Thursday, 6.24: This is why I need a plan! [Notes in brackets]

Sorry for the [actually not too long] hiatus. I usually update pretty regularly, but some things came up this weekend that put me in a non-blogging, non-social, non-personable kind of mood and I needed some time to myself to straighten everything out. I will resume the stories of my adventures and misadventures, starting with an incidence of poor planning.

~~

Once a week, a cleaning lady comes to our apartment primarily to change our sheets and give us fresh towels. She also tidies up, takes out the trash, and puts things away when they're out of place, so to avoid embarrassment and to help her out, I try to straighten my room before she comes. This is not always easy because the first week, we didn't know when she was coming (she came on a Friday) and the third week, she came on Thursday [which we thought was an anomaly]. I have Thursdays off so my plan was to clean and leave to adventure before she got here, but she surprised me!

And thus an awkward encounter with blundering smiles and broken English and Greek on our respective parts ensued. As she cleaned Shivani's room, I mad-dashed straightened my room and lit out of the apartment without quite thinking things through. I should have planned better.

My objective this Thursday was to go to the University of Athens to visit their chemistry department and fulfill one of the items on the List. Let it be known also that the items on the List are less tasks for me to perform and more guidelines on things to do when I have time. So with only a vaguely helpful map, on which the university was a big blob of green, I set out.

I like to walk, I really do. I don't much like aimless walking when I'm tired, have to get somewhere or if it's really hot or cold outside, but otherwise, I'm not opposed to wandering about. Armed with my map, I walked for an hour eventually made it to the university gates.

But they didn't look like university gates and there wasn't a real college-campus feel, so I was very confused. The surrounding area was all green and I couldn't see any students, and the people I did see were carrying shopping bags and stuff. So I found a bus that took me along the perimeter but apparently I got off too early because I eventually reached a gym, tennis and basketball courts, and what appeared to either be housing or elementary school classrooms. [The laundry on the balconies clued me in that they were apartments.] I saw some unmistakably college-aged students wandering about [school had ended a couple of days ago, so they were probably on break], and I thought I was in the right area, but still, I saw no academic buildings. After making a huge loop, I found myself back at the gates, and, dejected and tired, took a bus, whose route I did not know, out of the gates and, luckily, back to an area that I knew.

The day was only half over so I decided to do some shopping around Monastiraki and ate lunch at Souvlaki Row. I'm sure that's not what it's actually called, but they do have super nom nom souvlakis for 1.80E to go, which is a pretty sweet deal. Thanks, Weike, for introducing me. :)

After I got back to the apartment, I rechecked the map of the university and it turns out that I was at the university, just at the outskirts. Next time, I'm going to take the bus all the way in and I will find the chemistry department. YES! I will prevail! With better planning. That being said, I did enjoy my impromptu shopping excursion in Monastiraki and it just reminded me that I am better at shopping alone when I actually need to buy things.



Word of the day: Πανεπιστήμιο [Panepistimio]
Translation: University

A break in our regularly scheduled programming

Dear friends,

And I say this quite sincerely to some of the best people I've ever known. Thank you for being kind, wonderful people who care About life, learning, and humanity. Thank you for being flexible and patient with me when I have been cross and unreasonable, and thank you for lending an empathetic, yet reasonably impartial ear when I need to blow off steam. Thank you for not jumping to conclusions about my actions, my decisions, and the people with whom I choose to associate. Thank you for realizing that a friend , or even an acquaintence, in need far outweights any personal grudges or tensions acrued during a long semster, year, or travel situation. Thank you for acknowledging that people in power are people too, and that respecting them does not equal disrespecting everyone else. Thank you for trying to correct a misunderstanding without resorting to misguided accusations and unfounded insults. And thank you for being decent, open-minded, good-hearted people who can admit when they are wrong, but stand by their beliefs and believe in a good that superceeds their personal comfort for ten minutes. Thank you for loving me despite my flaws and insecurities and thank you for recognizing the good in people in general.

Thank you for being awesome and thank you for being my friends.

