I said goodbye to Jane, Paisley and Blake two weeks ago.
And so the Fellowship of the
Ring, though eternally bound by friendship
and love, was ended.
We now go our separate ways, journeying without one another across the globe, but each retaining the wonderful moments of the past semester in their hearts and minds forever.
I guess I should probably explain what i've been doing for the past few weeks shouldn't I? I haven't even had the time to go through my pictures yet, but this being my last evening in Tours, I find it appropriate to write my goodbye letter instead.
For those of you that are curious, I left two weeks ago to spend some time with my much missed family in the Netherlands! I've waited literally my entire life to make my pilgrimage to my grandfather's childhood home in Oijen. And I did it, I saw the place where ten people were a family. I saw the place where it all began, the vast amount of warm and loving people that are making their way across the world and doing fantastic things.
I stayed with my mother's cousin Anja, her husband Freddy, and their stitch loving daughter Carli. Though Carli is nine and doesn't speak english, we quickly bonded over our love of our favorite blue alien! The town of Oss and the countryside surrounding it is absolutely beautiful, what with the endless plains of grass and numerous dykes. I made Anja make me a family tree, too. Now I know important things.
Now one thing I want to make clear to my readers is that the Netherlands are not just Windmills, Tulips, and Wooden Shoes. They make wooden wheels too.
My Grandpa's house in Oijen
The Outhouse
The Kitchen
Anja in the Kitchen!
The Netherlands: More Sheep than People
We got to see Carli at School!
Anja asking the teacher if Carli can skip school.
I kid, Anja and Freddy and Carli do not live in early 19th century Holland. They live in Oss and Carli does not go to school by candelight. his was at the Open Air museum with a bunch of reconstructed houses from all over the Netherlands reconstructed with original materials! Me and Carli got to feed lams. It's like disney world, I swear. You can talk to real wheel makes and go watch the Blacksmith do his job in his forge.
So cool! Then we went to Floriade, the world's largest horticultural expo which is in the netherlands once every ten years! Tulips for days. I unfortunately don't want to risque putting up too many pictures because I think Pierre will blow up, but Anja and Freddy can attest that I took more than two hundred pictures of flowers that day.
Alright, here is a tulip picture:
Like I said, I have hundreds of pictures that I haven't even gone through yet, so I guaruntee you this is not my best work, but if we're friends on the ye olde facebook, then stay tuned for some flower power.
The days with the family were absolutley amazing, and I can't wait until they come and visit America so I can show them new and awesome stuff!
So, Anja Freddy, and Carli left me at the Amsterdam train station when I found Keith and his friend from high school, Greg, and then we took off!
Now please keep in mind that with a small budget, it's hard to do a lot. Through Amsterdam we mainly walked a lot. We tried to get into Van Gogh/the Rijksmuseum but the crowds were absolutely insane. Just walking around the city was beautiful though! We were lucky with great weather, and just chilling out along the canals was enough for a great time!
We then had some trouble flying to Venice. We lost Greg for a while, but then we found him at our campground, which is the same one that my soulmate Emily stayed at during her time in Venice coincidentally!
Now Venice for me was... interesting. The architecture and the canals are gorgeous, but the city itself was crowded and devoted to tourism. Not the most fun just walking around and seeing nothing but crowded streets.
So eventually we went to Rome and it was beautiful, too. We saw everything there is to see from the outside. I do want to go back to Italy one day with a larger budget and visit Florence to see the art masterpieces and go to Rome again to visit the Vatican with some more depth.
I know, this blog isn't much fun without pictures, but just wait, they will come.
But after staying away from France for two weeks toting around a heavy duffel and sleeping in a different bed almost every night, it was nice coming back to Tours, ready to go home.
When I left Tours two weeks ago for the Netherlands, it didn't seem
like goodbye, but returning on Tuesday morning made me realized how much
the city had meant to me. Tours might not only be the center of the
Loire valley, but it has also become our home away from our home away
from home.
I wish I could've gotten a photo of the corner that Paisley,
Keith, and I met up at every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday morning and
everytime we took an adventure. I have no photo of Crepe man, who sells
delicious desserts for cheap. I have no photos of Rue Nationale before
the construction of the tram began. I have hardly any photos of the
Institut Touraine, where we took our classes. I hardly have any photos
of my host family, or the magnificent Loire river.
