The lack of posting has been because I do not have the internet as readily anymore. The second class it mostly travel. We only have a few days here and there in Athens, which is the place I've been getting my internet access at (the CYA center).
18 June 2008
We spent the night on a boat to Crete and arrived very early in the morning. We ate breakfast at 6:30 and and were off the boat by 7:00AM. We drove to Knossos and saw the palace there first! It was great. The tourists didn't get to bad until after we saw the Throne Room, which is awesome, because by 9AM there was a 45 minute wait to see it. After Knossos, we had lunch in Iraklion and then went to the archaeological exhibition. The museum is being renovated, so there are some artifacts in a small display. We then drove to our hotel in Zaros. I would completely recommend this to anyone. It was wonderfully secluded.
19 June 2008
We went to the Palace of Phaistos, where the Phaistos disk was discovered. Like Knossos, it's a large Minoan palace complex. We also went to Kommos, which is a pre-palatial structure and area. It's been excavated recently and is not open to tourists, so it was nice to be able to visit this less well known site. We took the afternoon off and went to Malatas for lunch and a bit of beach, then back to the hotel for a swim in the pool. It was wonderful.
20 June 2008
This day was spent seeing more Minoan sites. We went to Archanes, which is a cemetery. There were some really awesome tholos tombs from different periods that we got to enter. They were interesting. We also went to an ancient Minoan villa with a really well preserved wine/oil press called Vathypetro. We went to a museum after to look at the artifacts found there. Prof. Diamant and Caitlin (an archaeologist traveling with us) had a fun debate about human sacrifice there. In the afternoon we went to the East Crete Archaeological Center. We got to see the storage, sorting, scientific testing and drafting areas of the center. Prof. Haggis (one of my UNC professors) works there every summer. I didn't see him there, but I did get to meet a few of his collegues. It was nice to be able to see how and where the archaeological remains are processed.
21 June 2008
The class climbed two hills which felt like small mountains. The first led to Myrtos, a Minoan site that was burned and then never reoccupied. The second led to another burned village that was a slightly older period. We then went to Gournia, a city with a central court and lots of residential areas around it.
22 June 2008
We went to Lato, which sits in a saddle between two peaks of a mountain. This was the first site that we looked at that wasn't Minoan. This one comes from the Archaic period. It had terracng and temples, which none of the Minoan sites do. I met a UNC - Chapel Hill emeritus scholar on the site there. He was digging at Azorias and was visiting sites with his wife. It's nice to meet people from UNC abroad.
After Lato, we drove to Mallia, another Minoan palace. It was huge! In a lot of places mudbrick had been preserved. Overall it was a well preserved site, which made it really nice to walk around and be able to see the structures well and how all the components of a Minoan palace really come together.
We headed back to Iraklion and got on the boat back to Peiraias for the night.
23 June 2008
John Camp (a famous archaeologist who's written a few of my text books) showed us around the sections of the Agora (in Athens) that are being excavated right now. It was an interesting morning lecture. We got to go into a bunch of places that people normally don't get to. We got to see the Royal stoa up close and I ended up standing on the Oath stone by mistake. :)
Sadly, lunch made me sick to my stomach and I didn't go to the NAM with the class, but luckily it was only to cover the statues that I'd already seen in the other class.
24 June 2008
Today I am much recovered from yesterday's sickness. We went to the Agora this morning and got a view from the upper level of the restored Stoa of Attalos before going down and discussing the Agora as a sanctuary. We'll head back tonight for further lecture on the Roman period of the Agora. Tomorrow at 6:30 AM we head for the Peloponnese. We get to see Mycenae in the morning - that's the site I've been looking most forward to seeing!
I hope everyone's doing well at home. Only 21 more days until I'm back in the US. I'll see you soon!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
End of Class 1, Beginning of Class 2
The afternoon of the 12th, the class met up and went through the Mycenaean collection at the NAM. It really wasn't part of the class, but it's Nicola's area of concentration, so we got a good insider view of the collection. The rest of that evening was spent studying and relaxing.