Love always,

Angela

Wednesday, 6.23: American Girl in Britain

I have mentioned a few times that MEDASSET is a fairly small nonprofit organization, and so it depends on money from generous donors. To celebrate these donors and encourage more support, the association hosts a semi-annual benefit dinner for them. It is usually held at the Yacht Club in Piraeus, but because of some details that I didn't catch, it was relocated to the British Embassy in Greece. It was thus, that I stepped foot in Britain for the first time and immediately noticed all the fanciness.

A guard stands at the gate to the Embassy. He's Greek, and not wearing one of those ridiculously tall hats, but still a little imposing. I'm on the list so I pass by him pretty easily, but there are still a set of metal detectors waiting on the other side of the gate. I walk up the marble steps to the embassy and am greeted by a portrait of the Queen. Yes, that Queen. A younger Queen to be sure, but the regal air is all there.

Before entering the grand ballroom, the guests check in at the front table and the ladies are greeted with a little gift (I think it's some sort of charm but they're packaged so I can't tell). There are three rooms full of tables, and before each seat, a small bottle of Jo Malone Cologne in a Pomegranate scent. The guests arrive a couple at a time, the ladies in dress suits or formal gowns with big jewelry and brooches, then gentlemen in suits (one was in a silk suit. Goodness.). The whole situation made me glad that I had brought my formal dress with me.

So I filmed the Ambassador's wife giving her speech, as well as the keynote speaker, made a few pans around the room and, after everyone else had gotten their food, started eating like no other. It was the best buffet I had ever eaten. Four kinds of meat (pineapple glazed pork, a beef dish, a lamb dish, a chicken dish); paella, risotto; Mexican tuna salad and two other salads; and much more epicness. And with nothing else to do, I ate and ate and ate. Then came this raffle where the MEDASSET volunteers passed around little boxes with charms in them and as the patrons ate dessert, a fashion show began, with models walking around the tables in their dresses. It was a bit awkward but the dessert was so good (chocolate log, brie cut into cheesecake-like slices, lemon mousse, various fruits) that it didn't really matter. And again, I just ate and ate and ate.

I helped clean up afterwards and was a little sad I couldn't take any photos in the embassy. However, we did have a professional photographer there and he took this one really good group photo. There's everyone! Except for Liza, who had to leave early.

Awww look at everyone all smiley. Even Kostis looks all goofy. :)

Rockin' it like a Brit,

Angela

Sunday, 6.20: Sorry, the signal isn't that great atop the Acropolis.

Though there are many things to do and see outside of Athens, the city itself is also teeming with history and excitement. On Sunday mornings, the Monastiraki flea market is, supposedly, a thing to behold with people selling things from used DVDs to old coins to furniture to dial-up telephones. I've been wanting to go for a while now, but for a catnapper like myself, it's really hard to get up in the morning when you have no one to get up with you and no pressing appointments to get to.

Still reeling from our Delphi trip, Liz, Marj, Shivani and I decided to do a See-the-Sites-in-Athens day. So we hit the Monastiraki Flea Market early in the morning. Up and down the streets, vendors with their blankets and their vast amounts of....stuff.

Shoes, metal objects, clothes, nose hair trimmers; you name it, they probably have it. Because there were so many people pushing and shoving down the streets, I wasn't quite keen to stop and browse to my heart's content. Also, I have found, not unsurprisingly, that I am a lone shopper. I like to take my time (because I am so indecisive) and I don't like to hold other people back, so it's easier for me to shop if I go by myself. Antisocial much? Yeah....maybe.


3. Visit a flea market

~~

After exiting the flea market, we swung around and went to Kerameikos, an ancient cemetery in the heart of Athens. For those thinking about traveling here, you can get a 6 Euro combination ticket for the Acropolis, Kerameikos, Hadrian's Library, Temple of Zeus, the Ancient Agora, the Roman Agora, the Theater of Dionysis, and most of their respective museums. At Kerameikos, I later learned, there was the inner city, which was famous for its pottery and sculpture, and the outer city, which contained the cemetery. The museum featured carvings from the tombs of various people in the cemetery, as well pottery from the era. Also, there were statues, like this guy:

He's pretty darn epic.
Also, this guy:

Just kidding! He's not a statue! We found this tortoise dude in cemetery itself. Seems like there was a lot of vegetation for him to eat and little pools of water for him to cool down. Isn't he a cutie?

