Greetings, all!
It's been 3 1/2 weeks since my arrival in Athens. The past almost-month has been absolutely incredible. Words honestly cannot describe how much fun I've had traveling around Greece/to some islands, learning about Greek culture, and immersing myself into city life in Athens. Here's a brief update about some exciting things that have been/are currently happening in my life!
Verdict = not that great, unfortunately. However, the environment made up for the sub-par caffeine source. The place was covered in vintage posters, paper lanterns, and random knick knacks (including an old school, salon hair dryer that doubled as a lamp).
As silly as it sounds, I'm really excited to go buy groceries now. TTFN, Hannah
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The second day of our trip started with sleeping in as late as possible before our 8:15 am check out time. I can't speak for everyone else on this study abroad program, but my roommate and I are definitely not morning people.
After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we were back to the site of Delphi. This time, we were visiting the Sanctuary of Apollo, aka the main attraction at Delphi that once housed countless treasuries, statues, and temples dedicated to various city-states in Greece, as well as a theater. Most importantly, however, was the Sybil who lived and worked here. This young, virginal woman would proclaim divine oracles that people from all over Greece would travel to hear, especially before making big life decisions (cue Croesus and Alexander). We spent a total of 2 1/2 hours wandering around this amazing site (and constantly getting yelled at by a grouchy security guard to stop climbing on the ancient ruins), taking pictures of ourselves, and absorbing the inspiring atmosphere. The weather was perfectly warm and clear, which hadn't been the case for this particular class trip for several years. We really lucked out. After an hour-long tour through the museum at Delphi, we took a quick bus ride to Arachova, a nearby town, for lunch. Archova looks like it belongs in the mountains of Northern Europe. Snow covered peaks stood in the distance and cobblestone streets lined the town. Unfortunately it took awhile to find food, let alone eat the food, so we didn't get to explore the area much. 5 of us eventually found a little hole-in-the-wall crepe place, where a classmate and I split 1 savory crepe (mozzarella, sausage, and green pepper) and 1 sweet crepe (apple, chocolate, and whipped cream). It was delicious and really hit the spot after a long morning of standing in direct sunlight and touring crowded exhibits. On the way back to Athens, we stopped at a Byzantine-era monastery. The place was built in an absolutely breathtakingly beautiful spot. The view of mountains and olive tree-filled groves was fantastic. However, I thought the actual church and crypt underneath it were, honestly, a bit creepy. While I could admire the architecture, the super ornate, gold flecked ceilings, and the frescoes of various scenes from Christ's life on the walls/ceilings, finding a real skeleton lying clothed in a glass box did me in (I told you. Creepy). Back on the bus, I plugged my headphones in and listened to music as we passed by scenic view after scenic view. I noted that the natural landscape was being used for a variety of alternative energy forms, including windmills and solar panels. The flatlands were utilized for solar panels, while the mountains supported several windmills at a time. I eventually fell asleep and woke up about an hour before reaching Athens. Let me tell you, coming back to Athens and feeling like you're home is really cool. I've gotten so much more accustomed to this place since our first day here. Calling Athens "home" is still crazy amazing, and I probably won't get over it the entire time I'm here. - Hannah Another weekend trip is in the books!
