Here are some of the quotes from different group members accumulated throughout the trip (courtesy Johnathon). They are in order by city.
Flight to Greece:
"It smells like fresh paint and adventure." - Seonaid
"We would have done it if we could've just added to ten." - me, on KenKen
"That's hot!" - me, on Air Canada TV
"I prefer Crack not Opium." - John, on Air Canada magazine perfumes
Thessaloniki:
"This bus is impenetrable." - me
"What was his name? It just sounded like Meow Meow Meow." - Dr. Cohen
"Eat your cookie stick! It's good! I ate mine." - Tanith to Ceilidh
Vergina:
"We don't want you pulling any groin muscles on the trip." - Halcyon
Nancy: Did you want any water?
Museum Film: The dead are thirsty...
Dr. Cohen: I'm not dead yet.
Meteora:
Seonaid: I wish I had a panoramic camera
Tanith: Or a didgeridoo
Kalambaka:
"Any Sagi-badasses?" - Hal, on the zodiac
Thermopylae:
"I'm planting it. Plant!" - Tanith, throwing seeds and inventing onomatopoeia
Delphi:
"Yeah, that rocked my body, but not in a good Black Eyed Peas kind of way." - Emily-Jean, on her illness
"I'm Johnipotent." - John
Olympia:
"The gyrator?! We can get you one of them!" - me, mistaking the Greek food "gyros"
"Aw, three donkeys! Really!?" - me, appreciating my estimated dowry
"I like... leather." - Jacob
"I'm Canadian. I'm exotic to you!" - Emily-Jean's imagined pick-up line
"Now that we're all together..." - Dr. Cohen, moments before a car separated our group as we walked along the road
"I think... something. That sentence got lost in the depths of my mind." - me
"I am covered in Libyan dust." - Seonaid
Tanith: Oh, I got a nail in my shoe.
John: Did it pierce your foot?
Tanith: No, it got stuck in my Walmart shoe.
"We can ride in the gully. We can get a sled... with rockets." - Jacob
Pylos:
"It made good use of colour." - Ceilidh, on creepy hotel painting
"My dog loves life in its dogloo." - Seonaid
"You take a chisel and you make it schwink." - Jacob, on Corbell vaults
The creation of a dance move:
Emily-Jean: No, it's called "the Bus Trip"!
Seonaid: I though you were saying "the Muskrat"!
Corinth:
"Bleuaghh!" - first instance of a strange and recognizable bird call heard for the remainder of the trip, possible sound of Medea's dragon chariot
"Thou shalt not take good pictures with natural light while shooting through glass." - Emily-Jean
"If a Greek man were to give me a strange bird gripping a crunchy pine cone, I would be his cupbearer." - John
Eleusis:
"That's mildly embarrassing." - Dr. Cohen, ont he Plutonian dance
Santorini:
"I wish humans were built like dog cuz I'd run downhill so fast." - Seonaid
"Welcome to Mama's house, sexbombs!" - Mama, the best restaurant owner ever
"Mmm, thanksgiving chips..." - John on oregano-flavoured chips
"How can something inspired by prehistorica art and Carmen Electra not be awesome?" - John, on a dance move, "The Golden Ibex"
"I'm not even done picking the food outta my teeth and we're landing." - Seonaid, on the short flight back to Athens
Sounion:
Tanith: Bye, Temple!
me: (deep voice impersonating a temple) Bye, Tanith.
Flight Back:
"Look what air pressure did to my Pringles!" - a forlorn me
Nancy's Most Commonly Heard Phrases During the Trip:
"It's SUCH a good movie."
"Dr. Cohen, I have a question..."
"What you seen ______?"
"Bananas unite!" - Seonaid, Emily-Jean, and I
"What time is dinner/supper?"
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Post Trip Reflection: March 9
March 6:
riddle answer: 10
fail: We don't understand this one either.
dare: to send a message in a bottle
fail: I was going to mail an actual bottle home, but it was the weekend and the post office was closed. We were also not near any water, so I couldn't send one out to sea.
quote: "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lanscapes, but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust
riddle: My posterior is adorned with feathers. I have a rather long neck and quite a pointy nose. I am able to fly, but have no wings...
March 7:
riddle answer: arrow
success: We all pretty much got this one.
dare: to find the hottest guy in Greece, be a self-proclaimed tourist, and get a picture with him!
fail: Unfortunately, I decided to wait until we were on the plane to read the letter, and so I was no longer in Greece. I would have done it in Frankfurt, but we were only there for a short amount of time and it was hectic.
quote: "Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien
riddle: Until I am measured, I am not known. Yet how you miss me, when I have flown.
March 8:
riddle answer: time
success: I got this one, as did a few others in the group.
quote: "Travel is glamour, only in retrospect." - Paul Theraux
So I'm currently back in Sackville, and although I was excited to come home and see my friends and family, I'm already missing Greece. On our last full day in Athens, we went and saw the National Archeological Museum, which was essentially the highlight in terms of museums. It had many of the pieces of art that I have studied over the years, and we were all constantly running from one room to the next in excitement for what was there. It was a great finale to a wonderful trip.
The next two days were essentially taken up with flying. We only had about 45 minutes in Frankfurt to catch our next flight across the ocean, but luckily, we managed to get a drive from our terminal to the next one. That flight was the longest (7 1/2 hours or so), but I spent most of it watching movies. When we finally landed in Moncton, after our stop-off in Toronto, I was very glad to see home, even if that home was covered in snow!
Overall, I'm very glad to have gotten the opportunity to visit Greece. I feel like I was definitely able to appreciate everything after spending four years studying Classics. Yet, I think everyone was able to appreciate this trip, whether or not they were in upper year or were Classics majors. I definitely appreciate Dr. Cohen and Nancy taking us. I'm sure it was not always easy to keep track of everyone or satisfy everyone's wants and needs. We definitely owe them alot!
I would also like to thank everyone who kept up with this blog while we were away. It was nice to know that there were people out there interested enough in our travels or even in our discoveries of Greece to check up every day or so. Afterall, what good is a blog without readers? :)
In closing, then, I will leave you all with a list of favorites and a few pictures. Hopefully, the good time we had will come through in both!
List of Favorites:
favorite site: Meteora (for its spectacular views and mind-boggling architecture), but Olympia in terms of an ancient site (for its ability to infuse the surrounding nature with the ancient ruins)
favorite city: Fira in Santorini (it's hard to compare anything with Santorini)
favorite Greek food: chicken souvlaki (essentially chicken on a stick)
things I'll miss from Greece:
- the weather
- George
- Santorini
- the good times we had as a group
- the proximity to all things ancient!
things I'm glad to have again in Canada:
- toilets that flush toilet paper
- toilets that aren't squat toilets (yes, toilets were an issue)
- face clothes
- mash potatoes
- my friends and family
Pictures:
Natalie :)
Friday, March 5, 2010
Day 15: March 5
March 5:
riddle answer: ". / , / : / ;"
fail: We are confused by this one. We don't understand the answer. Feel free to enlighten us.
dare: to not start the countdown
success: No need. Having too good of a time!
quote: "I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." - Robert Louis Stevenson
riddle: At noon and midnight, the hour and minute hands are coincident with eachother. How many times between noon and midnight do the hour and minute hands cross?
