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Danielle Cote
26-4-08
Auschwitz
First of all, this is my eleventh entry and since I only had to do ten for the semester I was not sure if I wanted to write this entry. Going to Auschwitz has made me learn and experience more than I wanted to ever know about the Holocaust. Since we went to Auschwitz on April 26th, I feel like this entry should be about it, which it is, but it makes me so angry I almost do not know what to say. How could someone feel so angry towards one group of people and want to kill all of them? Obviously SS Reichsführere Heinrich Himmler, who “singled out the camp in Auschwitz as the site for the proposed total eradication of the Jewish population”, was powerful enough to persuade people to listen to his idea to wipe out the Jews. The sad thing is that most of the Jews that were condemned to Auschwitz were convinced that it was for resettlement in Eastern Europe. So these poor people were taken out of their houses, away from loved ones and all of their belongings, and dragged towards their grim future at concentration camps such as Auschwitz.
There were many things going through my head during the one hour drive to Auschwitz from our hotel. I am not at all Jewish, but even though I learned about the Holocaust, it did not affect me as much as it would a Jewish person. When we arrived, I decided to go off by myself for a bit and go through the barracks which is where most of the prisoners lived. There were kitchen and bathroom barracks as well, and walking through the empty barracks was horrifying. It was sad to look around and try to picture people actually living there because some of the barracks were horse stables and prisoners were thrown in there to live. The barracks that were housing and not horse stables were burned down, and the barracks we saw and got to look in were horse stables that were made into housing, bathrooms and kitchens.
Once the prisoners arrive at Auschwitz, they are stripped of their clothes, sent to “disinfect” them by showering in really cold or really hot water. All their belongings were taken from them and their hair was shaved (men) or cut really short (women). But if the prisoners were not healthy enough to stay and work, they were sent straight to the gas chambers. When I walked around with Janet and Brett, all I could think of was “I would rather not know that I was going in to die rather then they tell me I was going to ‘shower’”, which I think everyone would agree.
The buildings that I went through next were called Blocks. A feeling went through my body while I went through each one seeing how the prisoners lived, where they died, what they did for work, and what was left behind for visitors to see. The guide book we were given explains everything in so many words, but it really affects you when you are actually standing where prisoners slept and died. As I walked through the Blocks and looked in the glass cases I saw notifications on death, postcards, letters, forms, personal files on the prisoners, lists of prisoners, and secret messages written between prisoners. I could not tell you how many times I read “murdered in gas chambers”, it was disgusting. One sign I read said how some prisoners were sent in and told they were going to “shower” and then once in the room, they were locked in and killed by gas.
Block 5 just had rooms that held the shoes, suitcases, prayer shawls, toothbrushes, combs, and kitchen utensils that were left behind and collected. I found out something very disturbing in Block 6 Room 1, not only did prisoners die from hunger, executions, hard labor, and punishments, but some of the prisoners were used for medical experiments and often died because of them. In the next room I learned that they were fed 1500-1700 calories a day, worked 11 hours a day and most prisoners died if they did not find food on their own. Once I walked into Room 6 I wanted to cry and I could not stop shaking my head. This was the room that had to do with the children, they were treated in the same way as the adults, some served as criminal experiments, and it was very heartbreaking to read the permission slips to imprison children.
A feeling went through my entire body when I walked in the courtyard between Blocks 10 and 11. This is “enclosed on two sides by a high wall. The wooden blinds on the windows of Block 10 were installed to prevent observation of the executions taking place here. At this ‘Wall of Death’, the SS shot thousands of prisoners, mostly Poles”. We were told to be silent when we walked in this area; there were flowers, notes, and candles burning from loved ones. It is just eerie to look at the hooks that they hung them by and the wooden blinds that were still on all the windows. The last place I went into was the Crematorium and Gas Chamber. “During the years 1941-1942 Soviet P.O.W’s, as well as Jews from the ghettos formed by the Nazis in Upper Silesia, were killed here”. There were two or three furnaces that could burn about 350 bodies daily and the ovens that we saw while walking through were made from the original German metal elements.
Overall, I just would not want to suffer or go through torture. Prisoners wrote stories because they were a substitute of cultural life which affected emotions and took prisoners minds from reality helped them to endure the camp. A question that kept occurring in my mind was “Didn’t they try to escape?” The answer is yes, but if they were caught then death by starvation was one of their punishments. That is just horrible! If I was in the camp I would be crying a lot and I know I am not strong enough to work all the time. So, I would be useless and would probably be one of the ones who were sent straight to their death. Even though the world is not perfect, I am happy that it is better in some ways than it used to be.
The quotes I used are from the guide book we were given.
Brett Czerkaski
4/25/08
My Polish Heritage
It does not take the most astute person in the world to realize that someone named Czerkaski might possess a Polish background. The name comes mostly from my father’s side of the family, which is mainly Russian, German and Polish. Though I have not put any effort into researching my family’s history, I believe this last week’s trip to Krakow may have piqued my curiosity. Throughout the course of our 5 days in Poland, I found myself incessantly searching every street name, museum piece, and phone book for my last name (or at least something that sounded like it).
I don’t know what it was about Poland that inspired this surge within me. While I was there, I felt this sense of belonging automatically. I could easily see myself living in Krakow. The charm of the old-town of Kazimierz, the variety and multitude of shops and people seen throughout the Market Square, the bazaar-type stalls seen throughout Cloth Hall, etc. The people were incredibly friendly (and surprisingly they spoke English), though the language was more opaque than Greek somehow. The sites in Krakow range from synagogues, museums, the Eagle pharmacy (at the heart of relocated Jews in Krakow) and even Wawel Castle. It seemed that even though we were there for five days, there was always something new to see or do every day.
The country has a rich history that has been recorded since at least the first millennium AD. From the succession of medieval kings and feudal lords all the way up until the horrors of World War II, the significance Poland has played in European history is vast. We visited Auschwitz I and II, two of the most infamous concentration camps of the Holocaust. There were millions of Jews who were deported to these two camps, all of whom were told they would be taken from their homes only to serve in German work camps for war production. Little did they know that at least 75% of them would be instantly sorted from the others for immediate death upon arrival at these camps. Most of the other 25% would die from starvation, disease, execution, or from being overworked. Though the concentration camps are notorious for their Jewish population (90%), other inhabitants included Polish political prisoners, Soviet prisoners, gypsies, homosexuals, and other groups who resisted the Nazi party.
Within Auschwitz, some of the prisoner blocks had been converted to memorials of specific peoples or countries. Myself and my colleague Kaitlyn Galonski decided to check out the memorial to Poland, in order to explore our Polish heritage. We learned that Poland suffered the most per-capita deaths of all the European countries involved in WWII, standing at about six million deaths. Also, a large percentage of Poles who were deported were in fact Jewish, as Poland had been the homeland of the biggest proportion of Jews historically until the 20th century. Within the Poland section of the exhibit, there was a catalog of names of the victims of Auschwitz. Here, Kaitlyn and I found some names that were very similar to our own, such as “Czerkoski” and “Golanski”, leading us to become even more intrigued in our heritage. Perhaps someday we will take it upon ourselves to try and uncover the roots of our ancestry from this starting point.
*****
Hello to everyone back at home. Isaac and I arrived in Barcelona yesterday evening. We checked into our hostel, and then took a stroll on the beach. It was raining when we first got to the city, but it wasn’t the kind of rain that is cold or depressing. The air was really warm, and at first it was overcast, but then light began to shine through the clouds, and there was an amazing contrast of light over one portion of the city and darkness over the other. We were walking toward the beach. Suddenly a mammoth rainbow appeared in the sky. It seemed to stretch in either direction as far as the eye could see. It became increasingly vivid over a period of several minutes. Isaac remarked that it was the most distinct rainbow he had ever seen. Then, next to it appeared a second rainbow which was not as bright, but still unarguably present. As we drew closer to the beach, and the buildings began to part I was able to see that it seemed that the rainbow was emanating from the water. As suddenly as it had appeared it began to fade, and within moments it was gone. Isaac and I could not believe our luck at being able to witness this sight, and we took it as a good omen about our trip. We sat on the beach for a long time, until all the light in the sky had vanished. We sat barefoot talking about these last three months of our lives, and about the future. Then we left the beach. We walked back through the city to our hostel which was located downtown, and went to sleep.
The next day we woke up very early. We went to Café Gaudi and had our first café con leche in Spain. Afterwards we walked through the city, and visited many shops in search of a souvenir for my little sister. After we had found her the perfect gift we headed down towards the beach again. We walked down little narrow streets through the old quarter of Barcelona. We tried to move off the beaten track, but ended up paralleling La Rambla which is a very busy and well known street. When we arrived at the beach the sun was high in the sky. We sat down on two beach chairs and began to fall into a quite slumber when all of a sudden a woman came up to us and asked us if we wanted a massage. I was skeptical at first, and I asked her how much and for how long. She said 5 euro for 15 minutes which is actually a very good trade. I paid her and she gave me a foot/calf massage for 15 minutes. This scenario kept replaying itself the entire time we were at the beach. Women kept coming up to us saying “Masagy, Masagy”. I would have loved to have had another one, but my pocket would not allow it. Men were also walking around non stop yelling “salvaza, beer, coke” it was only 1.50 and the convenience couldn’t be beaten, not even by foggs. We spent over 5 hours just laying there, and relaxing after almost 10 days of constant travel. We didn’t go in the water, though, some people did. In my opinion it was too cold, and dirty. When both of us had achieved a minor burn on our faces we decided to go.
We headed to the historical museum of Catalonia. We wanted to find out if there was a Greek presence in Spain, or Barcelona, or how they had been impacted by WWII. When we arrived at the museum we were able to get in for free, and were directed to the library on the 4th floor. We found the library with no problem, but no one there spoke English, and very few of the books were in English. So we left the library and moved down to the main floors to see what we could gather from the exhibitions. We found out that Spain had a civil war which began in 1936 and ended in 1939. It ended with the success of the Nationalists, and on April 1st 1939 Francisco Franco declared himself president, and abolished the legitimate Republican Government. Many Republicans and Spaniards fled over the borders to France. When Hitler invaded France he extradited many of the Republicans who had escaped back to Spain where Franco put them into labor camps Approximately 150,000 Catalans were put into concentration camps by Franco, and 4,000 were shot. Of the other Spaniards who had fled to France ½ a million were put into concentration camps once Hitler had invaded. Although Spain did not actively participate on the side of the Axis powers during WWII, Franco did send 100,000 civilians to work in German factories, and a division of volunteer soldiers which were not recalled until 1944. There facts were very interesting I thought, and am very happy that I was able to find them out while in Spain rather than on the internet, or in a book.
That is how I spent my day today. It was a wonderful experience, and I am very happy that it was able to occur.
Thanks for reading.
04/29/2008
Jennifer Pandolfelli
Blogger # 6
Wednesday April, 30, 2008
Friday May 2, 2008
After spending time in Eastern Europe visiting Auschwitz and contemplating life, I headed over to Barcelona. I returned from my trip last night.
