Thank you for the unanimous confirmation about my ethnic transformation! It is great to know that all my hard work is being recognized and that I accomplished my goal!! I wish I could say that my tan has faded, even in the slightest but I think the scorching heat in Greece made it worse. Yes, believe it or not, I am EVEN darker.. To become a 'BUN' spend 5 days in the sun! Holla!
Greece was spectacular and probably the highlight of my trip; after Paris of course. Ever since we were forced to study the Greek culture in school, I have had a strong desire to go there and see the ruins and monuments in person. It was everything and so much more than I thought it would be.
I arrived around 10:30 PM and to my dismay was totally lost (in all aspects of the word) and highly overwhelmed. In every other country to which I have travelled, there has been sufficient english influence such that signs were written in both the mother language and in english but in Greece this was not the case. I was dumbfounded by the signs: sum of, triangle, alpha, beta, exclamation point - you name the symbol, seemed like they had it! The stress was heightened with the fact that with all other countries, I have had help with the language but here I didn't even know how to say hello. I was a little worried about my walk from the bus stop to the hotel as I received the most warnings about Greecian crime and men after Italy.
I tried to catch a taxi from the bus stop to the hotel but was told by the taxi driver (who surprisingly didn't try to rip me off!) that it would be easier if I walked the 5.5 blocks. So I found myself wandering the streets of Athens without my glasses and trying to match symbols to my map. I don't know how I would have navigated my way through without your maps Megs! With the help of some fellow tourists, I found myself at my hotel - Hotel Hermes. It was a cute place with a windy wooden staircase, oversized couches, sliding glass doors and very friendly front desk agent. I was starved at this point and decided to check out the noodle house a couple of doors down where I met a Greek New Yorker, Angelo. He gave me some tips and things to do with my free day in Athens and even taught me some useful phrases. I was exhausted from the previous days of travellng and due to some stress (I realized I lost my cc and had to call LD from my bb combined with all this other drama) - hello mental exhaustion! I passed out in no time.
My first day in Athens was a free day to explore since my tour wasn't meeting up until the evening. The plan was to explore the Plaka market in the earlier part of the day and then do some sight seeing in the latter part. I thought Venice had an abundant amount of souvenirs to buy but little did I know that Greece would be the shopping capital of my vacay.
Somehow, I managed to shop from 9 until 2 without realizing how much time had passed. I stopped and grabbed lunch to replan my day. I decided to check out a couple more shops, go back to the hotel, shower and change for dinner. You'd think by now I would know myself well enough to know my own shopping tendencies. Nope! A couple shops turned into an additional 3.5 hours. 5:45 rolls around and I literally had to walk without allowing myself to peek into the stores in fear I would get distracted by more goodies. I met my first roommate, W and she was nice but very different. She was a typical tomboy, full on backpacker type. Not a poser like yours truly whose only resemblance to a 'backpacker' is that my suticase has two straps and can be used as a backpack! She had been travelling for 9 weeks already and was able to fit everything in one bag. She made me super uncomfortable with her constant elevator (ie: the up and down) stares; she was almost as bad as the Greecian men! I was happy when our other roommate entered. I chose 3 roommates b/c it would be more fun and b/c it'd be cheaper! Bells, a vet from Australia that recently moved to London. She was super nice and I could tell right from the get go that I would bond much more than W and I would. Regardless, we all headed to the meeting together. There were 36, myself included on this tour. How I was expected to remember everyone's name in the next 3.5 days was beyond me! There were 4 fellow Calgarians on this tour (I was beyond surprised!), some Aussies, a couple of Kiwi's and Americans of course.
26 of us went to dinner at a traditional Greek restaurant near the Acropolis. The food was pal mal (I'm testing your memory to see if you remember what that means!) and the 'entertainment' consisted of two Greek men and two severely drunken women performing some traditional Greek dances. Entertaining to see the least. The highlight of dinner was probably the bottle of wine for two which most people didn't finish so the other girls felt inclined to take for the walk back.
