“I will continue my path, but I will keep a memory always.”

I will certainly keep many memories from Greece.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to explore Mt. Parnassus. This blog post is not about that specifically, although I will be posting something about that in the future. . .

My point is, Something about going there made me think of a lot of things. There was a small group of us, in the mountains, climbing and exploring the past.

And alls I could think of was how I really wanted to proceed with my future.

More specifically, how did I want to proceed with my future in study abroad. 

I've talked about my mishap with my plans to go to Italy in the fall of my sophomore year.

When that all happened, it felt as though I would never get the opportunity to see and study a completely new place.

To actually BE here has been just the unique experience I'd been searching for.

Greece does many things much differently than we're used to in America.

For one, everything has to be made from scratch. This is partly to do with availability of materials and partly to do with the fact that we can't read the directions on the products that look like "instant."

So, my recent culinary successes have been genuinely achieved.

Greece's education system is totally different. They also have a more proactive role in making itself a "green" place. There are customary differences, of course. All things that contribute to this experience.

I think that it goes without saying, however, that with this two month mark, half way through the program, there are definitely some homesick feelings.

Greece is lacking hot sauce. And if you know me, you know that this is a serious problem. Peanut butter is more expensive here than nutella is in the states. Its frustrating to not know exactly where to go when you're looking for something specific. The language barrier starts to weigh on you. Even students in Modern Greek classes aren't finding much success in bridging this gap. These things are things that one could expect when living some place else- Things take time to adjust.

We've just finished our midterms this past week, and we're headed to the Peloponnese and Delphi tomorrow for the week.

This is our last official program trip.

We are under our 60 day mark, and thats crazy.

Ideally, I would leave from Greece and head to Italy. I would spend a week with my boyfriend in Rome, enjoying the sights and spending some quality time with a familiar face.

From there, we would go our separate ways. Me to Ireland and him back to NY. 

And so, my second semester in Ireland- Another four months away, would begin.

Since I've returned to Mt. Parnassus, I have entertained the idea of simply not going.

And so, in thinking of this possibility, I have thought of all the things I am missing at home.

There is a certain sense of disconnectedness thats unavoidable with being so far away, and I've been desperate to bridge that gap.

Additionally, there are so many things I have been missing on Campus that I would normally be proactive with.

In Greece, we don't have clubs and things to help occupy our time. The rigorous schedule I've grown so accustomed to, and comfortable with, is just none existent. I truly miss those forms of expression in my life. 

And as I explored this list of pros and cons, I began  to realize what the most ideal decision was.

As much as I would love to see Ireland and spend time there getting to know it intimately, I crave the familiarity of my Rochestarian streets. I crave the hustle and bustle of my city life and the company of my wonderful band of misfits. 

So this is how my path has changed.

Ireland would be a wonderful experience. But now that I am actually here, in Greece, I feel confident in believing that I will travel more in the future- Just not in the 2013 future.

I want to be a citizen of the world, and someday I will be wise enough to call myself that.

But for now, I think I will look forward to coming home.

The Other Faces of January!

Morgan's 15 seconds of fame!

Waiting. (left to right) Me, Amber, Anna, Kayla, Remy (PC: Emily)

Late last week, I was up late on my computer, IMing with Max and wasting the night away on Tumblr when my mother IMed me and asked "Are you doing that movie thingy?" To which I responded with "Uh, What Movie thingy?"

I had no clue what she was talking about, and according to some other CYA-ers, I was not the only one.

As it turns out, an email was sent out to the Parents of CYA, I'm assuming by accident, informing us on a casting call for the upcoming production, "The Two Faces of January." This movie is staring the lovely Kirsten Dunst (Spiderman, Elizabethtown), Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) and Oscar Issac (Sucker Punch).

The director was looking for 8 light brown/blonde haired girls to play Extras as College Students.

Now, I'm certainly not blonde, but my hair is pretty light. So I figured, why not?

A group of 8 CYA ladies made our way to the casting call, that Thursday. We met with the casting director [?](Note, I'm entirely sure what his role was, but we're pretty sure he was important.) He gave us some information about the role. It was supposed to film Monday and Tuesday at the Acropolis, we'd know by Saturday, and of course, it Paid.

He took down our information, size, height, etc. And took our picture.

He had 15 girls profiles to send to the director.

