Ports, Psirri and Pops

Friday
We spent the morning exploring Pireaus, the port of Athens. We walked to the three different harbors and the city got increasingly beautiful the further along we got. The first harbor, where all the ferries come in, is pretty grungy. On our walk to the other two we saw remains of shipsheds and arsenals and visited the Pireaus Archaeological Museum. It's pretty hilarious, and a bit sad, but most of the remains now have condos on top of them. To see the arsenal we had to walk into a parking garage, and to see one of the ship sheds we peered through dirty glass windows beneath an apartment building.

Tomb, Pireaus Museum

The last harbor was lined with fancy restaurants that I would definitely take my parents to (well, I would have my parents take me to) if they were visiting :). One of the restaurants reminded me of an I Spy book...

Cute restaurant

Last night a group of us went to a Taverna in our neighborhood for dinner. Afterwards I went into the city with a few friends and sat on the giant rock near the Akropolis (whose name I can't remember) and enjoyed the beautiful view of Athens at night. The Akropolis was completely lit up and spectacular. Plus you could see the moon and some stars, which was completely unexpected given the smog that covers Athens. I was also surprised at the lack of light pollution. Yes, there were lights throughout the city, but in general the buildings keep their lights off--for example, in our apartment, the light in the stairwell is not always on, but there's a button on each floor to press that turns the lights on for about 20 seconds. What a novel, energy saving concept...why not jump on the bandwagon, U.S.?

Saturday
This morning I went to synagogue (well...I slept in, took my time getting ready and missed services), but I went to Chabad for lunch which was lovely. There weren't as many guests as the last time I was there but I still enjoyed it a lot. There were two other American women, both from New York (no surprise there). One was here for archaeological purposes and the other is a food blogger who is exploring Athens for the weekend before heading to one of the islands for a weeklong cooking course! So exciting, interesting and fun to chat with her :) If you're interested: http://kitchenconundrum.com/

Went out to a bar in Psirri in the evening. I love that neighborhood!

Sunday
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!
Got my dad a Dhani Jones Michigan bow tie. Other gifts included a new Tilly hat and a seltzer maker (that looks like a penguin!)

Dad

Slept in :) and worked on my paper for most of the day, then finally made it to the traditional Greek dance performance after getting mildly lost.

I hate Sundays...or at least Sundays filled with school work...I thought this was summer?Papers? What is this nonsense?

The dance performance was interesting though. The costumes and moves were silly but it was fun!

Traditional Greek Dance

Lesson of the Day
Greeks don't share beer. You order a liter and they bring it out in a gigantic mug.

Photo of the Day
Why is my smile crooked? The beer is still full...

Mach's Auf Deine Weisse!

The Count

Glasses of wine drinken: 101
Archaeological museums visited: 9 in Greece, 1 in Italy
Liters of bier drinken: 4.75, give or take
Photos taken: 3201

Tomorrow

• Back to the Agora for a special tour by one of the archaeologist working on the excavations as well as the author of many of the books we use for class, John Camp
• Finishing my paper

Lazy Sunday

Today

Biggest thunderstorm ever. I think someone is dumping buckets of water on my balcony. It's a good excuse to be have a lazy day though and catch up on some blogging and reading :)

Friday

National Archaeological Museum, Day 2. I really am learning a lot--I like being able to recognize mythological gods and characters based on what they're wearing, holding or doing. I still haven't seen all of the museum but I've enjoyed what I have seen. My favorite from Friday was the bronze room, especially the display the sculpture-making process. See, I still like processes!!

Bronze statue making process

In the afternoon I did some shopping with my roommates. We walked down Ermou to the market, then back through Plaka on the way home. Finally bought some sunglasses, got fresh fruits and veggies and a pair of fun island pants! Friday night I laid low and went to bed early because I had to be up at 7 AM on Saturday.

New pants!

Saturday

Peloponnesian adventure with Fushia!

We left from Athens in the morning and drove to the Corinth Canal for a brief photo opportunity, coffee stop and bathroom break. The Corinth Canal separates the Peloponnese from the mainland of Greece, connecting the Saronic Gulf with the Gulf of Corinth in the Aegean Sea. We are going back to this area and visiting the town of Corinth with class this week.