Feeling highly social, half of the dinner crew decided to hit up a rooftop bar. As exhausted as I was, I'm so glad I decided to go b/c those of us who did go to the bar ended up hanging out the remainder of the tour. Mike (I seriously can't believe how many of you there are out there!) - a fellow Calgarian, who also plays vball! T - an aspiring film student from South Africa; R - a med student from Australia; Barry - from New Zealand. I don't remember his occupation but he could definitely be a comedian b/c he was hilarious; A - gal from Conneticut who will eventually fall madly in love with R (who was 9 years younger than she) and be the cause of much angst in the group; S - a math teacher from Cali and her bf B who was also a math teacher. There were a few others but I don't feel they are really worth mentioning.. Harsh but such is life! The poolside / rooftop bar faced the Acropolis and the view was breathtaking. Even in the distance darkness, the details of the columns and the roof of the Parthenon were prominent. We hung out at the bar until last call when some decided to go dancing and most of us opted to go back to the hotel to catch some Z's. T then realized that she left her jersey (European for sweater) at the resto and we headed back to find it. Unfortunately no such luck and along the way we meet some random who swore to us his real name was Romeo, who offered us wine in exchange for some company. Um, no thanks Romeo. We also meet some supremely drunk and ignorant Greek men who approach T and tell her (b/c she's African) that she spent too much time in the sun. Are you for real?! They made me feel embarassed to be human!
Greek dancers at dinner
With the band at the restaurant
Hanging out our first night
With the one and only Romeo!
Day 1 - Athens
Wake up call was at 6:30 AM, perhaps not such a smart idea to wander the streets until 2. I was obviously trying to make the most out of my vacay b/c I averaged 3.5 hours of sleep everynight.. We head to the Acropolis at 8 AM to beat the heat. We meet up with our tour guide b/c apparently it would be illegal and punishable (I am sure that's not a word but I'm sure you're all used to my improvising) if my tour leader, Vanessa were to talk about the sites. Anal much? So at each site we get a different tour guide to tell us about the history. Tour Guide (TG for your future reference) #1 gives us the history of the Acropolis, the Parthenon and pretty much everything major in the vacinity of it. This was information overload! She had implemented a strict 'no taking pics while I speak' rule during the course of the tour. This task was going to prove challenging with my rebellious tendencies combined with my lack of sleep, I found it really difficult to concentrate and listen. Little did I know, this was probably the day I retained the most information and listened most intently. I felt a strong urge to take notes but didn't want to be that nerd in the group / lug around a notebook along with a 1L bottle of water, camera and purse so I decided against it. Rather, I rushed back onto the bus and tried to jot down as many key points as I could remember.. Closet nerd. Did you know?
- The Parthenon and all buildings at the Acropolis were made from marble that was found in a nearby area within Athens. During Persian rule, buildings were destroyed and the marble was used for other purposes.
- Current restoration projects are using the exact marble as the original monuments.
- There are two different kind of columns used to hold up the Parthenon - Ionic and Doric. The level of detail at the joining points determines what type of column it is.
- All original uncovered structures remain at the new Acropolis museum. The museum was constructed this year and only costs 1 Euro to enter. Entrance fees are expected to be raised in 2010.
This was followed by a four drive to our hotel which was packed full of tourists. The food here was amazing! It was buffet dinner; a combination of western food and traditional greek. I tried to steer away from anything I could get back home.
This decision proved worthwhile when I had the best spinach pie of life at Hotel Amalia. I will however say that I refuse to eat Greek salad again for the next 2 months b/c I had it every single day I was there! The group (meaning most of the tour) met up for drinks poolside again after dinner. T was absolutely convinced we needed to party b/c we got to 'sleep in' until 7 the next morning, it would be feasible. I, not wanting to waste a chance for a good blogging story (see how dedicated I am?) obliged and quickly gathered the others - 10 of us in total and headed out. Not knowing much about the city we based our clubbing decision on the knowledge of our cab driver. Not that there was much to choose from in Olympia.. There were only two bars afterall.
5 of us cram into the cab and the remainder had to wait for the 2nd round. It was highly cramped in the back so in an effort to inch forward I grabbed the driver's seat and try to pull myself forward. CRACK! To my horror, I broke the driver's chair. Hmm perhaps I should have eased up on the gelato?! We laugh about this the entire way and the cab driver hardly notices, probably b/c he was concentrating on how not to let his belly interferewith his ability to steer the wheel. It was 35 degrees out at 11 PM and rather than turning on the AC in his POS he decides to leave his shirt unbottoned to deal with the heat. Sexy. I could hardly contain myself lol. We took a pic with him and probably made his day ;) We get to the club and meet some study abroad students from North Carolina, NY and some other random states that I failed to remember. There were very few people at this club and we decide to hit the dancefloor. Eventually all the other students come to join us.Nothing too crazy happened (in comparison to the nights to come) but we did discover two new drinks - vodka with cherry juice and amaretto with sprite and orange juice.
