Thursday, July 28, 2016
'The Human Toll of Terror' - A Look at Life Amidst Death
On my iPad I always get notifications about big news bits; it's an element of The New York Times app which I really appreciate, because I can get news snippets, even if I don't want to read an entire article. But on a Wednesday afternoon I came home from shopping with my mom, and saw a very sobering notification.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Greece 2016 // Mystras, Nafplio
Day 6
We woke up early to get a start on our last full day in Greece; I could hardly believe how quickly the time had flown by. We had arranged to have breakfast at 8 AM, and when we walked to the separate house where we were to have breakfast, there was a lovely classic Greek spread: hard boiled eggs, bread, breakfast cookies, cheese and meats, Greek yogurt, a selection of jams, fresh squeezed orange juice, and hot coffee. We dined indulgently, and soon after finishing breakfast packed up the car and headed to Mystras: our first stop of the day.
Mystras is a site of an upper and lower town on the mountainside. Many of the structures are restored, so along with the crumbling ruins, there are churches and houses that you can walk in to. This was a wonderful last archeological site to explore; despite the sweaty and winding walk up the mountainside there was always a breath-taking vista and the beautifully designed architecture depicted the age of the site.
We woke up early to get a start on our last full day in Greece; I could hardly believe how quickly the time had flown by. We had arranged to have breakfast at 8 AM, and when we walked to the separate house where we were to have breakfast, there was a lovely classic Greek spread: hard boiled eggs, bread, breakfast cookies, cheese and meats, Greek yogurt, a selection of jams, fresh squeezed orange juice, and hot coffee. We dined indulgently, and soon after finishing breakfast packed up the car and headed to Mystras: our first stop of the day.
Mystras is a site of an upper and lower town on the mountainside. Many of the structures are restored, so along with the crumbling ruins, there are churches and houses that you can walk in to. This was a wonderful last archeological site to explore; despite the sweaty and winding walk up the mountainside there was always a breath-taking vista and the beautifully designed architecture depicted the age of the site.
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Greece 2016 // Methoni, Kalamata, Sparti
Day 5
We got up at a reasonable time in our Air BNB, and right away my mom, cousin, and I headed down to the beach for a morning swim. We had the beach completely to ourselves, and the water felt wonderful. Walking into the water for the first time sent a shiver up my spine in the cool morning, but running in and letting the water close around me felt immediately invigorating. After swimming out a little ways, I floated on my bag with closed eyes. The ocean was extremely calm with almost no waves, but still I felt myself move with the water.
When we retreated back to the shore we dried off in the sun for a couple minutes before heading back to the flat. We did a quick change, packed up our things, and made our way into Methoni––a nearby town––for breakfast. It took us a little while to find a bakery, but we eventually did and I devoured an apple pastry (imagine a croissant with cinnamon spice apple pie filling).
Next we headed to a castle in Methoni, which we had seen––and said we wanted to come back to––the previous day. The castle is absolutely beautiful; although the structures themselves are not very large for the most part, there is a massive wall encompassing fields of purple and yellow wild flowers. Surrounding all of this is the ocean, with stunningly clear blue water. It was a relaxing morning of ambling around, and the cool sea breeze from the water allowed us an escape from the morning heat.
We got up at a reasonable time in our Air BNB, and right away my mom, cousin, and I headed down to the beach for a morning swim. We had the beach completely to ourselves, and the water felt wonderful. Walking into the water for the first time sent a shiver up my spine in the cool morning, but running in and letting the water close around me felt immediately invigorating. After swimming out a little ways, I floated on my bag with closed eyes. The ocean was extremely calm with almost no waves, but still I felt myself move with the water.
When we retreated back to the shore we dried off in the sun for a couple minutes before heading back to the flat. We did a quick change, packed up our things, and made our way into Methoni––a nearby town––for breakfast. It took us a little while to find a bakery, but we eventually did and I devoured an apple pastry (imagine a croissant with cinnamon spice apple pie filling).
