Yay for the Guinness Storehouse! I went there this morning with Jennifer and actually had a really good time. The building has seven floors (though the sixth one is just for bathrooms) and takes people through the making, marketing, even the business side of Guinness. I mean, I don't like beer but Guinness is better than the stuff I've had in the states. Of course, I can't finish a pint here either, but whatever. It took us about an hour and a half and the both of us got to try different kinds of Guinness and see commercials from throughout the past.
Later though, the two of us met up with the rest of the class to go out to our first Irish match - hurling! It was (for me anyway) surprisingly fun. I don't like sports usually, so the idea of sitting and watching a 70min match didn't sound appealing at first. And then I saw the ball go whizzing across the field and men beating at each other with sticks and I actually got to liking it. Even when the two teams got in a somewhat significant fight during the middle of the first half I was still entertained. I mean, these guys were carrying hockey like sticks and at any given time were either trying to use them to hit a ball through 20 men or bashing each other. And of course no one was wearing gloves or any kind of padding and after you turn 18 it's up to you whether you wear a helmet or not. So when during the second half, you saw guys reach up and rip off their helmets and throw them half a field (or fitch) away you just had to marvel at their balls.
Who knew that that could be so interesting to watch?
After the game I stopped by a department store with Jennifer and picked up some sheets- finally (I'd been subsisting on the cover sheet I'd brought backpacking with me). Finally though I arrived home and myself and my roommates all decided that with the first day of class tomorrow, tonight was not the time to go out. We'd gotten enough of that, and spent enough money the last few days. Of course, Katie, Christy and I did decide to order Domino's later that evening, but whatever. I was still in bed by 11:30pm or so.
I call that well done.
Monday, July 2, 2007
June 30 - Hop On, Hop Off!
I think in the end I'd have to recommend the hop-on hop-off system of touring a city. Arcadia (the study abroad program) was ever so kind and gave each of us a ticket to the bus so that we could travel around and get to know Dublin a little bit better, and that's exactly what we did. I had originally planned to get up at 10:00am but through so body aches and cries for sleep it wasn't until 11am that I actually started moving. Anyway, what this all resulted in was that I didn't get to Fitzwilliam Ct until 12:30pm (of course this includes a little 10min portion of time where I got lost getting to the flat, but let's not talk about that).
I felt better though when I met up with Jennifer and Michelle and they weren't ready to go either.
Finally all three of us made it to the bus stop on the other side of St Stephan's Square, and on the walk through the park I got a great look at some of the greenery that Ireland has to offer, even in Dublin. Because I do think that that part of my expectation of the country was met. The grass and the trees are just so wonderfully green here, with bright flowers and far-reaching smells. And the grass even feels different. It's not fake looking like you find on golf courses, but it's soft and so inviting for sitting - even to me who doesn't like to sit on the ground (I'm way to distracted by the thought of bugs crawling in really uncomfortable places).
The first place the three of us got off was at Dublinia and the Viking World. It's a multimedia fill museum-like place, where visitors get to take a look at what Dublin was like in ancient times and what the Vikings that first settled the area looked like. I had a lot of fun - surprisingly enough. Because really? I don't like museums. But this time around there were things you could touch and mess with and not feel like you were damaging a priceless piece of history. Even more than that, I was able to travel at a faster speed with nothing requiring too much attention and Jennifer and Michelle were with me at that pace - wonderful!
After leaving Dublinia we hopped back on the bus and got off at the next stop, Christ Church Cathedral. We didn't decide to go inside the church, but we looked around the grounds, generally just getting a feel for the place. After that though we stopped at St. Patrick's Cathedral, a beautiful and large church that has a beautiful park beside it. We toured the park first, taking pictures and watching an idyllic scene of couples and families frolicking among the flowers and green, green grass. Even I couldn't resist sitting down for a while, running my fingers through the grass.
We left the church as it was closing, and spent the rest of the evening riding the tour bus through the end of it's run, looking at the stops, deciding where we wanted to visit later. Eventually I ended up back at my flat, and took some time to cook myself some spaghetti in bolognese sauce (I even browned some meat to go in it). Later though things got really crazy - the joys of hosting 25 college aged men and women in Ireland.
I can't think of another time where I've been part of the hosting party of a get together like this. All the people of the program getting together, drinking, eating, laughing, just having a great time even though none of us were leaving the apartment. And I even enjoyed it. I don't think in the past I would have been as open to hosting people for this long (especially when thing's started getting rowdy) but tonight? I'm part of the excitement and I'm having fun. Maybe that's it. Since I feel so much a part of the people and the party, I don't feel the same about having them all here. I think it's a great way to end a Saturday night in Dublin -though I don't think I would do this kind of thing too often - it's a little loud.
I felt better though when I met up with Jennifer and Michelle and they weren't ready to go either.
Finally all three of us made it to the bus stop on the other side of St Stephan's Square, and on the walk through the park I got a great look at some of the greenery that Ireland has to offer, even in Dublin. Because I do think that that part of my expectation of the country was met. The grass and the trees are just so wonderfully green here, with bright flowers and far-reaching smells. And the grass even feels different. It's not fake looking like you find on golf courses, but it's soft and so inviting for sitting - even to me who doesn't like to sit on the ground (I'm way to distracted by the thought of bugs crawling in really uncomfortable places).
