31 May: Freckles and Bruises

Remember that emotional connection I was missing at the Acropolis? Well, I found it at the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion yesterday. After morning classes we drove out of Athens and up the coast, where we stopped at a small beach just south of the temple for an hour or so. Not to brag or anything, but I was the first student and the only girl to actually swim in the Aegean Sea during our time there, and it was absolutely amazing. The water was a bit cold, but swimming in this nearly deserted inlet with such astounding temple overlooking it was beyond words. After the beach time (and a sandy and awkward change of clothes in a very small bathroom) the group headed up to the Tempe of Poseidon. I took some pictures with everyone else, but eventually found a rock on the edge of the cliff to sit on while I read my guide book. I knew that Lord Byron had written a poem about Cape Sounion and carved his name in the ruins, but reading the lines “Place me on Sunium's marbled steep,/Where nothing, save the waves and I,/May hear our mutual murmurs sweep” while hearing those same waves really got to me in a way that I hadn’t yet experienced on this trip.  Part of it is that these ruins are absolutely beautiful, all marble and with the amazing backdrop of water on three sides. Also, this site had far fewer visitors than the Acropolis, making it much easier to find a quiet place to reflect on the history, power and beauty that emanate from the area. Sitting on that little rock with my skin still salty from the sea, I knew that the majesty I was experiencing was that the same that the ancient Greeks, Lord Byron and thousands of others had come to this place to find, and that was pretty cool.

Today we (happily) moved out of our hotel in Athens and drove to Nafplion, an adorable town in the Peloponnese. On the way we stopped at a few ruins, including the city of Corinth, and eventually checked into our new hotel. I could not be happier with my new temporary home! It’s a seven minute walk to the beach so I spent a happy hour swimming in the Mediterranean this afternoon. Unfortunately, once again I didn’t have much company in the water, and I just don’t understand  why these people are so averse to getting wet at the beach. Anyway, these two beach days have turned me into a freckly mess (even though I’m wearing sunscreen, I promise!) and I also got some nasty bruises on my legs from the rocks. My messed up knee started hurting today and it’s currently pretty swollen, so I’m taking a night off from adventuring to rest it and catch up on sleep. Although I’m pretty unattractive at the moment, I’m so excited to be here right now and am honestly more positive about this experience than I have been at any part of the trip so far.

29 May: Athens: Gods, Ruins, Gyros and Heroin

Yesterday morning began with a short bus ride to the Acropolis, where during our five hour stay we visited the Theatre of Dionysus, the temple of Athena Nike, the Erecthia and of course the Parthenon. I have mixed feelings about this trip. On one hand, I totally appreciate the historical, architectural and cultural value of the Parthenon, which is arguably one of the most recognized and important symbols in Western culture. It’s hard to look at the ruins and not be amazed at exactly how much this land has seen in its thousands of year of use. However, it’s also hard to feel any sort of connection with the place, spiritual or otherwise, when there are hundreds of tourists snapping pictures and dogs peeing on the ruins. I was impressed by the Parthenon but not awed by it, and I feel bad that I didn’t feel more as I stood in its shadow. 

After a five hour tour of the site and a two hour visit to the new Acropolis Museum, we returned to the hotel. I got directions to a Laundromat from our tour manager Sonia and set off, since it was supposed to be a five minute walk from the hotel. This brief excursion into the neighborhood around our hotel provided a saddening juxtaposition to the ancient Athens I had spent all day learning about. Less than two minutes into my walk I witnessed two men shooting was I’m assuming was heroin into their arms. As an admittedly naïve twenty one year old, I stood in shock as they stabbed their forearms, grimaced and threw the syringes in the street. I was disgusted, saddened and scared, and I quickly moved on from that area. I’m not sure why this upset me so much. We had been told that drugs were a huge problem with young Athenians, and I know that scenes like that occur every day all over the world, but seeing it happen fifteen feet away from me shook me in a way that my roommate noticed when I returned. (To top it all off, the Laundromat closed when I got there.)

Although we had class at 9 this morning, last night around half of the group decided to check out Athenian night life (far away from our sketchy neighborhood.) One of the most vivid memories I have of this trip far is of the 6’ 3” tall German born Felix attempting to dance with Greek locals, and being repeatedly denied. I chose to return on the Metro before it stopped running for the night, but a few of the students stumbled into the hotel at 8:15 this morning and had a rough time during our two classes today.

