Naxos - 6/30/07, Naxos, 8:47 p.m.
I arrived in Naxos safely! Yay! The ferry ride was super long, but I enjoyed it. I was able to leave my stuff in a locked room so I was stuff-free for a little bit anyway. I had lunch in the cafeteria, some spaghetti and bread and peaches. The peaches were delicious!
I also slept a lot on the boat cause I had to get up at 4 this morning to catch my taxi to catch my bus to Athens to catch the metro to Pireaus to catch my boat to Naxos. But I successfully navigated everything! Woot! It was kind of nice to go back to Athens. It was a little like going home. I didn't realize how much I did like it there.
So, I'm in Naxos now. My hotel doesn't have AC or a TV, but I think I'll manage. I am about .2 seconds away from the beach (where I'm headed now to read for a little) and really near a lot of restaurants and stuff. I found a really nice leather store that I am going to look for dad's wallet in.
I rented a 4 wheeler!! I was going to get a scooter, but I couldn't really drive it, so I opted for the safer 4 wheeler. I am stoked. I drove around for about an hour and it was tons of fun. It's not supposed to be too hot tomorrow, so I think I'm going to go to see some of the archaeological sites. Yay.
I guess that's all for now! Lots and lots of love!
Xoxo,
Ally
p.s. Mom, I am still looking for a poster for Jeff. Oh, and on my laptop, my backspace key is broken now too. Boo computers.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Antigone!
Packing, again- 6/29/07, Tolos, 6:05 p.m.
My bag had basically exploded all over my room (surprised?) and so I had to repack again. I'm getting sick of that. I am very much looking forward to the days when we are in our apartment in Venice and can live out of a real closet and have drawers and everything. It sounds small, but I can't wait.
In brief other news, I think I lost my sunglasses. Which makes me mad. Boo losing sunglasses.
I am on my way to see Antigone! I hope it's good. I expect it will be though. I am going to read a quick synopsis to refresh my memory though.
I have my taxi to Nafplion all lined up for tomorrow morning at 4:30 a.m. (wish me luck with that!) and then I grab the bus to Athens at 5:10, then either a bus or another taxi (I might splurge on the taxi) to Pireaus, where I catch my boat to the island of Naxos! Yay!
I gotta get going if I am going to make the bus to Epidauros, so I will let you go. Really nice to talk to you guys yesterday (Dad and Mandy, anyway)! Miss you!
Lots of love,
Xoxo,
Ally
My bag had basically exploded all over my room (surprised?) and so I had to repack again. I'm getting sick of that. I am very much looking forward to the days when we are in our apartment in Venice and can live out of a real closet and have drawers and everything. It sounds small, but I can't wait.
In brief other news, I think I lost my sunglasses. Which makes me mad. Boo losing sunglasses.
I am on my way to see Antigone! I hope it's good. I expect it will be though. I am going to read a quick synopsis to refresh my memory though.
I have my taxi to Nafplion all lined up for tomorrow morning at 4:30 a.m. (wish me luck with that!) and then I grab the bus to Athens at 5:10, then either a bus or another taxi (I might splurge on the taxi) to Pireaus, where I catch my boat to the island of Naxos! Yay!
I gotta get going if I am going to make the bus to Epidauros, so I will let you go. Really nice to talk to you guys yesterday (Dad and Mandy, anyway)! Miss you!
Lots of love,
Xoxo,
Ally
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Epidauros, baby
Theater -6/28/07, Tolos, 7:40 p.m.
I didn't do much today other than eat eggs for breakfast again (!!!) and go to the theater at Epidauros. It rocked. I took lots of cool pictures with dad's camera (hope they turn out!) and played with the zoom lens and took some weird pictures. I'm excited to see them though!
Tomorrow night, I'll be going to see Antigone at the theater! Yay! I'll try to check everything internet-related before then cause once I get back, I will have to go straight to bed so I can check out super early and go get the bus to go back to Athens so I can catch my boat to Naxos. Yay islands.
Love love love you all and miss you tons!
Xoxo,
Ally
I didn't do much today other than eat eggs for breakfast again (!!!) and go to the theater at Epidauros. It rocked. I took lots of cool pictures with dad's camera (hope they turn out!) and played with the zoom lens and took some weird pictures. I'm excited to see them though!
Tomorrow night, I'll be going to see Antigone at the theater! Yay! I'll try to check everything internet-related before then cause once I get back, I will have to go straight to bed so I can check out super early and go get the bus to go back to Athens so I can catch my boat to Naxos. Yay islands.
Love love love you all and miss you tons!
Xoxo,
Ally
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Another Day
Pool - 6/27/07, Tolos, 7:02 p.m.
Didn't do much today. The family and I didn't end up going to the theater yesterday, but that's all right. I laid out by the pool for a bit. My life sucks. Tee hee. I finished one of my books today, so tonight I'm off to start another one! I was going to go to the beach today, but it was MISERABLY hot again and just walking up the stairs to the pool was kind of draining, so I opted against it.
In other VERY EXCITING news, I had scrambled eggs for breakfast!!!!! I decided this morning because I woke up super early and couldn't go back to sleep that I would eat breakfast at the hotel. Much to my surprise and delight, they had scrambled eggs! I almost cried. And then I ate about 15 eggs. It was glorious. Definitely the highlight of my day. Tee hee.
I also finished all my postcards, so I'll be mailing those today. Exciting. Josie, I didn't write you one yet cause I have all fall to do that. But I still love you. ;-)
I guess that's all for now! Love you all and miss you!
Xoxo,
Ally
Didn't do much today. The family and I didn't end up going to the theater yesterday, but that's all right. I laid out by the pool for a bit. My life sucks. Tee hee. I finished one of my books today, so tonight I'm off to start another one! I was going to go to the beach today, but it was MISERABLY hot again and just walking up the stairs to the pool was kind of draining, so I opted against it.
In other VERY EXCITING news, I had scrambled eggs for breakfast!!!!! I decided this morning because I woke up super early and couldn't go back to sleep that I would eat breakfast at the hotel. Much to my surprise and delight, they had scrambled eggs! I almost cried. And then I ate about 15 eggs. It was glorious. Definitely the highlight of my day. Tee hee.
I also finished all my postcards, so I'll be mailing those today. Exciting. Josie, I didn't write you one yet cause I have all fall to do that. But I still love you. ;-)
I guess that's all for now! Love you all and miss you!
Xoxo,
Ally
Monday, June 25, 2007
Nafplion!
Room 14B - 6/25/07, Tolos, 9:27 p.m.