So today the wonderful Greek people went on strike again. Luckily, it was just transportation, so we just walked to the places we wanted to go.
Anyway, I can now say that I saw the Parthenon. The acropolis was amazing! The view from the top was spectacular over the city, and from one corner, you could hear the Greek protestors (which just made the experience even more interesting!). It was a long walk to the top, but the architects were definitely smart when they designed the layout. The long windy road the top gave us the opportunity to look up to the Parthenon and out on the city, and then going through the Propylaea, you get another amazing view of the Parthenon. It was definitely worth all the hype!
Afterwards, we went down the Areopagus, which is essentially this giant rock/hill. Then we moved from there into the Agora. Overlooking it is the Temple of Hephaestus, which is one of my favorite Greek temples, and is also supposedly the best preserved temple in Greece. Lastly, we tried to do the Karameikos (the "potter's quarter"), but probably due to our constant bad luck, it was closed.
That left the rest of the day free to shop. The set-up here is pretty funny. All the purses and sunglasses are sold by men on the street - literally on the street. They lay them all out on blankets so that they can pick up and move whenever they need to. It's kind of sketchy, but definitely an experience.
Tonight we were supposed to go to a Greek cooking lesson, but due to the transportation strike and the fact that the lesson was all the way across town, we are going to eat the old-fashioned way - by buying it in a restaurant! Unfortunately, I will not have any Greek cooking skills to bring home to everyone! :(
Tomorrow is the National Museum, which is supposed to take a long time. It is also our last night in Greece tomorrow as we are leaving on Sunday. I'll be sure to post tomorrow, and then when I return, I will see if I can figure out how to add pictures. Talk to you again soon!
riddle answer: ". / , / : / ;"
fail: We are confused by this one. We don't understand the answer. Feel free to enlighten us.
dare: to not start the countdown
success: No need. Having too good of a time!
quote: "I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move." - Robert Louis Stevenson
riddle: At noon and midnight, the hour and minute hands are coincident with eachother. How many times between noon and midnight do the hour and minute hands cross?
So today the wonderful Greek people went on strike again. Luckily, it was just transportation, so we just walked to the places we wanted to go.
Anyway, I can now say that I saw the Parthenon. The acropolis was amazing! The view from the top was spectacular over the city, and from one corner, you could hear the Greek protestors (which just made the experience even more interesting!). It was a long walk to the top, but the architects were definitely smart when they designed the layout. The long windy road the top gave us the opportunity to look up to the Parthenon and out on the city, and then going through the Propylaea, you get another amazing view of the Parthenon. It was definitely worth all the hype!
Afterwards, we went down the Areopagus, which is essentially this giant rock/hill. Then we moved from there into the Agora. Overlooking it is the Temple of Hephaestus, which is one of my favorite Greek temples, and is also supposedly the best preserved temple in Greece. Lastly, we tried to do the Karameikos (the "potter's quarter"), but probably due to our constant bad luck, it was closed.
That left the rest of the day free to shop. The set-up here is pretty funny. All the purses and sunglasses are sold by men on the street - literally on the street. They lay them all out on blankets so that they can pick up and move whenever they need to. It's kind of sketchy, but definitely an experience.
Tonight we were supposed to go to a Greek cooking lesson, but due to the transportation strike and the fact that the lesson was all the way across town, we are going to eat the old-fashioned way - by buying it in a restaurant! Unfortunately, I will not have any Greek cooking skills to bring home to everyone! :(
Tomorrow is the National Museum, which is supposed to take a long time. It is also our last night in Greece tomorrow as we are leaving on Sunday. I'll be sure to post tomorrow, and then when I return, I will see if I can figure out how to add pictures. Talk to you again soon!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Day 14: March 4
March 4:
riddle answer: ton
success: Tanith got it.
dare: to have everyone in the group sign my shirt
fail: I was inconveniently wearing black, and I didn't get the chance to buy a white shirt. Maybe I will get one in the next couple of days though.
quote: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - took the one less traveled by, and that has mae all the difference." - Robert Frost
riddle: There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name half of them?
Today was a fairly busy day. We woke up at our usual time of 7:30 AM and headed to Marathon. There wasn't much there, as it is just a field, but we saw the tomb and this interesting 3D map that explained where all the different monuments were in the area.
Afterwards, we hopped on the bus again and went to Brauron. Unfortunately for us, the site itself was closed, and so we had to satisfy ourselves with pulling the bus over to take pictures over the fence. We did go to the museum though, where I was very thrilled to see all the different grave stele of the little children. It was also fairly interesting to see the statues of hands holding doves and childhood toys.
Thirdly, we went to Sounion, which has a spectacular temple of Poseidon overlooking the water from the top of the hill. In true form, we did our dance in front of it. It was pretty interesting to see all the signatures of individuals dating back to the 1800's which were carved into the marble. We wanted to see Lord Byron, but alas!
It was also our last day with George (our driver). We were very disappointed, but apparently he has a life that doesn't include driving a bus for a group of students and their professor. Who knew?
By the time we got back to the hotel, we were exhausted. Unfortunately, on our way into the city, one of the main areas was closed down. George informed us that there was a protest going on, and the hotel reception desk man told us that there is going to be another general strike tomorrow. Isn't it just our luck that we would fly thousands of miles to see the Acropolis, and it may not be open to us! Or even better, isn't it just my luck that it's my last year at MTA after spending four years studying Classics, and I might not even see it! However, with some luck, only the transportation will be on strike, and we will be able to walk, since the Parthenon is visible from our hotel. We are a little worried about these strikes though... not because we're worried about being in danger or anything, but worried that we might not accomplish everything. Wish us luck!
riddle answer: ton
success: Tanith got it.
dare: to have everyone in the group sign my shirt
fail: I was inconveniently wearing black, and I didn't get the chance to buy a white shirt. Maybe I will get one in the next couple of days though.
quote: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - took the one less traveled by, and that has mae all the difference." - Robert Frost
riddle: There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name half of them?
Today was a fairly busy day. We woke up at our usual time of 7:30 AM and headed to Marathon. There wasn't much there, as it is just a field, but we saw the tomb and this interesting 3D map that explained where all the different monuments were in the area.
Afterwards, we hopped on the bus again and went to Brauron. Unfortunately for us, the site itself was closed, and so we had to satisfy ourselves with pulling the bus over to take pictures over the fence. We did go to the museum though, where I was very thrilled to see all the different grave stele of the little children. It was also fairly interesting to see the statues of hands holding doves and childhood toys.
