Day 3:

May 17 th Athens , Greece - Chania, Crete

I couldn’t sleep very well last night. I woke up around 3:00 AM and paced the floors. Aaron could not sleep wither so we just talked until everyone woke up. Our group was up and ready to go by 9:00 am. We had breakfast in the lobby and brought our luggage to a room on the first floor to store it while we toured the Acropolis. From our Hotel we went along the “sacred way”, a path that led up to the Acropolis. On our way, we passed a very large rock where it is believed that Paul would give talks to large groups of people about Christianity (Paul’s rock). It was very slippery. I guess this would have been from acid rain or from all of the people traffic every day. Once inside the gate to the Acropolis, I got a sense of how huge these buildings were that we were studying. They were amazing. It was disappointing that there was a lot of restoration being done, but at least it wasn’t closed. Here Dr. Chapin told us about some historical things about the acropolis as well as the designs of all of the buildings. Since we studied the architecture, it was interesting to see it live right in front of us. We walked around this site appreciating its beauty as well as it’s function for the time of its hay day. The Acropolis must have been a great sight. The marble seemed to sparkle in the sun light. One of the best things about this site was the museum on site. This was our first museum in Greece. I was a little overwhelmed by all of the things in this building. After our tour of the Acropolis, we walked back down to get some lunch. On our way, JR reminded us that we had just see complete buildings built out of marble ( recrystalized limestone). He proposed the question as to how all of this limestone might have gotten here. Greece has some of the most extensive marble quarries in the world. He went on to described the different types of marble and how the color of marble can give you a clue to where it is from.

Lunch was great. Aaron and I found a taverna that was pretty cheep. I had a sandwich with green olives, feta cheese, and cucumber. It wasn’t the healthiest thing in the world, but it was delicious. We met back up with the teacher and headed to the Agora. An agora is a social place. It was a place out of the sun where people could gather, shop, or people watch. We walked to the Temple of Hephaestus. We returned to the hotel, collected our bags and took a train to the port. From here we took a ferry to Chania, Crete.

This was an overnight ferry. We were pretty lucky in the fact that we had cabins to sleep in. A lot of the passengers chose to take a lower fair and sleep where ever they could find a place. I was getting pretty restless on this boat. I wanted to walk around, but on a boat, there really isn’t anything to do. So I did what any other college age kid would do. I rounded up my friends and went to the disco. Not everyone was into the music but I liked it. We sat around and had some drinks. Justin, Ben, and Aaron Post, joined us in our endeavor to experience culture. We met a girl on this ferry that was backpacking with one of her friends through Europe. They had gotten in a fight and now she was on her own. She fit right in. We drank until the wee hours of the morning.

Acropolis

Temple of Athena

Day 4:

May 18th - Samaria Gorge on Crete

We were abruptly woken up by the crew members banging on our cabin doors. Ooops! I guess we over slept. They were yelling that we had to get off because the ship was leaving very soon. We hurried and gathered our things and ran off the boat. We made it off the bus just in time.

I had a good nights rest and I was ready to go. We found our bus at the port, loaded our bags, and began to drive towards the Samaria Gorge. I was excited about this, but didn't know what to expect. I was terrified by this bus ride. We flew up and down the mountains. The scenery was pretty, but I thought we were going to go die, or at least plummet off the side of the mountains. Luckily we didn’t die, and made it to a little shop were we ate breakfast. I got a couple of things to take on the hike and a banana for breakfast. We loaded back up and off we were again. When we pulled up to the Gorge I was in awe. I had never seen mountains like this. It was absolutely beautiful. The hike down was scary. I chose to wear chacos which weren’t the best attire for this terrain. It was rocky and very steep. After walking for about 30 minutes, we learned that the hike would be 16km. There was no turning back; I would have to stick it out. On our way down we experience several changes in the topography. About halfway we stopped for lunch. I was happy to sit down for a little while. On our way to the picnic area, which was pretty flat, I fell down. I have the worst luck. I had just commented on how far we came and how surprised I was that I didn’t fall down. I guess I just spoke to soon.