Corinth Canal

We then continued on to Epidaurus, where we visited The Ancient Theater of Epidaurus, famous for it's acoustics. The theater was designed in harmony with the wind patterns, so that the wind blows from the stage to the audience. There is also an (imaginary) isosceles triangle formed from various lines of the amphitheater inside which voices carry most effectively: you can hear someone speaking with a regular voice inside this triangle from the top row of the theater. Epidaurus is also well known for it's medical center, the remains of which still remain. It was interesting to see the ancient hospital floor plan with separate rooms and waiting areas with benches. The serpent medical symbol is called "The Serpent of Epidaurus on the staff of Aesculapius" because Auesculapius was the god in Epidaurus and serpents were held sacred to him.

Theater of Epidaurus

Next we drove to Nafplio for a much too brief stop. We literally pulled into a parking lot, took some photos, then got back on the bus. I would've liked to explore the town more because it was absolutely beautiful: right on the water with a castle in the sea and a fortress on a nearby mountain. I guess I'll just have to come back :)

Castle in the water, Nafplio

After the brief stop we continued on to Mycenae. Just before we got to the site, we stopped for a lunch of moussaka, greek salad and lamb. Not as good as the lunch I had on the organic Tuscan farm when I did my tour of Tuscany, but it was still nice. After lunch we toured the ancient citadel and then went to The Tomb of Agamemnon. This was my favorite view of Greece so far. I may have said that about Delphi on Thursday, but this was better. We walked through The Lion's Gate to the top of the citadel and explored the remains. Some of the other students on my program had gone to Mycenae last weekend and they told us to bring a flashlight and go down in the cistern. Of course when we got to the cistern, we realized we had left our flashlight on the bus :( We went down a little but it was pitch black, terrifying and smelled like pee...so we gave up rather quickly. On our way back down from the top we ran into a random guy (who looks like Waldo) we had seen touring Delphi on Thursday...what are the chances?? Then we went down the street to one of the many claimed Tombs of Agamemnon. This specific one is where they found the mask of Agamemnon, which is now in the National Archaeological Museum here in Athens.

Lion's Gate, Mycenae

Inside the Tomb of Agamemnon, Mycenae

Next we made a quick stop at a handmade pottery store for those who wanted to buy souvenirs. I have no extra space in my suitcase so resisting the urge to buy things is surprisingly easy. Then it was back to Athens!

Once back at our apartment, Fushia and I had some re-coop time for Facebook, e-mail, Skype, relaxing and eating dinner. After a few hours of rejuvination, we ventured into the center to the neighborhood of Psirri, which we had never been to but had heard good things about. It was so fun! Psirri is typically described as the "Soho" of Athens and I loved it. The streets were lined with cafes, bars and kitschy shops. A friend of mine had suggested we go to a place called Beer Academy and we had looked up how to get there before leaving the apartment, but managed to forget all the street names and just walk around aimlessly. Just as we felt like we were leaving the main area of Psirri and were thinking "Okay, well now what?" we looked up and there was Beer Academy!

We got in a little over our heads and ordered a 1-meter beer sampler. It was excellent, though. The weather was really mild and we sat outside chatting and people watching for 2-3 hours. :)

Before

After

Photo of the Day

Asian trying to help keep our tour guide out of the sun

Lesson of the Day
I love the diverse terrain of Greece. There's green farmland, rocky mountains and the sea all in one glance.

View from Mycenae

The Count
Glasses of wine drinken: 93
Bus tours taken: 2
Number of times found Waldo: 2
Meters of bier drinken: 1
Photos taken: 3003

Sunday and Monday
Not so sure what's on tap for the rest of the weekend. We don't have class tomorrow because it's some holiday related to Pentecost and Jesus or something. I would like to try to go to a nearby beach and maybe the Jewish museum as well.

It finally stopped raining but I need a lazy day. This week has been so action-packed, I'm in the mood for some down time. I think I will read and maybe go out to dinner tonight.

Finally feeling truly settled here in Athens and liking it.