Saturday morning, my phone rang and I was told I was chosen for the part! (Despite my hair color!) I ran into Ambers room, who had gone to the casting call as well, and shamelessly jumped up and down as we silently celebrated while I got more information on the roll. Once I hung up, Amber and I did some 10th grade style screaming, and her phone rang. She, too got the part.

Four of the CYA ladies were chosen for the role. And we were super excited. 

Our fitting was the following day. We went in and met with the Costume designer.  

I went first, and ended up in the first dress she'd selected. "That looks quite sweet on you." was her comment. (Note, they're British). The shoes, however, were not as sweet. They were about the equivalent to a 6 1/2-7 womens size. Which is arguably 3 sizes too small for my feet. But I was "suffering for my art" as the Brits say. I'd get over it.

She told me I would have to remove all my jewelry. Of course. Because good 60's college girls dont have nose piercings and ear piercings etc etc. 

She watched me fumble with all of them, trying to get it all out, and said I must be a nightmare for Airport scanners. I informed that I was not.

But I kept forgetting my rings and bracelets. I am so used to wearing them that I didn't think to remove them.

The other girls went in, One at a time. Some of them had to try on multiple dresses. While we waited, we met Kayla, a sophomore from Indianapolis who is studying here in Athens at her universities sister college. 

Once we were fitted, we were told to be back there at 1:30 the following day for the real deal. 

Over all, I ended up missing 3 classes for filming, which were excused on the count that the opportunity was flipping awesome. 

When we arrived Monday, the studio was transformed. Makeup and hairdresser stations were set up, people were running around getting things done. As we were arriving, a whole crew of other extras were leaving, all in costume, to go to the set. 

We were prompted to get ready.

Filming! (PC: Dany)

My hairdresser sat me down first and started putting curlers in my hair. 

But unfortunately for him, I still needed to get my dress on, which was going to be a pain in the butt with my head full of curlers. 

So naturally, my curlers got all messed up.

He didnt seem phased, and continued on anyways. My hair was supposed to look like that girls from "Hairspray." He teased the hell out of it and messed with the curls, which were not cooperating at all. When he was satisfied, he pinned my hair to keep the curls from fumbling while I got to set.

We all began walking through Athens all dressed up with out accessories and such. I had my flip flops because I was not walking all the way up to the Acropolis with those heels. 

When we were almost there, however, the woman leading up got a call. We all had to go back for approval. 

They ended up giving me a purse and sunglasses to go with my dress and white period gloves.

We stood around for awhile, and finally, headed back to the Acropolis. 

This was the first time I'd seen the Acropolis and it was amazing. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't bring camera's or phones on set. 

There was Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen, crawling all over the Acropolis in their period costumes and shoes, filming their scene. I wish I could have seen my face every time I watched them film a scene.

There were people swarming the set, taking pictures of Dunst and even of us. People would pose next to us when we weren't paying attention, thinking we were some up and coming actresses. One guy wished us luck on our careers and said he was excited for us to be famous, so he could say he'd met us on our first films. We didn't have the heart to correct him.

Then, hair and make up swarmed us. 

They had a fit trying to cover up my tattoos on my wrists. And the hair dresser panicked over my hair color being too modern. My hair is red, but I have a layer underneath thats black. Apparently, Casting didn't think of that when they selected my hair style. So two or three hairdressers fumbled with my hair, bringing it back into a poofy ponytail. I hated my hair.

So there we stood, in awh of the production, nervously awaiting our time.

And then we were told that the weather took a bad turn and they couldn't use us today.

So day one was Anticlimatic.

Tuesday, we had to arrive at 8:20am. Which was horrifying.

I made a note to put my dress on before I went to the hair dresser. This time, I got a semi-bumped ponytail with a green ribbon tied around it. My hair was swept across my ears, covering all but the clip ons I was given. Which hurt like a mother, might I add. No wonder people started putting holes there. Leave clipons on for too long, and they pierce your ears for you!

My hair got styled without an issue, although I'm still convinced that my hairdresser hated me.

I went into make up and my face got some attention, and my tattoos were covered without a fuss.

We made our way to the Acropolis thinking that we'd be the first scene shot. That was not the case. We ended up waiting at the Acropolis for 6 hours, waiting for our moment in front of the camera. 

In the mean time, Remy, another CYA student, and I kept sneaking up to the set to watch them film. We ogled Dunst and  Mortensen while they filmed. Everyone was fine with us being there, besides make up, who fussed over us constantly. We were wondering what made us so special. Other Extra's were sitting around, in the sun, doing whatever, and hair and makeup didn't even look twice at them.