Pas de Soucis, though. Ashley probably has a lot and I have a few hours before I leave to get what I need.
I guess it's hard with a blog to relay everything that has ever happened to me here. Though the internet is ever connecting people across oceans, those of you that I haven't seen can't possibly know all of the amazing experiences I've had here. Thinking back, i've left so much out of these blogs. I bet most of you don't even know who Alain Maydat is, or even Olivier Dufresne.
I've learned so much this semester and met so many people.
I can never forget La Famille Du Puy (Isabelle, Albain, Francois-Xavier, Olivier), Isa's family with Yufu, Mathilde, and Elise, or Marie-Jose, Alain Maydat, Olivier Dufresne, Jean-Noel Billard, Patrique le Sommelier and Christine le Chef, Kevin, Joy, Hyein, Hilary, Kato Potato, Erin, Mary, Sierra, USCHI, Clara, Andreas, Frances, Meghan, Blane, Fernando, Allison, Mauricio, Leonor, Isabella, Dr. Emhemed (I'm so sorry if I butchered the spelling on that), Sachio, Woojin, Irene, Claudia, Myong Joo, Geraldine and Betty, The Old Couple from Chicago, Thomas and Jennifer, Brice, Daniel, Matthieu, Alexia, Pauline, The entire Universite Francois Rabelais Model UN, Meryl, Les Augustins, Madame DeTarley, Bruno and Janine, The Bartender at La Cabane, The Cha Cha Pasta Lady, The Angry Security Guard at Monoprix, Balla, Ndaye the driver, John Beam, Sara Simon, Jane Morrison, Blake Candler, Carol Kruger, and Cosette.
Now, as I look around me trying to figure out the easiest way to shift weight at the airport, I find the friendship shell that Paisley found on the beaches of Saint Malo and an empty bottle of Vanilla Coke. There is so much I want to take back but I physically can't. All I can do is retain the memories of the senses, like eating lunch on the Loire with goat cheese, vanilla coke, and fresh local strawberries.
I really do love you, Tours. Consider this my declaration. Sure I've been saying how much i've missed mozzarella sticks all semester (which by the way I found in Rome), but I really do love the way you glitter at night, what with the city lights and stars at the same time. I love the way you hustle and bustle but still find a calming balance. I really love your wine and cheese. I really love your bread, butter, and all around cuisine. Your apple pie needs work. I love your rivers. I love your gardens. I love your destroyed buildings. I love your fountains. I love your playgrounds. Sure you can be incredibly moody, with your rain one day, 70 degrees the next day, then bitter freezing cold in the next one, but all in all you know when to make us smile.
Tomorrow I will walk down your streets for the last time and say my Ta-Ta's. I don't believe in goodbyes. I will say goodbye to the construction, though. The next time I see you Tours, I guess you'll be on the map, what with your shiny new tram. I just hope that when I come back, you will have come to your senses and reopened Cha Cha Pasta and preserved your charm.
Thanks for the circularity by the way, Tours. You know how much I like it. You know very well of how on the first day here, the Hobbits tried to break into the church by Ashley's house. It wasn't until today that we were able to look inside. The first and the last of many.
I really had no idea what to expect in December 2011. I just watched a lot of movies set in Paris to prepare myself. I just knew that what Me, Keith, Ashley, and Paisley were getting into was something completley new, and we had to be open to everything. And you know what Tours, we were. The only thing that any of us said no to really was Paisley saying no to meat.
Thanks Tours for a great semester. I'll see you again soon.
Also, readers. This isn't the end. Hold out for photos. There is still summer.
The ships have come to carry us home. And now we sail across the sea, into the horizon, ready for another adventure.
Tot Ziens! Au revoir! Ciao!
Traveling Quincy
P.S: Oh yeah, did I mention I got hit by a taxi? It wasn't serious or
anything, not even a bruise. But I lost the bet. Ashley was not the
first to get hit.
It has been about a month now since we left for Senegal.
