out [note: we had been told that the hike was a pleasant and relatively quick].  We will push you to your limits and beyond.  There are wolves and bears here.  Also three-foot-long lizards [note: he meant inches, but we didn’t know that at the time] which are black and orange.  They are poisonous.  Don’t touch them because we don’t have the antidote.  As Robin Williams said in Dead Poets Society, ‘carpe diem!'”

Naturally, we thought our guide was a jokester who wanted to freak us out before the hike.  Five hours later, when we reached the mountain, we were less sure.

A small shrine for libations to Zeus (or something)

So we stocked up on snacks chocolate and tried to ignore the ominous clouds and fog that had been gathering all afternoon.  Around five, we set out on our hike.  We also ignored the fact that sunset would be around 7:30.

37 hikers (not so) ready to go!

Immediately after beginning the hike, I started to feel slightly nauseous and realized that the trip would not be as easy as I had anticipated, especially since I wasn’t feeling my best.  So I hung back with Yannis and some of the other hikers who weren’t feeling great and we made our way up, slowly but surely.  Despite our guides’ best efforts to push us along quickly, we needed a break about halfway up.  After refueling and taking some deep breaths, I was feeling better and ready to move on.

The views were pretty stunning on the way up, and after I had re-energized, I moved to the middle of the group where we sang songs and laughed and also kind of felt like we were dying a little bit.  We were about a half an hour away from the shelter when darkness started to fall.  This was the most frightening part of the hike for me–I could barely see two feet in front of me and deliberately avoided shining light to the side so that I wouldn’t be able to see how steep the cliff we were walking along was.  We continued singing, a little bit more nervously, suddenly remembering the bears and wolves our guides had mentioned.

We made it to the refuge around 8 and threw down our backpacks, changed into rubber “slippers”, and downed the most delicious plate of pasta and mugs of mountain tea of our lives.  We were told that lights-out would be at 10, but as I looked around at my friends’ faces I knew we would all be in bed before then and asleep shortly afterwards.

Our accommodations were the next surprise: instead of bunk beds or individual twin beds as we had expected, 20 of us would be rooming in an attic with two huge beds, a pillow each, and a pile of wool blankets.  By the time we dragged ourselves upstairs, we were too tired to care about the lack of space or the fact that no one had showered (no hot water+freezing weather+no heating in our room=no showers for us!) We giddily swapped stories for a while, hyped up on excitement that we had made it to the refuge and a burst of energy from dinner before we cuddled up and fell asleep.  It was probably the coziest I’ve ever been, and one of the best nights’ sleep I’ve gotten since I’ve been in Greece.

Some friends and I woke up early to see the sunrise, only to find…

…there would be no sunrise.

Some in the group went on to hike to one of the peaks, but those of us who had felt the altitude sickness stayed behind by the fire and drank tea with honey.

On the way back down, we met a couple of friends.  While us Americans found the mules we passed to be cute and friendly, our guides were unamused and urged us on, yelling, “Run!  Run!  Pass them quickly quickly!” At this point I slipped and fell in the mud and laughed because I was already filthy and we were almost to the bottom of the mountain and a shower was waiting for me soon.

We celebrated reaching the bottom by rinsing off and drinking from the spring water of Mount Olympus.  Despite all that had gone unexpectedly, I had an incredible adventure this weekend and I would do it all over again.

Adventures in Crete

Where does one begin to describe an island as beautiful as Crete? Each time I think I have seen the most beautiful views, sights, and churches Greece has to offer, I’m surprised by something equally as stunning just around the corner.

Crete is hardly “just around the corner,” to be fair.

History professor John Karavas described it to us as “the Texas of Greece”. Like Texans, Cretans consider themselves first and foremost a resident of their state, but have also been known to describe themselves as “more Greek than Greeks”. Cretans are known for their hospitality and for their cuisine.

We arrived on Wednesday morning after a somewhat rough ferry crossing, at 6:30.  Our first stop was the site of Knossos.

Unfortunately, I was dead tired and feeling slightly sick from the ferry, so I don’t feel as though I fully benefitted from seeing this site first. However, it was incredible to be there alongside our trip leader, Steve Diamant, who is a well-respected archaeologist here in Greece. When we first arrived, it was cool and the site was nearly empty. It very quickly warmed up and dozens of tour groups arrived, making the experience difficult to enjoy. That being said, Knossos was absolutely gorgeous and I’m so glad I got to see it.

Shortly after seeing Knossos, we arrived in Heraklion, which would be our home base for the next two days. Right away, we found a cafe to sit down and enjoy a cappuccino freddo and a crepe and then we set out to explore at a nearby flea market before meeting back at the Archaeological Museum. Before our tour, a preservationist came to speak with us and tell us about his job, which was very exciting for me as I’m considering a career in museums, and then Professor Diamant led us through some of the most important artifacts. The Phaistos Disc–a mysterious untranslated piece of writing. None of these symbols appear anywhere else.

Giant double-headed axes used for ritualistic purposes (?)

