...I have done many varied and exciting things. Last week was pretty normal in terms of classes and everything. The only thing that really stood out was climbing Lykavitos hill with Nelly on Thursday afternoon. This is the hill in Kolonaki with a small church on top and a 360 degree view of Athens. It was supposed to be the hill where the Parthenon et. al would be built, but after leveling it off, it would have ended up being lower than the hill where the Acropolis stands now. It was a gorgeous view, made more beautiful by the weather and the fact that it was not too rough of a climb, so I definitely recommend to anyone who plans on visiting Athens in the future. It's kind of difficult to see in the picture below because of the back lighting of the sun, but this is a view of the Acropolis in the foreground and the Piraeas (port) in the background from the top of the hill:
If you tilt your head, you can see the church on the top of Lykavitos.
On Thursday night my roommates and I went out in Gazi. This area is basically the equivalent of the meatpacking district in New York. In other words, it was once an industrial neighborhood (gazi = gas in Greek...you figure out the the rest) and is now the site of many hip bars and clubs. We went to a few bars, one of which had a DJ who was playing mostly American music - of course. This is always amusing because the Greeks sing along with the American music, but who even knows if they know what they're singing.
On Friday I had a field trip for my History and Politics of the Middle East class. First we went to the Jewish Museum. It was small but educational. I learned about the Romaniote Jews, who had a complicated relationship with their Greek and Turkish neighbors, to say the least and that 87% of this Jewish population was wiped out in the Holocaust. Needless to say, the current Jewish population in Greece is a very small minority and is managed by a national federation, which oversees all synagogues, senior services, NGO's, etc. After that, we went to a medieval Turkish bath, which also had a modern art exhibit on display as well. What was odd was that although the baths seemed antiquated, the modern art did not seem out of place at all - in fact, it fit perfectly. Then following the baths, we went to the Museum of Islamic Art, which also had many beautiful pieces. The museum was organized so that the pieces were displayed in chronological order as you moved up through the floors, which was helpful. All in all, it was a pretty cool experience and helped cement in my head the confusing and complicated role religion plays in Middle Eastern history and politics.
On Saturday, I traveled with a large group of CYA students to Aegina (Eggina in Greek), off the coast of Athens. After having some trouble with getting to the Piraeas (the metro was closed in both directions for no apparent reason...don't ask), we finally found the ferry and within an hour we arrived on the island. Since it is the off-season, it was pretty quiet, but we had a great day anyway. First, we went to the Temple of Aphaia, which was built in the 6th-5th cent. BCE but was extraordinarily well preserved. Aphaia was a local goddess of unknown origin, but was later associated with Artemis and Athena.
After the Temple, we walked to Ayia Marina, which was the town on the other side of the island, opposite from the port. It was also pretty dead, but we found one open taverna and had a traditional Greek lunch by the sea. Finally, we finished lunch and went outside to wait for the bus back to Eggina town (the port)...except that the bus never came (again, typical Greek transportation...I'm learning quickly). So we called a few taxis and made it back to the port with an hour to spare before our boat left so we grabbed a coffee. On the ferry back, we basically all fell asleep and once in the Piraeas, we hailed a taxi to take us back to Kolonaki. Our taxi driver was a very nice guy who talked to us about Athens and motocross racing in the States (I guess he's a fan). We took his number at the end of the ride so we could call him and give him business any time we need a taxi.
On Sunday, I mostly had a lazy day, lying around, going on the internet, and doing some homework. However, on Sunday night I went with my History and Politics of the Middle East class to dinner at a Kurdish restaurant in Omonia square. It was tasty, but seemed like any other Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food I've had.
This week has mostly been filled with classes and boring everyday activites. But on Monday night, I went to a Modern dance class at a studio around the corner from my apartment which was super fun. I met some really nice Greek women also, so maybe I can finally make some Greek friends! I definitely want to try and go every week just so I can have something to keep me busy and I think it will help me with my Greek as well. Also, yesterday morning I went with my Aegean Art and Archaeology class to the National Archaeological Museum, which had the best antiquities exhibit I have ever seen. Literally everything I have read about in my Classics books for years was right there in front of me! It was so cool...I can't wait to go back.
Tomorrow I leave for a CYA trip to Argolid (basically the site of Ancient Myceane). It's supposed to rain all weekend but I don't even care because I'm going to see such awesome stuff. Hopefully I'll be able to post soon after that so I can keep you updated!
Be well.
Filia polla,
Mollie
On Friday I had a field trip for my History and Politics of the Middle East class. First we went to the Jewish Museum. It was small but educational. I learned about the Romaniote Jews, who had a complicated relationship with their Greek and Turkish neighbors, to say the least and that 87% of this Jewish population was wiped out in the Holocaust. Needless to say, the current Jewish population in Greece is a very small minority and is managed by a national federation, which oversees all synagogues, senior services, NGO's, etc. After that, we went to a medieval Turkish bath, which also had a modern art exhibit on display as well. What was odd was that although the baths seemed antiquated, the modern art did not seem out of place at all - in fact, it fit perfectly. Then following the baths, we went to the Museum of Islamic Art, which also had many beautiful pieces. The museum was organized so that the pieces were displayed in chronological order as you moved up through the floors, which was helpful. All in all, it was a pretty cool experience and helped cement in my head the confusing and complicated role religion plays in Middle Eastern history and politics.
On Saturday, I traveled with a large group of CYA students to Aegina (Eggina in Greek), off the coast of Athens. After having some trouble with getting to the Piraeas (the metro was closed in both directions for no apparent reason...don't ask), we finally found the ferry and within an hour we arrived on the island. Since it is the off-season, it was pretty quiet, but we had a great day anyway. First, we went to the Temple of Aphaia, which was built in the 6th-5th cent. BCE but was extraordinarily well preserved. Aphaia was a local goddess of unknown origin, but was later associated with Artemis and Athena.
After the Temple, we walked to Ayia Marina, which was the town on the other side of the island, opposite from the port. It was also pretty dead, but we found one open taverna and had a traditional Greek lunch by the sea. Finally, we finished lunch and went outside to wait for the bus back to Eggina town (the port)...except that the bus never came (again, typical Greek transportation...I'm learning quickly). So we called a few taxis and made it back to the port with an hour to spare before our boat left so we grabbed a coffee. On the ferry back, we basically all fell asleep and once in the Piraeas, we hailed a taxi to take us back to Kolonaki. Our taxi driver was a very nice guy who talked to us about Athens and motocross racing in the States (I guess he's a fan). We took his number at the end of the ride so we could call him and give him business any time we need a taxi.
On Sunday, I mostly had a lazy day, lying around, going on the internet, and doing some homework. However, on Sunday night I went with my History and Politics of the Middle East class to dinner at a Kurdish restaurant in Omonia square. It was tasty, but seemed like any other Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food I've had.
This week has mostly been filled with classes and boring everyday activites. But on Monday night, I went to a Modern dance class at a studio around the corner from my apartment which was super fun. I met some really nice Greek women also, so maybe I can finally make some Greek friends! I definitely want to try and go every week just so I can have something to keep me busy and I think it will help me with my Greek as well. Also, yesterday morning I went with my Aegean Art and Archaeology class to the National Archaeological Museum, which had the best antiquities exhibit I have ever seen. Literally everything I have read about in my Classics books for years was right there in front of me! It was so cool...I can't wait to go back.
Tomorrow I leave for a CYA trip to Argolid (basically the site of Ancient Myceane). It's supposed to rain all weekend but I don't even care because I'm going to see such awesome stuff. Hopefully I'll be able to post soon after that so I can keep you updated!
Be well.
Filia polla,
Mollie
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