TravelStream™ news feed for member leighanne on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/leighanne en-us Copyright ©2010 TravelPod.com Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:36:26 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/leighanne/1/1215465360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/leighanne/1/1215465360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/leighanne/1/1215465360/tpod.html Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:36:26 -0400 Once in a Lifetime...

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Falls Village, Connecticut, United States

Hi Everyone!
Sorry it has taken me so long to make another entry! But it has been crazy the last few days! Needless to say Kristina and I both made it home safely. And my time spent in Germany was wonderful! It was so nice to meet and see my family members. I got to sleep in the house that my Oma was born in, I got to see my great-great grandfather's grave and I got to share in a lot of wonderful memories! Having Lindsay there was equally as wonderful! It was really nice to share all of that with her!!

And I got to see two friends from high school (that I haven't seen in two years) in Frankfurt! It was a wonderful trip and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I'm sorry this entry is significantly shorter than the rest...but just know that I'll be back in Europe before you know it!!!

Love,
Leighanne
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Athens, Attica, Greece

Hi Everyone!
I'm very sad to say that this will be my last entry while in Greece because I leave on Sunday for Germany. But since the last time I wrote, everything has been wonderful!

Roxanne arrived on June 3rd and after she got off the plane we relaxed for a little while before going to see "Turandot," an opera at the Odeon Herodes Atticus, the ancient amphitheater at the base of the Acropolis. It was amazing. The costumes were exquisite, the orchestra was wonderful, and the acoustics were absolutely incredible. I'm so glad we decided to go.

On Wednesday in between my classes I took Roxy to the National Gardens for lunch. It was wonderful! And then we walked past Syntagma Square to see the guards. That night I took Roxy to meet Thalia and Yianni, some of my Greek friends.

Thursday, Kristina, Jessica, and I took Roxanne down to Plaka to do some shopping. While we were there a store owner invited us into his store. He started kissing us on the cheeks and pinching our cheeks. It was very awkward. It goes to show the difference in ideas about personal space between Greeks and Americans! Thursday night we went to see Sex and the City at the Village Cinema Theater in Pangrati. And when we got back Olivia (Kristina's friend from Cambridge England) had arrived! It was so good to see her.

Friday morning, Olivia, Roxanne, Kristina, and I left the apartment and took a ferry to Andros, where we spent three marvelous days sleeping in and relaxing on the beach. The weather couldn't have been more perfect.

On Monday when we got back to Athens, and after Greek class, we took Roxanne and Olivia to see the Temple of Zeus and the First Modern Olympic Stadium. The Temple of Zeus was very cool. Of the original 104 columns, 16 remain and they are absolutely massive and beautiful! That afternoon it started to thunderstorm so we decided to watch movies.

On Tuesday we went to Kalamaki, the beach that we always go to. On the ride there as well as at the beach we were studying for our Greek finals and some Greek people just came over and started helping us. It was really funny.

On Wednesday I took the first part of the Greek final and got a 98%! Then in between classes Roxy and I went to get coffee in Plaka. And then after photojournalism, we went to the Olympic Complex and walked the whole way around, it was the first time I got to see the swimming pools. Then we went to Hooter's for our friend Alex's birthday. The waitresses made him stand up on a chair and dance and sing. It was a lot of fun!

The next day, Roxy and I took on the role of tourists. We went up to the Acropolis, had lunch on the mountain right at the top of the Ancient Agora, and went through the Ancient Agora and the Roman Agora. And then just walked around Plaka again, where I bought a pair of BRIGHT pink pants! I can't wait to show everyone! That night we hung out with Thalia again so Roxanne could say goodbye.
On Friday, Roxy had to leave. It was really upsetting but we got to eat lunch with Chrissy at the creperie before going to the airport! And plus there was only a week left before I got to go to Germany, so it was okay! Friday night Mixos stopped by for dinner. I'm really going to miss him and all of the other Greek friends I've made!

Saturday, I stayed home and relaxed! It was wonderful! And then Sunday Kristina, Chrissy and I went to the Temple of Poseidon in Sounio. The Temple, which is still very much in tact, sits on top of a cliff. So at the base of the cliff, are several areas to go swimming. So we spent the afternoon swimming and playing volleyball on the beach with our new friend Carolina. We met her on the bus ride there. And afterwards, she came over for dinner! It was a lovely day.

Monday was a lot of studying and getting work done until the night when our entire apartment and some girls from the other apartment went to see the Tokyo Ballet, at the ancient amphitheater! And although the opera was my favorite, I absolutely loved the ballet! It was so much fun! The dancers were so talented, and so in shape that some of the moves they could do were unthinkable!

Tuesday we went to the beach, but it was incredibly hot and I was not getting any studying done so I came home a little bit early before my Statistics final. The final went really well, although I don't know my grade yet. And then 5 of my roommates and I went to Gusel (a beach club) with Yianni, Thalia, Thymios, and Theo. It was hip-hop / R&B night so we had a blast!

