I finally made it to Valencia! Even though I got here over twelve hours later than I originally planned! Silly Air Berlin. But it most certainly was an experience and I have the pictures to prove it after my rendevous in Palma de Mallorca! I have so much to show you it seems.
Josh has shown me around a little but we´ve only touched the surface! Valencia is beautiful and most certainly more green. I saw rain for the first time since I left the States. We are heading on a train to Cuenca tomorrow and are staying in Francabel Hotel. Hooray!
So for the record, I´m safe. Thank you God :)
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Samaria Gorge and a water park!
These past few days have been nothing short of a whirlwind of fun. We stayed in Chania for three nights, visiting several sites, but now with the program coming to an end, we get to relax a little more. On the 8th we went snorkeling in the Chania Bay, which was fun but there weren't as many fish as we had hoped. Still, it was a great experience because a lot of the girls had never got before, and I got to talk to a british couple, who asked me all sorts of questions about the States and the differences between here and there.
It seems that it's a custom to bring a dessert and drink at the end of each meal here. For instance, we have had several waiters bring us watermelon and Raki, this drink that's practically 150 proof alcohol (whew!) and the other night at an italian restaurant (yes we get tired of greek cuisine) they brought us ice cream and sweet wine.
We left Chania and hiked a small gorge that "prepped" us for the 16 km Samaria Gorge we'd be hiking the next day. It was a lot of fun and I'm still growing a love for hiking. It feels so great once you get to your destination. We got up at 6 am to hike Samaria, starting at 7 am. It took us roughly 5 hours to finish the hike, but every second was worth it. The sights were breathtaking and I shot several videos because a single picture did not even touch the surface of how it actually looked. When we finished, we swam on the beach until a huge ferry with tons of tourists came and raided the beach. We then headed back to the hotel and started up a game of Mafia, a game we've been playing when we are somewhere that lacks much entertainment. I'll tell you more about it when I get home!
Yesterday we left Samaria (we had to ride a ferry to get back to our bus) and drove all the way to Heraklion, which took roughly 3 hours. We got to our hotel, Latos Boutique Hotel, and it's so cool looking! Very modern and posh I guess you could say. I took pictures of our room that I'll show you later, and we get free internet (which is why this blog is able to be posted!). We went to the Historical Museum which had artifacts that we had been hearing about the entire time in Crete, some dating back 9,000 years!
For dinner, we went to a potter's home where he showed us how he made the ONLY working minoan pottery kiln in the world. What an opportunity! He even told us all about the chemistry of how it worked... see, it is everywhere! ;)
On the way back, he told us we had a surprise... we were going to the biggest water park in Europe! Woohoo! And it lived up to several expectations. It's called Water City in Anopolis. Look it up. I didn't take an pictures because I was busy going on all of the water slides... BUT some people did so I'll be sure to show you those!
A few more days and this little girl will be heading to Spain! Miss you guys but I can't wait to tell you all about this amazing experience.
It seems that it's a custom to bring a dessert and drink at the end of each meal here. For instance, we have had several waiters bring us watermelon and Raki, this drink that's practically 150 proof alcohol (whew!) and the other night at an italian restaurant (yes we get tired of greek cuisine) they brought us ice cream and sweet wine.
We left Chania and hiked a small gorge that "prepped" us for the 16 km Samaria Gorge we'd be hiking the next day. It was a lot of fun and I'm still growing a love for hiking. It feels so great once you get to your destination. We got up at 6 am to hike Samaria, starting at 7 am. It took us roughly 5 hours to finish the hike, but every second was worth it. The sights were breathtaking and I shot several videos because a single picture did not even touch the surface of how it actually looked. When we finished, we swam on the beach until a huge ferry with tons of tourists came and raided the beach. We then headed back to the hotel and started up a game of Mafia, a game we've been playing when we are somewhere that lacks much entertainment. I'll tell you more about it when I get home!
