Ouzo anyone?

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Greece was everything I could have hoped for. We went to Mycenae, Corinth, and Athens. Though we did not see a lot of Greece, what we saw was great and we drove through some beautiful countryside in the process. There were 8 students, Mark, Sean, Kevin, Justin, Bella, Erica, Bridget and me (all Loyola) - 4 girls and 4 boys plus Sander. Throughout the trip we made jokes that we all should pair off, which would leave Sander with the bus driver (who was a very stereotypical Greek man and spoke little English). Sander wasn’t too pleased with this arrangement.

Anyway, we left Friday morning and got to Athens around 3pm. We got in the bus and drove to Nafplion, which is a town near Mycenae. To offer some background, Loyola’s fall break trip last semester was to Greece so Sander knows the area fairly well and the hotels we stayed at were the ones Loyola used in October. Nafplion was really pretty because it was on the sea which was really nice. We got there around 6ish. On the way, we had stopped at a rest stop over a canal and got some really cool pictures off the bridge. We all also had our first kebab’s there - so good! A little more background - Sander. He really enjoys eating and relaxing. So, during the entire trip, the dinner hour began between 6 and 7 and lasted usually until about 10 or 11. This is because we first would find someplace to have “before dinner drinks,” then get dinner someplace else, then find dessert, and then find someplace to have “after dinner drinks.” It was actually a lot of fun. In Nafplion, we found a restaurant right on the pier and most of us had sangria which was really good. Then we went to a restaurant Sander knew from the previous trip and ate some really good food. Fried zucchini and stuffed chicken for me (though what it was stuffed with I have no idea, peppers and much more that I couldn’t identify). After dinner, we went to a gelato place. Yes, gelato in Greece. It was run by Italians so we all were speaking in Italian with them. The gelato was really good, though Rome’s is still better. They even had grappa flavored gelato (grappa is Italy’s “after dinner” drink so to speak, along with limoncello - if you are familiar with Greece’s ouzo they are basically the same thing conceptually). After gelato, everyone decided that they wanted to do a cigar and drinks night at a bar, so we went to a cigar place close by and bought cigars. Kevin and I didn’t smoke. Neither of us are big fans of smoking in general. The bar we went to was called the “Wrong Bar” which I think is a hilarious name for a bar. It looked like 3 guys went through their grandparents’ attics and took everything of absolutely no value but had been saved for at least 30 years and put it in the bar no bigger than my kitchen at home. A little weird, but still a great place.

Saturday morning we woke up and drove to Mycenae. The ruins of the town date to the 2nd millennia B.C.! It was really cool to walk around both the museum and the remains of the hill town. In this Greek town, we were able to see the remains of the room that would have been used in the palace as a ritual temple of sorts, which historians believe is the basis for the later Greek temples which inspired Roman temples and basilicas which inspired Christian basilicas. In Mycenae, there was one section that lent itself better than others to exploring within the ruins themselves rather than just walking through them on the path. Now you have to understand that Sander is an Ancient History historian. His entire life is made up of ruins like these. So when you see people walking on your life’s work, you tend to get a little upset. I’ve seen him on multiple occasions request people to get off the ruins that they are walking on. What looks like a pile of rocks that happen to be in a straight line to one person is a years worth of history that shouldn’t be so carelessly handled to him. So this section, with people crawling all over it, had him rather upset. But suddenly he bust out laughing. We were all confused until we saw what he did. There was a rather short man (he only came to my shoulder) who was almost as round as he was tall, trying to climb on the ruins so he could get higher up for a better picture. However, he couldn’t get himself up on the ruins! But once he did, he stayed up on them for a long time, replacing Sander’s laughter with anger again. What makes this story more amusing is that Sunday, at the Acropolis, we saw him again and wouldn’t you know, but he was again trying to climb on the ruins!

Also at Mycenae there was a beehive structure similar to the one I visited at Newgrange, Ireland, but much bigger. It was really interesting because when the group stood against the wall on one side of the room and Sander on the other, Sander could whisper facing the wall and we could hear him as if he was standing next to us. The incredible engineering successes of these B.C. people amazed us over and over again!

After Mycenae, we drove to Corinth. It was so incredible to be able to walk amongst these ruins. Paul actually walked here, worked here, and lived here. For some people, it was just another place with “sexy rubble” as Sander likes to put it. But for me, and for a few others, it was an awe-inspiring experience. We even got to see the place where, in Acts 18, Paul would have stood when Gallio, the Roman proconsul, acquitted him of the crimes the Jews tried to charge him with (persuading people to worship God in a way that breaks the Law). We stood under a tree to shelter us from the rain and read sections of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. I cannot describe how wonderful an experience this was.