Cherries are like the Greeks national fruit or something (not actually) b/c it came in everything - jello, juice, alcohol, fresh fruit.. It was delish. Cherry masked the vodka very well. We also discovered the concept of free pouring. Rather than measuring with a shot glass or having a spout that measures the shot attached to the bottle, the bartenders determine how much they want to pour for you. This was sweet. The girls got pretty good at distracting the bartender while he poured our drinks so that we would get more for our money. What?! It's an EDT! Save where you can! I was the last one out of my roommates to get in every night.. I felt guilty at first until I realized that they slept like the dead and that if W could take conference calls at 2 AM than I shouldn't have to worry.
Acropolis
View from the Acropolis
With R & Bells
Agammenon's tomb
The cool peeps of the tour
Day 2 - Olympia
This was my favorite day of the entire tour. We got to sleep in until 6:30 AM (wooohooo) and headed to the site of the very first Olympic games. We walked through a museum to see some statues that were uncovered etc etc. I think I have seen enough museums to last me a lifetime. Don't get me wrong, it's great to be able to see such archeological wonders but I just wonder how spectacular they are behind a glass barricade? They should be shown in its original context. Understandably of course, having them behind glass protects them but it just takes away from the whole experiece. The museum was followed by a detailed tour of the stadium. I was beyond ecstatic! We stood where the original flame was lit, where winners were crowned with the olive wreath, where athletes would walk through before they competed, where they held races and trained for the competitions and so much more. After hearing much history, (I should retract my previous comment of alertness b/c I was very attentive this day) we had races on the original track. The finish line was made from marble and stood about two centimeters off the ground. In flip flops and a dress, (good thing I put shorts on!), sadly I came in 2nd place for the women's event and also put 3 holes in my new white flip flops b/c the rocks were so sharp.
Mike seemed to think it was b/c I was running lightning fast. I like his reasoning much better! We got an hour and a half to walk around and take pictures and I don't think in my entire 24 years of existence posed for that many pictures before. The contagious effect of one person taking out their camera for a 'quick photo' turns into everyone taking out their camera for the exact same shot. An hour later, we barely made it half way through the stadium! This was the trend for the entire trip. The guys would eventually announce their annoyance! We took some awesome 'action' photos of us fighting in the boxing arena, even running behind roped areas to pretend we were knocking over columns. We surprisingly didn't get in trouble. They have marshalls at every site armed with whistles in case anyone touches / sits / disturbs the statues / monuments etc. I was in absolutely awe the entire time we were there. It really brought me back to my Jr. High dreams of running 100m in the Olympics.After Olympia, the remainder of the day seemed incredibly boring. We made a pit stop at Corinth Canal and some new bridge that was built which to be blunt were nothing special. Um hello? We just saw the Olympic stadium! Everything was overshadowed by the gloriousness that was the Olympic stadium!
We arrive at Delphi and some free time to wander the streets of this little town which is named Delphi b/c it is the center of Greece (or so we later learn). When I say little, I mean it's probably 1/2 the size of a community in Calgary if even. We went 'into town' to explore and literally walked down 3 flights of steep stairs and we were there. One town; one road; the end. Dinner at this hotel was sketchy. I said a little prayer before I ate anything, although food poisoning may have been good after all that gelato ;) Being a group of travellers on a budget, we were savvy, not wanting to pay 7.20 Euro per drink again, we picked up some preparty alchy in town during our earlier adventure. 
S had a room all to herself and kept bragging about this huge balcony she had so we threw a mini party in her hotel room. She was not kidding about this balcony. It was probably 1/4 the size of most people's houses in Delphi! We tried to replicate some of the drinks we had at the bar and I guess I took free pouring to a new level b/c I somehow managed to make vodka + cherry juice = robitussin. Yeah, I won't quit my day job. We managed to get all but 4 people from the tour group out that night to celebrate our last night together. 10 Euro paid for cover, a highball and a shot. Ouzo (pronounced ooo-zo) is a shot that Greece is famous for and tastes but like Sambuca.
I know. NASTY! But everyone agreed to try it once. When all 32 of us had our shots, we all got together and downed it. I wish I got pics of everyone's faces b/c it was an absolute cringe-fest; only a few seemed to enjoy the taste of burning lunges. Blech, I wanted to puke but I kept it together so there was no rendition of my 24th bday! The free pouring seemed to get to everyone b/c before I knew it everyone seemed to be disappearing with random Greek men and some old school dance moves were busted out. I, kept it under control and refrained from breaking out the robot. The random hookups made me laugh b/c there was this one girl, who when we did our intro's made this huge speech about how her and her bf were serious and buying a house together but she was the first one to disappear with a guy. EVERY NIGHT we went out. It got so bad that her friends eventually shunned her. Choose who you travel with wisely b/c they were the cause of much tension for EVERYONE. Drama mama's much? Time flew by b/c before I knew it, it was last call and somehow we made it up the ridiculously steep stairs, half cut but in one piece. Did you know?
