My Parisian Adventure

I just got back from an absolutely wonderful weekend in arguably the most beautiful city in the entire world- Paris. The trip was especially special because I would be staying with fellow Dukie/Alpha Phi Meredith at her host mother's apartment (so not only would I be in Paris, but also an actual Parisian apartment, I thought this was really cool).

Friday: I left Friday mid afternoon, and luckily my flight was on time without any glitches. I arrived in Paris around 6pm. The landing was wonderful, because you fly within a great few of the Eiffel Tower...I was officially in Paris! To make things even better, Meredith was waiting for me the moment I got off the plane. We then hoped on a bus and made our way to central Paris. The first thing we did was go to her apartment to drop of my bags. She has the most adorable apartment, and has quite a spacious room to herself. Not a bad deal. We then decided to get dinner at an Italian restaurant called "Little Italy." It was great to catch up over some French wine and delicious spaghetti bolognese. I loved being in an amazing little restaurant, as people spoke French around me (I think it is the most beautiful language). After gaining ten pounds, we decided to walk back to her neighborhood. Along the way I soaked up the beauty of Paris, before arriving at an AMAZING crepe place called Crepes du Marche (french must have food number one). It simply sells crepes with just about every topping you can imagine. Plus, Paris is the crepe capital of the world, and therefore = DELICIOUS. I can't even begin to tell you how tasty it was (I got an orange crepe, which according to a reliable source is the original flavor). We then decided to go back to the apartment to relax, because the next couple of days were to be very packed.

Saturday: We woke up around 9:30 so we could get in a full day. However, the first thing I did was meet Meredith's extremely nice and kind host mother. I was quickly greeted with cheek kisses and a hug. As a treat I had brought Greek Christmas pastries, although sadly they got a bit smashed on the plane. Luckily, her host mother seemed to like them nonetheless (at least from what I could tell, she obviously spoke in French). For breakfast we went to a local bakery and got chocolate croissants, amazing! Our first stop of the day was the famous Pere Lachaise Cemetery, arguably the most famous cemetery in the entire world. It was a perfect day to visit a cemetary because the sky was a bit grey and there was a fairly strong wind, also the leaves were changing colors and gracefully falling on the ground. We visited the graves of Victor Hugo, Chopin, Jim Morrison, Gertrude Stein, and Oscar Wilde. It is tradition to kiss the grave of Oscar Wilde for good luck and is therefore entirely covered in kisses. After a beautifully spooky experience, we hoped on the metro and headed towards the Concord area. Our second stop was the elegant tea house Angeline. Being in a tea house filled with women with fur coats, fancy deserts, and waiters in black ties speaking french definitely makes you feel like you are in Paris. I got the most amazing salad of avocado and foie gras (french most have food number two), house tea, and their signature desert. It was just wonderful. Our next stop was the famous Musee d'Orsay, where we met up with Meredith's friend Leslie who goes to Emory. It holds the most incredible collection of impressionist works of art, including some of my favorite Van Goghs and Monets. It is one of those museums where you walk into a room and you are surrounded by famous works of art. It also has the "Whistler's Mother," one of the few American works in the museum. It also had a special exhibit on art nouveau which was really great. As the sun began to set, we walked to St. Chapelle and Notre Dame. Sadly, St. Chapelle was under construction, so it is on the top of my list for my next visit to Paris. After standing beneath some of the most famous buildings in the world, we decided to metro up to the beautiful city of Montemartre (it is the bohemian town where Moulin Rouge takes place, and is on the highest hill in Paris). It is just beautiful. The town is filled with beautiful stores, houses, and cafes. At the very top is the stunning basilica Sacre Coeur. When we walked in, a choir was singing a beautifully haunting song, and the basilica itself is just stunning. It was one of those surreal experiences you will always remember. After soaking up the intricate beauty of the basilica, we walked outside and was greeted by a rowdy crowd listening to a guitarist on the steps. Everyone was drinking and singing along to the music. Since we had a few minutes before dinner, we decided to join in (my favorite were the Bob Marley songs). After a bit of singing, we walked down the hill to dinner. Meredith had decided to take me to a fondue place called Refugee du Fondue, and let me tell you, it was quite the experience. The restaurant only consists of two long tables, so you have to get there to moment it opens or you will have to wait for a very long time. In order to get to the other side of the table you have to hop over because all the tables are touching and you can't get around. Also, it is a set menu in which you get an apertif, fondue, desert, and wine....served in a BABY BOTTLE. Yes, this is true. Also, I was very happy that Molly could meet us for dinner, so that was especially nice. It was probably one of the most entertaining and memorable dining experiences I have had in quite some time. After dinner, we all decided to go bar hoping around the center of Paris. The night resulted in a lot of fun, and was therefore a perfect ending to my first full day in Paris.

