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...

Athens, May 3-4: "All access pass to the Parthenon!"

     Thursday morning we took a bus from Athens to Eleusis to see the ancient site of the mystery cult of Demeter. It was pretty quiet at this site but it was a pleasant one. Then we headed towards the Peloponnese, making a pit-stop in Corinth for lunch, and then ventured to the sanctuary of Epidauros. This is site is more prominent for its amazing theater, however, it does have a very scenic sanctuary of Asclepius. We spent a large amount of time gazing out towards the horizon at the theater and it was serene. The rest of the day we spent trekking back towards Athens, making a bomb.com dinner of grilled cheese and tomato soup, and then heading to bed.

The Theater at Epidauros

     Friday ended up being one of the more memorable days on the trip! We were given an all-access pass inside the Parthenon on the Acropolis by one of the current archaeologists working on-site. We were given the history of the renovations and constructions, as well as unlimited access to picture-taking (until Kari chose to hug a column and was whistled at by one of the guards). It was actually pretty entertaining to watch the faces of so many tourists wanting to know how we were chosen to go inside. I guess being a student pays off once in a while! Once we left the Parthenon, we ventured around Athens with our professor to see the Roman architecture throughout the city, including the Roman Agora, Hadrian's Library, Hadrian's Arch, and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. After class was finished, a few of the girls and I went to grab a quick lunch and did laundry at Backpackers (where I met a guy from Goshen College, holla Indiana!) The rest of the evening I spent looking at places for our next holiday on Paros, chatting with some of the girls, and making a kick-ass chicken fajita dinner with Jacquelyn and Cori. However, I did make a special trip out with Sam and Geoff to a movie theatre to see The Avengers (in English with Greek subtitles). Even though it was a bit cheesy, a theatre filled with Greek people is quite entertaining (i.e. no need to whisper, just speak freely at any time during the movie and laugh like a hyena).

The group on the steps of the Parthenon

     

Mykonos, April 27-May 2: "That party last night was awfully crazy..."

     Friday morning came way too quick and early. We had to be at Piraeus by 6am for our 6 hour ferry to Mykonos. We were also very lucky to be joined by all the senior high school classes in Greece for their version of "graduation and prom". Most seniors in Greece take a 5-day voyage to an island with their classmates to celebrate moving on in the world. We were fortunate enough to drop them off at a different island before we arrived to Mykonos. Later that afternoon we arrived at the port and took a shuttle up to by-far one of the BEST hotels in all of Greece-Poseidon. Thank you Papa Geoff and Mama Sam for finding this beauty. Due to the awe-inspiring hotel and scenery, the rest of the evening was a quiet one spent in our rooms enjoying a tropical "holiday".

Hotel Poseidon

     Saturday morning we all took advantage to a delicious and large breakfast. Not that we didn't enjoy the breakfast at Hotel Dioskouros in Athens (hard-boiled eggs and crepes), but Poseidon's spread was supreme. They had brownies-who doesn't want a brownie at 7am?! Anyway, we all met at the fisherman's port to board our quick 20 minute ferry to the island of Delos for class. Delos is an uninhabited island that has incredible ancient ruins compared to all of the islands. It was originally a religious sanctuary to Apollo, then became the location for the Delian League and Treasury during the wars, and was also the home to a few foreign cult temples. Personally I would have loved to stay a bit longer, but GWA-there is only one daily ferry to and from the island. Once we returned to Mykonos, most of us laid out by the pool, which was heavenly. After the sun set over the sea, a group of us showered, got a simple dinner, and went out for the evening. I was lucky enough to experience a dance studio's "hip hop" performance at an outside theater. If only the Greek people understood the lyrics of the songs their 6-year old daughters were dancing to.....it was overall entertaining but a tad bit disturbing. 

On the top of a mountain on Delos

     Sunday marked our first "holiday", or break, of our studies on the trip. Besides the few "free days" we receive here and there, we are given 3 holidays where we are allowed to choose what to do and where to go. Our first was in Hydra, now in Mykonos, and eventually in Paros. Most of the group packed to spend the day at the beach. We walked to the closer beach, which was nice, but the water was frigid. We spent some time laying out and eating our packed lunch. However, eventually some others walked to a different beach and the rest of us returned to the poolside. Later that evening, we, again, showered, ate, and went out. Except this time a few of us went out dancing. Greek people don't really care to dance but rather intently love to watch Americans dance. I cannot decide if that is flattering or offensive. Either way, it was an enjoyable night. The next day mimicked this day as well, with us enjoying the pool, sun, and the nightlife.

