Off to Chania, Crete

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On Monday morning Ingrid and I woke up early at the Orthodox Academy and watched the sunrise from our balcony. It was gorgeous. But I was a little tired for the rest of the day then because I woke up about 6am. Then at 10 we left for Chania which was only about 20 minutes away. Chania is the second biggest city in Crete, about 50,000 people. Our hotel is not very nice, but we are really close (like a block) from most of the shops and about three blocks from the water, so that’s really nice. On Monday afternoon we just walked around town and went shopping. We were in a little tourist shop and the lady who worked there was from New Jersey (her dad was from Crete, so that’s why she was here) so we talked to her a little while and she gave us some honey raki to try. It was better than the regular stuff, but still not very good. The area down by the water here is really nice. There are a lot of shops and cute little restaurants all along the water. Later in the evening we went to a little restaurant as a group for dinner. The food was amazing! We had three appetizers, but we did split them amongst the table unlike the other places we have been to. All of them were delicious. The first one was mashed up fava beans with caramelized onions on them. The second was French fries and meatballs and the next one was something that kinda tasted like an eggroll, but it was in the shape of a triangle and there was sour cream to dip them in. So I’m not sure what they were, but they were good! And then for the main meal we got stuffed chicken and potatoes. And dessert was a fruit plate, which, as always was delicious. And then raki, which is not so good. Anyways, then later that night a bunch of us went out to a bar and hung out for a while and that was a lot of fun. Then, yesterday we had breakfast at the hotel. It was not nearly as good as some of the other ones that we have had. It was pretty basic. Cereal, bread, hard boiled eggs, and juice. And then we presented the plays that we had to do for the theater class. We had divided into small groups last week and had to pick a play that we wanted to read and then present it somehow to the class. I was with Brock and Ingrid and we chose to do the play “The Knights” by Aristophanes. The play isn’t that great, not too much happens. It pretty much is just criticizing Cleon (the ruler after Pericles) through different characters and it is threatened to Cleon that a sausage-seller can take his place as a politician. So there were funny parts of it, but overall, not too exciting. It was kinda cool though how even though this play was written in the 5th century BC some of it still can apply today and similar things happen. Aristophanes is sometimes considered the Michael Moore of his time. Also, this play has been compared to the SNL skits making fun of different politicians. But yea, so we presented that one (just talked about the history, plot, and why it’s important and then did a short scene from it) and then listened to the other six groups present theirs. Then we had a break for lunch, so Ingrid, Emily, and I just went to the super market and got yogurt, fruit, and cookies for lunch and then went down to the water and walked out to a lighthouse and climbed around on the rocks for a while, which was a lot of fun. And it was absolutely gorgeous out, so that was great. Then we went back to the same restaurant for dinner. Again, an awesome meal. It was kinda nice because we just got a bunch of little plates that we all split, so we got to try a lot. There was tzatziki, which, as always, was amazing. And there was deep fried fish (someone said it was cod, and then someone said it was swordfish, so I’m not really sure what it was) and I absolutely loved it. So that was great that I actually liked it. I don’t know if I’m starting to like fish on this trip, or if it has just been really good fish. All of the fish that we have had so far I have tried and I haven’t hated any of it. The stuff last night was the only stuff that I really liked, but still, I have kinda liked all of it. So I hope I continue to enjoy all of the fish that we have here. And then there were stuffed mushrooms, which again, I really liked, surprisingly. There was also this dish that I think was just scalloped potatoes, feta cheese, and zucchini, which also was very good. So I was pleasantly surprised with the meal. It didn’t seem like I was going to like any of it, but it was all amazing. Then for dessert we had an amazing ice cream cake because it was Cameron’s birthday. I don’t know what was in the cake, or how it was made, but it was pretty much just a mess of chocolate, cake, and ice cream, so obviously delicious. And then we had raki after because that is what the Greeks normally end their meals with. Then, I just came back to the hotel and did homework and went to bed because I was really tired. Today, we attempted to go the archaeological museum here, but it was closed because there was a strike today. A lot of things were closed because of this, but there was still plenty open. Ingrid and I went shopping then and bought some jewelry. I got some really cool earrings that are painted glass. And I also got Mom something, but since she’s probably reading this, I’m not going to say what it is 😉 Then we went to the super market again and pretty much had the same lunch as yesterday. The yogurt that they have here is so delicious. It is a lot thicker than the stuff in the US and also, there are so many different flavors. We had biscuit stuff today. Then, this afternoon we had class for a while and were supposed to talk about Nikos Kazantzakis and his books (we have read one of them Christ Recrucified and then watched two movies based on his novels: Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ) but the discussion turned into just a discussion of some of the cultural differences we have observed so far. The one that we ended up talking about the most was the drinking age and how it is viewed. Here, there isn’t really an age for it. Kids grow up being exposed to alcohol and learn how to drink responsibly from their parents and at home, so when they get to an age when they decide to go out with friends, they know how to drink responsibly. Whereas in the US the drinking age is really high, so kids aren’t allowed to drink and therefore most people feel the need to rebel when they turn 21, or when they are exposed to alcohol in high school or college. So that was a very good and interesting conversation. We also talked about the attitude of Greeks towards Americans. And for the most part it is good. They obviously have some criticisms of the US, and specifically our president (but then again, who doesn’t?). But when we go into stores we always greet the shop owners with a “Yasas” (a Greek greeting) and they can obviously tell that we aren’t Greek, but they get a smile on their face just seeing us attempting to learn their language and really appreciate their culture. So that is really cool. And it was great to talk about that today as a large group. Then, I just worked on homework this afternoon because we have another paper due on Friday. We are going back to that same place for dinner tonight (in like 10 min) so I’m pretty excited about that! I don’t know if I am going to be able to post any pictures now because this hotel doesn’t have internet. I have to go on my balcony and take wireless from somewhere else, and the connection is not strong at all. I will try though, and hopefully in the next place we go to (Vamos, Crete) will have good internet so I can post some.

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Photos

At the bar
Molly, Ingrid, me, Brianna, Emily

A Scandinavian bar/club in Chania
It wasn't open though because it is winter, but the sign was cool

At the restaurant for dinner
This was for Cameron's birthday and he got an amazing cake

Comments

[Aunt Pam]

Tavernas
Your comments on the cultural differences between americans and greeks made me remember, when we were in greece, noticing the men sitting around in groups of 7-12 or so, talking and drinking away the afternoon. We were told the conversations were mostly political, and that almost no one stayed the whole time, but men would come and join for a while and then go on. Just wondered if you've seen this, and if you can verify that is what the conversations concern, or add to my understanding in any way. (Eg, why are there no women?) What is the equivalent in the US? After observing the greeks and alcohol, do you think the US would be better off not controlling alcohol?

[lissie 220]

Yes, I have definitely noticed that. I'm not sure what the conversations have been about, but it's all men, no women. We have been told that most women just run the household, and that is all they do for work. So they are at home, working, when the men are out in the afternoon, drinking the day away... Lots of raki... I don't know if there is an equivalent in the US. Normally a group of men do not go out together unless it is to a bar at night; hardly ever do they in the middle of the way like the men do here. Also, when people go out in the US, it is usually mixed gender...And to answer your question, after observing the way that Europeans treat alcohol, I think it would be better if the drinking was not as controlled in the US. There would probably be a problem for the few years after, but then once it was accustomed to society to start drinking responsibly at a younger age, there probably would not be as many problems once people got to high school and above.