Thirdly, we went to Sounion, which has a spectacular temple of Poseidon overlooking the water from the top of the hill. In true form, we did our dance in front of it. It was pretty interesting to see all the signatures of individuals dating back to the 1800's which were carved into the marble. We wanted to see Lord Byron, but alas!
It was also our last day with George (our driver). We were very disappointed, but apparently he has a life that doesn't include driving a bus for a group of students and their professor. Who knew?
By the time we got back to the hotel, we were exhausted. Unfortunately, on our way into the city, one of the main areas was closed down. George informed us that there was a protest going on, and the hotel reception desk man told us that there is going to be another general strike tomorrow. Isn't it just our luck that we would fly thousands of miles to see the Acropolis, and it may not be open to us! Or even better, isn't it just my luck that it's my last year at MTA after spending four years studying Classics, and I might not even see it! However, with some luck, only the transportation will be on strike, and we will be able to walk, since the Parthenon is visible from our hotel. We are a little worried about these strikes though... not because we're worried about being in danger or anything, but worried that we might not accomplish everything. Wish us luck!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Day 13: March 3
February28:
riddle answer: glass
fail: we did not think of that
dare: to celebrate
success: we arrived in Athens and had wine at 4:00 in the afternoon.
quote: "A journey of 1000 miles begins with a broken fan belt and a leaky tire." - Anon
riddle: with potent flowery words speak I, of something common, vulgar, dry. I weave webs of pedanticprose, in effort to befuddle those..
March 1:
riddle answer: a riddle
success: :)
dare: to dance
success: we have invented a dance based loosely off our travels and dance moves acquired from meat commercials. We not dance everywhere.
quote: "American who travel abroad for the first time are often shocked to discover that, despite all the progress made in the last 30 years, many foreign people still speak in foreign languages." - Dave Barry
riddle: You are 8 ft away from a door and with each move you advance half the distance to the door. How many moves does it take to reach the door?
March 2:
riddle answer: never
success: I got this one. I never even gave people a chance to answer. How gracious of me!
dare: to buy Alex's gift
success: I got you something. You'll just have to wait and see. And good call on guessing that I wouldn't have bought your gift by now.
quote: "I see my path, but I do not know where it leads. Not knowing where I am going is what inspires me to travel it." - Rosalia de Castro
riddle: What do you call your father-in-law's only child's mother-in-law?
March 3:
riddle answer: Mom
success: it took some time for some of us to wrap our minds around this one, but it was a success all the same!
dare: to dip my toes in the water
success: I went swimming in the Mediterranean (which included being beaten against the rocks by the strong waves!)
fail: I did it the day before.
quote: "Travelling is the ruin of happiness! There is no looking here after at another building since Greece." - Fanny Burney
riddle: Forwards, I am heavy. Backwards, I am not. What am I?
So I apologize both for bombarding you with the last four days of riddles and for not blogging for the last four days. I have a good reason though: Santorini!
On the first day I didn't write (February 28), we went to Corinth and Eleusis. Corinth was pretty amazing because it was a fairly big complex which I haven't actually studied before. It's nice to see something new! Eleusis was very interesting as well. We particularly liked the cave where Demeter allegedly sat and waited for Persephone. To add to Dr. Cohen's embarrassment, we did our meat commercial dance in it! Someone had also cleverly left a half eaten pomegranate. We were also incredibly excited to find that the museum in Eleusis holds the Blinding of Polyphemus amphora. I snuck a picture of myself with it before quickly exiting!
On the second day, we had to get up fairly early (like 5:30 AM early!) to catch the 7 hour ferry ride to Santorini. We weren't too impressed about a boat ride taking as long as the plane ride across the ocean, but it turned out to be fairly fun. The ship stopped at several islands, and the view was spectacular. When we finally arrived in Santorini, we were all pretty excited! Our hotel was amazing. Every group of two essentially got their own suite of rooms that included a bathroom, a kitchen complex, and sometimes a living room or dining room. Besides that, our terrace area looked out over the caldera (which is essentially this big bay where the volcano is). The caldera is apparently "bottomless" and the ferries can't drop anchor there. Our view was the stereotypical island view that looked out over the water and included the white painted houses all built up on the side of the cliff. Needless to say, we were impressed!
The third day, we rented a bus and went swimming in the Mediterranean. We also went to Oia which was another city on the island. Oia is where they filmed the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. It was pretty cool. For the rest of the day, we shopped around and lounged on our beautiful terrace. It's a hard life. I know.
That evening for supper, we went to Mama's House. I mention this restaurant particularly because it included a wonderful woman (Mama), who met us at the door and said, "Say hello to Mama, Sexbombs!" She was this fiery Greek lady who was incredibly charismatic. We danced our meat commercial dance for her and she made the whole restaurant clap. She was definitely the highlight of our time there.
On our last day in Santorini (today), we relaxed. We slept in, walked around the city, and read in the chairs on the terrace. We were very sad to leave. We took a plane back, which was essentially a half hour long. We barely finished eating the snack they gave us 10 minutes on the plane, when they ripped the garbage our of our hands, and told us they were landing. It's ironic that it took us 7 hours to get there on a ship, and so little time to fly back on a plane. Now we're back in Athens looking at the last stretch of our trip here in Greece. We're going to Marathon, Sounion, and Brauron tomorrow... But I have to say, my dreams will be of Santorini!
riddle answer: glass
fail: we did not think of that
dare: to celebrate
success: we arrived in Athens and had wine at 4:00 in the afternoon.
quote: "A journey of 1000 miles begins with a broken fan belt and a leaky tire." - Anon
riddle: with potent flowery words speak I, of something common, vulgar, dry. I weave webs of pedanticprose, in effort to befuddle those..
March 1:
riddle answer: a riddle
success: :)
dare: to dance
success: we have invented a dance based loosely off our travels and dance moves acquired from meat commercials. We not dance everywhere.
quote: "American who travel abroad for the first time are often shocked to discover that, despite all the progress made in the last 30 years, many foreign people still speak in foreign languages." - Dave Barry
riddle: You are 8 ft away from a door and with each move you advance half the distance to the door. How many moves does it take to reach the door?
March 2:
riddle answer: never
success: I got this one. I never even gave people a chance to answer. How gracious of me!
dare: to buy Alex's gift
success: I got you something. You'll just have to wait and see. And good call on guessing that I wouldn't have bought your gift by now.
quote: "I see my path, but I do not know where it leads. Not knowing where I am going is what inspires me to travel it." - Rosalia de Castro
riddle: What do you call your father-in-law's only child's mother-in-law?
March 3:
riddle answer: Mom
success: it took some time for some of us to wrap our minds around this one, but it was a success all the same!
dare: to dip my toes in the water
success: I went swimming in the Mediterranean (which included being beaten against the rocks by the strong waves!)
fail: I did it the day before.
quote: "Travelling is the ruin of happiness! There is no looking here after at another building since Greece." - Fanny Burney
riddle: Forwards, I am heavy. Backwards, I am not. What am I?