We drove back to Athens Saturday afternoon/evening. We went to the hotel bar for our before dinner drinks and Mark and I decided to try ouzo, both out of curiosity and economy. The drinks ranged from 1.50 euro to 5 euro (very cheap all around) and the ouzo was only 1.50 euro. It tastes like black licorice but is rather strong. Of everyone on the trip, Mark and I were the only ones to drink it, which we did for the reminder of the trip because it was always considerably cheaper than anything else we could find. We went to another good restaurant, though a bit pricier than we college students were used to. I tried to order lamb, but was told, “The lamb is over” - meaning we are out of lamb. I love broken English; only because it humbles me because I’m sure my broken Italian is just as funny if not worse.

More gelato and more after dinner drinks. Towards the end of the evening, we started to split up. Some people went to smoke shisha (hookah), others stayed at the bar. Myself and another girl were tired so we went back to the hotel. The next morning, we found out that Kevin and Sean had stayed at the bar until 2am because they had met 3 Argentinean girls who were studying in Madrid but were in Greece for the weekend. Kevin speaks Spanish well enough to hold a conversation while reverting to English every so often. Sean knows none. So the girls were, apparently, hanging all over Sean (who works out about 20 hours of the 24 hour day - I think he’s figured out how to do it in his sleep!) and Kevin was talking and translating. We ended up seeing them again Sunday.

Sunday we got up and went to the Acropolis - the highest point in the city when it was the ancient city (there are higher points today). On top of the Acropolis is the Parthenon, one of the 7 Wonders of the World. It was really neat to see it, though after seeing all the temples in Sicily it wasn’t as awe-inspiring as I would have expected it to be. We spent most of the morning there, went to eat lunch, and then wandered around. Sander, Bridget and Kevin were leaving that evening to return to Rome so we had to get them back to the hotel by 3:30pm. After they left, it was just Sean, Justin, Mark, Erica, Bella and me left. We continued the before dinner drinks tradition and more ouzo was had. It really grew on me on throughout the trip (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding - it’s the stuff they give Ian’s parents when they are at the party that they have way too much of - by the way, the basis for all of our knowledge of Greece and Greek things came from this movie, what an educated group we were!). We found a less expensive restaurant and had more good food. I had more kebabs which were delicious! It was rather late when we finished dinner and Bella and Erica decided to go back to the hotel. The two of them plus Justin had a 9am flight and had to be at the airport by 7am. I went out with Justin, Mark and Sean to a shisha bar where the guys smoked and Mark and I shared some more ouzo. It was a relaxed night which was nice.

Monday morning Bella, Erica and Justin left so it was just Sean, Mark and I to roam around Athens until our flight at 6:15pm that evening. We decided to go up the rather large mountain to the Church of St. George that was built there in the 18th Century. It was quite the climb but we made it and it was well worth it. The views were spectacular and the small church was gorgeous.

We went into quite a few Greek Orthodox churches Monday. Mark had to keep putting long pants on over his shorts because he wasn’t allowed in with just shorts on so he got quite a few stares as he was dressing and undressing outside the churches which was really funny. There was one that had a small grotto inside the church. I was intrigued by it but it was off to the side, near the “guard’s” desk. But he noticed my glance and motioned that I could go look. It was beautifully simple with candles and a few Byzantine style icons of Mary. I was on my knees at the entrance in a heartbeat, overcome with the emotion of this little chapel. When I rose, the man motioned that I could go inside if I wanted. I could just stand up inside it but if I spread out my arms, my hands would have touched both walls. I could feel the sacredness of the place, the weight of the prayers offered here. After coming out, the man was there again, but this time he had a candle ready for me so that I could add my offering to those who had come before me. I was so touched by his thoughtful gesture. I have no pictures of these churches, as soon as I entered the first one; I felt that somehow that would be disrespectful. I will forever hold this grotto in my mind, its simplicity, its beauty and its power.

We got back to Rome in one piece with no hiccups. This week, I just have classes and then Friday evening I’m flying to Portugal to visit Lieta. Lieta is a friend I have made through Ben and his family. They are members of the Focolare movement and over this past summer, I went to one of the conferences (called a Mariapolis) that they have. There I met Lieta and we immediately began a friendship. She is a focolarino, someone who has given their lives to this movement. She was stationed in Chicago but in February, was moved back to Portugal, her country of birth. I’m going to stay at the Focolare center with her. And, she is taking me to Fatima! I’m so excited to be able to visit this place. It should be a wonderful weekend.

I hope and pray you all are doing well and that spring is finally arriving. It is gorgeous today, 60 and sunny with a light breeze. Flowers are blooming everywhere and finally the city is getting some color. I enjoy my walk to Loyola because it is through a neighborhood and many of the trees have flowers. I love spring!
Until next time, God be with you!
ps - check out the Sicily pictures I just put up!

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Photos

Model of Mycenae
this is that room that is the ritual temple area