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elirrina
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Name: Sarah Catherine
Birthday: 6/14/1981
Interests: The Middle Ages, Middle Earth, History, Art, Art History, Reading, Dancing, Ukraine, Russia, Russian
Message: message me
Member Since:
8/6/2004
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| Changes...Just in case you missed it, I've switched journals. You can read about me, if you so wish, at this page. Sorry, I just got tired of updating both.
However, the real reason for this entry to is to update anyone who missed it -- I'm going to be moving back to America mid-July to try something new. (That is, not teaching). So I hope to see some of you soon! | | |
| ATHENS & SANTORINIor, In Which I Bask in the Sun, History, and Nearly Kill Someone
Note: I don't think I'm going to be updating this journal very much any more. You can still read about me semi-regularly at this page.
Greece was wonderful. I basked in the sunshine and history, and went wading in the Sea of Crete. As this will probably be a long entry, I'll divide it into sections of some sort. Furthermore, I've put about a third of the pictures I took into this entry, so they should actually be viewable this time around.
Janelle, a friend from Prague, was teaching a two-weekend class about something very official relating to business in Athens, so over my Spring break, I flew down to see her. It turned out that the university had put her up in a hotel right next to the Acropolis, which was also right next to Plaka -- the historic and pedestrian district, where my hostel was. Athens is great, as long as you're only there for a day or two. That's pretty much all the time you need to see the historic sites, and after that, the city isnit much to look at. From the Acropolis, where you can clamber around (the outside of) the Erechthion and Parthenon, you can see the city: white and gray concrete buildings sprawled around in the valleys of Attica's really gorgeous mountains. Happily, there are a few parks. On the other hand, Athens has orange trees planted all over, and I adore the scent of orange trees! I saw oranges, limes, lemons and figs on the fruit trees; there were also palm trees and trees blooming with lavender flowers of some sort. There are tiny Byzantine churches hiding throughout the modern city, and they pop up unexpectedly. Finally, it was sunny every day but one that we were in Greece, and green, and that was very welcome after Prague, where it has been raining nearly every day for a month.
The food is very good, if you like Greek food (which I do). Plaka fortunately has a number of restaurants, and unfortunately a number of souvenir stalls. There are these blue glass beads and ovals for sale all over the place: a dark blue oval surrounding a white circle, which surrounds a light blue circle, with a black dot at the center -- wards against the evil eye! Apparently the evil eye is blue. I was getting over my cold and had a horrible cough at the beginning of the week. While Janelle and I were walking down one of the streets, I had just expressed the sentiment that I was going to die in Greece (at least it's an exciting place to die!) This guy on the side of the street, probably one of the vendors, said "hello!" Since the Greeks all seem so nice, I didn't want to be completely rude (which I am in Prague, but then, so is everyone else), and I said "hi" back while walking past. Then, however, he exclaimed in broken English, "Your eyes! They kill me!" Or something to that extent. Janelle pointed out that, if I was going to die, at least I was taking someone else with me! Then she also decided that all those evil eye wards are against me, or blue-eyed people like me. Thanks, Janelle!
After a day of sight-seeing, we headed to Pireaus port to catch the island ferry! If you ever get the chance to go to the Greek islands, take it! I loved Thira, and would definitely go back again. Actually, if I got the chance to go back to Greece, I'd rather go see some of the other island groups, but Thira was so gorgeous, that I'd definitely see it again. We stayed in a hotel in Fira, the island's capital. It's a very touristy town, but since it's not tourist season yet, it wasn't too crowded. Also, when we took the bus to Kamari, we found out that that town was pretty much closed. We had trouble finding anything to eat when we went there to see the volcanic beach! That bus ride was exciting: two different loads of kids got on and off at various stops. Apparently the bus we took (a tourist-coach-style one) served as the school bus, along with its job of public transportation. You could get anywhere on the island by bus in about fifteen minutes from Fira. At Kamari, we did go wading. I thought the water was alright; Janelle decided it was too cold. The sand was actually little black volcanic rocks that had been worn smooth, and down into various sizes, getting smaller as you got closer to the water. We also took the bus out to the town of Oia in the north of the island, which was gorgeous, and not touristy (meaning that every building was NOT a shop or restaurant).