After a 3-day visit to the Peloponnese last weekend and a super busy few days of class, The Athens Centre group went on another 2-day weekend excursion to Delphi and Thebes. Our bus left at 7:30 am promptly (groan). I remember getting on the bus in Athens and then waking up in Thebes. It's been a jam-packed and tiring 3 weeks here, man. The first stop (after a cheese pie and double cappuccino at a bakery, of course) was the Archaeological Museum of Thebes. One of the professors (Dr. David Scahill) who led this trip had special access to the museum since he'd done excavation work there, so we were the only ones inside at 9:00 am. This museum was definitely one of my favorites in Greece thus far. The first part of the building was designed to look like an excavation work room, which I thought was really clever and unique. The artifacts, obviously, were absolutely stunning and plentiful, given that the museum was literally built on top of an excavation site. You can actually the site through the glass floors that are present in certain parts. Several artifacts (specifically 5 brilliantly blue and ornately decorated beads) found by Bucknell students were also displayed throughout the museum, so that was awesome as well. Another thing I love about Thebes: this is the city associated with Oedipus, the ill-fated king of Thebes who fulfills his tragic prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother despite desperate attempts to avoid such disaster. A ton of mythology is tied to this particular ancient city as well, including the Riddle of the Sphinx. When Dr. Scahill started our tour, he asked the group who knew the story/riddle, and I excitedly raised my hand to answer. To summarize, in the tale of Oedipus Rex, the Sphinx is causing trouble within Thebes, specifically drought, famine, and disease. In order for the problems to cease, someone must correctly answer the Sphinx's riddle: "What goes on four feet in the morning, two feet at noon, and three feet in the evening?" The answer is....man (crawling as a baby, walking as an adult, and using a cane as an elderly person)! Next was a brief visit to Ismenion Hill, a site where one of my classmates participated in an archaeological dig two summers ago. It's basically just a small, but fairly steep hill covered in semi-filled in holes. There was also a decent amount of modern garbage, too, unfortunately. However, I did find some nice snail shells at the site (and I made sure to really check well for any living creatures inside them. Not making the hermit crab mistake again. RIP, Sheldon and Permit Drab). After the Hill, we grabbed some lunch in Thebes at a really delicious (and cheap!) taverna. Four of us split 4 different appetizers (grilled cheese, fried zucchini, fried eggplant, and potato/cheese croquettes) as well as an order of calamari. So tasty. The eggplant also came with a ton of garlic sauce that was essentially straight puréed garlic. By the time I finished eating, I felt like people could smell me from about a 50 ft radius. (Good at keeping the boys/vampires away, though.) So I went in search of gum to lessen the overpowering scent (I ended up buying 2 packs just to be safe). Then we had the 1 1/2 hour bus ride to Delphi, which we all slept through entirely. Once there, we spent about an hour down at the site examining the 2 Temples of Athena. The landscape around this place was picturesque, especially since the weather was perfect. Not a cloud was in sight, and we actually were able to take off our heavy winter coats the entire visit. We listened to Dr. Scahill give us the low-down on the site, saw a cat prancing around the ancient rocks, found a sign for the temple that was written in braille, and took a great selfie (that I dubbed the #DelfieSelfie. Still proud of that). After our first dose of Delphi, we checked into the Acropole Hotel and then explored the (very) little town at Delphi. The town is literally 2 short streets filled with many hotels and tourist shops. Down the first road, several of us wandered into a jewelry store where the owners promptly made a killing. Most people purchased at least one item, if not more. Personally, I got this gorgeous sterling silver ring made of conjoined olive branches dotted with turquoise. I really love the idea of olive branches. Beyond its attractive appearance, the olive branch has historically been a symbol for peace and forgiveness. It just calms my mind and heart a little after experiencing certain hardships in my life. I got this ring for a good price, too. My bargaining skills have vastly improved since being in Greece. Intense exchanges for fair deals between seller and buyer is very common here, unlike in the States. Haggling is, frankly, expected a lot of the time. Even at restaurants, consumers will demand to see the food they're ordering before they order it, and will sometimes head straight into the kitchen (this has already happened for me!). Anyway, the jewelry salesman originally wanted 50 euros, but he brought it down to 35, and then to 30 after I questioned whether I had enough money for it/whether the ring was worth it. Granted, the prices were pretty arbitrary in the first place (especially given the sign outside claiming, "Deals you cannot refuse!"). But it really is a nice ring and I felt I got a decent deal, so I was pleased overall. An hour later, we had dinner with our profs. In sparse words, it was terrible. The place was vastly overpriced to begin with, and our specific waiter couldn't understand English. He kept saying that everything we tried to order on the menu they didn't have. A brief summary of our dialogue: "What's your house special today?" "We don't have that." "Okay, what's your soup of the day." "We don't have that. I couldn't tell you." "Okay...then what's your special drink you have listed on your menu here *points*?" "We don't have that." Ugh! It was aggravating, let alone when one of the guys tried to order something "on the rocks." That immediately got us a dirty look and a "On a what?!" Poor Tony was exasperated from just trying to make a simple order. Generally, it was rather disappointing after a long day of traveling and exploring sites. So to make up for it, our table just drank a ton of cheap wine. I was a little worried that our one prof would judge us, but earlier in the day he'd given us the bad idea of heading to the town's discotheque, so maybe not. He seems like a pretty chill dude, actually. Once we finished dinner, we headed to the disco just to check it out (the pamphlet for this place was so ludicrously terrible that we had to at least take a glimpse. It had several clearly posed photos from the '90s/'00s and only 2 words inside: must do!!). However, this supposedly fabulous disco was closed. The lack of decent marketing clearly had a negative effect. Ah well. - Hannah Another early morning bus ride. Another large consumption of carbs. Another busy day in the books.
