Last day in Athens...Thursday, July 9th

Noooooooooo!  I'm about to head home to the laundry I left out, the mail that must be piled up filled with bills, and things I need to do to get really for work again.  It has been so nice to forget all of that and enjoy Greece.



I decided to make sure I soaked in things today that are unique about this area of Athens.  I ate on the rooftop for breakfast and had a great view of the acropolis.




I walked down to Starbucks and people-watched the locals opening their shops and workers walking to their jobs.

I ate lunch in a cafe in Syntagma Square so I could see the vendors, protestors, and tourists make use of the pleasant space.

I bought a new carryon...because I needed it.

Greece has been a great place to visit.  It has so many ancient buildings and artifacts and it was exciting to be here during such a historic time in their history.

Panoramic View from rooftop restaurant.  Parliament on left and Syntagma Square directly in front/below

Hey! I'm a Spice! - Wednesday, July 8th

Tuesday, I was able to walk over to one of the original areas where my group shopped a couple weeks ago.  I even found the souvlaki place again.  Yum!  After a break back at the hotel I ended up having dinner in the hotel to make sure I wasn't on my feet too much.

Small 16th Century Chapel with big
building built around it.

Today I was a bit more adventurous.  I explored past the Starbucks and roamed in and out of little passage ways.  I'm not even sure exactly where I ended up but all I had to do was have people point me in the direction of Syntagma Square and I was able to find my way to the hotel.  Woohoo!

I made a first attempt to pack things....it wasn't a pretty sight.  My bags are stuffed to the brim and I have things that don't fit.  Luckily, I must not be the only tourist that has this issue because in the cutesy alleyways filled with tourist shops, there are luggage shops too.  I intend to figure out what size bag I need to purchase (it will need to be a carryon since I already have two checked bags...someday I will learn not to pack so much to begin with....)

Old Church with pigeon hanging out in shade

On my journeys today, I found a spice pack with my name on it.  Cool!  If I didn't have bags that were already full, I would have bought it but with my luck, it would cause the zippers on my bags to burst open from being too packed.

Twist and Shout...because you hurt your ankle...Monday, July 6th.

I was sad to see almost everyone else take off this morning.  Well, I guess I didn't really "see" them take off.  After all, a lot of them had to be on the bus at 3:45am.  So, I mean "see" in the not-so-literal sense of the word...but I bet you figured that out already.  You clever person, you!

There were a few of us at the hotel so it was great being able to have one last breakfast with people from the writing program.  Around noon, I left the Emmantina in Glyfada (suburb of Athens where we stayed with the group) and headed back to my plush hotel in Athens.

Originally, all their rooms had been sold out.  However, thanks to the Greek financial crisis taking place right outside the hotel, some rooms opened up.  Woohoo!  I was able to get an inner courtyard room in the hotel.  When I arrived, the reception lady told me that my room was ready but that I needed to go to the Reception Room on the Butler level to check in.  I was asked to have a seat at an elegant desk and a couple of tall, dark and handsome twenty-something men were asking if I needed anything.  Somehow I managed to get out "water" and I drank it all as I tried to figure out what I was doing on a floor with butlers.    What do I do with a butler?  Should I put on my best outfit to stay on this floor?  Should I fake a British accent (which I am horrible at) to at least pretend that I am more sophisticated than I really am?  Are the butlers judging me?  So much pressure.  Butler George helped me to my room and gave me his business card in case I needed to contact him.



After my bags arrived in the room (much faster than my first non-butler floor visit a couple of weeks ago), I set off to the Starbucks that I knew was nearby.  Along the way, I found where the Princess Cruise lines drop off all their tours and decided to check out the shops that they felt were worthy of their customers.  The main one was a larger tourist shop and I found a few things I had wanted.  When my arms started getting full, I noticed some shopping baskets and leaned over to place my items in them.

Did I trip on the steep stairs of the Acropolis?  No.
Did I tumble down the hill at the Temple of Poseidon?  No.
Did I fall during the many days on a hillside resort in Crete?  No.
Did I twist my ankle on a 4-inch step inside a tourist shop in Athens?  Yep.

A couple of people stopped to make sure I was alright.  One older guy complimented me on making sure the olive oil and other stuff in my hands made it into the basket as I was falling.  (I actually had tried to do that too so I was glad someone gave me credit for being successful.)

After the employees gave me somewhere to sit and some water (Why does a twisted ankle make you feel so icky???), I purchased what was in my bag and then hobbled the rest of the way to Starbucks (priorities, you know.)  I figured I'd better get my Frappuccino before my ankled got too stiff to want to move at all.  I rested for a bit then somehow made it back to my hotel room.  I didn't see any ankle braces inside the pharmacy stores but I didn't ask.