Sunday: Was time for me to go to one of my favorite places in the entire world...THE LOUVRE. I woke up around 9:30am, got a chocolate croissant, and was on my way. Meredith had to study for a French test, so I was on my own Louvre adventure. I must say I get so giddy and happy when at the Louvre. I probably took a million pictures of the glass pyramids and the beautiful buildings that make up the Louvre. Honestly, walking through the Louvre at my own pace while listening to my ipod was one of the most enjoyable experiences. I saw the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Virgin of the Rocks, Nike of Samothrace, tomb of Pillipe Pot, and much much more (will post pictures of the highlights later). I got there around 11:30 and was there until 3, which just about shows you how crazy big it is and how many wonderful works of art is has. My favorite wing by far (there are three), is the Denon wing which holds the Mona Lisa. After dominating the beauty of treasures of the Louvre, I walked through the park towards the Champs d'Elysess to meet Meredith. It was an especially cute walk because the city was getting ready for Christmas by putting up numerous Christmas villages. I smoothly met up with Meredith, and then we were off to the most famous street in Paris. Quite the experience! Filled with top notch shops, famous cafes, and great people watching, and ended with the Arc de Triomphe. For our last stop, we went to the Eiffel Tower, which was perfect because the sun was just starting to set. We sat and enjoyed the beauty of the tower for about an hour. We also looked at the menu for the new fancy fancy restaurant on top of the tower (where an appetizer along is 60 euros). I think the tower is most beautiful at night, because it appears to be glowing in the sky. Simply stunning. We then headed back to Meredith's apartment where we got dinner at a bistro called L'autre Cafe a couple blocks away. I got escargot (third must have French food), and an amazzzzzing cheeseburger, so so good. It was an incredible last dinner in Paris. We then sadly headed back to relax since I had to leave early the next morning to go back to Athens.

Paris was incredible. It really is the most beautiful city, and there is so much to do! Plus, I had an amazing hostess. **photos of Paris to be posted shortly**

This week is a bit busy with a paper and a Greek test, but more importantly Thursday I'm taking the girl I tutor (along with my roomies) to see New Moon! I am beyond excited. yayyy New Moon with Greek subtitles! And this weekend, I'm hosting three Dukies (Meredith, Austin, and Kathryn), so it should be a lovely weekend.

only one month left in Athens....home December 16th.

I miss you all so much.
lovelovelove,
Erin

-comments welcome :)

Photos from the Marathon, Beyonce, Delphi, and the Duke invasion

Here are some photo highlights from the past weekend. All of them are on facebook, so you can check them out.

Beyonce. She was incredible
Laura with her Mythos after the Marathon. Yes, she ran 26 miles. SO PROUD
A guy finishing the marathon with his little girl over his shoulders. adorable.
The winner running to the finish line
Duke loves at dinner in Kolonaki
Delphi
Protests in the city

Duke Invades Athens, Laura runs a marathon, rallies take form, & Beyonce puts a "ring on it"

Last week I got to experience "political Athens" first hand. As I was walking home from class last week I stumbled upon a huge protest. Apparently the government fired hundreds of interns (being an intern is considered more a job here, but for very little pay), so many Athenians were in an uproar. Hundreds of policemen were on guard too. It was quite a bit intense.

Tutoring has become very rewarding. Last week we worked on an English essay, and the solar system (I work with her on the most random topics). In a week I'm taking her to the premiere of New Moon, I can't wait. She got really excited. To get her pumped up I gave her the soundtrack of New Moon.

This past weekend was wonderful. Duke invaded Athens (part one). Michael, Jackie, and Grace, who are all studying in Madrid this semester, decided to come to Athens. I was thrilled.

Friday: After class, I met up with them for dinner. Was so great seeing them. Because they got caught trying to put three people in a two person room, Jackie stayed with me (which was a happy surprise). We got dinner at the Fillipou Taverna in Kolonaki (the same one I took my mom too). It was delicious. I got the highly recommended lemon chicken. I loved telling them all about Greek food, culture, and a little bit of the language. Afterwards, we went to one of the funky little bars in Kolonaki. The bar was playing amazing music, which is always a great plus. After catching up for a couple hours, we decided to call it quits for the night, because they had a packed day of touring and I had my school trip to Delphi.