Our first significant period of free time occurred this afternoon, so most of the kids went to the Agora and an Athenian flea market to search for bargains (don’t worry everybody, I’m buying souvenirs for you!) I’m loving the group dynamic so far, although I didn’t anticipate being one of the oldest students on the trip. Most of our time in Greece is scheduled, so we’ll have lots of opportunities to get to know each other before we’re spread out in apartments around Rome. 

To my annoyance, one of the two bras I brought on this trip broke this afternoon, so I’ve been repeatedly poked with safety pins as I continue my search for a sewing kit. As inconvenient as pins may be, I just don’t think I’m up to undergarment shopping in Greek. =)

27 May: The Study Part is Less Fun than the Abroad Part

The all night bus/plane ride killed any hope that the week in England would prevent jet lag in Athens, so all the events of my first day and a half here are veiled by a haze of sleep deprivation. A slight consolation is that most everyone else was even more disoriented, and our round of introductions the first night revealed some hilarious travel stories. Justin had booked his flight using frequent flier miles and ended up with a 23 hour journey that took him to four different countries before Athens, and Katy scammed first class meals and gift bags off of a flight attendant her fellow travelers referred to as “the creepy old man.” As far as my flight goes, Taylor and I ended up sitting in the midst of twelve British dentists on their way to a bachelor (stag) party on the Grecian islands. I adored hearing them talk about how they had kidnapped the groom at 1 that morning and drove him to the airport with whatever he could grab. My seat mate told me they had even created a fake schedule of patients for their friend, which he thought was the best part of the ploy and made me think maybe I don’t understand dentist humor.

There’s a lot to adjust to in Greece, but by far the most difficult aspect is having three hours of class every morning. After our orientation meeting on Thursday night I went with some other kids to Monastiraki Square, where I ate the most amazing gyro while watching the sun set over the Acropolis. This surreal evening was brought to a halt when I realized I had pages and pages of reading to do for class the next morning, and in what I’m guessing will be a theme for this trip I had to drag myself away from Athens to go back to my room and read about it. 

Tonight all 47 students, 3 professors, 1 tour manager and 1 eleven year old (the daughter of two of our professors) visited a taverna and had a five course Greek dinner while watching musicians, singers and dancers. The event lasted over three hours, and I’m not exactly sure how to describe it. There was lots of food, lots of wine, lots of tourists and lots of group participation. When, at around the two hour mark, the 6’4” Mark was dancing on stage with two Asian women who couldn’t have been taller than 5 feet each I wasn’t sure whether we were having an amazing cross-cultural experience or had fallen into the biggest tourist trap in Athens. Regardless of its authenticity, the dinner was very fun and a good way to facilitate the group bonding that seems like it will be essential for such a long trip.

26 May: See ya later, London!

It’s 4:30 AM and I am on the bus to Heathrow. Our flight to Athens leaves at 6:50, so our bus journey began at 3 when we checked out of the hotel. We decided to make the most of our last night in London and go out for some late night fish and chips instead of sleeping, so a twenty minute power nap and my Johnny Cash playlist (right now I’m listening to “Bridge Over Troubled Water”) will have to keep me going until we get to our Athenian hotel this afternoon. I’m experiencing that peculiar feeling that seems to be exclusive to vacation and summer camp, where I feel like I’ve been here forever, but can’t believe my stay is over already. I feel amazingly at home in London, but it still seems like the week flew by. If this is what the rest of the trip is like, then homesickness won’t be a problem =)

Yesterday we mustered up a bit more touristyness and visited  London Eye and Westminster Abbey. I had skipped the Eye last time I was in London because of the price, but this time around I paid the eighteen pounds to ride it. Truthfully, I’m not sure if it was worth it since that view can be found from a number of towers and bridges in the area and I kept imagining the whole thing just breaking and falling into the river. However, I did enjoy watching a family who were sharing our pod with. The star of this group was the father, who had apparently gotten dressed that morning with the goal of looking as much like a stereotypical American tourist as possible. He had on (too short) kakhi pants with black socks and loafers, a golf course polo and a belt decorated with Texas flags, all topped off with a fanny pack and around-the-neck passport holder. My favorite moment came when he pointed out the Parliament buildings to his teenage son and daughter with the phrase “That’s their White House!” 