Jen and I embarked on the adventure to Barcelona on our own to answer some questions: Determine to what degree there is a Greek presence in Barcelona Spain? What connection to World War II did Barcelona, Spain have? And lastly what is a poem or song of the area? Jen and I will present answers to all those questions within the next few days, so be sure to be there if you’re interested!
Barcelona was a very pleasant place to be. Our hostel was right in the middle of the “happening” part of town and we were within walking distance of the beach and La Rambla (the main street in Barcelona). The weather was supposed to be cloudy and rainy every day we were there but on the contrary the weather was amazing (what does weather.com know anyways). I was able to walk around in a T-shirt (that I had been wearing for days) and my swimming shorts (which I use in place of shorts on these long trips because they are easier to pack) everyday.
When we arrived in Barcelona on the 28th there was some cloud coverage. As Jen and I walked the boardwalk along the port the rain started to fall. I am proud to say that the most beautiful rain I have ever seen fell upon me in Barcelona! The sun was beginning to set, so the sky was a beautiful marigold yellow. The dark grey clouds were beginning to break and blow away like wisps of dark cotton candy. The rain drops looked like liquid gold falling from the sky and bouncing off the sidewalks. I looked up over the masts of all the sailboats in the harbor and saw two huge arching rainbows! I have never seen two rainbows occur at the same time. One rainbow had very distinct colors, and the other rainbow (which surrounded the first one from above) was a little more faded and less distinct. I wish I had my camera at that moment but I forgot it in the hostel.
I had a lot of fun over this past trip to Barcelona but Jen and I always talked about home. Our semester is slowly coming to an end in Athens. We have four more days left to pack, finish up projects and papers that we have been working on, and enjoy Athens. I have acquired some new possessions from being here that I now I have to fit into my suitcases. I have an extremely comfy, thin cotton long sleeve shirt that I bought in Santorini, a bag that I got for my mom in Istanbul, and I am trying to make room for bottles of olive oil than I am planning on bringing back.
I have been very productive today because I have had to use the Mac (which people need to use to work on their reflection videos) and Jen’s computer. I want to try to get my papers and reflection video done soon so that I can have more time to explore Athens in my final days.
I am writing this blog late Thursday night. Abbie, Kaitlyn, Jen, and I are the only ones that have returned from our individual trips. Rich, Lilly, and Sam return from Paris, France tonight at midnight. Janet, Brett, and Danielle will be returning from Ireland around 2 am Friday morning. These next few days will be hectic I am sure. With one Mac computer with video software and seven students needing to make movies these next few days will be interesting.
It has been a pleasure writing for all of you that have been reading the blogs this semester.
This is Isaac Axtell signing off, Good night, and God bless America!
******’
Greetings from Munich, Germany, known as “Munchen” to the Germans! I arrived here on Monday afternoon. The name means, “City of Monks” and their seal depicts a monk. Out of all the places that I could have visited I decided to come to Munich because my friend, Anja, from high school lives here. She was a foreign exchange student in the United States for a year, in my hometown, Latrobe, Pennsylvania. She always said that if I came to Europe to come and visit and now that has become a reality. Her and her boyfriend Timmy picked me up at the airport and then we drove an hour-and-a-half out of the city to the town of Oberhausen. The town is surrounded by the Alps and vast forests. The Alps are made up of Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. I arrived at her family’s house and spent the night there. Her parents, Timmy, siblings, and friends were polite and told me about the history of the region. Her father is also an English teacher so we discussed politics and the relations that Germany had with other countries during World War II. I also enjoyed dinner with her family and then went to Munich in the morning with Anja and her boyfriend.
This region of Germany is known as Bavaria. It is located in the southern part of the country and is actually the largest district. Anja informed me that Bavaria was formed before the country itself, so technically Germany is a part of Bavaria. I loved Bavaria’s cultural elements and the people were helpful whenever I was walking around.
On Tuesday afternoon I woke up early to visit the Glyptothek Museum and the Judisches Museum Munchen (The Munich Jewish Museum). The Glyptothek Museum, located in Konigsplatz, one of the city centers, is a reconstructed Greek temple. It was commissioned by King Ludwig I and it opened in 1830. The collection was rather disappointing though after seeing a vast majority of Greek artifacts throughout Greece. There were a high number of Roman and Greek copies in the museums and I am guessing that the original pieces are located in Greece.
The Jewish Museum of Munich was an impressive modern structure. There are three floors and the exhibitions are highly interactive. There was a large carpeted map that corresponded with photographs on a wall and informed visitors of Germany’s past under the control of the Nazis. Anja, her family, and several other Germans I spoke with do not agree with what the Nazis did and Germany is trying to make a positive change towards their country. The top floor of the museum held an art collection with paintings from famous artists such as Pablo Picasso. They were once housed in a gallery located in Munich, which was run by a Jew, and the gallery was forced to be shut down in the 1940s.
After I went to the museums I simply enjoyed walking around the city and the center known as Mariensplatz. I also rode around on the U-bahn and S-bahn and they are the city’s main forms of public transportation. Also, much like Amsterdam, Munich has bike lanes installed. Many people use bicycles instead of automobiles. On Tuesday evening Anja, Timmy, and I moved their belongings into their new flat before having dinner at the Hofbrauhaus. The Hofbrauhaus is Bavaria’s famous beer garden and brewery and is visited by millions every year. It is extremely popular during Oktoberfest. Men and women were dressed in traditional clothing and a band played tunes throughout the evening with the barreling sounds of tubas and drums. I also sampled traditional Bavarian potato salad. Bavaria does not lack in spirit for fine beers and their specialties include Weiss beers. The Hofbrauhaus is right down the street from the Rathaus, or the “Town Hall.” The Rathaus is home to the Glockenspiel, which is a large clock tower with revolving figurines.
Today I ventured back to Mariensplatz to buy souvenirs for family members and looked at St. Peter’s Church. I perused the streets lined with dirndls, steins, lederhosen, pretzels, and fresh vegetable stands. I met Anja next to a replicated Chinese tower in the English Gardens and we sat down in the grass. A group of people across from us were playing drums, a saxophone, and banging tambourines. As I stared at the sky I thought of the week to come and how I have gone from one place to the next. The rain poured down after we left the park and our timing worked out perfectly.
I was overcome with a grand feeling when we made a traditional Bavarian dinner of potato noodles, salad, and sauerkraut, and ate by candlelight in Anja and Timmy’s new flat. I have to wake up early tomorrow morning to take the S-bahn to the airport and fly back to Athens. Another city and country which I have wanted to visit for quite some time have been crossed off my list and this journey included many history lessons, personal thoughts, and conversations with an old friend, in the making.
Gute Nacht (Good Night),
-Abbie Tumbleson
Friday April 11th
Today is the last day I will be waking up in Santorini, tomorrow we leave for
Crete.
We have been having perfect weather so far and spent some time in Thira (the
town closest to us). We all had two hours to wander around the shops and get
breakfast so I immediately found a place that makes crepes (because I have been
craving them) and placed my order. I ordered a crepe with strawberry jam. The
woman quickly made the crepe, folded it in half and spread strawberry jam all
over it. She then folded the crepe into a shape of a cone, placed the cone
shaped crepe into a tiny bag and handed it to me. I have never eaten a crepe
like it was a burrito before! As soon as I took my first bite I knew I would
have to order another crepe. After inhaling my first crepe I went to the counter
and ordered another crepe with strawberries and bananas inside. DELICIOUS!
After my belly was full I walked around the
cobblestone streets exploring the shops until we left to go to the Red Beach
(one of the two beaches on the island).
We packed into the minivan and drove for fifteen minutes to the coast. We
followed a tiny path along the coast, and, BEHOLD!The Red Beach! The sand on the
beach was not as red as I imagined it would be, but the jagged cliffs that were
behind the beach showed layers of red rock.
I put my bag and camera down on the sand, untied my shoes and took off my socks
and walked quickly over the scorching hot sand and unpleasantly rough rocks into
the water. COLD! The water was much colder than I remember the water at the
Black Beach being (and a little warmer than the water on the Maine coastline). I
was caught in a dilemma. I could step out of the water onto the rough pebbles,
or stay in the cold water and wait to slowly adjust to the temperature. I began
to realize how ridiculous my dilemma was. Here I was on Santorini faced with the
terrible problem of having to swim in cold Mediterranean water. I believe that I
have become a bit spoiled.
I slowly waded up to my waist (which is the
hardest part to do for us men) and dove into the cold water.
We spent a couple of hours on the beach swimming, collecting and skipping rocks,
and being (as Ioanna would say) “lounge lizards” sprawled out across towels or
sand while basking in the sun.
I found a rock that seemed to emerge out of the sand at a perfect angle to be my
backrest and laid down. I relaxed there for a long time, away from the rest of
the group, and watched the two Chinese couples that had just arrived beside me
slowly inching their way into the cold water.
That evening I decided I was going to stay up all night because our ferry to
Crete was going to be leaving at three in the morning. Ioanna met some of her
friends on the Red Beach and invited them over to our apartments in Imerovigli
for some drinks. Rich, Ioanna, her friends, Abbie, and myself all sat by the
glowing aqua green pool till one in the morning talking. Abbie found great
interest in talking to Joanna’s friends because they were in Journalism; the
woman (whose name escapes me) was a writer and Barnaby (forgive my spelling) was
a television news reporter.
I struggled to stay up until we had to leave
Imerovigli to catch our ferry but I managed to do it.
Once I was on the Ferry I sat down in a very uncomfortable chair next to Janet
amongst all of the other sleepy eyed people that had to catch the Ferry at this
ungodly hour. I kept waking up from my head falling to the left and to the right
so I decided to move to the blue-carpeted floor. I laid down on my back (a
little more comfortable) and slept until we arrived in Iraklion, Crete.
Hello to everyone at home. We are in Crete today in the town of Chania. This is
a beautiful place, and I am very happy to be here, but the only down side is
that it is extremely hot. The temperature has been in the low 90’s since we left
Heraklion. I should have been smart and brought a few pairs of shorts with me to
Greece, but I didn’t so I’m stuck rolling up my pant legs.
One of the most interesting things about Chania is the old city. Our hotels are
located in this section of the city. I have spent the majority of my free time
simply walking around, taking pictures and recording footage for our media
production class. Today we were supposed to hike through a gorge but at the last
minute we found out that it had not open yet. This was a relief to some of the
people in our group though. Yesterday we went to the beach, and two of the girls
in our group stepped on a sea urchin. They were in a lot of pain today, and were
barely able to walk. They treated their wounds with a few old fashioned remedies
and by the end of the day they were feeling much better, but were still in pain.
We spent the day exploring the city. Chania is not a very large place. I was
able to walk all the way to the border of the city where Chania turns into Souda,
around the interior of the area, and back to our hotel all within two hours.
Back in the old quarter I went to the Amber house and picked up a pair of
Kobaloy, otherwise known as worry beads, for myself. They are made of lava stone
and are black with a grey tint.