The first place the three of us got off was at Dublinia and the Viking World. It's a multimedia fill museum-like place, where visitors get to take a look at what Dublin was like in ancient times and what the Vikings that first settled the area looked like. I had a lot of fun - surprisingly enough. Because really? I don't like museums. But this time around there were things you could touch and mess with and not feel like you were damaging a priceless piece of history. Even more than that, I was able to travel at a faster speed with nothing requiring too much attention and Jennifer and Michelle were with me at that pace - wonderful!
After leaving Dublinia we hopped back on the bus and got off at the next stop, Christ Church Cathedral. We didn't decide to go inside the church, but we looked around the grounds, generally just getting a feel for the place. After that though we stopped at St. Patrick's Cathedral, a beautiful and large church that has a beautiful park beside it. We toured the park first, taking pictures and watching an idyllic scene of couples and families frolicking among the flowers and green, green grass. Even I couldn't resist sitting down for a while, running my fingers through the grass.
We left the church as it was closing, and spent the rest of the evening riding the tour bus through the end of it's run, looking at the stops, deciding where we wanted to visit later. Eventually I ended up back at my flat, and took some time to cook myself some spaghetti in bolognese sauce (I even browned some meat to go in it). Later though things got really crazy - the joys of hosting 25 college aged men and women in Ireland.
I can't think of another time where I've been part of the hosting party of a get together like this. All the people of the program getting together, drinking, eating, laughing, just having a great time even though none of us were leaving the apartment. And I even enjoyed it. I don't think in the past I would have been as open to hosting people for this long (especially when thing's started getting rowdy) but tonight? I'm part of the excitement and I'm having fun. Maybe that's it. Since I feel so much a part of the people and the party, I don't feel the same about having them all here. I think it's a great way to end a Saturday night in Dublin -though I don't think I would do this kind of thing too often - it's a little loud.
June 29 - The Flat! (aka the apartment)
Oh god, having to get up at 7am sucks and I hope I don't have to do it too often. Today was mostly all about orientation and information, as from 9:00am until 12pm all 25 program participants were stuck in a room and talked at about the rules, housing, and general class information.
Sometimes it's really hard for me to remember that I have to go to class on Monday.
After that though myself and my three roommates moved into our flat! Imagine a large two bedroom aparment, decorated in slightly aged 60's, 70's yellow/orange decor. Not too shabby but not the best on the block either. I got really lucky and my roommate Katie and I got the bigger room with attached bathroom! Yay! The other girls didn't get it too bad though, with their room only slightly smaller and right next door to the other bathroom. We barely unpacked before we decided to go out and find a grocery store and somewhere to buy sheets.
So we walked. And walked. And walked some more, asking directions here and there trying to find a grocery store. Because I didn't want Ireland's version of "Whole Foods". I wanted a nice, cheap(er) place to buy some essentials. And through the help of a few different store owners we found our way to a Tescos. You know what I notice the most about Irish products (really all European products)? They're all smaller and yet more expensive. The toiletries, food (especially meet), all of it - smaller portions but more expensive. Not cool.
Anyway, we made some purchases and wandered back to the flat spending the rest of the early evening eating straightening up and the preparing to meet up with people to go out. I'm getting the feeling that Dublin's going to be kind of a wild ride for me. I'm not too worried about it though - I'm a big girl and have no problem saying no. At least it's a great way to get to know the local populus - trying out anywhere from 1 to 3 different pubs definitely lets you meet the local, eh?
Jealous yet?
Sometimes it's really hard for me to remember that I have to go to class on Monday.
After that though myself and my three roommates moved into our flat! Imagine a large two bedroom aparment, decorated in slightly aged 60's, 70's yellow/orange decor. Not too shabby but not the best on the block either. I got really lucky and my roommate Katie and I got the bigger room with attached bathroom! Yay! The other girls didn't get it too bad though, with their room only slightly smaller and right next door to the other bathroom. We barely unpacked before we decided to go out and find a grocery store and somewhere to buy sheets.
So we walked. And walked. And walked some more, asking directions here and there trying to find a grocery store. Because I didn't want Ireland's version of "Whole Foods". I wanted a nice, cheap(er) place to buy some essentials. And through the help of a few different store owners we found our way to a Tescos. You know what I notice the most about Irish products (really all European products)? They're all smaller and yet more expensive. The toiletries, food (especially meet), all of it - smaller portions but more expensive. Not cool.
Anyway, we made some purchases and wandered back to the flat spending the rest of the early evening eating straightening up and the preparing to meet up with people to go out. I'm getting the feeling that Dublin's going to be kind of a wild ride for me. I'm not too worried about it though - I'm a big girl and have no problem saying no. At least it's a great way to get to know the local populus - trying out anywhere from 1 to 3 different pubs definitely lets you meet the local, eh?
Jealous yet?
June 28 - Socializing the Irish Way!
Ireland is still going pretty good I think. 99% of the other program participants arrived today and we had a big lunch all together to try and get to know each other. I mean, I still kind of stuck with the people that I met yesterday, but I met the other people who will be living with us in our flat, and hung out with some pretty cool people.
After lunch we waited an hour for people to shower and change before going back out. We hit a pub called Fitzgeralds, right across the street (across the river) it was pretty nice. I had a glass of Guinness (I wish I'd ordered a half pint but I didn't know it was called that until after I got my glass). We spent a couple hours there, went back to the hostel to pick up some more people and then headed back out to see some more of the pubs of Dublin. Seeing a theme here?