Kerameikos is not a big site. If you're fast and don't stop a lot, you can do it in about 15 minutes. Of course, we paused to take pictures and marvel at the fact that we could actually touch the rocks, so it took us a little under an hour to get through the whole thing. It was a lot greener and more flowery than I expected.

It is indeed our bullish friend back where he belongs! Fear not, thankfully, for the world, my magic powers have not yet manifested to the degree where I can move large objects long distances. This is merely a reproduction of the one seen earlier in the museum. I'm a fan of art conservation, especially of marble items that are being destroyed by the acid in the environment, so I am all for moving these statues indoors where they will be protected. But I am also a fan of reproducing the items so people can see what they were intended to look like. It gives the historical piece a bit of context, no?

~~

Onto the next ancient site! Chop, chop, now. We have a lot to cover in not a lot of time. Our next project was to revist Hadrian's Library, of which we had only seen the outside. From what I gathered, Hadrian had built this gigantic library that eventually got converted into a couple of churches, which is most of what survived and what you see when you go around the site. As with Kerameikos, the site itself is not very big, but History and Classics buffs can spend over two hours just staring at the ruins and imagining what went on 3000 years ago.

~~

Finally, we did what I should have done a month ago, the crowning glory of Athens: the Acropolis. There's not much to say about the Acropolis other than the fact that it's epic. If you're going to go, go in the late afternoon, around 5:30-6:00 because the crowds will have thinned and it will be cooler. Also, note that if you're meeting people on top of the Acropolis the cell phone signal is surprisingly shoddy. You'd think since it's so high....Oh well. It was truly wonderful to see the Parthenon without the mass of tourists crowding around it, and I got to complete another thing on my list.

Don't worry, I blew away from the marble, but it felt good to be a little rebellious. Also good that I got my friends to do it with me. :D

15. Blow bubbles at the Acropolis

More Acropolis sights:

-The Parthenon

The Erechtheum

Embracing Greece and the world and life

~~

What an epic end to an epic day.

BUT WAIT! As we were walking back, we inadvertently walked into flashing cameras and music. It was...A GREEK WEDDING! We stayed and clapped with them for awhile. Here's the blushing bride with her incredibly colorful bridesmaids. If you can't tell, she was really sparkly.

And thus,

16. Go to a Greek wedding

~~
Finally, we had a goodbye dinner for Emma, who was leaving back to New York for a job that was more suited to her interests and career path, as well as a birthday celebration for Elizabeth and Becca. Our one and only group picture, and Shivani's hidden by Walt who's looking the other way. Siigh.

That was a loong post that took too long to get up.

From Greece with love,

Angela

Saturday, 6.19: High and Dry - Smoking Sulfur on a Rock

The Oracle of Delphi is one of the most famous and important historical figures of the ancient Greek world. According to legend, she sat on a tripod atop a rock in Delphi where Apollo occasionally possessed her and gave her prophetic visions of the future, visions that rocked the ancient Greek world. Although the stories claimed her visions stemmed from the vapors released from the dead body of the gigantor snake Apollo slayed to "save the city", modern analysis hypothesizes that the sulfurous vapors effusing through the rock crevice may have been infused with a high concentration of ethylene, causing the sybil's wild hallucinations. Not that sniffing a banana will get you high. Just saying.

Now, I am a scientist. Like most scientists, I don't just take these stories for granted. Experiments must be carried out; claims verified. So, we took a day trip to Delphi to find out exactly what made the Oracle tick. Unfortunately, the it's been a while (read: thousands of years) since the vapors actually came out of the rocks and because it's technically a historical site now, I couldn't actually collect any samples. However, I don't think that detracted from the experience at all. It was a gorgeous, albeit sweltering day, and the amount of history that was contained in the ruins kinda blew my mind. Just a little bit. Maybe a little more than that.

The trip to Delphi takes 3 hours from Athens by bus, so we left for the bus station not at all awake and alert at 6:00 AM and promptly slept on the bus for the next three hours. Upon arriving at Delphi, disoriented and confused, we started climbing up a hill to reach the Oracle, only to realize that we climbed up a large hill for nothing. But it wasn't all in vain because the view was incredible something out of a movie shot.