Wednesday we had our photojournalism presentation. I'm really glad that class is over, but I think he liked it so overall it went well! Then Kristina and I went to Starbucks for coffee and to reminisce about our trip because it was the four month anniversary of our trip. It was so much fun...we had a lot of good laughs! I'm really glad her and I got to do this together. Then we had our last full apartment dinner. And then Kristina and I went over to Thalia's house for a visit.

Yesterday we had our orientation final, which was a complete joke because the professor basically told us the answers. But it was okay because we learned all of the information 3 months ago. And then we had our BCA goodbye dinner. It was hard saying goodbye to Aphrodite (our program director) after everything she's done for us. But the food definitely made up for the sadness! I'm really going to miss eating Greek food. And the whole BCA group was there so it was really nice to be together one last time!

Today I started packing. I have no idea how it is all going to fit. But somehow I'll work it out! The next few days are a lot of saying goodbyes and cleaning. It should be good, but I'm definitely sad that it's all coming to an end! It was an amazing time and I'll never forget any of it!!!

And Sunday I will be in GERMANY! I'm not sure if I'll be able to write another entry before I get home, but expect my last one shortly after July 4th (the day I get back into the States!!)

Love you all,
Leighanne : )
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Santorini, Cyclades, Greece

Hi Everyone!
It seems like so long since I had last written, so I wanted to update you on how my time has been. Surprisingly, I only have THREE WEEKS left! The time here flew by!!!

I'm going to jump back to May 19th, a Monday. This was the day that a professor from City University (my school) took a group of us on a fieldtrip to the National Archaeological Museum. Even though I had already gone, I decided to go again because she was going to be giving a tour focusing on the three different art periods: Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic. It was very interesting.

Tuesday, May 20th, Aphrodite (our program director) took the girls in my apartment out to lunch with her and her husband at the officer's club, which is similar to a country club, but exclusive to present and former officer's in Greece's military. The building was beautiful and we had a lot of fun! We got to walk around after we finished eating. The building used to be a mansion and there was even a ballroom upstairs! After lunch we went to explore Pangrati, an area in Athens with some cute cafes and a movie theater.

On Wednesday we ordered take out from a Greek restaurant down the road. The food was delicious. And after dinner we went to see the London International Tour of Mamma Mia! It was fantastic! I had already seen it before, but it was nice to see it in Greece since it actually takes place on a Greek island. We were all up and dancing for the final three encore songs!

On Thursday we went to the Cycladic Museum which is also housed in an old mansion. Although interesting, a portion of the museum was closed for renovations, which was disappointing! Thursday night we had a school party which kept us out all night before getting on a ferry bright and early Friday morning!

Friday we left for Mykonos! It was apparently the Greek University's Spring Break and so our ferry was filled with Greek students. It was insane! When we got to Mykonos I was amazed, the port and surrounding area was absolutely beautiful. We found a hotel in Paradise, a beach town outside of Hora (the main town). It was perfect. When we arrived we immediately put on our bathing suits and headed down to the beach - we spent four hours lying in the sun that afternoon! It was perfect! When we got back to our hotel, we met some of the other people staying there. One guy, Nick, from Brisbane, Australia convinced us to rent a 4-wheeler on Saturday. So on Saturday we had breakfast in the morning, went to the beach for an hour or two, and then drove around the island, exploring. We started our tour stopping in a small town - Ano Mera. Then when I took a wrong turn we ended up in Fokos, but it was perfect because it was a gorgeous, small, secluded beach. There was a cove and I even ended up swimming so I could explore it. Then we continued on to two more beach towns - Kalafati and Kalo Livadi, where we had lunch. After lunch, we went to meet up with Mixos (a friend from City University). He was there because it was his Spring Break. He was at a beach called Paraga, where they had a DJ and hundreds of college students dancing and just having a good time! It was so much fun! Afterwards we decided to head to Hora to sit by the windmills and watch the sunset. It was beautiful. Absolutely perfect. Saturday night we went out with Mixos and all of his friends. It was a fantastic time, but of course, because we're in Greece we didn't go out until about midnight and then headed home at about seven the next morning. I'm finally getting used to this timetable and I'm about to head home where it is going to be completely different! On Sunday I was really sad to head back to Athens. I wish we could have spent one more day. We spent the day exploring Hora. We wandered through some side streets, in and out of different shops and then sat down for a coffee while we waited for our ferry departure. It was an amazing weekend!

Then, last Monday (May 26th), Memorial Day, we went to see Indiana Jones at the movie theater in Pangrati. Although not my favorite movie, it was quite entertaining!

On Tuesday, Kristina and I went to the Central Market on Athina Street. It was a giant open air market, with a lot of different vendors! It was fun to see, minus the meat hanging. EWW!

Wednesday we went out to celebrate my roommate Jessica's 21st Birthday! Our friend Thalia joined us and took us to a lovely café called Soul. Then we met up with some of her friends and had a really nice night!!!