Finally, when our time came, Hair and makeup swarmed up once again, perfecting every detail. 

Our scene consisted of walking up to the Acropolis, along side up and coming actress and love interest for Issac's character, Daisy. She got fitted the same time as me. She is super sweet and humble. She's 20 as well, and went to acting school in New York City. This is her first movie. 

The 9 of us were proper, rich American college students visiting Athens. We'd been in Greece for a week, and Issac, playing a tour guide, was our favorite tour guide so far. Basically, the Acropolis scene is where Daisy and Oscar meet, and that story line picks up. Issac also meets Dunst and Mortensen, and that story line picks up. 

We filmed for 2 hours. And in between every shot, the hair team was fussing over my hair, which, because it is layered, would not stay placed over my ears. One person would pin it too high, another would take the pin out and place it lower. Then someone else would come along and change it. It literally happened the whole 2 hours. At one point one woman said "I disagree with my colleague" and changed my hair again. It was sort of amusing.

They were very accommodating, offering us water, and wiping the sweat off our brow.

And we figured out why our look is so important.

We get close ups. The camera gets close to all of use in such a way that the audience can distinguish all our features, which is why we only get the one scene. We'd be recognized as extras in other scenes.

(Back) Me, Amber. (Front) Remy, Anna. (PC:Freddy)

So that's pretty cool. We've got like, 2 minutes of air time, we're not likely to be cut, and we might even be in the credits. 

We heard that our scene was the directors favorite scene, and he took forever picking up specifically to fit his vision. 

Our scene allowed us to meet Oscar Issac, who was super sweet and funny the entire time. We got pictures with him.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to meet Kirsten or Viggo, which makes my heart hurt.

But we still was very very close to them.

However, 2 CYA students just happened to run into Kirsten and got pictures with her. This makes me even more sad.

Over all, it was a fantastic experience.

I have pictures of us in our costumes, but we're not allowed to post our pictures until the movie comes out.

The pictures featured here were taken by Frederick Montgomery, Emily Arbut and Dany Paulson !

The Two Faces of January

IMBd link

Something to think about. . .

Just some points from the President of CYA 

I had pleasure of running into President Phylactopoulos this afternoon while in the library. 

He let me know he's read my blog and finds it refreshing.

He also had a few points he wanted to comment on.

I thought that I would put them here so those of you reading can think about them for yourself.

It is sometimes important to remember that the way I am seeing things is as an outsider.
President Phylactopoulos was able to bring some things to light and as I would like this blog to be as informative and well rounded as possible, feedback like this is important.

His first point was about my comments on the Air Raid Siren drill the same day as Merkel's visit to Greece.

If you recall, I said that it was very curious that the sirens should be sounded on the same day, for various reasons. Let me be clear in saying that I am not the only one who thought this. And it wasn't really an opinion that I held very seriously. I just thought it was ironic and worth mentioning.

President Phylactopoulos reminded me, as the email we'd received stated, that the drill had nothing to do with Merkel, and that it would have had to have been scheduled months in advance. Although, its cancellation was probably to do with Her. 

His next  point was about my use of the terms "Troops" and "Army men." They are not in fact either. They're police and armed guards. The Parliament building is literally right next to Syntagma Square so it makes sense that there would be extra security there. Syntagma is also the only place you ever see a ton of them in one spot. 

So there you have it :)

Class Update!

Sometimes it's easy to forget I'm here for School. . . 

History of the Byzantium Empire:

This class has the most reading for it. There is always stuff from our text book and then like, 2-3 online supplementary readings. I am not 100 percent what the goal/direction of this class is. The professor is kind of all over the place. We haven't visited any museums since our first trip (since he cancelled class). However, our first paper is coming up in the next month. We all had to decide on our topics, and then present them to the class. I am going to work on the Christianization of the Empire, as an overview, in the first four centuries (so I can talk about Egypt). Truth be told, I haven't put much thought into it yet. He is very aliment about us using the art around us as apart of our paper. He wants us to take advantage of the resources around us. As cool as I find it all, I am not an ART history buff.

The Middle East: A Comparative Approach:

"You don't have to agree which how they think, you should simply understand where they're coming from." -Professor Cudsi. 