Saturday: Was the last field trip I would have with CYA (we went to Delphi). One of the most famous sites in mainland Greece. The bus ride was three hours each way, so a bit of a hike. The small town outside of Delphi was also adorable, highly recommend it if traveling in the area. The site itself was quite pretty. We saw the famous theater, treasuries, and the gymnasium. The Delphi museum was also really nice. I also got to see the famous Charioteer of Delphi (yay art history 69). Once back in Athens I took a very enjoyable nap before meeting up with Duke loves to go out to the Gazi (dance club/bar district of Athens). We bar hoped to about 4 different places, the music was also great (all of our favorite european/greek music was played). At about 3ish we decided to head back because another big day was planned....the marathon a Beyonce!

Sunday: It was finally Marathon day for Laura. She woke up around 6 am, to get to the meeting place for all the runners. The race began at 9am. Emily and I got up around 10am, so we could see the winners come in. They run 26 miles in a little over 2 hours!! Isn't that surreal? We got the the olympic stadium (the one by my school) just in time to see the top runners come in (all of them were Kenyan). It was incredible to see them. Their running is so fluid and beautiful, and it looked like they weren't even sweating. Watching the marathon was one of the most amazing experience. I really think that marathons bring out the best in people. Everyone was cheering and being so nice to one another. I got to watch people accomplish one of their biggest goals. I watched as couples finished holding hands, mothers and fathers carrying their children over their shoulders across the finish line, people in costumes, and much much more. It was incredible. Pure happiness and joy on the people finishing. Five people from my school ran it. One guy named Mike, ran it super fast, really impressive. Laura, my roommate came in a little over 5 hours in. We got SO excited when we saw her enter the stadium, such a great feeling. She lit up when she saw us, it was so sweet. I couldn't be more proud of her. After we found Laura and gave her tons of hugs, we all went back to the apartment to rest. Later that night I met up with Duke friends to head to the new olympic stadium for the BEYONCE concert. She was incredible. She has one of the most amazing voices ever. She played all of her top songs (she has so many of them), and even did a Sarah Mclachlen and Alanis Morissete cover. She did a beautiful version of Ave Maria as well. She did an "At Last" tribute to Obama (the song she sang at his inaugural ball), and sung "Halo" in honor of Michael Jackson. Also, at the very end she struck the pose of the famous discus thrower statue, the crowd went wild. It was one of the best concerts. We then took a taxi back and passed out.

Monday: Today I sadly had class for most of the day, but after class I met up with Michael, Jackie, and Grace for dinner in Kolonaki. As a treat they paid for my dinner, which I thought was beyond thoughtful of them. It was so great having Duke friends come to visit. I'm so excited for Meredith, Austin and Kathryn to come in two weeks. Unfortunately, today I found out that my Greek cooking class is canceled for the rest of the semester. I'm really bummed. My cooking instructor canceled for personal reasons, so no idea what happened. Oh well :(

This weekend I'm going to Paris! Another adventurous weekend. Hope everyone is doing well. I miss you!

Love always,

Erin

Pictures of Shanghai

Me in front of the Expo 2010 mascotYu Garden
Beautiful building in the Yu Garden
view of the teahouse next to the garden
Farmer's Market
Modern Art Museum- can you see the faces in the towels?
Nanjing Dong Lu
Calligraphy at Shanghai Museum
View from the World Financial Center-looking down upon skyscrapers
the famous Pearl Tower

Shanghai-An Experience Lost in Translation

Last week I got to have the experience of visiting a country everyone is always curious to visit-China. It was by far one of the most interesting, and different places I have been to for obvious reason, but also for the not so obvious.