We milled about for awhile and followed some signs, finally making our way to the museum, which was very impressive. They had taken a lot of the statues (really, all of the statues) and relics from the site and stored them in the museum to protect them from the elements. For instance, these twin brothers here:

The most interesting thing about them, I think, is their knees. Look at that detail! I don't think I've ever seen such detailed knees. Is it weird that the first thing these statues reminded me of was Cat Among the Pigeons, where Hercule Poroit comments that a woman can lie about her age by changing her face and her mannerisms but the knees never lie?

Also impressive was this rendition of a charioteer, or...what's left of it.

It's an awfully precise picture with such few pieces (to be fair, the charioteer was displayed by himself right next to this exhibit), but it just reminds me of sixth grade, when, split up into two groups, we had to paint a picture of a civilization just from clues left behind by the other half of the class. It was very difficult, and thus, I am always impressed by the level of detail of the reconstructions drafted by the analysts who work on these projects, especially in that if it were me, I might not have realized that the extra arm was part of the same sculpture at all. It also makes me wonder what kind of things historians will be reconstructing from our civilization in 3000 years.

We then made our way to the historical site at Delphi. It wasn't too long of a walk, and once we started going up, we went allllll the way up. Along the way, we encountered things like:

The Athenian Treasury:

Some really old columns:

The Temple of Apollo:

This theater:

And of course, the rock that spouted the fumes that started it all:

It looks like a really uncomfortable rock to sit upon, especially on a tripod, but then again, I'm not high on sulfur fumes. Also, the rock was probably enclosed by walls and such, but you'd still be hard pressed to get me to sit on it sniffing smoke for any length of time.

We got to the top of the ruin sites at last and found a really nicely preserved stadium where the ancient games were once held. It was a beautiful view of the whole of the ruins and as we rested, I reflected about how far we had come (read: on our walk, as young adults, as a people...) and how much of a tan I was getting. The tan thing wasn't just a shallow observation because contrary to my previous assumptions that I could not get burned, I had gotten burned and was thusly trying to prevent myself from further burnage. I did notice that slowly, but surely, I was getting back to my middle school days. Umm...BOO.

After a great lunch of some really awesome pizza and much needed lemonade, we set out for Tholos, the center of the world, where heaven and earth met. Climbing down a hill this time, and passing through an ancient gymnasium, we finally reached what was to be a very peaceful bunch of rocks. No, I kid. It was much more than that. There is an amazing amount of history here, and even though I'm not a history buff, enthusiast, or even general subscriber, I do love stories and the history of Tholos and its importance to the Greek people is rather inspiring to me. Oh dear. Now I just sound like a sap.

Anyways, when I got back to Athens later that night, I looked up the specifications for the Mount Parnassos, specifically, the ruins of Delphi, and after much searching, because the information is apparently nowhere, I got a number, which I'm going to assume is from Tholos to the Stadium: 550 m. Which, if I remember correctly, exceeds the specifications for List #4. As for the gradient, I'm pretty sure this hill is > 20 degrees. Take a look:

 

And that's one of the less steep sections. Anyhow, with a vertical lift of 550 m and an average gradient of, lets say 40°, by visiting the Oracle at Delphi, Tholos, and the charming town nearby, objective #4 has been fulfilled.

4. Climb a mountain at least 400 m tall w/ an average gradient of at least 20 degrees.

After visiting Tholos, a quest for ice cream began, and though the ice cream wasn't exceptional nor cheap, it was much needed. Even with the sugar, we all conked out on the bus ride back and, getting back at 9:00 PM, had a quite delicious McDonalds meal. Not too Greek, but oh so meaty.

It was a great Saturday. The sun shining, the clouds wispy, the history epic. For a more or less impromptu day trip, it was one of the best Saturdays I've had in Greece. :)

At the center of the world,

Angela

Friday. 6.18: Again? Again?

Metro Strike Day 3.

WHAT? WHY? At this point, the demonstrations are becoming a little absurd, especially because it's super hot outside [for the demonstrators to be demonstrating, not the general public; although...it is hot all over...]. Getting to work this morning was such a pain because whenever a Metro strike happens, traffic becomes a terrible stop and go and stop fiasco and the buses are so crowded that move-and-get-groped situations are unfortunately commonplace. Super uncomfortable. Like this moment:

Let's just keep that awkward moment to yourself, Prince Charles, shall we?