13 June 2008
I took the final in the morning with about half of my class (the half taking the course for credit) and then had our farewell lunch at a little taverna called "The Black Cat." It was a cute little restaurant. That night we got to relax some. Christina and I went to Oasis for the last time together.
14 June 2008
I slept in and then caught a ferry to Aigina again. It was nice, knowing a little bit about the island, to wander a bit in a place I was comfortable in. I took the bus to the Marina side of the island and did a little shopping and ate lunch before taking the ferry back to Athens in the evening.
15 June 2008
The morning was spent packing, because I needed to move over to the hotel that we were going to be staying at for the second class. Seven of the students from the first class are continuing on into the second class that I am taking, while others moved on to Paros to do language. We had orientation at 6pm, where we met our class and professor, as well as got much more information than we ever received for the first course about CYA in general and good contact information, etc. With that also came many more lectures about the evils of alcohol and noise, and what troubles these two things cause with the landlord. :) I'm now rooming with two of the girls from my first apartment, Jenny and Sarah. Hayley, Karen, Adam, and Dave have also stayed on from the first class.
16 June 2008
There were two lectures today, one lasting three hours in the morning and one lasting three hours in the afternoon. After a full day of lecture, we went to our taverna dinner. It was a good meal. We got to eat and meet some of the CYA faculty a little better. I met the accoutant for CYA, who had worked previously as an office manager and professor of Ancient Greek. We were served salad, fried cheese flutes, tzatziki, bread, wine, pork, fries, and grilled sausages. Chicken was the main course and lemon cake with some sort of syrup was for dessert. We all went back to the hotel tired.
17 June 2008
I got up early and tried to send my box of things home, but was informed that the mail workers were on a strike, so I couldn't send it. The bus drivers have had several strikes since we've been here, and it seems to be a constant state here in Athens. This morning we met at the NAM to see the Mycenaean collection (again for the continuing students). By the time we got back, we were informed that we had about 30 minutes before we were supposed to check out, though as everything else in Greece, times are always approximate. We got our bags packed up and gathered our things to be left at the academic center for our trip to Crete. Tonight we'll be on a ferry all night. Luckily, we get cabins, so we should be able to sleep. Tomorrow morning we'll put our luggage onto a bus and travel to our sites before going to the hotel, so it'll be a full day before we get any rest. I'm looking forward to a night on the sea. We'll see how I fare after it's done. :)
I hope everyone's having a good summer thus far. I know that I'm having an exciting time. Feel free to email me at branwen1887@gmail.com anytime.
13 June 2008
I took the final in the morning with about half of my class (the half taking the course for credit) and then had our farewell lunch at a little taverna called "The Black Cat." It was a cute little restaurant. That night we got to relax some. Christina and I went to Oasis for the last time together.
14 June 2008
I slept in and then caught a ferry to Aigina again. It was nice, knowing a little bit about the island, to wander a bit in a place I was comfortable in. I took the bus to the Marina side of the island and did a little shopping and ate lunch before taking the ferry back to Athens in the evening.
15 June 2008
The morning was spent packing, because I needed to move over to the hotel that we were going to be staying at for the second class. Seven of the students from the first class are continuing on into the second class that I am taking, while others moved on to Paros to do language. We had orientation at 6pm, where we met our class and professor, as well as got much more information than we ever received for the first course about CYA in general and good contact information, etc. With that also came many more lectures about the evils of alcohol and noise, and what troubles these two things cause with the landlord. :) I'm now rooming with two of the girls from my first apartment, Jenny and Sarah. Hayley, Karen, Adam, and Dave have also stayed on from the first class.
