After lunch we hunted out some ruins. We found what was a village in the 5th century BC right along the island coast. There was a little museum of the artifacts that were recovered from the ruins that were fairly interesting. One thing I noticed was that around 2 o'clock all the stores were closed. This was unfortunate for us because we were freezing and really wanted to do some shopping. It turns out that Greece partakes in "siestas" although they call them "Hypnos" which by law are mandated to be between 2:30 and 5:30 pm. That is one long nap if you ask me, but it seems like a nice idea overall.
Today we had another free day which was nice. We spent the morning in the Plaka, or the marketplace which resembles a giant flee market, and did some shopping for Christmas. When we finished up our group really wanted to go the the ancient Agora but it was closed for a Greek holiday. Instead we took another small hike to a temple that over look Athens. It was beautiful as usual.
After that our entire group had lunch at a gyro place. The gyros are a dollar and come with french fries inside. It was really good. I had a traditional Greek salad with greens, olives and fetta. I think the fetta cheese will be what I miss most about Greece. It serves as such a stable for all the dishes, as well as a staple of the culture considering it comes from the abundance of goats that Greece has. It was a very nice last day in Greece and I hope Italy is just as interesting and fun!
1 comments:
Lauren,
Great blog!It's very easy to live vicariously through your postings. You share many of the same opinions that I had when I had the good fortune to spend a couple of weeks in Greece a few years ago.
From the food standpoint, I loved the salads more than anything, and became a feta junkie. I also constantly smelled like onions. :) I also enjoyed dolmades, moussaka, pastitsio, and various types of souvlaki.
I too was in awe of Delphi, and got a real kick out of your analogy regarding the Oracle. Did you know that she actually never spoke directly to those who sought her council?
One of the most fascinating places I had the opportunity to visit was Corinth. When I stood in the town square and was told that I was in the exact spot where Corinthian leaders accused the apostle Paul of heresy, I actually got goosebumps.
I think you might have been taken advantage of as students. Maybe things have changed, but bread and water was served with all of my meals without a charge.
I'm sorry that no one told you about tipping. Throughout Europe, and most of the rest of the world for that matter, the tip is included with the meal. If you wanted to leave some loose change to acknowledge superior service, that would be acceptable, but it is not expected. The same rule holds true in Italy.
Have a great second part of your trip. I look forward to reading more about it.
By the way, in Rome be very careful of pickpockets. Oftentimes the most skilled thieves are women who use small children to cause you to drop your guard. Be safe, but have fun.
Pat Gray
E&B
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