The shoreline of Mykonos

     Tuesday was our last full day in Mykonos and we decided to rent ATVs to drive around the island and sightsee. This may have been frowned upon by the program (and by frowned upon I actually mean a big no-no) but we decided it was the best way to see the island. We traveled a few hours roaming the island, from tip to tip, and eventually found a nice beach where we met up with the rest of the group. Most of us ate a simple lunch from the supermarket and spent our day chatting about all the sites we saw and how we never want to leave the island. That evening, a few of us decided to splurge on a seafood dinner at a local taverna. I ordered the seafood spaghetti and it was delicious! It had pieces of shrimp, prawns, crab, squid, octopus (yes, there is a difference between that and squid), clams, mussels, cuttlefish, and a white fish. It was definitely some of the best seafood I have ever had, especially the best here in Greece. That evening most of us went out to the same dance club and bar as the night before, but for some odd reason, we decided to leave the hotel in shifts and eventually all got lost. An hour later, we finally ran into a few people from our group and went back to the club. I decided to go with Jessica and Lo to a piano bar and have some drinks there. It was really chill and entertaining. 

The notorious windmills on the shore of Mykonos

(*I actually have a picture of myself on the ATV, but for my professor's sake, I won't post it)

     Wednesday was a sad day at Poseidon. No one wanted to leave such an extravagant place. Unfortunately, the ferry pulled up to the port and we ascended the stairs, grabbed a few tables, and settled in for the 6-hour ride back home to Athens.

Athens & Aegina, April 24-26: "Jail Cell #9"

     Tuesday morning we were asked to change rooms at Dioskouros since our whole group wanted to live together in the basement. Unforunately, Jacquelyn, Kylie, and I did NOT get a bedroom in the basement. Oh no, good ol' Dio gave us a bathroom with some beds in it. The room may have been pushing 10 square ft, no lightbulb, the windows were sealed by the fresh paint, bathroom tile and piping still existed, the cat peed on Jacquelyn's towel, and my bed was actually a cot. Oh, and I pulled down the curtain rod out of the drywall when I attempted to open the curtains. I think about everyone can imagine how ridiculous this situation was, but honestly, it is Greece, what can you do? We tried to laugh it off, knowing we only had a few nights left in Athens before our trip to Mykonos. Anyway, after the move, I went to the hospital to get my INR checked and then onto the CIG for a test review. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful and ended with a sweet, refreshing dinner of yogurt. Yum!

My jail cell, basement room #9

     I spent most of Wednesday morning studying for the test, taking the test, and eating. It was a pretty chill day. We did go shopping for a bit and I bought myself some sweet Plaka pants! PS: Happy Birthday to my wonderful baby sister Meghan! I love you!

     Thursday morning was another early start for class because we took a hydrofoil from Piraeus to the island of Aegina. Once there, we visited the Temple of Aphaea (local cult goddess) and another Classical Era sanctuary on the water. Aegina is well-known for their pistachios so of course I had to try some (they are winners, dad!) Later that afternoon, we returned to Athens, made dinner at Dio, packed for Mykonos, and headed to bed-preparing for another early morning ferry ride.

Representing LFC Greek Life in front of the Temple of Aphaea on Aegina

Attica Day, April 23: "I love bus rides"

     Monday was the Attica Day Trip. Another early morning, we rounded up at Johnny Thom's square, and boarded a private coach bus. Our first stop was the site of Rhamnous. It had a temple of Nemesis (a god, not an enemy), and a smaller temple of Thesis (also a god, not a statement). We were fortunate enough to get an all-access pass to the fortress farther down the cliff. No tourists, best view ever.  We spent most of our day at this site, and I think it was worth it. We then drove off towards our second site, Thorikos, and stopped beforehand for lunch. Thorikos is the site of the first theater of Attica and a prominent mining area. Not quite a favorable site, but I knew it was important for class. We finished off class late with the Temple of Poseidon at Sunion-the one site I have been itching to visit (thank you, Xena Warrior Princess). It was gorgeous. The temple sits on a plateau surrounded by water and could probably be a fantastic place to watch the sunset or sunrise. It was so calm and breathtaking that even though I was exhausted, I did not want to leave. Unfortunately, Greece likes bad-timing so we did eventually leave. Once we had returned to Athens, Jacquelyn and I went to the Noodle Bar for dinner for some awesome Chinese food, and tucked ourselves in for a good night's sleep.

