Yesterday I was pleased to find both pancake mix and syrup at my neighborhood grocery store, "Alpha Beta". Breakfast is one thing I really miss from home. Today is a Greek holiday, so I don't have class. A perfect day to sleep in a little and get up to make pancakes.
Bisquick? check. Milk? check. Eggs? check. Cooking spray? uh oh...
No Pam or vegetable oil to be found in my kitchen. I unsucessfully tried butter. My only other option: olive oil.
Let's just say I don't highly recommend olive oil pancakes, but sometimes you have to make use of your country's natural resources. Olives and olive oil are staples of Mediterranean cooking. Here is a blog entry Danny wrote while in Spain last year. It's a hilarious story about how much olive oil he consumed:
http://dcvivaspain.blogspot.com/2005/11/american-student-wreaks-havoc-on-olive.html
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Walk Like an Athenian... part δύο
Spent the weekend touring more historical sights (surprise!). Not much to report from Korinth, Sparta, and Mystra except that the landscape was out of this world.
In my adoptive hometown of Athens, these are things my senses encounter on a daily basis.
I...
Taste
coffee. Greece has a "cafe culture" like no other. When the citizens of Athens are not napping (from about 2-5 every day), they are drinking coffee. On any given morning, early afternoon, or evening, cafes are full of cappucino and frappe drinkers. I am puzzled as to when (or if) Greeks work. I have adopted this ritual, going to coffee at least twice a week with a group of 6 at Ελλας, our neighborhood cafe.
WARNING: NEVER DRINK "GREEK COFFEE". It tastes like dirt.
Hear
a loudspeaker. A truck full of trees and flowers in buckets is driven by an Athens salesman. His marketing tactic? Driving down my street at dawn and yelling through some kind of megaphone. Others refer to it as the early morning call to Jihad. Not exactly pc, but exactly what it sounds like.
Sidenote: as I sit in an internet cafe writing this, Mr. Tree himself is happily disturbing the peace outside.
Smell
the bus. The dominant group traveling by bus is old men. I assume they are usually en route to a kafenio to meet friends for coffee. They appear dressed for business, but gray hair sprouting from their ears and sporadic places on balding heads gives away that they're past working age. I usually end up crammed against the door of a trolley, and bad breath from a throat that needs to be cleared circulates around me.
The urban bus smells like a Greek kitchen. The aroma of oven-baked potatoes that γιαγιά cooked yesterday has permeated men's suit jackets, and now the air around me. The bus is kind of like a tupperware container that's been emptied of its leftovers. I don't get to enjoy the food, but am forced to smell the pungent odor still trapped inside.
Please, open a window.
Feel
worry beads. These are a true part of Greek culture. Strands of beads in all sizes and colors are carried by nearly every Greek man, and there are several techniques to play with them. Even though it is an exclusively male practice, I bought some anyway. They come in handy when I get fidgety.
Ask a Greek man why women don't use worry beads, and he'll likely tell you that we don't need them because "women have no worries".
See
or rather, how I am seen. It's nearly May, and the weather keeps getting warmer. I wear sleeveless shirts and sandals. Greeks are still wearing coats and closed-toe shoes on 70 degree days. Let me tell you, my feet get a lot of attention. Just today I went out for lunch and people stared at me like I was an alien.
Biggest clothing no-no: color. In a sea of black-clad Greeks, you might as well wear a flashing strobe light if you plan to go outside wearing spring colors.
In my adoptive hometown of Athens, these are things my senses encounter on a daily basis.
I...
Taste
coffee. Greece has a "cafe culture" like no other. When the citizens of Athens are not napping (from about 2-5 every day), they are drinking coffee. On any given morning, early afternoon, or evening, cafes are full of cappucino and frappe drinkers. I am puzzled as to when (or if) Greeks work. I have adopted this ritual, going to coffee at least twice a week with a group of 6 at Ελλας, our neighborhood cafe.
WARNING: NEVER DRINK "GREEK COFFEE". It tastes like dirt.
Hear
a loudspeaker. A truck full of trees and flowers in buckets is driven by an Athens salesman. His marketing tactic? Driving down my street at dawn and yelling through some kind of megaphone. Others refer to it as the early morning call to Jihad. Not exactly pc, but exactly what it sounds like.
Sidenote: as I sit in an internet cafe writing this, Mr. Tree himself is happily disturbing the peace outside.
