Blair is: in Athens

September 17-19, 2008



I anxiously peered over Tracy´s shoulder on an airline I´d never heard of (Olympic Air) to see a land I had often read about but neer visited: Greece, the Birthplace of Democracy. And the first glimpse did not disappoint - the islands abruptly jutting out of the sapphire sea, drasticly sharp in contrast to the flat tan plains of Spain. The sea was so blue it was hard to tell where it ended and the sky began! It looked like pointilism - the sea - with its lines of waves undulating towards the shore. After a three hour flight, we landed in Athens, one hour ahead of Madrid. It was so weird to see Greek everywhere! It was familiar, because I could recognize the letters thanks to Greek Life and AEPhi, but the words and their meanings were completely foreign. We boarded our bus to the hotel, taking the scenic route around the outside of Athens ... a city no as beautiful as I had thought it would be. We could see in the distance the 2004 Olympic staduim (Where Michael Phelps had swam!!!) as we sat in traffic - terrible, since half of Greece´s population (6 million people) reside within Athens! At last, e arrived at the Hotel Stanley, our finaldestination. I was assigned to room with Sam Hacker and Vanessa in a room with an itsy bitsy balcony overseeing nothing, but rom the roof there was the most stunning view of the Acropolics, illuminated by golden light at night! After dinner, I returned with Alex, Sam and Rachel to read by the pool and marvel at our view of the Acropolis.

The next day, we were intrduced to Danae, our sixty something year old but fiesty Greek tourguide. In our little tourbus (little meaning that almost all28 of us had our own bench of 2 seats to lay across), we drove around athens, seeing Hadrian´s Arch, the Original Olympic Stadium of 1896, and the Parthenon.

The Parthenon was quite an experience. Unlike the pictures of an empty Acropolis, it was packed with pushy tourists and cruise groups! And our group was easily the youngest people there by 30 year aside from a few kids. And they kept pushing their way to the top, trying to push the entire group of us out of their way! (i guess they just assume that´s ok because they, in theory, have less time to see it than a group of 20 year olds). At one pint, our tour guide shouted, ËXCUSE ME! WE ARE ALLLLLL WAITING!! She was fierce - she even made a 10 year old boy cry! However, once we got onto the acropolis, it was wonderful - the Parthenon, absolutely larger than life. I couldn´t believe I was standing in front of a building more than 3000 years old, a place of myths and ancient civilizations! I hope to someday see the roof, which is in the British Museum, because the British steal everything, haha. I meandered, seeing the other temple of Athena and Athena´s legendary Olive Tree that was planted during her battle with Poseidon for the honor of having the city named after her. (Athena promised protection and bounty, Poseidon protection and water, The women of Athens voted for Athena, the men for Poseidon, but there was 1 more woman then men, so it was named for Athena. And then the women lost the right to vote). Our time there was too short.

We headed to the Plaka, a center of stores in Athens, before heading to Cape Sounion. There really is nothing there, said MariCarmen, JUST BEAUTY.

And Beauty there was.

We arrived shortly before sunset to take pictures and admire the Temple of Poseidon (which Lord Byron grafittied!). Litte by lttle, the sun began to dip, and as if painted by watercolor, the sky turned pastel shdes of red, yellow, and orange, with a tint of purple higher in the sky. The way the light played with the water to create a mirror image of teh sunset in the sky and sea was breathtaking; how the shadows contrasted with the undulating green hills; how the temple was enlightened in the color of gold due to the sun was simply and inexplicably spectacular. It ties for the best sunset ever with the Grand Canyon, however, because they are so different it is hard to pick one over the other. In AZ, it was an explosion of hot colors amplified by the complimentary sand and layers o time. Here, the softer colors were intensified by the water´s reflection, playing hide and go seek with the shdows created by the rocks and ruins of the old temple to Poseidon. Twilight crept upon us with indecent haste, and all I wanted to do was stay there forever. But twilight signifies impending night, and the arrival of days to follow and more sites to explore. But now I have a permanent screensaver in my mind that I can reflect upon and enjoy for the rest of my life.

Again: Backtrack, La Noche En Blanco

La Noche en Blanco


14 septiembre 2008

So, la noche en blanco: basically a celebration of the city held across Europe. Everything is open until at least 2 or 3 in the morning – museums, restaurants, pubs – and everything is free. Places that are usually off-limits to the public are open, the streets are flooded with people (aka no cars) and everywhere there are free concerts and music, buildings decorated, and artwork on display.

I met my new friends Madeline, Vanessa and Katherine at the Colon stop – late, as usual. Vanessa, Madeline and I were really excited to experience the cultural stuff, but Katherine only wanted to drink. Whatever.