The first place we went was the Brazen Head again because we "oldies" wanted to give the new people a glimpse of the oldest pub in Ireland and have a chance to get some food. After that the best way to describe our evening is as an old fashioned pub crawl. Walking around about 6 of us at this point, sampled 3 more places sometimes have a beer, sometimes only a shot, before we settled in a place called "The Legal Eagle". The best way I can think of describing this place is as a pothead's dream. It smelled of incense and had live music - which consisted of a smoke machine and a few people strumming guitars and singing into the mike. Imagine a few straggly people with long hair and you won't have a hard time picturing yourself here. It was here though, that myself and a girl named Bailey decided that it was time to go home. I mean, all of us had to get on a bus tomorrow at 8:30am and I knew that if I was going to get up in time for breakfast and to repack? I did not need to go out anymore. I wasn't drinking anymore necessarily, I just knew that if I kept following these people around I wouldn't be in bed until midnight or later. Especially since the sun doesn't go down until about 10:30pm.
All in all, I'm happy to report that Ireland is still a lot of fun. Nice people, cool buildings, and the accents are pretty rockin. So don't worry about me. I'm doing just fine.
After lunch we waited an hour for people to shower and change before going back out. We hit a pub called Fitzgeralds, right across the street (across the river) it was pretty nice. I had a glass of Guinness (I wish I'd ordered a half pint but I didn't know it was called that until after I got my glass). We spent a couple hours there, went back to the hostel to pick up some more people and then headed back out to see some more of the pubs of Dublin. Seeing a theme here?
The first place we went was the Brazen Head again because we "oldies" wanted to give the new people a glimpse of the oldest pub in Ireland and have a chance to get some food. After that the best way to describe our evening is as an old fashioned pub crawl. Walking around about 6 of us at this point, sampled 3 more places sometimes have a beer, sometimes only a shot, before we settled in a place called "The Legal Eagle". The best way I can think of describing this place is as a pothead's dream. It smelled of incense and had live music - which consisted of a smoke machine and a few people strumming guitars and singing into the mike. Imagine a few straggly people with long hair and you won't have a hard time picturing yourself here. It was here though, that myself and a girl named Bailey decided that it was time to go home. I mean, all of us had to get on a bus tomorrow at 8:30am and I knew that if I was going to get up in time for breakfast and to repack? I did not need to go out anymore. I wasn't drinking anymore necessarily, I just knew that if I kept following these people around I wouldn't be in bed until midnight or later. Especially since the sun doesn't go down until about 10:30pm.
All in all, I'm happy to report that Ireland is still a lot of fun. Nice people, cool buildings, and the accents are pretty rockin. So don't worry about me. I'm doing just fine.
June 27 - The Green of Ireland!
My first day in Ireland was surprisingly a lot of fun. It didn't start out so hot, with me arriving in the airport and not finding either of the two people I thought would be waiting. And continuing with me waiting for the next girl to get in, her flight getting delayed, and me still not finding our meeting up with her. I found out later that the first two had left the airport way before I got in, and that somehow I just crossed wires with the girl getting in later, so it ended up she also got to the hostel before me. But whatever. Finally I just took a cab to the hostel (which was minorly expensive) but I got there nice and easy and didn't have to drag my two suitcases two blocks.
But you know what did bother me? When I checked in with Aer Lingus in Berlin I found out that my bags were overweight. That's right. Even though I had to pay 5 Euros a piece for my checked luggage, combined their weight still had to be 20 kg or less. And mine were 27.6. Furthermore, when your bag is overweight they charge you 8 EUROS per kg you're over. But even worse than that? They charged me for being 10kg over! I was only 7.6! 8, if they were being real bastards and decided to round up. But they charged me for 10 kg, meaning I coughed up 80 Euros before I even left Germany.
I'm trying not to be bitter.
Anyway, after checking into the hostel things got better really quickly. Jennifer, the girl I was going to meet coming off the plane, came by and said hi and introduced me some of the other people that had also arrived early. She then let me in on the plan to meet up for dinner later. So a quick hour to refresh later, a group of 6 went off to explore Dublin. Or at least Dublin 1 anyway. We spent some time walking around the Temple Bar area before finally settling in a cheaper part of town to have dinner. But of course the evening wasn't over yet. Being in Dublin we just HAD to check out a pub before we went to bed. After a quick check at the map, we decided to head to the Brazen Head, a pub rumored to be the oldest in Ireland. It was so much fun! We had a few pints (I shared one with Jennifer - no more beer for me thank you) and generally had a wonderful time getting to know each other and soaking up Irish culture. It makes me really excited about the rest of the 6 weeks - if the first night is this fun, maybe more won't be worse?
But you know what did bother me? When I checked in with Aer Lingus in Berlin I found out that my bags were overweight. That's right. Even though I had to pay 5 Euros a piece for my checked luggage, combined their weight still had to be 20 kg or less. And mine were 27.6. Furthermore, when your bag is overweight they charge you 8 EUROS per kg you're over. But even worse than that? They charged me for being 10kg over! I was only 7.6! 8, if they were being real bastards and decided to round up. But they charged me for 10 kg, meaning I coughed up 80 Euros before I even left Germany.
I'm trying not to be bitter.