- The first Olympics were held in 336 BC in June / July on the day of the full moon.
- Civil wars were put on hold in order to show that Greece was united as those at war we to settle their battles in the arenas
- Only men were allowed to compete in the Olympics games. Naked. To show off their sculpted bodies. No women were allowed to watch and those who were caught were executed.
- Women had their own games in the month following the men's. Participants were young virgins that wore next to nothing.
- The winner of the Olympics was given a statue engraved with the athlete's name, town, parent's name and the sport in which he participated. The winner was also given free food for the rest of his life.
- Cheaters were punished by having statues of Zeus (which they paid for) made engraved with the cheaters name, town and how they cheated. Spectators walked past these statues and spit on them each time the Olympics were held.
- A piece of the defending walls surrounding the town of the champion athlete would be removed as a symbol to the rest of the country that they need not protection of a structure as they had a man strong enough to protect them.
- Running was done in a field (which I ran on!!) where the finish line was made from marble and was track was rectangular in shape. Athletes would run back and forth rather than running around a track like today.
- Greecians believed in harmony between the body and the mind so aside from physical training, the Olympics required the athletes to attend classes
- Olympia was only occupied during the Olympic games; otherwise, the city was bare.
Champions of the race
Fighting in the wrestling arena
Lunching by the beach
Roomies
Katoi bar
Some of the Calgary crew
Party!
Day 3 - Delphi
Again another early wake up call to mark the last day of our tour. I really struggled to pay attention this day. I chose the hottest day of the tour to wear black. I was sweating buckets by 10 AM. I think I created a whole new defintion for 'hot.'
The tour consisted of hiking up a giant mountain that had wicked view but it was too hot for me to enjoy it. It was a memorable day though. Remember how I said Delphi was small? Well to give you a better understanding - we ran into every single guy that any of the girls met at the bar from the night before. EVERY SINGLE ONE. They were either working at the coffee shop, the restaurant we lunched at, the souvenir shop. They were everywhere! Not to mention we also run into the study abroad guys from Olympia. It was quite the day for most of the gals. FTL. Hehe
We split up for lunch - some wanted americanized food (who eats a cheeseburger in Greece?!), some wanted a traditional Greek lunch. Musaka is absolutely amazing and probably my fave Greek dish. It's like lasagna but rather than pasta, it is made from eggplant. After lunch, we drove back to Athens where most stayed one more night before they headed off on their cruises - some were going a 3 day and others 7 day. T, Bells, R, and Mike presented a very strong case as to why I should come on the cruise. They even had Vanessa call Contiki to confirm sufficient capacity as well as pricing. In the end though, responsibilities back home won. Lunch was followed by a 4 hour bus ride back into Athens. 25 of us ended up staying an additional night and planned one last dinner together in Syntagma square. The owner was awesome. He rearranged the entire restaurant to accomodate 25 of us, gave us 10% discount and a round of shots. A top notch guy! The food was great and it was a good way to say goodbye properly.
Some were not ready to say goodbye and ended up at the 7 day cruise peeps hotels (they separated the 3 and 7 day tours b/c they had different tour managers). They were situated in a super sketchy area and on the metro ride over there, I'm pretty sure we overheard a plot of some girls to steal S's purse but the one girl laughed and said it would be too easy. 3rd most frightening experience. Their hotel made up for the sketchiness though. It was gorgeous and also had a rooftop bar that faced the Acropolis. We stayed until we got kicked out and said our remaining goodbyes. It was the perfect way to end off the tour.Did you know?
- Delphi was named as the center of Greece after Zeus sent two angels (I think) to fly across the country and their meeting point would then be named the center.
- Greecians travelled from afar to Delphi to have their fortunes told by the selected oracle who was said to be the voice of Zeus.
- This oracle was selected by the Priets of Delphi and would have to be a 50 year old virgin woman.