This professor is a genius. Though I don't agree with all his ideas about handling the middle east, legislation wise anyways, he really knows what he's talking about. He's controversial and welcomes debate in the class room, and I've  missed debating! This man just starts class and launches into these tireless lectures on whichever subject on the middle east is on the syllabus. I am always writing like a mad woman. This is by far my most interesting class. Cudsi is getting us to see things from a different perspective, one the average American refuses to see though. The middle east is coming into perspective for me, and I think this class has made the most sense thus far. He recently had a bonus lecture on the Arab spring. It was really like, 2 classes worth of information combine in one lecture, but it was open to the Academic public, which made the debate even more interesting. He's a brilliant professor and I look forward to his class for the rest of the semester. There is a paper coming up in this class as well. For this, my topic is Water in the Middle East. Oil and land are not the only causes of conflict. The people there don't have nearly enough water for survival, and you can bet thats causing a mother load of issues. 

Islam, Judaism, and Christianity:

This class has been super enlightening. I'm really enjoying learning about Judaism and Islam. I've had a preexisting interest in Islam, this is just the first class I've had the opportunity to take on it. The classes aim is essentially to compare and contrast the 3 most popular monotheistic religions in our world today, and they have a lot more in common than you'd expect. I personally thing that Judaism and Islam have the most in common. I have a paper and paper presentation coming up at the end of this month and I still have not solidified my topic for this. I know I want to do something comparing some aspect of Islam and Judaism, I'm just not sure what, specifically. Our professor has shown us bits of different documentaries on all these religions, and I intend to watch through them and sift for a reasonable topic. 

Ancient Greek Religion and Myth:

This Professor is also awesome. She's a little crazy, but in the best kind of way. She really knows what she is talking about and it is always an interesting lecture. Lately, we've been going through the Olympians one by one and analyzing where they stood in antiquity and how they were worshiped, complete with temples and sanctuaries and cult objects. We've gone over the lineage of the gods, not that that ever fully makes sense. We're preparing for our trip to the Peloponnese and the Delphi, which will serve this class very well. We've picked paper topics, although I am not entirely sure when we're supposed to turn this paper in (heh). My topic will be comparing the Creation Myths in Ancient Greek polytheism to that of the Hindu Vedas. I am really excited to be playing with the Veda's again, seeing as I haven't touched them since Freshman year. My professor is excited for me to write this paper, which makes it that much better.

For the most part, my classes all intertwine. Its a lot of the same information which is not always as convenient. I've noticed conflicting and bias material in some of my classes, which of course leads to sassy Morgan dictating the conversation trying to correct the professor. I guess I just have a huge problem with the misuse of the term "Jihad." 

A small percentage of extremists HAS to ruin it for everyone, huh?

My First Demonstration

Merkel comes to town!

It's certainly no secret that Greece is in a bad way.

People as me all the time why of all places to study, I chose Greece, with everything that is going on.

To be honest, it's economical situation was not what I was thinking about at the time.

Either way, its been very interesting, witnessing Athens in this state. The people want change. They're unifying over one struggle. I think its an important time in Greece's history, and as Americans seeing the world in a different light, it's going to be valuable in how we associate with the world in the future. Its tough for these people now, but we get to go home and put it behind us. For them, this is affecting them every day, and will for years to come. 

I went to the demonstrations in Syntagma Square on October 8th.

The Greek people were very offended with Chancellor Merkel's visit to Greece. They felt mocked and disrespected. Despite these feelings, the 10/08 Demonstrations were NOT violent or even scary. It was intimidating to see so many people in one play, feeling so passionately. It was organized and peaceful and it was incredible to witness.

I did not attend the 10/09 riots. Although I wish I had. The friend that I was planning on going with decided to back out, feeling as though it would not be safe. Other people shared their experiences. People apparently dressed up as Nazi's to represent German Occupation in the 1940's, and their rage for it. They burned a nazi flag at the Parliament building. The beginning of the riot was not that bad. However, the ending got out of hand. Troops moved in and ended up tear gassing the place. Even CYA students got some tear gas. There were also people throwing marble. 

The Greeks REALLY didn't want Merkel in their country.

The entire day, Athens was a ghost town, aside from demonstration areas. There was a ban on all public outings, meaning on-site classes were cancelled. Many streets were completely shut down, according to Merkel's routes. There was even an Occupational/Air Raid warning siren testing that was scheduled for the same day. This had "nothing to do with Chancellor Merkel's visit" or so we were told. The sirens were not tested that day, after all. But the last time they had, was again, during German occupation in Greece. Very interesting. 

I hope to see more demonstrations during my time here, practicing safety all the while, of course. But I can't sit out and watch history happen in my front years and NOT be apart of it.