Jacquelyn and I at Rhamnous, photo-bombed by our professor

Temple of Poseidon at Sunion

The view from the temple at Sunion

Athens, April 20-22: "Pnyx...the birthplace of democracy!"

     Friday morning we finally were able to visit the ancient sites in Athens. It is funny to know that we have been in Greece for over a month and we have never visited the local sites. Anyway, our first stop was the ancient agora of Ancient Athens. we walked around, saw the Eponymous Heroes statue foundation, the temple of Hephaistos, and many other things I must learn for my test on the 25th. :) Afterwards, we broke off for lunch, returned to visit the Kerameikos (has many tumuli and graves from the classical period), and ended class for the day. Jacquelyn and I hiked around the Pnyx for a bit to scope it out for my presentation the following day. Then we got some amazing Greek yogurt smoothies, went shopping for dinner, and returned to Dioskouros. Jake, Zoe, Jacquelyn, Kari, Kylie, and I enjoyed a nice home-made meal of chicken, sauteed mushrooms, arugula salad, and cinnamon honey apple slices.

A view of the agora in Athens

     Saturday was another long day around Athens. It began at the Theater of Dionysious on the Acropolis (note that we actually hiked up half way to the top, and descended-therefore making it officially 33 days since I set eyes on the Acropolis and have still not been to the top). We learned a bit about Oedipus and drama competitions. Then we moved to the Pnyx where I gave my presentation about the assembly and democracy. We had a BYOF (bring your own food) picnic there on the hillside, and then ascended the intense hill of Phillapopos. Jacquelyn, Kylie, and I have hiked that before, but not following our speed-demon of a professor. After that hill, we climbed the shiny rock of the Aeropagos, where classical murder cases were held. Class was dismissed and most of us went walking around setting dinner plans. The rest of the night involved food, showering, and leisurely book reading (my favorite).

The Theater of Dionysious

The Pnyx

     Sunday was the day. We FINALLY went to the Acropolis. We had a bright, early start (to beat the tourists), and was able to experience the masterpiece of Athens. The Parthenon was pretty amazing, but is, unfortunately, still covered in scaffolding from renovations. We spent most of the morning on site, had a break for lunch, and then went to the new Acropolis Museum. My favorite part of this museum was the pediment and metopes sculptures from the Parthenon. I wish I had pictures of this museum, but the security guards (who acted like they were protecting the American president) tried to tackle me and take my camera (not really, but you get the idea). That evening we all went out for a group dinner to a local taverna, got gelato (the best of course), and headed to bed.

At the Acropolis in front of the Parthenon

Delphi, April 16-19: "No more ouzo for you..."

     Monday was Nessa and Albion's 21st birthdays! Don't worry, we celebrated properly in Delphi. That morning we took a public coach bus to the city. A few of us were asked to ride a separate bus to even out the number of people in the buses; and I was lucky enough to ride "the party bus". Oh yes, smiley face and heart-shaped air fresheners, lip stickers on the mirrors, it was great. The best part? We left a yia-yia at the rest stop during our quick 15 minute break. Priceless. So we got settled in at the hotel and went to a sanctuary for class that afternoon. That night the group went to dinner and then out to a dance club called "downtown club". Let's just say it was SO FUN. More details in person if you would like :)
     Tuesday was rough. I cannot say I liked that day, but the site was A-mazing! The temple was cool, the fog settling in from the valley was spectacular, and the view. My goodness, the view! Pictures don't do Delphi justice. Anyway, that evening we went to dinner as a group, again. I may or may not have met this guy the night before and lucky me, he was our waiter at this restaurant. Quite funny but more-so awkward. Anyway, the rest of the night was pretty uneventful.

