this morning after lots of banging doors and a lil wind i got up, a bit disgruntled having wanted to finally make up for sleeplessness and fatigue from the first week here, but yet i got up wide awake and ready to tackle the streets of athens.
i had decided last night, after an hour or so of studying my map of the city that i was gonna go out and just get lost in it and see what i found. i went by myself because all my roomies were gone and well, i just felt like it. i felt i could get my bearings much better if i was the one paying attention all the time to where i was, an dnot someone else holding the map and guiding me. i feel like i dont remember things as well then.
anyway, i wandered around athens for about 3 HOURS! i felt so accomplished afterwards, and i bit tired and hungry so i walked to the AC (academic center) to email and see if they put out any food on saturdays....
i climbed up to one of the highest points in the city, (the acropolis is NOT the highest point, as is often misconstrued), and looked for this 'funicular' tram thingy that's supposed to go up to the peak where a monastery is, but i couldnt find it and got lost in the views of the city from the point where i had actually made it to. it's so spread out and so white; the architecture is just like crete, only SOOOOOO much more of it!!! no building is allowed more than aobut 5 stories, (except the Hilton Hotel, but that's a long political story.....) so the city is spread out a long ways and has a huge circumference. i remembered flying over it a few times during my layovers going to and from crete, but the views i had this morning were spectacular. i cant wait to show pictures....not to mention get all my film from my luggage..... (sounds like ill get it tues. or wed.) i guess ill just have to go back to those spots.....shucks. ;)
then i walked around and found nice, shady, study spots, lots of boutiques and cafes, watched the almost brand new busses, trams, electric busses, and endless mopeds speed by next to the many smartcars. becuase the streets are so crazy and no one follows the traffic lights, there's usally traffic police at all the busy squares and corners making sure that mopeds dont cut and weave through crossing pedestrians. it's not as crazy as Rome, but getting close.
to answer the question mary posted: YES! everything sparkles around here as far as transportation goes; everything is either refurbished or new since the olympics. much of it is becuase of the games or was in progress before that. there are info kiosks everywhere still and the games paraphenallia EVERYWHERE. of course the paralympic games are about to start this week, so there;s still olympic-uniformed ppl eveywehre to man all the hotspots to guide fans and tourists.
also, there's info going around that there used to be, literally, PACKS of stray dogs, (like all the stray cats in crete, which are here too....booo...theyre freakier sometimes!), wandering around, but becuz of the olympics, the city went around and tagged a bunch and then had to put packs of them down- prolly cuz theyre such a nuissance and a huge health hazard. i wish they woulda just gotten rid of the pigeons.....theyre more annoying. man! you cant sit down in any park or square w/o getting mobbed if you have a sandwich in your hand. i stamp and swish and kick my feet, but they still wont leave! it's like they just remain outside your 'swishing' circle so they dont get shoo'ed. blahhhhh.....
other than that, i walked by the temple of zeus and hadrians arch and looked at the acropolis from high up, and and and and...... just pretty much got more oriented to athens. it really WAS nice. plus a milko a morning makes the day go better..... ;) right sarah? right erin? right mary? right.
well, i spose this is way too long, just like usual, so ill blab more another day.
ya
Saturday, September 18, 2004
Friday, September 17, 2004
yup yup
another day it is indeed.....
someone said im gloom and doom so ill try to be more happy. sometimes these transitional phases are hard and frustrating though!!! perhaps this is a venting place or something for me. either way, things will get better and more comfortable, slowly yes, but rest asssured.
here are a couple details that need mentioning:
apparently my dad tried calling me w/the numbers i put up, and i need to make a one digit change, instead of the (001) at the beginning, from the states you should call (011) . apparently this works so ill post that here. everything else is the same as a previously posted. :)
if you want to send me mail (!!!), which takes a couple weeks, here is my address at the center where we collect all our mail:
Christine McCann - student
C/O DIKEMES
5 Pl. Stadiou
GR 116 35 Athens GREECE
LIZ: those pics from my bday would be nice to see.....
anyway, thanks everyone for all your emails here and there, i miss u all. :)
Today, i sat w/one of my roomies, kellie,a nd 3 new ppl. one girl named Lila,who is maybe the shyest person ive met so far, but she seems to feel alot of the things i do so far so we got along. she's from a school outside new york. lotta folks from around there it seems.
last night i wandered around w/someone leaving the center at the same time as me, jake. he wanted to find poker chips, so we wandered around Syntagma Square, a district of athens (like nicollet mall downtown mpls) and found nothing. lots of porn playing cards, (nastly ones!eeeeeew!) but no chips. this guy wants to go to seminary, so he was a lil interesting to talk to, but very spacy- so i dont think ill talk to him too much. it was nice to get out though and spend some time in the city!
i dont think my roomate kellie sleeps. she's not like my awful roomie cassie last year, kellie was in bed after midnight and has been up b4 dawn everyday so far- 545am today. blaaaaahhhh!!
so tonight i might try to climb up the acropolis, (we can see it out our cafeteria/lounge windows!!!!!), and take a looksie down at the city and maybe look around the area too. i have an awesome greek site/museum pass that only excavators get (from this summer) that's good forl ike, ever, and so i can get in everywehre for free, while other kids have to pay all the time. maybe ill drag someone along w/me.
sounds like i might be getting a posse to follow me to instanbul too; alota kids are interested in going to turkey over the oct. holiday! would be relaly nice to have company on the 20hr bus ride!
well, im off for today
here's a funny link if u wanna laugh:
http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4037
l8r
someone said im gloom and doom so ill try to be more happy. sometimes these transitional phases are hard and frustrating though!!! perhaps this is a venting place or something for me. either way, things will get better and more comfortable, slowly yes, but rest asssured.
