So I'm posting my Greece blog a few days late, I'm in Turkey now, just got out of Istanbul - definitely one of the coolest places I've ever been. Recapping my time in Greece will definitely be a mouthful, so I'll just give a few highlights :)
We flew from London to Athens on September 24th, then took an overnight ferry to Crete! This was a pretty awesome first stop. We immediately visited the archaeological site at the Palace at Knossos, which was fantastic! There was a wonderful museum in town, we hit a beach late in the afternoon and I got my first chance to swim in the Aegean Sea :D We went from there on a catamaran to Santorini, which was as beautiful and amazing as I expected. After spending some time at the beach, we had an evening lecture discussing the myth of Atlantis watching the sunset from the caldera where our hotel was. We went from there to Mykonos, probably my favorite stop thus far. We went out, went shopping, and went to the site of Delos which was probably the best-preserved archaeological site we've been to yet. We went on to Athens, saw the Acropolis, the Agora & MAN did our hotel have the most amazing rooftop garden view of the Acropolis. The Acropolis museum in Athens is probably the most incredible museum I've ever been to. It's displays are set up in the same dimensions as the site, displaying the pediments and sculptures from the Parthenon as the would exactly be on the site. Best of all, the whole building is made of large windows that look straight at the Acropolis itself. Ask me about it when you see me next. I'll probably talk for hours about this museum. Needless to say, this was probably my favorite museum yet (and that's saying a LOT- lots and lots of museums!)
Our program basically is using the sites as an outdoor classroom, then each day I write a journal entry like 3-5 pages reflecting on the day that will be my final grade for this part of the program. It's a busy schedule, we change locations almost every day and you want so badly to get every drop of experience out of every city but its difficult sometimes. I've loved Greece so much, and fortunately we've gotten a little downtime as well, and I managed to get a little tan.
We went onto Nafphlion in week two, which was a pretty incredible city! Beth & I had experienced the Greek postal system in Athens to send home some clothing that weighed down our bags, and we went on a pretty lengthy adventure in Nafphlion to find our friend Tyler a birthday card. Needless to say, those two experiences definitely made me feel a little more Greek, finding our way to some off the beaten path locations and such. We saw the ancient sites of Tiryns and Mycenae (the people who were involved in the Trojan War). We went to Olympia, the site of the ancient games, and Delphi, where the famous Oracle at Delphi prophesied from the god Apollo. We jumped off cliffs across from the great ancient city of Corinth into the Mediterranean.
That was Greece!
The info is a little rushed - but here are a few things I learned in Greece:
1. GREEK YOGURT WITH HONEY IS AMAZING. there is nothing like it.
2. I get seasick. Who would have known? We took two catamaran ferries and they were ROUGH.
3. I apparently am pretty capable of losing important items while traveling... left my wallet on a bus, my phone in a hotel (permanent loss unfortunately... sorry Dad)
4. I really enjoy classical history.... more than I ever expected. There are so many incredible remains throughout Greece that have been inspirational and incredible to visit.
5. I'm a pretty good barterer... although I learned this in Istanbul so that's cheating on this list...
6. Knowing how to sleep on a coach bus is an exceptionally important quality to have when traveling constantly around a country
7. You have to go out when you can. It is pointless to get on facebook in Nafphlion instead of walking around the corner for gelato from the incredible Italian-run family ice cream joint.
8. Subway systems.
9. The art of visiting a museum everyday without it being overwhelming. Pick 2-3 things that you want to see. See them, focus on them. Leave museum.
10. European Studies invests in some good hotels and some good food. I thought this to be slightly frivolous before, but have realized now how much this can make or break your travel experiences. Good food is definitely a big part of experiencing the culture.
I'm literally having the time of my life. Turkey is amazing so far and I'm looking forward to everything else we have ahead of us. I'm just slightly past the halfway point of our continent adventures, and can't believe we still have a week here in Turkey and a week and a half in Italy after that. For my mom - don't worry, Turkey seems safe enough thus far :)
Unfortunately basically all the internet connections I've had have been no good for uploading pictures or skyping, so this blog is lacking some photo proof of my trip. I promise at the end I'll create an incredible photo montage.
Love & Miss you all!
Your (now) Turkish adventurer,
Sarah