For those of you that are Americans and are stereotypically bad at geography, Senegal is a small country just south of Mauritania, which is just south of of Morocco, on the western coast of Africa. It looks like a face if you squint hard enough because the small country of Gambia lies within its borders!
Now, let me just say that our tenish days in Senegal were some of the most amazing I've ever experienced.
Starting at the beginning is too overdone, so i'll start at the end this time.
At the Leopold Sedar Senghor Airport in Dakar, I affirmed that if I were a super hero, my power would be my ability to fall asleep anywhere. At midnight, after a long day of traveling and goodbyes, I fell asleep at a table in an airport bar, sitting straight up holding my back pack. Our departure gate was locked, so all we could do was wait. I guess it wouldn't have been so bad if our plane hadn't been delayed by several hours due to a broken plane in Guinea. We would be leaving at around 3am or so, so I guess it was important to get some shut eye.
Before that, we said goodbye to Balla and our driver. Bittersweet, but after ten days, he felt like family. We ate all of our meals together, and we even bought him a T-shirt. Wherever he is now, I hope he is dealing with his two problems succinctly and peacefully, but more on that later.
Have I ever mentioned that Jane Morrison is the coolest girl I know? Because this girl would do anything to keep her friends from embarrassing themselves. She would even stop someone being dared to eat the hottest pepper they've ever tasted, one that would paralyze your tastebuds for hours on end. Oh wait, did I really type that? Because that is the opposite of true. I guess taking her dare was my own fault, but now I am as scared of red peppers just as I am of french taxis, but more on that later.
After the Pepper- Photo Courtesy of Ashley Parker
Yes. I am crying.
Our day at the West African resource center let us get to know more about the problems that Senegal as a country faces. . If you'd rather not hear about political issues, I suggest you skip this paragraph and continue right after you see a picture of a really cool river. As it turns out, there was a really big election this past year, the results of which confirmed that Senegal is still one of the most peaceful african country with a perfect record of succeful transitions of power. But this time, it wasn't so peaceful. Last year, former president Abdoulaye Wade announced that we would run for an unheard of third term. Now, the Senegalese people didn't like that very much. So this group of Senegalese rappers formed an activist group called the Y'en A Marre (We've had enough) to encourage the youth of senegal to vote in the upcoming election to ensure that the peace in Senegal would continue. The promise of this group was that all demonstrations would be peaceful in an attempt to rally support. Over the course of the year, the group gained strength and suffered many backlashes from the office of Abdoulaye Wade, including bribes to end the group or convince the people that Wade was the right choice to make. They refused. They continued to rally, and eventually, the leaders of the group were arrested. This only confirmed everything they had been advocating for and many discovered the truth behind the mask. Abdoulaye Wade lost by a significant enough margin this year to abandon his attempt at an increased term, and now Senegal lives on. Do you want to know what the coolest part about it all was? We were told this story by one of the creators of the group that was imprisoned. He taught us this mini contemporary political history, and it made all the difference. Now, the words Y'en a Marre are being spread all over West Africa, following the example that this group has laid.
Paisley, Blake, Ashley, and Sara in a Kayak
Ok, you can read again.
It was miserable, I should've known to put sunscreen on during our time on the river. I walked through the streets of the Shellfish village, a place where Muslims and Christians live happily together and are really proud of it. I was wearing a piece of fabric so it wouldn't touch my shoulders. It hurt so bad that I hardly payed attention to the tour guide as we walked around.
It wasn't exactly Club Med, but it was a really nice hotel in Toubacouta, the farthest south i've ever traveled to. It was right in the Kine Saloum, one of Senegal's largest river. Yeah, we went kayaking and possibly saw a few more crocodiles, but what else is new?
We had our official spring frolics here this year, and while there was commotion in Davidson, NC, there was commotion on the other side of the world, too. The night of Frolics, we went to a local spectacle where we got to watch some local dancing (our very own Dance Ensemble) and some of Senegal's famous performers perform for the town of Toubacouta. (We unknowingly sat in the VIP seating section, so we got to see the backs of some local celebrities throughout the night.) We were promised a drum performance from Blake's friend Ibou, but before it could start, a stampede of sorts nearly trampled us as we sat in our seats. We were freaked out as about fifty children ran into the stands. Sara was crushed against a pole, and the rest of us struggled to find each other in the crowd. I didn't hear anything. I saw the children running for us, and my survival instincts told me to run with the crowd as long as I could until I found an exit point. I looked into the darkness and started running, but Paisley wouldn't let me do that. She grabbed my hand and held it tight so that we were able to fight the current and find the others.