Thira used to be a circular island, but in something like the 1600s BC, its volcano erupted, and split it into a series of islands. The main island is now a sickle shape, and across the caldera to the west, you can see the volcanic island, which is still active. Almost all of the buildings on the island are whitewashed, and the villages are built up on top of each other on the hillsides. The buildings are connected by a series of little streets and stairways leading up and down in this Escher-like maze. If you look back at the villages, they look like little barnacle formations growing on the brown-green islands. The water and sky are gorgeous blues.
The day we had to take the ferry back to Athens, the taxi driver who picked us up to take us to the port turned out to be the same one who'd brought us up to Fira. I don't think he recognized us; the reason we knew it was him was by his sweater -- it was green, with black and brown lines all over it that made him look like a walking map.
Taxi Driver: You like the island?
Me: Very much!
Janelle: We don't want to leave!
Taxi Driver: So stay!
The ferry takes seven to nine hours between Athens and Thira. It took us seven going, and nine returning, and the ferry stops at a series of islands. The ferryboat was enormous, and comfortable, but not comfortable enough for nine hours! Especially since we left Thira at 4:30 pm and didn’t arrive in Athens until 2:30 am. Such is life. At least the orange trees were waiting for us.
While waiting to check in at the Athens International Airport, I discovered that it houses a museum! The site where the airport is had been a farming community, and so some "emergency rescue digging" had to be done before the airport was built. That turned up a whole lot of pottery: the exhibit included some burial amphorae, remnants of a pottery workshop, a bunch of coins, the remains of a Byzantine church, and the replica of a sphinx statue that I had seen on display in the National Archeological museum.
And finally, pictures!
(or, Why I need to move to a Greek Island)
Janelle at the Acropolis
me, and Lykavittos Hill in the background. I don't think there are wolves there anymore. There are, however, a lot of stray dogs and cats roaming Athens.
yes, I am a dork. That's the remains of the Temple of the Olympian Zeus.
Thira!
The beach at Kamari
Back in Fira
Back in Athens
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| Ok, ITALY! I had such a great week. It’s only a two hour flight from Prague to Rome -- so much more comfortable than flying across the Atlantic! Unfortunately for my father, he had to do just that. Even more sad for my mother: she had to stay home and work. I met my father in the Fimicino airport, and we immediately took the train from Rome to Florence. I decided I much prefer the Italian name for Florence -- Firenze. It just looks more interesting. The train ride only lasts an hour and a half, and it’s gorgeous -- the country side just looks like sterotypical Italy: some small farms, towns on top of hills and cypress trees. Also palm trees. The weather was stellar as well -- sunny nearly every day, and apparently about as cold as it gets in Italy -- somewhere in the 40s or 50s F. When we arrived in Florence, we dragged our things something like 10 blocks to the pension, which turned out to be the wrong one, and no one was there. It turns out there are three pensions run by the same people, and two of them with the same name are on the same street. Happily that got sorted out relatively quickly.
The next day we just walked all over Florence to see what it was like. You can see what it looks like (I hope)here! On the second day we went took a walking tour, ate gelato, and went to see the outdoor sculptures at the Palazzo Vecchio. That didn’t take nearly as long as we expected, so then we went to see more art at the Galerie dell’ Academia (where Michelangelo’s David is). While we were there, some sort of alarm kept going off. Dad and I couldn’t see what the trouble was, but then the museum ended up closing early, which may or may not have been related to the alarms. On the third day we checked out the Duomo and Baptistry (where Dante saved a kid from drowning, squeeeeeee!) And then, since art was one of my majors, I dragged Dad off to the Uffizi. I thought the Boticelli paintings were great; Dad wasn’t as impressed. (I also saw a portrait of Matthias Corvinus hanging under a ceiling fresco of Hecate with all of her bats and owls and was terribly amused).