Meeting the Gods: Mt. Olympus

I climbed an actual mountain!

Mount Olympus is another visual experience I cannot fully articulate with any number of words. What I love most about these kind of adventures is, nothing has really changed. Much of what you see there is essentially what the people of the past experienced. It a very cool moment of realization when you're standing up on those cliffs, thinking about that. 

Our first day was a 7 hour bus ride to the mountain, and then a 2 hour 40 minute hike up hill. We were told we needed at least 3 hours to get to the refuge where we'd be staying that night. We were really booking it. 

The refuge was pretty adorable. It was a simple wooden structure with mountain people everywhere. We had a meal, and retired. Our sleeping arrangements? It was just one giant bed going across each wall. It was certainly a record breaking sleep over. I am not ashamed to admit that I was the first to retire. I was super exhausted, and there was more to climb the next day.

We rose early enough to watch the sunrise. The sun came up behind the mountain peaks and illuminated the valley and the Aegean sea. If there is one thing to be said about Ancient sacred places, the Greeks really knew how to pick a view. This has been the case many times.

Be began our ascent around 9:30-10am. The hike up this peak was even more treacherous. It got steep and dangerous immediately. In some places, there really wasn't even a path. Not to worry, our tour guide knew these peaks like the back of his hand. Up and up we went, taking break periotically.

I was in the back of the group, along with four other girls who were just trying to tread along and enjoy the view. Eventually, we got moved to the front of the group, to set the pace.

We took a long break at a place that had a bench and an awesome view all around. 

After that, we began the last 45 minutes or so of our trek. We were so close to the top!

Unfortunately for me, I acquired a major fear of heights. The gravel under my feet kept making me slip and my body was tired. The altitude was certainly getting to my head. And well . . .I panicked. 45 minutes from the very top, I had somehow convinced myself that I was going to fall. If I would have slipped, I would have free fallen into the depths of Mt Olympus. 

Luckily, a CYA Friend, Michael, was able to calm me down before I really freaked out. Even still, I was way to frozen to make myself continue. Michael offered to stay with me, but another student was having serious knee problems and decided it best not to continue.
The rest of the group moved on and Robby and I gathered our strength before moving down to the cliff our group had taken their break before. 

We sat there talking and contemplating our existence until the rest of the group came back down.

Either way, it was an amazing view of Greece. I hope to go back someday and get to the top!

For all the Olympus pictures, Click here!!

The password is, "Olympus"

“Strangers are just family you have yet to come to know.”

CYA Family Dinners

My roommate, Rebekah, came up with the idea of having Pot luck dinners. The first one was a thurday a few weeks ago. Everyone made the one thing they knew how to make without a microwave and we got together and enjoyed each others company. For the past couple of weeks, we've adopted this as a new tradition in our "CYA Family." Our group has grown to a head count of 12-13 people, depending. There is lots of wine and food and we all just sit and talk and eat and drink. This group has become very close, and its been a lovely change in pace.

The Crew (Photo Cred: Megan Whitacre)

Rebekah really believes that everyone should be eating together. She cooks dinner for our flat almost every single night (tuesdays I usually cook). It's concerned her that so many of our friends often dine alone. Now, we have multiple meals with all the wonderful people we've met here. She even has us do highs and lows of the day/week when we eat together, to make sure we're keeping up on each others lives. It's really adorable. The "crew" is super functional and considerate. Its lovely.

Our weekly dinners have allowed us to get to know each other and bond. Its certainly been interesting. We've had taverna family-style meals, we've gone to pubs and watched movies together.

Its a relaxing relief from the constant hustle and bustle of being in Athens. It is exhausting running from one thing to another. I am very grateful to the siesta because I use it almost every day!

But in case you were worried about us college students not eating right in Athens, I assure you, we've been doing just fine for ourselves.

Alumni in Athens!

Making your Study Abroad pay off in the future!

There is a group of American grad students teaching English to Greek students here in Athens. These grad students, like in CYA, come from schools all over the US. They spend the entire academic year here, teaching and exploring Greece. As apart of their program, they are required to take a modern Greek language class. Of course, CYA is the collaborative program helping them learn Greek. They were invited for a meet and greet here at the Academic Center. CYA Students who are currently undergrads at the Universities these Grad students graduated from were invited to meet them and talk about their abroad experience. It was nice to meet with someone who's attending Warner School of Education, U of Rs Education Grad school. She went from being an Undergrad to a Grad student flawlessly through the system-and is really pleased. I like seeing the different doors that open when you branch out like this. I truly feel like my possibilities are limitless. I can see myself teaching English in Athens for a year. Programs like this exist in many foreign countries, I could go almost anywhere. Hopefully we'll have the opportunity to pick these students minds some more before the semester is over. They're invited to all the same extra trips as we are, so we shall see where that goes.