Yesterday we left Samaria (we had to ride a ferry to get back to our bus) and drove all the way to Heraklion, which took roughly 3 hours. We got to our hotel, Latos Boutique Hotel, and it's so cool looking! Very modern and posh I guess you could say. I took pictures of our room that I'll show you later, and we get free internet (which is why this blog is able to be posted!). We went to the Historical Museum which had artifacts that we had been hearing about the entire time in Crete, some dating back 9,000 years!
For dinner, we went to a potter's home where he showed us how he made the ONLY working minoan pottery kiln in the world. What an opportunity! He even told us all about the chemistry of how it worked... see, it is everywhere! ;)
On the way back, he told us we had a surprise... we were going to the biggest water park in Europe! Woohoo! And it lived up to several expectations. It's called Water City in Anopolis. Look it up. I didn't take an pictures because I was busy going on all of the water slides... BUT some people did so I'll be sure to show you those!
A few more days and this little girl will be heading to Spain! Miss you guys but I can't wait to tell you all about this amazing experience.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Quick note!
We're in Chania now, the prettiest town in all of Crete! We're staying at place right on the Venetian Harbor... Porto Veneziano, you should look it up and just see the view! It's breathtaking. We went hiking today and got kind of lost, but it was pretty fun after all was said and done, because we saw some pretty INTERESTING houses along the way haha. I've taken so many pictures in general, I can't wait to show all of them to you. I'll update soon! Love you all!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
In the tiniest and quaintest town ever, Zaros
So we're in Zaros, which is tiny and pretty much consists of a pharmacy, restaurant and a bulk of artisan shops. Yesterday we went into a tablecloth store and guess how they make their selling items? A weaving loom that sits at the front of the store! She didn't speak any English but from what little Greek I've learned I was able to converse with her enough to where she showed me how her loom worked. We had a delicious dinner here lastnight; Cretans really know how to cook. I will cook some of the things they served me whenever I get home so you can get a "taste" of what I've experienced!
We've hiked so much here on Crete. Today we hiked 14 km (roughly 9 miles) through the mountains of Zaros. It's been so windy so I didn't get too hot, but I was sweating and could definitely feel the workout! We've hiked in three other places as well and are hiking several more before the program is over. At the top, the lady who has been cooking for us here brought up food and served us lunch, taught us to dance while the goats kept trying to steal from our plates while we weren't looking... now that's Greece for you! Haha. But the food! Oh the food! Mousaka, Souvlaki, tons of breads, tons of fruit, and man oh man are the crazy about olive oil. I've even eaten tomatos here because they are so fresh and after being marinated in the spices and herbs, they are to die for.
Tonight we're going to have Greek Pizza (we need a little switching up- I think we've had Tzaziki sauce every night for 2 weeks!) at seven with a group of us girls. I've met so many people and made so many friends while I've been here. I'm really glad that I didn't know anyone very well, as I believe it's made getting to know each other a lot easier... enough for now!
We've hiked so much here on Crete. Today we hiked 14 km (roughly 9 miles) through the mountains of Zaros. It's been so windy so I didn't get too hot, but I was sweating and could definitely feel the workout! We've hiked in three other places as well and are hiking several more before the program is over. At the top, the lady who has been cooking for us here brought up food and served us lunch, taught us to dance while the goats kept trying to steal from our plates while we weren't looking... now that's Greece for you! Haha. But the food! Oh the food! Mousaka, Souvlaki, tons of breads, tons of fruit, and man oh man are the crazy about olive oil. I've even eaten tomatos here because they are so fresh and after being marinated in the spices and herbs, they are to die for.
Tonight we're going to have Greek Pizza (we need a little switching up- I think we've had Tzaziki sauce every night for 2 weeks!) at seven with a group of us girls. I've met so many people and made so many friends while I've been here. I'm really glad that I didn't know anyone very well, as I believe it's made getting to know each other a lot easier... enough for now!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Busy busy
Hey everyone! So since I last blogged...