Smell
the bus. The dominant group traveling by bus is old men. I assume they are usually en route to a kafenio to meet friends for coffee. They appear dressed for business, but gray hair sprouting from their ears and sporadic places on balding heads gives away that they're past working age. I usually end up crammed against the door of a trolley, and bad breath from a throat that needs to be cleared circulates around me.
The urban bus smells like a Greek kitchen. The aroma of oven-baked potatoes that γιαγιά cooked yesterday has permeated men's suit jackets, and now the air around me. The bus is kind of like a tupperware container that's been emptied of its leftovers. I don't get to enjoy the food, but am forced to smell the pungent odor still trapped inside.
Please, open a window.
Feel
worry beads. These are a true part of Greek culture. Strands of beads in all sizes and colors are carried by nearly every Greek man, and there are several techniques to play with them. Even though it is an exclusively male practice, I bought some anyway. They come in handy when I get fidgety.
Ask a Greek man why women don't use worry beads, and he'll likely tell you that we don't need them because "women have no worries".
See
or rather, how I am seen. It's nearly May, and the weather keeps getting warmer. I wear sleeveless shirts and sandals. Greeks are still wearing coats and closed-toe shoes on 70 degree days. Let me tell you, my feet get a lot of attention. Just today I went out for lunch and people stared at me like I was an alien.
Biggest clothing no-no: color. In a sea of black-clad Greeks, you might as well wear a flashing strobe light if you plan to go outside wearing spring colors.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Athens: An Ugly Duckling among the Swans of Europe
"Is Athens an Ugly City?"
I have intended to address this question, but decided to wait until I had a standard for comparison. Over the weekend I went on my first independent adventure: I traveled solo to Vienna, Austria.
Vienna is beautiful. Touring the rooms of the Hofburg and Schonbrunn palaces, in all their extravagence, made me want to be queen for a day. Vienna really does feel like an "imperial" city.
Several European cities, like Vienna, are known for their lovely streets and historical feel. History is visible everywhere, with monumental buildings mixed in with the modern ones. Athens is not an exception in this regard; we do have the Parthenon, after all, along with other classical and Byzantine structures.
It is the areas surrounding these things that are different. From the top of Lykavittos Hill, which I wrote about in February, the view of Athens is expansive. It is a great lookout point, but also brings into focus the ugliness of the city. Athens is a conglomeration of concrete. The layout is structureless. It is far from environmentally friendly, too - laws against building higher than the Acropolis mean that the tallest buildings cap at about 7 stories. The city thus grows outward, not upward.
It wasn't until I was in Vienna that I realized how much I miss parks. Trees. Grass to sit on. A place to walk. Houses. With yards.
Athens does have a lot to offer. While I agree that it is quite aesthetically displeasing, I feel bad that my city's good qualities are overshadowed by its homely reputation. I feel it is my duty to explain and excuse Athens' blemished appearance.
In 19th century Vienna, the royalty were eating off of silver spoons and porcelain dishes. Sigmund Freud was researching. Strauss was composing.
While Austria and other European countries were experiencing a renaissance, Greece was still part of the Ottoman Empire. They fought their war of independence in 1821... the same year that Beethoven composed Opus 111.
There was still potential to build an impressive city, but a rapid influx of immigrants circa 1920 caused spontaneous expansion in Athens. Buildings were constructed unlawfully; the government lost control over city planning. Unprepared to house a million new people, the city exploded. Chaotically.
I guess it's better to have a few ugly buildings than homeless refugees, even if it resulted in the blur of concrete Athens is today.
In Vienna, the Empress Elisabeth loved to read Homer and Greek mythology. Her husband Franz Joseph incorporated "Spartan discipline" into his life. Inspiration from Ancient Greece is apparent in Vienna's art and neo-classical architecture.
Ancient Athens produced great thinkers and wondrous art that the rest of the world has since replicated. But my poor city, perhaps the greatest inspiration to the western world, is visited today and simply passed off as "ugly".
I have intended to address this question, but decided to wait until I had a standard for comparison. Over the weekend I went on my first independent adventure: I traveled solo to Vienna, Austria.
Vienna is beautiful. Touring the rooms of the Hofburg and Schonbrunn palaces, in all their extravagence, made me want to be queen for a day. Vienna really does feel like an "imperial" city.
Several European cities, like Vienna, are known for their lovely streets and historical feel. History is visible everywhere, with monumental buildings mixed in with the modern ones. Athens is not an exception in this regard; we do have the Parthenon, after all, along with other classical and Byzantine structures.