Then, when I finally got to work, no one else was there because everyone was stuck on a bus so all I could do was sit on the steps outside all hot and stuffy with my coffee. Yay for cold cappuccinos! Boo for dark and damp stairways.

To be honest, it wasn't all that bad. I've been in many more uncomfortable situations and the coffee place across the street makes super awesome cappuccinos/frappes. My computer totally got wireless through the door, and I only had to wait around 40 minutes before people started showing up and I was let into the delicious cool of the office. Though it would be nice if I had my own key, it's understandable that they only have one extra for the volunteer that actually lives in the office (a new one is starting on Monday).

It cooled down in the afternoon as we got some cloud cover, so I decided to walk around and see if I could find the bus to take me straight back to the apartment. And thank goodness for the Metro strike: I found it! Usually I take the Metro back and then walk around 20 minutes to get back to the apartment, but, two streets over, I found the bus that takes me directly back to the apartment (darn those one-way streets). So, I was stuck in an uncomfortable too-many-people-in-too-little-bus situation again, but it was all worth it when I found a seat and got dropped off three minutes away from the apartment. The only downside was the stop and go motion that almost made me bus-sick. And I have a pretty strong constitution when it comes to turbulence.

Weee!! Barrel Roll!!

That all being said, it's been a productive day. I've thoroughly mastered the public transportation in going to and from work, and got a nice yogurt snack on the way back. And am now really craving a salad. Mmm....greens.....

Fiddling on a Friday,

Angela

Thursday, 6.17: Standing Up or Lying Down?

Metro Strike Day 2:

I had not yet encountered a multi-day Metro strike, but this was officially the second day in what would appear to be a 2 day Metro strike, with a part day complete transportation strike. Luckily, as per usual on Thursdays, I did not have to go to work, so I decided to complete more of the List and go visit Liz at the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic Art, where she was giving tours of the Cycladic collection. "Cycladic" refers not the art of cycles but rather of the Cyclades islands, a circle of islands surrounding the holy island of Delos, and the culture associated with its inhabitants from 2800 - 2000 BCE. Most of the collection consisted of canonical or slightly deviated-from canonical figurines made of marble, which pretty much all looked like this -->

Head slightly tilted up, arms crossed left over right, knees slightly bent, and toes pointed, with few defined features except for the nose, breasts, and pubic triangle (95% of the figurines were women), features that remained unchanged for 500 years. Many theories abound to why this was, ranging from the religious (depictions of the holy goddess) to practical (mens' legs had to be carved apart, which made them more likely to break).

Of course,  there were variations on this form as well.

One pregnant (left), one with stretch marks (middle):

Even the rare dude:

There are also theories that the figures were once painted with bright colors, as evidenced by the different decay times of painted and unpainted marble (w00t science) as well as whether the figurines were meant to be displayed standing up (as they usually are in museums), or lying down (a more natural position).

As I moved through the exhibit, I found myself becoming rather attached to the elegance of the figures and it inspired a bit of the contemporary art lover in me. While I love the classics, I find myself becoming more and more interested in the quirks of modernism and post modernism. Not the single dot on a white canvas type things, but pieces like

Yeah, I'm into colors, layers, and textures. Must be why I like chemistry. :)

~~

Eventually, the heat of the day got to me and I fell asleep for 3 hours after returning to the apartment. The answer to the title then, is obviously, Lying Down. Must remember to continuously drink water next time I go out.

But another item crossed off:

17. Find another intern at work.

which means I have officially completed 25% of the List. Yay numbers. :)

Artsy in Athens,

Angela

Wednesday, 6.16: Heat Wave

Remember in the last post where I noted that it was around 99°F every day? Yeah....well it is. And I become ridiculously shiny in the heat. Like a newly minted quarter. Usually, getting around the city is doable because I don't have to walk around in the heat too much and the stores and buildings are all air conditioned so they blow cool wind out their doors every once in awhile. The Athens Metro system is pretty good and the buses are usually air conditioned as well (at least, the new ones and the trolleys). It becomes a problem when THE METRO GOES ON STRIKE.