Starting my morning at 7:30 after getting only 5 hours of sleep was pretty miserable. But at least breakfast was good. I stuffed myself with scrambled eggs, bacon, and both normal and sweet tiropita (while downing several cups of coffee, of course). Promptly at 8:30 am, we left for Epidaurus. Epidaurus is a location known for its archaeological site and impressive amphitheater that boasts great acoustics (music festivals are still held here every summer). It was also the home area of Asklepios, the demigod/hero son of the god Apollo and a mortal woman named Kleo, known for his specialized healing ability. Legend says that Asklepios died and then came back to the mortal world, hence breaking the distinction of mortal and immortal. He ends up becoming the official healing god and is immortalized. The archaeological site of Epidaurus itself is essentially a large field filled with really old rocks. There aren't too many standing structures left beyond a few pillars, platforms, and alters. Combine a site that's not too exciting in the first place (no offense), being absolutely beyond exhausted, and experiencing cold/windy/cloudy weather equals me feeling like I actually blacked out for much of the morning. It was not the greatest part of the trip. However, the theater made up for it. I was more awake by this time, and the place was really aesthetically pleasing (thanks to the fact that its construction is based on the Golden Mean). I ran up one of the entire enormous stairways as my morning exercise and took some fabulous pics. I also made a new friend: a little gray and white cat with bright green eyes. He was very photogenic as well (of course I had a photoshoot with the cat). After Epidaurus, we were supposed to visit Franchthi Cave, which is a pre-palatial cave civilization that was significant in the transition from hunter/gatherer societies to agricultural communities in this part of the world. But the clouds were threatening to unleash themselves onto us at any moment, so we ended up just turning around and heading back to Nafplio (woohoo!). I promptly fell asleep as soon as I got onto the bus - but not without a quick intermission to grab a fresh tiropita from a little bakery. Unfortunately, this particular cheese pie tasted like feet (too. much. feta. ugh.) and I couldn't make myself finish it. Once back at the Victoria Hotel in Nafplio, I went upstairs to rest and also Skyped my mom. Around 3:00 pm, several other women and I went to explore the town some more before our wine and ouzo tasting that was scheduled for 6:30. We went by the water, took amazing photos on some large rocks, and collected shells and sea glass. Then we went to the shops, pausing briefly for one of the girls to get her second lobe piercing! What a great bonding experience. By the end of the evening, I had bought a pair of handmade leather sandals, a bottle of house red wine from the wine tasting (for only 5 euros!), and a small chocolate/pistachio gelato. Now I'm off for some fun chill time with people before hitting the hay. - Hannah Today was an absolute whirlwind, to say the least.