Anyway, after checking into the hostel things got better really quickly. Jennifer, the girl I was going to meet coming off the plane, came by and said hi and introduced me some of the other people that had also arrived early. She then let me in on the plan to meet up for dinner later. So a quick hour to refresh later, a group of 6 went off to explore Dublin. Or at least Dublin 1 anyway. We spent some time walking around the Temple Bar area before finally settling in a cheaper part of town to have dinner. But of course the evening wasn't over yet. Being in Dublin we just HAD to check out a pub before we went to bed. After a quick check at the map, we decided to head to the Brazen Head, a pub rumored to be the oldest in Ireland. It was so much fun! We had a few pints (I shared one with Jennifer - no more beer for me thank you) and generally had a wonderful time getting to know each other and soaking up Irish culture. It makes me really excited about the rest of the 6 weeks - if the first night is this fun, maybe more won't be worse?
June 26 - Back to Berlin!
I know it's bad of me to be absent with so many days, but truthfully not that much happened. I've been back in Berlin seince the 22 and have spent most of that time asleep. Because you know what happened on the morning of the 22? I got sick. That's right, after almost four weeks of living out of my suitcase and getting little sleep and eating strangely, on our last day in Athens I get sick. Luckily (or unfotunately) it was just some kind of 24hr stomache thing, but it still meant that I felt tired and crappy for most of the day. But with the help of some DayQuil/NyQuil I survived my flight into Berlin (even when we arrived and had to walk to the terminal in the rain).
But yeah, back to my last few days in Berlin. I really have been doing nothing. It's such a luxary! Since I did the cultural stuff the first time around, I got to relax and prepare myself for my courses in Dublin (which hopefully won't be too hard). The exciting thing this time was that Makiko came and visited! She came in Saturday (23rd) afternoon and Lian and I met her at the Obstbahnhof trainstation. We hung out and had dinner and helped her decide what kind of cultural tours and landmarks were the best to see in her three days in Berlin. I guess when I really think about it, the other cool thing Lian and I did anyway was spend some time in Hauptbanhof the main station which is HUGE. Lian made the comment that Berliners don't have malls, they have trainstations. And at this one it was obvious why. It was about 5/6 levels with food places, clothing stores, and all different kinds of shops. It was a great way to spend a lazy afternoon (especially when a lot of the places were having great sales!).
And yet the time has come for me to leave Berlin and head to Ireland. The one place that I've always wanted to go and hopefully will be all that I've dreamed of and more. I'm going to try and not be too blinded by the books I've read and the movies I've seen. I'll try anyway. I'll also try to keep up with the blog when I'm there. You can read about any mini trips I take while I'm there and if I get the chance to visit Spain and France on a couple of my free weekends (cause I want to do that too). And if I have better access to the internet these posts might even become more regular! What a thought!
But yeah, back to my last few days in Berlin. I really have been doing nothing. It's such a luxary! Since I did the cultural stuff the first time around, I got to relax and prepare myself for my courses in Dublin (which hopefully won't be too hard). The exciting thing this time was that Makiko came and visited! She came in Saturday (23rd) afternoon and Lian and I met her at the Obstbahnhof trainstation. We hung out and had dinner and helped her decide what kind of cultural tours and landmarks were the best to see in her three days in Berlin. I guess when I really think about it, the other cool thing Lian and I did anyway was spend some time in Hauptbanhof the main station which is HUGE. Lian made the comment that Berliners don't have malls, they have trainstations. And at this one it was obvious why. It was about 5/6 levels with food places, clothing stores, and all different kinds of shops. It was a great way to spend a lazy afternoon (especially when a lot of the places were having great sales!).
And yet the time has come for me to leave Berlin and head to Ireland. The one place that I've always wanted to go and hopefully will be all that I've dreamed of and more. I'm going to try and not be too blinded by the books I've read and the movies I've seen. I'll try anyway. I'll also try to keep up with the blog when I'm there. You can read about any mini trips I take while I'm there and if I get the chance to visit Spain and France on a couple of my free weekends (cause I want to do that too). And if I have better access to the internet these posts might even become more regular! What a thought!
June 21 - Bye to Laura!
Today started out kind of crappy but ended up being a cool way to end our Europe whirlwind. I woke up kind of randomly at 6:30am and took a look around - what do I not see? Laura in her bed. Not only is she not in her bed, it doesn't look slept in and Lian isn't in her bed either. I wait for about 15 min, take another look around at this point start to worry. I take a look around outside, ask the people at the desk if he's seen two small Asian girls wandering around, and then head back to my room. At this point I really start to worry. I pick up my book and start reading, determined to wait an hour or so before I officially freak out. Finally, at around 7:30am Lian and Laura roll in, coming from watch the sunrise over the Acropolis. Yeah that's right, I'd been sitting in my bed, becoming more and more worried, and these two had been having a moment with a group of the kids from the hostel. I was not a happy camper.
After going back to bed I woke up at 12pm ready to go the pharmacist to try and find some stuff to treat my hearing problem in my left ear (it being about a week now since I'd been able to hear completely from it). Eventually I got over being pissed at the fact that the two of them had seriously scared me and the three of us left for the central market area, all of us going to windowshop before heading to the Acropolis when it was cooler. By the time we got there it was 5:30pm - keep in mind though that the sun doesn't set until about 9pm and it doesn't get cool enough to walk around outside until 6-ish. I don't know if I was impressed as I should have been. It was cool to see the Parthenon in all its glory, but so much of it was under reconstuction that it took away from the overall splendor of the site. And then to read about how Sir Elgen had stolen a chunk of the artifacts from there in the past and had dumped them in the British Museum.
Imperialist bastards.
