Afterwards in Crete

     The morning of June 1st most of our group headed for the airport. People were thrilled to finally be going home and I was thrilled to finally see my family. I headed to Piraeus and picked them up from the ferry. I was so incredibly happy to see them. We spent the next 2 days touring Athens, seeing the Acropolis, and celebrating Maggie's birthday (my sister's friend). After that, we ferried back to Koutoulafari, Crete where we remained for the next 5 days. We enjoyed the sun, the nights out, the amazing-as-always food, and even day-tripped it to Santorini. The people there were so nice and all the knowledge I developed turned out to be pretty helpful for my family (and my little Greek, too!). June 7th we left Koutoulafari, flew from Heraklion to Athens, Athens to New York, and finally New York to Chicago. To be home seemed almost wrong-it was too easy for me to have a hot shower, a warm bed, a real phone, and a car. You don't realize how much you take for granted until it is taken away from you. I can say I will never ever take advantage of the simple things we have right here in the U.S.A.

The gang form Crete: Kostas, Dad, Mom, George, Me, Yiannis, Maggie, and Meghan

Monemvasia, May 28-31: "Last stop, a big castle and big spiders"

     As you can see it took me quite a while to return to sum up my trip (some of you might have gotten the hint with the very little writing I did about Sparta). Anyway, the morning of the 28th we woke up in Sparta, got on a public bus (oh, how I miss those buses now), and skidaddled over to Monemvasia. The city is basically an island that was attached with a man-made bridge a while back. It is incredible to look at. However, because we could not end our trip on a perfect note, the bus that goes from the mainland to the island of Monemvasia decided not to run on that day. So, the nice little lady who worked at the bus station let us load ALL of our bags into her car while we made the mile long trek to the city. Probably due to the anticipation of our trip coming to an end, this didn't really bother me as much as I expected. Anyway, we made it to the gate of the city (literally a gateway), and saw the most gorgeous site ever: the town is very small (like 1-road small) and is surrounded by old Venetian walls. The town is basically a courtyard within a giant castle. Everyone was in awe, until we found our first gianormous spider. Then the "awe" was more of a "ahh"...but our good ol' boys on the trip saved the day with a few sticks and helped us pass (this would be a one-time thing, most of the time, they just left us standing there and walked through/under the web). We settled into our castle rooms (yes, we slept in old castle rooms), and a few of us met Professor Boden and John for lunch and drinks at a rooftop cafe and enjoyed looking out at the sun peeking above the sea. I think it was this lunch that really made me realize how hard it was going to be to leave Greece. After we ate, a few of us returned to take naps, then showered, had our final review session and went out to dinner with a larger portion of us and both professors. Dinner was incredible and the woman doing the cooking was so generous. A few of us decided to buy her homemade red wine and I definitely think it was the best wine I had in Greece. The rest of the evening came to a close as most of us hung out around our rooms and just enjoyed each other's company.

Monemvasia-incredible, right?

The view of the sea from the lunch cafe

     Tuesday morning we all rolled out of bed at the crack of noon (just kidding, but we were able to sleep in once), went downstairs to eat a very simple, but delicious breakfast, and headed out to see the few sites for class before our exam. We ventured up the side of the cliff (because as you all know we climbed at least one mountain or cliff in every city), discussed the history that lay before our eyes, and headed up even further to the church. However, we reluctantly learned that it was locked. Yes, 1 of the 2 churches we came to see. GWA, right? Anyway, we posed for a few candid shots, talked about the church's architecture, and then were dismissed to roam about the cliff. A few of us decided to just sit and enjoy the view while studying, and then made our way down towards town. Once there, we sat in the square reminiscing about the good times we had on our trip as well as watching Jacquelyn being used by a class of Greek students practicing English (they had to present topics in English to her). Quite entertaining, I might add. Once we were rounded up for class, we visited the second important church of the town, looked over an AMAZING icon of the crucifixion (the icon itself, not the crucifixion of Jesus), and returned to our cute little rooms to study for the exam. Once the exam was finished, a few of us got dressed and headed out for another small dinner.