Thursday was pretty low key because of the heat. However, we did go to Starbucks and as I was ordering the power went out. Typical of Athens, really. Luckily it did go back on so I got my Frappuccino.

Finally...this weekend. Friday morning we got up early to get on a ferry to Santorini! (I love the islands!!) Everyone from the BCA group came with us so it was a lot of fun! When we arrived in Santorini's port, everyone was amazed by the beauty of the island. All of the towns sit on top of a mountain, so we had to drive up a cliff from the port to our hotel which was near Perissa Beach. When we arrived we all sat by the pool for a few hours. Then Kristina and I went for a walk down to the beach. All of the sand is black from the volcano. We decided to rent ATV's again because it makes seeing the island much easier and much cheaper. So after we did that we drove into the main town, Fira. We went into some really cute shops, taste-tested Santorini's famous sweet wine and then stopped at a coffee shop to enjoy the night and our surroundings. After coffee we drove to the beach so we could stargaze. It was incredible. The sky seemed to go on forever. On Saturday we drove up past Akrotiri (what is believed by many to be the lost continent of Atlantis), and then up to the red sand beach. It gets its name from the millions of small, red, volcanic pebbles. After sitting on the beach for a little while, we made a detour to the lighthouse at the very end of the island. Then we continued our journey back into Fira for lunch, some shopping, and some donkey riding. Yes...I rode a donkey! We walked down to a small port in Fira and then rode back up about 580 steps on donkey! The two donkeys were tied to one another and they knew the path but it was nerve-wracking when they would stop every once in a while and not move. They were just resting, but you never really knew if they were going to start again. After that, Kristina and I met up with our roommate and drove to Oia. We went down to a bay area called Ammoudi, where the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was filmed. We had dinner at a seafood restaurant, where three of the four actresses from the movie had eaten when they were there. I had mussels saganaki. It was delicious! Then we watched the sunset and the reflection on the water was absolutely beautiful. After that we walked around the town and went into the shops where we dreamed of being able to afford anything! Sunday was equally as busy. We did an excursion to the active volcano (where you could see smoke coming out of the crater), the hot springs, and Thirassia, a smaller island on a sailboat. It was very cool because we also found out how Santorini (as we see it today) was formed. It is kind of set up like a circle where the islands surround a crater (the caldera). The crater, which is underwater, has two islands in the middle. One is the active volcano and the other is an inactive volcano. The caldera formed when the volcano blew out the island's center between 1600 and 1500 BC. It was very cool! After our excursion we got right on the ferry to head back to Athens. And now I'm just spending my time getting ready for Roxanne (my best friend) to come tomorrow!!! I'm very excited!

Hope all is well with everyone!
Love,
Leighanne!!!
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Aegina, Saronic Gulf Islands, Greece

Hi Everyone!
Hope you are all doing well. Today is the 3 month "anniversary" of the day Kristina and I left the United States. It feels like it has flown by. And I am still enjoying every minute!

On May 5th we started classes again after our spring break. It certainly wasn't easy getting back into a routine after being gone for two weeks, but I managed. On the 7th we went to a restaurant on top of Likavitos Hill - the mountain right near our apartments where you can see all of Athens. The meal was quite expensive but the restaurant was beautiful and the view of the city and the Acropolis at night was amazing. We went to celebrate my roommate Lindsey's 21st birthday and my birthday, since all of the roommates were all over Europe then. It was a lot of fun.

On that Friday we had some friends over to the house for a Euro Trash Party. A lot of the girls over here have big hair and wear a LOT of make-up and the guys where tight pants and such, so we decided to mimic them. We had some of our Greek friends over as well. We all got dressed up, played games, and listened to music. I can't wait to show you pictures of the outfits and the hairstyles! It was very funny...and getting ready was definitely the best part. But I have no idea how these girls do it every day because it took us about two hours just to get ready!!!

On Saturday Kristina and I woke up relatively early to go to the Benaki Museum where we saw very, very old religious icons (my favorites were done in mosaics), traditional clothing from many different parts of Greece, vases, jewelry, tools, statues, and paintings. It was very interesting. And the building that the museum was housed in was absolutely beautiful. Then Saturday night we went to see a concert at the Megaron - The Athens Concert Hall. We saw the Ensemble Wien - Soloists from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. They played Mozart, Schubert, and Brahms. It was lovely and they were incredibly, incredibly talented. I love being able to take advantage of so much culture in such a unique city!

Then Sunday morning we participated in the marathon in the center of Athens! Some of us ran and others (like me) walked 8 km through the city! We got to go past the old Olympic Stadium, the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian's Arch, as well as the Parthenon. And there were thousands and thousands of Greeks there. I really felt like a part of the city, as opposed to feeling like a tourist. It was so much fun!!!

Sunday night we went over to the apartment of one of our Greek friends. His name is Thymios. Kristina and I hung out with him, his sister, our friend Thalia, and our friend Yanni until 4 o'clock in the morning. We were joking about differences in our languages, cultures and many other things. It was so much, especially when we tried practicing our Greek.