Ashley's account of the story tells us that Dr. Kruger saw Sara being slammed against a pole and started screaming, "Not the Blonde! Not the Blonde!". In a later interview with Kruges, she said that, in response to my question about what was going through her head in those moments, she started writing a mental letter that started with something like, "Dear Mrs. Simon..."
(Sara's last name is Simon.)
When we were all together, holding each other close, standing as an immovable rock as the crowd continued to push against us, Blake's friend Ibou appeared and informed us that there was nothing to worry about, and that sort of thing happens all the time. Keith thought they were running from the police. I thought they were running from a rhino, or a hippo, or a rabid goat. Turns out, that's how they announce that the time allotted for renting the performance space was up.
On Frolics we also swam in the river, and used our Davidson cat cups to hydrate ourselves...with water.
This situation also went down:
Jane: Hey cool! Free Pirogue Ride for three!
Jane: Now who should I take?
Jane: Keith...
Jane: And...
Jane: Balla.
Balla: Cool.
I'm on a Pirogue and...
It's going fast and...
That's a real dead fish in that guy's hand...
I never thought that I'd be on a pirooooooogue!
Yeah, we were channeling some sick Lonley Island beats all day long.
There were several songs that applied to our trip. If I were to make a playlist describing the things we felt in these ten days, it might go something like this:
1. Don't Rock the Boat- Hues Corporation
2. Hakuna Matata- The Lion King
3. Not Afraid- Eminem
4. Love the Way You Lie- Eminem ft. Rihanna
5. Africa- Toto
6. The Riddle- Five for Fighting
7. I'm On a Boat- Lonley Island
8. Up is Down (Instrumental)- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
9. To Die For (Instrumental)- The Lion King
10. Wow- Viviane N'Dour (Senegalese artist that performed at the spectacle in Toubacouta)
I think it has alot of variety. Fun fact: They love Eminem in Senegal!
Another fun fact: Jane and I learned the entire song of Love the Way You Lie during one of our extremely long van rides.
For those of you that are interested, here is some senegalese music. This is probably the most memorable song from our night at the Spectacle. Viviane NDour was there singing this song with the CD. Blake even got to dance with her! It might not seem like much, but this song holds a special place in the hearts of our team. The majority of the song is in the most widley spoken dialect in Senegal that isn't french, Wolouf!
We went to the Mosque in Touba. It was really hot, but really interesting. The level of devotion shown in the biggest Mosque in Senegal was amazing, and even though it was illegal, we managed to get some pictures of boys and girls together. We didnt know that this was illegal though when we took them.
We saw a naturally pink lake, and visited a village where the chief had three wives, and went to the western most point in Africa, and went to a slave trade island where 60 million people either passed through there or died there (our guide changed the story a few times). We visited the english club at the University in Dakar, and I was commissioned to write a play just because I specialize in theatre. I'm thinking of the plot now, and have to get it done soon.
Does it seem like im rushing through the first dew days? Does it seems like im leaving out crucial details? I am. I'm sorry, but if I see you at any point in the future and demand specific details, I promise I will give you all that you want to know, no matter how long it takes. I can tell you about the food, the mosquitoes, the people, the shops, the money, and the goats. I can even tell you that when I man says how many problems he has in senegal, that number usually corresponds to the amount of wives he has. Balla only has one wife, but he said if he had more money he'd get another one, to remedy against his crazy wife. His other problem is his mother.
I think I forgot to mention by going in reverse order, that we were in a van for the majority of the trip. I just wish that we could've gotten out and done some non touristy stuff. Everywhere we went, people tried to sell us stuff. Being students, we were kind of poor. We told them we had no money, but they didn't believe us. Balla told us later that one of them confided in him, "They are lying. They are Americans, of course they have money. You just have to keep trying." It was awful trying to even talk to any of the locals, because you usually couldn't get more than five words of a normal conversation out of them when we were in touristy areas. It absolutely sucks that people think so poorly of us, especially in cultures where the most prized aspect of their culture is their hospitality.