Saturday/Sunday: I left two Saturdays ago for China. My flight from Athens was at 2:30 pm on Saturday, and I arrived in Shanghai at 3pm the next day. My trip there was pretty uneventful. My connection was in Amsterdam which wasn't too bad because the airport there is beyond nice. It had a sushi bar at every terminal, so it automatically won me over. My flight from Amsterdam to Shanghai was especially uneventful because I slept the entire flight (was exhausted from the Peloponnese trip). I was only awake for about an hour and a half, therefore I was very refreshed when I got there. Customs was actually quite simple, although I quickly realized that everyone around me was wearing masks because of H1N1 (welcome to China). Once I got through customs, my mom was eagerly waiting for me at the exit. I was really happy our rendezvous went smoothly (my mom obviously was on a separate flight from the states). Our first adventure was to take the fastest train in the world to the center of the city called the Maglev. The train goes up to 400 km per hour, which is crazy. The train actually hovers above the track with some super high tech magnetic force (sounds super space age to me). The ride was unbelievable. All of a sudden everything outside the window turns into a barely clear blur. The trip itself is only 7 minutes, because, well, it goes super fast obviously. After the train, we hoped in a taxi to our hotel. We stayed at the Pudong Shangri-La in the business district of Shanghai. The people at the hotel definitely showed Asian hospitality. Our hotel room had a nice view of the river that goes through the city, and we were even served a pot of tea which I loved. After refreshing and a bit of unpacking we decided to go to one of the hotel's many restaurants. For our first night we decided to eat at the Shanghainese/Cantonese restaurant called Gui Hua Lou. I wanted to try everything. I decided upon salted duck for an appetizer and curried prawns for my main. It was very good. We then decided to go to the famous bar at the top floor of the hotel called Jade on 36. It was a great place to spend the end of our first day because the bar has an amazing view of the city's skyline. The architecture is so futuristic, it looks like the buildings are from the 22nd century. Shanghai rivals Las Vegas with its lights. Not only are things lit up, but they are flashing and changing colors every second. It is quite a wild scene at night. After soaking up the beauty of the night, we were beyond tired and fell asleep before goodnights were even said.

Monday: Was a packed day. Free breakfast buffet came with our room, and it was probably the best thing that has ever happened in the world of buffetness. It was incredible. There was a Japanese breakfast station, America, Malaysian, Dim Sum breakfast, Chinese, etc. Basically a station for every region of the world. My favorite was the pork buns in the Dim Sum station, and the Japanese station where I got teriyaki cold salmon with rice and seaweed "to go" packets (had only had them once before in San Francisco, so good). I was a very happy camper. After stuffing our faces we started on our day. We decided to go to the Bun Sightseeing tunnel, which is literally a little tram in a tunnel that goes under the river connecting the two main sides of the city. One the way there, however, we saw Hooters. Yes, communist China has Hooters. Anywho, the Bund sightseeing is basically a mini Disneyland/light show/super Asian extravaganza. The tunnel is filled with blow up creatures, and a crazy light display. If you have ever seen the original Willy Wonka, it is just like "ride" they take around the chocolate factory. When we arrived on the other side, we decided to walk along the Bund (which an upscale strip along the water). We went to numerous art galleries, and checked out the various super nice restaurants and bars that make up the Bund. We then walked the an area called "Old China." This is where the picturesque Chinese buildings are which are stunningly beautiful. In the main square we learned that Shanghai is going to host the world expo in 2010. The city was under a bit of construction getting ready for it. The mascot is this Gumby like creature named Haibao (he can be seen all over the city). We then went to the Yu Garden, one of the most famous Chinese gardens in the city. While waiting in line however we saw a guy wearing a UVA hat, turns out he actually went to William and Mary and now lives in Beijing. Small world. We also saw a guy selling baby turtles. I was hoping it was for pets, but I also learned that they eat them...I will just think they are to be pets. The garden was amazing. It was very big and every path was just a beautiful as the next. The ponds are filled with koi, and I basically felt as if I was walking through the movie Mulan. It was wonderful. The gardens are also extremely peaceful, even though there are other tourists walking around. On that note I must say that we were beyond lucky with the weather. It was about 80 degrees and dry the entire week we were there. After the garden, we went to the Huaxtung tea house, which is a famous teahouse over the water next to the garden. We decided to have a tea ceremony to get the full experience. We had a woman who taught us all about the different types of teas and then gave us a tasting of all of them. I really enjoyed the ginseng. The best part was the tea was unlimited, so we probably stayed there for about two hours relaxing and drinking all the teas. After drinking our weight in tea we started to walk to an area called the French Concession famous for its beautiful buildings in the old French colonial style. Along the way we stumbled upon a farmer's market. It was unlike any market I had ever been to. There were eels, crabs of all shapes and sizes, baby pools filled with huge swimming fish, dead and alive ducks, chickens and all sorts of poultry, baby chicks, and other unidentifiable food/animals. Parts of it were a bit hard to handle. The market was packed, it was incredibly hard to just get around. After an unforgettable market experience, we continued are walk to the Concession. However, along the way we got a bit lost. We must have also looked lost because a guy came up to us with British accent wondering if we needed help. The guys turned out to be visiting his parents who live in Shanghai (he works in London) and was going to a restaurant close to ours. He was super nice and we just walked with him the French Concession. Always fun to make friends while abroad. After our help, we walked around the French Concession before our dinner reservations. We went to the nice shops and stores, and then took a break at a nice little cafe/bar called The Fountain, which not surprisingly had a wonderful view of the picturesque fountain in the main square. We had dinner at a restaurant called Crystal Jade which is in the Xintiandi district of the French Concession. The restaurant is famous for its dumplings with broth inside and pork buns (yes!). It was wonderful. We also got peking duck which was to die for. It was delicious. Afterwards we were full and tired and decided to taxi back to get some sleep. However, before sleeping I learned that facebook, twitter, youtube, etc. was all blocked. Guess that is what happens in communist China. Anywho, Monday was a great, full day.