That night, I went to dinner with my roommate Emily and our friend Carolyn. Our go-to for cheap, authentic food in Athens is a taverna, so we decided to try the same in Heraklion. We found a place off of the main street in an area that seemed less touristy…

…and we were not disappointed. As usual, we ordered several appetizers and split the bill between us. For around 5 euros each, we piled our plates with bread, feta, calamari, stuffed grape leaves and seasoned pork. At the end of the night, the server brought out a little bottle of raki (which, as it turns out, I am not a fan of–mostly because I can’t stand licorice, but I am developing a tolerance for it) and loukoumades with ice cream on the house (I didn’t take a picture because I was already in a food coma at that point). It turns out that this is a very common experience in Crete–at least at tavernas and traditional restaurants. We experienced wonderful hospitality at each taverna we ate at.

On Thursday and Friday, we visited smaller sites, including Phaistos (which I enjoyed more than Knossos), this burial site and a couple of sites that aren’t open to the public. I really liked the smaller sites because we could climb on the walls and get close up to the features Professor Diamant pointed out. It was an incredible experience to walk on and touch stones where civilizations flourished 5,000 years ago.

The scenery in Crete is absolutely stunning, and while traipsing around taking notes out in the sun my tan evened out a little. I’m slowly but surely approaching a Greekish skin tone.

Again, one of my favorite parts of the trip was visiting a monastery. This time we visited the Arkadi Monastery, where in an act of resistance against the Turks, a group of soldiers and civilians blew themselves up. The Cretans have always shown a great deal of resistance towards foreign occupation, and this story moved me very much.

It’s hard to imagine now, when Crete is such a beautiful and peaceful place, but I got chills standing in the gunpowder magazine thinking about that day.

As I was taking this picture of one of the dozens of cats at the monastery, I was approached by a one-armed, toothless woman wearing a long, black dress. At first I didn’t know how to react, so I smiled and continued taking pictures of the cats. But I had clearly misjudged the situation and the woman continued to approach me and cradled my face in her one hand. I was a little freaked out at this point and she asked in Greek where I was from. I told her America and she started to laugh then asked over and over where my parents were. I tried to tell her I was a student studying abroad but I’m not sure if my Greek is that bad (likely) or if she couldn’t understand why I was there alone (also likely) but it was creepy to stand in a place where hundreds of people had died at once and listen to an old woman saying, “Mama? Baba?” over and over. Luckily, someone else from my program came by and I told the old woman, “Sygnomi,” and walked away. When I got back to the bus my friends joked that I had met a ghost, but all joking aside, I could have believed it in that moment.

I recovered just fine at the beach.

On Saturday, we spent our final few hours in Chania, where we had spent the night. I wish I had had more time to see what the city had to offer because I enjoyed seaside strolls, popping in and out of all the little stores and wandering around the back streets and finding quirky corners. But, unfortunately, our ferry left at 8 that evening and we had to say goodbye to Crete. I have no doubt that I will return to this beautiful island again someday.

Trip to Agistri

Yesterday, my roommates and I woke up early to catch the ferry to the island of Agistri. I hadn’t planned on traveling outside of Athens my first weekend here, but I’m glad I did because it was the perfect day!

On the ferry, we met a few Greeks who were very friendly. We practiced our Greek by asking a young (~4 year old) boy what his name was. He giggled and answered “Stavros!” and then continued to play with us throughout the trip. Emily and I also met a young Syrian woman living in Sweden and visiting her mother in Greece. She was very helpful and gave us tips about using the ferry and visiting islands. It was also interesting to chat with her about politics and history–I really appreciated her perspective on Greece and Europe, as it was one I hadn’t heard much about before.

As we approached the island, we realized that most of the other people on the ferry were Greek, and we high-fived ourselves for finding an island that Athenians liked. It was fairly uncrowded and while it was tourist-friendly, we found that there were many quiet residential corners to explore.

We spent most of the day in the water and sunbathing on the beach, but also took some time to wander through the little town, eat gelato, and get coffee (7:30 is an early wake up time, even for the beach! We needed it)

Clouds started gathering around 5:00 and by 5:15 it started to rain in our little paradise. Luckily, there was a 5:30 ferry back to Athens and we grabbed tickets to head back home. We all fell asleep on the ride.

Lest any of you think this all sounds too perfect, we all came home with sunburns as souvenirs and nearly lost our lives at the hands of a maniac taxi driver. But I will say, yesterday was one of the best days I’ve had in a long time.

First Week

I’ve been in Athens for 5 days now (so not quite a week, but orientation is officially over!) and I have been loving every moment. I live in the Pangrati (Παγκράτι) neighborhood on a pedestrian street and it is wonderful. My walk to the Academic Center takes about 10 minutes and looks like this:

I have five roommates, who are so much fun to hang out with. We’ve been getting to know each other and we have all cried laughing together and shared several meals.

We ate gyros for our first dinner at a restaurant called Smile in Plaka. It was obviously a very tourist-friendly area, so maybe it wasn’t super authentic, but it was fun.