16 June 2008
There were two lectures today, one lasting three hours in the morning and one lasting three hours in the afternoon. After a full day of lecture, we went to our taverna dinner. It was a good meal. We got to eat and meet some of the CYA faculty a little better. I met the accoutant for CYA, who had worked previously as an office manager and professor of Ancient Greek. We were served salad, fried cheese flutes, tzatziki, bread, wine, pork, fries, and grilled sausages. Chicken was the main course and lemon cake with some sort of syrup was for dessert. We all went back to the hotel tired.
17 June 2008
I got up early and tried to send my box of things home, but was informed that the mail workers were on a strike, so I couldn't send it. The bus drivers have had several strikes since we've been here, and it seems to be a constant state here in Athens. This morning we met at the NAM to see the Mycenaean collection (again for the continuing students). By the time we got back, we were informed that we had about 30 minutes before we were supposed to check out, though as everything else in Greece, times are always approximate. We got our bags packed up and gathered our things to be left at the academic center for our trip to Crete. Tonight we'll be on a ferry all night. Luckily, we get cabins, so we should be able to sleep. Tomorrow morning we'll put our luggage onto a bus and travel to our sites before going to the hotel, so it'll be a full day before we get any rest. I'm looking forward to a night on the sea. We'll see how I fare after it's done. :)
I hope everyone's having a good summer thus far. I know that I'm having an exciting time. Feel free to email me at branwen1887@gmail.com anytime.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Catching up on the days
Sorry for the lack of posting... Things have been busy
5 June 2008
We went as a class to the Acropolis again. This time we talked about the Parthenon. Archaeologists are working hard at restoring it, which I think is kinda sad. I think that it ruins different set ups from later time periods (they're restoring it to what it was in the 5th century BC), like the fact that it was later used by Christians. It also won't be the same broken down building that we always imagine it as. It'll have bright white spots in parts of it where they placed the new marble. It's meant to contrast, but it loses some of its romanticism in restoration. We also talked about the Erectheion, which is by far my favorite building on the Acropolis. It's got an interesting mish mash of architecture, with several different levels, all tied together by the ionic columns. At least eight different deities were worshiped or recognized there. It's a pretty building.
6 June 2008
This day was spent at the National Archaeological Museum. We looked at Classical, Hellenic and Roman period art today. Most of the Classical period pieces were grave stele. In the Hellenic period we looked at bronzes and marble pieces that were meant for different kinds of display. The Roman period had (of course) many Romans, but also many Greeks. You can start to see individualism in this time period, so we can recognize Augustus and the emperor Hadrian, and of course, where we find Hadrian, we find Antinus. We've seen about 3 or 4 statues of him in our travels around Greece thus far, and it's becoming a game: Where's Antinus?
We also looked at pottery and it's so cool to see some of the geometric pottery that I've studied in the past. It's so much larger scale (when it's funerary urns) in person. It's nice to see it outside of a book.
7 June 2008
Victoria and I woke up (a little later than expected) and took the metro to Piraeus. From there we hopped on a ferry to Aigina, a little island not to far off the coast. We arrived in Aigina Town and walked around, visiting the museum there. We stopped for lunch, before catching a bus to Agios Niktarios, a monastery near the middle of the island. It was gorgeous. It was all done in elaborately carved wood, gold, and marble. We also went to the ancient Temple of Aphaia, which is fairly well preserved. It's a the top of the one of the mountains on the island. We were going to walk down to the Marina on the other side of the mountain. We were told it wasn't too long of a walk, but as we started, we noticed that it was a long, winding, narrow road and pretty dangerous. A woman that worked at a restaurant at the Marina picked us up on the road and drove us down to the city. We bought a few souvenirs and had dinner before catching a ferry back to Athens for the night.
8 June 2008
Study day - not too much happened here. I talked to Mom and Dad and shared some pictures with my flat mates.
9 June 2008
The class went to the Theater of Dionysus below the Acropolis and did a reading of Lysistrata, which is very funny. If you've never read it, I suggest it. It's one of the better Greek comedies. Dave took the part of Lysistrata (an Athenian woman) and did it with distinction. We were in hysterics. We also went to look at a temple of the healing cult of Asklepios. We'd previously discussed stories associated with this cult, but the site was mostly closed off, so it was a brief glance at the general layout.