Tuesday: We got up for the amazing breakfast, however, I think jet-lag caught up because after breakfast we found ourselves taking a two hour nap. Once we got up, again, we decided to go to the famous People's Park. At the park we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art, basically the Chinese MOMA. I thought it was really interesting. First of all, because modern art is often critical of social movements and the government, ALOT of modern art is censored aka nothing about the government/political can be shown in the galleries. When you think about this, if this were true in the U.S., the MOMA would be a very empty place. Nonetheless the art was really interesting. A lot of commentary on personal struggle and numerous works on the pressure to become "westernized" which was really fascinating. After the museum we went to a cafe/bar in the park called Barbarossa, and relaxed for a little bit. Afterwards we decided to walk the famous street called Nanjing Dong Lu, famous for its lights. It was insane. Everything was lit up and flashing. Although I have never been to Las Vegas, I imagine it Nanjing Dong Lu is just as flashy if not more. We continued along the street until we reached the Bund. For dinner we decided to eat at a sushi restaurant called Sun and Aqua. I had the most amazing tuna belly and sea urchin. I had a roll that was sea urchin and salmon roe, amazzzzzing. I also had sushi foie gras, which I had never seen before. It was also amazzzzing. After dinner we decided to go to one of the nice bars along the Bund called Bar Rouge. It has a rooftop bar that had a great view of the city. We stayed there for about half an hour before heading back to the hotel for the night.

Wednesday: We got up again for the amazing breakfast and then headed to the Shanghai Museum. It was one of the best museums I have ever been to. It had exhibitions on Chinese furniture, vases, jade carvings, bronze work, sculpture, calligraphy, and Chinese paintings. It took us about 2.5 hours to get through the museum. If you ever go to Shanghai, it is a must see. We then decided to go back to the French Concession to walk around some more. We strolled around soaking up the atmosphere. We even walked by a Montessori School! At the end of the walk we went back to the Xintiandi district, which is probably my favorite part of the city. At about 8 o'clock we decided to taxi back to the hotel. We ate dinner at the restaurant we have our breakfast for their dinner buffet. Which was amazing. I had the best peanut satay I have ever had. It had a sashimi bar (yes, not sushi, but sashimi, it had sushi too), amazing Indian food, basically it was an ethnic food lovers dream. They even had traditional hand pulled noodles, which are literally pulled by hand. It is an amazing thing to watch. After dinner we went back to the room to relax, and we watched a movie called "Bottle Shock." It is about Napa Valley beating the French wines for the first time in history. It was a really good movie and I totally recommend it to anyone. Then it was time for sleep.

Thursday: Per usual we had the breakfast buffet, but afterwards I was treated to a relaxing massage at the fitness center. It was great, especially since I have been having a lot of charlie horses at night due to a mix of my tendinitis and the stairs in Athens. After a little pampering, we went to the World Financial Center. It is the 2nd tallest building in the world at 492 meters (the first is in Taipei). It also looks like a tall bottle opener which is a bit amusing. To get to the top you take an elevator that zips you right up there. Once on the top floor (the 100th floor), there is a "skywalk" that has see through spots to look alll the way down. There is great view of the city, but sadly due to the horrible smog in Shanghai it really limits the view. It was a crazy experience, you ears are popping like crazy as you look out into the 2nd largest city in the world (population wise apparently). Also, there was leader of some area region taking a tour so there was tons of paparazzi, although we didn't know exactly who the guys was due to nobody being able to tell us in English. After a very vertical experience, we decided to take a walk along the river on the business district (Pudong) side. Along the way we got snacks at Starbucks (haha). We then walked to the Shanghai aquarium. I love aquariums. It was a really good one to. They had the fish split up into regions of the world. The Chinese exhibit was especially interesting. However, my favorite was a display of real shark eggs at different points in time of development. The last one looked like it could hatch at any moment, it was fascinating to see. After a good two hours, we went back the the hotel. I went to the gym for a bit which felt amazing (I sadly couldn't go early because I had a bit of a sinus infection). I then went to the health club to enjoy the hot tub and sauna. To top it off I was treated to a relaxing facial. No complaining there. After a bit of rest and relaxation, we washed up and headed to the dinner buffet once again for out last dinner in central Shanghai. It was just as good, if not better than the buffet before (same food, but just amazing). After dinner we sadly packed our things, and got things organized for our trip to the suburbs of Shanghai for my mom's law conference the next day.