So I apologize both for bombarding you with the last four days of riddles and for not blogging for the last four days. I have a good reason though: Santorini!
On the first day I didn't write (February 28), we went to Corinth and Eleusis. Corinth was pretty amazing because it was a fairly big complex which I haven't actually studied before. It's nice to see something new! Eleusis was very interesting as well. We particularly liked the cave where Demeter allegedly sat and waited for Persephone. To add to Dr. Cohen's embarrassment, we did our meat commercial dance in it! Someone had also cleverly left a half eaten pomegranate. We were also incredibly excited to find that the museum in Eleusis holds the Blinding of Polyphemus amphora. I snuck a picture of myself with it before quickly exiting!
On the second day, we had to get up fairly early (like 5:30 AM early!) to catch the 7 hour ferry ride to Santorini. We weren't too impressed about a boat ride taking as long as the plane ride across the ocean, but it turned out to be fairly fun. The ship stopped at several islands, and the view was spectacular. When we finally arrived in Santorini, we were all pretty excited! Our hotel was amazing. Every group of two essentially got their own suite of rooms that included a bathroom, a kitchen complex, and sometimes a living room or dining room. Besides that, our terrace area looked out over the caldera (which is essentially this big bay where the volcano is). The caldera is apparently "bottomless" and the ferries can't drop anchor there. Our view was the stereotypical island view that looked out over the water and included the white painted houses all built up on the side of the cliff. Needless to say, we were impressed!
The third day, we rented a bus and went swimming in the Mediterranean. We also went to Oia which was another city on the island. Oia is where they filmed the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. It was pretty cool. For the rest of the day, we shopped around and lounged on our beautiful terrace. It's a hard life. I know.
That evening for supper, we went to Mama's House. I mention this restaurant particularly because it included a wonderful woman (Mama), who met us at the door and said, "Say hello to Mama, Sexbombs!" She was this fiery Greek lady who was incredibly charismatic. We danced our meat commercial dance for her and she made the whole restaurant clap. She was definitely the highlight of our time there.
On our last day in Santorini (today), we relaxed. We slept in, walked around the city, and read in the chairs on the terrace. We were very sad to leave. We took a plane back, which was essentially a half hour long. We barely finished eating the snack they gave us 10 minutes on the plane, when they ripped the garbage our of our hands, and told us they were landing. It's ironic that it took us 7 hours to get there on a ship, and so little time to fly back on a plane. Now we're back in Athens looking at the last stretch of our trip here in Greece. We're going to Marathon, Sounion, and Brauron tomorrow... But I have to say, my dreams will be of Santorini!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Day 9: February 27
February 27:
riddle answer: candles shorten when burned
fail: that never occured to us. Enough said!
dare: to just go ahead an buy it
success: I bought a ring from a man who handmade all of his jewellery. He made it in the back of his shop for me in about 5 minutes. It was impressive!
quote: "The traveller sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see." - G. K. Chesterson
riddle: Though liquid in nature, don't push me too far; for when I will break, and damage may scar...
Today we went to Mycenae and Epidaurus. Mycenae was pretty interesting with the Cyclopean walls and the corbel vault to the cistern. We got our customary picture in front of the Lion's Gate, and the stones were literally taller than me. I have the pictures to prove it! As for the cistern, that was amazing. It is this incredibly long tunnel that leads to the water supply in the event of an attack. It is also pitch black, and everyone of us forgot our flashlights except for Ceilidh. So we used one mini-flashlight to guide us all down these treacherous steps to the bottom. At first it seemed like there was no end to the tunnel. It was pretty fun. Besides that, we generally could not get over the fact that this place was so incredibly well situated. The Mycenaens definitely chose the perfect site. You could see everywhere in the valley, all the way down to the water, and the area they built their city was practically impenetrable. We also saw the so-called Treasury of Atreus, which was this incredibly large tholos tomb. We were impressed! We danced on top of it.
Epidaurus was also pretty fun. The site itself was very interesting, including the tholos and the temple of Asclepius. They were doing reconstructions there, so it gave us an idea of what the columns of different sections looked like. The theatre itself was spectacular of course. It's this giant theatre that holds anywhere between 13 000 - 15 000 people. We ran to the top, and someone dropped a coin in the middle. It was amazing that you could still hear it from so far away. Afterwards, when a large group of tourists had arrived, Emily-Jean, Halcyon, Seonaid, and I sung "Hey Jude" in the middle for the crowd. It was worth it!
Afterwards, George drove us to the top of the mountain overlooking Nafplion and the Argive Bay. There is this giant fortress there with 1000 steps from it to the city below. He tried to convince us to walk to the bottom, but fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), the fortress was closed by the time we got there.
Besides that, we were pretty exhausted...especially from running up and down the theatre steps at Epidaurus. Of course, we still found the energy to shop! Tomorrow we're off to Eleusis and Athens for our ferry to Santorini. I doubt I'll be blogging tomorrow as the ferry leaves at 7:30 AM the next morning. We're planning on either being exhausted from waking up so early or wired from never going to bed! In fact, I might not be blogging in Santorini either, since it's not tourist season and I doubt they really have internet cafes there at this time of year...but you never know!
We heard about the storm, by the way. Enjoy the snow! We're definitely enjoying the sun!
riddle answer: candles shorten when burned
fail: that never occured to us. Enough said!
dare: to just go ahead an buy it
success: I bought a ring from a man who handmade all of his jewellery. He made it in the back of his shop for me in about 5 minutes. It was impressive!
quote: "The traveller sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see." - G. K. Chesterson
riddle: Though liquid in nature, don't push me too far; for when I will break, and damage may scar...
Today we went to Mycenae and Epidaurus. Mycenae was pretty interesting with the Cyclopean walls and the corbel vault to the cistern. We got our customary picture in front of the Lion's Gate, and the stones were literally taller than me. I have the pictures to prove it! As for the cistern, that was amazing. It is this incredibly long tunnel that leads to the water supply in the event of an attack. It is also pitch black, and everyone of us forgot our flashlights except for Ceilidh. So we used one mini-flashlight to guide us all down these treacherous steps to the bottom. At first it seemed like there was no end to the tunnel. It was pretty fun. Besides that, we generally could not get over the fact that this place was so incredibly well situated. The Mycenaens definitely chose the perfect site. You could see everywhere in the valley, all the way down to the water, and the area they built their city was practically impenetrable. We also saw the so-called Treasury of Atreus, which was this incredibly large tholos tomb. We were impressed! We danced on top of it.