This week has also been really busy. On Monday we had our second Greek quiz...which I got an A on!!! It's getting a lot more difficult and I definitely have to take some time to study and practice!

On Tuesday I finally got to go with the other girls in my apartment to a beach in Athens. We took the Tram to a beach called Kalamaki. There were rocks instead of sand but it was still very nice. We got to lie in the sun all day! (I'm getting a little tan...but nothing too exciting!) I even went in the water. I jumped right in...it took my breath away. I won't be doing that again for a while! I also studied for my statistics exam on the beach. It's really nice to be able to do homework on the beach and not in a dorm room, or in the apartment! The statistics exam that night went well. Some of the questions were worded strangely because English is not our professor's first language, but I know I did well. Unfortunately a lot of the Greek students really don't take school seriously. Many of them cheated and spent most of the exam period complaining about the exam. It's very unfortunate and I'm really glad that isn't the way it is in the states, because I take my education very seriously. And that would really bother me if I had to deal with it all the time!

On Wednesday after classes we cooked dinner for Aphrodite (our program director) and her husband. They came over to the apartment and we made barbequed chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, and brownies. It was the best American meal that we could come up with in Greece! We all sat around the table talking for hours about differences and similarities between Greece and the states. It's very interesting and kind of scary how many problems each country is having and where we'll all be a few years from now. Aphrodite, however, really appreciated the gesture. She even got all 8 of us charms for a necklace. The charm is of a Mati Eye. It is supposed to ward off the evil eye and is used as a sort of protection. It was very sweet of her. I'm going to miss her when we leave!!!

On Thursday we were supposed to go take pictures of some protests for our photojournalism project because we're kind of going back and forth between two ideas right now, but unfortunately we couldn't find either of the places that our professor told us about. It was really frustrating and kind of felt like a wild goose chase. So I think we're going back to our original idea about the people you take for granted from day to day. Then at night a whole group of us went to an Irish Pub (James Joyce) for dinner. Kristina and I split fish and chips. It was great! I really miss Ireland now! Hehe!

On Friday we spent the day at Kalamaki again. I love being able to finish class and then go spend the rest of the day at the beach. I'm going to miss that next semester! And then at night the apartment watched "27 Dresses." It is a wonderful movie!

And yesterday Kristina, Chrissy and I went to Aegina. It is an island that is only about an hour away from Athens on the ferry. It was a lot of fun. We sat out on the beach all day and then went out for a late lunch filled with seafood before heading back to Athens. Not many people can say they just up and went to a Greek island for the day! And then last night a group of us went to this place called "The Ice Grill" for ice cream after dinner. And then Kristina and I went out with some friends we made in town...and just talked and got to know them a little better. It was a lot of fun. I'm really glad I'm spending so much time with Greek people, because before coming here that was one of the biggest complaints I heard about this program. People complained that they didn't spend enough time with Greek people...so it's been really nice to be able to do that!
And finally...today! Lindsey, Alex and I went to church this morning. We got there early, so we went to get a coffee. And on our way to get the coffee we saw this 3-on-3 soccer tournament set up for little kids, right in the middle of a normally busy street. So we stopped to watch and take some pictures. And then of course...with my luck...one of the balls came flying out of nowhere and hit me right on the side of the head. I was fine, but all these people started rushing up towards me...and Alex led me to sit down...and it was this big production. After sitting for a little while with ice on my head, we went to get our coffee and then go to church. After church, Kristina and I went out for lunch and coffee with her cousins that I met in Andros. It was a lot of fun, they are very sweet people. And earlier tonight, Kristina and I went to another concert at the Megaron. This one was part of their brass festival and featured two soloists. One was a soprano and the other was a clarinet player. The clarinet player was phenomenal. He was only 16 years old and had an incredible amount of talent. The orchestra that accompanied him was also quite fantastic. I was so impressed and very glad we went!

Tomorrow starts the beginning of our last five weeks in Athens. We have a lot planned so it should be a great five weeks. I can't wait to tell you all about it! Hope you're enjoying reading these!

Love and miss you all,
Leighanne
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Chania, Crete, Greece

Hi Everyone!

Kristina and I just got back from Crete, bright and early this morning. It was amazing! We got to Chania at about 8 o'clock in the morning with an idea of where we wanted to stay but no reservations. So we went to a travel agent and asked about this one hotel. We ended up staying there because it wasn't very expensive and it was absolutely gorgeous. The view from our balcony window of the crystal clear water was incredible! After settling in and unpacking we wandered down to the beach, where we took a long walk. After our walk we took the bus back into the actual town of Chania. It was such a lovely town, with a quaint little harbor! We decided to do a walking tour through the old town. My favorite part was the 19th century lighthouse. Halfway through the tour we decided to stop and go for a coffee. It was so nice to sit right on the harbor and enjoy the scenery.

