Catching up...

I can't believe I've been here for over a week. It feels like months with all of the places we have traveled to and seen.
To recap:

The overnight ferry ride to Crete was eventful to say the least. :) It was a very large boat and I enjoyed exploring the different compartments of the ship with my roommate. There was one lounge where everyone was smoking and I had to hold my breath every time I walked through because there was no clean air. All of the smoking is one of the things I just can't seem to get used to in Greece. While on the boat, we even discovered a Disco Lounge, but I didn’t stay up long enough to find out if that’s where all the cool people hang out. ;) We had a small cabin with four bunk beds and I slept alright through part of the night until the boat started rocking heavily back and forth. Being on the top bunk, I woke up with every roll of the boat because I thought I was falling off the bed. I managed to get some sleep, though, and in the morning (6AM to be exact) we disembarked and headed to the Suda Bay Cemetery (one of the few things open at that time of day). This place commemorated and housed the soldiers who died during WWII at the Battle of Crete in 1941. There is certainly something sobering about waking up early in the morning and encountering the reality of death. What was so increasingly overwhelming for me was not the sheer number of graves (over 1500) or the people who had died there, but rather the gravestones particularly of those they could not identify. Inscribed at the bottom of the marker were the words “KNOWN UNTO GOD” and I couldn’t help but weep at the beauty of these words. It may have been my surroundings, the context, or the situation, but there was something about those words that just rang true in my spirit. Whoever this person was, his life experiences, his actions, his thoughts were so remote from myself and this place in time, and yet it was comforting to realize that he was known by God. I’m not sure if I can even convey what I experienced, but I had a moment in that cemetery that shifted my perspective. That had to be the highlight of my day even though we spent the rest of the day traveling and exploring more neat sites and museums.

Sunday our group went to the famous palace of Knossos. For those of you who don’t know, this place was an important city center during the Minoan civilization and is a hotspot of much controversy because one of the earlier archaeologists (Sir Arthur Evans) restored a large portion of the site. So instead of seeing nostalgic ruins and rocks, you get restorations of his guesses about what the site might have looked like. Being a visual person I could appreciate the impression he was trying to convey about the grandeur and sophistication of the peoples who lived there, but I think he may have done more harm than good. It was neat to walk around the place, though… it was more like an archaeological theme park. ;)

Now that we've been traveling to the west side of Crete, it has been nonstop hiking! I think my professor doesn't feel we've had a successful day until we've done five sites by noon. Not true, but it has been exhausting! :) I mostly sleep on the bus every chance I got. One of the first sites we went to was up a mountainside. The bus dropped us off at the bottom of the mountain and then we piled into the back of a caravan of trucks to take us up the rest of the mountain. From there we hiked to the archaeological site. On this occasion, I stumbled upon an interesting piece of pottery. We're not allowed to pick anything up (or take anything) from the sites, so if we see something, we have to just point and and ask our guide or professor. When I mentioned that I found something that might be of interest, the archaeologist who ran the site picked up the piece and started laughing hysterically. I got extremely embarrassed all of a sudden and thought that I had mistaken something modern for ancient and so he was laughing at me. Turns out it was a broken piece of pottery that is part of an ancient "colander" or strainer of some sort. No one knows really what it's used for but they find them in rooms that are used as kitchens. So, I happened upon something that was common, but interesting (I'll post the picture once I get it from my classmate!). What made us more intense archaeologists was that we had to take a boat to the (now) island of Mochlos and we got a tour of the dig that was currently going on. We walked around the different trenches and the archaeologists were showing us the interesting things they were uncovering. It was super neat! :)

Everywhere we go, I keep marveling at how beautiful everything is. There is beautiful water in almost every direction. And yesterday, we finally got a chance to enjoy it. My classmates and I went for a swim at the beach near our hotel. It was AMAZING! I bought a cheap-o frisbee at a store nearby and we tossed it around some. All in all, a fabulous way to end the day.

Today we also did a ton of hiking and exploring different sites, but my favorite part of the day was just relaxing at the beach and enjoying dinner with friends. I'm enjoying it here, but I miss you all. I hope you all are doing well. I would love to hear from you!

I'll try to be better at keeping up with the blog. Until next time!

a few thoughts

I don't have long to write at the moment but I did want to mention a few things:
1. I had a gyro and it was good! :)
2. I made it safely to Crete from the ferry... more on that later.
3. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, a photo of our group is on the American School website (if you don't see a group of students sitting down, then scroll through the pictures on the home page until you see our SSII group). Guess which one I am (hint: I'm sitting down)! http://www.ascsa.edu.gr/

Hopefully I'll have more time to update later. I've been busy and enjoying the many wonderful things I've been able to see and do, but I'm feeling a little homesick. I love and miss you all.

Sooo V.I.P.!

We have done so many cool and amazing things these past couple of days, it's hard to say what I've enjoyed most! Yesterday we took our first day trip out to the sanctuaries at Brauron and Sounion. The former is a sacred place that honors the virgin goddess, Artemis, where they perform different rites, rituals, and festivals that we can only guess about (but there are lots of theories!). The latter is on the tip of Attica on the water where there is a temple dedicated to Poseidon, the god of the sea. The water here is this unbelievable blue color; I've never seen anything prettier! One of the cool things about this temple is that Lord Byron left his mark there by grafittying his name on one of the columns. You can still see it today. He also wrote an amazing poem which references this place in the last stanza entitled, 'The Isles of Greece' (if you want to check it out: http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/lbyron/bl-lbyron-isles.htm). We also saw the Laurentian Silver mines and learned about how the ancient Greeks would mine silver to mint coins. It was all pretty neat. After this long day trip, we got a chance to swim in the Mediterranean. It was a lovely treat! My first beach experience of the summer! I had a great time playing in the water and sunbathing. But we made for a pretty tired group, because on the bus ride home we were all asleep! :) (I sadly forgot my camera on this day, so I have to post better picture once I get them from my classmates...)