They change color when you role them in the sun
light. On the way back from Istanbul we met two girls on the bus that we had to
take to get back to Syntagma Square where our apartment is located. The two
girls were from Spain. They asked us what would be the most important souvenir
to pick up while in Greece. I couldn’t think of an answer to that question. When
I was in Chania I realized it though. Kobaloy. They are the one thing that every
person, in my opinion, should pick up while they are in Greece. I am very happy
with the one that I chose. While in Chania we interviewed the owner of the Amber
house. She told us that there are three criteria which person uses when picking
out worry beads. The person must play with them and feel them in their hands;
they must be pleasing to the touch. They should also be aesthetically pleasing.
The person should appreciate the color and size of them. She told us that in her
shop she had beads made of amber, pearl, lava stone, and wood. There are many
different kinds of worry beads, and they can be made from numerous substances.
They can be big or small, light or heavy. The owner’s husband hand makes the
beads in the back of the shop. She told me that if I picked out a pair that I
liked but wanted them in a different color, or to be heavier or lighter, or made
of a different material her husband could have the beads finished within fifteen
minutes.
Next we traveled around the corner to have lunch at a taverna across the street
from the Jewish Synagogue. The previous day we were invited to a lecture in the
synagogue given by a well known Jewish scholar. His name was Mr. Stavrolakis and
he designed the Jewish museum that we visited in Thesolaniky as well as a few
others. The taverna owner Demetrius was a very hospitable man. I ordered a
Cretan meat dish accompanied by Cretan cream cheese which was delicious. We sat
down with him, and he explained to us the story of how his parents met. His
parents were both Greek Orthodox. His mother lived in Chania and when she was 14
she went to work in a factory in Germany because she had no money or food, and
it was the only way for her to escape the famine that was decimating Greece
during WWII. His father during the same time was being held captive in a German
concentration camp located near Auschwitz. When the camps were liberated and the
Germans were defeated Demetrius’s mother was injured in a bombing. His mother’s
shoulder was hurt and his father without even knowing her found her and picked
her up. They walked to Chania together and then got married. This was just one
mans story. The historian from the Jewish Synagogue told us that almost 700
Jewish people in the Chania, almost the entire Jewish population, were rounded
up by the Germans. They were all packed on to a boat that was going to take them
to Athens, and then Auschwitz. The boat was bombed by a British submarine and
the entire Jewish community of Chania was killed. Only one or two people
survived. One girl had broken curfew on the night of the round up. She had a
Greek boy friend that lived outside the Jewish area. When she returned in the
morning before curfew was over she found out what had happened and went back to
her boyfriend’s house. This is the only reason she survived.
All in all it was a very educational day.
Thanks for reading.
04/15/2008
Jennifer Pandolfelli
********
Traveling opens your eyes up to experiences that you never thought you would
feel or know. Just being in places that you know have been in existence for
thousands of years leaves an impression that you are not quite aware of when it
is occurring. That is how I felt when we visited Meteora. Today we climbed to
two monasteries that were settled at the tops of gargantuan pyramids of rock. We
started out early in the day around eight o’clock. There was a road that led up
to the monasteries perfectly placed for the dozens of tourists which arrived by
bus. My classmates, professor, and myself took a different way up one that no
vehicles could traverse. We enjoyed a different kind of joy when we reached the
top, than I think the ones who rode up, because we had worked hard for our view.
Walking up the side of the mountain was a fulfilling experience that I cannot
describe. As I said when you are in the midst of an experience you don’t always
realize the effect it has on you. Even now when I recall it I still feel
bewildered and awestruck. I will try to explain.
We stayed in the town of Kastraki. After breakfast we set off onto a path
littered with small stones. The path inclined until we reached a road, the one
that leads up to the monasteries, and crossed it. We curved along another path
under trees, over moss, and around boulders. There was a huge tree with long
branches that descended to the earth. It was old and lovely. The path then led
us up. Over shaky rocks we climbed up higher and higher. There was a seemingly
endless incline as far as our eyes could see. The entire way I felt myself
huffing and puffing. Grabbing on to whatever was available I pulled myself up.
Every time I looked back I saw the rock cliffs with a better view. The land
bellow seemed to radiate. It was glowing green and bright. It reminded me of
being on an airplane. When you are coming in for a landing as you get closer and
closer to the ground you can see that the land is divided into large squares.
This is similar to the sight I beheld. The land was rich and beautiful. I turned
back to my task after taking a sip of water. Up I went. We continued to climb
until finally Janet who was at the head of the group yelled that she had reached
the top. There was a sigh of relief. This was adventure, but I wondered when we
would reach the top, and Janet’s words offered the answer.
At the top was the Grand Meteora Monastery. I stood panting for a while, and
then regained composure. In the monasteries shorts are not allowed, women must
wear skirts, and shoulders need to be covered. The monasteries that we visited
provided skirts for women who did not have them. The entrance fee to Grand
Meteora was two euro, and well worth it. Grand Meteora is no longer in use it is
a museum. In it there is a church, an old kitchen, a dining room, and a room of
manuscripts among other things. We saw that when the monastery had been in use
the monks had made their own wine. During WWII the monks hid important
manuscripts from the Nazis. Many manuscripts were on display, and so were works
by Plato and Aristotle. The view from inside the monastery was breathtaking.
There was a certain area which was set up so that one could see everything
around the monastery. After Grand Meteora we went to the Varlaam Monastery which
we had seen from inside Grand Meteora. This was a much smaller monastery.
Supposedly the skull of Saint Nicholas is located inside of Varlaam. We tried to
find this out, but were hindered by the language barrier. Inside Varlaam there
was also a church, and a museum.
Going down we took the road back. Eventually we arrived at the point where we
had crossed it earlier, and proceeded back into Kastraki. This was a day unlike
any day I have ever experienced before, and I am never going to forget it.
Thanks for reading
03/01/2008
Jennifer Pandolfelli
Hello to all,
I and the FP study abroad group in Athens have just returned from our excursions
to Meteora, Thessalonica, and Istanbul. We viewed many amazing sites which I am
sure you have already read about in my classmate’s blog’s. We returned on Sunday
April 6th and are leaving tomorrow morning April 9th by ferry to the Greek
islands Crete and Santorini. I think that we all feel a sense of relief to be
back in our apartment in Athens. The trips were extremely enjoyable, but it is
nice to return to a home base to recoup. The last few days have been focused on
preparing for our next journey. We have spent most of the time doing laundry,
and reading.
Currently our center of attention is being placed on the book “Captain Corelli’s
Mandolin”. It is a very interesting story, but not in the usual sense. I
appreciate the book because in it I am allowed to see history from the “other
side” so to speak. Let me explain. Throughout the two months that we have been
studying in Athens and traveling one of the courses we have been taking is
Twentieth Century Greece as opposed to Twentieth Century American History. My
classmates and I have read a number of books concerning numerous events which
occurred in Greece prior to the Twentieth Century as well as during it. Up to
this point all of the books portrayed the events from the perspectives of the
Greeks or of other Western Countries. They were all either displayed one
perspective or another, or they were completely objective, but usually they did
not show both or all sides of the story. For example prior to reading “Captain
Corelli’s Mandolin” we read “Inside Hitler’s Greece”. In “Insider Hitler’s
Greece” I learned that during WWII Italy was in control of Albania. Mussolini
wanted to invade Greece to seize its resources and expand Italy’s territory. In
one portion of the book it explains that when the Italians invaded Greece from
Albania they were defeated by the Greek Army. The Greek army consisted of
soldiers, peasants, farmers all of whom were fighting against the idea of any
further oppression and control of Greece by foreigners. We are informed that the
Greeks won; they pushed the Italians back, and that it was only with the help of
the Germans that Greece was occupied. “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” shows the
perspective of the Italian soldiers who invaded Greece, and the Greek fisherman
and farmers who defeated them. We see what life was like on the island of
Kefalonia during the occupation, and are introduced to the Greek people
themselves as a collective as well as in individual units. In 1453 the Ottoman
Empire defeated the Byzantine Empire and seized Constantinople. In 1456 Athens
was captured. Between 1456 when Athens was captured and 1821 when Greece won its
independence from Turkish rule the island of Kefalonia was under the control of
the Venetians. “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” is set on the island of Kefalonia.
I have come to learn that it is very important to read a number of books
concerning a topic. Each book contains a different representation of historical
events. Reading multiple works will give one a sense of understanding, and allow
them to sort out the factual information for themselves. When a college student
is assigned a book to read on a topic or they choose one themselves it is not
always on a subject that they will pursue. It may not be relevant to their major
or they may not have the time to do so. This has the effect of causing a student
to take the authors word for it so to speak. The author may not be inaccurate in
his/her account of certain events, but the only way to truly find out is to do
further study on the subject whether it be through available texts in print or
electronically. This will allow anyone whomever they may be to better grasp the
scope of a topic and help them to understand it.
That’s probably more than enough about what I learned this week.
Thanks for reading.
03/08/2008
Jennifer Pandolfelli
Danielle Cote
12-4-08
Wondering if sleep is overrated
My Saturday started out at 2:40am after only getting an hour and a half of
sleep. After piling into the van at 3:30 in the morning, we headed off to catch
our ferry that was going to take us from Santorini to Crete. I slept in awkward
positions the entire ferry ride, which was about four hours. Taxis took us to
our destination: Hotel Rea. Ioanna took us to a place called Bougatsa for
breakfast where they make a famous custard pie. There are two kinds, sweet and
savory. The sweet is just custard with cinnamon and sugar on top, the savory is
made with cheese. After a nap I headed out on the town with Brett, Janet, and
Kaitlyn. We walked all the way down 25th Avgoustou Street looking at all the
shops; I took a little tumble when I came out of a jewelry shop, but after a
good laugh I got up and we continued on.
As a group we went to dinner and even though I had a stomach ache, I did not let that stop me. All I wanted was to share some fried potatoes with Brett, but it soon turned into trying liver, which has a horrible after taste, having some lima beans and then sharing a huge steak with Kaitlyn. It was massive and everyone had a good laugh and even took pictures while they watched us devour the meat. We did not stop there, we even shared a chocolate soufflé which was made with dark chocolate and was very sweet. We leave for Chania tomorrow and making a pit stop at the Palace of Knossos so that Ioanna can give us a tour.
Before I went to bed I was reading Corelli’s Mandolin, which is a novel by Louis De Bernieres. We have to read it for our Literary Tour class, but as I was reading this amazing love story, I thought to myself “I have never stayed in this many hotels in my entire life”. I have been in Greece for over two months and have stayed in about nine or ten hotels which, to me, is a lot in that amount of time. All of this traveling has gone by so fast; I really do feel like a new person because I never pictured myself packing a backpack for a week and leaving things behind like my lap top or a good book to read. Friends back at school are excited for my return, but I know things will be different when I get home. I will have to start working and doing chores around the house.