here are a couple details that need mentioning:
apparently my dad tried calling me w/the numbers i put up, and i need to make a one digit change, instead of the (001) at the beginning, from the states you should call (011) . apparently this works so ill post that here. everything else is the same as a previously posted. :)
if you want to send me mail (!!!), which takes a couple weeks, here is my address at the center where we collect all our mail:
Christine McCann - student
C/O DIKEMES
5 Pl. Stadiou
GR 116 35 Athens GREECE
LIZ: those pics from my bday would be nice to see.....
anyway, thanks everyone for all your emails here and there, i miss u all. :)
Today, i sat w/one of my roomies, kellie,a nd 3 new ppl. one girl named Lila,who is maybe the shyest person ive met so far, but she seems to feel alot of the things i do so far so we got along. she's from a school outside new york. lotta folks from around there it seems.
last night i wandered around w/someone leaving the center at the same time as me, jake. he wanted to find poker chips, so we wandered around Syntagma Square, a district of athens (like nicollet mall downtown mpls) and found nothing. lots of porn playing cards, (nastly ones!eeeeeew!) but no chips. this guy wants to go to seminary, so he was a lil interesting to talk to, but very spacy- so i dont think ill talk to him too much. it was nice to get out though and spend some time in the city!
i dont think my roomate kellie sleeps. she's not like my awful roomie cassie last year, kellie was in bed after midnight and has been up b4 dawn everyday so far- 545am today. blaaaaahhhh!!
so tonight i might try to climb up the acropolis, (we can see it out our cafeteria/lounge windows!!!!!), and take a looksie down at the city and maybe look around the area too. i have an awesome greek site/museum pass that only excavators get (from this summer) that's good forl ike, ever, and so i can get in everywehre for free, while other kids have to pay all the time. maybe ill drag someone along w/me.
sounds like i might be getting a posse to follow me to instanbul too; alota kids are interested in going to turkey over the oct. holiday! would be relaly nice to have company on the 20hr bus ride!
well, im off for today
here's a funny link if u wanna laugh:
http://www.theonion.com/news/index.php?issue=4037
l8r
Thursday, September 16, 2004
second day of classes...and chaos...but winding down slowly
kali mera (g'morning)
alrighty, my cell phone number is.....(drum roll please).........
from the states: (001 30) 694 444 2317.
i get free incoming calls (free to me), but the caller pays the charges, but dont let that scare you! it's not that bad and a 5-10min call from a familiar voice would make more MORE than happy :) i just put refill minutes on my phone from phonecards i buy at kiosks and such around town. i would love to hear from you!
in other news, i FINALLY got an email from nate as i opened my inbox this morning after my 830am class saying that he is fine, had some interesting, and sometimes frustrating, travel experiences making it to instanbul, but he's fine and in his dorm w/other americans and trying to rest and get his bearings. so, he made it. goooooooooooooooooood.
as for me, still no luggage...... i bought a 5 euro shirt yesterday to hold me over til laundry can be done and my luggage comes. plus grocery shopping is fun; im glad i lived a year in an apt in the states and learned to do this well and this summer on crete and got used to greek grocery stores and what they offer. most kids i saw in the store seem lost and confused looking for white milk or peanut butter (which are not too hard to find, but MUCH more expensive here). i drink the MIILKO chocolate milk to get my calcium and its cheaper than white milk very often, so it's ok. plus milko is awwwwwwwwwesome and u can only get it in greece. it's the best chocolate milk evvvvver and it's made by one of the premium greek ice cream companies in greece, so what else can you say??? the best snak food ive found, next to the plentiful american and greek varieties of chips offered are dried, salted pumpkin seeds in bulk. i found them this summer and they are wonderful. just dont eat them everyday or youll find yourself buying immodium everyday too...... ;)
on from that nice lil comment.....
well, im slowly, slowwwwly geting used to and accepting that i will be here for a while and this place will be my home and he ppl my family. i like my roomies so far and am trying to meet more ppl. there are alota folks from the east coast (USA) and some from southern california, a few from kalmazoo, michigan, and then random everywheres too. i met someone from st olaf, but from milwaukee, and then just the michigan kids for midwesterners. one guy i met yesterday said to me after i said i was from minnesota, 'ya, minnesooooota, ay?' original. real original. then proceeded with, 'is everyone from minnesota blonde-haired and blue-eyed?' i couldnt help but shake my head and let the marbles roll around after he left to try to understand that some ppl just get stuck on the cliches and make bad first impressions. perhaps after this summer ive learned that just living w/folks from all over your OWN country can be a cultural experience in itself. sometimes different native accents make communicating in your own language difficult. if you ever wanna read about my summer experience here's the link: http://www.xanga.com/ChrisInGreece
for now, ive gtg and ill ttyl
yassu
alrighty, my cell phone number is.....(drum roll please).........
from the states: (001 30) 694 444 2317.
i get free incoming calls (free to me), but the caller pays the charges, but dont let that scare you! it's not that bad and a 5-10min call from a familiar voice would make more MORE than happy :) i just put refill minutes on my phone from phonecards i buy at kiosks and such around town. i would love to hear from you!
in other news, i FINALLY got an email from nate as i opened my inbox this morning after my 830am class saying that he is fine, had some interesting, and sometimes frustrating, travel experiences making it to instanbul, but he's fine and in his dorm w/other americans and trying to rest and get his bearings. so, he made it. goooooooooooooooooood.