The church on the cliff that was closed

     Wednesday was our final day of the program. As people finished up their paper presentations, a few of us went to the mainland to get food for lunch and snacks for the bus trip back to Athens. In the afternoon, almost our entire group met each other out on a pier to soak up the last bits of the Mediterranean sun and enjoy the calmness of the Aegean Sea. It was honestly the perfect, last day anyone could have asked for. After returning for showers, a few of us got all dolled up for our final group meal in Greece, and ventured out for drinks. Before I left, I was fortunate enough to skype my family who had FINALLY made it to Crete. They had a bit of a struggle with their flights, but 36 hours later, and no baggage to be found, they made it. My dad said the place was amazing and they had already made friends in the town (two of them even jumped in to say hello on skype). Although I was out-of-my-mind excited to see my family, I realized that this would be my last night with a different family. We had a fantastic dinner. The food and the atmosphere were perfect. We laughed at all the memories created; we joked about all of our professors and their unique quirks; we even shed a few tears once we realized how close we had gotten. The night ended quietly with us returning to pack up and prepare for our early departure the next morning. 

Jacquelyn in her donkey towel at the beach; the last day of the trip and she finally had her own towel

     Thursday morning we were fortunate to catch the shuttle bus back to the mainland and make our way back to Athens. There was a lot of excitement yet a bit of sorrow in everyone's moods. I remained quiet for most of the bus ride back just thinking about everything I had been through in the last 3 months. I know I attempted to keep this blog to hopefully express my emotions throughout my journey to all of you back home in the States, but unless you are there and in the moment, my journaling suits only to entertain readers and cannot captivate my true experience. We returned to Athens, took a taxi back to Backpackers, and made plans with our Professors and the rest of the group to meet us for one last night out at the Sports Bar. We of course did a bit of karaoking and Irish Car Bombs for old times sake, but we just let ourselves enjoy the friends that surrounded us.

Irish Car Bombs right before Karoake began at BP Sports Bar

     Even though we all had our ups and downs, our homesick nights, our tearjerking laughter, our GWA grumblings, our hungover class days, our constant unpacking and repacking, our endless travel days with George and the yiayias, and our inside jokes, I am so thankful that I was able to have the experience that I did. I have made countless new friends from Lake Forest and beyond, and I am just so grateful that they could take part in the memory-making that changed my life forever.

2012 Lake Forest College Greece Program

Sparta, May 25-27: “Is this really Sparta?”

     Friday morning came too quickly as we left super early on a public bus for Sparta. Our hotel, the Maniatis, was really nice, even though the town itself was a bit rough. Some people really enjoyed the town, however, I found it a bit boring. That evening, we met for class to visit the site of the Spartan agora and theater. Even though it wasn’t Byzantine, John assumed we would want to check it out since it was our first visit to Sparta. I actually think our class loved it more than most sites because there were no guards and we didn’t need to take notes. We may or may not have acted a bit ridiculous at the site, but it was an enjoyable outing on our first day. After class, a group of us made dinner at the hotel and ended our night watching “Baby Mama”.

Me kicking Cuzi while yelling “This is Sparta!”

         Saturday the class loaded into taxis and headed up to the upper site of Mystras. This was an important city during the Byzantine Empire and is the site of a palace, a few monasteries, and churches. The view was spectacular and the sites were remarkable. Once class was finished, we had a group lunch in Sparta at a “home-cooked” restaurant, returned to the hotel for a siesta, and ended the evening with another movie-“Date Night”.

The Palace of Ancient Mystras

         Sunday the class ventured, again by taxis, to the lower portion of the sites at Mystras. Here we viewed the Metropolis church, a nunnery, and a monastery with a church that is commonly referred to as “the boss”. Mystras is very interesting because the ancient town seems to be well-preserved (i.e. the churches, houses, and the palace). The rest of the evening, again, was pretty low-key as we grabbed an early dinner, hung out talking with friends, and watched “The Hunger Games” before calling it a night.

One of the old monasteries at Mystras

Paros & Naxos, May 20-24: "Fisher lives next to Tom Hanks?!"