Christina, Constance (a friend of hers) and I went out to a choir performance. They were from the high school that Christina went to. They did some gorgeous renditions of the Pater Noster, Fields of Gold, Your Song, and a few greek songs. After we went out for a few drinks.
10 June 2008
The class went to the Roman Agora and Hadrian's Library, but I stayed home in bed, sick. We hadn't stayed out too late, but I woke up in the night with a fever and chills. I had another fever during the day and was completely exhausted and sore. I've also started coughing and sneezing a bit. I hope to get rid of this soon. I've been drinking lots of orange juice.
11 June 2008
I was feeling well enough to go on the class trip to Eleusis today. We went to the temple of Demeter where the Eleusinian mysteries were performed. After, we had lunch up a mountain at Gyftokastro, or the "Gypsy castle". It's actually a fortification wall on the boundary of Attica, defending against Thebes. After this we went to Porto Germeno to a gorgeous little beach. The water was extremely clear and a group of us swam out fifty yards or more. It was beautiful and calm. I didn't reapply sun screen however, and got a bit burnt, but nothing too bad.
12 June 2008
We were supposed to have met up at the NAM today, but class was canceled on us until later this afternoon. Tomorrow's the final, so today is a day for study.
5 June 2008
We went as a class to the Acropolis again. This time we talked about the Parthenon. Archaeologists are working hard at restoring it, which I think is kinda sad. I think that it ruins different set ups from later time periods (they're restoring it to what it was in the 5th century BC), like the fact that it was later used by Christians. It also won't be the same broken down building that we always imagine it as. It'll have bright white spots in parts of it where they placed the new marble. It's meant to contrast, but it loses some of its romanticism in restoration. We also talked about the Erectheion, which is by far my favorite building on the Acropolis. It's got an interesting mish mash of architecture, with several different levels, all tied together by the ionic columns. At least eight different deities were worshiped or recognized there. It's a pretty building.
6 June 2008
This day was spent at the National Archaeological Museum. We looked at Classical, Hellenic and Roman period art today. Most of the Classical period pieces were grave stele. In the Hellenic period we looked at bronzes and marble pieces that were meant for different kinds of display. The Roman period had (of course) many Romans, but also many Greeks. You can start to see individualism in this time period, so we can recognize Augustus and the emperor Hadrian, and of course, where we find Hadrian, we find Antinus. We've seen about 3 or 4 statues of him in our travels around Greece thus far, and it's becoming a game: Where's Antinus?
We also looked at pottery and it's so cool to see some of the geometric pottery that I've studied in the past. It's so much larger scale (when it's funerary urns) in person. It's nice to see it outside of a book.
7 June 2008
Victoria and I woke up (a little later than expected) and took the metro to Piraeus. From there we hopped on a ferry to Aigina, a little island not to far off the coast. We arrived in Aigina Town and walked around, visiting the museum there. We stopped for lunch, before catching a bus to Agios Niktarios, a monastery near the middle of the island. It was gorgeous. It was all done in elaborately carved wood, gold, and marble. We also went to the ancient Temple of Aphaia, which is fairly well preserved. It's a the top of the one of the mountains on the island. We were going to walk down to the Marina on the other side of the mountain. We were told it wasn't too long of a walk, but as we started, we noticed that it was a long, winding, narrow road and pretty dangerous. A woman that worked at a restaurant at the Marina picked us up on the road and drove us down to the city. We bought a few souvenirs and had dinner before catching a ferry back to Athens for the night.
8 June 2008
Study day - not too much happened here. I talked to Mom and Dad and shared some pictures with my flat mates.