Look at thetiny people

Lunch was very satisfying. I bought a can of peaches and some bagel chips. I washed out the cuts on my leg and admired these wonderful battle wounds. The rest of the hike went smoothly. We were all very tired and hot by the time we finally finished. We arrived in the village at the bottom and got a nice cold mythos. I wanted to go swimming but I was too exhausted to move. I sat down and waited for our ferry that would take us to our bus. When we made it back to the bus everyone crashed. Again the bus driver scared me, but I was too tired to notice. We were on this bus for a long time. I don’t remember how long, but it seemed like it took forever to get to Matala. It was dark when we arrive at our hotel. We unloaded the bus and found our rooms. We were pretty hungry and walked a little ways down and found a pizza place. Yes!!! We split a Greek pizza. It was one of the best things ever. I went to bed after dinner.

Day 5:

May 19 th - Matala, Crete / Phaistos

We woke up and pulled back the curtains to see that we were staying right on the beach. We went downstairs and ate breakfast. It was about 8:30 when we loaded the bus to Phaistos. This was my first time seeing ancient ruins. Phaistos was impressive. The last palace was actually built on the first. Here, Dr. Chapin pointed out the building style as we walked through: the gypsum floors and pier and door partitions. The main steps seemed to lead through a grand entrance, but the actual entrance to the palace was off to the right and was only big enough for one person at a time to pass through. I was amazed at how much was still here. The huge storage pots gave me a little perspective on how things were stored.

After Phaistos, we took the bus back for lunch and enjoyed the beach of Matala. The water was so cold and refreshing. We joined back up with the professors around 5:00 to tour the caves. Kristen discovered an amphora earlier that day when she went out with Dr. Chapin to another sight and both were very excited to tell us about it. Dr. Chapin tried to contact the local authorities about this. JR discussed the rock and how these caves were formed. Then they turned us loose and we went nuts. The caves were simply beyond belief. Cat Stevens use to come here in the late 60’s. We found some psychedelic cave paintings. Aaron and I ate dinner with Kyle and Emily. The restaurant overlooked the water. I had a half liter of wine and spaghetti. When we finished our dinner, the waiter brought us Raki, a local type of moonshine made from grapes. It was very strong and the waiter was not shy to bring us more. We wondered along the market and shopped. After the market, we joined some others (Ryan, Molly, and Eric) for some drinks. From there we headed to the hotel, but ran in to JR, Aaron Post, Ben, and Justin. We had a couple of drinks here to and closed the bar down.

Caves

Day 6:

May 20 th - Ayia Triada/Gortyn/Skoteino Cave

We woke up around 8:00 , had breakfast and loaded up the bus. We drove out to Ayia Triada. Here we found that he buildings were aligned with magnetic north. We also found a room that could have been the royal dinning room. It was very cool and out of the sun. The walls still had blackened marks from a fire. I love this sight. I really felt like I was walking on a piece of history. (I guess because I was). After exploring we went back to Phaistos to check for the same alignment. Phaistos was also aligned. From here we got back on the bus to Gorytn. This place held a written record of laws. From Gortyn, we went to the Skoteino Cave. This cave was not a big touristy sight so we had the whole place to ourselves. We climbed down with flashlights. The rocks were very slippery. We went down about half a mile. Here I found some pottery still pretty much intact. We hiked out of this cave and waited until we were off the bus to share our findings.

Dinner was great. Our waiter talked to us for a long time about America. He was very curious about us and why we where here.

Ayia Triada

law code at Gortyn

Looking out of the cave

Day 7:

May 21 st - Lasithi Plain/Diktean Cave/ Mochlos

We woke up early again and got started after breakfast. We toured the Lasithi Plain. We ate lunch at a restaurant over looking the plain. From here we went to the Dikteon Cave, the site where Zeuse was hidden from his father. This cave was very crowded. The walk up wasn’t that bad. Inside the cave there were many stalagmites, stalactites, and columns. It was lit and there was a railing that kept the flow of traffic moving in the right direction.