     Sunday was a travel day. We were up bright and early at 5am to catch our bus to the port for our ferry to the island of Paros. I barely remember the 4-hour ferry ride there, mostly because I slept the entire way, with my head, face-down, on a table at the ship's cafe/restaurant. I was not embarrassed, however, because I was joined by most of my classmates and Boden took an epic picture of us sleeping that I am sure will be posted soon. We eventually arrived on Paros, went to our hotel, dropped off our bags, and headed to a historical church for class. It was actually pretty cool and has a myth attached to it, proclaiming that it has 100 doors (but it doesn't; someone ought to let TripAdvisor know that it doesn't have 100 doors). After class, Cuzi and I took another long nap, eventually got dinner, and watched "Water for Elephants" with Jake and Zoe before passing out.

The island of Paros

     Monday was the first day of our "holiday". Most of the group ferried off to Santorini while Eileen, Jake, Zoe, and I went to check-in at our new hotel on Paros. It was called Casa di Roma and was gorgeous. The staff was so friendly and the place was quiet and colorful. We decided to rent ATVs today to check out the island. We rode along the coast and stopped a few times for coffee and pictures. One of the larger cities we visited was called Naoussa and we saw a Venetian fortress in the harbor and fresh octopus drying out in front of a few restaurants. That night, we all washed up, got dressed, and headed to a restaurant called "Happy Green Cows" and had some amazing seafood pasta in a very vibrant-colored room. The owners were very nice and gave us a few on-the-house shots of grappa (aka Italian rocketfuel instead of Greek). We headed back to the hotel to relax and watch a few episodes of "Friends" that Zoe had purchased for $0.50.

Fresh-catch of octopus in Naoussa

    Tuesday we took the bus to the port of Pounda on Paros so we could venture around the island of Antiparos (a 10 minute ferry ride from the port of Pounda-you can literally see the port across the water). Once we arrived, we took a bus to the prominent Cave of Antiparos. This cave was much better than the Dictean Cave on Crete and went down into the earth pretty deep. We also counted 350 steps to get to the very bottom. After we wandered about in the cave, we took the bus back down the the port, passed Tom Hank's summer home on the island (yea, we really did), and found a small gyro place for lunch. After lunch, Eileen and I went searching for another Venetian Castle but came to realize the only remaining piece of this castle is an archway. Not too thrilling. We then made our way to the other side of the island to the Sifneiko Beach, sat and watched the waves come in, and then took a return ferry to Pounda port. As Zoe and Jake rode their ATVs back to our hotel, Eileen and I took the public bus that, of course, was going the long way around the island, back to our hotel. Later that evening, we showered, packed, and went to dinner at "the oldest Greek restaurant on Paros". Cannot say it was teh best meal I have ever had, but the staff was very friendly. Anyway, our night ended pretty calmly as we returned to the hotel and watched yet more episodes of "Friends".

Eileen, Zoe, and I in the Cave of Antiparos

The only thing left of the Venetian Castle on Antiparos-exhilirating, no?

     Wednesday we left the island of Paros and headed to the neighboring island of Naxos. Naxos is much larger and definitely has a different atmosphere compared to Paros. We met our host of our hotel Anatoli, Maria and Stavros, at the port. They drove us to the hotel and it was even better than the one on Paros! Even though it was not in the city-only a few minute walk from the shore), their yellow labrador Miguel made up for it. He was such a cutie! He reminded me so much of Madagascar that it was practically impossible to not be homesick. We decided to relax by the pool for the rest of the day, enjoying the nice weather, before we went out to dinner. I unfortunately came down with some ridiculous cough and was forced to take Nyquil before dinner. Although it was rough to keep the eyes open, dinner was a pleasant Mexican spread, and my night got better knowing I could return to my bed sooner than later.