9 June 2008
The class went to the Theater of Dionysus below the Acropolis and did a reading of Lysistrata, which is very funny. If you've never read it, I suggest it. It's one of the better Greek comedies. Dave took the part of Lysistrata (an Athenian woman) and did it with distinction. We were in hysterics. We also went to look at a temple of the healing cult of Asklepios. We'd previously discussed stories associated with this cult, but the site was mostly closed off, so it was a brief glance at the general layout.
Christina, Constance (a friend of hers) and I went out to a choir performance. They were from the high school that Christina went to. They did some gorgeous renditions of the Pater Noster, Fields of Gold, Your Song, and a few greek songs. After we went out for a few drinks.
10 June 2008
The class went to the Roman Agora and Hadrian's Library, but I stayed home in bed, sick. We hadn't stayed out too late, but I woke up in the night with a fever and chills. I had another fever during the day and was completely exhausted and sore. I've also started coughing and sneezing a bit. I hope to get rid of this soon. I've been drinking lots of orange juice.
11 June 2008
I was feeling well enough to go on the class trip to Eleusis today. We went to the temple of Demeter where the Eleusinian mysteries were performed. After, we had lunch up a mountain at Gyftokastro, or the "Gypsy castle". It's actually a fortification wall on the boundary of Attica, defending against Thebes. After this we went to Porto Germeno to a gorgeous little beach. The water was extremely clear and a group of us swam out fifty yards or more. It was beautiful and calm. I didn't reapply sun screen however, and got a bit burnt, but nothing too bad.
12 June 2008
We were supposed to have met up at the NAM today, but class was canceled on us until later this afternoon. Tomorrow's the final, so today is a day for study.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Pictures
They are finally up in a slide show. I know this is only the first few days, but I'll try to upload more soon. I'm just glad to get a few up and showing. If you click on the mini slide show, you should be taken to the picasa site where you can look at them in larger form with captions. I hope you enjoy!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Another update
Saturday, a flatmate (Victoria) and I went to the 1st cemetery of Athens. We looked for the tomb of Schliemann, but didn't find it. I think we'll go as a class to see it. After a trip through Plaka (the touristy area), we headed to Edem for a bit of beach and seafood. We tanned and swam a bit, then had calamari and salad at the Edem Cafe on the beach. Victoria had never had squid before, so it was an interesting experience.
Sunday was spent in the apartment studying. Pretty much everyone in the apartment was getting back from weekend travels or studying. We all had reading to catch up on. It was really nice to sleep in for a day.
Monday, we climbed to the Acropolis. It was an interesting trip. We only did the early Archaic period and earlier, but we'll make a few more trips up (including tomorrow). The coolest part was our guest lecturer. He's a CYA professor, who works on the Acropolis most of the time. He took us up onto the Propylaia (the Grand Gateway to the Acropolis), which the common visitors never get to do! Archaeologists are still working to restore the Propylaia and so tourists aren't allowed onto the wings or dining areas. We got to hear about the entire history of the gateway from its creation in the 6th century BC to restoration in the 20th century AD. We also climbed the hill where the high court of Athens was. This was the same hill that St. Paul spoke from. It was a slippery climb, but a beautiful view.
Tuesday, the class met up at the National Archaeological Museum (NAM), and looked at the Kouroi of the Archaic period, the Artemision Bronze of the classical period, and lots of grave markers from the classical period. We then took the metro to Piraeus, where we saw classical bronzes at the Museum of Piraeus. It hadn't been open in about 15 years, so it was special for us to be able to see the bronze Athena and Artemises. There was also a trireme, one of the ramming elements of the ancient ships. The class continued down to see where to ancient ship sheds used to be and ate lunch on the water, but unfortunately I had an asthma attack and caught a taxi back to the apartment in Pangrati. I slept it off and was feeling well enough to go to the opera with a group that night. It was in Italian with Greek subtitles, but we had a basic plot (some of which we made up along the way in our heads :D ).