The trip to Senegal was the trip of a life time. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to see another part of the world. To understand how such a mixed culture has evolved over time is simply fascinating, and to actually see the people there was sobering, but heart warming at the same time. And people say that studying French is useless.
Until next time,
HAKUNA MATATA!
Traveling Quincy
(I guess putting this at the end is kind of useless isn't it?)
Remember how I said before that these next few weeks will be ridiculous and I wouldn't be able to blog for a while? Well, this past week was just the start of the real craziness that is my life studying abroad.
Pop quiz: What's better than being a second semester high school senior?
Answer: Being a second semester sophomore abroad.
Today, the team finished another class (in Ashley's case two) and QKAP is just one class away from finishing our year. This means two things:
1. The year is almost over (sad)
2. That we have the time to do some of our own exploring! (awesome)
At the beginning of our semester, we had to decide what traveling we were going to do while in Europe, so that we could find the cheapest prices for flying/eating/lodging and such. We went through many options. At one point we were going to rent-a-car and drive to Bruges, Belgium, but that didn't work out. The list was long: Spain? Prague? Copenhagen (Obscure, I know)? How were we ever to decide?
I knew coming over here that I absolutely had to 100% make it to the Netherlands. There is no question there.
But then, during research I stumbled upon it: A ridiculously inexpensive ticket to Athens, Greece.
Greece.
Flashback time?
The first movie I remember seeing in the theatres was Disney's Hercules, and to say the least, I was obsessed. I was Meg for halloween, I collected all of the McDonalds toys, I sang the songs, and as of today, I've probably seen the film at least 50 times. As a nineteen year old, I still get chills as Hercules flies off into the sunset, filled with hope at his prospects of rejoining his father on Mt. Olympus. When I was younger, I was kind of obsessed with Greek Mythology, and got really excited whenever I learned something about the mythical creators of the universe. Last year I read Percy Jackson and the Olympians and I remembered exactly how cool I thought the concept was, and how when I was nine and ten years old, I thought Zeus was responsible for the lightning in the sky.
So maybe you can imagine what went through my head when I realized a trip to the land of the Olympians was possible.
I've provided two soundtrack options, for these are both songs that describe this trip:
1. Go the Distance- Hercules. Recommended for readers above age 31, unless you're into that "hip" music.
(Sorry I couldn't find the movie version, but here's some Michael Bolton ya'll)
2. Starships- Nicki Miniaj (I have no idea how popular this song is in America, so I hope it's not overplayed yet) Watch out older/younger audience, graphic language!
I begged and pleaded and prodded and eventually managed to convince Keith and Ashley to make the journey with me. (Jane was initially on board, but had to change her plans at the last minute and I know that Sara really wanted to come but exams didn't permit it) Now this was months ago, and truth be told, with everything that happened in March, all of the amazing experiences that went down, we honestly forgot that Greece was coming up. Ashley and I were finishing term papers the morning before we left (like typical Davidson Students) and hadn't packed at all. Getting on the train to the airport didn't seem real either. I don't think it actually hit any of us that we were actually venturing so far away until we sat in our seats on our Aegean Airlines flight.
We left on Wednesday and returned to France from Athens on Tuesday, so you can imagine we did a lot. I don't think I can possibly describe everything here. Keith and I just recounted every turn we took during the past week to Paisley in a little over an hour, and I simply don't think it's possible to outline it all in one blogpost if I want to be done before we leave for Senegal. (Keith and Ashley will probably share some stories that I didn't tell, so here are links to their blogs:
Keith - http://sandwichaujambon.blogspot.fr/2012/04/adventures-in-greece.html
Ash- http://pas-de-soucis-a-tours.blogspot.fr/)
We arrived in Athens at about two a.m. on Thursday morning and spent a few hours in what we like to call "Hotel Baggage Claim". We didn't actually end up sleeping, but we played cards and sang Hercules, Moulin Rouge, and Wicked at the top of our lungs in the almost empty airport. A security woman even came up to us and asked us why we there. We told her we were waiting for a bus. She simply said OK and walked away.