It started at 6:15 am when my alarm started ringing, telling me it was time to head to the weekly laiki (an outdoor farmers market) in Pangrati. Normally I wouldn't willingly wake up this early to be a functional human, but several classmates and I wanted to hit up the market before leaving on our scheduled, weekend (class) bus trip to the Peloponnese. The trip had several major site stops: Mycenae, Nafplio, Epidaurus, Franchthi Cave, and Tiryns. By 7:00 am, I was strolling through the market, and perusing the variety of fruits and veggies. I ended up purchasing 2 eggplants, 4 Pink Lady apples, 4 carrots, a head of lettuce, and a jar of homemade fir tree honey. I tried to use what limited Greek vocabulary I have whilst at the laiki, but I didn't get too far after the native Greek-speakers would answer my "yassas" entirely in quick, unintelligible Greek. But hey, I at least tried. After my short visit to the market, I had to run up the hill to The Athens Centre to get a copy of my passport for the trip. Although the Centre is supposed to open at 7:30 am, no one showed up until almost 7:40, which was when I was supposed to meet the rest of my companions for the coach bus. I managed to get inside the school, but the copier ultimately wouldn't turn on...a little annoyed, I *literally* ran back to the apartments moments later in order to grab my stuff and to head to the bus. The bus left a few minutes after 8:00 am. There was a strict "no food" rule on the bus, which secretly made me happy since several people who'd gone to the market also stopped by the nearby bakery for a fresh breakfast while I impatiently waited outside the school - in the cold, early morning air. I was a little #salty about not getting a chocolate croissant, so "ha" to the people who had to wait just like me to eat some delicious delicacies. Fast forward nearly 2 hours of sleeping on the bus and we arrived at the Corinth Canal for a brief bathroom and food/coffee break. After a quick trip to the water closet before grabbing a ham and cheese pie and a double cappuccino (which I basically had to shove in my face in less than 10 minutes, meaning I promptly burned the entire roof of my mouth), I headed towards the bridge to view the Canal. I don't think I've ever seen a canal so deeply cut before. It was so steep and, surprisingly, aesthetic, even in the cloudy morning light. On the way to Mycenae, aka the home of the great, mythical warrior king Agamemnon, we passed by the Corinth Acropolis, which is a fortified citadel on top of a large mountain in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, we didn't stop at the site, so no great pictures of the amazing city on the hill exist. Once in Mycenae, our first stop was to a small stream bed where evidence of a Cyclopedic-style (HUGE stones that, myth says, only Cyclop giants, could move), Mycenaean bridge still stood. It had rained the night before, and the weather was barely holding out for us, so several people took some falls on the slippery mud-covered rocks. But we all survived - including our expensive cameras, too! Then we headed up the road and stopped at what looked like a very small hole with trees growing in it. It turned out to be a small tholos (chamber) tomb built into the hill from the age of the Mycenaeans (are you noticing a pattern here?). And we didn't just look at this barely-visible-from-the-outside tomb; we actually went inside it. With some finagling through the trees and more slippery soil, we all made it inside the tomb. Let me tell you: being in an actual, ancient grave is weird. Dead people (families and individuals alike) used to be piled in there. It likely produced a pretty foul smell back in the day (mhm flesh), but we mostly just smelled rotting leaves and dirt. One of the best things that happened inside there was a fellow student casually eating gummy candies while the professor lectured about grave structures of antiquity. Ah, the old mixing with the new and the general circle of life, amiright? Afterwards we headed to a REAL tholos tomb: the Treasury of Atreus (pictures to come). This tomb is a well known structure in history class. It has a large walkway to the entrance gate, which boasts a massive 120 ton stone that took several years to place on top of the 2 front columns. The grave also has a rare second, smaller tomb to the one side that's visible once inside. Finally, we hit the main attraction: the Acropolis of Mycenae, the hometown of the family descended from the great Atrius. The lion gate stands proudly atop enormous walls made of Cyclopean architecture (we even mimicked the pose of the heraldic lions. Again, pics to come). We visited the 2 graves on the site: Grave Circle B, the tomb outside the Acropolis' walls that once held 24 graves (14 shaft grave, 10 cist graves), and Grave Circle A, the wealthier tomb inside Mycenae that held fewer families/individuals and contained ludicrous amounts of gold and precious items. The site was absolutely gorgeous, even with the cloudy sky and cold windchill. I did some fun rock scrambling and took several pretty spectacular photographs up on the citadel - and almost lost my hat a few times in the process. After our Mycenae visit concluded, we all climbed back onto the bus and headed to Nafplio, which is where we'll be staying for 2 nights. It's a gorgeous little town by the water and has many great shops, including seemingly infinite stores to buy so-called "worry beads." The product is essentially what it sounds like: beads you wear or hold/play with to relieve worry, stress, imbalance, or illness. Besides the supposed healing powers of the beads (whose materials range from olive wood, to glass, to obsidian, to amber, and even to dyed olive pits), they are absolutely stunning. I seriously am obsessed with these beads, the stores, and the craftsman. So pretty, my goodness. I ended up buying a small string of olive green and rose pink beads with an evil eye drawstring bead that turns the string into a bracelet. I'm. In. Love. Once settled into our hotel rooms and after getting a brief tour/history of the area, we stopped for food (souvlaki!) and gelato (chestnut and tiramisu). We then shopped around for several hours before heading to a local taverna to have dinner with the professors. I ordered spanakopita (spinach pie) and shared a carafe of house red wine with some classmates. Dr. Killebrew also wanted someone to share half of her moussaka with her, so I (very) willingly obliged. So tasty. With a 2-hour dinner concluded, we all headed to a nearby bar for some drinks and live music. A limoncello-prosseco later, we went back to the hotel, got very messy showers (boo to showers that don't have curtains or shower doors), and hopped into bed. As I'm writing this, I'm probably the last conscious person on this hotel floor. Now, off to bed to prepare for another history and traveling-packed day tomorrow. - Hannah Today was the first time I managed to make myself (legitimately) exercise since arriving in Athens 11 days ago. Granted, I've been doing a decent amount of walking during the trip so far - especially the first several days that were filled with exploring the new area we're calling "home" for the next 3 months. But it was nice to get my lungs working and my blood pumping for real again.