On our second day we spent the morning on the beach, relaxing and reading. I even went into the water (up to my knees)! Then in the afternoon we finished our walking tour. The side streets that it led us down were adorable and we found a great garden taverna for dinner with live music!

On Thursday we spent the entire day on the beach. I couldn't have asked for better weather either! It was perfect - not a cloud in the sky!

On Friday we took a bus to a smaller Venetian harbor town, Rethymnon. We did a walk through the "old town" here as well. My favorite part was the Venetian Fortezza, built from 1573 to 1580. It was incredible. The perimeter of this structure was 1,819 feet and the views from inside of the sea were beautiful! It was amazing to me how the remains of the Venetian era have survived in this modern city. We then headed down to the waterfront for lunch where the waiters would do ANYTHING to get you to eat at their restaurant. It was very annoying. Then that night we chose a taverna for dinner with Greek Dancing. It was a lot of fun.

On Saturday we spent the morning on the beach. It was a little bit windier, but still sunny and warm. In the afternoon we headed down to the harbor to sit at a café and wait until it was time to catch our ferry back to Athens.

Crete was incredible. I would definitely recommend it to anyone traveling to Greece. It is nice to be home though and to have enough time to get ready for classes tomorrow! Only 7 weeks left in Greece! I can't believe it!!!

Love and miss you all,
Leighanne
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Andros, Greece

Kalo Pasca! Happy Easter!

Sorry it's been so long since my last entry, but it has been a busy two weeks! On Monday the 14th we got our Greek quizzes back. I got an A! It's such a difficult language but I'm beginning to get the hang of it!

On Wednesday we were supposed to go to an AEK soccer game, but Greece being the way it is, never updated the American version of their website to say that the game had been switched to Sunday. So we bought tickets thinking the game was on Wednesday and when we got down there to find almost nobody there we were really confused. Unfortunately most of our group wouldn't be in Athens on Sunday so they had to return their tickets. Kristina and I decided to keep ours and go to the game with our friend Mixos, from school. But more on that later!

On Thursday Kristina and I ventured to the National Archaeological Museum and since the Metro was on strike (again) we had to walk there. It took us over an hour to get there!! But it was worth it. The artifacts inside that museum are priceless and amazing! The statues of the Olympic gods and goddesses were so detailed, it was incredible!

On Friday, after everyone had left for their spring break trips, Kristina and I went to the Greek Folk Art Museum. It was one of the coolest museums I've been to since I left. It had so many different traditional costumes, from all the different areas of Greece. It also had beautiful embroidery and jewelry. It was a lot of fun to see the craftsmanship.

On Saturday Kristina and I went to the Mall! It was a lot of fun and so Americanized. They had a Ruby Tuesday's and an Auntie Anne's, as well as a KFC. After the mall our friend Mixos and his friends invited us out for coffee. The place we went was right on the beach and set up like a house. It was awesome! Kristina and I decided we want to bring the idea back to the states. There was a living room with couches and coffee tables, a library filled with books and lounge chairs, a bedroom with beds that were used for seating, a dining room with kitchen tables and chairs, a game room with beanbag seating, and outside there was all backyard type furniture. It was honestly the coolest coffee house I've ever been to!!! And we spent three hours there. Kristina and I are really getting used to being able to drop everything, go out with friends, enjoy the company, and just relax. Those of you who know me know this isn't easy for me! Then at night, Mixos took us out to a club on the beach. There were over 3,500 people in this club. It was insane. You could barely move, but we had a lot of fun. His friends know the owners so we got to go in as soon as we got there. We got to cut in front of over 200 people and didn't have to pay a cover charge. And when we got inside we had a table with couches. I've realized that going out in the country is more about enjoying the company you're with than anything else and I absolutely love it!

Then on Sunday...we went to the soccer game! It was SO much fun! AEK (the Athens team) was playing Tripoly. Mixos took us so he was able to explain everything to us, because they were chanting in Greek and we had no idea what they were saying. You would have thought they were playing Olympiacos (their rival team) because they spent the whole game 'booing' them instead of Tripoly The stadium was only half filled but the fans were crazy! They were cheering and swearing. They were throwing sparklers on the field and had noisemakers that exploded. In America they would have been arrested. AEK ended up winning and with five seconds left on the clock about 1,000 fans stormed the field, tore down the nets, and chased after the players. I've never experienced something so crazy. I can only imagine if it had been a bigger game! But I'm really glad Kristina and I decided to go it was a lot of fun!