We then took a bus to Port Piraeus in Athens. This was cool and all, but at the bus station a seemingly scandinavian woman came up and started talking to us. It was all fine until I realized that she was completley crazy. During a lull in the conversation, I asked her where she was from, and she went off talking about horses. At the next lull I told her that Ashley, who had been trying to avoid entrance into the conversation (with reason), loved horses, so she left me and started on her. (Sorry)
So then we got on the bus, went to the back, and she sat in the seat behind me. She then talked to us about how she was thinking of getting her tongue pierced, mumble mumble, "because some people think I talk too much!" We all silently agreed. We turned around and kept talking amongst ourselves when she reappears with a ring stuck between her nostrils and a long chain hanging from it. At some point while she swung this chain back and forth with her head she mentioned that she was in fact greek, and I realized she had no eyebrows. This is when I got sketched out. Keith noticed that the whole back of her head was shaved off. Just look ahead, team. Don't pay attention to her. At some point after she lost our direct attention, she realizes that this bus didn't go to her stop, and gets off.
We were relieved. But about five minutes after her departure, Ashley and I look at each other at the same time and wonder the same thing out loud. She had no luggage, what was she doing at the airport at 5 am!?
Whatever, we made it to the port safely.
Now all of the guide books and travel tips we read about Greece said that the country was not all Athens and the Delphi Coast; you had to spend some time on the islands, too. And we were planing on spending at least two nights on one of them, but the problem with that was that online booking for greek ferries is really shady, and ferry times are never fixed. So what we did was get to the port and pick an island at random.
We found a ticket agency. We asked her what Island was the cheapest to get to in the shortest amount of time. She said Paros, an island in the Cyclades. Tired and hungry, we agreed to get on this absolutely titanic sized boat to make our way to the peaceful island.
The ferry was really nice. I fell asleep within two minutes of sitting down. It was also very modern, and made me realize that I've never been to an Island not connected to the mainland. (Sorry, Pawleys, Hunting and Lady's Islands don't count in this instance)Overall, the experience was amazing.
Greek Ferry Flag
Sunset from the beach 30 seconds from our Hotel
We eventually made it to Paros and found a cheap hotel. Now the inkeeper of this hotel is a local celebrity. We would just walk around town and people would recognize us as "Friends of Andreas". (To be fair we were the only tourists on the island, so everyone wanted us to eat at their restaurant or buy their sandals)
On the island everyone gave us free desert for some reason, It was a little bland but I mean, we weren't complaining.
Your standard Greek Island Photo
Your standard Greek Island Photo at night
The first day on the island was really windy, so we just explored, but the second day, the team packed up and did some exploring for the perfect beach. We made a tour around the island till we came across the perfect spot: a small alcove on a deserted part of the island. We spent the entire day there swimming and tanning. (I know, study abroad is pretty rough)
Keith and Ashley on our Private Beach
Ashley!
Our Beach (and the few of the main city on Paros)
Keith!
It was sad leaving the quiet island town, but alas, it was time to make our way into some serious site seeing and dream realization.
Bye Bye Paros!
Upon arrival in Athens, we managed to find our way to our hotel. I know our greek isn't the best, and it was a little difficult but we made it eventually. Over the course of the trip, I think we each learned a little bit about what letters mean, like for instance:
Pi = P
P= R
B= V
Y= F
Sigma = S
And then N and I can mean whatever they feel like.
I was really excited when I translated my first word into greek without looking at the english first:
Exit = Exodus!
Anywho, we stayed in a part of town that was absolutely covered in graffiti but really close to the Acropolis. So close in fact that it took us about ten minutes to make it up to the gates!
Well, we settled into our room (We were given a free upgrade to a studio, and since Jane wasn't there, I got the big bed) It even had a kitchen so we were able to cook our own dinner to save some cash. (This dinner was christmas and dora the explorer shaped pasta and some carrots and the traditional greek easter bread!)