Mochlos was this island that we swam to. I like to call it my death swim. I guess I probably shouldn’t have gone because I just learned to swim, but I did it anyway. Molly and I were fine going over, but we came up on a rock filled with urchins on the other side. The swim was about a quarter of a mile. Once we got out of the water, we walked around the sight. It was Roman. We stayed for a little while, but had to return because the tide was coming in. I was nervous about swimming against the current. Half way there I thought I was being taken further out so I panicked. I began to sink. Once I calmed down and remembered I could float I was fine. I believe I through Molly into a panic as well, but once I could touch I yelled over to her. Aaron and Eric, like the inquisitive little boys they are found urchins, and an anemone in the tide pools.

The bus ride was scary I didn’t want to watch. I went to sleep, waking up in periods of burning up because the front of the bus wanted the air off.

view of the plain

Day 8:

May 22 nd - Palaikastro/Gournia

Molly and I went out for a little shopping. We found a store where everything was half off. Great!! I loved trying on the clothes, the shop owner was so excited to help us. “Special for you”, was the phrase he would say whenever he found something for us to wear. Molly and I adopted this phrase for the rest of the trip. We traveled to Palaikasto, another Minoan site. By this point I was too tired and all of these sites were beginning to run together. We were still looking for earthquake damage and finding shards.

Gournia was closed. Some people went under the fence, but I had to go to the restroom. HA!! There wasn’t one… Molly and I found ourselves wondering off from the group to the olive orchard to answer the call of nature. All I could think of was some angry man running out because we were urinating on his trees. It didn’t happen of course…

Aaron and I ate dinner with Ryan, Molly, and Eric. We walked around the shore that night and enjoyed the ambiance. The water was so loud when it crashed upon the rocks.

Day 9

May 23 rd - Lato/Knossos

Knossos was a huge tourist attraction. There were people everywhere and I found myself again in aw of this site. I was a little disappointed because the palace was done in a kind of artist’s point of view, taking parts of the old and adding on top of them and painting things. I guess it would help some people imagine what this could have looked like, but it was a huge turn off form me. I did like that they displayed some replicas of the original frescos.

We looked for earthquake damage in the part that would have been a sort of servant housing. We talked about the placement of doors to take advantage of the winds. I love the shade trees here. I sat down for a couple of minutes and watched our group. Everyone had that child look about them. It made me smile.

From here we traveled to Heraklion, the capital of Crete. The hotel was very nice. Aaron and I wanted to go exploring. We got a little lost and had to find someone that spoke English to get us back to our hotel. We ran into our group on the street. I’m really glad we did. They were headed to take a bus to the beach. I am fascinated with public transportation. It is one of my favorite things. I guess it’s because I like people watching. I got to see a lot on this trip. You can learn a lot about a culture by observing. The beach was beautiful. The sand was soft and warm. A man came by selling pretzels. It made me laugh to think that someone would by a salty pretzel when it was so hot outside. Emily bought one… JR and Dr. Chapin were off exploring a site on there own. I love the beach time.

There was a little conflict between Sara, my roommate, and her friends. I probably should have just left it alone, but I stepped in. I think I lost some friends, but oh well.

Dinner was fantastic and cheap. Our waiter was funny. He kept on singing a popular son there as he served us… “You’re my lover. Undercover…” We got ice cream after dinner and walked around to look at the shops.

