Well, I made it! The flight over took about 9.5 hours and for the most part was smooth. Athens so far is wonderful. The weather is great - it's about 85, but there is no humidity and there is a breeze. I meet up with several of the people I'm traveling with at the airport. There are 20 of us all together and so far everyone is great. There is quite a mix of people - undergrads, graduate students, professors, and teachers - all with a range of backgrounds and areas of study related to the Classics.
Traveling to the American School of Classics was quite the experience, involving one crazy taxi ride. I have never seen so many motorcycles, scooters, or smart cars in my life. The motorcycles/scooters were weaving in and out of traffic and it's truly amazing that our cab driver, who felt like he was going a million miles an hour, made it without hitting any of them! When we finally made it to the school we had about an hour to relax and hang out on the outside terrace before checking into our rooms. We met Niamh (pronounced "Neeve") who will be taking care of us while we are at the school. Once I was finally able to check into my room I had some time to get settled and take a shower, which felt wonderful and totally refreshing after a long day of travel.
At lunch we met Bella, our guide who is a professor at the University of Arizona. The food so far is amazing! Everything is made with fresh ingredients from the local markets. Today's lunch selection was fresh salad, fresh feta cheese, homemade bread, and a vegetable stew-like dish - all fantastic! After lunch a bunch of us went for a walk around the area, which is very much a downtown area. There are lots of shops - high end as well as some mom and pop stores - and markets that sell fresh food.
After a quick nap, it was time for High Tea, which was severed English style with biscuits and breads with jam. After tea we ventured out on our first excursion - a "walk" (more like a hike) of Lykavittos, which is the highest hill in Athens with some amazing views of the city of Athens, including my first glimpse of the Parthenon and the Aegean Sea!! We had dinner when returned from our hike. The Greeks generally eat much later than we do, so dinner was served at 8:30 pm. It was another fantastic meal - fresh salad, chicken, potatoes, homemade bread, and homemade ice cream for dessert. Yummy!
Tomorrow promises to be a busy day. After an orientation on the school we are headed over to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon! Here are some pictures from today...enjoy!
Traveling to the American School of Classics was quite the experience, involving one crazy taxi ride. I have never seen so many motorcycles, scooters, or smart cars in my life. The motorcycles/scooters were weaving in and out of traffic and it's truly amazing that our cab driver, who felt like he was going a million miles an hour, made it without hitting any of them! When we finally made it to the school we had about an hour to relax and hang out on the outside terrace before checking into our rooms. We met Niamh (pronounced "Neeve") who will be taking care of us while we are at the school. Once I was finally able to check into my room I had some time to get settled and take a shower, which felt wonderful and totally refreshing after a long day of travel.
At lunch we met Bella, our guide who is a professor at the University of Arizona. The food so far is amazing! Everything is made with fresh ingredients from the local markets. Today's lunch selection was fresh salad, fresh feta cheese, homemade bread, and a vegetable stew-like dish - all fantastic! After lunch a bunch of us went for a walk around the area, which is very much a downtown area. There are lots of shops - high end as well as some mom and pop stores - and markets that sell fresh food.
After a quick nap, it was time for High Tea, which was severed English style with biscuits and breads with jam. After tea we ventured out on our first excursion - a "walk" (more like a hike) of Lykavittos, which is the highest hill in Athens with some amazing views of the city of Athens, including my first glimpse of the Parthenon and the Aegean Sea!! We had dinner when returned from our hike. The Greeks generally eat much later than we do, so dinner was served at 8:30 pm. It was another fantastic meal - fresh salad, chicken, potatoes, homemade bread, and homemade ice cream for dessert. Yummy!
Tomorrow promises to be a busy day. After an orientation on the school we are headed over to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon! Here are some pictures from today...enjoy!
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