So we dumped our stuff and ran up to the gates of the Acropolis. There, in a nice foresty area lied two sleeping stray dogs (Do not fear parental folk, we didn't touch a single stray animal) and the gates to the monument were closed. But as we waited, a mysterious creature emerged from the sunny wood.
Smeagol.
Also known as Emily Wilkes! We finally found her! Oh yeah, but she had her luggage lost on the plane. I'm sure you'd love to hear that story, too. Here is her blog url:
Emily - http://tasteofcopenhagen.blogspot.com/
She was there with her friend, Ian, too! He is a nice boy. But sadly they had to leave for their own island adventures the next day, so we ate dinner and played mafia and life was good. I still don't know the entirety of what happened next with them, so you should read her blog to figure it out with me.
Exciting news though, Emily and I are officially the hall counselors for the girl's side of 3rd Belk for the 2012-2013 school year! YAY! And Emma will be on the floor right below us!
So for the next few days we did some serious sightseeing. We dressed up in our Easter best (basically just meaning pastel colors) and saw the ruins around the acropolis, and the city on the hill itself!
Here are some photos. We were so lucky to have such fantastic weather, too. Thanks Zeus.
The Tower of the Winds ( Down, Left, Up, Down, Left, Up)
Temple of Zeus
Acropolis Museum
Odeon of Herodotus Atticus
So you know how I've seen Hercules an absurd amount of times? It's funny how much it teaches you. I wasn't surprised at all the first time I heard the tale of Narcissus, because hadn't I heard Hades' lines enough times?
Hades: I haven't seen this much love in a room since Narcissus discovered himself.
Hercules has also helped me with ideas for papers on ancient greece and identifying characters in such classical works as Dante's Inferno. And here I found yet another place where Hercules has tried to engrain another important fact into my brain. This is a picture of the porch of the Erectheum. Does this look familiar?
Well this is immediately what I thought of:
True the real life statues aren't those of the five Muses portrayed in Hercules, but these women definitely share a resemblance!
Oh yeah! And there's the Parthenon. I swear it's bigger in real life.
After the Acropolis we went and ate kebabs/gyros/souvlaki/spinach pie and headed over to the national garden. And there was a mini zoo inside, stocked with exotic birds and turtles and goats!
Then we found ourselves in front of parliament and were there just in time for the changing of the guard!
We are such tourists.
(There is a reason for this particular song choice, which you will read soon enough!)
Now, Mythology wasn't the only thing that drew me to Greece, either. Growing up, the Olympics were always a big part of my upbringing. Since the Winter games in Salt Lake in 2002, I've been fascinated by all of these countries coming together to compete for the world titles in all of these different sporting events. I remember in 5th grade helping make our own olympics for the grand class championship! I remember two years ago, during the Vancouver games, saying that some way, some how I would make it to London in 2012 for the games being held this summer, but I guess that didn't really pan out. The next best thing I guess would just, you know, go to the home of the games themselves!
Also, for my Davidson readers, I hope you are all watching the fantastic progress of our dear friend Caroline Queen in her amazing efforts to realize her Olympic dream in the National Olympic Kayak Trials happening right now in Charlotte. If she's reading this, We are all pulling for you over here, girl! TU ES VACHEMENT FORMIDABLE!
Earlier in the week we decided that it would be really cool if we could go to a Greek Professional Soccer Match, you know, because it would be as expensive as dirt and it would realize Keith's dream of going to a european soccer match. And we found one! AT THE OLYMPIC STADIUM! I was so pumped.
So we took a train to the olympic village. We got there and wandered around looking for where the match was supposed to take place which was not evident, because there were about twenty people there in total.
It turns out that because of the rowdiness of the crowd in the past few games, the team wasn't allowed to have fans for a while. Sad.
The entrance
Sports complexes
The olympic village itself is vast. The buildings created to house the 2004 games were so giant, and it was so amazing seeing the places where dreams came true. Here is the problem though. I'm sure eight years ago, the village was hopping with life, tended fountains, and covered with ten times less graffiti. But now, the village is a ghost town. It's such a shame. I wish more than anything for this country that's struggling to make use of their history and do something spectacular with the resources they have. Perhaps a national basketball team? Keith and Ashley heard me rant about this enough, and as they told me, it would be really hard for them to do anything with it because they simply don't have the resources to revive their sports. How far the mighty have fallen.