Next we headed to a castle in Methoni, which we had seen––and said we wanted to come back to––the previous day. The castle is absolutely beautiful; although the structures themselves are not very large for the most part, there is a massive wall encompassing fields of purple and yellow wild flowers. Surrounding all of this is the ocean, with stunningly clear blue water. It was a relaxing morning of ambling around, and the cool sea breeze from the water allowed us an escape from the morning heat.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Greece 2016 // Louisios Gorge, Olympia, Pylos
Day 4
We arose around 8:30AM, and left our room at 9AM for breakfast at the hotel. We were met by a feast of bread, meats and cheeses, delicious fried mushrooms, house-made jams, Greek yogurt, traditional Greek pastry and cookies, and croissants! AND fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee! After dining like kings (and queens), we said a melancholy goodbye to our lovely host, and headed onto the day's first destination: the Louisios Gorge.
We arose around 8:30AM, and left our room at 9AM for breakfast at the hotel. We were met by a feast of bread, meats and cheeses, delicious fried mushrooms, house-made jams, Greek yogurt, traditional Greek pastry and cookies, and croissants! AND fresh squeezed orange juice and coffee! After dining like kings (and queens), we said a melancholy goodbye to our lovely host, and headed onto the day's first destination: the Louisios Gorge.
Saturday, July 16, 2016
Greece 2016 // Corinth, Mycenae, Dimitsana
Day 3
Our first day on the road in Greece, we wanted to get a good start on the day, so we woke up at 6:30AM, and after a short (but sweet) breakfast on our balcony, we headed to the car, cranked the local station of traditional Greek music, and began making our way to Ancient Corinth.
It wasn't long before we arrived, and first made our way to the museum which although much smaller than the Acropolis Museum in Athens, was very impressive with quite a lot of statues and other artifacts. Although still relatively early, by the time we began exploring the ruins it was already sweltering. Still, we spent around an hour walking around, and taking in what was left from a time long ago.
Our first day on the road in Greece, we wanted to get a good start on the day, so we woke up at 6:30AM, and after a short (but sweet) breakfast on our balcony, we headed to the car, cranked the local station of traditional Greek music, and began making our way to Ancient Corinth.
It wasn't long before we arrived, and first made our way to the museum which although much smaller than the Acropolis Museum in Athens, was very impressive with quite a lot of statues and other artifacts. Although still relatively early, by the time we began exploring the ruins it was already sweltering. Still, we spent around an hour walking around, and taking in what was left from a time long ago.
Friday, July 15, 2016
Greece 2016 // Athens
Now in full swing of summer, I am finally writing on the blog again,
and currently back in Austria visiting family. About a week ago, I
returned from a six day trip to Greece I had taken with my parents and
cousin. Originally I had been unsure of whether or not I wanted to do a
blog post on the trip; in the end I figured the trip was so wonderful
that I should share the experience. If you happen to be going to Greece
soon, or are wanting to take a trip this sometime in the future, maybe
this can give you some inspiration for some places to see. Our journey
started in Athens, and we took a rented car throughout the Peloponnese
taking in as much as possible in what felt like an extremely short trip!
Day 1
We flew into Athens on June 25th, arriving at 2:30 PM local time. We were shuttled to the car rental place, where we picked up a little white Nissan, plugged in the GPS, and began our drive to Athens. As we entered the city I was immediately taken with the feel of the streets; before arriving I didn't really know what to expect from Athens. It was so unlike other European cities I had visited. Narrow streets were crowded on both sides by lined up cars and plethoras of motorbikes constantly whizzed by our car, trying to get ahead of the traffic. Buildings looked slightly dilapidated, and graffiti was scrawled all over the place... but they were also painted in cheerful colors with plants overflowing on balconies, making the streets appear homey and well lived in.
Day 1
We flew into Athens on June 25th, arriving at 2:30 PM local time. We were shuttled to the car rental place, where we picked up a little white Nissan, plugged in the GPS, and began our drive to Athens. As we entered the city I was immediately taken with the feel of the streets; before arriving I didn't really know what to expect from Athens. It was so unlike other European cities I had visited. Narrow streets were crowded on both sides by lined up cars and plethoras of motorbikes constantly whizzed by our car, trying to get ahead of the traffic. Buildings looked slightly dilapidated, and graffiti was scrawled all over the place... but they were also painted in cheerful colors with plants overflowing on balconies, making the streets appear homey and well lived in.
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