as for me, still no luggage...... i bought a 5 euro shirt yesterday to hold me over til laundry can be done and my luggage comes. plus grocery shopping is fun; im glad i lived a year in an apt in the states and learned to do this well and this summer on crete and got used to greek grocery stores and what they offer. most kids i saw in the store seem lost and confused looking for white milk or peanut butter (which are not too hard to find, but MUCH more expensive here). i drink the MIILKO chocolate milk to get my calcium and its cheaper than white milk very often, so it's ok. plus milko is awwwwwwwwwesome and u can only get it in greece. it's the best chocolate milk evvvvver and it's made by one of the premium greek ice cream companies in greece, so what else can you say??? the best snak food ive found, next to the plentiful american and greek varieties of chips offered are dried, salted pumpkin seeds in bulk. i found them this summer and they are wonderful. just dont eat them everyday or youll find yourself buying immodium everyday too...... ;)
on from that nice lil comment.....
well, im slowly, slowwwwly geting used to and accepting that i will be here for a while and this place will be my home and he ppl my family. i like my roomies so far and am trying to meet more ppl. there are alota folks from the east coast (USA) and some from southern california, a few from kalmazoo, michigan, and then random everywheres too. i met someone from st olaf, but from milwaukee, and then just the michigan kids for midwesterners. one guy i met yesterday said to me after i said i was from minnesota, 'ya, minnesooooota, ay?' original. real original. then proceeded with, 'is everyone from minnesota blonde-haired and blue-eyed?' i couldnt help but shake my head and let the marbles roll around after he left to try to understand that some ppl just get stuck on the cliches and make bad first impressions. perhaps after this summer ive learned that just living w/folks from all over your OWN country can be a cultural experience in itself. sometimes different native accents make communicating in your own language difficult. if you ever wanna read about my summer experience here's the link: http://www.xanga.com/ChrisInGreece
for now, ive gtg and ill ttyl
yassu
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
chrissy starts school...
before i tell you about half of my first day, i just would like to mention......
i have only gotten ONE, count em... ONE COMMENT on my blog! and it was from NATE!! that makes me very sad..... :( :( :(
does anyone ready these? perhaps it would inspire me to write more or more often if i knew ppl liked it.... ay? plus, i really like to hear from you guys! it's hard to keep in contact w/everyone, which i try, but if you post me a message once in a while- i would absolutely LOVE it!!! and i mean LOVE IT!!! :) :) :)
alrighty then, now that that's been said.... (hehe......)
so ive had my first class today, (itwas at 1030 this morning); it's an Aegean Prehistory course. at 320 this afternoon i have my second class: ancient greek athletics. only 2 classes/day here. 2 are mon/wed, and the other 2 are tues/thurs., each being 1.5hrs long. so not a bad load for hours, plus fridays off are wonderful ;)
the sun in shining (still!) and i met some more new ppl. i have been trying my best to be pleasant and not talk too much or too little, as the case may be, due to being a little sad, or frustrated, or just plain nervous here and there. in general i am just fine and feel like alot of the feelings from this past summer's experience are happening all over again. new faces, new places; everything out of your comfort zone. why i insist on doing this to myself so much lately, i dont know. it's a growing experience and im sure i will be a stronger person in the end because of it.
nate left yesterday evening, just before i had to rush off to my orientation meeting w/all the students and staff at 7pm. i saw him the bus station, said our goodbyes, and walked away a little teary and trying to count the cieling tiles in the metro station or think happy thoughts on my way back to the auditorium. i really didnt feel like having a social hour that night after seeing nate off, but i went anyway. after the 'brief' introductions, all the students and staff went out inn groups to eat. man, i really was not feeling social. luckily other ppl approached me and got me to talk anyway. i just tried to listen last night and not feel obligated to chat much. i mean, i needed dinner to i went, but left early once i'd had more than enough. i walked back w/a nice girl name lisa (? i think) who goes to school int he middle of NYC- way different the the U of MN! so the one on one getting to know someone was just what i needed and i felt much better when we parted to go to our respective apt's.
i havent heard from nate yet, because he's sposed to be in instanbul around 4-5pmish, and will contact me via cell or email as soon as he is able. i hope to hear soon just to hear he at least made it alright. im sure he'll be fine, but stil, i cant wait to hear the first word.
my apt is bigger than my apt w/3 other girls last year in minneapolis! it's crazy! of course we have less furniture, but it still is bigger i think! 2 bathrooms too! (one shower). we need some flowers or plants though cuz it's so bare and modestly furnished, so hopefully the flower store at the corner of my block can help out w/that. :)
well, that's all for now, gots things to do.....
still dont have clean clothes, or sheets, or bathtowel yet...... stupid fedex and greek customs.....
ta ta
i have only gotten ONE, count em... ONE COMMENT on my blog! and it was from NATE!! that makes me very sad..... :( :( :(
does anyone ready these? perhaps it would inspire me to write more or more often if i knew ppl liked it.... ay? plus, i really like to hear from you guys! it's hard to keep in contact w/everyone, which i try, but if you post me a message once in a while- i would absolutely LOVE it!!! and i mean LOVE IT!!! :) :) :)
alrighty then, now that that's been said.... (hehe......)
so ive had my first class today, (itwas at 1030 this morning); it's an Aegean Prehistory course. at 320 this afternoon i have my second class: ancient greek athletics. only 2 classes/day here. 2 are mon/wed, and the other 2 are tues/thurs., each being 1.5hrs long. so not a bad load for hours, plus fridays off are wonderful ;)
the sun in shining (still!) and i met some more new ppl. i have been trying my best to be pleasant and not talk too much or too little, as the case may be, due to being a little sad, or frustrated, or just plain nervous here and there. in general i am just fine and feel like alot of the feelings from this past summer's experience are happening all over again. new faces, new places; everything out of your comfort zone. why i insist on doing this to myself so much lately, i dont know. it's a growing experience and im sure i will be a stronger person in the end because of it.