So I made it to Tolos okay, obviously. There is no internet connection at my hotel, so I have to walk into town to get online. Which is fine, because it makes me do other things than be online and on facebook. Tee hee.
So, yesterday, I got a cab to the bus station and then boarded the bus to Nafplion. From there, another bus to Tolos, where I am now! I had to hoof it up a hill that can only be rivaled by the one at Colgate with all of my luggage. I must have looked like I was going to pass out because the receptionist, when she saw me, immediately told me to sit down and have some water. It was about 4 in the afternoon and VERY hot. I was sweating a lot. I took a swim in the pool and basically passed out for the rest of the night. I thought it would cool down at night, so I turned off my A/C and slept with the door open. Bad idea for two reasons. 1. It didn't cool down. 2. It let in a bunch of mosquitos. Good job, Ally. I woke up hot and with mosquito bites. Good times.
Today, I walked down to the beach for a bit and then sat by the pool reading my book. It was nice. Napped this afternoon. Then, I went up to the pool bar to find the receptionist to ask her where an internet cafe was and she introduced me to this really nice couple from California. They ARE SO nice and have offered (on the condition that I give a tour) to drive me to Epidauros tomorrow! Yay! They were really cool. OH! And I might get to see Antigone at the Theater of Epidauros on Friday!!!! It would be amazing!
That's all for now! This cafe is super expensive! 2 Euros for a half hour! Eek!
Love love love you all and miss you tons!
Xoxo,
Ally
p.s. Congrats to Mandy for getting up on water skis! And I've run out of phone minutes on my cell and phone card. Sorry. Trying to fix it.
So I made it to Tolos okay, obviously. There is no internet connection at my hotel, so I have to walk into town to get online. Which is fine, because it makes me do other things than be online and on facebook. Tee hee.
So, yesterday, I got a cab to the bus station and then boarded the bus to Nafplion. From there, another bus to Tolos, where I am now! I had to hoof it up a hill that can only be rivaled by the one at Colgate with all of my luggage. I must have looked like I was going to pass out because the receptionist, when she saw me, immediately told me to sit down and have some water. It was about 4 in the afternoon and VERY hot. I was sweating a lot. I took a swim in the pool and basically passed out for the rest of the night. I thought it would cool down at night, so I turned off my A/C and slept with the door open. Bad idea for two reasons. 1. It didn't cool down. 2. It let in a bunch of mosquitos. Good job, Ally. I woke up hot and with mosquito bites. Good times.
Today, I walked down to the beach for a bit and then sat by the pool reading my book. It was nice. Napped this afternoon. Then, I went up to the pool bar to find the receptionist to ask her where an internet cafe was and she introduced me to this really nice couple from California. They ARE SO nice and have offered (on the condition that I give a tour) to drive me to Epidauros tomorrow! Yay! They were really cool. OH! And I might get to see Antigone at the Theater of Epidauros on Friday!!!! It would be amazing!
That's all for now! This cafe is super expensive! 2 Euros for a half hour! Eek!
Love love love you all and miss you tons!
Xoxo,
Ally
p.s. Congrats to Mandy for getting up on water skis! And I've run out of phone minutes on my cell and phone card. Sorry. Trying to fix it.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Web Cams Rock My World
VPing Galore! - 6/23/07, Athens, 10:56 p.m.
So, today I got to talk to almost everyone in the world. Tee hee. I got to talk to (and see!) my mom, dad, brother, cousin, grandma, aunts, and other cousin. I also got to talk to my sister for a quick bit. Now if Nola and I could only coordinate.. ;-)
It was SO nice to get to see you all today and chat! We'll have to make it a more common occurrence. (By the way, it took me 5 tries to spell "occurrence" right. Who knew there were 2 r's?)
Other than my chats, I was pretty busy today. I went to the Theater of Dionysus for the last time in a while (sad) and the National Archaeological Museum. It was nice and cool in there! It was really nice to walk around by myself and get to see and stop at the things I thought were interesting. Then I came back to the room and did my vping and then packed all of my things. I am storing two of my bags at the airport so that I don't have to lug them all over Greece with me. I was only planning to do one bag, but things happen and you have to deal. I had too many shoes to do just one bag! Tee hee. So instead of 70 euro, it's costing me about 100. But that's all right. I know my bags are safe and stored and I don't have to deal with them. Sometimes it's worth paying for the convenience.
Tomorrow, I am checking out of my apartment and getting a taxi to the bus station, where I take a two and a half hour bus ride to Nauplion. From there, another taxi to Tolos, where I get to stay in my really nice hotel! I'm excited! I am thinking about renting a scooter there. We'll see. I promise, dad, I will call when I get there. ;-)
Well, I'm going to finish my movie and then head to bed, I think. It was so great to see everyone today! I miss you guys so much!
Lots and Lots of love from Athens!
Xoxo,
Ally
So, today I got to talk to almost everyone in the world. Tee hee. I got to talk to (and see!) my mom, dad, brother, cousin, grandma, aunts, and other cousin. I also got to talk to my sister for a quick bit. Now if Nola and I could only coordinate.. ;-)
It was SO nice to get to see you all today and chat! We'll have to make it a more common occurrence. (By the way, it took me 5 tries to spell "occurrence" right. Who knew there were 2 r's?)
Other than my chats, I was pretty busy today. I went to the Theater of Dionysus for the last time in a while (sad) and the National Archaeological Museum. It was nice and cool in there! It was really nice to walk around by myself and get to see and stop at the things I thought were interesting. Then I came back to the room and did my vping and then packed all of my things. I am storing two of my bags at the airport so that I don't have to lug them all over Greece with me. I was only planning to do one bag, but things happen and you have to deal. I had too many shoes to do just one bag! Tee hee. So instead of 70 euro, it's costing me about 100. But that's all right. I know my bags are safe and stored and I don't have to deal with them. Sometimes it's worth paying for the convenience.
Tomorrow, I am checking out of my apartment and getting a taxi to the bus station, where I take a two and a half hour bus ride to Nauplion. From there, another taxi to Tolos, where I get to stay in my really nice hotel! I'm excited! I am thinking about renting a scooter there. We'll see. I promise, dad, I will call when I get there. ;-)
Well, I'm going to finish my movie and then head to bed, I think. It was so great to see everyone today! I miss you guys so much!
Lots and Lots of love from Athens!
Xoxo,
Ally
Friday, June 22, 2007
Heat Rising
Lazy, Hot Day - 6/22/07, Athens, 9:10 a.m.