So we first walked around, looking at the decorations on the buildings and the oversized, just put into the Honey I Blew Up The Kid Machine Sized Rubber Duckies in the fountains. We made our way to the Archeological Museo, cutting the line and looking at men in poofy 16th century esque collared shirts. We looked around at the artifacts on the ground floor and listened to the delicate and light notes of an ongoing orchestral concert on the level above. After that, we headed downtown, joining the throngs of people marching down the street. At one circle, there was a long line of people … waiting to walk through the arch in the middle of it, usually inaccessible due to traffic and the urge not to be hit by a car! But here, this night, we could pass through the arch without the fear of being fatally wounded. It was one of the traditional entrances to the city back in the day. It was so cool to walk through it, lights flashing, people everywhere, and it was built a long time ago too, in the 1700s! Stuff in the US built in the 1700s is like comparing lego log cabins to the most delicately refined and ornate structures ever.

We began to wander around, looking for a tapas bar, and we could not find a place we could agree uon in the area, so we meandered over to the metro stop by el Parque del Retiro and headed toward Sol/Sevilla, where we knew there would be restaurants by the plaza del Santa Ana. We arrived amidst the splendor of drunkenness, and settled into a german pub for tapas. [Today, I found out this pub was a favorite place / habitual hang out of Ernest Hemingway!] all was pleasant until the bill came. We split 2 orders of chips and olives (which I do not like) for the table, 2 girls got a coke each, I had 2 glasses of Sangria, and the remaining party had 4 sangrias. Yet this last party refused to put in more than 5 euro for the bill! I ended up putting in 15, one of the other girls 10, and as soon as the money was on the table we were unceremoniously kicked out of the German Pub! (To be fair, it was 2:15 AM and closing time). By this point, I was ready to find Alex and go home. This was convenient, as two of the girls were ready to go home as well, yet the last person promptly called another person on the program and stormed off into the night.

The remaining three of us headed to the metro. It was 3 AM and I was off the find Alex, while Madeline and Vanessa headed home. The metro was packed, and at my stop I was immediately shoved out of the doors – as were Vanessa and Madeline, the former of which fell through the gap between the car and the platform! The shock on her face … it was one more thing to add to the list of amusing things that occurred that night, which we had previously formulated together while waiting for the metro.

At Sol, I set off to find Alex and Sam, eventually making my way to Dubliner’s, the bar we had found on the first night we went out. It was the last place they had mentioned before the line went dead. Walking alone, on such a crazy night at 3 AM, I realized: I was crazy. I was crazy, but desperate, as Alex and I shared a key. When I finally saw Dubliners, it was like salvation – I ran through the alley of chairs and tables and people drinking beer to get there … but I couldn’t find them! I waited outside and finally they called me –we met- and we hung out, drinking, having a good time, recounteing the tales of our respective nights thus far. Sam thought her senora had a heart attack (it turned out to be her brother) and Alex convinced her to stay out. They were talking to some Spaniards, Mario (the Romanian Bartender who served us mexican drinks in an irish bar our first night out in Madrid, Spain) and some others. At closing time, we were all kicked out, and set off in search for churros that would never be found. Instead, we hung out in the Plaza Mayor, waiting for the trains to start back up at 6 am. We got home at 7. I woke up at 2. had la comida with Alex, Ana (our host sister), Sofia (our senora), and Jose, a friend of Ana’s.

After la comida, I met Madeline at el Parque del Retiro. How beautiful! With its giant lake and many sidewalks, we chatted and strolled in the gorgeously comfortable weather, taking in the transvestites sitting on benches dressed up like clowns smoking, people in boats on the water, and middle aged women doing tai chi. We ran into Jess Warren, who told us about her noche en blanco.

All in all, la noche en blanco = success.

Toledo

13 Septiembre 2008

We went to Toledo, the center of Spain for hundreds of years and the center of Arab Power during the occupation.

I mostly slept on the hour and a half ride, but fortunately woke up as we approached the city. Before me was the city, sprawled out over the hill in shades of pepper and cinnamon, surrounded by a high, fortress like wall. As we passed through the gate, we entered the village, and I was immediately aware of all the swords and armory for sale in the windows. It initially appeared to me as another tourist trap destination; however, people continue to live and work there as they would in any other city. I suppose it was shocking to see buildings so old (at least 5 – 600 years) that were actually inhabited and operated as places of business. I mean, I’ve been to Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Plymouth plantation, where the buildings are reconstructed or restorations of the actual thing, but the people there are actors, creating the fantasy of a time 300 years past. In Toledo, the fantastical element of pretend prevailed due to the architecture; however, the people there were modern.