After finishing our class about Crete this morning (yay for only having one 2-hour class today!), a classmate and I made our way from The Athens Centre to the nearby running track. Oh, and something neat about this particular running track: it's the Panathenaic Stadium, aka the stadium used for some prior Olympic Games since antiquity. It's located only a short 3-minute walk from our school and is fully functional as a modern-day training area (crazy, right?!). The Panathenaic Stadium was constructed in 330 BCE by Lykourgos for the specific purpose of hosting the Games. It was excavated and rebuilt two separate times several hundred years later: once by Herodes Atticus (a Roman senator) in 144 AD and then in 1869 for the Zappas Olympics of 1870 and 1875. Once we arrived at the stadium, we headed up to the worn, gravel running track that looks down onto the stadium's actual track (sadly, we don't get to run on the "real" track, but it's still amazing nonetheless). After a few minutes of stretching, we started running towards opposite ends of the horseshoe. Since my phone had died several hours earlier, I didn't have any music or podcasts to listen to while I jogged monotonously around for 45 minutes. I was initially a little worried because I'd never free-run without any distractions before. But once I saw the absolutely stunning, picturesque view of the Acropolis right in front of me with its blue and white flag flying high and ceremoniously in the wind, all concern flew out the window. Seriously, the image was amazing and I was bummed I didn't have a camera to document the moment. My workout consisted of jogging to the end of each side of the track, running up and down the stairs, and doing 10-15 reps of alternating squats and lunges. I also did a few sprints here and there for some more variety, as well as some leg lifts and stretches. For almost an hour, the Panathenaic Stadium was my playground. How cool is that? I'll be going back many more times whilst on this trip. The athletic theme continued later in the day. After a fun shopping excursion in downtown Athens this afternoon, 9 other students and I headed in the direction of Piraeus around 6:30 pm to attend a soccer (football) match. The game - played in the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium, also the home stadium of the Olympiacos - was between the Olympiacos (1st in Superleague Greece who wear red uniforms) and the Atromitos (9th in Superleague Greece who wear blue uniforms). Fun fact: "Superleague Greece" is the highest professional football league in Greece. The League formed in 2006 and consists of 16 teams. Although the taxi driver we called to take us to the game initially (and jokingly) refused us because he was a fan of the Atromitos, not the Olympiacos (the Olympic team we were all going to see), we all got to Piraeus successfully. We ended up having to buy 5 season passes that were good for 2 people (10 euros / 2 people = 5 euros) - plus buy the 10 tickets on top of that (10 euros), which was a little complicated, but it worked out. Once in our seats (Gate 10, Row 21, Seat 18 for me), the older gentleman next to me tried to spark a conversation about the Olympiacos. Unfortunately, he couldn't speak any English and my small collection of Greek words/phrases didn't do much. However, we ended up being able to bond and to share/understand some information after the game started - especially when people in the stands were screaming at fouls and bad calls, and when one player on the Atromitos got injured. Football helped to bridge the language disconnect between us, which I thought was pretty neat. This was my first-ever soccer/football match I've attended. I really quite enjoyed the game, even though this particular game wasn't great (0-0 score, and so many missed goal opportunities). The environment of the stadium was an experience in itself, though. People were so hyped up and rowdy the entire time (especially if, God forbid, a bad play occurred. So many Greek-specific obscene gestures and aggressive yelling, my goodness. But I kinda loved it, too). One entire section of the stadium never stopped chanting for the whole game. The same section also had a small, makeshift band that played most of the time (I wondered if the people brought their own instruments, or if they were actually a hired group. Probably the former). People also brought flares into the stadium! And later THREW them down into the seats in front of them! There were at least 10 flares lit up at one time in a small area, and I was convinced that a fire was going to break out at any moment. I figured if the place burned down, I'd at least try to storm the field and see how close I could get to the players (who were all very fit and looked quite attractive, at least from halfway up the stands) before being taken down. (Just kidding. Sorta.) Overall, I'm really