Sweet. I just figured out that I use an onscreen keyboard to do my enter key stuff until I get it fixed. Nice.
Didn't do much of anything yesterday. It was miserably hot and so I just lounged around. After our big road trip it was really nice to just sit around. I finished my book and started a new one. I think I like this whole "being able to read whatever I want" thing. It's a nice change from the school year.
Yesterday was Professor Ammerman's last day in Athens so we had a quick farewell dinner for her. Now it's just Jess and I. I think my plans for the day are as follows: I'm going to go pick up all my ferry tickets -- I want to take care of that now as opposed to later, especially because I can't get on the boat without them. Tee hee. And then I'll head over to the National Archaeological Museum for a stroll. I am going to buy film for dad's camera and take some pictures with that. Maybe not, though, because you can't use a flash in there, and I haven't been using it enough to know what will come out or not. Maybe I should then. Not quite sure yet.
I leave for Nauplion on Sunday and I think I've got the bus schedule all worked out. Right after I do this, I'm going to look at it more carefully and maybe I'll try to get a ticket for that today too.
Not really too much exciting going on here, but thought I'd update anyway! Miss you all lots!
Love from Athens!
Xoxo,
Ally
Sweet. I just figured out that I use an onscreen keyboard to do my enter key stuff until I get it fixed. Nice.
Didn't do much of anything yesterday. It was miserably hot and so I just lounged around. After our big road trip it was really nice to just sit around. I finished my book and started a new one. I think I like this whole "being able to read whatever I want" thing. It's a nice change from the school year.
Yesterday was Professor Ammerman's last day in Athens so we had a quick farewell dinner for her. Now it's just Jess and I. I think my plans for the day are as follows: I'm going to go pick up all my ferry tickets -- I want to take care of that now as opposed to later, especially because I can't get on the boat without them. Tee hee. And then I'll head over to the National Archaeological Museum for a stroll. I am going to buy film for dad's camera and take some pictures with that. Maybe not, though, because you can't use a flash in there, and I haven't been using it enough to know what will come out or not. Maybe I should then. Not quite sure yet.
I leave for Nauplion on Sunday and I think I've got the bus schedule all worked out. Right after I do this, I'm going to look at it more carefully and maybe I'll try to get a ticket for that today too.
Not really too much exciting going on here, but thought I'd update anyway! Miss you all lots!
Love from Athens!
Xoxo,
Ally
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Allllll Over Attica
The Rental Car - 6/20/07, Athens, 7:32 p.m.
SSo... my enter key is very, very broken. Not good.
Anyway, we have had a very adventurous two days! Yesterday, we rented (well, professor Ammerman rented) a car and we drove to the first of two caves of Pan for her research. Luckily, we had another woman from the American Academy here in Athens who wanted to get out of the city for a day come with us and show us the way. Otherwise, we NEVER would have made it. It involved an "energetic scramble" up and down a cliff, but it was a blast! It was also very, very cool inside. Both in the "neat" way and in the "not hot" way. We then drove to the second cave of Pan and saw some engravings and a statuary that was there. I don't know exactly what kind of research she is doing, but it was a lot of fun to do some amateur spelunking.
Then we dropped the other lady off and went to find the theater of Thorikos, one of the oldest remaining theaters. We were driving down the road and I said to my professor "Hey, that looks like a theater." And she said, "That may well be." Then we drove for another 20 minutes and realized that we had passed it. Turns out that I had pointed it out to her earlier and she thought it was a different one. Oops. Then we went to the beach for a quick swim before coming back to Athens.
Today was another early day. We got up at 8 and left Athens to go to Lefkandi, a burial site and possible place of human sacrifice. Professor Ammerman wants to use it for a class that she's teaching in the fall. Cool. We almost couldn't find it! And, it was a good thing we stopped at the museum first because they told us it was closed. She talked them into opening it for us, though. So we walked around for a bit, took some video and some pictures. We had lunch in Lefkandi and then went for another quick dip in the sea before heading out to Marathon. In Marathon, we were looking for another cave of Pan and we looked hard. We couldn't get to it, but I think we found it waaaaaaaay up in this mountain. I thought our little Fiat wasn't going to make it! It came out with some scratches on it (oops) but other than that, it's all good.
Now, I'm going to jump in the shower and then Jess and I are headed over to Professor Ammerman's for dinner and a glass of wine. It should be nice. Tomorrow, I am planning to go to the theater of Dionysus again (maybe) or the National Archaeological Museum in the morning so that I can be back in the afternoon to do some VPing, maybe?? Lemme know.
Lots of love from Athens!
Xoxo,
Ally
SSo... my enter key is very, very broken. Not good.
Anyway, we have had a very adventurous two days! Yesterday, we rented (well, professor Ammerman rented) a car and we drove to the first of two caves of Pan for her research. Luckily, we had another woman from the American Academy here in Athens who wanted to get out of the city for a day come with us and show us the way. Otherwise, we NEVER would have made it. It involved an "energetic scramble" up and down a cliff, but it was a blast! It was also very, very cool inside. Both in the "neat" way and in the "not hot" way. We then drove to the second cave of Pan and saw some engravings and a statuary that was there. I don't know exactly what kind of research she is doing, but it was a lot of fun to do some amateur spelunking.
Then we dropped the other lady off and went to find the theater of Thorikos, one of the oldest remaining theaters. We were driving down the road and I said to my professor "Hey, that looks like a theater." And she said, "That may well be." Then we drove for another 20 minutes and realized that we had passed it. Turns out that I had pointed it out to her earlier and she thought it was a different one. Oops. Then we went to the beach for a quick swim before coming back to Athens.
Today was another early day. We got up at 8 and left Athens to go to Lefkandi, a burial site and possible place of human sacrifice. Professor Ammerman wants to use it for a class that she's teaching in the fall. Cool. We almost couldn't find it! And, it was a good thing we stopped at the museum first because they told us it was closed. She talked them into opening it for us, though. So we walked around for a bit, took some video and some pictures. We had lunch in Lefkandi and then went for another quick dip in the sea before heading out to Marathon. In Marathon, we were looking for another cave of Pan and we looked hard. We couldn't get to it, but I think we found it waaaaaaaay up in this mountain. I thought our little Fiat wasn't going to make it! It came out with some scratches on it (oops) but other than that, it's all good.
Now, I'm going to jump in the shower and then Jess and I are headed over to Professor Ammerman's for dinner and a glass of wine. It should be nice. Tomorrow, I am planning to go to the theater of Dionysus again (maybe) or the National Archaeological Museum in the morning so that I can be back in the afternoon to do some VPing, maybe?? Lemme know.