Eileen and I (drugged up on Nyquil) at dinner at Picasso's Mexican Cafe

     Thursday we woke up, ate breakfast, and learned that it was supposed to rain all day. We were slightly disappointed since it would be our only full day on Naxos, and that we couldn't catch a earlier ferry and would be stuck camping out in our hotel room. However, we decided to fight the weather and venture out in the wind and overcast to see the port city of Naxos, Chora Naxos. We were able to see the ancient Venetian Castle in the town center as well as the remains of the ancient Temple of Apollo at the port. Naxos seems to be more of a place to live rather than a tourist island, however, I would say it is my favorite island so far of my trip. Don't get me wrong, Mykonos was amazing. But Naxos has a special charm to it that I have yet to encounter on my trip here in Greece. We stopped for lunch on the waterfront, had some mid-day cocktails, and then returned for a nap at the hotel as the weather began to take a turn for the worst. As you can see by the dates of my blog entries, I clearly spent my siesta time catching up on my blog (I am sorry I am so bad at daily blogs) and Skyping my Dad! In less than a week I am fortunate enough to lead my parents, Meghan, and Maggie around Greece and show them what I have been doing for this semester. It feels like yesterday when we made the plans for them to come, and it was 3 months away. Here it is, 2 days until they land on Greek soil and 7 days until we are reunited! I am super excited about it and I know they are too. The rest of my evening was spent on the ferry (which was 30 minutes late from arriving at Naxos), heading for the good ol' port of Piraeus.

Athens, May 15-19: "Typical Canadians and Chelsea Win!"

     Tuesday was a free day in Athens and I decided to do some laundry and go to the doctor. Well that was two strikes before noon. I managed to turn my whole load of laundry pink (thank you Plaka pants) and there was a Metro strike and none of the cars were running until later that evening. Pink laundry and no doctor visit. Excellent. Cuzi, Kylie, and I decided to do some souvenir shopping since we had nothing to do. Later that evening a group of us decided to go bowling and we had SO much fun! We did a round of fun bowling and were having a blast until the ball got stuck on Cori's thumb and the guy working at the alley basically had a heart attack. So we quietly finished our game and headed back to our hotel, saying goodbye to our friends staying at Hotel Dioskouros.

     Wednesday we woke up, ate breakfast, and met our class outside the Byzantine Museum of Athens. Once finished there, we walked to the Benaki Museum, looked at a few things for class, and our day was over. Cuzi went to the hospital with me after class to get my INR tested (these nurses are getting good at understanding my poor Grenglish language). We returned to the hotel, made Greek Salads for everyone in the room for lunch, and just hung out, discussing religion and those types of simple topics (ha). Later that evening, our room decided to do a "Plaka Pants Power Hour". Now I choose to avoid mentioning my drinking habits on this blog, but I felt compelled to tell you all about this because it was my first power hour and we all did it in matching pajama pants. Now you are all disappointed that you weren't there. No worries-I took a picture of us. That was basically how the night ended, knowing we had an early morning for our exam review at the CIG.

The Plaka Pants Power Hour at Backpackers

     Thursday we headed to the Canadian Institute (CIG) for a review session for our exam. Afterwards, we split for lunch and made our way back towards Backpackers. Jake, Geoff and I cooked up chicken parmesan and spaghetti for dinner, and then we took off for the Olympic Stadium where Greece would be passing the torch flame to England for the upcoming Olympics. Princess Anne and David Beckham (!yes in person!) received the flame and processed out of the stadium, getting directly on a plane for London. It was definitely a one-time experience for us! The torch always begins its journey in Olympia, Greece (home to the first Olympic games), then ventures through Greece, and then begins its journey through the host country a couple of months before the opening ceremony. After the torch passing ended, we headed back to the hostel and decided to chill in the downstairs bar for Karoake Thursday. Quite entertaining. That is, until Sam somehow convinced Cuzi, Cori, and I to join in with her and sing "Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega. It was the hardest decision ever because I hate to sing in front of people but I love Lou Bega. Well my love for Lou won and we sang-and ended up having the time of our lives. We met some friendly Canadians and guys from UConn, chatted them up, and then headed to bed.

