Greece is the word

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I apologize to everyone for the late entry. Unfortunately, right after I returned to school, I was bombarded with midterms. In fact, this is the eve of my last midterm, and I have ceased caring. So, instead of studying, I decided to finally get my pictures up and post on my blog. At this juncture, I am thankful for my travel journal (compliments of Quin Mero) because otherwise I would have some issues remembering the sequence of things.

I shall begin with a fun fact about Athens. It is the safest city in Europe with the lowest crime rate. Another fun fact: Greek men are beautiful and tall which is a nice respite from the short Italian creepers (I feel like this blog makes me sound boy crazy, because I feel like I mention interactions with the male species a lot, but I swear I'm not). Anyway, the women are interesting as well. In Athens, most of the Greek women were either sporting the dark, goth look or the fake Barbie doll look. Athenian women had some pretty intense hair styles. There was one that resembled the Statue of Liberty- not exaggerating.

Our tour guide was named Ioanna. Her parents are Greek. She was raised in South Carolina. She got her Ph.D from Oxford. She's done some pretty awesome things. She hiked from Athens to Istanbul. She has also worked with the IOC during the Olympics. Anyway, our first day in Greece, we went to the Temple of Poseidon right on the sea- naturally. My first night in Athens, I sampled the local fare, aka ouzo and gyros (with fries inside!!! why are they called French fries?). Then, a friend and I walked up to the Acropolis. We didn't go inside, but hung out about 100 feet beneath the Acropolis. For those of who don't know, the Acropolis is situated in a big hill in the middle of Athens. The next day, we went to the Acropolis/Parthenon. We, then went to the museum nearby. I saw the oldest training potty and wine cooler in existence. Later on, we went to the Archaeological Museum in Athens. Can you say statues, pots, and gold?

The next day we headed to Delphi to see the Delphic Oracle and Temple of Apollo. There was a stadium where they held chariot races. They let us race in there- they normally don't let you do that, but Ioanna convinced them to let us. Delphi is in the mountains, and is really popular in the winter. So, it was the off season, but I imagine that it would be pretty awesome in like January.

Then, we headed to Olympia- home to the Olympics. I saw where they light the Olympic torch every 2 years. They also had some temples and stuff haha. They had the Temple of Zeus, Temple of Hera, Nero's quarters when he visited the Olympics. They also had a gymnasium. They also had the stadium where they used to run races. I raced there. It was pretty awesome. Did you know that the Olympics went on for 1,000 years undisturbed. It wasn't until Christianity came in that the Olympics stopped.

The next day, we headed to Kalamata/ Messinian Bay. On the way, we stopped at a town that was home to the largest church in Greece- St. Andrew's. I've decided that I'm a fan of Byzantine art- it's so striking! Can you say gold? Anyway, Kalamata was one of my favorite parts. We went swimming in the Aegean Sea. I evaded the sea urchins. The sunset was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life. That night, Ioanna made us margaritas. It was quite amazing, how I miss true Mexican culture sometimes lol. Oh, she also taught us Greek dancing.

The next day, we stopped by Sparta. I wore the absolute wrong shoes for climbing uphill, so I was miserable. After that, we went to Ioanna's village which is home to 300 people. Portions of it reminded me of Dwight, Illinois where my grandparents live. Small towns have similarities across the world. We watched some of our friends get their asses kicked in soccer by a group of 13 year olds. Oh well... A man in the town took us into his cellar, and had a wine tasting- my first! It's a hobby of this man's, and doesn't sell his wine. He also had us try his homemade ouzo. He also gave us chestnuts and figs (as in newtons). The wine tasted a bit like whiskey because it was made in the same kind of wooden barrel that whiskey is made in. After that, we headed to Nafplio to spend the next couple days.

The next day, we went to Epidarus. It is an ancient site that is still under a great deal of reconstruction. There is an ampitheater there with unbelievable acoustics. A person can stand in the middle and rip a piece of paper, and you can hear from the top rows. Ioanna demonstrated, and it was mind blowing! Naturally, a bunch of people were walking to the center and singing and performing. No, I didn't perform, but maybe I should have. Oh well... After that, we went to Mycenae- home of Agamemnon. In case you were wondering, Agamemnon is my favorite ancient Greek leader. He's a badass. Menalaus has got nothing on him, even though they were brothers.

That night, we tore up the town of Nafplio. Apparently, I said and did some funny things. However, I cannot remember them because the amount of free wine that was consumed. I do know that I was in bed by midnight- not my bed mind you, but my roommate's. So, see, I still abide by bedtime rules even when I'm under the influence of wine. Apparently, I do get a little confused though. Oh, and I think I ate some gelato that night too.

The next day, I woke up feeling fit as a fiddle (there is no sarcasm in that statement. I really felt great). We went to Corinth. At that point, I was getting a little bit sick of all of the ruins. Each site on its own is entirely interesting, but throw them all together, and it gets a little tedious. After that, we headed to Mykonos. We took a ferry! How exciting!! However, I had some issues sitting inside the cabin. It made a little motion sick. I never used to suffer from motion sickness, but as of the last couple years, it has made itself apparent (thanks Mom). All the same, I heart ferry travel. That night, in Mykonos, we went out to a club and danced the night away to 80's, hip hop, Latin, and Greek music. P.S. Greek men = not creepy. Mykonos men = creepy.

The next day, my friend Meg and I rented an ATV and rode around the island. We went to a beach called super paradise beach, and it looked like the place they shoot those Corona commercials. We wanted to drink some Coronas for the occasion, but the bar was closed- sadness. That night, we went club hopping. I stayed sober due to my Nafplio experience. But it was fun watching everyone else get trashed on their last night in Greece.

The next day, we took 12 hours to get from Mykonos to the JFRC. All in all, Greece was great. I learned a lot. I ate a lot- possibly too much. I had a great time!

This weekend, I went to Venice. But I will save that for another post. Hope all is well back home! The election is almost over. Go OBAMA! For those of you wondering, I did vote absentee. Alright, enough of my ramblings.

Baci,
Katie

Greece pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2134264&l=1b939&id=20011971


More Greece pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2134364&l=1f853&id=20011971

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