The fog rolling in from the valley at Delphi

     The next day was Jake Stowe's birthday. So many birthdays!! This was also the first rainy day of our trip (pretty lucky) and we spent it in a museum. It was actually a pretty interesting museum, and it was small-these are the best. After class ended, a bunch of us went back on to the site at Delphi to take pictures and walk around. We returned to our hotel, relaxed, watched some random TV episodes online, and got ready for dinner. Sam, Geoff, Nessa, Eileen, Jacquelyn, Kylie, and I went to see some incredibly adorable puppies in a field, and then walked to a small taverna for dinner. Guess what?! That guy from the other night that I met? Yea, he works there too, and was also our waiter (this guy loves to work). It was a decent dinner, but then the guy asked me to wait behind so we could chat. Okay, a little awkward. Let's just say long story short, this guy actually professed his love for me and talked about us going back to Athens and the States together. We only talked for maybe an hour total, at the most, since I met him. I guess I am a heartbreaker ;) I told him I didn't think it would work out, simply because I did not want it to. He was not a fan of that decision and eventually persuaded me to do the cowardly thing and give him my number so I could sprint back to my hotel. Well he called about 8 times that night (all unanswered I assure you) and texted me 8 times as well and finally when I told him to go away, he sent me one final goodbye text that called me a liar.

Boden in his Scottish kilt on Jake Stowe's birthday

     Thursday morning I was itching to leave this small town and get back to Athens (where the population is about 50 times larger than Delphi). We took our public coach bus back to the city where we arrived in the evening, grabbed some dinner, skyped family and friends, and headed to bed. Delphi was the best city for about the first one hour of the trip. Then it turned into 3 days of hell.

The cutest puppy in Greece

Athens, April 14-15: "Kala Paska"

     Saturday in Athens was just filled with reading, laundry, and running errands (which is code for eating). Kylie, Jacquelyn, and I made one heck of a dinner (with Jake's help) of pasta, prawns, and salad. It was so tasty and I was pretty proud of myself for teaching those two how to cook. Later that evening we all dressed up and gathered together at Boden's apartment to ring-in Easter at midnight. It is customary in the Greek Orthodox religion to hold the vigil mass at midnight and it begins with fireworks and the passing of the light with candles throughout the city. Then the mass takes place for about two hours (we did not stay the entire time, due to the fact that it was in another language). It was pretty moving, especially due to the language barrier. It was nice to be in the "easter" mindset at once point. Sunday was spent relaxing again until the evening when we had a group dinner in Plaka. It was SO fun! We broke the red eggs for luck, threw white carnations at each other, and broke plates to the tune of a Greek duo at the restaurant. Kala Paska!

The candle light pass for Easter

   

Olympia, April 10-13: "The Robe Breakfast"

     Tuesday morning we woke up early, had breakfast, and packed to leave Athens for Olympia. We were so excited because we thought we were riding in our usual coach bus; unfortunately, today was the day we began taking the public coach bus. It was not too bad, just a bit of a tight-packed bus and the occasional plea from the driver to stop eating on the bus, otherwise the six hour ride was an uneventful one. We arrived in Olympia later that evening (a town that has about 4 roads, probably a population of 350), and I decided to welcome myself to the town by taking a 16 hour nap. No, I really am not kidding. Whether I am in South Bend, Lake Forest, Athens, or India, I will always take random long naps.
     Wednesday morning was our first day of class in Olympia. We walked to the site and encountered some remarkable temples, treasuries, and tourists (my god...the tourists...). This was the site of the first Olympics and we were able to see the stadium and the training areas (gymnasium and the palaestra). This site was so serene and had the most gorgeous trees I have ever seen. We were lucky enough to return to the site and its accompanied museum the following day as well. The breakfasts were fantastic at this hotel, and it was even better thanks to the "robe crew" who came down in their hotel robes to enjoy breakfast. Overall the trip to Olympia was simple and relaxing; until the last night when my room key was stolen from the front desk. But we should all remember that I am still Lexie and my luck runs out very quickly.