It is the areas surrounding these things that are different. From the top of Lykavittos Hill, which I wrote about in February, the view of Athens is expansive. It is a great lookout point, but also brings into focus the ugliness of the city. Athens is a conglomeration of concrete. The layout is structureless. It is far from environmentally friendly, too - laws against building higher than the Acropolis mean that the tallest buildings cap at about 7 stories. The city thus grows outward, not upward.
It wasn't until I was in Vienna that I realized how much I miss parks. Trees. Grass to sit on. A place to walk. Houses. With yards.
Athens does have a lot to offer. While I agree that it is quite aesthetically displeasing, I feel bad that my city's good qualities are overshadowed by its homely reputation. I feel it is my duty to explain and excuse Athens' blemished appearance.
In 19th century Vienna, the royalty were eating off of silver spoons and porcelain dishes. Sigmund Freud was researching. Strauss was composing.
While Austria and other European countries were experiencing a renaissance, Greece was still part of the Ottoman Empire. They fought their war of independence in 1821... the same year that Beethoven composed Opus 111.
There was still potential to build an impressive city, but a rapid influx of immigrants circa 1920 caused spontaneous expansion in Athens. Buildings were constructed unlawfully; the government lost control over city planning. Unprepared to house a million new people, the city exploded. Chaotically.
I guess it's better to have a few ugly buildings than homeless refugees, even if it resulted in the blur of concrete Athens is today.
In Vienna, the Empress Elisabeth loved to read Homer and Greek mythology. Her husband Franz Joseph incorporated "Spartan discipline" into his life. Inspiration from Ancient Greece is apparent in Vienna's art and neo-classical architecture.
Ancient Athens produced great thinkers and wondrous art that the rest of the world has since replicated. But my poor city, perhaps the greatest inspiration to the western world, is visited today and simply passed off as "ugly".
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Santorini
I don't yet have pictures to post from Santorini, but here is a map I found online to show you where I spent my weekend.
Near the bottom right you see the town of Perissa. This is where my travel buddy Katie and I stayed. Our hotel, "Anny's Studios", was only 12 euro a night (equivalent of $16). Anny's was not only located right on the beach, but they had a pool and a poolside bar that served great pina coladas :) Tourist season is approaching but not quite here yet, which is why our accomodations were inexpensive. I thought it was perfect timing to go; the island was quiet and the weather was great.
Instead of taking buses around the island, we opted to rent an ATV (4-wheeler) for two days. On Saturday we went from Perissa - Akrotiri - the "Red Beach" (the sand really is red) - Fira. In the capital of Fira, we got on a boat that took us to that little island, rather, Volcano. We toured the national park to see the volcano that last erupted in 1950.
The boat also took us to the hot springs, where we were able to swim. The catch is you have to jump off of the boat into FREEZING cold water and swim to the warm stuff. We braved it. The hot springs aren't exactly pretty - the water is a yellowish color from the volcanic sulfur. For the rest of the day, I was covered in a rusty residue. I discovered that Santorini is an island of many colors - the beach at Perissa has black sand, the red beach has red sand, and other parts of the island have the typical white beaches. There is no shortage of greenery, either.
The ATV rental was a good purchase. We told ourselves that it was like a convertible, only cheaper. (Ok, so it was more dangerous too... sorry mom.) It was exhilarating to drive on the winding mountainous roads up to the town of Oia (see top of map). If driving by ATV, the trip from Perissa to Oia is only about 45 minutes. Oia, or Ia (ee-ah), is known for its beautiful sunset. Beautiful is an understatement. It is ranked among the best sunsets in the entire world. Here is another photo I found online, which will have to do until I post my own.
Not bad, huh?
Thursday, April 12, 2007
to sink or not to sink?
I am leaving tomorrow morning for a weekend on the island of Santorini.
Cross your fingers: http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/04/05/greece.cruiseship.ap/index.html
Cross your fingers: http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/04/05/greece.cruiseship.ap/index.html
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Walk Like an Athenian
After a 12 day break, it was time to return to my routine. It had been two weeks since I went through the motions of a Wednesday morning, which usually pass by unremembered. Today I slowed down a little to take note of and enjoy things...
My open balcony door is like a built in alarm clock. The usual chorus of stray cats, motor bikes, and church bells woke me up around 7. I stayed in bed until 7:30.