Day 10

May 24 th - Heraklion Museum/ Ferry from Heraklion to Santorini

We walked from our hotel to the Heraklion Museum. I loved this city so walking around it wasn’t that big of a deal. It was only about 6 blocks from our hotel. I think it was market day because everyone was buying groceries. When we got to the museum we waited in line for a long time. Once inside I was happy to have Dr. Chapin. There was so much to see. My favorite thing about this museum was the jewelry, and well maybe the giant axes to. Come to think of it, it was pretty cool to see the snake goddess. Actually, I loved everything. As I strolled from room to room I could feel myself going back in time. That’s probably the purpose of a museum and with that in mind, I think it served its purpose. I stayed here for a long time and ended up going back to the hotel by myself. There I met up with the rest of everyone and learned to the purchase of produce. It was an incredible bounty of cherries, olives, and raisins. Each bag weighed about 2 kilos.

The ferry to Santorini wasn’t that long. We ran into some people from other schools. It was a good American bonding moment. I talked to a couple from Brevard and found out that I knew there son, weird how small the world really is. I spent most of this ferry drinking and socializing, two things I am really good at. The end of the ride was gorgeous. When we arrived in Santorini, I was amazed by the houses that were built on the side of the caldera. Our hotel didn’t send anyone to pick us up so we had to wait until someone came to get us. I could live here for the rest of my life. The water was great, the food was great, and it was only the first 15 minutes of being here. We winded up the caldera to our hotel.

I decided to go out on the town with Aaron. He was feeling sick, so I ended up going out with Ben, Aaron Post, and Justin. Theses boys showed me a great time. We had so much alcohol and good times. All the boys danced and even worked on their pick up lines. We had a fabulous night.

Outside Museum

Day 11

May 25th - Volcano tour, Santorini

Today we are going on a volcano tour. We walked down the caldera toward the boat. On our way we had to pass lots of donkeys and their droppings. I walked really slowly because I was so hung over. I wanted to get a lot of pictures on the way down. The tour was cool. JR explained about the caldera and how it was formed. You could feel the heat from the earth on your feet. There were tons of black rocks. We hiked to the top of the volcano and had the best view from there. After the volcano, we went swimming in the hot springs. I didn’t since I was already doing well to be on a boat while hung over. I volunteered to watch everyone’s stuff. It was a win win situation. I got to sleep while the others left me alone. Perfect!! Once we got back on it was time to look toward the bottom of the boat as cheesy music swelled and nothing happened beneath us. It was suppose to be a glass bottom tour. Well, it was way worse than the ride a Disney. The fake ship wreck was a nice touch though. Once the tour was over we bought tickets to ride up the mountain. And back to our hotel it was. I need a couple more hours of sleep. The people who owned the inn were the best. It was just like staying with family.

Day 12

May 26 th - Archaeological Sites on Santorini

We went to Akrotiti. This was a covered site. I was disappointed in this site, because I wanted to walk through everything, but there were people whose job is was to keep you on the path. There was evidence of earthquake damage all around us.

We walked to the Red Beach from here. Aaron and I stopped at little store to buy towels. This woman was a stickler and wouldn’t bargain although Aaron tried very hard. We met up with some people at a little food stand just out side the red beach. Here everyone enjoyed a sandwich. The beach was a little bit of a hike. I love it. The beach was so hot, making the cool water refreshing.

We went back to Thera for dinner. I wanted to take it easy so I just laid around the hotel and called home.

Day 13

May 27 th - Ferry to Naxos

I was so sad to leave the hotel. The family was so friendly. We took a flying cat to Naxos. This was such a cool boat. We flew over the water. I loved every minute of it. Naxos was beautiful. I loved the ice cream here. We walked around and got familiar with the city. The restaurants were cheap, and delicious. I loved the ice cream. Shopping was great. And did I mention I loved the ice cream.

Day 14

May 28 th - Ancient Quarries on Naxos

What a funny day. We rented vans to go on a tour of the Quarries of Naxos. I got in the van that JR was driving, and I have never laughed so hard in all my life. We started off by stalling a couple of times. When he finally got the hang of it, we came to our first stop. In the middle of this lush area we found an abandoned kouros statue. I was surprised at the detail that was still visible. Dr. Chapin explained that these statues were giant attempts of statues that were abandoned. As I walked around this site, I found a lot of lizards sunning them selves. I thought it was cool that these creatures crawl all over history every day. Man, what a life.

