Kpiti!

Last week Dikemes did a school wide field trip to Crete.  We saw many Minoan sites, which was fun, but if you've seen one, you've seen them all.  On one of the days, we had the afternoon in a town called Matala which had man-made caves containing Roman Sarcophagi.

Queen's room at Knossos 

 

Climb every mountain

So on Saturday my roommates and the Jenns and I decided to climb the little hill near our apartment.  We had talked to a guy who said it only took about 20 minutes, so we figured it wouldn't be so bad.  It isn't bad, if you go before noon.  Alas, we did not and so were hiking up a mountain at 2:00 on a hot Athenian day.  The actual mountain climbing is not as bad, it's the getting there that is the problem.  We climbed so many steps just to get to the base, as you can see below.  There is a pretty Byzantine church on the top of it, and the view is spectacular so it was worth it.  Plus we can now say we did it.

A "candid" shot of us all (minus Marti)

Oh those soccer fans

While walking out of my Greek myth and religion class, I heard loud singing.  To the left of the academic center, right next to the Olympic Stadium, were a bunch of shirtless men.  Apparently, these were Croatians who were quite drunk.  We were told that we should stay away from them and that the police were coming.  From the third floor on the balcony we could see everything that was going on.  Right next to us is the Olympic Stadium where a mob of men decided to congregate, with more coming all the time.  We couldn't figure out why they decided to go there.  These men were gathering there to go to a soccer game that was 20 minutes away and started at 10--5 hours from the time they started to come.    

Eventually the police came, as well as the riot squad with their shields.  Then something happened and beer bottles and chairs were thrown and there were even some arrests. A pretty exciting day.

Photos taken by Becca Lafoy

Mykonooss!!

Last weekend my apartment decided to go and stay at Mykonos, an island east of Athens.  It is a very touristy place with a picturesque downtown and beautiful scenery.  It is also where the final scene of the Bourne Identity is filmed.  The nightlife is especially crazy, with many clubs and bars open until early morning.  Here are some pictures:

A Spaniard, a Frenchman, and a Palestinian walk into a bar...

This past weekend my roommates and I wanted to experience the beaches of Athens.  So we put our suits on and headed to the tram--a ten minute walk to Syntagma Square.  After arriving on the beach, the first thing we noticed were the cigarette butts littering the sand.  Quite gross when you want to lay out your brand new towel (bought from one of the many men walking up and down the beach selling everything from sunglasses to jewelry to floaties).  However, it was a beautiful day and very sunny so we didn't mind too much.  This is the beach we were at:

What you don't see, that is quite clear once you enter the water, is all the trash floating in the lovely sea.  It is disgusting.  Everything is there:  plastic bags, cups and much more.  Once you get out past the waves it gets slightly better, but only slightly.  However, the temperature of the water is very pleasant.  Another thing you don't see is all the rocks on the bottom of the sea floor.  It is quite painful to be on, especially when you have a bum foot.

We did manage to meet some people at the beach.  Our neighbors were quite interesting.  They were from all over (Spain, France, and Palestine) and only just met when they came to the city.  The Spaniard played the guitar very well, and was taught by his dad who was in a mariachi band.  They also had a hookah in their little campsite.  We managed to talk a little bit to them, though they understood very little English.  Marti and Kathy even tried to teach one to swim.

At one point, we buried the Palestinian in the sand, and everyone stopped and stared at what we were doing.  Apparently, they don't do that here.












And now for something completely different:
I got my TB and Chest X-Ray today!  I need to go back to the hospital on Thursday so they can read my results.  The hospital we went to was not nearly as anal about sterilization as the US.  They didn't wear gloves for anything, which upset some of the other students from CYA.  There wasn't any soap in the bathroom and apparently cats were wondering around inside.  The last thing is very common here.  You see stray animals all the time, both cats and dogs.  People feed them so they don't ever starve, and if you are traveling in a bigger group, the dogs will follow you and try to protect you.  We found this out when we went out in a very large group and had dogs following us and barking at cars for us.

διαμέρισμα

Some pics of my super nice διαμέρισμα (diamerisma) or apartment.  Apparently Kolonaki is the rich neighborhood and only recently have middle-class people been moving in.

Cathy and Hannah's room

The living room with a balcony to the right

The view of the street from the balcony 

Cathy(left) and Hannah (right) with their desks

Our tiny kitchen

The bathroom--where you have to throw
out the toilet paper instead of flushing it.
Very gross

The hallway to my room in the back
Bathroom door on the left

My room (bed on the right) with a balcony
overlooking a courtyard

Part of what you see on the balcony

γειά σου!

Last night we also got to go to a taverna where we sampled many Greek dishes.  Before you eat you toast each other with the wine and say "Yiaso!" which is the title of this particular post.  It means cheers.  The professor I was with ordered and we had everything from stuff tomatoes to Saganaki, which is fried cheese.  The first corse was filled with vegetable items and various dips for the bread.  There was also a cross between a potato chip and french fry. After that corse we had different meats like lamb and stuffed pork.  All of it was delicious and very filling.  At the end of the meal watermelon was brought out.  Normally, this is the fruit in season and it is an extra item thrown in at the end.  When apples are in season, they generally cut them up and put sugar and cinnamon on them.

The bill the waiter gave to the professor right after he ordered.  Unlike in America, where the bill appearing means that it is time to leave, this is just a way to make sure the waiter does not forget to give it.  Any food ordered later would then be added to it.

The only problem with the taverna was the location.  It was outside, with trees holding up the awning we were under.  Located in the Pagkrati area it was only a few short blocks from the CYA center.  However, that meant it was even further to get back to my apartment, and we took an obscure route to get there.

Athens is made up of several different districts, only all brought together in recent years.  There is no grid system in the city, and it seems they built their blocks wherever.  That meant that there was no direct route to get back to Kolonaki.  Walking back with my friend Sarah, we tried several times to find out where we were on the map that she had.  Unfortunately, she had a map of the CYA area, and we had wondered far from there.  We spent a good 30 minutes walking around and seeing many people in lounge bars as you go out here after 9.

Sarah and Me with our map