On Monday Kristina and I had a "metro day," where we bought a day pass for the Metro and rode it all over. We started by going down to Pireaus, the bigger port in Athens, so that we could get an idea what we would have to do when we leave for Crete. The port is really big and they don't seem to have it very well organized. Or if they do, they fooled me! Then we went down to Thisio so we could see the Keramikos ruins and cemetery. This was an area occupied by potters so many years ago. And now you can see what used to be the largest cemetery known in Attica. Then we went to have lunch on St. Paul's mountain which is in the Ancient Agora on the way up to the Acropolis. You can see the whole city in front of you and then gaze up at the Acropolis. It was incredible! On our way up we met three American students who were visiting and we were able to give them some pointers on Athens. It's nice not being the tourist anymore! Afterwards we went down to Plaka and the flea market in Monasitraki and did a little shopping. Then we went to see the National Theater which is under construction right now, but you could tell that it was beautiful when it was in its prime. Then we went to see the University of Athens, Athens Academy, and the National Library of Greece. The library was by far my favorite of the three. Its collections include over 700,000 titles! Greek publishers are required to send 2 copies of all of their publications to the library for incorporation into the collection. Then we went to Syntagma (Constitution Square) to watch the Changing of the Guards and take pictures with the guards. We tried to get them to smile at us, but it didn't work. It's almost as if they are in a trance! Then we did a little more shopping to end the day!!!

On Tuesday, I turned 20! Not a teenager anymore! Kristina and I decided to take it easy and I wanted to relax on my birthday so we watched Hairspray and played Backgammon. Then we spent the afternoon in the National Garden of Athens. It was beautiful and you could probably get lost inside. It was definitely a night change of pace from the city, but still right in the city center! For dinner we went to the bistro down the road and then out for a little while with some other friends, Thalia and Thymios. We had a lot of fun! It was a great birthday!

Then Wednesday we left for Batsi with Kristina's cousin, Jason, for Easter! On Thursday we did a lot of relaxing it was really nice. Then Friday we went to Chora, the "capital" of Andros. It was a typical Greek island town with white houses and blue shutters. It was lovely! Then Friday night we went to Good Friday service. It was 4 hours long! I couldn't believe it! When we first got there, Tina forgot to remind me that sitting with your legs crossed in a church isn't appropriate so the Priest came over and slapped my knee. It was mortifying, but hysterical if you think about it. I moved on. And toward the middle of the service we did a procession through the town symbolizing Jesus' journey to the four corners of the Earth. It was lovely!

Saturday was the halfway point of mine and Kristina's trip! 69 days finished, 69 days to go! We went to a café to celebrate! We spent 4 ½ hours eating lunch, talking, and playing backgammon. We're getting really good at this being Greek thing! Then Saturday night around 11 pm we went to Church. When we got there the Church was nearly empty but by 11:40 you could not move an inch. Everyone wanted to get their candles lit. The flame, representing the resurrection of Jesus, was flown in from Jerusalem via Olympic Airlines and then by helicopter. The Orthodox Archbishop lights the candle and it is said to be a miracle. It was very cool! After all the candles were lit, at midnight, the ENTIRE town of Batsi gathered outside the Church. The bells started ringing, fireworks were going off from a nearby naval ship, people were singing, confetti was being thrown, and the priest was standing there giving his little speech, not recognizing any of what was going on around him. It was a celebration! After church we went out to eat with more of Kristina's cousins. We played the 'crack the egg' game. I have no idea what it's really called, but you try and break the other person's egg on both sides. I lost!

Then on Sunday...we ate some more. Easter is just one big celebration. I'm so glad we stayed in Greece for it. And Batsi was absolutely the perfect place to be! (Even though the weather wasn't that wonderful)!

And today, we're getting ready to leave for Crete!! We leave at nine o'clock tonight! It should be a lot of fun! Sorry this was so long! But I didn't want to leave anything out! It's been such a good two weeks! I'll write again when we return from Crete!

Love,
Leighanne
MISS YOU ALL!!!


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Andros, Greece

Hi Everyone!

I know it's been a while since I wrote, so
I have a lot to say. I hope this isn't too long!



Last Tuesday Kristina and I walked around
the city because it was such a beautiful day. We walked to this shop called
Poseidon's Workshop. The man at the shop is a sculptor and so everything is
handmade. The replicas were incredible. I bought myself a small bronze owl -
the symbol of Athens.
We also walked a different way home so that we could walk past the Temple of Zeus and the first, modern day Olympic
Stadium. Both were very cool, but at the stadium all I could think about was
how uncomfortable the marble seats must have been! Statistics Tuesday night was
even worse than the week before. Everybody in the class was complaining about
the syllabus because we had two homework assignments. If they only knew the
amount of work we had outside of class in the states!!



Then, on Wednesday Kristina and I went out
to lunch with a friend we made at City
University. It was really
nice getting to have a conversation with him about the Greek Culture (and how
they never work). After lunch, we went back to school for photojournalism. Our
professor is one of the most interesting guys I've ever met. He was showing us
his new set of portraits that he's photographed and there are presidents of
numerous different countries, Andrew Lloyd Webber, etc. It was incredible. And
the way he did the portraits, always having something stand in between him and
the subject, was fascinating. He seems to be very critical, like I may have mentioned,
but I think it's only because he wants you to think of everything in a new
light, from a different angle.



