Greece

I went for another one of my solo walks tonight. I’ve come to enjoy the time alone in a way. I am able to reflect and really pay attention. When I’m with a group I tend to miss a lot. I like being with people but when it’s me and my camera three is a crowd.

Tonight I walked down Vas Constantinou past the stadium and onto the other side of the Temple of Zeus. At first I wondered if I was going the right way. I became a bit concerned that I would get lost, but I had my map, my phone, and my sense of adventure. My intended destination was Plaka which is near the Acropolis. I found some interesting graffiti on the way. I keep looking for different types of graffiti around town. Most of what I have found has been just words scrawled on a wall. Interesting words and pictures that we have yet to figure out.

Like crew and buns.

I’ll have to do some research to see what the significance is.

Gangs?

Who knows. But I like this one.

I made my way down past the Temple of Zeus and ended up turning down Syngrou, which went in the opposite direction from what I wanted. I finally figured out how to make my way toward Plaka by going up through Makrygianni.

Plaka is quite a different Athens from Pangrati where I live. Plaka is closest to the Acropolis and therefore caters to tourists. I didn’t make it up to the Acropolis but got close enough for some photos.

From afar

A little closer....soon I'll get as close as you can!

I heard more English there than I’ve heard in a week, outside of my fellow students. I find the tourist sections of places a bit annoying because of the crowds, but I did find some familiar sights. Like the blue “evil eye” that was ubiquitous in Turkiye.

I was going to buy some but found that I had left my money purse at home. Next time.

Yes. Plaka is pure tourism. I do like the pedestrianized streets in Plaka. It makes for nice walking.

I was really craving some gelato, but with no money I was out of luck. So I walked on.

It was worth it. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. This scene was priceless. I just had to snap a photo and he was more than willing to oblige saying "well I have hands, what am I suppose to do with them?"

I just had to laugh.

Keeping with one of my usual themes when traveling I found two cats who were also willing to pose.

Looking not too happy

Moving my way through Plaka I eventually came out at Syntagma Square. It seems Syntagma is where I always end up.
It was a good thing though. I found an ATM so I was no longer without cash. I browsed Public, which is similar to our Best Buy, only hipper. I mean, they have a café and had a group that was singing rap from the balcony. What more could you ask for? I contemplated purchasing a printer but decided not to at this point. Printer was cheap. Ink is outrageous. I did stick around and enjoy the music though.

I ended up at Politi.co, which is advertised as serving Anatolian cuisine. Of course my eyes lit up at that. I was simply ecstatic when I looked at the menu and saw several familiar dishes. Lamachun, doner kebap, Iskander kebap, and Adana kebap.
Yes, I was a happy woman.

I had my long sought after lamachun. It wasn’t Turkiye but it was about as close as I am going to get until I can make it there. I normally don’t dine alone in a “sit down” restaurant but tonight I had no qualms. Lamachun made my evening complete.

The spicy Adana kebap didn't hurt either.

I'll leave you with food, and with food for thought. I thought this was apropos in today's economic climate.

You will probably find my entries fewer and farther between. I'm down to the nitty gritty daily academic life now. I like my classes so far. Two more to go. I hope I like them as well. I have to wonder about a Byzantine history class meeting at the McDonald's in Sygtama Square though. I'm sure there is a site of significance nearby. I haven't done my research.

Speaking of Sygtama Square, I walked there last night. By myself. It was a wonderful walk the light and cooling rain. I stopped in Sygtama and ordered a frappe at Everest. Walking away I was approached by a Greek gentleman who was insistent on teaching me Greek, Italian, Japanese, and any other language he could speak. We chatted for a while. He gave me his phone number. I know more about Angelo than I know about anyone in Greece at the moment; not that I asked, he just told. I told him I was married. Happily married. He just wants to talk he says. I somehow doubt that. Or us Americans are suspicious of everyone's motives. My husband joked that I now have a Greek paramour. I love my teddy bear of a husband. I miss him. I wish he were here. Walking in the Athens rain with him would make my life complete.

I’m back from Tzia/Kea. The island has two names. Pick one and it will be correct. I mostly saw Kea used on the island though. It was a beautiful place to spend the weekend, although a bit too hot for my comfort. I survived with lots of water. I was short on the sunscreen though and my neck got terrible sunburn. But let’s concentrate on what was good! Kea is a small island about an hours ferry ride from Lavrio, which is an hour-long bus ride from Athens. Thank goodness the bus was air-conditioned and there was a good breeze on the ferry. Of course little did I know Kea’s heat would be brutal! The ferry ride was rather cool though!

View leaving Lavrio

Coming up on Kea

We arrived on Kea around 5:30. The port town is really neat. A few shops, a church, cafes. Just a nice little town.

Karissia port

We were assigned rooms in several different hotels and then everyone scattered for the evening until the beach party that had been arranged for us at a beach bar. Everyone was pretty excited about the beach party. Me? It was ok, but not the highlight of my trip by any means. I did swim in the Mediterranean for the first time though. That was awesome and amazing and I would have done so again if someone did not steal my towel. A small group of us left the party around midnight but I’m sure it went on much longer into the night. I was tired and wanted to be refreshed for the walking I knew we would do the next day.