Lots of love from Athens!
Xoxo,
Ally
Monday, June 18, 2007
The AB
Library! - 6/18/07, Athens, 8:35 p.m.
So, first things first. I think my enter key is sort of broken. It comes and goes.
We had a good day today. I got to sleep until 9, which was really really a nice change! But, there are these kids who live in the apartment next to ours who I think might be the spawn of satan because they were up when I went to bed at 12:30 and they were up when I got up this morning and they were up when I got home at 5:30. It's very, very strange.
We spent our day in the American School library. It's basically the place where any academic goes to have access to texts and other things. It was really cool to see all the books and hear all the other people talk about the work they are doing. It sounds like there are some really cool things that people are looking into!
Tomorrow, we are going to this cave that we have to climb to. The book said an "energetic scramble." It should be a lot of fun, but really, really hot, which sucks. There is a point when you have to repel. Yeah, we'll be repelling down a mountain tomorrow. Sweet. Tee hee.
Hope the race went well yesterday! Thanks for the posts, Nola and Josie. I appreciate them. I hope the summer is going well for everyone!
That's all for now, lots and lots of love,
Xoxo,
Ally
So, first things first. I think my enter key is sort of broken. It comes and goes.
We had a good day today. I got to sleep until 9, which was really really a nice change! But, there are these kids who live in the apartment next to ours who I think might be the spawn of satan because they were up when I went to bed at 12:30 and they were up when I got up this morning and they were up when I got home at 5:30. It's very, very strange.
We spent our day in the American School library. It's basically the place where any academic goes to have access to texts and other things. It was really cool to see all the books and hear all the other people talk about the work they are doing. It sounds like there are some really cool things that people are looking into!
Tomorrow, we are going to this cave that we have to climb to. The book said an "energetic scramble." It should be a lot of fun, but really, really hot, which sucks. There is a point when you have to repel. Yeah, we'll be repelling down a mountain tomorrow. Sweet. Tee hee.
Hope the race went well yesterday! Thanks for the posts, Nola and Josie. I appreciate them. I hope the summer is going well for everyone!
That's all for now, lots and lots of love,
Xoxo,
Ally
Sunday, June 17, 2007
And Then There Were Two
Goodbyes - 6/17/07, Athens, 12:39 p.m.
But first, a recap. Yesterday, we went to Eleusis, which is where there ended a procession that began in Athens during the Panathenaic festival. There would be a huge procession of almost 30,000 people and they would go to Eleusis to witness the Eleusinian mysteries, which were these secret rites that happened on the 7th night of the festival. There were sacrifices and pigs and babies. It was a little strange back then, but everyone did it. Even in Roman times, it persisted very much. We also saw the apparent gateway to hell, where Persephone descended to be with her husband Hades for part of the year and came back to be with her mother Demeter the other half of the year. We came back and Ryan and I went to Kalamaki to meet a friend of his family's here. They were lovely!
Then, we had our final group dinner and enjoyed ourselves very much! We went to the place we went to the first night, and had great food again. I finished up my souvenier shopping and then we all hung out here at the hotel.
And now, everyone is gone. It is only Jess (the girl traveling with me) and I left. And although I am glad for class to be over, it is bittersweet. I shall miss everyone. I shall miss wandering around the plaka with Brianne and getting yelled at by random people. I shall miss being here in the Hotel Pan with everyone, complaining about the heat and how far up the stairs it is to my room. I shall miss them, especially the ones I won't see for a long, long time.
As much as I am excited to continue with my trip, I am sad to see everyone go. I am excited to experience Athens and Greece on my own, but I am jealous of those who got to go back home and see their families. I miss you all terribly, and I know that you miss me too. I know this will be a great experience, but it is bittersweet right now.
Well, I'm going to go grab something to eat. Jess and I can move into our apartment at 3, but we had to check out of the hotel at 12, so I'm king of bumming around.
Oh! I forgot! One of the girls on my trip was nice enough to check a box for me as a piece of her luggage. It contains all of the souveniers that I got for everyone. I am going to tell you what is in it so you don't accidentally throw something away. I gave Susan a blank check and she's going to mail the package on Monday, so it should be home before the fourth of July.
Contents:
t-shirt for dad
t-shirt for t.c.
jacket for mom
chessboard for dad/t.c.
chess pieces for dad/t.c.
earrings for mom (turqoise)
earrings for mandy (mother of pearl)
purse for mandy
pegasus for mom
artemis for grandma
amphora for me! i didn't want to take it with me for the rest of the summer, so i mailed it home!
That's all for now. I'll keep updating! I promise!
Lots and lots of love,
Xoxo,
Ally
p.s. Happy Father's Day daddy! love you!
But first, a recap. Yesterday, we went to Eleusis, which is where there ended a procession that began in Athens during the Panathenaic festival. There would be a huge procession of almost 30,000 people and they would go to Eleusis to witness the Eleusinian mysteries, which were these secret rites that happened on the 7th night of the festival. There were sacrifices and pigs and babies. It was a little strange back then, but everyone did it. Even in Roman times, it persisted very much. We also saw the apparent gateway to hell, where Persephone descended to be with her husband Hades for part of the year and came back to be with her mother Demeter the other half of the year. We came back and Ryan and I went to Kalamaki to meet a friend of his family's here. They were lovely!
Then, we had our final group dinner and enjoyed ourselves very much! We went to the place we went to the first night, and had great food again. I finished up my souvenier shopping and then we all hung out here at the hotel.
And now, everyone is gone. It is only Jess (the girl traveling with me) and I left. And although I am glad for class to be over, it is bittersweet. I shall miss everyone. I shall miss wandering around the plaka with Brianne and getting yelled at by random people. I shall miss being here in the Hotel Pan with everyone, complaining about the heat and how far up the stairs it is to my room. I shall miss them, especially the ones I won't see for a long, long time.
As much as I am excited to continue with my trip, I am sad to see everyone go. I am excited to experience Athens and Greece on my own, but I am jealous of those who got to go back home and see their families. I miss you all terribly, and I know that you miss me too. I know this will be a great experience, but it is bittersweet right now.
Well, I'm going to go grab something to eat. Jess and I can move into our apartment at 3, but we had to check out of the hotel at 12, so I'm king of bumming around.
Oh! I forgot! One of the girls on my trip was nice enough to check a box for me as a piece of her luggage. It contains all of the souveniers that I got for everyone. I am going to tell you what is in it so you don't accidentally throw something away. I gave Susan a blank check and she's going to mail the package on Monday, so it should be home before the fourth of July.