I treated myself to room service then wondered if I would need to have Butler George do all the things I was hoping to do myself.  Could George get the gifts for others I had wanted to purchase?  Could George hunt down an ankle bandage for me?  Could George find me ice?  I did some internet searches on what hotel butlers could do and it sounded like those might all be possibilities.  However I was relieved to wake up the next morning and, although still puffy and sore, I was able to walk and shop without needing George.  ;)

A Quick Recap and Back in Athens - Sunday, July 5th

In spite of the many, many stairs, the resort was great.  How was it possible that I walked and climbed so much and gained weight?!? Well, it could be the non-stop yummy food that the resort served.  My favorite things were the tasty feta cheese, huge assortment of various olive oils, and the incredible al dente pasta at the chef's stations.

Now, sometimes there were some super aggressive people that couldn't wait a few seconds for people to get out of their way and it really bugged me.  For example, there was a person at the small water fountain getting sparkling water and the nozzle for still water was right next to it.  I was waiting for the person to move to get to the water so I wouldn't crowd the guy and a young adult swoops in and gets water.  She's on my list! (My imaginary list of people who need a stern talking to...in actuality, I'll just glare at the back of their head for a bit  (or, perhaps vent about it on my blog) before realizing that they don't care that they bugged me.)  

We had incredible views of the water at every meal.  The architects did a great job of maximizing the number of tables that had water views.  It was also a great location for our course because we were all eating in the same area which meant that we got to know everyone better this year compared to last year when we had to fend for our own meals each time.  Hurray for group bonding!   

We had to write an ode for our interdisciplinary portion of the trip.  I am no poet but I couldn't resist doing one for the resort.  Although I like my Ode to Nutella from last year, I now know that odes are supposed to have three main parts.  In order to ensure that my ode to Fodele Beach Resort was in proper form, I modeled it after Ode to a Grecian Urn.  ;)

Ode to a Cretan All-Inclusive Resort

Thou beacon of rest that sits on a hill,

Thou who reaches from the azure frothy waters

To the plastic water slide near the cloud filled sky,

Thou whose rooms provide a peaceful morsel of sleep

Away from other travelers basking in the many delights of thine offerings.

What delight thou bringest to the weary traveler—

People who desire a respite from the day-to-day grind

That eats away at the very marrow of existence

When at last a ray of solitude breaks through the gray clouds of work.

What men and women work thou has selected to serve the masses that

Assemble on thine halls, pathways, and courts

To ensure all will find their personal piece of relaxation.

O Fodele!  What shall become of us now?

Who shall slice our cucumbers, feta, and tomatoes for a longing stomachs?

Who shall offer us discounts on massages for our weary muscles?

And. Who shall ensure boardwalks are easily accessible so our

Feet dare not sink in the sandy shore?

O Fodele, we shall once more learn to be on our own.

But to us, you say’st “Rest is Fodele.  Fodele is rest.

You need only return to us to remember this truth.”

As much as I enjoyed Fodele, it was nice to get back to Athens.  We had a great graduation and celebration of the people that completed the program and a lovely goodbye party on the rooftop garden overlooking the sea.   I would have had some photos of the incredible sunset but someone (not to mention any names) accidently left the video camera on when she put in it her pocket and wore out the batteries.......

One of the great things about this particular writing program is that it was designed to not force competitiveness but encouragement so people are very supportive of each other.  I finally was brave this summer and read some writing samples to the larger group (all genres can participate in the student readings) and had such encouragement from my classmates.  Woohoo!  Go Spalding! 

Oh Kno...ssus!

Hello from Crete!

Specifically, I'm in Knossus now (well, not right this second but I was there earlier today)...a really, really, really (and did I mention really) old city.
It was built between 1700-1400 BC.

Here are some pictures of an ancient Minoan castle on the island to get you started on planning your trip here.

A couple of things I thought were interesting:

• The queen had a "flushing" toilet.  It was not accessible on the tour but I have to give it to the ancient queen since that is the main reason I don't go camping.  If the ancient Minoans can have flushing toilets, then why can't I?!?!

• The castle apparently caught fire when someone dropped an oil lamp in the dark store room.  Unfortunately, the clever pits that were dug to contain any spillage from the pots that might crack were useful in some circumstances but not when the pots that broke had contained flammable materials.  Oops!

•   The castle is where the labyrinth story of the Minotaur took place.  Luckily, no minotaurs were on site when I visited.

On Crete, we're staying in a lovely resort on the island on a hill overlooking the Aegean Sea.