Lately I have been having these moments where I am so annoyed because of everyone around me. I should be having fun, and I am, but I sometimes I would rather be enjoying all this with my family. Family trips are not the same as a semester away with students and a teacher, but it is an experience all the same. There will be arguments, we are all human beings which is a given that we will not always be on the same page. I would definitely come back to the islands if I get a chance and I would bring my family. Lying on the beach made me think of the times where I was with my family on the beach in Florida. This led me to think about how family vacations will be happening less and less because my brother and I are growing up.
Next Tuesday is my dad’s birthday and yesterday I
sent him out a letter, I hope he likes it. I was actually on the Black Beach in
Santorini when I wrote it and I told him that I wished they were here. I really
think that it is a sad thing that families lose there meaning when the kids grow
up and all the parents do is work. I feel the need to travel now that I have
been in Europe and seeing how different it is, although I will be glad to get
away from the smoky air. I have had dreams where I am returning home, that
moment when I get off the plane and exit the gate will be great. Two of my
friends are coming to pick me up at the airport and I can not wait for that
moment to come, the excitement and the feeling of home. But for now I will, as
Rich says, “be here now” and live for the moment as if this is my last. We sleep
while we are dead, so stay awake and enjoy life.
Danielle Cote
5-4-08
The Other Half of the Crew
Four of us are in this so called “crew” we made up: Kaitlyn, Lisa, Sarah, and I.
We all work at the theatre, are really close friends, and enjoy each others
company.
Kaitlyn and I are currently in Greece for another month,
It is tough being separated from the other two; I don’t know what to do with
myself.
I have read about all the horrible things that have happened in Greece: the
wars, Hitler being a leader, walking through Jewish & Archaeological Museums in
every town we visit, being a witness to riots that go on, and just admiring how
the Europeans live.
Lisa really wants to study abroad in France and/or Vienna.
I gave her positive advice about studying abroad.
Being abroad has changed my life for the better;
I told this to Lisa.
I have a really close bond with Janet and Brett,
People are different when you live with them,
I have realized this.
I am proud of myself for learning to live with other people
And dealing with the issues that go on in the apartment,
I am thankful that I have such a friendly and outgoing personality
If I didn’t then I know I would have a hard time here.
If you ever consider studying abroad, you should be the kind of person
Who wants to go out, be busy and explore!
I know that Lisa would be a perfect candidate to come abroad.
She is very friendly and outgoing as well, kind of like me; I know that she will
do well.
There are rough days where we don’t do much or when we have a great deal to do
that we do not have a chance to go outside,
But it is all worth being here because we were lucky to be given this
opportunity and taking it.
Sarah did ask me if I regret my decision because I was upset a while ago.
I said no, but I could have gone both ways.
How can I regret coming to Greece? I don’t want to be an outsider because why
would I want to sit and do nothing in the apartment while everyone keeps busy
and has fun?
I am still surprised that I made my decision in two days which was not a lot of
time to make sure I had the money and the right classes to take.
I have never made a decision like that before, I surprised myself.
I really went out on a limb by saying “Okay, I’ll go to Greece, why not?”
Lisa and Sarah have been great friends towards me while I have been here.
I love knowing that people miss me and that I have support across the sea.
Traveling to Meteora, Thessaloniki, and Istanbul have inspired me to want to
travel to other places, such as Italy, Australia, and Asia.
There are differences between all these places; people, culture, and way of
life.
I have come to realize that I enjoy learning about a new place and living a
different way.
Danielle Cote
29-3-08
First of all, setting an alarm for class on a Saturday morning was not desirable
in the least bit. I know if I was at school I would sleep in until ten or
eleven, but nine was a little tough to handle. Class was changed from ten to
eleven; I had a chance to at least finish the reading before we had our
discussion. Today’s class was a discussion of part three in Inside Hitler’s
Greece. This book was about the Germans occupying Greece and destroying its
economy. In the end Greece gets screwed over because of all that happened. While
reading this book it was easy to follow many of the parts because I can picture
what was going on; we have been to some of the places they mention, like
Syntagma Square. For me that helps the learning process.
At the beginning of the semester Professor Roth gave us an assignment, an Athens video that we had to work on in groups. We had about two-thirds of the semester to work on it which was good; I was working on it with Kaitlyn, Brett, and Janet. Since my group ended up having about two hours of footage, we needed to make our video about four minutes long. I took a break and walked to the National Gardens, went for a run, and then walked back. I love running and it is sad to think that I will not have this place to run at when I go back home. The garden is full of people, paths to run and walk on, benches to sit and relax on, animals, and sounds of life. I have been enjoying all the walking we have been doing; I do not have a choice since it is our main form of transportation.
As a group we went through all of our footage and once we cut out what we wanted and put it together it had a run time of 25 minutes. Our rough cut had a run time of ten minutes after cutting out shaky footage. We cut it down to six minutes, but our final cut was four minutes and it turned out well because it went from shot to shot very smoothly and we had no unnecessary footage. We spent all day working on it because we had to present it to Roth and the rest of the students tonight. There was a dinner break before we watched the videos. I headed out to Romani’s with Brett and Janet. When we got back I talked to my mom and dad on the phone, it is nice to hear their voices but I have not been homesick since our first couple weeks. Roth was impressed by both groups’ videos; the final was an improvement from the rough cuts.
I love the time I have spent out here in Europe and I have realized that life is too short to explore the entire world. But I would love to travel more and bring my family so I can show them what they are missing. I have noticed a difference when I work with my peers on the videos or other group homework assignments because it is not free time. Even class time is a much different atmosphere, our class is held in the living room but we still focus and have really good discussions. We do have our fun when we make meals together or when we go out shopping together, but we all get serious when it comes to doing homework. I am sure that I am not just speaking for myself when I say that I want good grades, but to enjoy this experience as well. It is coming down to our last month here, home and school will seem like a different place when I return. Isaac has reminded us more than once that we are the first group to come to Greece; we just smile, stick together, and go on like it is just another day of our lives. We had to change our clocks before we headed to bed, spring ahead was two weeks later than the United States which kind of threw me off a bit. I packed before going to sleep because we are headed off to Meteora tomorrow and getting up at six is not going to be pleasant.
We will be staying two nights in Meteora, two
nights in Thessaloniki, and then two nights in Istanbul before we fly back to
Athens. This week getaway is going to go by fast and I want to have as much fun
as I can. I am excited to see the different towns and cultures compared to
Athens. The rest of our semester is full of traveling and I know it will go by
rather quickly, but I believe we are getting a lot out of this trip. I still do
not know much Greek at all and it is frustrating going into places, listening to
all the Greek conversations and then having to speak English. It is nice to have
people speak English here but they like when we try to speak Greek to them. I
hope I can learn the language and maybe someday I can come back and be fluent.
From Abbie Tumbleon
Wednesday April 16, 2008
I awoke with the humid breeze blowing in through the blue shutters of my room in
the Hotel Eva. The room has an old world charm with creaking double doors at the
entrance that are opened with an aged metal skeleton key. The building has
winding steps and photographs of old Greek Soldiers on the wall. Chania,
pronounced “Hania”, has this charm as well, and the winding brick streets lead
to tavernas and the main port.
I walked down to the port and rested on a bench before the group met to go to
the Naval Museum. The museum was established in 1973 and is housed in the
entrance to Frika Fort. It has two levels of rooms with artifacts, model ships,
and historical information about the Cretan and Greek Naval history. The Greek
Navy strived for success and had a reputation for their long skinny ships. The
ships were strong and made out of both wood and metal. The model ships had tiny
wires, strings, and replicated guns, which must have taken hours of dedicated
labor and concentration, for whoever built them. Full scale models of several
ships have also been recreated. Ioanna informed us that the most recent project
is the rebuilding of the only female Greek Admiral, Laskarina Boubalina’s battle
ship, the “Agamenon”. Another ship was rebuilt for the 2004 Olympics when Greece
was the host country for the event.
The first floor had materials from the Greek War of Independence, German war memorabilia, and photographs of soldiers from Britain, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, and Greece. Cannon balls from the eighteenth century were stacked in a corner and another room contained German fuel tanks from World War II. Maps from the seventeenth century are still preserved and hang on the wall as if they drawn yesterday. Ioanna explained that these maps were created during the Venetian rule of Crete. The island was known for their depictions of topography and she mentioned that some of the maps were inaccurate and that the shape of Crete was different from what the old map creators believed it to be. An old lighthouse lamp twirled around with its original motor now being mechanically operated. A lighthouse keeper used to light the lamp with oil, turn a hand crank, and stay awake throughout the night to guide ships on their passing.
On the upper level of the museum boat motors, mechanisms, radio equipment, and telescopes were on display. I walked into a replica of an old submarine and examined the steering equipment, dials and notches, and the telegraph. The telegraph had directions for Morse code, but I failed to create an accurate message. A telescope looked out onto the lighthouse, but a clear image could only be seen through my left eye. A switch was used to change the background to orange, blue, or clear, which I am guessing had something to do with early methods of night vision.
The museum is in harmony with the port resting beside it and every evening I have come to sit on a bench and watch the light of the lighthouse and the waves crashing against the giant stones at its base. When I found out the history of the lighthouse and saw a photo of a battle scene with ships rushing past it in the museum I recreated the scene in my mind. War seems like something much too vulgar for a place such as Chania. I will remember the sunset from last night and that it was changing every time I gazed back at it. The sky started out with the soft blending of the clouds into the darkening sky and the blaring sun shined over the sea. Within thirty minutes the sun was off in the distance, terracotta clouds framed the lighthouse off in the distance, and the waves reflected all of the colors to create mystifying shadows with every ebb and flow of the water.
I have returned back to Athens once again and
have to do common tasks such as unpacking, laundry, homework, reading, and
cleaning. It is all worth it for the memory of that one sunset in Chania, on the
island of Crete, which contains a glory and spirit all its own.
Peace from Greece,
-Abbie Tumbleson
From Abbie Tumbleson
up at 5:00 a.m. to prepare for a ferry ride lasting eight hours to go to the
Greek island of Santorini. The group trekked with baggage to the Metro and then
to the Port of Piraeus, which is one of Athens’s main ports. We boarded the Blue
Star Ferry lines and began our journey. I was ill when I woke up and spent most
of the ferry ride sleeping. Two Greek women were kind enough to move out of
their seats and let me sleep on a bench. One of the women spoke English and we
discussed the educational systems of Greece and the United States as well as
politics. This was my first extended ferry ride, but I remember as a child that
I went dolphin watching on a ferry in Avalon, New Jersey. The Aegean Sea is
quite different from the Atlantic Ocean and possesses churning waves and a deep
blue color which extends for miles.
When we arrived at the port in Santorini we got on a bus and crawled up the winding roads of the island. In the warm weather of the evening we arrived at the Remezzo Villas. The Remezzo Villas overlooked the Aegean Sea and the unique blue and white landscape of the coastline. Santorini is part of the island group named the “Cyclades” for their circular shape and references to the Greek Mythological legends of the Cyclops. The Remezzo Villas are located in the town of Imerovigli. I learned from local shop owners and restaurant owners that Santorini also has several active volcanoes. It is a popular tourist attraction during the summer months, which range from May to September.