Our next stop seemed to be unplanned. We followed the van in front of us, but ended up getting stuck at a dead end that was a perfect picture from the movies. This village was in the middle of no where and the streets were so narrow cars couldn’t be in use here, but our van was going to turn around here. A woman came outside to observe what we were doing. It was probably the strangest thing she had ever seen. All I could do was laugh. JR did a good job, but we did end up running into a pole. After this we decided to keep looking for the other site. It was pretty much like the one before. It also had a kouros statue in it. You could see marble quarries that were in use. They were along the sides of the road.

When we finally got back we saw the “Stargate”. Not really sure what it was really called, but it was cool. Here we found tons of pottery, bronze coins, and even some obsidian chips. Dr. Chapin told us that people use to take obsidian and work in at the top of this hill, a perfect place to enjoy the view and the ocean breeze.

Aaron and I went to the castle tonight. Here we enjoyed some local folk music and dancing as well as liquor. The show was interesting and the wine and liquor was very tasty. All in all it was worth the 15 €.

We got a little crazy tonight. Everyone seemed to need a little fun. So what do you do when you’re young in Greece? We all went out for a night of drunken debauchery.

 Day 15

May 29 th - Ferry to Mykonos

We all woke up this morning a bit under the weather. After breakfast, we headed the museum to check out some more Mycenaean pottery. By this point, all of these museums looked the same and I spent a lot of time trying to find things I hadn’t really seen. I found the jewelry and glass to be very interesting.

After the museum we walked back for some quick shopping before it was off to Mykonos. I picked out some gifts for a couple of friends. Standing in line for the ferry was torturous. I hat being packed in like animals.

The ferry wasn’t that bad, we were in Mykonos in no time. We waited at the port for the hotel to come pick us up. It was very hot and all I could do was think about getting to my room. I took a short nap, and headed out with Aaron to explore the city. We got lost of course because everything looked the same. We ran into a friend of mine, Jessica Singleton, and made plans to meet back up.

Day 16

May 30th - Free day

To the beach it was. I called my friend Jessica and met her on the beach where we soaked up the sun. What a life.

I went back to the hotel and showered and passed out while watching music videos. I woke up for dinner. We met Jessica and ended up eating with the teachers. It was a nice evening. I passed out as soon as I got back to the hotel.

Day 17

May 31 st - Delos/Ferry to Athens

I was disappointed that we didn’t get to spend more time at Delos. I wanted to walk around a little more. Dr. Chapin told us that excavations of this island were random and they were basically for the purpose of trophies. We went to the museum there and were tons of statues. I loved the mosaic. But once again it was another museum and I had to get out of there.

We got back onto the ferry and headed back to the port at Mykonos. It was a while before our ferry came so we sat out in the hot sun and baked.

The ferry back to Athens was horrible. We couldn’t sit inside because we didn’t have a ticket for the seats, but outside was windy and there were gypsies all around. Molly and I wound our bags around our arms and legs so the gypsies couldn’t take anything. I bet gypsies can rack up a lot of money on boat rides like this. We were all pretty sad about going back to Athens. We took some pictures on the boat and tried not to think about our trip coming to an end.

When we got back to Athens it was raining. We took a train back up to Syntagma Square and back to the same hotel we started out in.

We ate dinner with everyone, our last little meal in Greece. Everyone was sad because they would be leaving Greece, but I was sad because Aaron and I would be continuing on by ourselves. Dinner was a blur. We walked around a little bit and ended up going to bed early.

Day 18 - 19

June 1 st - 2 nd - Good bye

We got up early and found a hostel, Athens backpackers. We said good bye to everyone and headed to our hostel. Here we partied at the roof bar and met back up with Jessica. It was a great end to a great trip.

Participants

Hellenistic Greece Powerpoint