1/4 the way to the top
Delphi
Last dinner together before the cruises
Some of the guys on our last night
Saying goodbye
Day 4 - Athens again
My flight wasn't until 1:40 PM so I woke up early to check out the new Acropolis musuem. It was pretty cool but again, nothing too exciting. I was sitting at the comp after breakfast checking my flight details when I realize to my horror, I left my bb in Bell's bag from the previous night. I would forget my head if it weren't attached to my body!! I panicked and had no idea what to do b/c their coach had already left.. Should I call Big D and try to get him to use his magical powers to retrieve it?? I eventually pulled it together and realized it was time for a hardware upgrade anyway..
Fast forward to yesterday and I get a text on Momma's phone from mine. Mike got my phone from Bells and will be bringing it back next week. I don't know how but that bb just keeps coming back to me!
London
I am greeted in London with more rain. As beautiful a city London is, the rain is a real pain, especially after all the sun in Spain and Greece. As I walk out of the arrival terminals, I see a sign with my name on it! Woooot!
I'm important! We head back to T&P's flat and I unload all my Greek goodies and have a slight show and tell session. It was a quiet evening and I was supremely grateful for the change of pace. T made a delicious (see I used the whole word and not delish!) veggie curry for dinner. This delectable meal was followed by my prepacking stress. Admist all the shopping sprees, I failed to remember I had ONE suitcase. I look into my room and realize, I had clothes and souvenirs spilling out every corner of my original suitcase, the one I borrowed for Spain as well as my backpack. Packing was going to be a pain! I decided that was a problem for another day and fell asleep from the exhaustion of previous days.
The next day was filled with an exploration of London - well mainly the shopping district - Oxford and Bond street. The main goal of the day was to tackle Primark. Primark is like a Forever 21 but trendier and cheaper! So after an adventure on the Tube (that's what they call their metro system) and getting a little lost we find ourselves on Oxford street. This street makes Causeway Bay in HK look tame. I have never seen so many people in my life! And every other person was carrying a Primark bag! I'm not going to bore you with (anymore!) shopping details but Primark was everything I imagined it would be and so much more. I wasn't sure I would make it out of the store alive. Women were out to kill each other for the latest deal and this made Boxing Day shoppers look civilized! After another 4 hour spree we headed back on the clipper ferry to Canary Wharf. T&P planned it very well so that I would see Big Ben, the London Eye, the London Bridge and all major attractions on this ferry ride. It was also the only hot and sunny day that I experienced in London. I was all smiles! 
Above all, I think I enjoyed being by a body of water at all times during my trip. Dinner along canals, oceans, beaches; ferry rides instead of buses.. I don't think I went more than 3 days without being by the ocean. It's going to be a deciding factor for me when I relocate! We had dinner along the wharf to celebrate the end of my travels (I use the word celebrate but really I was crying inside). I got to watch the sunset along the water as I drank my red wine and had my steak. I couldn't have asked for a better conclusion to a great 5.5 weeks of travels. The remainder of the night was filled with lots of folding, zipping, unzipping and cursing on my part as I tried to balance the weight between my original and borrowed suitcases. 
The next day we had a traditional English brunch which consisted of pork roast and steamed vegetables at Grapes. Grapes is a local pub established in 1583 where Charles Dickins was a frequent patron and rented an apartment upstairs and wrote two of his books. A historical site to say the least! Then it was home time! A 9 hour flight back to Calgary where I didn't sleep a wink b/c I was reliving the last 5.5 weeks of my life. I am to this day still in shock of everything I saw and experienced. It was a great way to celebrate the end of my University life and entrance into adulthood - curse you responsibilities. And of course my 24th year!
The view from my room
More of my view
Pointing out where we are and where we're supposed to be..
Oxford Street
Before Primark
After Primark - note the messy hair!
My preferred mode of transportation - Clipper boats
Big Ben
Eye of London
Sunset on Canary Wharf
Brunching with T&P
I highly recommend doing some travelling - on your own or with a couple of friends (I am obviously biased and think travelling independently is a good way to get to know yourself) before any of us have to be bound down by mortgages and car payments. I learned so much about the world, life and myself in 5 short weeks. It's so easy to be at home and fall into cyclical routine. People have been asking if I'm sad to be home, the answer is NO. As much as I miss seeing new sights and meeting new people, Calgary will always be home. Something that was reconfirmed on this trip is that life is too short to be spent dwelling on the unhappiness side of things. There are two sides to every story and rather than thinking about how sad is to be back to the daily grind, I choose to look at it as now I get to start planning my next adventure :)
Thanks so much for keeping up with the blog! I'm very fortunate to have been able to have this experience and be able to share it with such a wonderfully dedicated audience.
With love,
J