The streets in the main town were bustling tonight with locals. If I was here in a few months they would instead be crowded with tourists. I believe that I have mentioned it in my past blogs, but I cannot get over how valued I feel to be here; to look out my window and see the sea, a swimming pool, domed buildings, the giant blue bath tub in my room, the large bed, the sky dotted with miniscule stars, and the dizzy coastlines eroded from years of waves rushing up again them. These are both natural and material elements that weave together to form the picturesque world I have been living in lately. Even garbage on the streets, graffiti, or stray dogs add to the landscape and scenery of Greece.
I have had the opportunity to travel frequently since the beginning of March and the group only had a break for two days after we flew home from Istanbul and Thessaloniki. I remember watching documentaries about musicians or reading articles about them in magazines and how they always mention life on the road and living out of a suitcase. I have become more acquainted with what to bring and what not to bring on trips from now on and it is alleviating to only have the possession in my backpack.
I remember when I read “Zen and the Art of
Motorcycle Maintenance” that Robert M. Pirsig mentioned what to bring on a
motorcycle trip and he was prepared for any situation. Two of his lists included
clothing and personal stuff and he recommended such materials as two changes of
underwear, rain gear, one sweater and jacket each, combs, a memorabilia booklet,
pens, and sunburn lotion. I learned from Spring Break that rain gear is an
essential because when I was in Amsterdam and Paris my clothes became soaked as
well as my shoes. I trudged around for three days in damp clothing because I did
not have a weather-proof jacket. Even though the weather in Santorini is warm
right now, for example, it still tends to get windy and the temperature dropped
this evening. My sweater came in handy and I am always wearing layers during the
day in case the sun comes out and then disappears. Dr. Roth even mentioned a
trick to put a smaller bag inside your piece of carry-on luggage so that you can
take it out and add all of your purchases and extra baggage. Doing this makes
paying money for extra checked baggage avoidable and saves you money. During
Spring Break I could not take my backpack on the plane because it was too large
and ended up paying eighteen euro to check it. That was a hefty price that could
have been avoided.
Traveling so much also makes me ponder excessively about life and where I will
end up in the future. The conversations that I have with fellow group members,
strangers that I meet on trips, or with my professors always lead to remarkable
stories and more questions for me to ask myself.
As I look out onto the sea and think about the
adventures of tomorrow, which include discussing “Corelli’s Mandolin” and
searching for a beach on the island, I can only wonder what other life exists on
the island, and in the world. I have been reading “Corelli’s Mandolin”
extensively, as well as historical accounts of Greece, and the knowledge is
traveling with me.
…And, having a stomach virus beats being seasick.
Peace from Greece,
-Abbie Tumbleson
Brett Czerkaski
4/10/08
My Hairy-Knuckled Bathfellows
The six of us entered the Cemberlitas Hamami both nervous and excited. Not
everyone gets an opportunity to do something like this. When you think of
Turkey, perhaps the most outstanding image in your mind’s eye is that of a vast,
distant, foreign land with a backwards people, where nobody speaks English,
Christians are not tolerated, and tourists are abducted and sold into slavery in
underground markets. However, quite the opposite is true. Istanbul is a very
modern city, containing almost as many people (~11 million) as the whole country
of Greece (~14 million). Tourism is a thriving industry in Turkey, and just
about everybody we had talked to spoke English. Though 99% of the population is
Muslim, that did not dissuade us at all from taking the overnight train through
potentially hostile territory to meet our guide, Ugul (his name sounded more
like “Urgghrhl”… a very guttural sound, as if he were attempting to cough
something up). Despite all of this, we stood outside of the traditional Turkish
Bath House awaiting an experience that would be alien to any American.
After paying for the “traditional” treatment, I was told to go upstairs for the guys’ section of changing rooms. Here I was handed a man-skirt and a small package whose contents were unknown to me. I was led to a small changing room, which, to my dismay, was just a small room with a bench where the door had a waist-height glass panel. It took me about 7 minutes and 14 seconds to figure out how to don this man-skirt whilst somehow keeping my pasty body to myself, despite the well-framed piece of grotesque art that any unsuspecting innocent would be unwillingly offered. After finally managing to inadequately cover my unmentionables, I was told to go back downstairs to find the bath… yes, downstairs in front of the lobby and everybody in it. Walking down the stairs with my legs very close together, I managed to finally find the entrance to the guys’ steam room.
When I arrived, the door was opened by an attendant whereupon I was greeted by a blast of hot, humid air from the inside. I slowly stepped forward in wonderment and was surprised to see a big, octagonal, stone slab whereupon about a dozen sweaty, meaty men were laying. I decided to follow their example and pick a nice, cozy section of sweat-slab to lie on and perspire. Yep… these stones were definitely heated. I sat back and stared up at the ceiling which had an array of holes in the ceiling, creating a dazzling spectacle of natural light within the bath house. Around the slab, some men were laying down and getting scrubbed by the attendants, which I was in “line” for… though I’m not sure how they determine the order, as we were laying in circles. As I lay there, I became all too aware of how short everybody’s skirts were, and diverted my attention back to the ceiling until I was summoned over to the edge of the slab. I guess it was my turned to be rubbed down by my hairy-knuckled bathfellows.
The language barrier is more difficult than you’d think when it comes to being manhandled by a half-naked older man. We exchanged maybe two sentences during this whole ordeal. First I was sitting up; here, he unwrapped my mystery package, which turned out to be an abrasive scrubbing mitt that fit over his hand. He proceeded to scrape off the first 2 layers of my skin in the least gentle fashion imaginable. I suppose it did some good, as I could see the grime I was sweating off accumulating on my arm in neatly rolled cylinders, accompanied by an unsatisfactory sound and a wagging finger from the attendant. The order for “lay down” was a slap on the head, while the order for “flip” was a smack on the upper, upper, way upper thigh. After repeating this scrubbing process dangerously close to every nook and cranny of my body, we were finally ready for the next step.
The first thing I am greeted with when I sit up
is a bucket of warm water dumped on my head. Then I get another smack on the
head signaling me to lay down. Before I know it, I’m getting an all too intimate
rub down with very bubbly, aromatic soap, which felt great (in the least
homoerotic way imaginable)! Then, after get the thigh slap to flip me was given,
the attendant began to massage me. It was a very harsh massage, penetrating deep
into my muscles, and yes… it was definitely a full body massage. Out of nowhere,
I felt another pair of burly hands grab my leg and begin working it. A pang of
horror and pain struck me momentarily until I realized what was going on. This
process lasted about 10 minutes, until I was escorted out and told to take a
shower. After this, I was given a quick shampoo by my attendant. Then, I had to
drop towel for about 1.2 seconds in front of everyone, whereupon I was quickly
wrapped up in a dry towel by the attendant. Then I had another towel to go
around my shoulders, and a final one wrapping up my hair, much like that which
girls do after a shower. Then I took my walk of shame in my cute little towel
costume back up the stairs through the lobby, feeling as if everyone was staring
at me. I changed back into my clothes, got a nice little oil cologne after
tipping the attendant, and headed back to the hotel, feeling the cleanest I’d
felt in a long time, if not ever.
April 13, From Kaitlyn Galonski
When we got back to Athens after Istanbul it was just enough time for all of us
to get our laundry done and to re-pack our bags for the islands trip. Our first
island was Santorini, where it really is full of white house with blue shudders.
It was simply gorgeous and surreal. While in Santorini we stayed at Remezzo
Villas thanks to the connections that Ioanna has. The apartments that we stayed
in were amazing, and the view which the patio offered was even better. From
there we would go into the local town of Fira for our dinning and entertainment
purposes. During one of the mornings while in Fira Brett, Janet, Danielle,
Isaac, and I were looking for breakfast and came across place called “Café NRG
Creperie” which ended up having a wide selection of sweet and savory crepes. If
you could not find something on the menu you liked, it was no problem, for you
could also create your crepe. You certainly got your moneys worth for they were
not too terribly expensive and they were huge and full with the substances you
requested. To name some of the different types one could get, I got one that had
peanut butter, dark chocolate, and bananas in it, Janet got a ham and cheese
crepe, and Danielle got bananas and strawberries with nutella.
While also in Santorini, we did not pass on the perfect beach weather that we were given and went to a couple different beaches. We went to the Black beach and the Red beach. They are given color names because that color represents the color of the sand there. Both beaches were very nice and the sand was extremely hot to walk on. I did however enjoy the Black beach much better, for the Red beach was much rockier and with each step taken on the sand, it felt like you were going to burn a few layers of skin off the bottom of your foot. The Red beach was also not very easily located. Once you park the car, you have to hike over to the beach itself over rocks. There are clear paths and the hike did make going to the beach more rewarding, but I do not suggest making the trip in sandals for the loose rocks will find a home in between your foot and shoe.
We left Santorini to go to Crete. Our first
destination in Crete was Iraklion, where we stayed at the Rea Hotel-Pension. We
did not do much there our first day except explore the local markets and sites.
Today, we awoke to the hottest day yet and headed to the Archeological Museum
where construction is being done so we could only see the main objects that the
museum kept on display. It was actually good that we could not see the whole
museum because I think all of us were be affected by the heat before we were
even half way through the small exhibit, but we all kept on going trying hard to
pay attention the descriptions/lectures Ioanna was giving. We got back to the
hotel to load up a van that we rented to take us around the Island of Crete so
we would not be constricted to bus schedules. This van had character to say the
least. There were no back headrests which would have become useful in holding
luggage in place instead of falling on the heads of the back seat occupants.
There was also minimal space for the luggage in general. That could easily be
because the van is only meant for nine people and we were stuffing luggage for
eleven people in it, but we made it work. Also, the side door needed an extra
push here and there to get it open. When asked if the car had working air
conditioner, the answer we received was “Yes, of course!” The air conditioner
did not work. When going over big bumps there was a grinding of medal sound that
we concluded to be the axel grinding. To much of our surprise we made it to our
first destination of Knossos to look at the site. The extensive reconstruction
of the site has been carried out by Sir Arthur Evans who uncovered virtually the
entire palace. We piled back into the van to have to hurry back out because we
were unable to reverse uphill. In the defense of the van, the front tire was
also stuck in a bit of mud. We did make it to Chania which is where we are
spending the rest of our duration in Crete. Hopefully it will get us through the
rest of our time in Crete.
April 14, 2008
Hello Blog Readers,
I find myself yet again writing from the “road” per-say. This week we have been
traveling through Santorini and Crete, both Greek islands are impressive with
their beauty. I find myself lucky once again to have Monday as my blogging day,
for the simple fact today was a great day.
The day started off with breakfast at Costello’s (a restaurant right outside of
our hotel). Kaitlyn and Brett both decided on bacon and cheese omelets, while
Danielle and I decided fresh juice was a must. Let me warn you, if you do find
yourself in Crete, and you order fresh juice… they are not kidding with the
fresh part. I firmly believe that with my orange juice they through it in a
blender (except for the peel of course) and served it up. As for Brett’s Apple
juice… it was a blended apple, peel and all.