The priestess of Olympia passing off the torch to an important Greek political figure (the explanation over the speaker was in Greek)

Princess Anne and David Beckham processing out of the stadium with the flame

     Friday morning we had our first exam for John's class. Definitely my favorite exam of the trip. I thought it was easy and it focused on things that John actually told us were important. We all returned to our hotel for lunch (I made pasta salad) and watched "Anchorman" for our siesta time. Eventually we all fell asleep but then woke up and ate again (chicken fajitas by Sam and Geoff, bravo). After dinner, we all showered and got dressed and the girls from Dioskouros came over to go out with us. We headed downstairs to the bar where we met the Canadians again and joined in on their card game (which involved drinking, shockingly). We hung out and played a few games for a while longer and then decided we wanted to go out dancing in Gazi or Syri. About 10 of us (mixed from our group and the Canadians) headed out and somehow got split up. Cuzi and I were partnered up but neither of us knew where we were supposed to go, so we wandered around with some of the guys for most of the night, giving them the "historical tour" of Athens (the nerdy students that we are). Eventually, we gave up looking for the other group and attempted to get into this flashy club: denied. We couldn't help but laugh because the bouncers were trying not to laugh at us. So we kept walking and eventually found a dubstep club. Now mind you, I have never even heard of dubstep, let alone danced it before. But it was surprisingly easy and enjoyable and Cuzi, the boys, and I dubstepped like crazy for a bit. Once we realized we cleared the dance floor (literally all the locals had stopped dancing besides us), we headed back for the hostel. We also came to the conclusion that it was 5am and we had class at 8am. Typical Americans ;)

     Saturday morning was a rough one and I think even our professor knew it. We visited a few churches around Athens, made a pitstop at Starbucks, and continued on looking at churches. After the tour, we stopped at the Islamic Museum which has some incredible artifacts! Once we finished there, John's wife, Amy, stopped in to give us background information and a tour of "Modern Day Athens" (which included Omonia Square, brothels, and places for good Pakistani food). We then stopped for a program lunch at a Chinese restaurant. After I finally couldn't keep myself awake any longer, we were released from class and the group headed home to Backpackers and Dioskouros. Tonight was the big soccer match that Jake had been waiting for, so in honor of his team, Chelsea, a group of us agreed to go out to The James Joyce Irish Pub to eat and watch the game. After a much-needed nap, the group from Backpackers headed out to the pub, passing by the Canadians on our way. We told them to meet up at the pub later if they wanted. Once we got there, we had some food, a few drinks, and Cuzi, Sam, and I indulged in our first Irish Car Bomb. It wasn't too shabby. Anyway, we watched the first half of the soccer match at the bar (tied 0-0), and decided that it was way too crowded and chose to go back to the Sports Bar at our hostel to finish watching the game. Once we returned we watched the intense game against Bayern Munich (spelling? I am not sure) and ran into the Canadians again, who supposedly showed up to the pub after we had left. Whoops. Sorry guys. So we finished watching the game with a few of them and in a shoot out, Chelsea won. For not loving the sport of soccer it was a pretty fun game to watch. After the game was finished, Cuzi, me, and 2 of the Canadian boys hung out in the lobby until 3:30 am chatting the night away, knowing the next morning was coming way too quickly. All in all, this stay in Athens was my favorite and we definitely had a lot of fun.

Metsova, Kalambaka, and Meteora; May 12-14: "Oh sure, I would love lamb intestines..."

     Saturday morning we boarded our beloved coach and headed south towards Kalambaka, our next destination. We did stop in a really cute town called Metsova, where we ate a pure-meat lunch. Our lunch was actually pieces of meat, cooked over a fire, and eaten with toothpicks. It surprisingly wasn't as bad as you would expect, until they threw in some lamb intestine. I decided I would be brave and adventurous and try some, and I promise you that will be the first and last intestine I ever eat. We were given some time to shop around the area for souvenirs and take pictures, and eventually got back on the bus and continued our voyage. We arrived in Kalambaka later that evening and I chose to take a nap while a few people decided to enjoy the gorgeous pool at our hotel. Once I woke up, I played "mom" and ran out with Jessica to get food for some people and we enjoyed a night-in at the hotel.