Being Easter, we cooked some pasta and then had an Easter Egg Hunt with the red hard boiled egg that was in our easter cake! I hid it and Keith and Ashley looked for it.
It was a little hard for them, but Keith eventually won eternal glory by finding it in the lamp!
The next day, was not as nice outside. In fact it started pouring, but we did see some killer monuments!
We saw the Temple of Zeus (pictured above) and toured the Plaka, the greek tourist trap where they sell tons of souvenirs and do everything they can to get you to eat at their restaurants. (Like offering free drinks and desserts? The place that offered that deal won us over for dinner)
Eventually we made it to the old olympic stadium, reconstructed at the end of the 19th century for the first of the modern Olympic games! It was huge. Tall. So many stairs that I didn't climb. We each had these audio guides, and we even raced each other on the olympic track! (I lost both of my races)
By the way, these next photos are credits to Ashley Parker (And Keith took the first one)
Me losing to Ashley
Me losing to Keith
This is you losing the game to us!
This audio guide was really dramatic, too. As we walked out of the giant pathway that the athletes took to enter the stadium, the audio guide supplied us with an audience roar, gradually increasing in volume as we walked down.
The hall of Athletes
The museum there was...well...interesting. They had all of the original Olympic posters, but they also had all of the torches carried from the Olympic Games of the past century!
We didn't do much else that day. We explored, and ate good food and told some myths.
We then explored some more old stuff on tuesday before leaving. Ashley got some greek sandals from a really famous sandal maker whose shop was on the same dinky little street as our hotel. The Poet has served not only Sarah Jessica Parker, but John Lennon, too. Oh yeah, and Bob Saget.
I think I often said to Ashley, and Ashley to me that this was simply not real. We would often have to ask each other if this stuff was actually happening, and yeah, it was. It was really too good to be true.
We made our way to the airport on tuesday taking the metro that jumped 7 euros in price for one stop. We were so afraid that they would check our tickets (we purchased the cheapest ones possible) that we got off at the stop before the airport and took a cab. The cabbie told us that they never ever check tickets. But no worries, we made it safely onto our plane.
Going home was bittersweet. When we did our online check in, I wanted to make sure we were all together, so I asked the others if row 34 was alright with them. They were really upset when they found out that row 34 was the last row on the plane though. But I mean, you Payton folk know what great (or terrible) things come with that number right? As it turned out, there was no one in the row ahead of us, so when someone came to the row right in front of us halfway through the flight and started playing the Muppets, you know it was a good flight!
Keith and I even managed to sync up the songs on my phone in time with what was going on on screen.
Moral: 34 = Magic.
We got into Paris really really late, and it took us a while to find our bed and breakfast that didn't serve breakfast or offer towels. It just goes to show that the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy gives some really great rules to live by:
1. Don't Panic.
2. Always bring a towel.
We then wandered for a while on wednesday morning, trying to find a metro station, and I realized too late that I forgot my phone at the B&B (don't worry Mom, they're sending it back to me).
We did get into Paris, and like good little Davidson students, we studied in the Luxembourg Gardens for our final that we were to have the next day. And, most excitingly, we made a trip to the Notre Dame and stepped on the star, ensuring us a safe voyage to and from Senegal.
Now all that's left to do is finish up class, and then it's time for more exploring! This weekend, the team is having our Spring Frolics (a Davidson tradition held to celebrate...what exactly? Spring time?) since we will miss it this year, and the actual event takes place while we are in Africa.
Though this trip was planned as it happened, and wasn't nearly as planned out as our past excursions, this trip was something out of my wildest dreams. I've never been farther east, and I've never seen things so old! (except maybe SUE, the Trex at the Field Museum) The whole time Hercules ran through my brain, and I even had a moment on the ferry when I realized where exactly I was and what I was doing. Emotional.
Don't worry folks, there is more to come, but probably not for a little while. I won't blog again until after Senegal, and when I return I'll have two days before my voyage to Holland, where I will (finally) get to see the long awaited members of my extended family!!!!!
But folks, I want to know that you know that I know that every mile is worth my while.