nate left yesterday evening, just before i had to rush off to my orientation meeting w/all the students and staff at 7pm. i saw him the bus station, said our goodbyes, and walked away a little teary and trying to count the cieling tiles in the metro station or think happy thoughts on my way back to the auditorium. i really didnt feel like having a social hour that night after seeing nate off, but i went anyway. after the 'brief' introductions, all the students and staff went out inn groups to eat. man, i really was not feeling social. luckily other ppl approached me and got me to talk anyway. i just tried to listen last night and not feel obligated to chat much. i mean, i needed dinner to i went, but left early once i'd had more than enough. i walked back w/a nice girl name lisa (? i think) who goes to school int he middle of NYC- way different the the U of MN! so the one on one getting to know someone was just what i needed and i felt much better when we parted to go to our respective apt's.
i havent heard from nate yet, because he's sposed to be in instanbul around 4-5pmish, and will contact me via cell or email as soon as he is able. i hope to hear soon just to hear he at least made it alright. im sure he'll be fine, but stil, i cant wait to hear the first word.
my apt is bigger than my apt w/3 other girls last year in minneapolis! it's crazy! of course we have less furniture, but it still is bigger i think! 2 bathrooms too! (one shower). we need some flowers or plants though cuz it's so bare and modestly furnished, so hopefully the flower store at the corner of my block can help out w/that. :)
well, that's all for now, gots things to do.....
still dont have clean clothes, or sheets, or bathtowel yet...... stupid fedex and greek customs.....
ta ta
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
my texts weigh tooooo much!!
so i am safely in athens for my first morning today. i slept alright for my first night at my new apt. it is so much bigger than my apt from last year, and with the same number of ppl!! crazy!
i like my roomate so far; her name is Kellie and is from stanford. i already kinda knew of her from one of the trenchmasters/grad students from the dig this summer who told me about her; she's very nice-- not like some other former roomates. the second one ive met is named katie, or something....she's really quiet and skiddish. perhaps shell be the weird one and not me...hehe...
i just got my textbooks for the semester and they, together, weigh a whole lot and i have to carry them all in one plastic bag back to my apt, about a 15-20 min walk. wheeeew!
next i need to take the metro tot he ariport and find the customs office so i can get my packages with all my clothes and such to finish getting delivered. i want clean clothes!!!
then it's off to the bus station w/nate and perhaps a very sad farewell for an unknown period of time. we dont knwo when we'll be able to get together again and explore our respective cities together. so, it's gloom coming my way for that at least...
then at 7pm is the school orientation and then class dinner out on the town. perhaps ill actually get to mingle w/my classmates tonight because last night was just to fatiging ( if that's a word) and chaotic. im so glad to have slept well last night. and my neighborhood is actually rather quiet at night! yes!
well, gtg do more schtuff
l8r
i like my roomate so far; her name is Kellie and is from stanford. i already kinda knew of her from one of the trenchmasters/grad students from the dig this summer who told me about her; she's very nice-- not like some other former roomates. the second one ive met is named katie, or something....she's really quiet and skiddish. perhaps shell be the weird one and not me...hehe...
i just got my textbooks for the semester and they, together, weigh a whole lot and i have to carry them all in one plastic bag back to my apt, about a 15-20 min walk. wheeeew!
next i need to take the metro tot he ariport and find the customs office so i can get my packages with all my clothes and such to finish getting delivered. i want clean clothes!!!
then it's off to the bus station w/nate and perhaps a very sad farewell for an unknown period of time. we dont knwo when we'll be able to get together again and explore our respective cities together. so, it's gloom coming my way for that at least...
then at 7pm is the school orientation and then class dinner out on the town. perhaps ill actually get to mingle w/my classmates tonight because last night was just to fatiging ( if that's a word) and chaotic. im so glad to have slept well last night. and my neighborhood is actually rather quiet at night! yes!
well, gtg do more schtuff
l8r
Saturday, September 11, 2004
last real day of my european adventure...besides getting to athens...
alright everyone, this is my last night in rome, and last night exploring a new city. tomorrow i leave early for Brindisi, then and long ferry ride to Patras, and thena grueling day getting to Athens, finding my school check in point, and maybe...... getting my boxes of clothes and other necessities shipped over for the semester. greece really has issues in their customs office and are so freakin lazy and stringent about everything going and coming from their country. more than the u.s. sometimes even.
nate and i are trying to take care of our train and ferry schedules for the next 2 days and figuring out the frustrations of sending massive boxes abroad, and then trying to pull ourselves from the misery that is email (well, sometimes....i mean--- im in rome!! come on!!) so that we can go out and enjoy our last night here.
last update till prolly midweek, wednesday or thursday maybe.
today i saw the baths of caracalla, a mithreum, and the first legal christian church in rome, and took it slower today, because i caught a cold in the last few days and have been dragging on lil more sickly; my body will survive and so will i. perhaps the fresh athens air will help.
well, ta ta for now and ttys
love
chris
nate and i are trying to take care of our train and ferry schedules for the next 2 days and figuring out the frustrations of sending massive boxes abroad, and then trying to pull ourselves from the misery that is email (well, sometimes....i mean--- im in rome!! come on!!) so that we can go out and enjoy our last night here.
last update till prolly midweek, wednesday or thursday maybe.
today i saw the baths of caracalla, a mithreum, and the first legal christian church in rome, and took it slower today, because i caught a cold in the last few days and have been dragging on lil more sickly; my body will survive and so will i. perhaps the fresh athens air will help.
well, ta ta for now and ttys
love
chris
Friday, September 10, 2004
buon giorno rrrroma!!