Although I wish there were an escalator, I am enjoying myself (just have to leave a lot of extra time to get up and down the hill...and where are all the hand-rails?  Apparently people on Crete are much more coordinated than I am and don't need them.)  ;)


 I won't be posting much while here due to all the classes we'll be taking during this time but look how awesome the beach area is below...I love that I can walk on the beach and not get too sandy.  Of course, I didn't spend much time there due to my ability to blind people with my super pale complexion.  I felt like a vampire as I tried to run from shady spot to shady spot during the Knossus tour.

Ajax: Tougher than Greece?

I ran across the old slogan of Ajax, "Tougher than Grease," but the Greek warrior Ajax was on the side of Greece.  On Ajax' website now (yes, I Google everything..Love you Google!), it now has the slogan "Stronger than Dirt" so you'll be happy to know that ColgatePalmolive is no longer implying than Ajax (the warrior) was fighting against Greece even if Ajax (the cleaner) still fights grease.

Now that I got that important tidbit (yes, important...very important) out of the way, I'll catch you up on what I've been up to yesterday and today.  

Yesterday, we had a full day of classes and my piece I submitted was workshopped.  In a workshop, everyone in the group has read the 20 pages and made comments on the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of what was written.  It always takes me time to digest all the information but it makes a huge difference in the end result after I take all their suggestions and edit the pages.  I'll have to share a chunk that I've edited at the end of the week with my group so they can see how I've taken and used their suggestions.

We also got a chance to hear each of the faculty read from their own pieces of work.  It is always a pleasure to hear the author read from their own material so it was a real treat to hear passages from each genre represented here this year.

After classes, I had signed up for the optional Cape Sounion trip to the Temple of Poseidon located at the tip of Attica.  It took about 1 1/2 hours to drive there due to the curvy roads but was worth it.  

Before we walked up to the temple, we saw these things that looked like they were trees from a Dr. Seuss book.  They were coming up from some type of cactus.  The internet at the hotel is too slow for me to really investigate what type of plant it was so if any of you know, please inform me.  

Here is the Temple with the Seussical-looking plants in the foreground.  And yep, I made it to the top of that hill.  It actually wasn't as bad as climbing up the Acropolis and we lucked out that it was a bit overcast making it windy but not as hot.

I took photos from each side but in this one you can see that we were there before sunset. The area closes at sunset and I didn't see any real lighting on the pathways so we left before it got any darker.

One of the really great things about traveling with a whole bunch of writers is that we assembled near the structure and several took turns reading a poem by Lord Byron.  Why a poem by him?  Well, he apparently carved his name into the structure.  If you look closely at this picture, you should be able to make out his name.  (Or you can Google it and see a much better picture than I have here.)  :)





We had dinner on the way back in a restaurant right along the water.  Here are a couple of pictures as the Sun set.






Today I spent resting and having the hotel staff help me break into my room safe that decided not to open.  I'm happy to say that I have everything out of it and am repacking now for our trip to Crete tomorrow!

What was the most popular movie for kids in Ancient Greece?

Troy Story!

Okay, so I didn't come up with that one but I put the link in case you want more History Jokes.  Better yet, don't look and you can just think I came up with them.  ;)

Jet lag hit me this morning so when the fire alarm went off a little before 7am, I was actually a little glad that I hadn't overslept...although I hope to just use my alarm tomorrow morning.  Apparently someone learned this morning (much to the rest of our chagrin)  that you don't try to heat a croissant in a toaster.

We had a full day today.  Classes in the morning (very cool) and sightseeing all afternoon (very warm.)

Our afternoon started with lunch in the heart of Athens.  One of our tour guides led us to a place that made yummy souvlaki on pita.  Just writing about it makes me want one now.  Good thing that place is too far away to get to right now.

I resisted buying any souvenirs today since we were going to be climbing to the top of the Acropolis.  It was a wise choice since that hill is pretty dang tall.  The stone steps and walkways have been so worn by all the tourists over all the years that they are very smooth and slippery.  I felt like an old lady walking so slowly up and back down the thing since I didn't want to slip.  I could just imagine myself becoming like one of those cartoon characters that roll all the way down a mountain in a ball of dust with legs, and arms sticking out.  Of course I'd probably take out a few other tour groups along the way and we'd make one gigantic, enormous, massive ball that would then end up wrecking some of the antiquities along the way, cause an international incident for destroying historic artifacts and then we'd all be kicked out of Greece never to be let back in ever again.
...
...
...
Or, I could have twisted my ankle.

Either way, I was glad to make it up and back down again with it and myself unscathed by the experience.

My face was too red from the heat and walking to try to take any pictures (selfies or otherwise) up there but here is the Parthenon.  They are restoring the end that most people take pictures of but that end is not really the front so here is the "front."