Yeah, you remember the strike two Thursdays ago where the whole transportation system shut down and the traffic was horrid and I had to walk to Syntagma (which wasn't a problem then because it wasn't nearly so hot). On Wednesday, the Metro system shut down, but the bus system was unaffected. My project for work that day was to go to the airport and get some footage of the MEDASSET exhibit that was in the airport. Apparently, Athens airport has a number of exhibits that feature art from the New Acropolis Museum and some contemporary artists, which is pretty cool and just speaks to the culture of sitting, relaxing, and browsing. You could never have such an exhibit in the departures section of LAX, what with people shoving their way into the plane like the airport's on fire.

Anyways, there are a couple ways to get to the airport, and the only really feasible way for me to do it was by bus. Because I had already taken the bus once before, it wasn't a problem and I was able to loiter a little around Syntagma Square while waiting. However, I did not anticipate the number of people that would be boarding this bus at 9:30 AM. It got to the point where it was standing room only and people's baggage only made it worse. Fortunately, I was able to squish my way onto a seat and the ride to the airport was pretty smooth after that.

I creeped around the exhibit for awhile, and walked around the airport, marveling at how expensive everything was. The Athens International Airport is pretty nice in terms of shopping and exhibits.

Even the McDonalds was cushy.

The issues came on the bus ride back to Athens. There were so many people on the bus that I didn't get a seat. Then, any room to stand became smaller and smaller until everyone was just pressed up against everyone else. Super awkwardness ensued. Any movement of the bus caused people to careen into their neighbors and personal space could no longer even be defined. To make matters worse, the bus drove super slowly in the heat and even if the bus was air conditioned (which I think it was), the sheer number of people in the bus made it hard to breathe. I got shinier and shinier and the journey was certainly up there on uncomfortable public transportation experience list.

Finally, after making it back to Syntagma, I lugged myself into work, treated myself to a milkshake, and spent the rest of the day showering and sitting under the air conditioner.

Hopefully, this heat wave will cease soon.


Bright and shiny,

Angela

Monday 6.14: The View From the Top

Because MEDASSET is a small non-profit organization, it depends on volunteers to do the gritty day-to-day stuff (drafting letters, running errands, etc.). The international volunteers actually have a pretty good set-up, with a room inside the office complete with utilities and food people leave in the office. The office itself is in Kolonaki, which is pretty close to Syntagma, the center of the Metro system, and travel around the city by Metro is pretty straightforward. Thus, many volunteers decide to come for a month or so to work with MEDASSET and explore Athens and then go on with their lives.

Monday was Weike's last day here, so we went out to walk around Plaka and ended up having dinner at Daphne's! It was a very cute venue, pink tablecloths and cushy chairs, and a bit on the pricy side, but we figured we'd splurge a little anyways. The food was, in FullAndHappyAngelaSpeak: delicious nom nom. Just saying, the octopus is fantastic. Highly recommended. Yummy. :) Also mousaka. Mmmmm...mousaka....

I'm not really a foodpr0n kind of person, but since it's on my list,

Question: WHY AM I SO SHINY???
Answer: It's been consistently in the upper 90s degree-wise for the past couple of days (mostly around 99 for those who are curious). For those who speak °C, in the mid to upper 30s, which is ridiculously hot. Like...body temperature fever hot. *fans vigorously and gets hotter from the action of fanning*

Thus, another item crossed off the list.

6. Eat at Daphne's

~~

After dinner we took a walk to Filipappou Hill, which has the best view of the whole of Athens that I've seen so far. It was incredibly peaceful because no one seemed to want to go to the top of that hill for some reason, and the one sorta creepy guy that I was watching out of the corner of my eye left after about 5 minutes. I couldn't get any great pictures of the view because it was getting dark already but it's a project to get up there before 8:30 and watch the sun set. After all, this is where postcards are made.

There was, however, an exceptional view of the Acropolis lit up in the dark. Perhaps a little blurry, but even if it was clear, nothing really beats seeing the view firsthand.

Here's a better resolution view of the Parthenon from a cafe/restaurant/bar. It's all aglow!

With that, the night ends. As the World Cup game concludes behind us [BY THE WAY GREECE FREAKING WON TODAY....WAT.] and the Acropolis shines above, I've got to say, the view from the top is pretty darned awesome.

Yiamas,

Angela