     A few of us eating in Metsova...you judge as to whether it was a good meal or not...

     Sunday was the day for sweaters and long skirts-and not because of the temperature. Today we visited the monasteries at Meteora. This place was spectacular! I googled Meteora later in the evening and the image that comes up doesn't seem real-BUT IT IS! There were 4 monasteries and 2 nunneries on these cliffs right above the town of Kalambaka. George took us up to the largest monastery first, and John gave us the information and breakdown of Byzantine monasteries. I actually really enjoy this course compared to the other ones and I think it is due to my extensive background in Catholicism. I really enjoyed the history behind the monasteries, the wall art, and the iconography displayed in the monasteries. Meteora was the site that I took the most pictures of and they unfortunately don't convey the true beauty of the monasteries and their location. Later that evening, after we toured 2 of the monasteries and 2 of the nunneries, a few of us laid by the pool and then went out for dinner in the town (note: Kalambaka is like a mixture of Olympia and Delphi, but it is pretty nice). Oh, that night I was also forced to watch "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" with Sam, Geoff, and Cuzi. I do believe I killed a few brain cells while watching it.

One of the monasteries at Meteora

     Monday we made our way back towards Athens on our coach. We made a lunch pit-stop in the ski town next to Delphi (still way too close for comfort if you ask me). We also stopped at a monastery dedicated to Osios Lukas, or Blessed Luke. It was really pretty and such a calm area. There was also a baby owl sitting on the church and everyone was obsessing over it's cuteness (okay, I was too). After class ceased, we piled back on the bus and headed home. Once we arrived in Athens, a few of us moved to our new hostel, Backpackers Studios, for the upcoming 6-day stay. We made another gourmet meal of hot dogs and macaroni and cheese, unpacked from our voyage, and headed to bed.

Thessaloniki, May 5-11: "Siestas, Elections, and Movies"

     Saturday morning we packed out things and headed to Larissa station where we caught our train to Thessaloniki-a major city in the northern area of mainland Greece. We rode in little 6-person rooms (similar to the Hogwart's train cars) for the 6 hour ride that arrived in the early evening. We took a coach bus from the station to our lovely abode called Hotel Pella (I feel obliged to tell everyone to NEVER stay there), got pizza for dinner, and spruced up to go out for the evening. A group of us went for a walk on the waterfront and saw all kinds of bars and restaurants. Thessaloniki is a very college-aged town with few tourists, so we stuck out like sore thumbs. Rumor has it that most of the clubs require a "reservation" (aka no tourists) to get in. We spent the evening galavanting around and eventually finished our night with a booze cruise around the harbor on a pirate ship. And no, I did not make that up.

Me, Cuzi, and Sam on our pirate ship

     Sunday was our lazy day, only because it was also Greece Election Day. We were given a free day due to the election and potential riots and demonstrations (we later learned that the Communist-like party did riot in the town square). We woke up, ate breakfast, went back to bed, and decided to watch a movie with the girls ("This Means War"). We eventually had to venture out to find food for dinner and then learned that most places were closed. So we opted for the inexpensive and easy meal of souvlaki and Greek salads. Later that evening we watched "Wedding Crashers" and headed to bed.

     Monday morning we were forced back into our routine of class. We woke up, ate breakfast, and walked to a museum. In the afternoon once class was finished, Geoff, Sam, Jacquelyn, Cori, and I went to the Farmer's Market to pick up veggies to make for lunch. On our way back to the hotel we ran across Professor Boden and his husband Kevin (who is one of the funniest men I know). Kevin arrived today and stayed until we returned to Athens a week later. After lunch, we all opted for a siesta and I laid down to watch "Captain America". Eileen and I headed out for dinner and returned to? you guessed it, watch another movie. This time we watched "Mean Girls" for our Greek professor Maria's sake (she has never seen it and because we quoted it for a month around her, we felt the need to "show her the light").