I walked down the slippery marble sidewalk of my apartment's sidestreet to the bus stop and crammed into Trolley #4. At this time of day, public transportation is free... not officially, but crowds make it impossible to reach the ticket validation machine. I stepped onto the metro for free as well, sure that only the preserved skeleton at Syntagma Station may have noticed.
Past a few street vendors, I reached my destination: class. We the students met Professor Diamant at an outdoor cafe table diagonal from the entrance to the Ancient Agora. The morning sun, getting warmer each day now, shone on our faces while we sat on the remains of an old stoa wall.
The Parthenon temple built for Athena in 480 B.C. in view... listening to a lecture about Roman occupation in 150 B.C... sitting in the middle of the birthplace of democracy, circa 500 B.C...
all before 10 am.
My open balcony door is like a built in alarm clock. The usual chorus of stray cats, motor bikes, and church bells woke me up around 7. I stayed in bed until 7:30.
I walked down the slippery marble sidewalk of my apartment's sidestreet to the bus stop and crammed into Trolley #4. At this time of day, public transportation is free... not officially, but crowds make it impossible to reach the ticket validation machine. I stepped onto the metro for free as well, sure that only the preserved skeleton at Syntagma Station may have noticed.
Past a few street vendors, I reached my destination: class. We the students met Professor Diamant at an outdoor cafe table diagonal from the entrance to the Ancient Agora. The morning sun, getting warmer each day now, shone on our faces while we sat on the remains of an old stoa wall.
The Parthenon temple built for Athena in 480 B.C. in view... listening to a lecture about Roman occupation in 150 B.C... sitting in the middle of the birthplace of democracy, circa 500 B.C...
all before 10 am.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Three Blondes and the Aegean Sea
I am currently having a cup of coffee at the Hotel Attalos in Athens. My mom and sister Tara departed from here at 3 o'clock this morning to catch their flights back to the United States. They spent a week in Greece with me during my spring break, and it was fantastic!
They arrived last Sunday afternoon, exhausted from flying but ready for an adventure. After settling in at my apartment and freshening up, we strolled past the old Olympic Stadium, Temple of Zeus and Hadrian's arch to the neighborhood of Plaka. Here Mom and Tara were welcomed to Athens with their first taste of Greek food: mousaka, mussels saganaki, and zuchini balls. The restaurant was seated at the bottom of the Acropolis!
Mom's first glass of Greek wine
Day Two began with a walking tour past the major monuments of Athens. We followed a path suggested by a guide book. Perhaps the best part was a narrow road less traveled through small whitewashed houses adorned with flowers. Food of the day: Greek Salad and Souvlaki for lunch.
lunch
Hadrian's Arch
At the end of the day, we rested and then grabbed a taxi to an intimately set Jazz Club in my neighborhood. The feature at "Half Note" was a Flamenco performance by dancer Maria Serrano and her group. Flamenco is a traditional dance of Spain, not Greece, but I figured it was still Mediterannean. The entertainment was great from our second floor view, where we sipped mojitos.
There are 3,000 islands in the seas surrounding Greece. They are frequent vacation spots for visitors to the country, and I couldn't let my mom and sister leave without getting a glimpse of them. We spent Tuesday on a boat cruise of the 3 islands closest to Athens: Egina, Hydra, and Paros. Our time on each individual island was limited, but it was a great day.
Cheese Pie!
Our boat, after stopping on Paros; Donkeys on Hydra (there is no motorized transportation)
OLIVES at my neighborhood market
Temple of Poseidon
Views from the cape
There is nothing like a morning swim to start the day, and that is what we did on Saturday. Lake Vouliagmeni sits parallel to the seashore, at the bottom of a mountain range. It is known for its warm temperatures year-round and mineral content that reportedly heals several skin ailments. We checked out of our hotel and returned to Athens and the Monastiraki area, where Mom and Tara were finally able to eat a great gyro.
Easter is the biggest, most important holiday in Greece. At 11 PM on Saturday, we attended a service at "my church" in Pangrati. Chanting and the liturgy went on for an hour leading up to the climatic "Cristos Anesti" (Christ has risen!) at midnight. The lights went out and the church and streets were lit with candles held by all.
They arrived last Sunday afternoon, exhausted from flying but ready for an adventure. After settling in at my apartment and freshening up, we strolled past the old Olympic Stadium, Temple of Zeus and Hadrian's arch to the neighborhood of Plaka. Here Mom and Tara were welcomed to Athens with their first taste of Greek food: mousaka, mussels saganaki, and zuchini balls. The restaurant was seated at the bottom of the Acropolis!