....we took a ferry over to Crete, which was a very unique experience! I'm not sure if I would like doing that very often, but I did sort of like the rocking as I feel asleep. The part I did NOT like is that we arrived in at our destination early, so they came knocking on our doors at 5:50 am! AHHH! You guys weren't even probably asleep yet, as that is 10:50 pm in NC. So we practically were off the boat at 6:30 am. NOT your best way to start off, but afterwards we went to a place were the former Mallia Palace stood, and then went to a restaurant right on the sea. We were swimming right afterwards too right in front of the restaurant. We have been all over the place these past few days really, staying in three hotels in three nights is kind of crazy, but I've already seen so much of Crete and history of it. We went to an excavation of a place not even available to the public yet, but the excavation is led by a UNC professor, so he showed us around this newly found site which is important to Minoan (early Cretan) history, as the place represents and explains the history of the Archaic era, which was until recently seen as a gap or a "blank" in what we know about the area.
We are now in Agios Nikalos, and the hotel is beautiful. I know you can't see anything now, but I am taking TONS of pictures so no worries, you will get to see almost everything I tell you about eventually! Love you all.
....we took a ferry over to Crete, which was a very unique experience! I'm not sure if I would like doing that very often, but I did sort of like the rocking as I feel asleep. The part I did NOT like is that we arrived in at our destination early, so they came knocking on our doors at 5:50 am! AHHH! You guys weren't even probably asleep yet, as that is 10:50 pm in NC. So we practically were off the boat at 6:30 am. NOT your best way to start off, but afterwards we went to a place were the former Mallia Palace stood, and then went to a restaurant right on the sea. We were swimming right afterwards too right in front of the restaurant. We have been all over the place these past few days really, staying in three hotels in three nights is kind of crazy, but I've already seen so much of Crete and history of it. We went to an excavation of a place not even available to the public yet, but the excavation is led by a UNC professor, so he showed us around this newly found site which is important to Minoan (early Cretan) history, as the place represents and explains the history of the Archaic era, which was until recently seen as a gap or a "blank" in what we know about the area.
We are now in Agios Nikalos, and the hotel is beautiful. I know you can't see anything now, but I am taking TONS of pictures so no worries, you will get to see almost everything I tell you about eventually! Love you all.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Yesterday and Today
So yesterday we went to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, it was amazing how far back some of the items in there date back to! I saw several monuments that were from 16th century BC... almost four thousand years ago! Wow. After that, we told Athens "Ya-sas" (goodbye in Greek) and headed out toward Corinth. Yes, as in the book, Corinthians. There we saw the Corinth canal, which is an amazing peace of work that has affected the entire history of Greece practically. This is because it was the only way you could enter the southern part of Greece by land, so therefore if you held Corinth you practically held Greece. We then hiked the Akrocorinth, which was more than worth it once we reached the top. You could see the ocean, the mountains, everything.
We then headed to Napflion, a small town by the Aegean Sea. What was the first thing we did? We went swimming in the sea of course! It was so much fun and was actually warm... but some people accidently stepped on Sea urchins trying to get out! Ouch! Everyone is alright though. We then went out to eat as a group, and have been able to speak greek more and more to the people as they know less and less english! Athens is much more "American Friendly" I guess you could say, as Athenians comparatively seem more fluent in english.
Today we went to see the Acropolis of Mycenae and the athletic grounds of Nemea. It was hot but so amazing. We went to a place right on the water to eat lunch afterwards, and slowly but surely, I am falling in love with Tzaziki sauce, which was also amazing there. We went right into the water afterwards and went swimming for a few hours before heading back to Nafplion. Yay!
We then headed to Napflion, a small town by the Aegean Sea. What was the first thing we did? We went swimming in the sea of course! It was so much fun and was actually warm... but some people accidently stepped on Sea urchins trying to get out! Ouch! Everyone is alright though. We then went out to eat as a group, and have been able to speak greek more and more to the people as they know less and less english! Athens is much more "American Friendly" I guess you could say, as Athenians comparatively seem more fluent in english.