Yesterday was pretty fun, but it didn't compare to how AMAZING today was! Our group got a chance to go inside the Parthenon! (Very few people are allowed inside. It's roped off and there are many guards to make sure that you don't. In case you don't know, the Parthenon is the famous temple on the Acropolis at Athens that was used as a store house for the treasury in Classical times. In later times, it was converted into a mosque and the Turks used it to store gun powder when they were fighting against the Venetians. The Venetians sadly shot cannon fire at the temple causing it to explode and destroy a large portion of the building. So sad!) We got to learn about the techniques the archaeologists are using to restore different parts of the temple and then we were able to walk around and examine the structure from the inside. It was so incredible! An opportunity of a lifetime. I felt so VIP! :) Afterwards, we had a seminar on ancient pottery. I loved this, because (being a potter myself) I like to find new ways, techniques, and shapes to incorporate into my own work (Diane, I have sketched so many fun new pieces we have got to try to make!!).

Now I am packing and preparing for our trip to the island of Crete. It is one of my FAVORITE places so I can't wait! We will be taking an overnight ferry to the island, so that should be an adventure!

Until next time...

School of Rocks!

These past few days have included tons of walking and zero gyros. :( But my trip is not over and I'm sure I'll have plenty more opportunities! One of the interesting sites we've been to so far includes the Areopagus, the place where criminal trials were held. Some of you may recall this place from its reference in Acts 17:16ff where Paul preaches to the Athenians. At the bottom of the site there is even a plaque that quotes the verses. Aside from being a great 'make-out' spot at night with a great view of the city (as I'm told), it was just neat to be at the very place that Paul had been centuries earlier -- a place filled with history and meaning even though what you see on the surface just looks like a pile of rocks.

Today we went and saw the Hephaisteion, which is the best preserved Greek temple. Our tour was led by Professor John Camp, who is the director of the Athenian Agora Excavations. I know most of you reading this won't care at all about this, but indulge me for a moment. John Camp is like a rock star in my field, so it was pretty cool that he led our session. We even got to go beyond the restricted access and walk into the temple. It was a special day. :)

Later on our group was taken into the different basements and research areas where several archaeologists were doing their work and they explained the different aspects about what they did and the recent scholarship they were working on. It was AMAZING! We got to see everything from conservation of pottery and coins to storerooms of statues to human bones. I've decided to become an archaeologist and I'm living in Greece forever! Not really, but the things I learned today were so fabulous, I couldn't get enough! :) So, I'm having a pretty good time here. But don't worry, I'm coming back... although I may change my mind after I finally taste that first gyro... stay tuned.

School is in session...

I'm not gonna lie. Greece is hot! And I experienced it today as I dragged my two suitcases through the metro station and up the hill to the American School. So far, I've met and talked with a number of my classmates and we have already been on a couple exploring trips. A group of us walked around after lunch and planned to 'get lost', but I miraculously remembered exactly where everything was from my summer stay here six years ago. I navigated us to a little grocery store and to Koloniki Square, which is a little plaza in the middle of the business district of Athens. I must say, I'm pretty proud of myself. :) I know my way around pretty well... now if only I could speak modern Greek I'd be the best guide ever!

One of our first activities as a group was to walk up Likavitos Hill where we got to see all of the city of Athens from the view of this little church at the top. It was lovely (and sweaty... but I think I could add that remark to about everything I do here in Greece) - a nice treat to orient us on our first day of the program. It was so windy at the top, I almost got blown away. There is a fun little cafe there that I may have to go back and visit some other time. I've heard some people like to run up and down the hill to exercise, so if I'm ambitious...

The people here are nice and friendly and I've been really too busy doing so many things (mostly eating!) to feel too home sick. Tomorrow we start exploring the area around the Acropolis, so I am extremely excited. My next quest is to have a gyro! It's been a long time coming, so I can't wait!! Eating my first gyro in Athens this year is THE most important thing about this trip, so I'll be sure to keep you updated! ;)

Welcome to Greece!

It's official! I'm a true jet-setter... or at least a budget traveler because I just experienced the joy of showering with one hand in a youth hostel shower. It has one of those hand-held Greek shower heads, so it's difficult to multi-task. Needless to say, I managed to get water and soap suds everywhere. :)

It's been quite a long day of traveling. I had a seven hour layover in Brussels where I slept on a rock-hard airport bench to pass the time. I must have looked super comfortable because this old couple in their upper sixties decided to do the same on the bench right beside me. A little awkward, but I was too tired to really care... and the next time I woke up, they were gone.

My classmate, Kris, graciously picked me up from the airport and delivered me safely to my hostel (so no need to worry about me, Mom and Dad!) where I met one of the other students who is on the same program at the American School. We went out to dinner and it was AMAZING! Tzatziki never tasted so good! I'm starting to remember my way around and now I have friends, so navigating Athens won't be too difficult.

Tomorrow I head to the school and meet the other students, and then the hard work begins. ;)

Kalinihta (Good night!)

Getting ready

I'm feeling overwhelmed by the millions of things I have to do before I fly out tomorrow, but once I finish all of the preparing, packing, and traveling, and I arrive in Greece Sunday evening, I'm sure I will finally feel excited. It's been pretty nice to relax my last week here in Madison. After finishing up prelims and traveling to Florida and Connecticut to visit the family, it was good to take a break and regroup. I know I won't be away for long, but I'm going to miss all of you guys while I'm gone. Thanks for making my last week such a fun time!

Here are a few photos from 'brother/sister' time in New York.