hellooooooo everyone
it is friday the 10th of sept. and it's my dad's 51st birthday!!!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! (*cheeeers)
i think this was the first week of classes for some of you going back to school.....mwahahahah....i dont actually start class till next wednesday. kinda crazy to thinka bout though cuz uh, im in rome, and uh, that means i need to be in athens then, and then in a classroom. just a weird thought sometimes that i just cant get over.
stevie- i finished the first harry potter book......yes....finally....... you should persuade mom to send me the second one if youve got a copy. im starting the Chronicles of Narnia now ( i only have the first book with me) and will be reading the LOTR for my fun books this semester. i guess my head can only fill up on so much classics and archaeology nerdiness. an escape from reality really does help. steven,you should check out the narnia series.
i am now in the huge city of rome, which often surprises my nerdy self at how much different it looks from allllll my ancient rome reconstruction drawings in all my texts. at least this makes it easier to visualize what rome may have looked like 2-5000 years ago, at least sometimes. ive been the forums, the colosseum, capitol and palatine museums and hills, baths of diocletian, both columns of trajan and marcus aurelius, sistene chapel, which is in vatican city (went there too), st. peters basilica---which no modern roman building can be higher than, except radio/cell phone towers--- the pantheon, and many other things too that perhaps ill keep to my nerdy self....hehe.... tomorrow nate and i are going to see the baths of caracalla and this mithraic temple beneath a modern christian chruch. we missed the lower level tour by about 15 min on our first day here, so at least we saw the upper church.
if anyone wants a postcard, they need to send me their home address cuz i dont have any written down with me!!! please! id love to!
here is the big story of the week..... dont be scared...just read:
paris ....well.... many bad things. only one really great thing besides, obviously, seeing the must-do sites: these reaalllllllly AWESOME ppl movers!!! they are like rollers under your feet when u step on to them and they speeed you up right quick! we almost went back and did it again it was so fun; reminded me of those huge kiddie lands of our childhood, like Eagle's Nest or whatever they were called. well, soon after that when we were taking a metro/train back to whereever, the train was packed and we had to stand. there was this crazy guy muttering to himself and seems to have been for the last few stops b4 us even, said this guy who ended up helping us...........nate had to move when a stop came to let ppl off and he accidentally brushed this weirdo with his pack. the mentally insane moron started ranting about not being homosexual and getting up in nate's face; soon i was watching this moron from 5 feet away threatening and belittling nate for not answering and turning away to avoid confrontation.... seriously- this guy belongsssssss in a mental institution.next, the guy walks over to nate and says something like 'dont you understand me??? im not a homosexual!!!' and PUNCHES him right in the face as hard as he could!!! right in the temple, and sends his glasses (which he desperately needs) flying off in a tussle of feet. the train is slowing down at this point to stop and the guy runs out 'satisfied' that hes taught someone a 'lesson'. NO ONE runs after him. no one around nate helps him. it's the most pathetic display of humanitarianism i have ever seen and the most violent act i have ever personally witnessed, and not only that, towards someone i love very much. i screamed in french for someone to 'help me!' 'help him!' 'no one?????' everyone around us just stood and stared and shook their heads as if nothing had happened. one person next to nate picked up his glasses for him; another man came to us as we got off the train because we knew we needed to do something. this very kind french man who spoke a decent amount of english helped us get situated and asked us what we wanted to do and told us we should go to the police. we concretely agreed, as well as a serious need of a doctor. nate wasnt bleeding but he was turning millions of colors and his whole right eye was swollen and still swelling, plus the whole temple area of his face was red from the hit. in shock and in natural reaction to protect i think my alertness went up and decided to trust the man trying to help. people who had gotten outside the train came to gauk, but not help; i was utterly disgusted by the time everything began to simmer down later when i thought about it. one single man came to help out of the tens that witnessed. i think that made me more mad than the insane attacker getting away- which in the end he did and will probably again in the future.we followed the guy up to the street level, and across the busy square and over the bridge to the police station (thank god it was close). nate got some ice, we sat on the curb, and the frenchman told the police what happened with me adding my bit of french here and there to help. between my broken french and their broken english we filed an informal report and nate got taken to the hospital. at this point we had about 55-60min before we needed to be ON our train to rome; this was an important one in our itinerary, if not the MOST- we could NOT miss this one. so we had 2 big problems to deal with: nate's miserable head and beating Father Time. we decided to get the ride of the fire truck to the hospital, get him checked out for concussion or any major problems and book it to the train. he had just the pain of the swelling and sensitivity of touch--- he was/is soooooo lucky. no concussion, we think, thank god again. well, after a needed doctor's exam we ran from metro to metro to train station getting help along the way from kind strangers pointing us in the right direction. nate was doing so-so, i mean come on, he just got punched in the head. his glasses were bent and didnt fit correctly, so he was getting a headache and disorientation from that too. we decided to get them fixed the next day in rome at an optical store, which we did and they now look actually better than before.we made our overnight train withing about 5-10mins of it leaving the station, which is cutting it close when youre sposed to be there 30min prior. not to mention being still in shock and confusion about what all has just happened. youre mad and sad, happy and thankful, angry and confused- all at the same time, but still trying to function and navigate a huge city for just a short while till you can sit on the train and mull it all over. it's a pretty scary thing, but amazing all at the same time as to what the human being is capable of when it has to. i spose ill end there. we are fine and nate is healing just fine; few to no headaches since then; mainly just lots of pretty colors and one 'colorful' story to tell from paris. lesson learned: never travel alone and try to stay away from the crazies at allll costs (that is if you see them...) nate's black eye should actually be gone a a few days, just in time for his job to start.things could have been alot worse.