Student-hood of the traveling Americans: Santorini

And I did buy a  pair of pants-Harem pants, at least. 

Let me start off by saying that Santorini is the prettiest place I've ever seen. It's more than a view. Even the little towns are adorable and articulate. There was a distinct style of architecture and everything throughout the entire Island. We went 28th-30th of September, which was still perfect weather. 

Edge of the World.

Watching the Sunset.

We left early Friday morning, and were at Santorini by 4:30. Unfortunately, the boat ride was longer, and much more rough than we'd anticipated, and some people got a little ill. With most of the day spent on the boat, we decided to go to our hotel (which was located in the middle of the Island, at Fira) and drop our things off, then head to "Oia" which is at one of the tips of Santorini. Oia is where both "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and "Mama Mia" were filmed in. There was a poster shop we visited, the woman's store was featured in The Sisterhood of the Traveling pants, and told us a little about it. Oia is also  known for its amazing sunset. At the edge of the island, the sun setting just give you the illusion that the sun is sinking into the edge of the world. It was stunning. People from all over the Island came to be apart of it. This particular sunset marked the full moon as well. For Santorini, the people take the weather of the day of the full moon to be the weather they can expect until the next full moon. So as the sun went down, the people clapped and cheered. It was very cool. You could see people celebrating down the entire cost. Oia at night was even more beautiful. The entire island lights up, you can see the entire thing just bright and beautiful.

For all the Sunset pictures, Click here!!

The password is, "Sunset"

Saturday is where the real adventure began.

The View

Ancient graffiti

Our first stop was to Ancient Thera. Basically, It is an awesome archaeological site at the top of a mountain. How do you get there, might you ask? Oh, well you climb it of course! We didn't ACTUALLY climb it. There was a road that's been paved leading up to it. But it was still quite the uphill trek. It took us about an hour to reach the actual site. This site was very cool. There were lots of old buildings all over this "hill" top. We didn't exactly have free range throughout the ancient streets, but we got a fair depiction of what the city looked like. There were ruins from an ancient house and an ancient hilltop theater, which would have had an amazing view in antiquity, as it had that day. And there was even a gymnasium there to train the young men for war. It was quite impressive for being at the top of an impossibly large hill. My favorite thing to see was the ancient graffiti. Because there were a lot of places closed off to tourists, we only had one piece of graffiti to admire. It seems that the ancient Greeks were no different than ourselves, some times.

For all of Akrotiri, Click here!! 

The password is, "ForThera"

Next, Some of us decided to check out the black beach. It was below Ancient Thera. The sand, or rocks, rather, are black from the volcanic ash. The swimming was just amazing. You could see underwater from the top of the mountain. And only a few feet into the water, it was pretty deep. And there were little fish swimming around. It was a very little Mermaid experience. I even dared to open my eyes up underwater, which didn't burn much to my surprise, and it was so clear. You could see everything. There was no telling where the floor was because the water was deceptivly clear. We spent some time shopping and eating, and waited for our bus. While we were waiting, Grecian hospitality kicked in, And a Father-Son taverna duo invited us to sit down and gave us free handmade Ice cream while we waited. 

Our next stop was a special kind of awesome. We visited the archaeological site of Akrotiri. This place was a land mind of archaeological finds. It is nicknamed "Santorini's Bronze age Pompeii." It, too, was buried alive under volcanic ash. 12 structures (not including stair cases and halls) were uncovered, with much more still underneath the rubble. They found incredibly preserved wall paintings (fresco's), plaster, Ash castings of wooden tables, and even grains along with so much more. Akrotiri was so advanced for its time, it already had an efficient pluming system. It's baffled excavators on how successful it would have been had it not been destroyed by the volcanic eruption. They found so many things worth reporting on, it fills nearly two museums and one art gallery with it's finds. I also forgot to mention, the entire site is enclosed, to protect it from the elements.

For more Pictures of Akrotiri, Click here!! 