Saturday morning I had the pleasure of my husband Tim being my wake up call. I think I sounded rather groggy. I hope he doesn't think I was not excited to hear from him. That was the first time I truly felt the overwhelming feeling of being homesick. I think if someone would have offered me a ticket home Saturday morning I may very well have considered it. It took me a while to shake the homesick feeling. I think being in large groups (and we have a very large group) doesn’t help me. In fact, I found that my homesick feeling finally subsided only when the large group broke down into much smaller groups.

After breakfast we took the bus to the village of Ioulida. Ioulida is one of those picture perfect quaint hillside villages comprised of whitewashed buildings and colorful shutters.

View of Loulida from the footpath

Getting a decent photo was difficult, however, because we have such a large group. Yet the walk was nice (and hot) and we ended up at what is considered a pretty old square far from the village. Water is available from a tap there and we all filled our bottles. Yes, we were assured it was drinkable. So far I have felt no ill effects. A local came up the footpath to give his donkey water. This is what I love to see! It's the real culture.

After a nice rest in the shade of a large tree (a tree that I tried to climb with Ryan but was unsuccessful. Ryan is determind I am going to climb a tree in Greece though), we headed back down so we could see the lion that had been carved into the bedrock. Again, good pictures were tough to come by because we had such a large group. The story behind the lion is pretty ambiguous. Nobody is sure when it was carved but it is believed to be from ancient times.

Back in the village we explored the exhibits at the archeological museum. I enjoyed those from the classical period best. All the artifacts had been excavated from Kea. We spent about 45 minutes at the museum and then everyone rushed to get the bus, so about ten of us decided to stay behind and eat lunch at one of the cafes. A good choice. We were in the shade and the breeze was welcome. It was a wonderful lunch! We ordered a local dish of fava beans, garlic, and olive oil to share. All I can say is it took me back to Turkiye and lentil soup! Delicious! I finally had a true Greek salad.

The best.

Louis Pappas watch out. You can’t touch this.

The feta cheese here is amazing as are the olive oil, tomatoes, and cucumbers. We tried to order some of the local white cheese, ksino, but they never brought it and thankfully we weren’t charged. Several cats kept us company while we dined. I feel so sad for cats begging the way they do. I want to take them all with me.

After our leisurely lunch we headed toward the bus stop. We waited. And waited. And waited. We eventually learned that one of the buses had broken down so they were running every two hours instead of one. It finally came and we hopped on and made our way down to Voukari and Ozias. Only three of us decided to go as far as Ozias. The adventurers we were. We ended up walking away from Ozias on a quest to find some caves. The caves never appeared but we did get some amazing views.

We also got hot, dehydrated, and I got blisters. Not sure if I want to even mention the garbage dump. I came to Greece to enjoy the beautiful sites, the ancient sites, the food, and the water, not the local landfill. But after deciding to take a dirt road that ran the coast back (my idea and I’m sure many of you aren’t surprised if you know me) we discovered that it ran right through the landfill.

So that’s what that sign meant? I guess I should learn more Greek. No matter, the views outside the landfill were gorgeous and we all had a good laugh.

We made it back to Voukari just in time for the sunset over the water and then grabbed some dinner at a café.

Dinner was followed by some wading at the beach and eventually back to the hotel to shower and get some sleep. My feet were hurting! A dip in the cool Mediterranean was just the ticket!

This morning we met for breakfast and then, probably against my better judgment, made the trek to the Karissia lighthouse.

I can’t help it; I’m a lighthouse fanatic. It was a good 45-minute walk I’m sure. And it was hot. Brutally hot. I could have made tea in my water by the time I was finished. The view was almost worth it.

My feet disagree. I was glad to get back to the hotel and just sit, talk, drink water, and rest. I was even happier to board the ferry and feel the sea breeze.

That says Marmari Express. Yes, I can read it. Even in Greek.

Being back at the apartment is welcome after a long hot weekend in the hot island sun. A cold shower was the best ending to the weekend. Now I have to gear myself up to start classes this week. I’m thinking “Classes? What did I get myself into?”

First things first. I am free of TB. I can stay in Greece. That is a good thing.

We will hop on a bus this afternoon, then take a boat to the Island of Tzia (Kea) this weekend and won't be back until Sunday. Yes I'll take my Dramamine. I've decided to leave my computer behind so there will be no regular updates. I imagine once classes start my updates will not come as often either. Hopefully I'll have a good collection of photos when I return. What better weekend could you ask for than to spend it on a Greek island?

Enjoy your weekend!

Ok, so I haven't been too adventurous yet but today I was really proud of myself. I went to the bakery and ordered tiropita using my Greek ordering skills. Yasus! Mia tiropita parakalo! Hello! One cheese pie please. And what a cheese pie it was. I think tiropita just became a favorite. Tender phyllo pastry browned just enough and filled with a wonderful cheese filling. It was my dinner. All for a mere 1,20 euro. Doesn't it look like you could just eat it all up? I did. Tiropita and peach juice.

But wait. Before that I imbibed in a traditional Greek drink called tsipouro. Tsipouro is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from grapes. It is 45% alcohol by volume. Clear as a bell and strikes like lightening when going down. Not sure I can describe it other than drinking lighter fluid, maybe. If you want to clear a chest cold or a head cold, down some Tsipouro. I did. Of course now I have a headache and probably smell like a lush.

Finally, Joanna, I found a Pappadopolous! Just for you. I just happened to be standing there at my kitchen window and I noticed Pappadopolous. Across the room. Calling my name. He's very sweet I can tell you. I'm thinking of bringing him back to you. You'd like him for sure. At night, with tea. *wink*