This morning was a early one to head off to the Agora, were we looked at the Hephestion, the courts, the house of Simon (where Socrates like to hang out), the prison (where Socrates was held and killed himself by drinking hemlock), and the Agora Museum, which has many of the tools used by the citizens and democratic government, as well as some of the most famous burials in Athens from the Archaic period when there were still burials in the Agora. After that, a group of the girls and I went to lunch with our professor (Nicola Wardle). Tonight is a paper writing night though, so not too much more fun for the day.
I hope everyone at home is well.
Sunday was spent in the apartment studying. Pretty much everyone in the apartment was getting back from weekend travels or studying. We all had reading to catch up on. It was really nice to sleep in for a day.
Monday, we climbed to the Acropolis. It was an interesting trip. We only did the early Archaic period and earlier, but we'll make a few more trips up (including tomorrow). The coolest part was our guest lecturer. He's a CYA professor, who works on the Acropolis most of the time. He took us up onto the Propylaia (the Grand Gateway to the Acropolis), which the common visitors never get to do! Archaeologists are still working to restore the Propylaia and so tourists aren't allowed onto the wings or dining areas. We got to hear about the entire history of the gateway from its creation in the 6th century BC to restoration in the 20th century AD. We also climbed the hill where the high court of Athens was. This was the same hill that St. Paul spoke from. It was a slippery climb, but a beautiful view.
Tuesday, the class met up at the National Archaeological Museum (NAM), and looked at the Kouroi of the Archaic period, the Artemision Bronze of the classical period, and lots of grave markers from the classical period. We then took the metro to Piraeus, where we saw classical bronzes at the Museum of Piraeus. It hadn't been open in about 15 years, so it was special for us to be able to see the bronze Athena and Artemises. There was also a trireme, one of the ramming elements of the ancient ships. The class continued down to see where to ancient ship sheds used to be and ate lunch on the water, but unfortunately I had an asthma attack and caught a taxi back to the apartment in Pangrati. I slept it off and was feeling well enough to go to the opera with a group that night. It was in Italian with Greek subtitles, but we had a basic plot (some of which we made up along the way in our heads :D ).
This morning was a early one to head off to the Agora, were we looked at the Hephestion, the courts, the house of Simon (where Socrates like to hang out), the prison (where Socrates was held and killed himself by drinking hemlock), and the Agora Museum, which has many of the tools used by the citizens and democratic government, as well as some of the most famous burials in Athens from the Archaic period when there were still burials in the Agora. After that, a group of the girls and I went to lunch with our professor (Nicola Wardle). Tonight is a paper writing night though, so not too much more fun for the day.
I hope everyone at home is well.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Catching up on the last few days
The lack of posts has only been due to exhaustion. The days have been filling. Wednesday the class took a trip starting bright and early (7:45am) to hit three cities: Marathon, Brauron, and Sounion. Marathon (as the name implies) was the origin of the marathon race, which was run from Marathon to Athens after the Battle of Marathon in which the Greeks surprisingly beat the Persians with fewer numbers and no cavalry. We got to see the tumulus of the Athenian soldiers that died in that battle. Brauron held the Temple of Artemis. This was an awesome place. We discussed the rites and rituals young women would go through in this temple on their way to becoming adult women. Some of the students held a footrace, many of which were held in the temple courtyard. I also got to wash my hands and feet in the sacred spring there (which felt so good and cold compared to the 99 degrees it was outside that day!). At Sounion, we climbed up to the Temple of Poseidon, which apparently has the most beautiful sunset in Greece. My tan on my arms and shoulders has gotten much deeper at this point.
Yesterday, we back tracked to the Kerameikos (that we saw on Tuesday) to the museum. We also went up to the Pnyx, the meeting place of the democratic Athenian assembly. This site had at three major building stages. We had a guest lecturer who led us around the site and showed us the different points of building and talked about the orators we might have heard from during each time period.