After the Acropolis we tried again and this time found the theater with the Greek dance troup. We had found the correct path on our way home last night, so tonight all we had to do was avoid the swarms of bugs that had come out with the setting sun. Seeing swarms of small bugs always makes me worry about breathing them in or swallowing them. So I walked the little path with my hand over my nose and mouth letting in just enough oxygen so that I could breathe, but covering enough that I didn't feel like I was inhaling insects. It's a fine line.
But anyway, the performance was nice. It was a really large troupe with men and women and all the dances showcased both sexes and dances from throughout Grecian history. What I did notice was that the cool hopping and special dance steps were only allowed to the men. Most of the dances were in lines and it was always the man on the end that did everything intricate and different. The women got one small wooden spoon number and that was it. Not as impressive as I was hoping for. Luckily the bugs were gone by the time the show was over (11:00pm) and the metro was still running so we didn't have to walk all the way back! Yay! Finishing off the evening with some McDonalds and talking about relationships is what I feel a fitting end to not only our time in Athens but of the trip. Because after tomorrow Lian and I head back to Berlin and Laura to China - and who knows when/if we'll see each other again?
After going back to bed I woke up at 12pm ready to go the pharmacist to try and find some stuff to treat my hearing problem in my left ear (it being about a week now since I'd been able to hear completely from it). Eventually I got over being pissed at the fact that the two of them had seriously scared me and the three of us left for the central market area, all of us going to windowshop before heading to the Acropolis when it was cooler. By the time we got there it was 5:30pm - keep in mind though that the sun doesn't set until about 9pm and it doesn't get cool enough to walk around outside until 6-ish. I don't know if I was impressed as I should have been. It was cool to see the Parthenon in all its glory, but so much of it was under reconstuction that it took away from the overall splendor of the site. And then to read about how Sir Elgen had stolen a chunk of the artifacts from there in the past and had dumped them in the British Museum.
Imperialist bastards.
After the Acropolis we tried again and this time found the theater with the Greek dance troup. We had found the correct path on our way home last night, so tonight all we had to do was avoid the swarms of bugs that had come out with the setting sun. Seeing swarms of small bugs always makes me worry about breathing them in or swallowing them. So I walked the little path with my hand over my nose and mouth letting in just enough oxygen so that I could breathe, but covering enough that I didn't feel like I was inhaling insects. It's a fine line.
But anyway, the performance was nice. It was a really large troupe with men and women and all the dances showcased both sexes and dances from throughout Grecian history. What I did notice was that the cool hopping and special dance steps were only allowed to the men. Most of the dances were in lines and it was always the man on the end that did everything intricate and different. The women got one small wooden spoon number and that was it. Not as impressive as I was hoping for. Luckily the bugs were gone by the time the show was over (11:00pm) and the metro was still running so we didn't have to walk all the way back! Yay! Finishing off the evening with some McDonalds and talking about relationships is what I feel a fitting end to not only our time in Athens but of the trip. Because after tomorrow Lian and I head back to Berlin and Laura to China - and who knows when/if we'll see each other again?
June 20 - Sweating through the motions
Why is everything worth doing in Athens about 15 million steps in the vertical direction? The only thing that we got accomplished today was seeing the Ancient Agora. Imagine a set of ruins with a few reconstructed buildings/areas and a small museum. Nice and all, except the three of us got there at about 4pm thinking that it would be cooler (temperature wise). But it wasn't it was still really hot - the sun was beating down on us and Laura and I were melting into little puddles of goo. After finally leaving the Agora we walked down and on the way trying to find food ended up in this market area with both sides of the streets lined with small shops and jewelry stands. In one thrift store like place I even managed to pick up a few new books. With a new rolling duffle with more room comes the possibility of more book space. By the end of the street we ended up finding a McDonalds (we all wanted to be cultural and all, but at the end of the trip ALL of us are poor and a 1 Euro cheeseburger is very exciting).
But what you don't know at this point is that our plans for the rest of the evening was to go see this traditional Greek dance performance group - and I needed to stop by a pharmacist. Yet what happens? I mention that I need to go throughout the day but Lian's like "let's try and do the Acropolis!" and Laura and I get distracted by the jewelry stands, and eventually we have to just head out to the performance. Of course the reality of the story being closed didn't really hit me until the very end of the evening when we couldn't find the actually performance venue. We climbed a freaking MOUNTAIN (a small one, but still) and I'm dying the entire way, my lungs burning with sweat dripping off my body, and we don't get to the theater. Lian didn't have real directions and the locals were vague and only somewhat helpful, to the point that we had to just give up and go home. And it's at that point that I realize that there is no way for me to go the pharmacy and that I would have to just deal with my pains for another day.
Let's just say that my good humor didn't last the night.
But what you don't know at this point is that our plans for the rest of the evening was to go see this traditional Greek dance performance group - and I needed to stop by a pharmacist. Yet what happens? I mention that I need to go throughout the day but Lian's like "let's try and do the Acropolis!" and Laura and I get distracted by the jewelry stands, and eventually we have to just head out to the performance. Of course the reality of the story being closed didn't really hit me until the very end of the evening when we couldn't find the actually performance venue. We climbed a freaking MOUNTAIN (a small one, but still) and I'm dying the entire way, my lungs burning with sweat dripping off my body, and we don't get to the theater. Lian didn't have real directions and the locals were vague and only somewhat helpful, to the point that we had to just give up and go home. And it's at that point that I realize that there is no way for me to go the pharmacy and that I would have to just deal with my pains for another day.
