Athens...and more Greek Isles

Hi everyone!

The last two days have been a lot of fun.  We got into Athens early Monday morning and immediately went sightseeing. Athens and Greece in general is in the middle of a major economic crisis. 47% of the country is unemployed and the people are furious with  their politicians. The tour guide took us on a bus tour of Athens and then we toured the Acropolis.

Most of the Acropolis structures were abandoned after the Trojan War, except for the Athens structure. Among the temples on the Acropolis, there is a temple dedicated to Nike, goddess of victory. There is actually a statue of her from the Acropolis in the Louvre that I saw last summer. The other major structure is the legendary Parthenon, which is under major reconstruction to preserve the  area. I found the tour to be interesting and informative. The guide definitely gave me a taste of Greek culture and opinions. After the tour, we went for a walk in the old town of Athens, which is lovely. In the afternoon, we went back to the hotel and went for a swim on the beach. So great!

Today, our group went on a one-day cruise of the Greek Isles that are near Athens. We visited the islands of Hydra, Poros, and Aegina. Hydra was definitely my favorite. The island doesn't allow cars and the war there is gorgeous. Tara, Greg, and I went for a swim in the Mediterranean that was awesome! The water was almost crystal clear and so refreshing. The scenery was amazing and one of the best experiences of the trip. On the other islands, we had limited time and mostly walked around and talked to locals. Tara and I bought fruit from a very nice Greek woman. We are now covered in strawberries and cherries, which are in season in Greece.

All in all, a fabulous couple days! Tomorrow, we have the morning free in Athens. After that, on to Delphi!

Hydra

Tara, Greg and I

Poros

Aegina

Olympic Center-Athens

Parthenon

Until next time,

AL

Greek Isles

Hey everyone!

Sorry for not being able to post the last couple days, Internet has been limited. If you are interested in reading my other posts, I have posted them, just look below this one. The last two days have been great. We got on our cruise yesterday (5/26) and sailed to the Greek Isle of Patmos. It was a very small island but so cute! We mostly just walked around the shops since we only had a few hours there and talked to the locals. So far, the Greek people are very nice and the food is delicious! I have already had too many Greek salads, if that is possible. Another thing I have liked is something called fava, which is like Greek humus. DELICIOUS! Greek is famous for their products so I got a couple bottles of olive oil and some special olive oil soap. I also found an adorable little Greek dress for our littlest member of the family (Meredith). She is going to look so adorable in it! I don't have much to say about Patmos other than I liked it. It was very beautiful.

After Patmos, we boarded the ship for Santorini. This has been my first cruise and it is alright so far. By the way, Mom, if you are reading, you would definitely get seasick. We docked into Santorini this morning (5/27) around 7 am. Instead of taking the donkeys up, my group opted for the cable car ascent. Santorini is a group of towns on a moon-shaped island, but it is on the side of a cliff. However, it is stunning. We ascended in the cable car to Thira, the main town. We walked around the shops and talked with locals and bought a few little things. Then, we went to the town of Oaia, which has the classic Santorini views that you see on postcards. It was so unbelievable beautiful. If you have never been to Santorini, it is worth it for the views and the architecture. All the homes are white and some have blue domes. However, there is not much to do in the towns. It is a very modest, laidback lifestyle. Not quite suitable for me, but I loved it for the day we were there. For lunch, GREEK SALAD! I cannot  get enough.  Traditional Greek Salad has tomatoes, onions, olives, green peppers and feta cheese. Delicious! The last two days have been a nice change of pace from the constant tours we have gone on, but I am looking forward to getting back to learning, since that is the main reason I came on this trip.

Tomorrow (5/28), we dock into Athens at 6am. We will disembark the ship at 7am and begin our tour of Athens. We will have a guided tour with a visit to the Acropolis and the world famous Parthenon. After that, we will have a walking tour with Erini, our new director. She is from Athens and will show us the old town. So excited. Can't wait for tomorrow!

AL

Ephesus & Kusadasi

Hey everyone!

So   today was unfortunately our last day in Turkey. We spent the morning exploring Ephesus, which was incredible. For those who don't know, Ephesus was a huge city in ancient Rome. It was the Eastern capital of the Roman empire for decades. However, people have lived there for centuries with artifacts dating back to 5,000 BC. The land surrounding the city used to be sea during Roman times.