After breakfast it was time for a morning at the beach. In a discussion the night before we had all decided that what we needed was a little relaxation at the beach before our academic work could begin. I am sure some would later regret this decision as a few members of the group have started to resemble lobsters. Thanks for Isaac we found a beach that was a 15 minute walk and went on our way.
The people on this Island are incredibly friendly I have found through my time here so far. As we were approaching some beach chairs that were laid out, a gentleman asked us if we were interested in renting them for the day. While I did not hear the conversation, I did notice after the price was said Dr. Roth politely said no and started to walk away. It was at this point when a better offer must have come, because he and a few other members of the group were soon settling in their chairs getting ready to read the last few chapters of Corelli’s Mandolin.
While everyone was putting themselves in the sun, I quickly found some shade and relaxed. It took just less then an hour for be to be coaxed into the water, which was freezing at first entry. Even with the artic ice water chilling up my spine, I enjoyed standing a few meters in just taking in the view. It was only Brett and I, he of course was not cold, while my teeth were chattering away. What I enjoyed most was the silence. The only noise I could hear was the crashing of the waves, and the three Greek adolescent boys playing and laughing on a paddle boat.
I was not long until Brett and I gave in and decided we would lay on the beach chair as well. While Brett continued to read Corrlli’s, I attempted to nap. I say attempted because Isaac didn’t believe it was nap time for me, actually he found himself very sure that it was play time. For the rest of the afternoon, each time I turned my head there was a pile of sand on the chair, and Isaac laughing. After a while wiping the sand away became useless, because it only gave him all the more reason to put more and more on. We have become like a family over here in a way… and he has become that little brother!
After most of the members in the group found
themselves cooked well enough to leave the beach, we made our way back to the
hotel to shower and get prepared for our evening lecture at the Jewish
Synagogue. Through e-mails and conversations, Dr. Roth had contacted Mr. Nikos
Stavroulakis, director of Etz Hayyim Synagogue in Chiana, Crete and the
architect of two of the Jewish Museums we had visited. Mr. Stavroulakis agreed
to talk with us and share some of the history and experience of Crete with the
group.
When two intellectuals get together, there is bound to be some sort of
confrontation of knowledge. Ioanna accompanied us to the synagogue, and once Mr.
Stravroulakis started on the history and myths, there was an immediate
disagreement between the two. It was an awkward situation we found ourselves in,
the students sitting by listening to the two of them disagreeing, however
politely about the happenings of the past. The awkwardness of it all soon
subsided when Mr. Stavroulakis began to talk about what happened to the Jewish
population of Crete during World War II. His story was detailed and intense; we
were all hanging on every word he had to say. Only one individual from the area
survived, and that was only because she had broken curfew the night before to go
out and see her Greek boyfriend. She luckily was not around to be rounded up and
become a part of the horrific tragedy. It was a heavy lecture that left most of
us silent for minutes after he was finished. We then quietly left and went on
our day, with our heads spinning.
Now I am sitting in my little loft in my hotel room, a nice building that has
been around since the 15th century we were told. I am now thinking about the
upcoming month. My time here ends soon, then I go home to be with friends and
family again, only to then graduate. What happens after that, who knows really?
4/7
Hello Blog Readers!
I am back in Athens, and glad to be at rest. Traveling has been the highlight of
my time here in Greece. I am always happy to see new places and try new things;
I just enjoy experiencing so incredibly new to me. Each new experience teaches
me something new about myself and about others around me. This past week seemed
to move by so quickly. First we were in Meteora, and then we quickly found
ourselves in and out of Thessoloniki, to then be in Turkey for our last section
of that trip. I am sure it has been mentioned in other blogs, but I feel the
need to talk about my experience in Turkey. First, the 12 hour train ride made
for a perfect sleeping vessel for me, I could not have appreciated the sleep
more that night… trust me I was in need for a good nights sleep. Besides the
movement of the train being a calming agent for me, the passport control
officers were all but calming. Several times throughout the night we had awoken
to the sound of a heavy hand on our door demanding our passports be handed over
and that they see our faces. This was of course followed by a heavy knock and
the entry of an officer demanding to see our faces so that he could hand us our
passports back; only later to be taken away again of course. The part I feel the
most need to mention however, is when Sam and I were startled to learn that we
needed a Visa to enter Turkey… I was more than sure that we were in much deeper
than we could find our way out of. Luckily however, things went over with ease
(I say that… but please note the embarrassment of having to get off the train at
2 a.m. and have everyone aboard looking out their windows at you). Of course we
eventually got to Turkey and I had the time of my life… and the best tomato soup
I have ever had the pleasure of eating.
Now that I am back in Athens, I cannot help but
feel as though my time here is running a bit short. While I am more than happy
to realize that I am going home soon, I am saddened by the fact that this
experience will have to end as well. I had been counting down the days until my
return to the states since my very first day here. I have since though decided
to stop counting (My timing as always is impeccable!). Life comes at us so fast
sometimes that we forget to be a part of it. I regret nothing about this trip; I
knew I would only regret not going if I had decided to stay home, and now I have
a whole new way of looking at people and the world. This experience so far has
taught me that with ever piece if live, there will be the bitter and sweet parts
that come with it. The bitter for Athens was leaving my friends and family. It
was leaving this world that I fell in love with to try something new, I must say
I was unsure for a long time if that had made the wrong choice. The sweet is
what I am experiencing now. Once I allowed myself to let go of the fear that I
regretted this choice, I began to enjoy myself. I found that through this, the
ties with my friends back home have only gotten stronger, and that I have had
the chance to experience something that otherwise I would have never gotten the
chance to.
3/31
Hello Blog Readers!
What a day! While right now I am in a sort of dairy coma, due to the massive
amount of ice cream Brett, Kaitlyn and I decided to buy, I could not be more
pleased with each event that took place today. We started the day off on the
right foot with breakfast at the Dupiani House that we were staying at. I knew I
was going to need that coffee to get through the day, along with a few bottles
of water.
After breakfast we all got together and headed to
the trail that would eventually lead us to the hiking path of the Grand Meteora.
I suggest google image of Meteora before continuing to read. Meteora offers a
sight like no other… if you are looking at the pictures I am sure you can tell…
but please trust me when I say that the pictures do no justice! The hike up to
Grand Meteora was so pleasant; I stopped a few times along the way for pictures
and just to allow myself to take in the beautiful views… ok and to catch my
breath.
I have learned through my time here that my vocabulary is in serious need of
expansion. Words such as “beautiful, amazing, and awesome” are just not making
the cut anymore. Ok, back to my story now. We leaned before we left for our trip
that women must wear skirts and have their shoulders covered and the men must
wear trousers when inside of the Monasteries. While Abbie had lent us skirts to
wear, when we reached the top (ready to change from our climbing clothes into
the skirts) we were handed some… interesting… wraps to put over our pants so
that we would be allowed to enter. Please try an picture these wraps with me,
they are best described as checkered black and white and went to mid shin. If
every other woman in the monastery had not been wearing the same thing, I would
have felt like such a fool… traditions are so fascinating sometimes.
After looking through the monasteries (both Grand Meteora and Varlaam, they were right next to each other. The group decided on sitting atop the rocks. We each quickly found a place to lie down and enjoy the warm glowing afternoon sun, and even had a few minutes of complete silence to truly grasp this experience. We then made the decision that it was time to start heading back down to the town. Brett, Kaitlyn and I decided to take the hiking trail back down while the others took the main road. After finding our way back onto the trail, the three of us found a cave to explore. We were sure after further inspection of the cave that it was the home of someone… we quickly exited and decided to play in a hollow tree instead.
The tree of us then continued along the path. I, feeling like a kid again decided it would be much more fun if I were to run down the path. This was a bad idea! Not only did I trip a few too many times, but I also got stung… on my foot. Don’t ask… I hardly understand how it happened either. After finding turtles and lizards, and Brett picking flowers for Taze, we found ourselves at the end of the trail meeting with the rest of the group. We continued the walk to our hotel where were then passed out until it was time to get up for dinner. After dinner is where my story actually begins, with the wonderful idea of buying ice cream which has lead me to this dairy coma that I hope will end soon.
Brett Czerkaski
On Hate
Hate is a word that is frequently and casually strewn throughout
conversations without even giving its use a second thought. I
believe that people underestimate the potency of such a powerful
word, and its continuous use as a hyperbolic channel for the word
“dislike” has desensitized the population to its commonplace use. In
light of the recent occurrences of hate back on the home front,
coupled with the readings and work we have done recently, I figured
this would be an appropriate topic to explore.
I would define the word “hate” as something along the lines of “an intense loathing and hostility towards a person, idea, or thing.” On the other hand, dislike is in the same arena but falls on a less extreme plane of emotion. I’d define it as something like “an antipathy or aversion towards something; to dislike is the opposite of to like.” Despite their similarities, I also have some distinct personal perceptions about the differences between the two. It seems to me that both of these words are acquired tastes towards things, and that these preferences are learned in some manner. Dislike is a taste that is learned through personal experience. For example, you can dislike a particular food from tasting it, dislike an object from having used it, dislike an idea from thinking it through, etc.
On the contrary, hate seems to be more often than not an institutionalized behavior. When we say we hate something, generally we are using it as an exaggeration to better demonstrate a strong dislike towards something. People are not going to “hate” a food they taste, per se, or “hate” a person for them having different views from them. Hate is something that is bred within people deliberately. History has shown us that hate is an aspect of mans character that will forever persist throughout the lifespan of human kind. We have yet to learn from our mistakes, even after witnessing as a planet the numerous events throughout our history in which groups of people, united in their hatred of others, band together and commit atrocious crimes against fellow humans. Take the Rwandan genocide of 1996 for example. Here, the traditional farming class (Hutu’s) embarked on a genocidal rampage against their brothers, sisters, and friends who were of the historical ruling class (Tutsi’s). There was tension between the classes since the colonization by the Belgians in the 18th century. However, what sparked this was the hate messages spread by several ambitious warlords, telling Hutu’s to “cut down the Tutsi undergrowth with machetes.” The total casualty count from after the massacre was something like 800,000 Rwandans dead within 30 days, an efficiency in racial cleansing that was superior to that of even Hitler (whose example should be obvious enough).
What is it that fuels hatred? In some
cases, people have traumatic personal experiences that drive them to
hatred of the oppressive force which caused the incident. I believe
that in most cases, ignorance is the root. The fact of the matter is
that whoever is guilty of spraypainting anti-semitic graffiti
throughout campus can be nothing more than ignorant. To hate, for no
apparent reason, an ethnicity with such a rich yet oppressed history
and vibrant culture is just plain ignorant. It is sad to hear of
such pathetic, trifling acts on a college campus that encourages
diversity, and I am glad to see clubs such as GSA, BSA, Sistuhs,
etc. banding together to combat the ignorance that plagues our
campus.
From Isaac Axtell
Friday, April 4th
In the beginning of the week I found myself laying in a clearing in
the middle of the forest in Meteora, Greece. I will try to describe
my surroundings to you as best as I can, although words do not give
Meteora enough justice.