Contents:
t-shirt for dad
t-shirt for t.c.
jacket for mom
chessboard for dad/t.c.
chess pieces for dad/t.c.
earrings for mom (turqoise)
earrings for mandy (mother of pearl)
purse for mandy
pegasus for mom
artemis for grandma
amphora for me! i didn't want to take it with me for the rest of the summer, so i mailed it home!
That's all for now. I'll keep updating! I promise!
Lots and lots of love,
Xoxo,
Ally
p.s. Happy Father's Day daddy! love you!
Friday, June 15, 2007
Hot, Hot, Hot
Pireaus - Hotter Than I Could Have Imagined - 6/15/07, Athens, 9:32 p.m.
So, we went to the Pireaus today, which is the main port city for both ancient and modern Athens. It was SCORCHING hot. Seriously, I haven't sweat that much since last July at the pool. Misery. We walked for a very, very long time before we got where we needed to be. And, to top it off, the ruins weren't even that exciting. But, we did get to have some ice cream on Colgate, which was nice. We walked back to the metro and came home.
Then we went to go meet our guest lecturer at the Byzantine Museum, except Brianne and I got lost. We walked for about 10 minutes in the wrong direction before we realized it and had to go back. We got there in time, but it still stunk.
In other news, the air conditioner in our room is broken -- making it horribly hot in here. We have the door open and a fan on, but it is still very very hot. Hopefully, it cools off tonight.
Tomorrow is the group's last day in Athens. I can't believe it has gone this quickly! Tonight a couple of us are going to Placa to buy some last minute souveniers and go to a bar that we found. Have some drinks, be nostalgic. Good times.
Well, I must away! Lots and lots of love from Athens!
Miss you!
Xoxo,
Ally
So, we went to the Pireaus today, which is the main port city for both ancient and modern Athens. It was SCORCHING hot. Seriously, I haven't sweat that much since last July at the pool. Misery. We walked for a very, very long time before we got where we needed to be. And, to top it off, the ruins weren't even that exciting. But, we did get to have some ice cream on Colgate, which was nice. We walked back to the metro and came home.
Then we went to go meet our guest lecturer at the Byzantine Museum, except Brianne and I got lost. We walked for about 10 minutes in the wrong direction before we realized it and had to go back. We got there in time, but it still stunk.
In other news, the air conditioner in our room is broken -- making it horribly hot in here. We have the door open and a fan on, but it is still very very hot. Hopefully, it cools off tonight.
Tomorrow is the group's last day in Athens. I can't believe it has gone this quickly! Tonight a couple of us are going to Placa to buy some last minute souveniers and go to a bar that we found. Have some drinks, be nostalgic. Good times.
Well, I must away! Lots and lots of love from Athens!
Miss you!
Xoxo,
Ally
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Pictures From the Last Few Days
http://colgate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021585&l=848da&id=8703472
A Long, Good, Hot Day
John Camp - Athens, 6/13/2007, 4:27 p.m.
So, today we did some really neat stuff. We met a man named John Camp who literally wrote the book on the excavations of the Ancient Athenian Agora. (Really, it was required reading for the class.) He has just started a new set of excavations and we got to go and walk around the site! We also got to walk where the Stoa Basileus is, which is where Socrates would have gone when he was indicted on a charge of impiety and corrupting the youth. We got to stand where Socrates did! Woo! Then we met an english man who is an epigrapher. Basically, his job is to look at all the surviving inscriptions and translate them and tell us what they mean. He was really, really nice and VERY smart. There is the National Epigraphical Museum and so we went there with him. It was SO interesting to hear what he had to say!
Then we made our last trip to the National Archaeological Museum and saw mostly funerary stele (monuments.) They were very cool. Some of them, huge!
We went to H & M again and i bought a nice shirt. I needed one anyway.
I can't believe our time here is almost up! It seems like yesterday that we got here! OH! This is something I have been meaning to blog about for a while. Apparantly, there are no traffic laws in Greece. Everyone drives as fast as they want down the roads with no real respect for people/lanes. And then the mopeds/scooters! They drive on the sidewalk! The number of times that we have almost been run over is astronomical!
There are also tons and tons of pigeons. I wonder -- where are pigeons native to? I mean, they're EVERYWHERE here and in places like New York, so where do they come from? There are also lots and lots of stray dogs. People feed them and they don't do any harm to people, but they're all over the place!
Well, we've got an exhibition to go to tonight, so I'd better go and shower for that.
Much love to everyone! Missing you all!
Xoxo,
Ally
So, today we did some really neat stuff. We met a man named John Camp who literally wrote the book on the excavations of the Ancient Athenian Agora. (Really, it was required reading for the class.) He has just started a new set of excavations and we got to go and walk around the site! We also got to walk where the Stoa Basileus is, which is where Socrates would have gone when he was indicted on a charge of impiety and corrupting the youth. We got to stand where Socrates did! Woo! Then we met an english man who is an epigrapher. Basically, his job is to look at all the surviving inscriptions and translate them and tell us what they mean. He was really, really nice and VERY smart. There is the National Epigraphical Museum and so we went there with him. It was SO interesting to hear what he had to say!
Then we made our last trip to the National Archaeological Museum and saw mostly funerary stele (monuments.) They were very cool. Some of them, huge!
We went to H & M again and i bought a nice shirt. I needed one anyway.
I can't believe our time here is almost up! It seems like yesterday that we got here! OH! This is something I have been meaning to blog about for a while. Apparantly, there are no traffic laws in Greece. Everyone drives as fast as they want down the roads with no real respect for people/lanes. And then the mopeds/scooters! They drive on the sidewalk! The number of times that we have almost been run over is astronomical!
There are also tons and tons of pigeons. I wonder -- where are pigeons native to? I mean, they're EVERYWHERE here and in places like New York, so where do they come from? There are also lots and lots of stray dogs. People feed them and they don't do any harm to people, but they're all over the place!
Well, we've got an exhibition to go to tonight, so I'd better go and shower for that.
Much love to everyone! Missing you all!
Xoxo,
Ally
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Another Day, Another Site
Agora Again - 6/12/2007, Athens, 7:49 p.m.
So, we went to the Agora again. Nothing too special. The way the class worked was that we went through things chronologically so today was the agora during the classical period, which was the 5th and 4th centuries BC. It was cool. We saw the jail cell where Socrates would have been held after his trial for impiety. It was also where he ultimately would have died. Love Socrates.