Our first destination was the cathedral of Toledo. Austere and gray, it did not seem overwhelmingly spectacular from the outside. The inside, however, was alive with golden arches, golden austere, colored frescos and organ pipes. We were immediately led to the central “room” where bishops and cardinals sat on elaborately carved seats – some literally “above” pictures of the sins of the world. Around the exterior of the square were pictures portraying the Catholic reconquest of Spain – possible due to the fact that it was constructed between the 13th and 16th centuries. All this was explained to us by Patri Espinosa, the art history teacher, who emphasized the gothic style in which the cathedral was constructed. It was on the way to the Sacrista that I realized how inaccessible religion, and more specifically, God, appears to be in this Cathedral during this time. All of the paintings, frescos, and sculptures are either high up or behind golden bars, away from the common people, accessible to only those with privileges. This was striking walking past these beautiful paintings and sculptures near the Sacrista, where part of the ceiling had been blown out during the rococo period to create a new piece of art. Everything was so far away, even the ceiling compared to the rest of the domes, and it was impossible not to be surrounded by a sense of mortality – emphasized by the fact that we stood over a cardinal’s tomb. Across from this open part of the ceiling, elaborately painted with scenes of heaven from which light cascaded inwards, were white and gold angels emerging from the oversized column, enhanced by the glowing sun. The angels held rays of golden sunlight (symbolic of the Holy Spirit) and your eyes slowly rise to reveal more angels and Mary. It was gorgeous, especially once you reflected about how someone had to envision and plan it. All flowed back to the light source, emphasizing the heavens. And we stood, out of reach, below, only to marvel at the spectacular beauty and grandeur above.

In the Sacrista, paintings of El Greco and others adorned the walls. His dark syle, along with the latter slenderization of human features contrasted greatly with the bright and colorful seiling, portraying Mary at one end, looking over the goodness and bliss of heaen on the ceiling towards the blue sky and gray buildings – the human world, Toledo. The paintings were all interesting like el Greco’s portrait of Jesus (where I proudly picked out Mary and Mary) bu I found it slightly ironic contrasted with the softly hot colored ceiling. Even the gargoyles under the windows on the high up ceilings were not statues, but painted.

We continued on towards el etreno del senor de orgaz where we saw a very famous el Greco, featuring a dying don and angels carrying his soul up to heaven.

Our final destination, however, was a Muslim Synagogue (funny, I know – but until the Catholic reconquest, Jews, Muslims, and Christians all resided in peace. Toledo has not only one but 2 synagogues – the oldest in Spain, as most were destroyed by the Inquisition). It has a Muslim/Arabic-like architecture mixed in with Jewish references. To see the intricate carvings and ceramic tiles along with Arabic and Hebrew script was amazing. Could this type of extreme religious cooperation exist today? It works within the confines of the US, but what about tolerance on a larger scale, over a long period of time?

Too young in the US, too old in Europe.

So, Ive been very very busy. Granada was TERRIFIC, on Wednesday we not only went to the Mediterranean Sea at Almunecar, but that night me, Kathryn, Tony, and Ashlee (all from my program) bought bottles of wine for 2 euros a piece and drank them in the local park before heading out to a local bar, la dolce vita, and a club called Granada Diez (except Kathryn, who went home). It was AWESOME! An on Thursday, we went to a Turkish bath, where we sipped Turkish tea in pools of varying temperatures waiting to receive massages. I got credit for this? :D We also toured the Albacin [old Arabic district], Alhambra [Arab fortress and palace from the 11th century as well as the partly constructed palace for Holy Roman Emporer Charles V] and the Cathedral that Ferdinand and Isabel ordered to be constructed after the reclamation of Granada in 1492 [yeah, we saw their coffins]. We all got to know each other better in Granada, everyone is really nice and I generally like everyone. The guys on our trip created their own joke about themselves: a gay guy, a blind guy, and a jewish boyscout walk into a bar ...


We left Granada on Saturday, and Alex and I, by complete chance, live together with Sofia Paniagua and her daughter Ana in Marques de Vadillo/Urgell metro stops. I actually went running by the football (US soccer) field of Atletico Madrid and over the bridge close to Puerta de Toledo yesterday, in the SW part of the city. Tomorrow we are going to Toledo this week. Next week we go to Greece, cruise, Turkey, etc, for about 10 days. My schedule is as follows:

sept 13 - toledo
sept 17 - 18 athens
sept 18 - 21 cruise
sept 22 - 25 istanbul
sept 26 -depart for athens
sept 27 depart for madrid

oct 17 - 19 barcelona
fall break - oct 31 - nov 3, may go to paris or london, no se, our coordinator is going to talk to our professors about this, try to get us more time off....

nov 13 - 15 rome
nov 16 - 18 florence

dec 5 - farewell dinner for students


so, basically, i had trial - classes this week, and don't start til october! yay! .it's immersion learning!