The password is, "Pompeii"

Our day ended at the Red beach for some cliff diving. Unfortunately, we didn't find actual cliffs. We found really big rocks. There are pictures of my friend Remy and myself jumping, but Remy has them for right now. The red beach was beautiful. The water was super clear once again. It made jumping absolutely terrifying. Even though I knew the water was deep where I was planning on jumping, my brain was convinced that the ocean floor would rush up to meet me and I would break myself.

For more pictures of the beaches, Click here!!

The password is, "Beaches"

Sunday was the day we had to head back to Athens, but not without visiting 2 museums and an art gallery. As I mentioned before, most of the stuff seen was from Akrotiri, with the occasional pieces from Ancient Thera. The stuff there was beautiful and amazing to see. We even got to see the original Fresco's from Akrotiri! As nice as spending the entire time on the beach might have been, I'm really glad the group I went with made a point to see the history here. Of course, that's why I'm in Greece, after all!

For all the artifacts, Click here!!

The password is "Museums"

*I am so sorry this was an absurdly long post >.< But thanks for paying attention!

Crete: Samaria Gorge

Our last adventure in Crete!

Freddy preparing for the hike.

Samaria Gorge is a national park located on Crete. 

It has been occupied by man dating back to Ancient days.

There are old Venetian structures scattered through the park, now abandoned, but preserved.

We hiked straight through it, down hill. It took us about 5 hours. 

It was beautiful, the entire way through. 

I had the opportunity to bond with some students that I hadn't really gotten to know yet, so that was awesome. 

It was nice to do something nature-y for a change.

The View

The highlight of my hike, however, came at the last half of the trek. President Phylactopoulos joined us for the end of our hike, and I had the opportunity to talk to him for awhile. He's very proactive with the students, talking with them and taking an genuine interest in what they're here for and how they're enjoying their time in Greece.

President and Student, Tyler

We had a chance to talk a little about me being a University of Rochester student and how that came to be. It was nice to talk about my home university for a change. He called me "scholarly." It is always comforting to get confirmation from other members of Academia that I have a solid plan and end goal. The encouragement is refreshing.

When we finally finished, a small group of us had a quick meal. And then I ran straight for the beach. It was lovely. 

There really isn't much else to tell about Samaria. It was a visual experience. 

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The password is, "Samaria"

Crete: Fortezza Rethymnon, Archeaological Museum, Town Tour, Arkadi Monastery

Checkpoint!

Day three in Crete!

We left Heraklio late on day two, and headed for the town of Rethymno. This was also our last official touring day. Our first stop was to the Fortress of Fortezza Rethymnon. This fortress is essentially a much enlarged idea of the Byzantium fortress in Heraklion.

Tomb stone

Mosque

This structure has been restored and is an active part of the town. Concerts and other events are held there. There were old rooms and tunnels to explore as we were told about the strategic way at which it was set up. There were four corners with posts for them to be able to  communicate. There were even old houses that are in the process of being overgrown, as people no longer live in this area. There was a beautiful Mosque there as well. It was build over a church when the fort changed hands (one of many times). There was also a room full of old tomb stones and such. It was literally my favorite part! The tunnels were eerie to see. There were also overgrown secret entrances that are now closed off, but still cool to see.

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the Password is "Fortezza"

Sarcophagus

Next, we visited another Archaeology museum. This museum had only a small display, and a large part of it was still unpublished, so again, we were not able to take many photos. There were still some very cool sarcophagi there. These peoples would bury their dead in caves. The new body would be placed in some of these coffins and left there. However, once another death occurred, the bones would be removed and added to a pile. And the new body would take its place. Kind of morbid in comparison to how we go about handling the dead. 

Fusion

Afterwards, we were given a quick tour of the town. The most interesting part was that you could still see the mixture of Phoenician and Turkish structures. There were many buildings that had stone or clay first stories, but then had additional stories in wood (which would have been the Turkish influence). After the tour, we were given a break for lunch and a swim, if we so desired. Which of course, we did!

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The password is, "RethymnoMuseum"

For more pictures of the town, Click here!! 