well, i wrote that to catherine and decided i wasnt gonna type it again. so there is is folks, perhaps the only bad experience so far.
other than that, we are having tons of fun and rome is a dream for me to be in because i have studied so much of its history, art, and archaeology. i think i drag nate on really long, hilly walks sometimes that he despises in our moments of heat and weakness, but he's a real trooper and i think appreciates the occasional commentary when we dont have guides.
i have not mentioned the weather, silly me! we have been given absolutely glorious and beautiful weather since landing in dublin! everyday has been full of sunshine, even if it can get pretty hot and muggy. at least it's NOT raining!!! one more day of sunshine is really all we need until athens. we have just tomorrow left for site-seeing and then a couple days of straight travel: one train to Brindisi on the SE coast of italy, then an overnight ferry to Patras,Greece, and then one last train for me to Athens. Nate will continue on to Instanbul, Turkey to meet his own fate the following day via a 10hour bus north through Thesoloniki and then east to the european side of turkey (and instanbul).
hopefully the stars have it in for us in the positive for the next few days; i think we have been through the worse and are gaining on it for much of the best of our trip.
to see nate's blog, go to this address anytime :) :
itsbacon.blogspot.com
you can keep updated on his happenings in turkey too! i should have a link on the side of the page sometime in the next few weeks. stay tuned!
well, gtg, ive got rome to enjoy and not a computer screen, but im glad to fill you in and share my experiences!!
ciao!!
it is friday the 10th of sept. and it's my dad's 51st birthday!!!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!! (*cheeeers)
i think this was the first week of classes for some of you going back to school.....mwahahahah....i dont actually start class till next wednesday. kinda crazy to thinka bout though cuz uh, im in rome, and uh, that means i need to be in athens then, and then in a classroom. just a weird thought sometimes that i just cant get over.
stevie- i finished the first harry potter book......yes....finally....... you should persuade mom to send me the second one if youve got a copy. im starting the Chronicles of Narnia now ( i only have the first book with me) and will be reading the LOTR for my fun books this semester. i guess my head can only fill up on so much classics and archaeology nerdiness. an escape from reality really does help. steven,you should check out the narnia series.
i am now in the huge city of rome, which often surprises my nerdy self at how much different it looks from allllll my ancient rome reconstruction drawings in all my texts. at least this makes it easier to visualize what rome may have looked like 2-5000 years ago, at least sometimes. ive been the forums, the colosseum, capitol and palatine museums and hills, baths of diocletian, both columns of trajan and marcus aurelius, sistene chapel, which is in vatican city (went there too), st. peters basilica---which no modern roman building can be higher than, except radio/cell phone towers--- the pantheon, and many other things too that perhaps ill keep to my nerdy self....hehe.... tomorrow nate and i are going to see the baths of caracalla and this mithraic temple beneath a modern christian chruch. we missed the lower level tour by about 15 min on our first day here, so at least we saw the upper church.
if anyone wants a postcard, they need to send me their home address cuz i dont have any written down with me!!! please! id love to!
here is the big story of the week..... dont be scared...just read:
paris ....well.... many bad things. only one really great thing besides, obviously, seeing the must-do sites: these reaalllllllly AWESOME ppl movers!!! they are like rollers under your feet when u step on to them and they speeed you up right quick! we almost went back and did it again it was so fun; reminded me of those huge kiddie lands of our childhood, like Eagle's Nest or whatever they were called. well, soon after that when we were taking a metro/train back to whereever, the train was packed and we had to stand. there was this crazy guy muttering to himself and seems to have been for the last few stops b4 us even, said this guy who ended up helping us...........nate had to move when a stop came to let ppl off and he accidentally brushed this weirdo with his pack. the mentally insane moron started ranting about not being homosexual and getting up in nate's face; soon i was watching this moron from 5 feet away threatening and belittling nate for not answering and turning away to avoid confrontation.... seriously- this guy belongsssssss in a mental institution.next, the guy walks over to nate and says something like 'dont you understand me??? im not a homosexual!!!' and PUNCHES him right in the face as hard as he could!!! right in the temple, and sends his glasses (which he desperately needs) flying off in a tussle of feet. the train is slowing down at this point to stop and the guy runs out 'satisfied' that hes taught someone a 'lesson'. NO ONE runs after him. no one around nate helps him. it's the most pathetic display of humanitarianism i have ever seen and the most violent act i have ever personally witnessed, and not only that, towards someone i love very much. i screamed in french for someone to 'help me!' 'help him!' 'no one?????' everyone around us just stood and stared and shook their heads as if nothing had happened. one person next to nate picked up his glasses for him; another man came to us as we got off the train because we knew we needed to do something. this very kind french man who spoke a decent amount of english helped us get situated and asked us what we wanted to do and told us we should go to the police. we concretely agreed, as well as a serious need of a doctor. nate wasnt bleeding but he was turning millions of colors and his whole right eye was swollen and still swelling, plus the whole temple area of his face was red from the hit. in shock and in natural reaction to protect i think my alertness went up and decided to trust the man trying to help. people who had gotten outside the train came to gauk, but not help; i was utterly disgusted by the time everything began to simmer down later when i thought about it. one single man came to help out of the tens that witnessed. i think that made me more mad than the insane attacker getting away- which in the end he did and will probably again in the future.we followed the guy up to the street level, and across the busy square and over the bridge to the police station (thank god it was close). nate got some ice, we sat on the curb, and the frenchman told the police what happened with me adding my bit of french here and there to help. between my broken french and their broken english we filed an informal report and nate got taken to the hospital. at this point we had about 55-60min before we needed to be ON our train to rome; this was an important one in our itinerary, if not the MOST- we could NOT miss this one. so we had 2 big problems to deal with: nate's miserable head and beating Father Time. we decided to get the ride of the fire truck to the hospital, get him checked out for concussion or any major problems and book it to the train. he had just the pain of the swelling and sensitivity of touch--- he was/is soooooo lucky. no concussion, we think, thank god again. well, after a needed doctor's exam we ran from metro to metro to train station getting help along the way from kind strangers pointing us in the right direction. nate was doing so-so, i mean come on, he just got punched in the head. his glasses were bent and didnt fit correctly, so he was getting a headache and disorientation from that too. we decided to get them fixed the next day in rome at an optical store, which we did and they now look actually better than before.we made our overnight train withing about 5-10mins of it leaving the station, which is cutting it close when youre sposed to be there 30min prior. not to mention being still in shock and confusion about what all has just happened. youre mad and sad, happy and thankful, angry and confused- all at the same time, but still trying to function and navigate a huge city for just a short while till you can sit on the train and mull it all over. it's a pretty scary thing, but amazing all at the same time as to what the human being is capable of when it has to. i spose ill end there. we are fine and nate is healing just fine; few to no headaches since then; mainly just lots of pretty colors and one 'colorful' story to tell from paris. lesson learned: never travel alone and try to stay away from the crazies at allll costs (that is if you see them...) nate's black eye should actually be gone a a few days, just in time for his job to start.things could have been alot worse.