Epidaurus was also pretty fun. The site itself was very interesting, including the tholos and the temple of Asclepius. They were doing reconstructions there, so it gave us an idea of what the columns of different sections looked like. The theatre itself was spectacular of course. It's this giant theatre that holds anywhere between 13 000 - 15 000 people. We ran to the top, and someone dropped a coin in the middle. It was amazing that you could still hear it from so far away. Afterwards, when a large group of tourists had arrived, Emily-Jean, Halcyon, Seonaid, and I sung "Hey Jude" in the middle for the crowd. It was worth it!
Afterwards, George drove us to the top of the mountain overlooking Nafplion and the Argive Bay. There is this giant fortress there with 1000 steps from it to the city below. He tried to convince us to walk to the bottom, but fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), the fortress was closed by the time we got there.
Besides that, we were pretty exhausted...especially from running up and down the theatre steps at Epidaurus. Of course, we still found the energy to shop! Tomorrow we're off to Eleusis and Athens for our ferry to Santorini. I doubt I'll be blogging tomorrow as the ferry leaves at 7:30 AM the next morning. We're planning on either being exhausted from waking up so early or wired from never going to bed! In fact, I might not be blogging in Santorini either, since it's not tourist season and I doubt they really have internet cafes there at this time of year...but you never know!
We heard about the storm, by the way. Enjoy the snow! We're definitely enjoying the sun!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Day 8: February 26
So I apologize for missing a day but an internet cafe really just wasn't available in Olympia!
February 25:
riddle answer: draw
fail: We did not get that one. Enough said.
dare: to dare someone else (go big or go home)
success: I dared Jacob to climb into a tree (not in a tree or tree branches, but rather in this big hole that put him within the tree). He did it of course. And I also dared Dr. Cohen to eat cod at supper with me. Neither were big dares, but we really weren't in a place that allowed for epic dares.
quote: "Only he who has traveled the road knows where the holes are deep." - Chinese Proverb
riddle: Close to the words of life stay I, But I wither, wane, and grow dry...
February 26:
riddle answer: Bible-pressed flower
fail: We didn't get it, but Nancy was closest. She guessed leaves.
dare: to surprise myself...and Dr. Cohen
success: This was Jacob's brilliant idea. I got Dr. Cohen to order me an appetizer at our restaurant so that I would be surprised, and then he would be surprised when I actually ate it (which is definitely surprise-worthy if you know my limited eating habits). He ordered me zucchini croquettes, and I ate a whole one, which was surprising to us all. Then I gave the rest away.
quote: "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you'll be swept off to." - Frodo and Bilbo
side note: We loved this quote particularly since The Lord of the Rings has oddly been a constant topic of conversation throughout this past week.
riddle: Which candle burns longer than a blue candle and a green candle...
I am currently sitting in an internet/gamer cafe in Naflion. There are a lot of guys playing video games, and might I add that the background of this computer is a scene from World of War Craft, which I'm sure will be particularly hilarious to some of you out there.
Yesterday we finally saw the site at Olympia. I'm glad we didn't miss it. It was spectacular. There were quite a few buildings, and they looked really amazing with grass and flowers growing up around them. My favorite part was definitely this little forgotten house over by Nero's house, where there was no rope locking us from wandering around it. It looked just like a scene out of Secret Garden! We also did the customary racing shot in the stadium, and Seonaid and I did some wonderfully embarrassing exercise routines in the gymnasium. Apparently people could see us from the other side of the site, and they thought we were dancing! But at least we can say we exercised in an ancient gymnasium!
After that, we went to Bassae which was pretty cool despite the giant circus-like tent they have over it. Apparently it protects from the frost, and although that sounds stupid when you're thinking about Greece, it was pretty chilly up there. It was amazing how close you can get to it though, compared to other temples. Then we found an amazing panoramic view of the mountains, and we definitely understood why the Ancient Greeks would decide to build a temple up there.
After that we pulled into Pylos for the night and slept there. This morning, we actually went to the site of "Nestor's Palace". The bathtub was by far one of the most interesting aspects, which is pretty standard, I believe! We also went into a tholos there, where Emily-Jean, Seonaid and I tried to initiate a flash mob doing the running man, but it just turned out to be the three of us doing our own awkward version of the running man with everyone else watching. We have also nicknamed ourselves "Ivan and Nancy Plus 8" (name courtesy of Emily-Jean). Our happy little family arrived in Nafplion just around supper time.
Oh, and we heard that the women's hockey team won gold! We are ecstatic! Go Canada!
February 25:
riddle answer: draw
fail: We did not get that one. Enough said.
dare: to dare someone else (go big or go home)
success: I dared Jacob to climb into a tree (not in a tree or tree branches, but rather in this big hole that put him within the tree). He did it of course. And I also dared Dr. Cohen to eat cod at supper with me. Neither were big dares, but we really weren't in a place that allowed for epic dares.
quote: "Only he who has traveled the road knows where the holes are deep." - Chinese Proverb
riddle: Close to the words of life stay I, But I wither, wane, and grow dry...
February 26:
riddle answer: Bible-pressed flower
fail: We didn't get it, but Nancy was closest. She guessed leaves.
dare: to surprise myself...and Dr. Cohen
success: This was Jacob's brilliant idea. I got Dr. Cohen to order me an appetizer at our restaurant so that I would be surprised, and then he would be surprised when I actually ate it (which is definitely surprise-worthy if you know my limited eating habits). He ordered me zucchini croquettes, and I ate a whole one, which was surprising to us all. Then I gave the rest away.
quote: "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you'll be swept off to." - Frodo and Bilbo
side note: We loved this quote particularly since The Lord of the Rings has oddly been a constant topic of conversation throughout this past week.
riddle: Which candle burns longer than a blue candle and a green candle...
I am currently sitting in an internet/gamer cafe in Naflion. There are a lot of guys playing video games, and might I add that the background of this computer is a scene from World of War Craft, which I'm sure will be particularly hilarious to some of you out there.
Yesterday we finally saw the site at Olympia. I'm glad we didn't miss it. It was spectacular. There were quite a few buildings, and they looked really amazing with grass and flowers growing up around them. My favorite part was definitely this little forgotten house over by Nero's house, where there was no rope locking us from wandering around it. It looked just like a scene out of Secret Garden! We also did the customary racing shot in the stadium, and Seonaid and I did some wonderfully embarrassing exercise routines in the gymnasium. Apparently people could see us from the other side of the site, and they thought we were dancing! But at least we can say we exercised in an ancient gymnasium!
After that, we went to Bassae which was pretty cool despite the giant circus-like tent they have over it. Apparently it protects from the frost, and although that sounds stupid when you're thinking about Greece, it was pretty chilly up there. It was amazing how close you can get to it though, compared to other temples. Then we found an amazing panoramic view of the mountains, and we definitely understood why the Ancient Greeks would decide to build a temple up there.