We walked out of Athens proper and into the suburbs to see Plato's Academy. Not much there, but it was a nice walk and we got to walk through a park and see grass!!! I miss grass. As much as I love being here, I do miss the openness of both Colgate and home. I miss having a lawn and trees. I think I've decided that I won't be able to live in a city proper. Suburbs, maybe. But not the city proper. I need grass and trees to make my life complete.
A bunch of us went on a little excursion to the outlet mall by the airport. Apparantly the Greeks have a very different opinion of what "outlet" means. Everything was just as, if not more, expensive than it would be in a store! Disappointing. But at least I didn't spend any money, other than the bus/metro fare.
Tonight, we're going to a quick pita place for dinner. Taking it easy.
BUT, apparantly, Professor Fred Chernoff (a professor who audited, meaning sat in on, our class this semester and came to Athens with us) was our good luck charm. He left the other day and since then, bad things have happened. I slipped in the shower and bruised my butt. (I'm fine now, but it sucked then!) One girl fell at the Pireaus (port city) and knocked two teeth out! She got them fixed, but still! Another girl went to the islands this weekend and fell and broke her nose and possibly her ankle! Crazy!! We've all been taking extra precaution since Fred left to watch our steps.
That's all for now! I'm very proud of myself for posting so much!! Tee hee!
Love love love and miss you,
Xoxo,
Ally
So, we went to the Agora again. Nothing too special. The way the class worked was that we went through things chronologically so today was the agora during the classical period, which was the 5th and 4th centuries BC. It was cool. We saw the jail cell where Socrates would have been held after his trial for impiety. It was also where he ultimately would have died. Love Socrates.
We walked out of Athens proper and into the suburbs to see Plato's Academy. Not much there, but it was a nice walk and we got to walk through a park and see grass!!! I miss grass. As much as I love being here, I do miss the openness of both Colgate and home. I miss having a lawn and trees. I think I've decided that I won't be able to live in a city proper. Suburbs, maybe. But not the city proper. I need grass and trees to make my life complete.
A bunch of us went on a little excursion to the outlet mall by the airport. Apparantly the Greeks have a very different opinion of what "outlet" means. Everything was just as, if not more, expensive than it would be in a store! Disappointing. But at least I didn't spend any money, other than the bus/metro fare.
Tonight, we're going to a quick pita place for dinner. Taking it easy.
BUT, apparantly, Professor Fred Chernoff (a professor who audited, meaning sat in on, our class this semester and came to Athens with us) was our good luck charm. He left the other day and since then, bad things have happened. I slipped in the shower and bruised my butt. (I'm fine now, but it sucked then!) One girl fell at the Pireaus (port city) and knocked two teeth out! She got them fixed, but still! Another girl went to the islands this weekend and fell and broke her nose and possibly her ankle! Crazy!! We've all been taking extra precaution since Fred left to watch our steps.
That's all for now! I'm very proud of myself for posting so much!! Tee hee!
Love love love and miss you,
Xoxo,
Ally
Monday, June 11, 2007
Try These To See Pictures
http://colgate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021364&l=6a38e&id=8703472
http://colgate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021365&l=6abe1&id=8703472
http://colgate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021354&l=ac21c&id=8703472
http://colgate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021209&l=adae9&id=8703472
try these!
http://colgate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021365&l=6abe1&id=8703472
http://colgate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021354&l=ac21c&id=8703472
http://colgate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021209&l=adae9&id=8703472
try these!
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Where It All Began
So... today, we went to the holy grail of the theater world: the theater of Dionysus, where it all began. It was there that Thespis took that first step and became the first actor. I also gave a presentation there -- and dominated it! It was really really amazing to be standing where Aeschylus and Sophocles and Euripides would have stood. To know that they were there once, where I was standing, is truly mindblowing. We saw some other minor sanctuaries on the slopes of the Acropolis, but they're not that important. For the record, we saw the sanctuary of Aesclypius, the aeropagus -- where the council of the city of Athens met --, and the pynx, where the whole city met as an assembly. It was a BEAUTIFUL day today so it was perfect for being outside.
After class was over, Brianne and I decided to do a little shopping. We went to H&M (lame, but AMAZING) and then wandered around Placa in search of some specific souveniers. Brianne really wants a kouros (tall man) figure and I really want a replica of the diplyon amphora, which is the funerary vase i did my project on. But... we had no luck. It felt like we went to every souvenier shop there was!
We came home, showered, and met the group for a dinner to say goodbye to Fred Chernoff, the other professor who was traveling with us. He audited our class in the spring and came with us. He is the head of the international relations department and is SO SO smart. It was really amazing to have him come on the trip with us. We had a great dinner and sadly, had to say goodbye.
A few of us went to get dessert (I got apple pie) and then just arrived home. I bought Hercules and so Brianne and I are going to watch it and then head to bed. We've got tomorrow off, so I think we're going to head to the beach for the day. Exciting!
Well, I'm off for a movie and then some much-needed sleep! Good night from Athens!
Missing everyone! Much love!
Xoxo,
Ally
After class was over, Brianne and I decided to do a little shopping. We went to H&M (lame, but AMAZING) and then wandered around Placa in search of some specific souveniers. Brianne really wants a kouros (tall man) figure and I really want a replica of the diplyon amphora, which is the funerary vase i did my project on. But... we had no luck. It felt like we went to every souvenier shop there was!
We came home, showered, and met the group for a dinner to say goodbye to Fred Chernoff, the other professor who was traveling with us. He audited our class in the spring and came with us. He is the head of the international relations department and is SO SO smart. It was really amazing to have him come on the trip with us. We had a great dinner and sadly, had to say goodbye.
A few of us went to get dessert (I got apple pie) and then just arrived home. I bought Hercules and so Brianne and I are going to watch it and then head to bed. We've got tomorrow off, so I think we're going to head to the beach for the day. Exciting!
Well, I'm off for a movie and then some much-needed sleep! Good night from Athens!
Missing everyone! Much love!
Xoxo,
Ally
Friday, June 8, 2007
Home, Sweet Home
Back at the Pan - Athens, 6/8/07, 11:26 p.m.
Sorry about that.. I can't seem to get the bold/italics to both turn off at the same time. Strange. We got up early early this morning and went to the museum at Delphi. It was super nice, as always. The boarded the bus to Marathon, where we saw the tumuli of the fallen Greek soldiers from the battle of Marathon. We saw one from the Plateans and one from the Athenians. Very cool stuff.