well, i wrote that to catherine and decided i wasnt gonna type it again. so there is is folks, perhaps the only bad experience so far.
other than that, we are having tons of fun and rome is a dream for me to be in because i have studied so much of its history, art, and archaeology. i think i drag nate on really long, hilly walks sometimes that he despises in our moments of heat and weakness, but he's a real trooper and i think appreciates the occasional commentary when we dont have guides.
i have not mentioned the weather, silly me! we have been given absolutely glorious and beautiful weather since landing in dublin! everyday has been full of sunshine, even if it can get pretty hot and muggy. at least it's NOT raining!!! one more day of sunshine is really all we need until athens. we have just tomorrow left for site-seeing and then a couple days of straight travel: one train to Brindisi on the SE coast of italy, then an overnight ferry to Patras,Greece, and then one last train for me to Athens. Nate will continue on to Instanbul, Turkey to meet his own fate the following day via a 10hour bus north through Thesoloniki and then east to the european side of turkey (and instanbul).
hopefully the stars have it in for us in the positive for the next few days; i think we have been through the worse and are gaining on it for much of the best of our trip.
to see nate's blog, go to this address anytime :) :
itsbacon.blogspot.com
you can keep updated on his happenings in turkey too! i should have a link on the side of the page sometime in the next few weeks. stay tuned!
well, gtg, ive got rome to enjoy and not a computer screen, but im glad to fill you in and share my experiences!!
ciao!!
Monday, September 06, 2004
finally an update!!
sorry everyone for the lack of update!! its hard gong from place to place and remembering to look for a net cafe. plus the keyboards in france arre different, like everything else in paris- things are different and im slowly learning why the world mocks their engineering... let me just note their metro system, comp keyboards and yup, charles de gaulle airport.... remember that? anyway, so far ive been in dublin, london, and now in paris. cant blab long before chagres skyrocket for net use. saw the guinness storehouse, churches, and fun irish lanes; london the buck'ham pal., tower of lon/bridge, lond. bridge, st pauls, west. abbey; and now the eiffel tower, sacre coeur, arc de triomphe, champs elysees, ETC ETC in all places. other than that nate and i are doing well and seein lotsa stuff; my french skills have served me well and hopefully latin will get me by in italy--- i hear it can work well in a bind!! ha!!!
well, gtg time is up
more to come either from rome or when i get to athens!!
'bizes' (kisses)
chris
well, gtg time is up
more to come either from rome or when i get to athens!!
'bizes' (kisses)
chris
Monday, August 30, 2004
leaving in 9.5 hours........
man, i can hardly believe im going already.......
in approx. 9.5 hours i will be leaving my folks' house, headed for the airport, ....then off to Dublin!!! dublin frikin ireland!!!! more than anything i cant wait to get on the plane and NOT PACK any more!!!!!!! im sooooooooo tired of my stuff being strewn all over the house in box after box after garbage bag after random drawr (how do u spell that word?) after random living room and storage room space. i think my parents lovvvvvved it. not. now that all my stuff is packed and ready for shipping to athens (only my backpack will b with me around europe, the rest sent separately) you can see the carpet in 'my' room. who'd a thunk it was still there?
well, now that most of my life is packed in small, compartmentalized spaces i shud be good to go. no more planning; no more phone calls; no more emails; no more errands; no more stupid, frustrating people on the road of planning; only the sensation of enjoyment that allllll my hard work, time and efforts put towards my huge ventures shall not go for nuthin---but one of the best adventures of my life.
yep, im nervous, a little scared, still a bit stressed until i finally quit wondering what i forgot, shaky due to lack of sleep, and sad cuz ill be leaving home and family and everything familiar. it seems like i just got home from crete sometimes and that makes it a little harder to leave all over again so quickly. i was doing laundry this past week and spaced once or twice about how nice it is to do laundry in my own house, for free in my parents' machines, stand on carpet, and not have to drag a huge basket down the hall of an apt. or up a huge hill in crete. sometimes the simplest things relax you; mine was laundry. or maybe i just miss the smells of home, whatever it was, it was just one more thing that reminds me that i will indeed miss home and family.
sometimes i wonder why i push myself so much to create these adventures, but i remember how much i learned from crete. i wonder if my major will keep me interested, or if my family and friends will take care of themselves and stay healthy while im gone, or this, or that... i think more than anything, i love the regularity of home, but crave dynamic experiences that could never exist outside my comfort bubble.