Mom's first glass of Greek wine
Day Two began with a walking tour past the major monuments of Athens. We followed a path suggested by a guide book. Perhaps the best part was a narrow road less traveled through small whitewashed houses adorned with flowers. Food of the day: Greek Salad and Souvlaki for lunch.
lunch
Hadrian's Arch
At the end of the day, we rested and then grabbed a taxi to an intimately set Jazz Club in my neighborhood. The feature at "Half Note" was a Flamenco performance by dancer Maria Serrano and her group. Flamenco is a traditional dance of Spain, not Greece, but I figured it was still Mediterannean. The entertainment was great from our second floor view, where we sipped mojitos.
There are 3,000 islands in the seas surrounding Greece. They are frequent vacation spots for visitors to the country, and I couldn't let my mom and sister leave without getting a glimpse of them. We spent Tuesday on a boat cruise of the 3 islands closest to Athens: Egina, Hydra, and Paros. Our time on each individual island was limited, but it was a great day.
Cheese Pie!
Our boat, after stopping on Paros; Donkeys on Hydra (there is no motorized transportation)
On Wednesday morning, we took a 3 hour bus ride from Athens to Delphi, a destination on top of Mom's Greece "must see" list. Rain had started to fall by the time we arrived, but it was no problem; we had planned to visit the museum first. The museum helped give us a visual of what the site at Delphi looked like centuries (and millenia) ago. Mom and Tara then did some souvenir shopping to stay dry, and we ate more mousaka at a taverna.
Early the next morning, we were able to visit the outdoor sites while the sun shone. The view, even the second time for me, was breathtaking. While waiting for the bus that would take us back to Athens, we had lunch at little place "for crepes sake," as Tara put it. Indeed, our stomachs were content for the ride home after we filled up on pizza and a chocolate/strawberry crepe.
Delphi: Taverna and great views
On Thursday evening we were back in Athens, and went to the movie theater close to my apartment. We saw "300," a historical movie about the Spartan army and battle of the 300. It is playing in the U.S., but I thought it more fitting for us to see while in Greece. Tara isn't a big fan of war movies, but Mom enjoyed it and so did I (for the second time).
On Day 5, Friday, we were back in Athens for the morning. We took a long metro ride to the 2004 Olympic Stadium, only to find that it was closed for Good Friday. The architecture was still fun to see, though, even from the outside. The trip was still worth it, because we were able to have coffee at the huge shopping mall nearby. We returned via metro to my neighborhood of Pangrati where the weekly Friday market filled the streets. Purchases included fresh olives and strawberries to snack on, along with Easter lilies getting ready to bloom.
Olympic Stadium, as seen from the shopping mall
Olympic Stadium, as seen from the shopping mall
OLIVES at my neighborhood market
A bus picked us up that afternoon for a tour of Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon. Even the 1.5 hour bus ride was enjoyable, as we viewed the beaches on the eastern coast of Attica. Tara and Mom had seen many a temple by now, but Poseidon's became a favorite because of the background in front of which it sits.
Temple of Poseidon
Views from the cape
Tara, from our hotel balcony in Vouliagmeni
There is nothing like a morning swim to start the day, and that is what we did on Saturday. Lake Vouliagmeni sits parallel to the seashore, at the bottom of a mountain range. It is known for its warm temperatures year-round and mineral content that reportedly heals several skin ailments. We checked out of our hotel and returned to Athens and the Monastiraki area, where Mom and Tara were finally able to eat a great gyro.Easter is the biggest, most important holiday in Greece. At 11 PM on Saturday, we attended a service at "my church" in Pangrati. Chanting and the liturgy went on for an hour leading up to the climatic "Cristos Anesti" (Christ has risen!) at midnight. The lights went out and the church and streets were lit with candles held by all.
On Sundays, and especially Easter Sunday, most places in Greece are closed. We were lucky enough to be invited to the home of one of my professors. Father Stefanos Alexolpoulos, an orthodox priest, generously had us over for a great Easter meal. Mom and Tara were able to get a taste of local hospitality along with delicious roast lamb. Tara was stuffed after yiayia (Grandmother) insisted on filling her plate with meat of all kinds.
Their last night in Greece was surely relaxing. Our hotel in Monastiraki, where I still sit, has a rooftop garden bar with a view of the Acropolis. They waved goodbye to it last evening, beautifully lit up over the city of Athens. I was sad to see them go, but am so thankful that they were able to visit me and the beautiful country I currently call home.
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