This man was very nice and we had a good time with his family, but I just kept thinking about how much I hoped I didn’t ooze “foreigner” as much as he did. While I’m sure that it’s painfully obvious I’m a tourist, I really have made an effort to be as low key as possible and not make a scene when I don’t get ice in my drink at restaurants (apparently that’s a purely American custom.) Other than to avoid getting robbed I’m not exactly sure why I’m so averse to being seen as a tourist, but for whatever reason I’d really like to fit in. At least I didn’t bring my American flag shirt.

I’m looking forward to meeting up with the rest of the group, although I don’t know too many of them very well. I’m mainly really nervous about the whole experience, but it’s too late to turn back now! I need to stop writing because this bus is making me sick, and I’d prefer not to make the flight to Athens covered in puke.

24 May: My First Time "Driving" in London

I have done a terrible job of writing about everything I’ve done in the past three days, so here’s a one sentence summary of some of the major events.

-          Saw Stomp at the Ambassadors Theatre: I loved this show, plus it was one of the cheapest at the half price ticket stand.

-          Toured the National History Museum: This was the museum I was least excited about, but it ended up being okay, despite the super creepy 9 foot tall fetus.

-          Ate at Pizza Express: I had heard about this place for a long time, plus I don’t often get to eat pizza with goat cheese on it!

-          Went to a traditional English pub: We didn’t meet any British people, but the four of us had a good time talking and eating fish and chips.

-          Saw Buckingham Palace: Okay, I was actually a little disappointed that it wasn’t more “castley,” but it was still really neat.

-          Walked through St. James’ Park: This was the fanciest park we’ve seen, which makes sense since it’s right outside the palace.

My two favorite activities of the last few days were not in any of our tourist books. Yesterday we went to walk through Hyde Park, but when we got there David said his feet hurt too much (apparently we hadn’t fed him enough at lunch) so we decided to take advantage of the bicycle rental kiosks. These self serve machines are all over London, and it’s free to use the bikes for 30 minutes. I ride my bike at home all the time so it really shouldn’t have been that fun, but it totally was! We spent about an hour riding the three-speeds through the park, and stopped at the Marble Arch and the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. There were quite a few near collisions when one of us would forget to ride on the left side of the path, but there were no injuries so I count my first time “driving” in London as a success. I also met an older couple from New Jersey who were attempting to ride the bikes, but couldn’t figure out how the hand brakes worked. This was simultaneously funny and terrifying.

My other favorite activity took place this morning. Today the boys wanted to see the Tower of London, but since Taylor and I had already seen it we took the day for some shopping on Oxford Street (!!!!!) I was very very excited about this and spent a good four hours looking around the shops. Now, please choose the category into which you fall and read only the appropriate passage.

-          People who are financially responsible for me: I was very good and mostly window shopped. I spent way less than Taylor and didn’t even buy anything at most of the stores. Also, the dress I bought was on sale!

-          People who are not financially responsible for me: I found a store with an entire fourth floor filled with shoes, and spent an hour and half trying them on. I ended up buying the most beautiful, impractical pair of leather heels and I’ve propped them up in the hotel room so I can stare at them. Tragically, my shopping came to an end when I realized I had 15 minutes until we were supposed to meet back in the hotel room, and I was still two tube rides and a mile walk away. We probably won’t have time for any more shopping in London, but I have high hopes for Greece.

Camera Update: The man at the camera repair shop said he’d have to order a part, so I put myself at his mercy and bought a refurbished camera from him, and prayed that I didn’t get ripped off. He seemed very nice and not like the type of guy who would take advantage  of a stupid tourist (especially one who looks like she’s twelve) but even if he did there’s nothing I can do about it at this point. Therefore, I am now the proud owner of a refurbished Canon with both British and Continental charging capabilities! (He told me the charger itself was international, so all I’ll have to do when I get back to the US is buy a new cord for it.) David has already spent a good deal of time pointing out why I should have bought a different one (he’s napping at the moment and will hopefully be less critical when he wakes up,) but I figure that if it takes pictures then it is good enough for me.

P.S. The only place I can find free wifi is the fourth floor fire escape stairwell, so that’s where I am!

22 May : “I’m not complaining, I’m just stating facts!”

Today has shown that despite being considerably past toddlerhood, we all get cranky when tired and/or hungry. The easiest way to illustrate this is by sharing the list I have been keeping of David’s complaints about London. Most of these came during our second hour in a museum or when we were waiting for food, so Eric, Taylor and I are learning to keep him well fed and rested for best results. I’m only brave enough to post it because he’s currently asleep, and he’ll probably be in a much better mood when he wakes up (I might have some food ready for him, just to be sure.)