Let's just say that my good humor didn't last the night.
June 19 - Music through the walls
Still holding my opinion on Athens. Hotel Lazanni is fine, we have A/C and the room is a good size (even though we seem to be placed in the prostitute neighborhood, an experience all on it's own). Since the three of us has to do the whole sleep in the airport thing in Chania, we got into Athens bone tired. On the bus ride back all three of us fell asleep and had to be woken up by the guy who check people's tickets. Eventually though we got to the hotel and collectively decided that it was time for a LONG nap - about 5 hours long. We all woke up at 3pm kind of ready to begin the day.
We started out by trying to find the Central Market - and we found it, it just wasn't impressive. Maybe earlier in the day there were actually people there and booths that weren't fish and vegetables, but not at 4pm. At 4pm the only people there are the ones buying groceries to take home and cook dinner with. Very quickly we decided to leave to head out to Lykavittos Hill, a place famous for the view of Athens and the sunset. What Lian neglected to inform me of was that there were like 15 million REALLY steep steps that one had to traverse before getting to the funicular that would take us to the top. And even when we got to the top we had to go up more steps to pass the cafe to really see the city. And while I enjoyed the view when I got to the top, I was not happy with Lian's repeated comments on how cool and wonderful the view was. At this point I was like three sets of stairs behind the other two and sweating quite unattractively.
It was weird to watch the sun begin to set at about 8pm, but it did get really nice. From the top of the hill you could see a huge panoramic view of Athens, the Acropolis, and just a lot of the houses built around small mountain/hills that seemed to just burst out from in between them. Being officially beyond exhausted at this point we all headed back, stopped at the minimart for snacks and are right now sitting in the room listening to the screams and cheers of drunk people at the bar a couple doors down, singing along to "American Pie". What a way to finish our first day in Athens.
We started out by trying to find the Central Market - and we found it, it just wasn't impressive. Maybe earlier in the day there were actually people there and booths that weren't fish and vegetables, but not at 4pm. At 4pm the only people there are the ones buying groceries to take home and cook dinner with. Very quickly we decided to leave to head out to Lykavittos Hill, a place famous for the view of Athens and the sunset. What Lian neglected to inform me of was that there were like 15 million REALLY steep steps that one had to traverse before getting to the funicular that would take us to the top. And even when we got to the top we had to go up more steps to pass the cafe to really see the city. And while I enjoyed the view when I got to the top, I was not happy with Lian's repeated comments on how cool and wonderful the view was. At this point I was like three sets of stairs behind the other two and sweating quite unattractively.
It was weird to watch the sun begin to set at about 8pm, but it did get really nice. From the top of the hill you could see a huge panoramic view of Athens, the Acropolis, and just a lot of the houses built around small mountain/hills that seemed to just burst out from in between them. Being officially beyond exhausted at this point we all headed back, stopped at the minimart for snacks and are right now sitting in the room listening to the screams and cheers of drunk people at the bar a couple doors down, singing along to "American Pie". What a way to finish our first day in Athens.
June 18 - Bus troubles....
This day was ok, but nothing too special. Because Poppy offered to take us to the port for our ferry back to Heraklion, we needed to get back to the hotel by 2:30pm. Not a big deal except we didn't drop our luggage off at her place until 12:00pm and the bus to Akrotiri (home of the red sand beach) didn't show up until 12:30pm. Finally though we did get there, and after a little bit of hiking made it far enough to see the beginnings of the beach. Then, when we started on the path to see more, we see this humungous cloud of small bugs just waiting for us to walk throuhg, beathe in, and swallow. It was a unanimous decision to turn around and spend some time at a small jewelry stand and then find our way back to Villa Manos. Here's when the wakiness starts. We get to the bus stop at 2pm just in time to wait 20min for the bus to arrive (keep in mind that we are supposed to back at 2:30pm and the red beach stop is 20min away from Villa Manos). After finally getting on the bus it proceeds to go all the way back to Fira WITHOUT STOPPING IN FRONT OF VILLA MANOS. At this point we have to call Poppy and tell her that we are not going to be back in time, and then get on the bus to Kamari which we found out yesterday stops at Villa Manos. But you know what? This time around the bus driver ignored our pleas to stop and PASSED THE HOTEL! It was horrible. We had to ride the bus all the way around and then get off.
Miraculously we make it back to Villa Manos at 3:30pm and take a cab to the port. Where we wait for our 4:55pm ferry. Or so we think. Because the ferry is 40min late! When it finally does show up it's a mad dash to find a seat, with some people telling us we have assigned seat numbers and others saying it doesn't matter where we sit. The only good part is that I was able to nap the entire way, because that ship was so sway-y I definitely would have been more than unhappy and sick feeling. When we eventually made it back to Heraklion is was another bus ride back to Chania ( 3hrs) and a cab ride to the airport (40 min) where all three of us are now, waiting for our 6am flight. Goody, goody, gumdrops. Whatever. We made it here alive and now just have to nap a little while before leaving. Things could be worse.