On Wednesday, we went to the Academic Center in the evening for souvlaki and traditional dancing. Also in the picture are our friend Carolyn and our director of housing and catering, Popi.

On our first full day in Athens, my roommate Rachel and I explored the neighborhood a little and bought an orange pepper plant (because we wanted flowers but don’t have any vases) and found a coffee shop. We were happy to find that everyone in our neighborhood seems to be friendly and genuinely wants to make our experience in Greece a good one. At the coffee shop, our waiter gave us half price (and has continued to do so every time we’ve ordered from him, which is to say every day) and has helped us with vocabulary. When we walk in with food from other bakeries or the grocery store, he always teaches us the word for what we’re eating. I’ve also learned to order a frappé with one sugar, which is my new favorite drink. It’s instant coffee mixed with sugar in hot water and then shaken with ice. A layer of foam rises to the top while the cold coffee sinks to the bottom. It’s the perfect treat for hot days in Athens and our waiter only charges us one euro for what I estimate to be a coffee the size of a Starbucks grande.

The man in the flower shop where we bought the peppers was also very friendly. We wanted something bright for our apartment, so he wrapped up our plant in bright pink paper and tied it with a silver bow. We told him we’re students from America and he only charged us 3 euros for the plant, taught us some numbers, and pointed out a restaurant for us to try. Similarly, in a bakery down the road, roommate Emily and I picked up breakfast for our apartment, and the lady behind the counter taught us the names of the pastries and tossed in a τυρόπιτα (cheese pie) for free.

We found people who work at stores and restaurants in touristy areas to be a little more pushy and aggressive, but generally Greeks seem to want to share their culture and are happy to talk with us students for a few minutes and give us deals if we ask. We’ve also been taking survival Greek courses throughout orientation, and it’s nice to be able to wake up in the morning and order breakfast and coffee and Greek before even going to class. The Athenians have been very patient with us!

Our neighborhood is very quiet and, as I mentioned before our apartment is on a pedestrian street. I’d heard about stray dogs in Athens, but our little corner is very popular with cats. This might have something to do with the fact that the little old ladies in our apartment leave out cat food and dishes of water on the steps. The cats are friendly and well-fed, and in the afternoon when it gets really hot, they all lounge around on the cool stone and let us pet them as much as we want.

This is our street, θεοφραστου. Sometimes motorcycles or scooters park at the bottom of the stairs, but it’s really nice to live in a quiet area with no traffic. Another really cute Greek custom I’ve noticed is that young children (under 3 or 4) seem to spend the day with their grandfathers, so all over the neighborhood, grandpas walk around hand-in-hand with toddlers, often with an ice cream or pastry in their hand.

Speaking of food. Oh my god. Besides pastries, souvlaki and gyros, which are amazing, we’ve been eating good. We all went to a taverna dinner on Wednesday with professors and other students in the program and ate mostly appetizers: bread and fava beans and tzatziki sauce and Greek salad with feta and fried zucchini. When the waiter brought out the meat and watermelon, I had to loosen my belt a little to make room.

We’ve been walking around a lot too, so hopefully that will balance out the amount of food we’ve been eating. (The 100+ stairs between the apartment and the Academic Center won’t hurt either.) This is the Zappeion, where the Greek congress convenes. My roommate and Emily and I walked here through the National Garden yesterday after orientation. It is stunning. We thought this was Syntagma Square, but apparently the building there is even bigger and more stunning, so we’ll hunt that out later this week.

We wandered inside the building to look around and somehow ended up in the central courtyard. It was so beautiful, but we only got to look for about 10 seconds before a woman came up to us and started speaking Greek, to which I replied, “Yes,” because I’ve heard that’s a good response to some things. Then she asked me in English if I worked in congress and I said no, so she said we had to leave because we weren’t actually allowed inside, and especially not when congress is in session (which apparently it was). Oops.

Finally, we went to see the Temple of Zeus, a short walk away from the Zappeion. We showed our ICOMOS cards and got in for free, which was wonderful. I love living in a place where I can explore not only a new culture, but a rich history within a few blocks of where I’m living. This weekend my roommates and I are thinking about going to an island and next week I’ll be in Andros. I’m very excited to explore these areas that are easy to access now and continue to learn about this beautiful country.

 

 

 

 

Arrived!

 

Just a quick update to say I’m here! My apartment is pretty nice and my room is looking somewhat room-like now that I’ve unpacked. I’ve slept 1.5 hours in the past day and a half and it’s just past noon (naps are happening soon). My neighborhood looks really fun and walkable, but I will of course report back once I’ve actually walked in it.

I sat next to a really nice Athenian man on the plane, and he was very excited to share some of his favorite places with me. He was happy to hear I’m a history student and we talked about the benefits of a liberal arts education. As a former philosophy major now working as a doctor for the U.S. Department of Health, he encouraged studying broadly and made me feel better about future job prospects!

Now to finish the check-in process and collapse for a while before dinner 🙂