After that we pulled into Pylos for the night and slept there. This morning, we actually went to the site of "Nestor's Palace". The bathtub was by far one of the most interesting aspects, which is pretty standard, I believe! We also went into a tholos there, where Emily-Jean, Seonaid and I tried to initiate a flash mob doing the running man, but it just turned out to be the three of us doing our own awkward version of the running man with everyone else watching. We have also nicknamed ourselves "Ivan and Nancy Plus 8" (name courtesy of Emily-Jean). Our happy little family arrived in Nafplion just around supper time.
Oh, and we heard that the women's hockey team won gold! We are ecstatic! Go Canada!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Day 6 - February 24
February 24
yesterday's riddle: the mind
no success: no one got this one. Emily-Jean was closest. She guessed mind.
dare: to get dirty (metaphoricall or literally)
success: I got dirty metaphorically (but unintentionally). I told Jacob we could get him a gyrator. Long story. But if it helps, I got literally dirty yesterday in Delphi when I got into a hole.
quote: "Those who know nothing of a foreign language [or land] know nothing of their own." - Johann Wolfgang con Goethe
riddle: You can do it in vessels for getting you clean. You can do it to fabric to stop being seen. You are doing it when you come up short. You're doing it when you've equalled in sport.
So we are still in Olympia. Today was both interesting and good. Apparently Greece is in a mini-crisis right now. They are bankrupt, and that means that all the government workers decided to go on strike today. So therefore, the site of Olympia was closed. Apparently the people of Greece have a different idea of strikes than we do, though. A few of us managed to get halfway into the site without any security guards, picket lines, or people of any kind stopping us. As for the riots going on in Athens...yeah, we heard. But we feel fairly safe here in the small town of Olympia. In fact, we feel fairly safe in the whole country itself. As for the rest of the day, we just wandered around the city shopping and meeting people. A few people in the group even had the good fortune of meeting some shopkeepers with some of the older Olympic torches and having pictures with them. The people here are fairly friendly. We have managed to make friends with the shopkeeper of a jewellery store. When we were looking for this internet cafe, we met him on the street. We told him we had walked by this place thinking that we needed to have our own computers. He asked if we had actually bothered to ask if they had computers, and we said no. He called his son for us to check. Then he told us a Greek proverb, "By asking and asking, one can get from here to Istanbul." Smart words. If it wasn't for him, we definitely wouldn't have found this internet cafe. Very nice people.
Besides that, nothing else has really happened. But it was nice to just spend the day doing laundry and wandering around the city. It was interesting to see how the Greeks actually live day-to-day, without a mass of tourists flooding the city. I'm glad they were on strike!
-Natalie
yesterday's riddle: the mind
no success: no one got this one. Emily-Jean was closest. She guessed mind.
dare: to get dirty (metaphoricall or literally)
success: I got dirty metaphorically (but unintentionally). I told Jacob we could get him a gyrator. Long story. But if it helps, I got literally dirty yesterday in Delphi when I got into a hole.
quote: "Those who know nothing of a foreign language [or land] know nothing of their own." - Johann Wolfgang con Goethe
riddle: You can do it in vessels for getting you clean. You can do it to fabric to stop being seen. You are doing it when you come up short. You're doing it when you've equalled in sport.
So we are still in Olympia. Today was both interesting and good. Apparently Greece is in a mini-crisis right now. They are bankrupt, and that means that all the government workers decided to go on strike today. So therefore, the site of Olympia was closed. Apparently the people of Greece have a different idea of strikes than we do, though. A few of us managed to get halfway into the site without any security guards, picket lines, or people of any kind stopping us. As for the riots going on in Athens...yeah, we heard. But we feel fairly safe here in the small town of Olympia. In fact, we feel fairly safe in the whole country itself. As for the rest of the day, we just wandered around the city shopping and meeting people. A few people in the group even had the good fortune of meeting some shopkeepers with some of the older Olympic torches and having pictures with them. The people here are fairly friendly. We have managed to make friends with the shopkeeper of a jewellery store. When we were looking for this internet cafe, we met him on the street. We told him we had walked by this place thinking that we needed to have our own computers. He asked if we had actually bothered to ask if they had computers, and we said no. He called his son for us to check. Then he told us a Greek proverb, "By asking and asking, one can get from here to Istanbul." Smart words. If it wasn't for him, we definitely wouldn't have found this internet cafe. Very nice people.
Besides that, nothing else has really happened. But it was nice to just spend the day doing laundry and wandering around the city. It was interesting to see how the Greeks actually live day-to-day, without a mass of tourists flooding the city. I'm glad they were on strike!
-Natalie
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Day 5: February 23
Well, we made it to day 5! I am currently sitting in our more swanky hotel in Olympia with an older Greek lady watching a Greek soap opera behind me. I thoroughly encourage everyone to watch at least 5 minutes of Greek tv. Needless to say, it is interesting. So anyway, here is the day's games:
February 23:
answer to yesterday's riddle: a bat
success: Jonathan was the first to get this one.
dare: to do something I know Alex would do
success: I picked up, played with, and took a picture with some dirty, mangy, street cat (who was adorable despite the mangy part). I don't think Dr. Cohen was too impressed with our love of the cats!
quote: "The world is a book. Those who do not travel read only a page." - Saint Augustine
riddle: Everything to someone, I am. But I am nothing to everyone else...
We definitely like today's riddle! We have a couple of guesses, but nothing seems to have satisfied the qualifications. We'll have to wait and see for tomorrow!
Anyway, today we went to the site of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. It is situated on the side of a mountain, looking out over the valley. It was quite the climb, but there was definitely lots to see. We saw the temple, the treasury of the Athenians, the gymnasium, and the tholos (and many others things of course!). A few of us climbed in some hole we found that went underneath the temple, and then down in the gymnasium, we had a race. I was definitely hungry after all of that! We also went to the museum in Delphi where they had the monument of Lucius Aemilius Paullus, the large Sphinx, and the Charioteer. We were all very excited, and we kept running around between all the amazing statues and sculptures which we had studied over the years.
After that, we took off on the bus to Olympia, which is where we are right now. It's still early in the evening here, so we haven't had the time to explore. Tomorrow we are going to the museum and the site, and we'll have more of a chance to see the city. It's amazing how the scenery of Greece continuously changes as we drive. It goes from mountains, to valleys, to coastal areas. It is constantly keeping us on our toes! Anyway, I'll be sure to let you know what we find tomorrow!
-Natalie
February 23:
answer to yesterday's riddle: a bat
success: Jonathan was the first to get this one.
dare: to do something I know Alex would do
success: I picked up, played with, and took a picture with some dirty, mangy, street cat (who was adorable despite the mangy part). I don't think Dr. Cohen was too impressed with our love of the cats!
quote: "The world is a book. Those who do not travel read only a page." - Saint Augustine
riddle: Everything to someone, I am. But I am nothing to everyone else...
We definitely like today's riddle! We have a couple of guesses, but nothing seems to have satisfied the qualifications. We'll have to wait and see for tomorrow!