Today was a long day. Up at 6:30am to be at a bus (which showed late) to Delphi. A three hour trip both ways, we got a few hours at Delphi and the museum. Delphi was a fun site to explore, though a really steep hill, making it a difficult climb. I touched the navel of the world (the point at which two Eagles of Zeus met, indicating the center of the universe). It is said that if you touch the navel you'll be sure you return to that point again. It's also said to have strong fertility powers. My prof, Nicola Wardle, told us that she was taking a class on a tour once and touched the statue, telling them about this strange power, and 9 months later, she had her first child. On another tour she gave, she was telling that funny story, when she touched it again, and 9 months later her second child was born. Let's just say she didn't touch it on this trip :) . After a day at Delphi, we stopped in a little mountain town called Arahova. It was very quaint. We walked down through the city, stopping at shops, and then made the three hours back to Athens. We didn't get back until about 7:30pm, so it really was a full day.
Yesterday, we back tracked to the Kerameikos (that we saw on Tuesday) to the museum. We also went up to the Pnyx, the meeting place of the democratic Athenian assembly. This site had at three major building stages. We had a guest lecturer who led us around the site and showed us the different points of building and talked about the orators we might have heard from during each time period.
Today was a long day. Up at 6:30am to be at a bus (which showed late) to Delphi. A three hour trip both ways, we got a few hours at Delphi and the museum. Delphi was a fun site to explore, though a really steep hill, making it a difficult climb. I touched the navel of the world (the point at which two Eagles of Zeus met, indicating the center of the universe). It is said that if you touch the navel you'll be sure you return to that point again. It's also said to have strong fertility powers. My prof, Nicola Wardle, told us that she was taking a class on a tour once and touched the statue, telling them about this strange power, and 9 months later, she had her first child. On another tour she gave, she was telling that funny story, when she touched it again, and 9 months later her second child was born. Let's just say she didn't touch it on this trip :) . After a day at Delphi, we stopped in a little mountain town called Arahova. It was very quaint. We walked down through the city, stopping at shops, and then made the three hours back to Athens. We didn't get back until about 7:30pm, so it really was a full day.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Day 2 in Athens
I didn't post last night because it got too late. Yesterday morning, my class had lecture followed by a tour of some of Athens all before lunch. We saw one of the statues of Byron and a few little dig sites that have been left undeveloped that were uncovered during the digging of the Athens metros. I didn't take a camera on that trip, but it'll be places that I see quite often in transit, so I'm sure I'll get some eventually. The group had lunch at the school cafeteria, and the some of us headed back to the apartments. I ended up sleeping for about 4 hours.
At 7:45 our class met up and walked to a restaurant at which we all had our "taverna dinner". The dinner was at the expense of the school and there was lots of good wine! I enjoyed myself, meeting some of the other students in the class and getting to socialize a bit. After dinner and at about 11 o'clock, three of the girls and I headed back to our apartment (there are six total in our apartment) and found that a friend of Haley's (one of my flat mates) had been locked in for three hours without food, so the two of us walked a mile and a half across town (all uphill) to get her home and food. The walk back was much more pleasant, being all downhill.
This morning the class met up in front of the Parliament building at Syntagma (the center of the city) and walked down to the ancient city. We got to see the remains of the dipylon gate, which was the main entrance to the ancient city, with its fountain house for water. We also got to see the remains of the sacred gate and sacred way, which led down to the academic road that wemt to Plato's academy. It was lined with burials. We also got to walk the street of the tombs that had replicas of the old monuments that are now in the museum there. I should be uploading a few pictures of this soon.
We then walked to the agora, but did not actually see as much of it as we eventually will. We just got a bit of a lecture in the shade there. Lunch was a nice pasta and salad, and now I'm back to the room for a bit of napping and homework before some evening fun. My roommate Christina's birthday is today and so I think we might go out a bit tonight with some of the flat mates and have dinner or some such.