Then took a bus back to Athens and returned to the Pan hotel. Good news: we're on the first floor. Bad news: we don't get any internet. So right now, we're sitting in the lobby while i post. Tee hee.
Pictures from the last week or so can be found here:
http://colgate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021354&id=8703472
http://colgate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021365&id=8703472
http://colgate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021364&id=8703472
that's all for now!
love you so much and miss everyone!
xoxo,
Ally
Sorry about that.. I can't seem to get the bold/italics to both turn off at the same time. Strange. We got up early early this morning and went to the museum at Delphi. It was super nice, as always. The boarded the bus to Marathon, where we saw the tumuli of the fallen Greek soldiers from the battle of Marathon. We saw one from the Plateans and one from the Athenians. Very cool stuff.
Then took a bus back to Athens and returned to the Pan hotel. Good news: we're on the first floor. Bad news: we don't get any internet. So right now, we're sitting in the lobby while i post. Tee hee.
Pictures from the last week or so can be found here:
http://colgate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021354&id=8703472
http://colgate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021365&id=8703472
http://colgate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021364&id=8703472
that's all for now!
love you so much and miss everyone!
xoxo,
Ally
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Traveling
Winding Roads - 6/7/07, Delphi, 8:22 p.m.
Hello! I know it's been a couple of days, but we've been on the road!
The day before yesterday (Tuesday), we didn't do much. We went to the National Archaeological Museum again and then a bunch of us just wandered around and did some window shopping. Then, on Tuesday night, we went to see Carmen the French opera at the theater of Herodus Atticus on the Acropolis! It was amazing! I mean, the opera was in French and the only subtitles were in Greek, so we only got a basic gist of the story, but it was still a lot of fun. We got to sit in the old theater and watch a real, live play! Plus, Carmen is a really good opera. The woman who played Carmen wasn't the best. The whole point of Carmen is that she is a feminine woman who turns down her lover, which is surprising because she's so delicate (sort of). However, the woman who played Carmen was a mannish looking lady. Not convincing. It was still a great show and a whole lot of fun to see!
Then, yesterday morning, bright and early, we boarded the bus to drive to Olympia. It's about a 5 hour ride from Athens to Olympia, so it was long long long! But we played cards and chatted and napped, so it didn't seem that long. We arrived in Olympia and went to the site. The biggest attraction there is the temple of Zeus Olympios, which was amazing. It was really cool cause we got to walk all over the site and even the temple, which you can't really do anywhere else anymore. We saw the olympic stadium, where we had a foot race of our own. It was a lot of fun. I have some nice pictures from there. We went back to the hotel and took a swim! I forgot how much I love swimming! Brianne and I played around like we were little girls - always a good time. We had a big group dinner and then hung out for a while, before going to bed.
This morning, we got up and went back to Olympia, where we wandered the site again. We saw Phideas' workshop. Phideas was the man responsible for constructing the cult image of Zeus Olympios, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. None of it stands anymore, but it was cool to be where Phideas once was. We went to the newly constructed museum, which was really really nice, and then boarded the bus once again to make our way to Delphi, another 5 hour bus ride.
We arrived in Delphi about 5 hours ago and spent the majority of the time so far wandering around the archaeological site. It's beautiful here! The sanctuary is built into a mountain, so the views are phenomenal! We saw the stadium, the theater, and the temple to Apollo, where the Delphic Oracle would've been. So cool!
A funny little story for you: We have no real access to a washer/dryer, unless you pay 9 euros or something, so we washed our clothes in our bathtub in Athens and then fashioned a drying line out of phone chargers and a usb cord and strung it across the room! i have a really great picture that i'll post later!
Okay, I've got to get going to dinner, but I'll talk to you all later!
Lots of love from Delphi!
Xoxo,
Ally
Hello! I know it's been a couple of days, but we've been on the road!
The day before yesterday (Tuesday), we didn't do much. We went to the National Archaeological Museum again and then a bunch of us just wandered around and did some window shopping. Then, on Tuesday night, we went to see Carmen the French opera at the theater of Herodus Atticus on the Acropolis! It was amazing! I mean, the opera was in French and the only subtitles were in Greek, so we only got a basic gist of the story, but it was still a lot of fun. We got to sit in the old theater and watch a real, live play! Plus, Carmen is a really good opera. The woman who played Carmen wasn't the best. The whole point of Carmen is that she is a feminine woman who turns down her lover, which is surprising because she's so delicate (sort of). However, the woman who played Carmen was a mannish looking lady. Not convincing. It was still a great show and a whole lot of fun to see!
Then, yesterday morning, bright and early, we boarded the bus to drive to Olympia. It's about a 5 hour ride from Athens to Olympia, so it was long long long! But we played cards and chatted and napped, so it didn't seem that long. We arrived in Olympia and went to the site. The biggest attraction there is the temple of Zeus Olympios, which was amazing. It was really cool cause we got to walk all over the site and even the temple, which you can't really do anywhere else anymore. We saw the olympic stadium, where we had a foot race of our own. It was a lot of fun. I have some nice pictures from there. We went back to the hotel and took a swim! I forgot how much I love swimming! Brianne and I played around like we were little girls - always a good time. We had a big group dinner and then hung out for a while, before going to bed.
This morning, we got up and went back to Olympia, where we wandered the site again. We saw Phideas' workshop. Phideas was the man responsible for constructing the cult image of Zeus Olympios, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. None of it stands anymore, but it was cool to be where Phideas once was. We went to the newly constructed museum, which was really really nice, and then boarded the bus once again to make our way to Delphi, another 5 hour bus ride.
We arrived in Delphi about 5 hours ago and spent the majority of the time so far wandering around the archaeological site. It's beautiful here! The sanctuary is built into a mountain, so the views are phenomenal! We saw the stadium, the theater, and the temple to Apollo, where the Delphic Oracle would've been. So cool!
A funny little story for you: We have no real access to a washer/dryer, unless you pay 9 euros or something, so we washed our clothes in our bathtub in Athens and then fashioned a drying line out of phone chargers and a usb cord and strung it across the room! i have a really great picture that i'll post later!
Okay, I've got to get going to dinner, but I'll talk to you all later!
Lots of love from Delphi!
Xoxo,
Ally
Monday, June 4, 2007
photos, finally!
you can look at some pictures that i posted on facebook here:
http://colgate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021209&id=8703472&saved
i'll get the rest up soon!
http://colgate.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2021209&id=8703472&saved
i'll get the rest up soon!