Anyway, today we went to the site of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. It is situated on the side of a mountain, looking out over the valley. It was quite the climb, but there was definitely lots to see. We saw the temple, the treasury of the Athenians, the gymnasium, and the tholos (and many others things of course!). A few of us climbed in some hole we found that went underneath the temple, and then down in the gymnasium, we had a race. I was definitely hungry after all of that! We also went to the museum in Delphi where they had the monument of Lucius Aemilius Paullus, the large Sphinx, and the Charioteer. We were all very excited, and we kept running around between all the amazing statues and sculptures which we had studied over the years.
After that, we took off on the bus to Olympia, which is where we are right now. It's still early in the evening here, so we haven't had the time to explore. Tomorrow we are going to the museum and the site, and we'll have more of a chance to see the city. It's amazing how the scenery of Greece continuously changes as we drive. It goes from mountains, to valleys, to coastal areas. It is constantly keeping us on our toes! Anyway, I'll be sure to let you know what we find tomorrow!
-Natalie
Monday, February 22, 2010
Day 4: February 22
I'm back. Clearly it's not that difficult to find an internet cafe in Greece! I figure I will start out with the answer to yesterday's riddle as well as today's letter:
February 22:
answer to yesterday's riddle: morning dew
success: Jacob got this one first. shocker.
dare: to take a classic tourist picture
success: I took the classic picture in front of the landscape of Meteora with my hands doing the peace sign. Simple, yet classic. I was incredibly tempted to ask the group of Japanese tourists to take their picture with me, but I figured the language barrier was a problem explaining that one.
quote: "The worst thing about being a tourist is having other tourists recognize you as a tourist." - Russell Baker
Riddle: I see without seeing. Noise is an ally.
So anyway, today we went to Meteora, which you all should google. It is amazing. Essentially, they are these spectacular cliffs that rise out of the valley and are impossibly high. The monks have built monasteries on the top, and the Greeks have built an impractical road (oftentimes without guardrails) to the top. It is incredibly hard to describe without you actually seeing it (or even a picture), but these structures consist of stairs built into the rock and bridges crossing between cliffs. As you can imagine, the view out into the rest of the valley is fantastic. It's easy to see why the monks initially built their monasteries here. It would be easy to see anyone of any religion wanting to build there. Apparently, Meteora means "on high", and the museums themselves seem to have a fascination with representations of the Greek War of Independence, which I'm told has to do with the fact that the Turks were Muslim and so there was an obvious problem with their occupation of Greece (whose inhabitants are, you guessed it, Greek Orthodox).
After that we took off to Delphi. We stopped in Thermopylae, where we nearly got hit by a car crossing the road. As our driver, George, said, "This is not Canada. People don't ever stop here." Wise words. Lesson learned.
Delphi itself is beautiful as well (which seems to be the go-to word of describing the cities of Greece). It is essentially a city built onto the side of the mountain, and so there are plenty of stairs going higher or lower into the village which looks out onto the valley. We haven't gone to site yet, but I can definitely understand why the Ancient Greeks decided to build it here.
What is also amazing is that our hotel has a tub. You might consider this menial, but not for us. We also appreciate Canadian toilets now...especially ones where we don't have to squat! As for Greek words, I haven't picked up that much (except for the word for grocery store, which I figured out pretty quickly!). The food is incredibly cheap and I'm oftentimes wondering how the shopkeepers make any money! But other than that, Greece is a wonderful country and it feels like we've been here for weeks! Perhaps I won't even come home!
February 22:
answer to yesterday's riddle: morning dew
success: Jacob got this one first. shocker.
dare: to take a classic tourist picture
success: I took the classic picture in front of the landscape of Meteora with my hands doing the peace sign. Simple, yet classic. I was incredibly tempted to ask the group of Japanese tourists to take their picture with me, but I figured the language barrier was a problem explaining that one.
quote: "The worst thing about being a tourist is having other tourists recognize you as a tourist." - Russell Baker
Riddle: I see without seeing. Noise is an ally.
So anyway, today we went to Meteora, which you all should google. It is amazing. Essentially, they are these spectacular cliffs that rise out of the valley and are impossibly high. The monks have built monasteries on the top, and the Greeks have built an impractical road (oftentimes without guardrails) to the top. It is incredibly hard to describe without you actually seeing it (or even a picture), but these structures consist of stairs built into the rock and bridges crossing between cliffs. As you can imagine, the view out into the rest of the valley is fantastic. It's easy to see why the monks initially built their monasteries here. It would be easy to see anyone of any religion wanting to build there. Apparently, Meteora means "on high", and the museums themselves seem to have a fascination with representations of the Greek War of Independence, which I'm told has to do with the fact that the Turks were Muslim and so there was an obvious problem with their occupation of Greece (whose inhabitants are, you guessed it, Greek Orthodox).
After that we took off to Delphi. We stopped in Thermopylae, where we nearly got hit by a car crossing the road. As our driver, George, said, "This is not Canada. People don't ever stop here." Wise words. Lesson learned.
Delphi itself is beautiful as well (which seems to be the go-to word of describing the cities of Greece). It is essentially a city built onto the side of the mountain, and so there are plenty of stairs going higher or lower into the village which looks out onto the valley. We haven't gone to site yet, but I can definitely understand why the Ancient Greeks decided to build it here.
What is also amazing is that our hotel has a tub. You might consider this menial, but not for us. We also appreciate Canadian toilets now...especially ones where we don't have to squat! As for Greek words, I haven't picked up that much (except for the word for grocery store, which I figured out pretty quickly!). The food is incredibly cheap and I'm oftentimes wondering how the shopkeepers make any money! But other than that, Greece is a wonderful country and it feels like we've been here for weeks! Perhaps I won't even come home!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Day 3 - February 21st
Hi everyone! I'm in Greece at a lovely little internet cafe where the space bar doesn't work all that efficiently. I'm sorry that I missed a day but obviously there wasn't a computer available on the plane!
The flights went well, although they were long. The last flight on Aegean Air was a little difficult. There were a couple of points that were a little tense, including when he was rapidly descending over the sea and it looked like there was no runway. When we first arrived in Thessaliniki, there was a large haze that looked like smog. Apparently it turned out to be from a sandstorm in Libya. It lasted for the night, and by the next morning, it was a beautiful blue sky! The weather has been nice here so far. It's definitely t-shirt weather, although the locals think it's cold. It's gets a little chillier at night, and it's windy at times, but other than that, I'm sure everyone over in Canada right now would switch for this!
Today we went to Vergina to see the supposed tomb of Phillip of Macedon. There are these wonderful little tombs hidden under a tumulus, but unfortunately you can't take pictures. We also went to Dion, where we essentially saw the ruins of a little city. I can now say that I've sat (yes, sat) on an ancient road.