There are actually four buildings on top of the Acropolis (which basically just means highest part of the city.)  Many of the sculptures that had been saved from the sites are now in the New Acropolis Museum that opened a few years ago.  The cool things about the museum (aside from the stuff in it) is that they have some areas of clear floors where it is possible to walk over different excavations that were done on that site where they found various artifacts and parts of buildings.  It was very clever how they designed it...although a little unnerving to look down and see things many feet below...your feet.

Random picture for the day:  I thought the people in charge of all the trash cans at the Acropolis were clever to paint them cream colored.  To me, they looked like little tiny columns from a distance.

Other info:  The cafe in the museum was awesome.  Quite a few of us had various dishes from there and everything was very good.

Other other info:  So my first hotel is apparently supposed to be the best and oldest in Athens.  I guess that's where they place visiting bigwigs when they come to the city.  I'm sure eventually the tour guide will also announce that I stayed there too.  There'll probably be a plaque on it soon saying something to that effect.

Greece is the word...is the word...is the word...

I have now joined my writing group (the reason that I am out here - MFA Creative Writing @ Spalding...check it out) and have had a lot of fun catching up with people that were on my trip last year.

We are staying at a hotel that is in one of the suburbs of Athens so it is great to see a different part of the city.  The place is not as plush at my previous hotel but then I won't be in the room as much so it doesn't really matter.  Just for fun, here is a comparison of the light fixtures...  

First hotel's light fixture

Second hotel's light fixture

The taxi driver that took me out here was very nice.  He stopped and got us both water and then later stopped again to ask directions.  It cracked me up because I couldn't imagine that happening in the US.

After the welcome dinner, a couple of us when for a walk to track down water.  We passed by an Greek Orthodox church on the way.  We stopped and enjoyed the scenery for a bit and the fresh breeze from the Aegean Sea.  Very cool (well,
cool in the "nifty" sort of way...not in the temperature sort of way or I wouldn't be so sticky from the heat right now.)  ;)

Tomorrow we start classes and get up close and personal with the Acropolis!

By the way, the fancy hotel I was in (Grande Bretagne) sells out quickly so if you ever want to stay there reserve it early!

Random pictures from today:

View from room

Snails...lots of snails

Greetings from Greece!

I had a nice flight to Brussels and then another flight to Athens.  We were late arriving in Brussels and another flight was early so as a result, getting through passport control took a loooooong time.  I finally arrived at my next gate after it was technically supposed to be departed but they let me board the shuttle at the gate and drove me out to the plane.  Fortunately, I wasn't the only reason that the flight was late taking off.  Apparently the printer wasn't working and they had to wait to get the flight manifest (or something like that.)  Come to think of it, the first flight was delayed an hour because the cleaners didn't show up to clean the flight.  What weird reasons for delays.

Anyway...I'm in a lovely hotel that is too expensive for my budget but it is in the heart of Athens with a view of the acropolis from the rooftop dining area.   It has bath items from one of my favorite soap companies (Gilchrest and Soames) with a personalized scent that makes me think of staying in a wealthy friend's estate near a mountain-side country club.  Not that I have a wealthy friend  who has an estate near a mountain-side country club (or if I do...let me know and invite me to visit!!!)...but still, the scent is rich smelling.

Acropolis - View from hotel roof restaurant

Random observations-
1)  At several restaurants, I saw "Greek Salad" on the menu.  If I'm in Greece, shouldn't it just be "salad"?
2) I wasn't sure how the regular buildings and homes would look but I find myself slightly disappointed that they all don't have columns. ;)
3) Starbucks is not on every corner here.  I had to walk quite a distance to find my required
Greece/Starbucks mug.  However, the lady was very nice and (after buying my mugs and not seeing the double-chocolaty-chip frappuccino on the menu) she treated me to her attempt at one.  Two thumbs up for the Greek Starbucks people!!!
4) Cobble stones-  How pretty thou art but how hard to walk on for us klutzy people!!!

Coming this Summer....Greece Blog and (Country TBD Blog) 2015

This summer my writing program will be in Greece!  Woohoo!
I can't wait.

I am hoping to get there a day or two early like I did with Prague last summer to help with the jet lag.
It's too bad I can't sleep on flights but I feel the pilots really need me to stay awake and help them out.  For example, if I'm asleep, who will grip the arm rests tightly when there is a lot of turbulence?   It's a lot of work and pressure which means I'm very tired when I arrive at an international destination.  ;)

I'm debating where to go after Greece.  I am currently thinking about Turkey.  On the other hand, maybe I should head to western Europe to Ireland.  Or, perhaps I should go further into the Middle East and to to Dubai.  So many choices...so little money.

Feel free to leave suggestions.  I need to wait until I get my tax refund before I can buy my ticket.  Hmm, perhaps I should finish my taxes first to make sure I'm getting a refund..