At 7:45 our class met up and walked to a restaurant at which we all had our "taverna dinner". The dinner was at the expense of the school and there was lots of good wine! I enjoyed myself, meeting some of the other students in the class and getting to socialize a bit. After dinner and at about 11 o'clock, three of the girls and I headed back to our apartment (there are six total in our apartment) and found that a friend of Haley's (one of my flat mates) had been locked in for three hours without food, so the two of us walked a mile and a half across town (all uphill) to get her home and food. The walk back was much more pleasant, being all downhill.
This morning the class met up in front of the Parliament building at Syntagma (the center of the city) and walked down to the ancient city. We got to see the remains of the dipylon gate, which was the main entrance to the ancient city, with its fountain house for water. We also got to see the remains of the sacred gate and sacred way, which led down to the academic road that wemt to Plato's academy. It was lined with burials. We also got to walk the street of the tombs that had replicas of the old monuments that are now in the museum there. I should be uploading a few pictures of this soon.
We then walked to the agora, but did not actually see as much of it as we eventually will. We just got a bit of a lecture in the shade there. Lunch was a nice pasta and salad, and now I'm back to the room for a bit of napping and homework before some evening fun. My roommate Christina's birthday is today and so I think we might go out a bit tonight with some of the flat mates and have dinner or some such.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
The Arrival.....
.....which took 48 hours. I flew from RDU to Atlanta Friday night and then Atlanta to London Gatwick overnight, and arrived in London at 7:30 in the morning of Saturday. The flight was good. I sat next to an Indian woman named Alice, who took my window seat, was diabetic, and talked for several hours about arranging her daughter's marriage. It sounds worse than it was though. She made good conversation and was pleased to sit next to someone who understood why she was giving herself injections and who asked the flight attendants to get her wheelchair assistance off of the plane (her legs were swelling).
London was fun. Even though I was tired (I hadn't slept much on the plane), I stowed my luggage and took a 30 minute train into London and walked much of Winchester. I took tour through the Royal Mews, seeing some of the horses and historical carriages. followed by a walk in front of Buckiungham Palace and down to Picadilly Circus. After so much walking I was tired and took the metro and train back to Gatwick. I napped on and off until 8pm and, checking my luggage early, eating dinner and making conversation with a British man named James.
My flight this morning was bright and early, getting me to Athens at around noon. I took a bus into central Athens and then dragged my luggage through the National Gardens to the Athenian Marble Stadium, which is right next to the CYA Academic Center.
My roommate, Christina, and I got a ride to our apartment, and found that the other girls were already here. We got a joint room that's nice and open, with a lovely little balcony and double wide doors so that we can let the breeze in.
At orientation I found that the two other UNC students are in my class (the course is split into two classes) and we all had dinner together.
Tonight I make up for the jet lag!
London was fun. Even though I was tired (I hadn't slept much on the plane), I stowed my luggage and took a 30 minute train into London and walked much of Winchester. I took tour through the Royal Mews, seeing some of the horses and historical carriages. followed by a walk in front of Buckiungham Palace and down to Picadilly Circus. After so much walking I was tired and took the metro and train back to Gatwick. I napped on and off until 8pm and, checking my luggage early, eating dinner and making conversation with a British man named James.
My flight this morning was bright and early, getting me to Athens at around noon. I took a bus into central Athens and then dragged my luggage through the National Gardens to the Athenian Marble Stadium, which is right next to the CYA Academic Center.
My roommate, Christina, and I got a ride to our apartment, and found that the other girls were already here. We got a joint room that's nice and open, with a lovely little balcony and double wide doors so that we can let the breeze in.
At orientation I found that the two other UNC students are in my class (the course is split into two classes) and we all had dinner together.
Tonight I make up for the jet lag!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
One More Day
One more day until I fly to London. I'm getting the last bits of packing and rearranging done. Though I'm looking forward to the flight, the hardest part is keeping my luggage under the strict European 44 lbs. weight limit. I'm getting excited for the trip!
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