 

1.      There are no freeways in London.

2.      People on the street don’t know how to take good pictures.

3.      There are not enough pigeons in Trafalgar Square.

4.      Everything opens too late and/or closes too early.

5.      There are not enough trash cans.

6.      Two of the tube stations are too hot and the rest of them are too cold.

7.      The weather is unpredictable.

8.      The restaurants not evenly spaced throughout the city.

9.      You have to pay 50p to use the bathroom on the street and in the tube stations.

10.  Westminster Abbey doesn’t look like it does on tv.

11.  There are no discounted tickets for The Lion King.

12.  Leicester Square is under construction.

13.  The weather in the summer is too cold.

14.  Waitresses won’t split checks.

15.  Not everywhere takes Visa.

16.  The streets are not straight and it’s hard to find the street signs.

17.  There are not enough girls.

18.  The size of the coins doesn’t correlate with their value.

That’s going to be all for tonight because I’m feeling a bit cranky myself, and I don’t want anyone to be keeping a list about me.

21 May: What's the Opposite of Jet Lag?

The lack of sleep from our night on the plane had the boys asleep by 6:oo PM last night and Taylor and I in bed by 8:00, so we were up and ready to go at 6:30 this morning. None of us really thought about how early it was for a weekend, so we headed off to Trafalgar Square  without seeing many other people out and about. It was only when we returned to the square later in the day that we realized how early we had been there, based on the number of people in our pictures versus the number in the square at 10:00 AM. All of our claims about not wanting to be touristy flew out of the window this morning, and fueled by British pastries and some sort of reverse jet lag we saw (and posed for photos in front of) Trafalgar Square, the Nelson Column, Big Ben, Parliament, the Themes, the London Eye and the National Gallery before 2:00 PM. My camera was also dropped and broken during this adventure, so I’m currently hunting for a shop in London to repair it, and taking pictures with my iPod in the meantime. 

Our early morning meant that we were all asleep again by 6:30 PM, but this time we woke up around 10 and headed out to experience some London nightlife. This didn’t go so well. We walked around for over an hour in search of Soho, and were left with nothing but very full bladders, which is when we learned the hard way that public bathrooms (sorry, loos) are hard to come by in London at night. We eventually found a coin operated toilet in an alley, but only had one 50p coin among us. At this point we were faced with the harrowing choice of all going in the single stall at once or squatting in the alley, and for the sake of my father’s reputation I will not reveal which we chose.

Although the bathroom adventure was definitely the highlight of the night, we eventually made our way to the oh-so-trendy club Metra, where the tall, blonde Taylor was immediately mobbed by men, one of whom kept saying he wanted to touch her elbows. 

Two buses and a very cold walk later we are back in the hotel and ready for sleep, and I will be mad if we’re up at 6:00 AM again tomorrow.

20 May: An Introduction

Today I arrived in London, the first stop on a six week journey that will end in Florence, Italy. One of the challenges I was presented with prior to leaving for this journey was to think about this experience the same way I would think about a good piece of fiction. As a lover of reading and not so much a lover of travel, this approach appealed to me, so I made a list of what comprises  a good piece of fiction, and maybe a good summer abroad. 

-          Characters: Round and flat, full and developed, main and supporting. People are important, as are what they do and say.

-          Setting: The events have to take place somewhere, and that place should be meaningful to what is happening.

-          Highs and Lows: Nonstop action is surprisingly boring. Nonstop boringness is, too.

-          Resolution: The story has to have an ending, or at least a “to be  continued.”

-          Meaning: Why does this event matter? How does it connect to the rest of the characters’ lives? How does it connect to the rest of the world?

So the metaphor isn’t perfect, but I like the idea of organizing this trip based on those categories, so here’s a brief introduction to the book Emily’s Adventures Abroad, and Why They are Important and Why You Should Care About Them (working title.)

-          Setting: A six week study abroad trip through Great Britain, Greece and Italy sponsored by Barrett, the Honors College.

-          Characters:

o   Emily (me!): A 21 year old soon to be college senior studying literature and education.

o   Taylor, David and Eric: Three students I am spending a week in London with prior to the official start of the program in Athens.

o   43 other students: Fellow Barrett students who begged, borrowed or stole enough money to pay for airfare and summer tuition.

o   Professors: Dr. Lynch, Dr. Scott and Dr. Bruhn, Barrett professors who have chaperoned this program many times before.

-          Plot: To be determined.