Before the Romans, the land was occupied by Alexander the Great, who expanded the city. The oracle of Delphi was the one who supposedly predicted the expansion of Ephesus. When Alexander the Great liberated Asia Minor from the Persians, Ephesus took center stage. So many people have lived or passed through this city; it is almost overwhelming. The Virgin Mary is believed to have spent her last days here. St. Paul definitely passed through here and Christianity was prominent during 2nd Century AD. Just walking around, I was amazed at the structure of the city and how old the land was. It was especially cool to see a city that I have studied so much in my Roman history classes. The site consists of a stunning library, Roman style houses, cemeteries, bathrooms, and more. It is essentially a city reconstructed from ruins. The amphitheatre and the library are by far the most spectacular.

After Ephesus, we  visited the House of the Virgin Mary and the Temple of Artemis. The House of the Virgin Mary is where they believed she spent her last days. That is, of course, a big question mark, but it was so cool nonetheless. The Temple of Artemis was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World at one point. Today, it is just a column that remains. However, there are pictures of what they believe it looked like so that was cool to compare.

After our tours, we went back to the hotel and my roommates and I went to explore Kusadasi a little further. I have really enjoyed my time in Turkey and am sad to leave. Our Turkish tour guide, Ahmet, was so interesting and I learned so much about Turkey from him. I hope I will be able to return to Turkey again someday. It has definitely stolen my heart.

Tomorrow, THE GREEK ISLES!

AL

Pergamon & the Acropolis

Hi everyone!

Today, we traveled to Pergamon, Turkey. It is one of the oldest cities in Turkey and about an hour from where we were last night in Ivalake. However, this city is best known for the Acropolis, which sits above the hills. This is an ancient Roman city dating back to the days of Marc Antony and Cleopatra. First established around 281 BC, the Acropolis was originally a Hellenistic type of town that reflected the culture of Alexander the Great. Eventually, the Acropolis was left to the Romans who then proceeded to change the city. Some of the features are still Hellenistic, but the Romans definitely left their touch. Any of the pictures were you see very high arches are Roman. That is one of their most distinctive architecture styles.

The library of the Acropolis is famous for producing papyrus paper by Egyptian paper-makers. The name was eventually changed to Perganese paper and the modern term for this paper is  parchment. Cool right? The city of Pergamon as well as the ancient city of Ephesus were eventually given by Marc Antony to Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen. During later principates, Trajan and Hadrian were worshipped here as Gods after achieving divine status after their deaths. The remains of those temples are still somewhat intact. Naturally, this visit to the Acropolis was fascinating and exciting for someone like me who has a healthy interest in history and classics. Professor Osgood would be proud.

After visiting the Acropolis, we learned about how Turkish rugs are made at a small factory. There is so much detail that goes into the making of rugs that it is almost unbelievable. To make a very small rug, it can take months. Naturally, the large rugs were expensive so I purchased a very small one that will likely serve as a wall decoration as opposed to an actual rug. Nonetheless, I was satisfied with my purchase.

After both of these visits, we continued on to the resort town of Kusadasi, which is also on the Aegean Sea. This town is a lot bigger than Ivalake, but the beaches are not as nice. Nonetheless, the Turkish people are very friendly here and the town is gorgeous from above. On a side note, I have really been enjoying the Turkish food. It is very simple, mostly bread, rice, vegetables, and meat, but delicious. I hope the food in Greece is just as good since I know it is similar.

Turkey has definitely surprised me. I was not sure what to expect after Istanbul, but I have found it to be quite charming. Tomorrow is unfortunately our last day in Turkey and we are spending it in Ephesus. Looking forward to another day of learning and exploring! On Saturday, we set sail to Greece on our cruise!

That is all for now! There are pictures below!

AL

Pergamon from the Acropolis

Kusadasi

Troy and Cannakale

Hi everyone!

I am currently in Izir, Turkey! This small town is on the coast of the Aegean Sea and quite lovely.

Sadly, we departed Istanbul today. We traveled most of the day to see the archaeological site of Troy. Just to be at the site of one of the most famous battles in world history. For those that don't know, the battle was between the Greeks and the Trojans. The Greeks supposedly won by hiding in a wooden horse and the Trojans brought it into the city, only to be attacked. Today, the site is a huge archaeological site that is only for history majors. Naturally, I loved it. The city walls are still somewhat in tact and the we got to see the oldest adobe walls in the world. Can you believe they are still in tact?