i cant wait to see so many of the things i do or have read about and studied, all over europe and greece. also, to see what it's like to live out of my pack for 2 weeks. i am also looking forward to having a travel buddy this time, to and from athens; if there's one practical tip i could pass on for international travel it's: travel w/a partner. when you travel alone you must constantly be much more alert, but when w/someone there's someone to watch your pack/luggage when you need to go to the bathroom (lugging your suitcase into the stall is NOT fun!! :( , someone to watch your stuff if you need a nap during layovers (multiple planes always means more time and fatigue, and dont forget the jetlag!), sharing the responsibility (and maybe stress) of international travel/flying can be such a help, even if it's just confirming your checkin time or gate number; and last but not least, just talking to someone along the way makes the trip MUCH less lonely and much more fun.
so yeah, im really excited to travel w/someone, can ya tell?? geees, i sound like a brochure.......
anyhoo...
i shud prolly b sleeping now
i am going to try to get to net cafes in europe to update the blog (web log), otherwise once i get to athens and get my laptop, i will update the site!
ill talk to yall soooon and i hope to hear from you!!
take care and
bon voyage
in approx. 9.5 hours i will be leaving my folks' house, headed for the airport, ....then off to Dublin!!! dublin frikin ireland!!!! more than anything i cant wait to get on the plane and NOT PACK any more!!!!!!! im sooooooooo tired of my stuff being strewn all over the house in box after box after garbage bag after random drawr (how do u spell that word?) after random living room and storage room space. i think my parents lovvvvvved it. not. now that all my stuff is packed and ready for shipping to athens (only my backpack will b with me around europe, the rest sent separately) you can see the carpet in 'my' room. who'd a thunk it was still there?
well, now that most of my life is packed in small, compartmentalized spaces i shud be good to go. no more planning; no more phone calls; no more emails; no more errands; no more stupid, frustrating people on the road of planning; only the sensation of enjoyment that allllll my hard work, time and efforts put towards my huge ventures shall not go for nuthin---but one of the best adventures of my life.
yep, im nervous, a little scared, still a bit stressed until i finally quit wondering what i forgot, shaky due to lack of sleep, and sad cuz ill be leaving home and family and everything familiar. it seems like i just got home from crete sometimes and that makes it a little harder to leave all over again so quickly. i was doing laundry this past week and spaced once or twice about how nice it is to do laundry in my own house, for free in my parents' machines, stand on carpet, and not have to drag a huge basket down the hall of an apt. or up a huge hill in crete. sometimes the simplest things relax you; mine was laundry. or maybe i just miss the smells of home, whatever it was, it was just one more thing that reminds me that i will indeed miss home and family.
sometimes i wonder why i push myself so much to create these adventures, but i remember how much i learned from crete. i wonder if my major will keep me interested, or if my family and friends will take care of themselves and stay healthy while im gone, or this, or that... i think more than anything, i love the regularity of home, but crave dynamic experiences that could never exist outside my comfort bubble.
i cant wait to see so many of the things i do or have read about and studied, all over europe and greece. also, to see what it's like to live out of my pack for 2 weeks. i am also looking forward to having a travel buddy this time, to and from athens; if there's one practical tip i could pass on for international travel it's: travel w/a partner. when you travel alone you must constantly be much more alert, but when w/someone there's someone to watch your pack/luggage when you need to go to the bathroom (lugging your suitcase into the stall is NOT fun!! :( , someone to watch your stuff if you need a nap during layovers (multiple planes always means more time and fatigue, and dont forget the jetlag!), sharing the responsibility (and maybe stress) of international travel/flying can be such a help, even if it's just confirming your checkin time or gate number; and last but not least, just talking to someone along the way makes the trip MUCH less lonely and much more fun.
so yeah, im really excited to travel w/someone, can ya tell?? geees, i sound like a brochure.......
anyhoo...
i shud prolly b sleeping now
i am going to try to get to net cafes in europe to update the blog (web log), otherwise once i get to athens and get my laptop, i will update the site!
ill talk to yall soooon and i hope to hear from you!!
take care and
bon voyage
Monday, August 23, 2004
pics site from crete from this summer
hey- i FINALLY got some of my 7 rolls of film put online, mainly ppl pics and not site stuff. if u wanna see some of them go to this site:
Snapfish
the 'azoria, crete' folder are mine and the 'azoria' folder is mary's, a friend of mine from crete. feel free to browse and enjoy! hopefully i will have my album put together with all my photos from crete this past summer before i leave for europe and athens next week. i will be able to share them at christmas when i come back!! and by the way, i will be returning on christmas eve!!
alright, back to procrastinating packing and such,
chris :)
Snapfish
the 'azoria, crete' folder are mine and the 'azoria' folder is mary's, a friend of mine from crete. feel free to browse and enjoy! hopefully i will have my album put together with all my photos from crete this past summer before i leave for europe and athens next week. i will be able to share them at christmas when i come back!! and by the way, i will be returning on christmas eve!!
alright, back to procrastinating packing and such,
chris :)
new site!!!!
hello everyone!
welcome to my new online journal site :) this one will be way better this time around cuz of better features: you CAN actually post messages to me this time AND i will b able to post pictures!! so yeah, bookmark this site instead of the xanga site!
well, i leave in less than one week from today......... craaaaaaazy.............
more soon!
love,
chris
welcome to my new online journal site :) this one will be way better this time around cuz of better features: you CAN actually post messages to me this time AND i will b able to post pictures!! so yeah, bookmark this site instead of the xanga site!
well, i leave in less than one week from today......... craaaaaaazy.............
more soon!
love,
chris
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