The password is, "RethymnoTown"

The Church is Regal

Students in the Gunpowder Magazine

Our last stop of the day was to the Arkadi Monastery. This monastery is still functional. It produces some of the best Raki in Crete. (Raki is essentially Cretan moonshine. Its customary to have it with meals. If its offered to you, its considered rude to refuse. In my opinion its like sipping death, its so strong. But here, you don't take shots like in America. You're supposed to sip it, even if its in a shot glass) The church here is a mixture of Phoenician and Renaissance influences. If you weren't wearing a skirt, they gave you a scarf to tie around your waist. This Monastery has some eerie history tied to it. When the Turks invaded Crete in November of 1866, the people knew that they would be persecuted for their religion. When the Turks came and tried to invade the Arkadi Monastery, they tried to fight the Turks off, about 15000 troops. It was useless. There were about 900, about 2/3 women, children, and elderly taking refuge in the monastery at that time, not really able to defend themselves. So they made a DRASTIC decision. The 900 of them holed up in the gun powder magazines and blew themselves up. They chose death over religious prosecution. The explosion claimed about 1500 Turkish soldiers. Only about 120 women and children survived this. The survivors were taken to prison, suffering horrible conditions, until the Russians liberated them. Many students went into the reconstructed gun powder magazine, but there was a small group of us that chose to stay out. I fully believe that such a tragedy marked that space, and the eerie presence was overwhelming. I could not bring myself to enter.  

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The password is, "Arkadi"

Crete: Knossos, Heraklio Archaeology Museum and town tour

Shadow Dancers

Day two in Crete!

Throne Room. (Original)

Day two in Crete started bright and early. Knossos is arguably the most well preserved/reconstructed Minoan palaces Crete has on display. Arguably. Arthur Evans began excavating in 1900, and did the majority of it in 4 years. Knossos was a gold mind of finds. Everything from wall painting to ritualistic figures were found among the Palaces ruins.  The buildings we see today are not building from antiquity. These are structures that Evans and his team theorized on and reconstructed to help give the public an idea of what it might have looked like back then. Unfortunately, there are flaws with this reconstruction. For one, his team wasn't consistent in the materials they used to reconstruct. Thus, it is difficult to get a unified idea of whats going on. Secondly, the grand staircase was reconstructed according what would be safer for the crew, rather than what was actually there. (You can't reeeeally blame him for that one.) Lastly, wall painting were poorly dealt with and poorly reconstructed. Its virtually impossible to figure out how the pieces might have been put together now, but regardless of that, the copies of the reconstructions were not placed according to where in the Palace they were found. They just kind of picked places randomly. Anne, our Professor-tour-guide, apparently wrote her dissertation, which remains unpublished to this day, on the poor reconstruction of Knossos. Evidently, it was too controversial. All things aside, it was massive and very cool to see.

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The password is "Knossos"  

Crystal Vase

For Libations.

Snake Goddess'

Our next adventure for the day was the Heraklio Archaeological Museum. This museum, unfortunately, only was displaying about a fifth of what it actually has. It has been under construction since 1993 or 1994. It displayed its best Mycenaean and Minoan pieces. This museum, as a whole, is over flowing with material. A lot of it is poorly conserved and displayed. Because 3/4 of the material is unpublished, we had to refrain from photographing certain things to closely or at all. Either way, there was some incredible things to see!

This Crystal vase was an incredible find. It was in thousands of pieces, and a conservator spent years reconstructing it. It's beautiful and delicate. Anne told us that when the conservator finally went to move it, he accidentally dropped it, sending the thousands of pieces scattering once again. So he had to put it BACK together. The bull pictured is actually hollow from behind. Its a ceremonial piece, used in libations to the gods. A lot of gods find the bull to be a sacred animal, and usually prefer those as sacrifices. This piece would probably be used in cult ceremonies. Whatever liquid was being offered would be poured in the back of the head and would come out through the nostrils. In the middle photo are relics called Snake Goddess'. If my memory serves, these were found in/around the Throne room of Knossos. Again, used for ritualistic purposes, they're thought to have some maternal qualities.

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The password is "Heraklio"

Byzantine Fortress

We ended the day with a tour of Heraklio. Heraklio has a wonderful history, due to its place on Crete. Its natural harbor made it a target, as trade was an important part of why the area was so successful. Right on the Pier, a 4th century Byzantium fortification still sits. We sat around the beach, as our professors explained how Crete and Heraklio changed hands often because of where the island is located in the Aegean sea. 

The Church

We saw several other historical places. One was a grand church. Build in Byzantium times, it changed hands between Orthodox and Roman Catholics. Now, the church is fully functional, and displays a mixture of Byzantium/Roman Catholics/Orthodox traits. 

We saw old ship yards and the Lions fountain, which used to be much more grand in ancient times. Heraklio was a charming, lively town. The energy was very different from the hustle and bustle of Athens. It was a nice change of pace for a few days!

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The password is "HeraklioTown"