Thursday was pretty low key which was nice,
considering the weekend was to be very busy. On Friday we went on a fieldtrip
with Aphrodite to Mycenae.
We started the day out at the Corinth
Canal again so that we
could actually walk across it this time. Then we traveled to the Theater of
Epidarius, a beautiful amphitheater, where you can hear a piece of paper being
ripped on stage while standing the very back row. Kristina sang "A Whole New World;" a
performance that silenced everyone visiting the theater. After that we went on
a train ride through the first capital of Greece. I was shocked to see how
incredibly different it is from Athens.
We ended the trip in Mycenae,
where we visited the Acropolis of the town. It served as a palace and as a
military look out point. We walked down to the cistern (basically a cave) in
the pitch black. That was a very humorous adventure.



Then this weekend, we went to the BEACH! It
was so much fun! Saturday morning we woke up at five to catch an early ferry to
Andros, the island where Kristina has a house,
in a very small town named Batsi. The sun was shining when we arrived. People
went swimming and climbed on the rocks (but it was too cold for me!) We played
paddle ball and read on the beach. I got a little sunburnt, but it was worth
it. Then we went out to these sloping rocks to watch the sunset before dinner.
It kind of reminded me of the falls at home with the water splashing up and the
little pools of water all around. It was beautiful - a moment to get lost in!
Then Sunday morning I got to wake up to the Church bells up on the hill. I
really couldn't have asked for much more. We spent most of Sunday on the beach,
although the weather was certainly not as nice. And then we headed back to Athens on the ferry.



Today we had our first Greek quiz.
Surprisingly, I think I did very well! Maybe I will get the hang of this
language after all!



Miss you all!

Love,

Leighanne
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Athens, Greece

Hi Everyone!
I feel like it's been so long since I've written. Our fieldtrip last weekend to the Pelloponese was so much fun! We started out on Friday by visiting the Corinth Canal. It was absolutely pouring, so our director didn't want to walk across the bridge. But of course, we wanted to anyways. So a group of us went out only to get SOAKED by the cars passing by. Luckily I wasn't that far out and so I didn't get that wet, but some people were drenched!!! After that we visited Ancient Corinth where Apostle John first preached about Christianity. It was very cool to see the exact spot he once stood.
Then we got back on the bus and traveled to Monemvasia. Monemvasia, which means single entry, is a walled city built on a mountainside. It was protected because enemies could not invade from the west side of the island and so they only needed to protect one side. Of course when we arrived it was still raining and so our trip up was postponed. We still went out to dinner in town though. While we were eating, the waves outside were crashing up against the shore and were almost higher than the lamp-posts! After dinner we went out to celebrate my friend Chrissy's 20th birthday!
The next morning we took a van across the bridge to the island. And then we entered in to the walled city. It was very cool because the entire city has either been restored or is in the process of being restored and people are actually living inside the walls today. And then if you climb up the mountain, at the top you can explore the ruins of the Churches and the fortress. And then you can look down the cliff, which is a straight drop on the other side. The set up is very cool and very clever as to keeping enemies away.
After Monemvasia, we got back on the bus and traveled to Mystras, a medieval city that overlooks the modern day city of Sparta. I was a little disappointed that none of Ancient Sparta can be found today, but Mystras was very cool. It was also built on a mountain and you were able to explore the ruins and look at the views of the surrounding mountains. It was lovely. The churches and buildings were all from the Byzantine empire!
After Mystras we had lunch in Sparta. That was an adventure. Our waitress never brought the five of us our food. And our director became FURIOUS! It's amazing how pushy some Greeks can be! So she got our food to go, but then our bus driver wouldn't let us eat it on the bus, so we had to eat it on the side of the road in Sparta. It was hysterical and our director was so funny about the whole situation!
After we finished lunch, we got back on the bus and headed for Olympia! We arrived in Olympia at night so we didn't do any sightseeing that night, but the next day we woke up and headed for Ancient Olympia. We started out in the area where the wrestler's used to practice. And then walked to the stadium where the races were held. Everyone had a race and Aphrodite, the director, crowned the winner with an olive branch. In ancient times an olive branch was the prize. We also saw the seat of the priestess of Zeus, the only female allowed in the stadium. We were told a story of a woman who wanted to watch her son race and so she dressed up as a coach. But when the race was over she was so overjoyed that her son won, that she gave herself away and so she was sentenced to DEATH! Luckily for her she came from a family of many Olympic winners and so they spared her life! I couldn't believe that she was going to be put to death just for attending the games. Times were certainly different then! Then we went to the Temple of Zeus where the Statue of Zeus (one of the seven wonders of the ancient world) once was. It was very cool to see the temple in ruins, because the columns had all fallen in one direction and made a very unique display. Finally, we got back on the bus and headed back for Athens.
On our way home we stopped in Patra for lunch. It was there that we saw the Olympiakas, a Greek soccer team, on there way to Athens for a match. It was very cool and two of the girls who are very into soccer went and had their picture taken with the team!!! They were thrilled!!!
Then on Monday...we started classes. We had Greek on Monday. It definitely won't be easy. But I think once I get the hang of the alphabet I'll be able to have a lot of fun with it! I always have liked languages!!! Then we went out to lunch with some friends! I love having lunch at the base of the Acropolis. It is probably one of my favorite things about Athens. Then on Tuesday, after grocery shopping I had a statistics class. This was rough. It is a very business oriented class and I'm not really a business person. In addition, a lot of the Greek students and I don't have the same mentality about education. None of them seemed interested in being there at all. They showed up late, came back late from breaks, and talked over the professor. In America, they would have gotten kicked out of the classroom for the way they were acting, but it was just kind of accepted here. Education is not something I take for granted and so it's going to be difficult to get used to the way they think about it! But it's only 9 weeks more so I think I can handle it. Then last night we went out for ice cream to celebrate Kristina's 20th birthday! (It's been a weekend filled with birthdays!!!) Then today I had Greek again this morning and then Photojournalism this afternoon. Photojournalism should be fun, but the teacher seems overly critical and overly sarcastic, so it may cause problems at some point in the future. But we'll see. The class itself sounds like a lot of fun!
Tomorrow and Friday I have Greek again. And then we shall see what the weekend has in store!
I hope everyone is doing well!
Love,
Leighanne
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Athens, Greece