Today we went to see the Acropolis of Mycenae and the athletic grounds of Nemea. It was hot but so amazing. We went to a place right on the water to eat lunch afterwards, and slowly but surely, I am falling in love with Tzaziki sauce, which was also amazing there. We went right into the water afterwards and went swimming for a few hours before heading back to Nafplion. Yay!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Athens so far
Wow I don't think I've ever seen so much history in my life! Yesterday we saw the Olympieion, Arch of Hadrian, Theatre of Dionysos (where all the great playwrights had their plays originally performed!) and the Acropolis ( which has several temples including the infamous Parthenon dedicated to Athena), along with several other amazing monuments, temples, etc. Today, we explored Agora and the ancient gates to Athens. I actually say on a stone that a Spartan could have sat on (or most likely fought on against the Athenians) over 2000 years ago!
Everyone loves talking english here, I can't even finish a conversation using solely greek, but I guess I shouldn't complain!
I think I have had a pita with tzazkiki sauce (or however you spell it) every day so far. It's so delicious! And they are only 1.80 euros, which is not bad at all in Plaka (Old Athens area). They eat so healthy here too. I feel that with the exercise we are getting, I will definitely come home slightly leaner. We found a little hole in the wall that sells fruit so each day I've just gotten some apples and a liter of water there, and it keeps me hydrated during our excursions. It's so hot here, even with the wind. I love Athens, but I'm really excited about getting close to the water and swimming at the end of every single day in Crete. I tried the greek beer here, it's nothing to write home about (not that I usual have a different opinion about beer in general) but it actually wasn't half bad either! I know, shocking for me to say, but it's true!
Hope everyone in the States is doing well! I'll continue to keep you posted!
Everyone loves talking english here, I can't even finish a conversation using solely greek, but I guess I shouldn't complain!
I think I have had a pita with tzazkiki sauce (or however you spell it) every day so far. It's so delicious! And they are only 1.80 euros, which is not bad at all in Plaka (Old Athens area). They eat so healthy here too. I feel that with the exercise we are getting, I will definitely come home slightly leaner. We found a little hole in the wall that sells fruit so each day I've just gotten some apples and a liter of water there, and it keeps me hydrated during our excursions. It's so hot here, even with the wind. I love Athens, but I'm really excited about getting close to the water and swimming at the end of every single day in Crete. I tried the greek beer here, it's nothing to write home about (not that I usual have a different opinion about beer in general) but it actually wasn't half bad either! I know, shocking for me to say, but it's true!
Hope everyone in the States is doing well! I'll continue to keep you posted!
Friday, June 20, 2008
I'm in Athens!
Hey everyone! I just got to Athens a few hours ago. Our taxi driver was so nice, he showed us the President's palace and the guards that go along with it. They are very strict about their conduct code like Britain, they have to stand so still and when they do move they have to step a certain way... interesting. But this city is huge, the largest I've seen by far. It's beautiful though and so far everyone is so friendly and for the most part speak english. The hotel we are staying at, Athens Gate Hotel, is very nice. Best of all, I can look outside my window and see the Parthenon. Yes, I can actually see the cornerstone of modern civilization from my bed. Ah! So awesome. Becky, the girl I've been travelling with to Greece, is so tired so she's back at the hotel sleeping while me and our third roommate, Brooke, are here checking up on a few things in the Internet Cafe down the street. A lot of the signs are written in the greek alphabet which is really interesting, but below that it has it in our alphabet as well. Jake, you'll be jealous, there are crepe shops everywhere! Miss you already but I'm already having an amazing time!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Blog!
Hey everyone! This will be my attempt at a blog while studying and travelling in Greece. Hopefully I'll be able to update it fairly frequently so you can find out what I've been up to. I'm so excited and feel truly blessed to have this opportunity, and love the idea of sharing it with you! So here's an overview of my trip:
- June 20 - Arriving in Athens, Greece
- June 22 - Abroad Program Begins
- July 15 - Program Ends
- July 16 - Arriving in Valencia, Spain
- July 23 - Returning home
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