     Tuesday was a very long day. We loaded onto our coach bus with our good friend, the driver, George, and headed to the ancient capital of Macedonia, now known as Vergina. There we visited the tomb of Phillip II (father of Alexander the Great), and other Macedonian finds. In Vergina we also bought our first batch of cherries in Greece-the best cherries I may have ever experienced. We ventured afterwards to the cave of Aristotle's school and had a picnic for lunch. Jess is a pretty awesome picnic-maker-kudos to you, Jess. After we ate we explored the site a little more and as we were loading up the bus, someone came rushing to Prof. Boden to inform him that Maria (our Greek professor) hit her head in the cave and was bleeding all over. Well, sure enough, she was (not that I didn't believe it I just assumed it wasn't that bad). So she had the caretaker of the site take her to the hospital and we were ushered to the museum at Pella with Boden as our guide. Maria eventually had to get stitches but she was okay. She then led a review session for our exam that evening, and because of the lengthy day of traveling, I made a salad for dinner and headed to bed pretty early.

The tombs at Vergina

     Wednesday was our final test day for Maria's class. I got up early to eat breakfast and study. The exam was not too bad but since most of us had relaxed most of our time in Thessaloniki, we decided to do a wine, cheese, and cracker lunch with "Bridesmaids" as our entertainment. Once finished, we all went upstairs to get dolled up and went out for our group dinner at a really great "ouzeri" filled with seafood. Later than evening, I had the pleasure of meeting Matt Jonathan, the brother of my good friend and Alpha Phi sister, Sarah. Matt teaches in Thessaloniki and had agreed to meet up with me to show me around town. Cori, Jacquelyn, Kari, Alaina, and Sam accompanied me to me him and his friends for drinks along the water. It was really great to meet them all and after a few of our girls returned to the hotel, Cori and I continued on to a bar with Matt and his friends. After debating about whether or not to just stay up all night, Matt and friends walked Cori and I back to our hotel at 4am and we called it a night.

Part of the table at our group dinner at the "Ouzeri"

     The next morning was our introduction to our final course here in Greece: Byzantine Era. It is taught by Professor John Karavas, who I swear, is a genius. He can rattle off information faster than I can think. He led the introduction in the lobby of the hotel, and proceeded to give us a tour of Byzantine Thessaloniki. We visited the Roman Agora of Thessaloniki (not actually Byzantine, but we asked to see it), the Rotunda, the Arch of Galerius, the Emperial Palace (which was closed but we discussed the structure from the outside), and the White Tower (also not Byzantine but it follows that period and is a pretty important landmark of the city). We all grabbed lunch on the go and headed back to the hotel to make plans for the evening. We decided to do the most American-tourist thing we could think of and decided to eat at TGI Fridays. I know some of you reading this are shaking your head at me, but hey-when you are in a foreign country for two months at this point, sometimes it is the best feeling in the world to sit down, know exactly what you are ordering, and know exactly what it should taste like. I cannot deny that it was a fantastic meal, but I promise you that this was my first and only American meal of my trip so far.

This is a view of the Rotunda from the north end of the city of Thessaloniki

     Friday was church day. We woke up and headed to Agios Demetrios where we stayed for the remainder of the morning service. Even though it was in Greek, it is still fascinating to sit through the orthodox service and attempt to follow what is going on. Once mass ended, we toured the church and discussed it's architecture and the remains of the church from the Byzantine period. Agios Demetrios also holds the remains of its dedicated individual, St. Demetrios. From there we visited the church known as the "Immaculate Construction". Supposedly its literal translation means "constructed not by human hands" because its structure is almost a perfect basilica shape. We broke for lunch and Cuzi and I dined on Greek Salads near the Arch of Galerius and then returned to class for a tour through the Byzantine Museum. That glorious day I learned that Prof. John likes pottery just as much as I do!! (which means he doesn't like it if you haven't picked up on it) After the museum we were given a break until that evening when we visited the church of Agia Sophia (which was very beautiful!) and discussed its architecture. From there, a few of us went to a Tapas Grill for dinner, ordered some nom noms, and returned to the hotel to hang out.

This is the templon of the Agia Sophia. If you actually want to know what it means ask me in person...