Friday: We had to wake up at 6 am, to get to breakfast at 6:30. I was so sad knowing it was my last time at the buffet. Best buffet ever. At 7 we met up with my mom's colleague and we all took an hour long taxi to the suburbs of Shanghai where the conference was being held. Once at the hotel, I went to the room while my mom worked and took a nice long nap. I then woke up around 11ish to meet my mom at the conference for lunch, and the conference had good food too. They had very traditional Chinese food for us to eat, which was quite good. We sat at a table that had a spinny circle in the middle so everyone could wheel around the food, pretty cool I think. Afterwards I went to listen to the conference. It was a Chinese and American joint conference on environmental law and regulation, and because of the language barrier everyone had to wear headphones in order to listen to the translators. Quite interesting. Once the conference was over, we all joined together again for another good dinner. I got to talk to some of the Chinese students which was really cool too, although I'm pretty sure I confused a couple people over where I actually go to school (between Athens and Duke I mean). After dinner, my mom and I went back to the room (we were far in the suburbs, 40 minute taxi from the city) for one last packing job since we went back to our respective countries the next day. We did watch some of the World Series though which was being shown in China for the first time. Yay for witnessing sports history. And we watched a movie called Cheri, another movie I highly recommend, and the newest 30 rock (always a fantastic idea). The next morning we sadly taxied to the airport to begin our return trips back.

Overall: Going to China was unbelievably fascinating. It is hard to explain what it is like to be in an extremely modern city, trying to be Westernized, in a communist country. How do you even begin to explain? Furthermore, the Asian culture is so rich in history and tradition. Everything about it is so unique, and you seem to learn about it everyday and be surprised by it everyday. My advice: discover China, it is beyond worth it. You simply can't compare it to anything else.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween back home (they don't celebrate it in Greece in case you were wondering). I really missed pumpkins, kids in costumes, and apple cider. I also greatly miss the leaves changing colors, and envy those who are seeing it now.

This weekend I will be in Athens, however, I have two Duke friends (Michael and Jackie) coming to visit which I am really excited about. Saturday I have a school trip to Delphi. Sunday my roommate, Laura, is running the Marathon (THE marathon), and Sunday night we are all going to see Beyonce in the new olympic marble stadium. Should be a good weekend.

Also, bummed about Virginia elections. urg

I have put all my pictures of China on facebook, however, I will put the highlights in a post right after this. Enjoy!

Anywho, I love comments, so keep them coming please :)

I miss you alll so much.

Love always,

Erin

Peloponnese Photos

After your read the Peloponnese entry, I thought I would add some more photos from what I described (all of them are on my Facebook in case you want to see more). Enjoy!

The bridge at MystraThe famous statue of Hermes and Dionysus

The famous Lion Gate an Mycenae The women who were a part of the torch lighting ceremony for the Vancouver games

My favorite spot at Mystra

The view of the boats from my favorite spot. So peaceful

The Peloponnese

Hello! Sorry I haven’t been able to update for the past two weeks. For a week I didn’t have internet, and this past week I have been in China, and they block blogger, facebook, twitter, (box.net too for those concerned) etc. Yes, it is true. The actually do block sites. I honestly gained an even further respect and love for the country of Greece after my school’s trip to the Peloponnese. By the time I leave, I will have gotten a little taste from everywhere except the northern part of the country. Anywho, in the fashion of the Crete trip I wrote about earlier this semester, the trip to southern mainland Greece was another organized trip through my school College Year in Athens. The school splits the students up into three different bus groups depending on which classes you are taking. For example, I always travel with my archaeology class, and therefore see A LOT of sites.