A Whole Lot of Nothing
Lazy Day – 6/4/07,
So, today consisted of us doing absolutely nothing. We didn’t get out of bed until about noon, and then just lounged around. There aren’t any real laundry facilities, so we borrowed Ryan’s detergent and washed clothes in our bathtub. We made a makeshift clothesline out of our phone chargers and a USB cord that is currently hanging in our room. It’s pretty sweet.
We grabbed a light dinner and are just enjoying not doing anything. I feel a little guilty about just lazing about, but we’ve had a busy busy week, so it has been nice.
Our plan for the evening is to sit around and do more of nothing. It has also helped me not to spend any money!
Quick and boring post for today, but I still wanted to update you all!
Lots of love from
Xoxo, Ally
Sunday, June 3, 2007
A Good Day!
Sunburns – 6/3/07,
So, today has been one of the best days I’ve had since coming to
It was amazing! The island was beautiful and the people were so so nice. This island was what I imagined
After looking at the ruins, we wandered the port city and bought some pistachios. Apparently,
We set up on the beach and stayed for the rest of the afternoon. The sand was hot, but nice and clean. And the water was AMAZING!! You could see right to the bottom, even in almost 6 feet of water. It was cold, but a perfect temperature because the sun was super hot. It turned out to be clear all day. I was a very good girl and applied sunscreen, but apparently I missed a few spots. Read: I have some pretty nasty sunburns in the spots I missed. Ryan bought some aloe, so I’ll have to use some of that to soothe my burns. We then went and got some ice cream/milkshakes before getting on the Flying Dolphin XIX and returning to the Pireaus.
After we got home and showered, Brianne and I watched a really bad movie. We don’t know the name, but it was subpar. Then, Brianne, Whitney, and I went to find the restaurant that we ate in the other night. However, the last time we went there, it was a Friday night and very busy. Tonight, not so much. Long story short, we spent about an hour searching for this place. However, it was totally worth it and the food was amazing! We had good food, good beer, good company. It was a really nice dinner.
We just got back and Brianne and I are going to change into jammies and watch America’s Sweethearts. We don’t have class tomorrow (another free day) so we’re planning to sleep in. I’m really excited. We have some stuff to do on Tuesday here in
Hope everyone is well! Missing you here!
Xoxo, Ally
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Beach!
Busses and Trams – 6/2/07,
So, we did end up going to the beach yesterday after a long and interesting journey. Brianne and I tried to find the right bus to take us to the beach and, long story short, we ended up in this industrial district. We thought we were supposed to take the 126 bus to Paleo Faliro, where our map from the hotel said the beach was. Turns out, it’s not. So the very, very nice bus driver (who, THANK GOD, spoke English) informed us that we had taken the wrong bus and in fact needed the A2 bus. So, he drove us to the stop that we needed to get to to get the A2 bus, which we took to the beach. Turns out, if we had taken the tram from
We got off the bus and went to the beach. It was a little strange because there were small pebbles instead of sand, but it was nice nonetheless! The
After coming home and showering, we all went to Dioschouri for dinner. It’s this lovely little taverna and the food was the best I’ve had since I’ve been here. It really was amazing.
We came home and prepared for our presentations today and hit the sack.
Today, there wasn’t much of interest going on. We went back to the Agora where we talked more about the Geometric and Classical periods of the Agora. Went back to the museum. Then we went to the Kerameikos, which is an entrance to the Agora through the Diplyon Gate (di – two, pylon – doors). It was mainly used as a burial ground for many of the people who lived in and around the agora. Because it was technically outside the walls of the agora. We talked a lot about our funeral papers that we wrote for the class last semester and walked around. The heat was stifling today, though, so we were pretty miserable. We had a big group lunch with some delicious kebabs and pita bread and then came back to the hotel. Brianne and I were going to go wandering around, but it was so unbearably hot that all we wanted to do was sit and read. So that’s what we did. We’re going to go grab some dinner and then just hang out. Chill night. It’ll be nice.
Tomorrow, we don’t have class, so we’re going to take an early morning ferry to the
That’s all from
All my love! Miss you all tons!
Xoxo, Ally
Friday, June 1, 2007
Cards and Buses
Euchre – 6/1/07,
I can’t believe it’s already June! WOW! The time sure does go fast these days. I can’t believe we’ve been in
I meant to update yesterday for yesterday and the day before, but I didn’t anticipate how long our day would be yesterday. We’ll start with Wednesday.
On Wednesday, we went to the Agora for the first time. We walked around the Middle Stoa and took a look at some of the archaeological signs of later addendums by the Romans, etc. It was really great to have Professor Ammerman there, as she is an archaeologist by trade and really gave us some really cool ways to determine what was from the Bronze Age, the Archaic Period, the Classical Period, and then into Roman times. We walked up to the
Then, we did probably one of the coolest things I will ever do. Professor Ammerman is friends with a woman (whose first name is Mariah) who is the leading archaeologist/specialist on the bones dug up from graves at the Agora. She was at the Agora working and so Professor Ammerman worked it out that we could go down to the work room and see the kinds of the things she does. So… we got to go under the Middle Stoa (not the same one we looked at before, but a reconstruction – where the museum is) and see the bones/fragments of the excavations at the agora. One of the most famous things ever excavated from the agora is the Rich Athenian Lady. She was cremated and was put into an urn which was then put into a grave. They found her many years later and it turns out that she was pregnant when she died. Mariah was the woman who discovered that there were fetus bones in the urn! So she passed around the shards and things that she had and we got to hold them and see them. She also had bones of people who had been buried and one of the men whose bones she had had arthritis. It was so cool to see what very severe arthritis does to the bones. She then came to lunch with us and we had a lovely discussion. She did some of her masters work at IU –
Then Brianne and I went to the port to wander around and see what it is like. We are also planning to go to
Then we came back and grabbed some dinner and both Brianne and I were EXHAUSTED so we went to bed early.
So that we could get up super, super early to go to
We arrived at
And here, I find my
After another 2 hour bus ride full of Euchre, we arrived back at the hotel. We all decided that we were craving some American food and decided to get some McDonald’s. Lame and American, I know. But you can only eat gyros and souvlaki so many days in a row before needing some other food. So about 6 of us went to the Mickey D’s down the street and took our food into the Square. We ate and decided that a card game was in order, so we went and grabbed a couple of drinks and headed up to the 8th floor for some competition.
We played cards and chatted until about 1 a.m. before we called it quits. A very relaxing and easy evening for such a long day.
Well, now we’re trying to find a beach to go to, so I’d better go. My love to you all! I miss you dearly and wish you could be here with me!
Xoxo, Ally
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