I wandered down a trail (which looked more like a path some animal has used repeatedly) to a dried up riverbed. I crossed the riverbed by climbing up a big moss covered rock that was soft to the touch. I walked up a tiny hillside that was covered in clumps of shrubbery and thick green grass and was immediately overcome by what I saw.
There was a gigantic obelisk of smooth stone to my left and another in front of me. There was a small tree between these two stones; the branches (tiny in comparison to the rock that surrounded them) appeared to be holding the two megaliths apart. The colossal sized rocks were smoothed over by a river that had once cut them from the earth millions of years ago.
I took off my bag, which was beginning to stick to my back from the sweat, removed my shoes, which obtain a very ripe smell to them because they were soaked from the constant rain in Rome during spring break, and laid down. I closed my eyes and began to listen to everything around me.
I could hear a bee landing on a
flower above my head. I tried to imagine what the bee was thinking;
“As soon as I finish visiting all of the flowers in this patch I
will be able to head back to the hive to see how the kids are
doing”. Possibly the bee was conversing with the other bees I heard
visiting the nearby flowers; “Hey Bob! What? Yeah I already went to
that flower. No, go to your left. Yeah, those are the best ones”.
I heard a loud fast bug zoom by above me as if he or she was running
late for some important meeting that was about to take place in the
marshy gully below.
There were birds chirping and squawking as they raced around the elephant skin colored rocks; possibly some avian game of tag?To my right a slow rustle in the island of small trees and grass possibly indicated the presence of one of the many turtles or lizards I had seen on my journey to this sanctuary. Everything around me was so alive! I decided if I ever wrote these thoughts down I would title them, “Nature’s Traffic”. I preferred this traffic to the congested traffic in Athens.
We all left the next day to go to Thessaloniki. The section of the
city where our hotel was, burned in a great fire that wiped out a
majority of the old part of the city in 1917. As a result,
reconstruction of the city was rushed. Simple, ugly buildings,
sprung up to replace the old ones, and I am sure that had some
effect on how narrow the streets were.
We visited the Jewish museum in
Thessaloniki, and saw the one remaining Synagogue out of the thirty
that were destroyed during the German occupation of the city during
WWII.
We took an overnight train from Thessaloniki, Greece to Istanbul
Turkey. We were all on the train for fourteen hours. Trying to fall
asleep on a train while its clicking and clacking down the tracks
was very difficult for me, but I managed to get around six hours of
sleep.
We met our guide whose name was hard to say ( I think it was
pronounced Lore or Lood but I am do not know). He gave us a tour of
the Basilica Cistern which is a very impressive architectural and
engineering feat completed by the Turks. The Cistern was a huge
underground holding tank for water that could be used in case the
aqueducts coming into the city were destroyed by an enemy attempting
a siege.
Within the Cistern there are numerous rows of columns, all are
various sizes that were taken from temples or buildings that the
Turks deemed less important.
There is around two feet of water that remains in the Cistern which
is home to fish that the museum takes care of.
Even though we were on the European
side of Istanbul I didn’t feel like I was in Europe anymore. I felt
like I was in a new world; a world where Islam is more dominant than
Christianity and a call to prayer resounds throughout the city five
times a day from the top of minarets. The vendors at the markets and
the doormen outside of restaurants and cafes are constantly calling
out to the passersby in order to improve business. Multiple times I
was asked if I was Turkish, Spanish, Australian, or Canadian as
clerks tried to convince me to buy a rug or eat their Kebab.
Abbie Tumbleson
Wednesday April 2, 2008
We arrived in Thessaloniki, Greece, which is a city located over
five hundred kilometers from Athens. Thessaloniki is a smaller city,
but does not lack in culture or finding activities to fill up a
two-day-itinerary. The city houses Aristotle University, which is a
free University, and there were plenty of young people. The city
also has a smaller market district and it is much like the markets
located in Monistiraki. The architecture of the city left much to be
desired at my first glances when I arrived, but after walking around
last night I found that there were eateries and cafes to visit. Part
of the reason that the city is lacking architectural elegance is due
to a fire that broke out in 1917 and destroyed a major portion of
the city. The buildings were redone in a hurry and we learned that
they were not up to building codes, or built for fashionable
purposes. In “The Rough Guide to Greece”, it explains that
Thessaloniki is also a hub for business and matters relating to the
economy.
A small portion of the original city is intact and the building housing the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki, located on Agiou Mina Street, happens to be one of them. The Jewish Museum is a renovated building, which used to be full of shops owned by Jewish Merchants. We went there this morning and learned more information pertaining to the Jews who were deported from the city in the Spring of 1943 by the Nazi Occupation in Greece. In the “Cultural Guide of Thessaloniki and Northern Greece”, it states, “The museum hosts an exhibition of photographs that give the visitor a complete picture of the religious and everyday life of Jews in pre-war Thessaloniki. A special section concerns the genocide and how it affected the Jewish community of Thessaloniki as a whole between 1941 and 1943.” When I first entered the museum a solemn feeling washed over me and it was enlightening to observe photographs of Rabbis, gypsies, and the grave markers of deceased Jews. We learned through both the tour guide at the museum and a book for Twentieth Century Greece, entitled, “Inside Hitler’s Greece: The Experience of the Occupation, 1941-1944”, by Mark Mazower, that the grave markers were destroyed along with entire cemeteries. After they were destroyed they were then placed on the streets as pavement or used to rebuild structures. Every time I took a step along the streets of the city after knowing that I would look down to see if I was walking on a smashed chunk of history.
Plaques arranged in a timeline format
hung on the walls of the upper level of the museum and many of the
facts and photographs were the same ones depicted in Mazower’s book.
I cannot begin to contemplate the feelings of loss that the Jewish
community suffered during the Holocaust. The room with the Holocaust
artifacts included eyeglasses, shoes, jewelry, and wildflowers,
which grew through the barbwire fence, lining Auschwitz-Birkenau
Concentration Camp. The group will be journeying to Krakow, Poland
in two weeks to visit the camp and I do not know what emotions to
expect once I get there. The historical importance of Thessaloniki
was unknown to me before taking this course and it was beneficial to
learn about World War II from the Greek spectrum, in addition to
just the fights between the Americans and the Germans.
We visited the monument dedicated to the Jews and it was shaped with
abstract images of entangled bodies. A miniature replica of the
monument was also in the museum. I did not realize that the
sculpture depicted bodies at first and thought the monument was a
tree. In my opinion, the harsh reality of history is often depicted
best though abstract images. The pewter hue of the moment blended in
with the backdrop of the Port running along the main city street,
the stony water, and the hazy rain clouds above us.
The rest of the afternoon we were free to visit more historical
sites and observe the city itself. Dr. Roth, his daughters, and I
searched the streets for Oriental restaurant, which was recommended
by the desk attendant at our hotel. The hotel was cleverly named
“Hotel Tourist”. Afterwards Jen and I found a sandwich restaurant
called “Healthy Advice”. The owner was from Montreal, has traveled
around the United States, and has a Greek father. He said that
English-speaking people always end up at his eatery and the large
$4.00 euro sandwiches lend an easy answer as to why this is so. His
friendly staff even recommended places for Jen and I to visit later.
I ended my evening by sitting in a
café with Jen, drinking coffee, and playing several games of chess.
I came back to the Hotel Tourist, read, and contemplated my feelings
of visiting yet another city in another place and the significance
of the knowledge and of the places I have seen in the past two
months.
Peace from Greece (soon to be Istanbul, Turkey!),
-Abbie Tumbleson
6.4.08—Kaitlyn Galonski
We went to two monasteries up on the big rocks of Meteora on Monday,
the Holly Monastery of Grand Meteoron and Monastery Varlaam. We
hiked up on the paths and everything instead of taking the paved
road that cars and tour busses use. It was a lot of fun. On the way
down, most of the group took the road back, but Brett, Janet, and I
took one of the paths back. We met up with the path we took to go
up, and we decided to explore a bit. We went into a cave that was
clearly a bat cave (we could tell by all the guano on the ceiling
inside the cave). Then Brett and I played in this tree (that he had
played in on the way up). He tried to get me into the second level
of the tree (it kind of hard to explain the tree, but there were
multiple levels to it). Anyway, long story kind of short, after
making many attempts to get me into the second level I pretty much
feel out, but luckily Brett did catch me. It was only fair seeing as
he was the one pushing me up into the second part of tree anyway.
However, he almost lost his footing and we were both almost down for
the count. We ended up just fine though, and of course tried a
couple more times...unsuccessfully.
From Meteora we went to Thessaloniki
on Tuesday the 1st were we did some sight seeing of museums and
such. On Thursday the 3rd we took an overnight train to Istanbul,
Turkey where we got woken up multiple times by people knocking on
our doors and asking for our passports. While there we found out
that Istanbul has some property in Asia, only a short ferry ride
away; which leads me to my adventures that I had today.
We awoke to overcast weather, but inquired information about
crossing over into Asia. By the time we checked out of our hotel and
were ready to make way as a group, it started to rain. The forecast
for the day was to be rain…all day. The rain put a damper on our
plans for Asia, and all of us decided to go to the Archeological
Museum of Istanbul instead. I think it was a very appropriate
activity for a rainy day. I ended up enjoying some of the exhibits
at the museum. There were technically three museums in the complex;
the Museum of Ancient Orient, the Museum of Archaeology, and the
Tiled Kiosk. I enjoyed the Museum of Ancient Orient the most, which
housed all Egyptian oriented findings including mummies. The Museum
of Archaeology was also a fun, but more so because it was more of a
big maze consisting of four floor. It went through all different
time periods, but got a bit relative for me after awhile since we
have already been to multiple other archaeological museums. As far
as the Tiled Kiosk is concerned, I enjoyed the building itself more
than most of the incased items that could be found there. I included
a link at the bottom to a photo album which includes the pictures
that I took at the museums.
After the museums, it was time for lunch, and I went with Professor Roth and his daughters since everyone else who came to the museum were still working their way through them. We actually did lunch backwards that day, having pudding first at a restaurant that claims to have “world famous pudding”. I must say that I agree with this title, for the pudding was really good. As we were getting ready to leave Brett, Janet, Isaac, and Danielle came showed up at the restaurant to have some lunch and of course some pudding. I went to find out what they would be doing after lunch and they were talking about going back to the museum since they did not make it through all three building before getting hungry. Due to the fact that I was all museum-ed out, I tagged along with Professor Roth and the girls.
Moments after leaving the pudding
place, it started to down pour, and we found shelter in a café.
After the rain calmed down a bit we decided to take a bus to cross
the Galata Bridge to go into the “New City” where there are good
places for shopping and dinning. After crossing the bridge and
getting of the bus we got distracted by being next to a pier that
had a sea-bus terminal; meaning ferries that went to the Asia part
of Istanbul. Since the rain had let up a lot, we decided “why not”
and we went over to Asia. You would not know that you were in Asia
unless some told you, for it was still Istanbul, and looked exactly
like the Turkey side. We found a restaurant and had some lunch.
There were no tourist there, only locals, and it was packed. The
food there was great and was pretty inexpensive. When I get the
receipt back I will have to make note of the name of the restaurant.