Tuesday: Our tip began a week ago from Tuesday. We met at the school at the early time of 7:30, to head to our first town in the Peloponnese. Our first bus ride was about two hours, however, it was broken up with bathroom break to the Corinth-Isthmos canal, which was actually pretty cool. It is this beautiful canal, which from the bridge looked extremely deep and extremely narrow (not sure how large boats got through). We then hopped back on the bus to head to the very famous site of Mycenae. For those of you who study classics and have ever taken a into art history course know Mycenae as the site with the famous Lion Gate. Once again, it was really exciting for me to see another famous site/artifact that I had only seen in art history class, or unfortunately on my exams. My teacher took us around the site for about three hours, which also included seeing the famous tholos tomb. The Mycenaean’s would burry the wealthy in what is called “beehive tombs,” which get their name because they are honeycomb shaped tombs built into the hillside (they are pretty cool if I may say so myself, at least to an art history nerd). After we finished our tour at the site, we had a picnic lunch along a cliff, which had the most amazing view. It was definitely very peaceful. We then boarded the bus for a three hour bus ride to Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympics! This was extremely exciting for me since I have been beyond obsessed with the Olympics since I can remember (began with the Atlanta 1996 games). Once we arrived in Olympia, beyond tired, my roommates and I (not my normal apartment roommates since they were on a different bus, but two really nice girls Jessica and Danielle) went to the museum of the ancient Olympic games. It was really interesting. We learned about how the Olympics started, how the athletes were chosen and how they trained, which events were a part of the Olympics back then etc. Afterwards we went on a hunt to find the best/cheapest gyros in town. We actually got advice from a local for a great place around the corner from our hotel. It was off the main street (Olympia is beyond small, think Pleasantville with only one main street, this is exactly how it is), and therefore legit, not touristy. However, I was proud of myself because I was able to grab an extra lunch bag from the picnic and therefore had a free dinner. Points for me! After eating, my roommate told everyone that she had the Disney movie Hercules on her computer. I got soooo excited, and so did everyone else. Watching Hercules after a long day in Olympia, priceless. I forgot just how great the music is, so good. After the movie, I passed out into a very deep sleep.

Wednesday: We had a wakeup call for breakfast at the hotel at 7:30 before getting a start to our day in Olympia. The first thing we did was go to the actual Olympia site (where the original track, training areas, etc. are). The great thing about southern Greece and Olympia particularly is how green it is. The town is this lush area with beautiful creeks and rivers running through it (very different than metropolitan Athens). Our teacher took us around the site explaining everything to us. We got to see the original baths and locker rooms (or what remained of them). The best part came when we finally got to see the original Olympic track. In tradition, my entire class lined up at the starting line to run the first recorded dash. It was so much fun. As I ran the l

ength of the track I hummed the Chariot’s of Fire theme in my head and I felt quite legit. After pretending we were gold medal ancient Olympic athletes (although sadly women could not compete at that time), our teacher gave us free time for a couple hours before we had to meet up at the Olympia museum. I decided to walk back to the hotel to get what I had left of my free din

ner/lunch from the day before (free lunch again, points for me!). However, once I got back to the hotel, I learned from a friend that they were going to light the Olympic flame for the Vancouver games TODAY. I flipped out; my Olympics obsession went into high gear. I stuffed down my sandwich and then walked back to the Olympia site. Between the time we had left the site and come back, the area had quickly filled up with cameras and official looking Olympic representatives. I tried to get the best viewing spot I could and then soaked up the action. We watched as the officials brought in a white dove, the torches (without the flame at that point of course), and other official knickknacks. I quickly spotted a guy in official looking Vancouver gear who I immediately guessed as the first torch bearer. The ceremony began with about 20 women (and one young girl and one young boy) dressed in traditional tunics, the last woman to walk in was carrying an empty silver torch (not lit). She woman than announced something in Greek and then bent down in front of a magnifying glass to get the “olympic flame from the gods.” After about a minute or so, the torch became lit. The women then began a dance-like procession to the ancient track. Once they reached the track they performed a dance for about 5 minutes (will post the video of the dance on my blog), and then the guy in the modern Olympic Vancouver gear game jogging up to receive the flame. Talk about a contrast between old and new. And then the guy jogged off to start the relay. I thought it was soooo cool that I got to see that, and especially lucky since they torch relay (or the start of it that is) is very rare. After recovering from my Olympic haze, it was time to meet my professor at the Olympia museum. The museum itself was quite impressive. It has some great friezes, and the very famous statue of Hermes and Dionysus, an absolutely beautiful piece of art. After the museum we had some free time, so Jessica and I decided to relax in the park (was a beautiful sunny warm day), before hoping on the bus for another 3 hour drive to the town of Pylos. We arrived in Pylos at about dinner time. It’s another very small town along the seacoast and therefore also beautiful. For the first time I actually did need to buy dinner, so Danielle and I walked around for a gyro stand. We luckily found one pretty quickly and the walked along the water for a bit. We were then quite tired and headed back to the room for showers. However, I once again got lucky in the movie department. My friend Melissa called me and asked if I wanted to watch Hocus Pocus. I got really excited because I hadn’t seen the movie in forever, and I had completely forgotten that Halloween was coming up (in is nonexistent in Greece). I knew it was probably the only thing I would do to celebrate Halloween this year. After a very guilty pleasure movie evening, we passed out once again.