Hi Everyone.
I wanted to write a message before I leave for a fieldtrip this weekend!
On Easter Sunday we found a very lovely Church about 10 minutes walking from our university. The interdenominational service was in English and it was late in the morning, so afterwards we went out for a nice lunch with a guy we met at Church who works at the American Embassy.
On Monday we had a class on Greek Literature. The professor was very nice and very helpful. She taught us about one poem called "Ithaca" that I absolutely loved...and so I'm going to share it with all of you! It's all about the journey being what is important and how you should travel away from home in order to experience knew things and to learn and do as much as you can when you are young, because you can always return home when you are older! It was perfect for this trip!

"ITHACA"
When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon -- do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.

Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
morther-of-pear and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the raod.
She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.

I hope you all enjoyed that as much as I did. After class on Monday we spent the entire day figuring out how to do our laundry without a washer or dryer. We found a self-service place, but nobody was there to help us and we couldn't figure out how to use the washing machine, so we handwashed everything. It was a disaster, but we think we understand everything now! Good luck to us!
Then on Tuesday, Greece had a national holiday. In the morning we went to watch the military parade in the center of Athens. It seemed like all of Greece was at this parade, it was crazy! But we had front row seats so it was a lot of fun. After the parade we hiked up St. George's mountain, located in the center of Athens. From the top, where there is a lovely church, you could see all of Athens, from the Acropolis to the port. It was beautiful.

Then yesterday we had class in the morning. After class Kristina and I went down to Plaka to do some souvenier shopping. It was a lot of fun. I got a doll that represents the muse of astronomy. Then last night Kristina, Chrissy and I went to see the play "Noises Off." Of course the entire thing was in Greek, but I had read the plot line before and so I knew a little bit of what was going on. It was absolutely hysterical. When we got there the first lady told us where to sit, then we got told we were sitting in the wrong seats, and so we moved. Then they told us to move back. Of course they were telling us all of this in Greek and we didn't want to admit that we had gone to see a Greek play and didn't actually speak the language so we just nodded and smiled until these two guys behind us who had figured out that we didn't speak Greek told us where our seats were. It was quite entertaining. The play itself was easy enough to follow, but of course I couldn't understand any of the punch lines, so there were parts that everyone else found funny that we didn't. But it was definitely a great experience, especially for someone that loves theater as much as I do! I can't wait to be able to see the play or the movie in English when I return!

Tomorrow we leave for the Peloponese (spellcheck!). We are going to Sparta among other places so it should be a lot of fun. We will not get back until Sunday night so I probably won't get online until after my first GREEK class on Monday. But I hope you all have a great weekend!
Love to all,
Leighanne
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Meteora, Greece

Hi Everyone,
Before I start my update...I would like to clarify for some of you that the wine that got allllll over my bag...was not in my bag. I have no idea what happened, but somewhere in the process of getting from Madrid to Athens, someone else's wine broke open and my bag just happened to be right there. Just my luck. But the wine wasn't mine!! hehe!

Anyways,
Yesterday and today were spent in Meteora. It is an area where rock pinnacles formed and monks built monestaries on top of the cliffs. It was absolutely incredible. Please google pictures if you can! But anyways, after looking at all the monestaries and learning a little bit about the Greek Orthodox Church, we were able to climb around on the rocks. One of the rocks looked out over the entire area...and it was such an incredible experience. I felt so at peace with everything in my life and as we watched the sun set I was just incredibly calm and relaxed. It was something that I will never be able to describe with words but I thought I would give it a try!

Tomorrow we are going to try and find a Protestant Church in order to go to an Easter Service. Hopefully we can. And then we are going out to dinner where there will be traditional Greek folk dances. So that should be a lot of fun! More updates to come!
Happy Easter everyone!
Love,
Leighanne
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