The Greek countryside has been beautiful so far. We drove around Mount Olympus today (or rather our driver, George, drove us around). The route was incredibly windy, but the view from some of the mountains was spectacular. We also had the opportunity to see sheep, goats, and dogs...lots and lots of dogs. There seem to be strays everywhere, but they're very friendly anyway!
So, before I left for Greece, my roommate, Alex, gave me a stack of letters for everyday. Included in each letter is a quote, a riddle, and a dare. I've decided that I'm going to share these with you everyday, so you can keep up on our progress! So here it goes:
Feburary 19:
dare: to talk to a stranger on the plane
success?: I tried. Everyone I talked to spoke another language so I resorted to smiling and waving excessively.
quote: "Anywhere is walking distance if you have the time." - Steven Wright
riddle: A lady's delight, lovely and round. I shine in pale light, grown in darkness...
answer: a pearl. Jacob got this one. We've all decided to keep count. I should also add that the answer comes the next day if you all want to play along!
February 20:
dare: to eat something new
success: I ate the leg of a squid. It tasted like fish.
quote: "You've got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there." - Yogi Berra
riddle: Waterless sea, large as a mountain, small as a pea. Endlessly swimming in a waterless sea.
answer: an asteroid. We all failed. Touche Alex. We guessed a desert. We like our answer better! (but only because we lost)
Febuary 21:
dare: to take a picture with a local
success: I took one with the reception lady. I would have taken one with some random person in the countryside but we were driving too much. Still a success though!
quote: "A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." -Lao Tzu
riddle: I welcome the day with a show of light, I stealthily came here in the night. I bathe the earthy stuff at dawn. But by noon, alas, I am gone...
answer: I'll tell you tomorrow. We have a good guess, but we're not telling!
Anyway, that's it for now! Tomorrow we're going to see the cliffs of Meteora. They look pretty amazing from our view driving in! I bet they're even better up close.
-Natalie :)
The flights went well, although they were long. The last flight on Aegean Air was a little difficult. There were a couple of points that were a little tense, including when he was rapidly descending over the sea and it looked like there was no runway. When we first arrived in Thessaliniki, there was a large haze that looked like smog. Apparently it turned out to be from a sandstorm in Libya. It lasted for the night, and by the next morning, it was a beautiful blue sky! The weather has been nice here so far. It's definitely t-shirt weather, although the locals think it's cold. It's gets a little chillier at night, and it's windy at times, but other than that, I'm sure everyone over in Canada right now would switch for this!
Today we went to Vergina to see the supposed tomb of Phillip of Macedon. There are these wonderful little tombs hidden under a tumulus, but unfortunately you can't take pictures. We also went to Dion, where we essentially saw the ruins of a little city. I can now say that I've sat (yes, sat) on an ancient road.
The Greek countryside has been beautiful so far. We drove around Mount Olympus today (or rather our driver, George, drove us around). The route was incredibly windy, but the view from some of the mountains was spectacular. We also had the opportunity to see sheep, goats, and dogs...lots and lots of dogs. There seem to be strays everywhere, but they're very friendly anyway!
So, before I left for Greece, my roommate, Alex, gave me a stack of letters for everyday. Included in each letter is a quote, a riddle, and a dare. I've decided that I'm going to share these with you everyday, so you can keep up on our progress! So here it goes:
Feburary 19:
dare: to talk to a stranger on the plane
success?: I tried. Everyone I talked to spoke another language so I resorted to smiling and waving excessively.
quote: "Anywhere is walking distance if you have the time." - Steven Wright
riddle: A lady's delight, lovely and round. I shine in pale light, grown in darkness...
answer: a pearl. Jacob got this one. We've all decided to keep count. I should also add that the answer comes the next day if you all want to play along!
February 20:
dare: to eat something new
success: I ate the leg of a squid. It tasted like fish.
quote: "You've got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there." - Yogi Berra
riddle: Waterless sea, large as a mountain, small as a pea. Endlessly swimming in a waterless sea.
answer: an asteroid. We all failed. Touche Alex. We guessed a desert. We like our answer better! (but only because we lost)
Febuary 21:
dare: to take a picture with a local
success: I took one with the reception lady. I would have taken one with some random person in the countryside but we were driving too much. Still a success though!
quote: "A good traveller has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." -Lao Tzu
riddle: I welcome the day with a show of light, I stealthily came here in the night. I bathe the earthy stuff at dawn. But by noon, alas, I am gone...
answer: I'll tell you tomorrow. We have a good guess, but we're not telling!
Anyway, that's it for now! Tomorrow we're going to see the cliffs of Meteora. They look pretty amazing from our view driving in! I bet they're even better up close.
-Natalie :)
Friday, February 19, 2010
Day 1: February 19, 2010
Hi everyone! Welcome to my blog for our trip to Greece 2010!
For all those of you who don't know me, my name is Natalie Stewart, and I'm travelling to Greece with Dr. Cohen for CLAS 3991 at Mount Allison University. For the next two weeks, I'm going to be blogging about our time in Greece, and letting all of the people back home know what we're up to. Hopefully, there will be lots to talk about, as I'm sure we're going to have a great trip! This is my first time writing a blog, but I will try to be a faithful blogger. Hopefully, I will be able to find a computer on a regular basis, but if not, I apologize in advance!
As I'm sure you may have figured out, we haven't quite left Canada yet. I'm very excited about the fact that it's 20 degrees in Athens right now, especially since it just started snowing here. I don't care if the Greeks think it's winter there or not, anything is better than our dear Canadian winter (i.e. -20 degrees and 4 feet of snow). Of course, I shouldn't complain since this winter hasn't been quite so bad, but I reserve the right to judgement!
Anyway, our flight leaves later this afternoon, and we aren't going to get to our first hotel until sometime tomorrow afternoon. It will be a long flight, but the trip will definitely be worth it! I'll keep you posted!
Natalie :)
For all those of you who don't know me, my name is Natalie Stewart, and I'm travelling to Greece with Dr. Cohen for CLAS 3991 at Mount Allison University. For the next two weeks, I'm going to be blogging about our time in Greece, and letting all of the people back home know what we're up to. Hopefully, there will be lots to talk about, as I'm sure we're going to have a great trip! This is my first time writing a blog, but I will try to be a faithful blogger. Hopefully, I will be able to find a computer on a regular basis, but if not, I apologize in advance!
As I'm sure you may have figured out, we haven't quite left Canada yet. I'm very excited about the fact that it's 20 degrees in Athens right now, especially since it just started snowing here. I don't care if the Greeks think it's winter there or not, anything is better than our dear Canadian winter (i.e. -20 degrees and 4 feet of snow). Of course, I shouldn't complain since this winter hasn't been quite so bad, but I reserve the right to judgement!
Anyway, our flight leaves later this afternoon, and we aren't going to get to our first hotel until sometime tomorrow afternoon. It will be a long flight, but the trip will definitely be worth it! I'll keep you posted!
Natalie :)
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