Thursday: We had a breakfast call at 8 am, before heading to our first destination Methone (which might possibly be the most beautiful place we went to the entire trip). It is this old Venetian fortress along the water that is just stunning. I will post a video of how beautiful and calm it was. I took a seat on the furthest rock along the pathway and just sat there for 20 minutes totally at peace, I could have stayed there for hours. Sadly, we only had an hour there and I was quickly back on the bus to head to the Palace of Nestor. The Palace of Nestor was probably my least favorite site on the trip, mostly because it had the least amount of foundation left so it mostly looked like a bunch for stones organized into “rooms” at about knee height. However, my professor had worked at the site for many years and knew a lot about it, which definitely added to the experience. Afterwards, we bused back to the town of Pylos to have lunch. I had discovered the art of packing away breakfast food in order to have a “free” lunch, so therefore my lunch consisted of self made sandwiches and sweet bread. Yum. After lunch, we had a long bus ride to the town of Sparta (yes, just like the movie 300). Luckily, we took a bathroom break along the way at a beautiful little area along a mountainside, and the side street was filled with locals selling tea and honey, it was great. We arrived in Sparta around dinnertime. Danielle and I walked around the town (there really isn’t much in Sparta, nothing of ancient Sparta remains unfortunately), got dinner (I actually got the best gyro I have had in Greece to date, it was glorious), and then headed back to the hotel. There was a major local soccer game on tv (the entire town we noticed was watching it), so we watched it for a bit before watching a movie and then heading to bed.

Friday: We had breakfast at the hotel at 8 before driving to our first location, Mystra. Mystra is an old Byzantine monastery and fort-like structure on top of a very large hill outside of Sparta. The first thing we did was hike to the very top, which took about 20 minutes and was actually quite demanding. The path was extremely uneven and rocky, but it was totally worth it once we reached the top. It is one of those experiences that just can’t be documented in photographs.

Yes, the photos are beautiful but they can only express about a fraction of the true experience. At the top, we took pictures and relaxed for about 20 minutes before starting the hike back down. Once we reached our starting point, we split up into our classes and got a tour of the site from our professor. However, my professor is an archaeological expert, not a Byzantine one, so we mostly had free time to wander around. Towards the end of the tour we went to a working nunnery in a picturesque part of the hillside. The nunnery had a wonderful Byzantine church, which was in great shape. I love Greek orthodox churches and always find them a bit spooky, which I think adds the their appeal. We then took the bus back to Sparta for lunch, in which I enjoyed the morning’s breakfast on

ce again. Once our lunch break was over, it was time to hop back on the bus for our next destination. However, I knew the next destination just meant I was about to leave southern Greece for Athens (I had to leave the trip early, the trip actually ended Saturday evening, because I had to catch my flight to Shanghai early afternoon Saturday). So once we arrived in another beautiful town called Nauplion, I had to ask the guy at the hotel desk where the bus back to Athens was. The bus ride was an adventure, mostly because departures and which buses to where were all announced in Greek and only Greek. However, it is experiences like this that do add to my Greek knowledge, so not complaining. I just had to be listening very closely. I luckily got on the right bus, so I just sat back and relaxed for the three hour trip back. Once back at my apartment, the evening was filled with unpacking then repacking and getting things set for China!

If any of you do plan to do an extended trip to Greece, I honestly to recommend spending a couple days in the Peloponnese. The towns and scenery are just beautiful and they aren’t any where near as touristy as Athens and the islands (from what I have been told).

I miss everyone so much. I can’t believe I’m more than halfway done with my semester abroad….

Love,

Erin

-China update coming soon J