glad I chose to attend this sporting event. I'm usually not someone who enjoys mass sports, like football or basketball, but I actually quite liked the soccer/football vibe. It's fairly easy to understand, it's something that's a definitive aspect of modern European identity, and it was a fairly cheap form of entertainment. Add it to the list of awesome things I've done so far while being in this amazing country. We also had another first after leaving the game: we took the metro in Athens (and didn't get lost!). We've mostly been relying on our legs and taxis/Ubers on the trip so far, but I liked the metro a lot because of 1) the convenience of not having to call a cab to a specific place and 2) it was sooo much cheaper. We each paid 1.40 euros to get all the way from Piraeus, which is fairly out of downtown Athens, to Syntagma Square, the main shopping area about 15 minutes from our apartments. I'm utterly wiped from this long, exciting day filled with running, sprinting, squatting, lunging, stretching, walking, and spectating. I'm off to bed. - Hannah Today has been an absolute whirlwind.
It began at 6:15 am when my alarm started ringing, telling me it was time to get up for the weekly Lykee (an outdoor farmers market) in Pangrati. Today marked my first full week of being in Greece! So many crazy, exciting things have happened already - some good, some bad - and I still have 11 weeks to go. More on this insanity to come in later posts.
I had a pretty lazy and enjoyable start to my day. After yesterday's day-long adventure in Aegina, I was utterly wiped and ended up sleeping in until almost 10:00 am (like a true Greek on the weekend, I may add). I took my time getting ready, and eventually headed down to the square to grab coffee and to do some homework. I also made my first real grocery trip while being in Athens (yay to finally having a solid amount of food readily available in my apartment!). Later this afternoon, my classmates and I met up with our professor for a Greek cultural activity: a long lunch at a traditional taverna, live Rembetiko music (a type of Greek blues), and Greek dancing. Even though we were all a bit wary about this event (especially since it was at 3:00 pm on a Saturday when most people wanted to be doing other things), I actually had a really fantastic time. The taverna itself was beautiful. The roof was made entirely of glass; the butter-colored walls were covered with plants and artwork; and colored strings of lights hung daintily everywhere. There were also giant wine barrels in several areas of the main room. However, the big attraction was - obviously - the food. Oh. My. Goodness. The food was so insanely delicious, and it just kept coming out course after course like an endless train of different plates. It was served "family style," so all the plates were shared amongst everyone at the table (for us, we had 3-4 tables pushed together, so we had 3-4 plates of everything). We started out with some bread and tzatziki. Then there was fried feta (nom). Then we had Greek salad. Then a spanakopita-type dish (my personal favorite. It was filled with other vegetables other than spinach, so it wasn't technically "spanakopita," but similar). Then feta-stuffed peppers. Once we thought all the courses had been served, huge dishes of meat and potatoes were delivered. And then a spinach-covered meat dish. Then pureed eggplant and lamb (my least favorite dish). It seemed never-ending. In addition to all this food, we also had a plentiful supply of red wine flowing at all times. It was great. As is European tradition, this meal ended up lasting for nearly 4 hours! We talked, and ate, and drank. And then talked, and ate, and drank some more (shout out to Penn State for generously providing the funds for this fun and delicious excursion). We also got to enjoy the live Rembetiko band playing for the majority of our meal. The jazzy, blues-y, soulful music was an excellent addition to the already pleasant environment. The musicians could really play, and the vocalists had fantastic, smooth voices. They sang for hours, but you could never tell just from listening to them. Overall, it was a really fun time. I'm so glad Dr. Killebrew decided to take us out on this trip in downtown Athens. You simply can't get this type of experience in America; everything is so often too fast-paced and impersonal. We had many great conversations, and even learned some new things about each other. Amazing food + bonding = successful outing. TTFN, - Hannah At 4:45 am this morning, my first alarm starting blaring. It was the indicator that I needed to roll out of bed to get ready for the 5:40 am taxis that'd be waiting outside our apartments to drive us (9 other classmates and I) to Piraeus, the port city in Athens. From Piraeus, we were taking a Hellenic Seaways ferry to the Greek island of Aegina for a day trip.