Miraculously we make it back to Villa Manos at 3:30pm and take a cab to the port. Where we wait for our 4:55pm ferry. Or so we think. Because the ferry is 40min late! When it finally does show up it's a mad dash to find a seat, with some people telling us we have assigned seat numbers and others saying it doesn't matter where we sit. The only good part is that I was able to nap the entire way, because that ship was so sway-y I definitely would have been more than unhappy and sick feeling. When we eventually made it back to Heraklion is was another bus ride back to Chania ( 3hrs) and a cab ride to the airport (40 min) where all three of us are now, waiting for our 6am flight. Goody, goody, gumdrops. Whatever. We made it here alive and now just have to nap a little while before leaving. Things could be worse.
June 17 - I think I'm turning Japanese, I think I'm turning Japanese, I really think so!
Damn those 8am ferries! It was torture to get up and pack up all our crap to head to the port. But we made it out, took a cab, and ended up at the port with time to spare. My plan was to sleep on the boat, since I can get a little seasick, but it would have been fine except for these two screaming, laughing, playing siblings (a boy and a girl) whose father was asleep. It sucked so much! All I wanted to do was go back to sleep and instead I took these little mini naps, like four of them, and it was completely unsatisfying.
All this paing was made up for though when I got my first glimpse of Santorini. It is a beautiful island with all these cliffs and mountains rising in the distance. The three of us all gathered on the deck to take dorky pictures and watch this wonder come closer and closer. When we docked though, it was hard to imagine what we would see later that day. The port town of Santorini was teeny tiny and had like nothing there except some rental car places. Whatever, all was good and the Villa Manos guy came and got us and drove reassuringly confident up a twisty, turny, mountain road that eventually lead to the main road and village. And you know who we saw playing in the pool at Villa Manos? The Korean family! It was ridiculous! Here we were just checking in from the ferry and there they were playing in the pool. The mom was really nice and waved at us, even though Lian had kind of freaked them out when we saw them yesterday by offering them our leftover cheese.
And at the Villa Manos we met Poppy the proprieter and all around cool woman. She spoke good English, gave us free orange juice, and told us all about the village and what we could do with our time. Taking her advice, we all changed into bathing suits and headed off the Kamari, one of the beaches to the south that had black sand. It was really cool to look at, but you want to know why the beache had black sand? I'll tell you! It was because the sand was really lots of eroded rock from the mountains on the island. Meaning that it go super hot in the sun and was terrible uncomfortable to stand on. Not only that, nobody mentioned that while it wasn't a nude beach, there would be lots of woman sunbathing topless - with only a few of them having the body to be doing so proudly. Whatever, Laura and I went in the water and I was able to marvel at it's clearness, temperature and complete lack of waves! I was able to bob here and there, but there were no crashing waves - it as almost unnatural compared to the variableness of the NC coast.
But not only that - Santorini is the only place so far that really matched totally the idea I had in my head of white, boxy houses stacked on top of each other leading into blue, blue ocean. It amazed me how perfect it was. After spending some more time at the beach we all head to Ia, a more well known town that is also famous for the spectacular sunset visitors can view there. And who did we see eating dinner at a restaurant in the town? The Korean family! Yes for the fourth time we now we met up with family, this time taking pictures of the two little girls. Eventually though we continued on to find the "sunset beach" viewing area, which was really just a place closer to the coast that gave people a wonderous view of the sun setting down into the ocean behind beautiful houses. It was after watching the sunset that I had a new and somewhat nerve wracking experience. You see, the entire time Lian and I were watching the sunset there was this group of three people next too us speaking in Japanese - an older woman, a young man, and a young white woman. Finally after the sun had set I decided that through much soul searching I would try and offer to take a picture of the three of them. With Lian egging me on I used some halting, Japanese and struck up a conversation, taking their pictures and finding out that the white woman was the guy's wife and she was learning Japanese at college in Germany. Go figure. But since I hadn't spoken any Japanese in a year, it wasn't pretty- as much as the mother seemed impressed with my making myself understood at all.
Finally though we headed back to Manos - twice more meeting up with the Korean family, finally getting the mother's address so we could email her the pictures we had of and with her children. It was really funny and I was glad that she wasn't freaked out by us (mainly Lian and I) being so amused. Back at the hotel we just did the usual getting ready for bed routine, this time with added benefit of knowing that we didn't have to get up until 10 the next morning. Yay!
All this paing was made up for though when I got my first glimpse of Santorini. It is a beautiful island with all these cliffs and mountains rising in the distance. The three of us all gathered on the deck to take dorky pictures and watch this wonder come closer and closer. When we docked though, it was hard to imagine what we would see later that day. The port town of Santorini was teeny tiny and had like nothing there except some rental car places. Whatever, all was good and the Villa Manos guy came and got us and drove reassuringly confident up a twisty, turny, mountain road that eventually lead to the main road and village. And you know who we saw playing in the pool at Villa Manos? The Korean family! It was ridiculous! Here we were just checking in from the ferry and there they were playing in the pool. The mom was really nice and waved at us, even though Lian had kind of freaked them out when we saw them yesterday by offering them our leftover cheese.
And at the Villa Manos we met Poppy the proprieter and all around cool woman. She spoke good English, gave us free orange juice, and told us all about the village and what we could do with our time. Taking her advice, we all changed into bathing suits and headed off the Kamari, one of the beaches to the south that had black sand. It was really cool to look at, but you want to know why the beache had black sand? I'll tell you! It was because the sand was really lots of eroded rock from the mountains on the island. Meaning that it go super hot in the sun and was terrible uncomfortable to stand on. Not only that, nobody mentioned that while it wasn't a nude beach, there would be lots of woman sunbathing topless - with only a few of them having the body to be doing so proudly. Whatever, Laura and I went in the water and I was able to marvel at it's clearness, temperature and complete lack of waves! I was able to bob here and there, but there were no crashing waves - it as almost unnatural compared to the variableness of the NC coast.