After seeing Troy, we traveled on to Izir, where I went for a run and workout on the beach (yes Arlisa, I am doing my workouts on my trip;). We ate dinner at the hotel and then all went out for a couple drinks at a local bar. We all tried the Turkish liquor, "Raki", which tastes exactly like black licorice. Not my cup of tea, but it was fun. All in all, a very good day. I swear the Turkish men have never seen someone as tall as me, so I am getting quite a few weird stares.

I really love Turkey so far. It is gorgeous and the people are wonderful.

Tomorrow, we got to Pergamon to learn about the rug industry in Turkey.

Until next time!

AL

Istanbul

Hi everyone!

So after completing a day and a half in Istanbul, I have decided that this city is crazy! I have never been to a city where the Muslim faith is the majority so this was a first for me. My flight was relatively smooth from Amsterdam and I met my tour director at the airport. The drive into Istanbul was just stunning. There are mosques everywhere and the water is gorgeous. The Bosphorus, which is the main body of water in Istanbul, separates Europe from Asia. So literally, Istanbul is stretched across two continents.

Just a little background on Istanbul, the Romans occupied it beginning in 325 AD, beginning with the principate of Constantine the Great. Understandably, the city was named Constantinople with Christianity as the primary religion. It became the "New Rome" and the Roman empire's main capital. Eventually, it was seized by the Ottomans and the city was converted to Islam.

Today, the majority of people are Muslims. Christians, Jews and other religions are very much in the minority. However, Istanbul would be a good example for the rest of the world in terms of religious tolerance. All religions appear to live in harmony here. Part of that is due to how liberal Istanbul is, but it is odd to see this much tolerance from the Muslim government (they are not a theocracy) so close to the Middle East.

Today, we did a sightseeing tour of Istanbul. Our guide, Ahmet who lives in Istanbul took us on a bus tour around the city first. We then proceeded to the ancient part of Istanbul, which is home to the Blue Mosque and the Aye Sofia Church. The hippodrome is also here. Thanks to my Roman History classes this year, I was able to know something about all of these structures. The Blue Mosque is simply a mosque that was built during the Ottoman times, but it was spectacular. You couldn't wear shoes inside and the girls had to cover their knees and arms. There were guards that enforced this.

At the Aya Sofia, I was really taken aback. This church just has so much history it is almost overwelming. Built by Justinian I in the 4th century, it was Christian church back then. When the Ottomans took over, it was converted to a mosque. In Islam, there is a law against having images inside the mosques, but the Aya Sofia was already covered in stunning mosaics that were covererd in gold. The Ottomans simply painted over the Christians images to abide by their beliefs. Today, the church is a museum that contains the Ottoman touches, but also the Christian mosaics that have been revealed. Like I said, so much history!

After all this, we proceeded to the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar where we all bought a few things. Bartering in Turkey is allowed and we all took advantage of that. I got my family a few things, and if any of my Georgetown teammates are reading this, there may be a little something for you as well;) The Bazaars were very interesting and I have to say, the Turkish men are hilarious. One of the girls in my group got one of the best pick-up lines I have ever heard. This one man said to her, "A girl without freckles is like the night sky without stars". BEST THING EVER. At the Blue Mosque, a guy told me that I could come live with him if I needed a place to stay…I suppose it is always good to have options;) Hahahaha.  Other than that, it was the basic cat-calls. This country has no blonde people so the girls in the  group with blonde hair got a lot of attention. I was asked a million times whether I liked volleyball…apparently volleyball is big here. At the conclusion of the day, we proceeded to restaurant and all ate together. The food in Turkey is good, I think. It is a lot of meat rice and vegetables, but delicious.

Anyways, that was my time in Istanbul! I hope to return here again someday. It was unbelievable and the Turkish people were so friendly.  Tomorrow, we go to Ephesus and Troy!

It is about 12:20am here so I must close. Hopefully the 4am call to prayer won't awaken me this morning!

AL

PS: Some pictures from today are below.

The Mosque outside our Hotel

The Hippodrome

The Aya Sofia

Blue Mosque

The minarets at night