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.

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!

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!

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!

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

More Updates to come!