But not only that - Santorini is the only place so far that really matched totally the idea I had in my head of white, boxy houses stacked on top of each other leading into blue, blue ocean. It amazed me how perfect it was. After spending some more time at the beach we all head to Ia, a more well known town that is also famous for the spectacular sunset visitors can view there. And who did we see eating dinner at a restaurant in the town? The Korean family! Yes for the fourth time we now we met up with family, this time taking pictures of the two little girls. Eventually though we continued on to find the "sunset beach" viewing area, which was really just a place closer to the coast that gave people a wonderous view of the sun setting down into the ocean behind beautiful houses. It was after watching the sunset that I had a new and somewhat nerve wracking experience. You see, the entire time Lian and I were watching the sunset there was this group of three people next too us speaking in Japanese - an older woman, a young man, and a young white woman. Finally after the sun had set I decided that through much soul searching I would try and offer to take a picture of the three of them. With Lian egging me on I used some halting, Japanese and struck up a conversation, taking their pictures and finding out that the white woman was the guy's wife and she was learning Japanese at college in Germany. Go figure. But since I hadn't spoken any Japanese in a year, it wasn't pretty- as much as the mother seemed impressed with my making myself understood at all.
Finally though we headed back to Manos - twice more meeting up with the Korean family, finally getting the mother's address so we could email her the pictures we had of and with her children. It was really funny and I was glad that she wasn't freaked out by us (mainly Lian and I) being so amused. Back at the hotel we just did the usual getting ready for bed routine, this time with added benefit of knowing that we didn't have to get up until 10 the next morning. Yay!
June 16 - Home of the Minortaur!
Knossos: home of the Minotaur and all sorts of other legends. A short 20 minute bus ride took all three of us to the home of the oldest civilazation in Europe. Before that though, things were a little hasty. Lian and I got up early to go check out the other hotel options for that evening, the Lena and a generic Youth Hostel, and make a choice. Without any indecision or second thoughts (after seeing the rooms in the youth hostel and dealing with the rude woman at the desk) we decided to spend our last night in Heraklion at the Hotel Lena. All in all, Costas (the man who ran the Mirabello) was really helpful. He was totally willing to help us find new places to stay, and after we told him our issues with Villa Manos in Santorini called them up, and talked to the owner about where we could stay. So not only had he helped us in Heraklion, he helped us book a room at our number one choice in Santorini.
Anyway, what all this waking up early, napping again and then moving to the Hotel Lena meant that we were really tired when we started out our day at about 12pm. We stopped at the grocery store and bought the makings of a sandwich to eat in the park before we left, since our guidebook warned us that the cafes at the ruins were over priced. So with our ham and cheese sandwiches and chips we sat in the park, in the shade even, and watched a nice little Korean family eat.
Finally though we said goodbye to Heraklion and boarded the bus to Knossos. Once we got there though, it was kind of a surprise. I had never been to see ruins before and with all I knew about the Minotaur, the labyrinth, and the Minotian people I just wasn't prepared to see a somewhat reconstructed pile of rubble. Luckily (or unfortunately) we paid a little more and got a guided tour of the site, which at least meant that I knew a lot more about that pile of rubble than I would have on my own. But it was really warm and as much as the guide tried to keep her talks to shady areas, it very quickly became uncomfortably, ungodly hot. Still it was really cute when in front of us at the ruins was the little Korean family we saw in the park! The three of us noticed them when the two girls starting 'La la la' singing in front of us and dancing. It was so cute!
Then Lian started to not feel so good, and with Laura and I wilting from exhaustion, we headed back to the hotel for what we thought was a nap and what turned out to be an hours long siesta. I don't take naps though so I spent the time checking my email and chatting with friends over skype. Eventually we all regrouped and headed out to dinner to spend our last night in Heraklion before heading out to Santorini.
Anyway, what all this waking up early, napping again and then moving to the Hotel Lena meant that we were really tired when we started out our day at about 12pm. We stopped at the grocery store and bought the makings of a sandwich to eat in the park before we left, since our guidebook warned us that the cafes at the ruins were over priced. So with our ham and cheese sandwiches and chips we sat in the park, in the shade even, and watched a nice little Korean family eat.
Finally though we said goodbye to Heraklion and boarded the bus to Knossos. Once we got there though, it was kind of a surprise. I had never been to see ruins before and with all I knew about the Minotaur, the labyrinth, and the Minotian people I just wasn't prepared to see a somewhat reconstructed pile of rubble. Luckily (or unfortunately) we paid a little more and got a guided tour of the site, which at least meant that I knew a lot more about that pile of rubble than I would have on my own. But it was really warm and as much as the guide tried to keep her talks to shady areas, it very quickly became uncomfortably, ungodly hot. Still it was really cute when in front of us at the ruins was the little Korean family we saw in the park! The three of us noticed them when the two girls starting 'La la la' singing in front of us and dancing. It was so cute!
Then Lian started to not feel so good, and with Laura and I wilting from exhaustion, we headed back to the hotel for what we thought was a nap and what turned out to be an hours long siesta. I don't take naps though so I spent the time checking my email and chatting with friends over skype. Eventually we all regrouped and headed out to dinner to spend our last night in Heraklion before heading out to Santorini.
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