So then it was back to Rome! This was really a whirlwind tour. When we got into the hotel in Rome, Maria Rosa, the woman in charge pulled out a map and showed us exactly what we needed to see, how to get there on foot, warned us against pickpockets (we didn't get pickpocketed. I kept making Dad put his money in an inner coat pocket, with a zipper), and whipped out a grocery store advert to show us what sort of food to buy, and where to buy it. Then she gave us our room key. She was really friendly, and mildly horrified that we were only in Rome for two days.
So once we managed to shed the luggage, we took off on a walking tour of Rome and got to see all the ancient Roman stuff, which made me ecstatic! The Colosseum, Forum, Palatine Hill, Constantine’s arch, someone’s pillar (I should know whose, we studied it in medieval art history...) and the Pantheon. We also wandered over to Trevi fountain (Dad was not impressed) and the Spanish steps (I was not impressed).
Dad, at the Forum: If I were going to buy a pagan temple, I’d buy one of these, with solid marble pillars. Not like those ones in Florence where it’s only a thin layer of marble.
The next day we went to the Vatican museums and St. Peter’s. What can I say? It was a wonderful trip!
Dad also kept trying to make me eat protein, which was pretty funny. Sadly, he never adjusted from jetlag, since he was only traveling for eight days. (Italy’s in the same time zone as Prague -- I got to sleep in!) So he couldn’t sleep, but he did manage to stay awake during the day. Also, every morning he’d start humming Dean Martin songs! (Apparently he thinks he should be Italian).
And finally, other news I told my students today: I’m moving back to America at the end of the school year. *sigh*
PS- Thank you, Mindy, for letting me use your internet! | | |
| back!
Italy was stellar! Once I collect my thoughts and download my pictures, I'll write more about it. For now: Florence was lovely, and I got to see all sorts of great art there. Rome was fun, and I enjoyed seeing all the ancient bits, like the Forum, Colosseum, and Pantheon (I flip out about historical sites). I saw Good Morning America being filmed in Florence, but didn't know what it was until some New Yorkers who follow the Olympics around told me. The weather was wonderful and sunny for all but one day.
(Internet problems are continuing, so until further developments, I'm only updating my livejournal. Apparently I have to take my modem to Cesky Telekom...) | | |
| Three posts in one!
Unfortunately, I'm still having internet issues. One of the weirdnesses is that I can update my livejournal with very short entries, but not my xanga journal. So now that I'm at school, here are my last few entries.
New Travel Conclusions
It seems like everyone I know (here) is going to Budapest constantly, or has been there already. And while the report is that it's like a larger, not-as-friendly Prague, I sort of feel like I need to go, because of peer pressure. Or something. And also, as a good graduate of St. Olaf's Russian department, I think I should see the Communist Statue Cemetary.
So, my conclusion is that I'm going to Italy, I'll get to Greece over Spring Break (Alan, any news? Can you come??), and then before school ends, I have two weekends in May, so I could conceivably get to Istanbul on one, and maybe Budapest on the other. Or I could drag my brother along when he visits. (Because you are coming, right?) And then in the summer?? Who knows...
Yay!
Oh yeah - after being ill for a month and a half, I'm getting better!
Dad is bringing me apple butter! I haven't had that in ages! And my Mom is sending me a Valentine's Day package!
Cesky Telekom says they're still working on my internet...
Botheration
Last night I baby-sat and the mother didn't get home until 11, which means that after riding the metro home, I didn't get back til 11:30, then I got up at 6:35 for the first day of our new semester. That means we have a new schedule for the 6th and 7th graders, and they've already decided they hate it, even though it means shorter classes for them.
The high school history class finished reading the Odyssey and all but two of them liked it better than the Iliad. Now we're taking a break to watch O Brother, Where art Thou? So that will be a nice break.
Italy in 6 days! Eeeee! | | |
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