The trees at Olympia

Sam and Geoff, part of the "robe crew"

The stadium at Olympia....I did not volunteer to run it, thank you

Athens, April 9: "Shh....don't tell anyone though"

     Monday we spent the day in Athens. I woke early, again, to finish writing my paper for class. Once finished (and just barely in time), we went to the CIG to meet our second professor, Maria, and learn about the timeline for this second class of the Classical Era. We had our introductions, talked about the class, assigned presentation topics (mine is the Pnyx and I don't know what it is yet-sorry), and went to lunch. After lunch, it began to rain just in time for us to walk to the National Archaeological Museum across town for class. We spent a couple of hours there, and then we got the evening off to go to the different markets to get food for dinner. On our way back to the hotel, it started downpouring, so Kylie, Jacquelyn and I stood under an overhang to wait it out. I think met my friend-we'll call him "Rob". So Rob asked me where we were from (he def. wasn't Greek but I am not knowledgeable enough to know where he was from), what we were doing in Greece, if we were enjoying it..etc etc. Then, out of nowhere, Rob asked me if I knew that the Middle East puts lasers and satellites in space that are connected to the American computers and everytime an American searches for something on the internet, the people in the Middle East can read it........then he asked me to not tell anyone (as his eyes darted all over the place)....again, another social cue decided that it was time to leave and find another overhang to stand under. Jacquelyn, Kylie, and I decided to step into the Noodle Bar to get drinks, but eventually ordered some food. It was really tasty Chinese food!! By the time we were finished, we returned to Dioskouros, showered, packed our bags for the next morning, and helped prepare the family dinner of Latina fajitas (we made the salsa!)

Hydra, April 6-8: "The best/worst hike of my life"

We woke early Friday morning on the ferry in Piraeus and immediately walked to the other side of the port and jumped on our catamaran to Hydra-a small, car-less island right of the Peloponnesian Peninsula. It was Good Friday so I was fasting and that is probably the most difficult thing to do in Greece because everyone is always eating....always. But I stuck with it for the most part so I think God will appreciate the effort :) We got to the island and were immediately greeted by donkeys (the mode of transportation-yes, just like the movies). Unfortunately, we walked :( to our hotel but it wasn't far. Hotel Erofili was our home for the weekend and was really quaint. I roomed with Jacquelyn and Kylie with a beautiful road-view form our shuttered windows. We met up with the group for lunch and then split off again to shop around the harbor. Then, most of us returned to the hotel to relax, write the paper for class, and nap. Can you guess which one I did? Yea...so we woke up, watched "My Life in Ruins", and just relaxed around the hotel and chatted. Some people did go out around the town, but it is pretty small (around 3,000 on the entire island).

Irony at its best: I couldn't get them to look at me without drawing their owner's attention over-who offered me an expensive ride

     Saturday morning we woke up, had an excellent breakfast, and decided to venture out to a beach across the island. Originally, it was supposed to be a 2 hour hike to the beach, maybe spend 2 hours there, and 2 hours back. Our trip took 7 hours and we never made it to the beach....

Boden, Jake, Zoe, Rosy, Kylie, Jacquelyn, and I hiked to the Ag. Nik. monastery on the hill and split off from there; Boden, Jake, and Zoe returned to the harbor and the rest of us decided to keep going. Well, now I have realized why paths are made and why tourists-yes, we were demoted to American Tourist again-should stay on the paths. Let's just say that hike made for one heck of a story and it should probably remain to be spoken and not written :) On our return from the hike, we decided to sneak into a little resort/beach to at least claim that we made it to a beach. It was cold, but with the sunburn and sweat we were all covered in-it didn't even matter. It was a lot of fun-another few memorable moments. We walked back to town, grabbed some lunch, showered, and got hung out with the other peeps. They loved our stories, especially since they actually found another beach and enjoyed themselves-sans a 7 hour venture. We went to dinner, enjoyed the nightlife a bit, and headed to bed.

The hiking group at the Ag. Nik. monastery

Kylie and I in the Aegean Sea

     Happy (Catholic) Easter! Sunday, I dressed-to-impress, packed up, and worked on some of my paper while we waited for the catamaran. A few of us went to a small restaurant for lunch, did some shopping, and walked around. It is hard to not wander around in Greece because it is incredibly beautiful. Early in the afternoon, we had a bumpy ride back to Piraeus (Jacquelyn and I loved it, but I cannot say the rest of the group loved us acting like we were on a roller coaster). We rode the metro back to Plaka, grabbed some quick dinner, and returned home to the quaint Dioskouros. This was probably the hardest day for me because I was pretty homesick. It was my first Easter that I did not spend with my family. I was glad to Skype with them-but it isn't the same. I am forever grateful that I am on this trip and having this experience, but it makes me appreciate my family at home even more. I love you, guys, and miss you a lot.

Eileen, Nessa, and I at lunch in the harbor

Such gorgeous flowers on Hydra