We had some grilled pita bread with melted cheese, which I believe
is to be a form of Turkish pizza, and I ordered some soup which
turned out to be some kind of lentil vegetable soup. Our waiter did
not speak very much English, so I had ordered it on a whim without
really knowing what the flavor would be, but I ended up lucky
because it was very good. We had also order some yogurt milk drink
that was salty and a bit sour. We saw that most tables had at least
one of its occupants drinking it and figured we should try it as
well. After eating, we went back on a ferry to make our back to the
hotel so we could met up with the rest of the group and head to the
airport for our flight back to Athens.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2016817&l=502c8&id=74400202
^the museums
30.3.08—Kaitlyn Galonski
So to start where I left off....the rest of my spring break was
pretty laid back, but I got a lot of stuff done. I had lunch with my
friend Amanda and we caught up, for about 3 hours. We just sat in
Syntagma Square talking and reminiscing, and are going to try to get
together again soon. The 18th was Janet’s birthday so I made her a
pudding cake and then we all went out for dinner at James Joyce
Irish Pub. Danielle's mom & aunt took me & D out to dinner the last
night that they were here, and it was said to say goodbye to them.
We went to a restaurant over in Monastiraki called Hermion
Restaurant which offers a wide variety of Greek and International
cuisine. Other than that I just worked on some projects, get ahead
in one of my classes by starting to read one of the books that
hasn't been assigned yet, and work on stuff for a class that I am
taking online so I meet all my graduation class requirements.
We have been given the assignment to pick a country and go to it
since we will have some free time while in Poland. Since Poland is
much close and cheaper to get to a lot of places, we leave from
there and then have to find our ways back to Athens a few days
later. I decided to go to Madrid. I am not going with anyone on the
trip, but I am meeting up with a friend of mine who is doing a
semester abroad there. I am really excited about going and about
being able to visit her. We had been trying to figure out away to
see each other, whether it was her coming to Athens or me going to
Madrid, and it looks like that it finally worked out. She is really
excited too. I looked up tourist information, and it looks like
there are a lot of interesting museums and sites for me to catch
out. I’ve wanted to go to Madrid for a while now, and the fact that
my friend is studying there gave me even more of a reason to go.
Today we started off our day with catching our train to Meteora.
After spending a few nights there we will go to Thessaloniki (both
cities in Greece) and then over to Istanbul, Turkey. We come back to
Athens on the 6th, but then up and leave again on the 9th for
Santorini (for 3 nights) and then Crete (for 4 nights); both are
Greek Islands.
We arrived at the Kalambaka train station to giant rocks with
monasteries on top of them. Clearly these words do not do the
scenery justice, so hence why I included a picture. From the train
station we walked (mostly uphill) for about 30-45 minutes to the
village of Kastraki were our hotel was located. The hotel that we
stayed at was called the Dupiani House and Danielle, Janet, and I
had a wonderful view from our balcony. After we got situated in our
rooms and relaxed a little, all of us as a group went out for a late
lunch, early dinner, and then made our way up one of the lower rock
hills that was near our hotel. Isaac, Sam (one of Professor Roth’s
daughter), and I all stayed on top of one of the rocks to watch the
sunset and then made our way back to the hotel. It is going to be an
early night, since we are getting up relatively early to start our
hike up to see some of the monasteries.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30521552&id=74401603
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From Isaac Axtell
Friday, March 28, 2008
This week has been great! I am slowly getting adjusted to school
work, and all ten of us shared a magnificent dinner together
Wednesday night.
For spring break I went to Milan, Italy to visit one of my friends, Gabe, who is studying abroad there. Arriving in Milan and trying to contact Gabe and find out where I was suppose to meet him was a bit hectic because my cell phone locked up, but after three hours of making pay phone calls and using an internet café to contact Rich I finally met Gabe at eleven in the evening.
Milan is a great city! The city is very clean and the Italian people are very nice. I stayed for two days in Milan and caught up on some sleep then set out to hike the Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre is a trail that connects five towns that are on the coast of western Italy….GORGEOUS!!!!! The trail is on the side of mountains that drop down to the Mediterranean Sea. In between the towns the trail crosses streams, winds through olive groves, and is surrounded by vineyards that are grown on terraces which climb up the mountainside.
All of the towns are very colorful. The buildings are painted very bright colors; pinks, reds, and blues stand out against the lush dark green mountains.
We found an apartment in Riomaggiore (the first town) and spent the night. After a delicious swordfish and pasta dish Gabe and I walked down to the coast and sat on a set of steps talking about anything that came to our minds while looking up at a clear night sky filled with stars.
The next day we walked the rest of the trail, taking every detour we could to make the most out of our experience, to Monterosso (the last town) and relaxed on the beach. We caught the train back to Milan that evening because Gabe had classes the next day.
Part of the reason why the Cinque
Terre adventure was so amazing was because there were very few
tourists. I can imagine that during the summer months the trails and
towns become flooded with people.
I spent the rest of the week sleeping in everyday, eating lots of
good Italian pasta dishes, and wandering around getting lost.
On Friday of that week Gabe’s spring break started. In the afternoon, after his Italian midterm, we took a train for nine hours to Rome with his friends. Once we finally reached our destination we walked a short distance down the stone roads to our hostel and went to sleep because we were going to be waking up early the next day.
We woke up the next morning at six and walked over to the Vatican to stand in line. The line was already very long when we got there and it was raining. Every five minutes guys selling umbrellas would come up to us asking if we wanted one, I think they kept forgetting that we were saying no. Within an hour all of us were soaked and after waiting another hour we were finally past the gates and into the smallest country in the world!
e really wanted to see the Sistine Chapel so we followed the signs that were pointing towards the chapel. Upon entering each of the many rooms I had to go through to get to the Sistine Chapel I would ask myself “is this it? Is this the Sistine Chapel”. Each room was a masterpiece! Elaborate paintings and frescos with perspective, gold leaf crown molding, sculptures, huge hand made tapestries that hung from the ceilings, and paintings that were made to look like sculptures. I walked as slowly as I could, always tilting my head back looking up at the ceiling and not paying any attention to where I was going. By the time I reached the Sistine Chapel my mind was overloaded with art, my neck hurt, and my feet were tired. I should have explored the Vatican over a two day period.
Once I was in the famous chapel I was awestruck! No picture or History Channel documentary can capture the feeling or detail of being in the chapel. I felt tiny and insignificant. I imagined Michelangelo high up on staging with a tiny paint brush painstakingly painting The Last Judgment. I was off in a day dream; some distant world surrounded by art, floating. I was taken back down to earth by the guards in the chapel saying “Shhhh!.......Quiet……No pictures!”. The chapel was packed, but that did not alter my experience at all though.
After the Vatican we walked a short
distance to St. Peters Church (The Basilica). We stood in another
line for a short amount of time and then entered the world renowned
church where the Pope speaks. St. Peters makes the Duomo in Milan
look small. Inside St. Peters there are huge marble sculptures of
countless popes sitting on their thrones with their hands in some
holy pose. There is beautiful pink marble everywhere and the floor
tiles are different colors of marble with fancy designs on them.
There is also a huge alter in the middle of the church carved out of
wood that must be at least three stories high. Everything in the
church is built to a large scale. There were sculptures of babies
that were the size of me!
The rest of the day we explored the city and found ourselves at the
top of the Spanish Steps as the sun was setting over Rome and the
dome of the Basilica.
The next day we went to the Coliseum where one of Gabe’s friends video tapped Gabe and I singing happy birthday to our friend Ben, whose birthday was on St. Patrick’s Day. We did not go into the Coliseum because we were tired of standing in lines so we walked around it and admired the architectural genius it must have taken to create it. I wish I would have seen the Coliseum the day after it was finished. The numerous holes in the aged stone (now turning black from pollution and wear) almost made the Coliseum look like a big grey piece of Swiss cheese.
From the Coliseum we wandered down tiny back streets until we came to a park that was elevated above the city. We were the only people in this secret garden we found. There were ancient Roman statues of headless women in togas, orange trees, and rose bushes. The rose bushes were filled with roses that were a very deep red color and the ground below the rose bushes was covered in petals that all had droplets of water on them from the rain.
I spent the rest of the day walking
around Rome exhausted and wet from the sporadic rain showers. We all
left Rome that evening. I caught an overnight train back to Milan to
catch my flight to Athens. Gabe and his friends caught a train to
Napoli to continue their Spring break.
******
From Jennifer Pandolfelli:
March 25 2007
Hello Franklin Pierce. I have finally gotten back to Athens from my
Spring Break vacation. It was an incredible experience. Abbie and I
left from Athens on March 12 in the late afternoon to catch our
flight to Rome. We were a little worried at first because the public
transportation workers were on strike from twelve noon until three.
Luckily our flight didn’t leave until seven and the busses were
working by the time we left for the airport. The flight was fine,
and I actually caught up on some sleep at the airport before
boarding. The flight was only an hour, which was amazing. It is
great to be traveling around Europe from within Europe due to the
fact that the tickets are less expensive and the flight durations
are shorter. The flight was fine except for the fact that I was
sitting behind an obnoxious man the whole time who kept reclining
his seat and knocking into me. Oh well at least it wasn’t for very
long.
Once we landed we rode a train from the airport into the city which
cost us about seven euros. If you ever fly to Rome and land in
Fiumicino airport you will have to take this train to get to the
center of Rome. On the other hand, if you land at Ciampino there is
a bus that will take you to central station for five euro. Rome was
amazing. The train system was easy to navigate and cost one euro per
trip, which is equal to one dollar and fifty cents in the United
States. The great thing about the metro was the fact that there are
only two lines, A and B. Both will take you almost anywhere you need
to go, and everything is in Italian as well as English. Our hostel
was fantastic. We stayed at the Roma Inn. Abbie and I booked a ten
bed dorm, but we were bumped up to a four bed and a six bed. The
only downside was that we stayed in separate rooms the first night.
I think by far Rome was my favorite stop on the trip. We arrived
late and were not able to see anything that night.
The next morning we went to the Vatican. We visited Saint Peter’s
Basilica first which is where the remains of the popes are housed.
It was incredibly beautiful with stunning detail. Beneath one of the
marble statues we could actually see the body of one of the popes.
It wasn’t as gruesome as you might think. Next we walked down the
street and sat in on a Catholic mass. Afterwards we went to the
Vatican Museum. Another thing that I should mention is that we
bought these cards called Roma passes, which allowed us to get into
two museums for free, and gave us unlimited travel on the subway for
three days. The Vatican is not officially part of Rome it is its own
sovereign state, so the pass didn’t work there, but since we were
students we paid a reduced price for admission. The full admission
price into the Vatican is fourteen euro, but if you get a student
discount it’s eight. The Vatican was huge. There were so many rooms
that housed works of art. In one of the rooms the walls were lined
with Tapestries. A few that I especially liked depicted the killing
of the innocents. This displayed the killing of children around the
time when Jesus was born. They were trying to find Jesus and kill
him,