I spend most of my money on snacks, coffee, and wine .... coffee being the most expensive of the 3, up to 4 times more expensive then wine! (1 euro for a glass of tinto verano at a tapas bar the other day, compared to 4 for a medium coffee yesterday morning at starbucks. i know, i know, but alex and i were DYING! we have about an hour commute to school every day, and have luckily found a place to get coffee for only 1.20 euros, or a buck eighty in dollars). alex and i did have la comida in la plaza mayor on sunday, after spending the early afternoon at el rastro. it was absolutely overwhelming! like eastern market times a billion!!
!

So, I've decided that I am too young to do anything useful (aka go out socialize and drink) in the US but that I am too effing old here. Why do I say that? They have these things called abonos, where you can travel as many times on the metro that you want for a set price. You can get 10 trips for 7 euros, but a youth abono is unlimited trips for 20 euro, which is good. you must be under 21 to qualify for one. but, oh wait, i have to be under 21 until april 30, 2009. CAN YOU EFFING BELIEVE IT? oh, the best ist the cost .... a regular "adult" abono is 45 euro. RUEIJAKDFJA DKAJFKJDERUOA;SDJKLFJ now i have to do stupid math and see if it's effing worth it. god damn, i am pissed.

ive just been very stressed. i don't speak spanish much, so when i do have to speak spanish, i feel like an idiot because i do not know what to say or how to say it. when i was arguing with this woman about the abono, she did not understand what i was saying, so i wrote it down. the minute i wrote it down she understood my question, but wouldn't tell me what the cutoff date was, only that i was "no joven." i found the date online. well, there are 2 dates online - april 30 and june 1, depending on the source.

i went out last night and had lots of fun. and i did not buy even one drink! .... our appearance screamed american so we got drinks for free. it's like promoters come up to you, say, "want a free drink?", take you to the bar, get you your drink, and then 5 minutes later you leave. our first drink? in an irish pub, serving mexican alcohol (aka Corona and Tequila), with a romanian bartender, playing american music in spain. some of the places are really old though. One bar, which was pointed out to us in a tour on tuesday, has been established since the 1500s!

oh man, i want peanut butter! and pumpkin - flavored things! i am trying spanish food though. they really like bread here, and there are a lot of vespas, smart cars, and people on the metro. oh, and a lot of pda tambien.

hasta luego!

No Picture, because I have no Internet

OH. MY. GOD.

FINALLY, after 5 days of no internet access, I am online! This is not to say that I am not enjoying Spain, but unlike the US where internet access is ubiquitous, it is virtually non accessible here. Still do not have access here - i'm borrowing a computer. We all got SO excited to go to Grenada, where the possibility of internet loomed before us, but upon our arrival we discovered that it is, in fact, still not here. It is so weird to not have checked email or been on facebook or gchatted with friends for more than 4 days.

In the meantime, I have been occupying myself by exploring Madrid, meeting people on our trip, eating, sleeping, and traveling. Saturday, Jess and I were roommates, and we were able to siesta for about 3 hours before walking up the “broadway of Madrid.” We were led through Old Madrid by MariCarmen, our program coordinator, who showed us the bustling streets of shops along with the Plaza de Espana and the Plaza Mayor. We went for dinner in Old Madrid at a nice restaurant called Café Francisca, where we had Sangria, bread, salad, eggplant with sesame seed and raisins, followed by the main dish, grilled cod in a garlic sauce. For dessert, we had lemon sorbet in champagne.

A group of us headed back to the hotel, past the Royal Palace and gardens. Muy bellisima!

The next day, Sunday, Jess and I got up really early for a run. We found ourselves at the Garden Templar, overlooking the city. We saw people walking their dogs and others running as well, while more were out for a morning stroll. The park was so pretty, with the sights as well as the architecture of the area and las fuentas in the middle of it all.

After breakfast, we wandered around some more before meeting Elena, another instructor from AU abroad, at the Hotel Florida Norte, where we were staying. We took the metro to the bus station before boarding a 5 hour bus to Grenada. I slept for most of the first half, but watched the in-transit movie, Dumb and Dumber in Spanish during the second half.

They eat a lot of bread here.

We are staying in Dorms in Grenada, where the rooms are quite spacious. More to come about my experience here later!