Amazingly enough, all 10 of us made it downstairs at 5:30 am to start filing into 3 yellow taxis. The drive to Piraeus was...interesting, especially given the time of day. It was still dark, and bars/clubs were just closing down from the night before. We passed a minimum of 20 strip clubs on the main drag of road near the port city. This exemplified that a lingering influence from ancient times still exists in this area; Piraeus used to be a major hub for prostitution in Greece thousands of years ago. I wrote a term paper on this precise subject last fall, so I was particularly intrigued to discover first hand that this phenomenon is still very much alive - in its own modern, more regulated way, of course. We actually arrived at the port 30 minutes before the ticket windows opened, so we wandered across the street to a little bakery that was (thankfully!) open. I desperately needed coffee - and soon found out I also needed this enormous chocolate-glazed donut. A double espresso and a boatload (get it? har har) of carbs never tasted so good. At 6:40 am, we finally bought our tickets for the 7:00 am ferry to Aegina. We wanted to catch the first one of the day since we were only staying on the island until the last ferry departed back for Athens (4:00 pm). No one missed the boat. And no one got sick, either. We also got the amazing pleasure of seeing a gorgeous sunrise over the Saronic Gulf. I honestly can't remember the last time I even saw a sunrise, so this experience was quite nice. Once docked in Aegina, we wandered to a little beach to bide some time before all the archaeological sites and museums opened. We all took some great photos in the perfect natural light of early morning, climbed on the rocks, skipped stones, and collected shells. We continued walking around the coastline until we came upon a road that led to pistachio groves. Aegina loves its pistachios; at street vendors and shops across the island, people sell raw and roasted pistachios, pistachio pesto, pistachio gelato, pistachio honey (which I bought), and sweet pistachio spread, among other goodies. Fun fact: Aegina is the second largest of the Greek islands and is known for being the country's largest cultivator of pistachios. Mmm. Eventually, after stopping at a little bakery and getting a cheese pie (which made me feel like Alice in Angelina Ballerina), we made our way to the archaeological site of Kolona. After a bit of walking through the small museum attached to the site and exploring the limited grounds, we all laid down on the ancient ruins for brief naps in the sun. Let me tell you: the sunlight in Aegina is divine. It was hard to get up every time I did this (it happened later as well). I actually got a bit of a tan while on the island from this. When we were finished at Kolona, we each bought bus tickets up to the Temple of Aphaia. Thanks to the painfully early start to our day, almost all of us passed out on the bus ride there. At the top of the mountain, a single Doric structure awaits. No offense to history, but this site wasn't too exciting. The temple is the only attraction in the area, and the buses only run every 2 hours. So....we all found ancient rocks and slept in the sun again. Sunbathing is always a good way to pass the time, right? After Aphaia, we had about an hour until we needed to catch the ferry. We stopped at a small restaurant right by the dock to grab some food, where I ordered spinach and feta-filled ravioli with pistachio pesto. So tasty. Immediately once I got onto our boat (called the Flying Dolphin XXIX), I shut my eyes and took a brief nap yet again. This long, fun-filled day wore me out. Back in my apartment, I found a little surprise that came with my from the island: 2 little hermit crabs were living in some of the shells I'd collected at the beach! I named them Sheldon and Permit Drab (after the hermit crab in Does Anyone Know Where a Hermit Crab Goes?), respectively. They're currently living in a little glass of water in my kitchen. 'Til next time, Hannah |
Hannah BisbingStudent @ Penn State. Figure skater. Writer. Traveler. Coffee fanatic. Foodie. Semi-professional people watcher who recently returned home from backpacking around Europe. All photos taken by me, unless otherwise noted.
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