Hello everyone. So I didn't make it to the Suez Canal yesterday (but maybe I'll make it there some other day), instead Alex and me went to the big tourist Marketplace called Khan Al-Khalili. Yes, that's the same marketplace that the 17 year-old french girl was blown up a couple days ago. I didn't realize it when we left to go there that it was that same market. The people at our hostel informed us that, that was the area to buy souvenirs when we asked them. Not until we had been there for a couple of hours was I informed that it was the same market where the terrorist attack had taken place a few days before. But that explained why there were cops checking purses and bags when we entered. It was a pointless attempt at making the marketplace more safe, because they only had guards at a few of the main entrances that only the tourists use, so I'm sure the terrorists would probably not use the tourist entrances anyways (I think they were just there to make the tourists feel safer). So basically I spent the day practicing my haggling skills, which if I do say so myself are 'amazing'! We headed back to the hostel after having completed our souvenir/gift shopping in order to grab our bags and head to the train station for our overnight train to Aswan.
The overnight train sucked. Originally I was planning on taking a sleeper train, but discovered that if I took this other train it would only cost me $20 instead of $50. Unfortunately the flaw of taking the train we ended up taking is that we only had reclining seats, not beds (and the seats didn't really recline, they were more like a little slant that was not quite parallel to the wall, but almost), so I didn't sleep very well (not to mention the car was freezing cold). But I've arrived safely in Aswan which was my goal, so I can't complain to much. TTYL. LoveYa.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Egyptian Museum and Coptic Cairo
Hello everyone. I can't write a very long message right now because I have to catch a train to Aswan shortly. It's a 14 hour train ride so I'll arrive in Aswan around 12pm tomorrow.
Yesterday Alex and me went to see the Egyptian Museum which is suppose to take up to two days to explore but it only took us a little under three hours. The best part was the King Tut section where we saw his mask and everything that was buried in his tomb with him (toys of gold, beds of golds, gold thrones, gold everything). After the museum we headed to Coptic Cairo, which is the old Christian area of Cairo. We walked around the area looking at the different christian churches built a long time ago and also visited the 'hanging church' which was originally built suspended over the Nile (but the Nile has since change areas and doesn't run along that area any more). After that we haggled with a taxi driver to take us to the Citadel, but upon arriving we decided not to enter (not worth the price of the ticket) so we caught another taxi to an island in the Nile to get some dinner. The restaurant was awesome. I've been trying lots of egyptian food while I've been here and I really like (but I don't think I could eat it everyday though). Every time I go out to eat I always try something new and so far I've liked all of it. TTYL. LoveYa.
Yesterday Alex and me went to see the Egyptian Museum which is suppose to take up to two days to explore but it only took us a little under three hours. The best part was the King Tut section where we saw his mask and everything that was buried in his tomb with him (toys of gold, beds of golds, gold thrones, gold everything). After the museum we headed to Coptic Cairo, which is the old Christian area of Cairo. We walked around the area looking at the different christian churches built a long time ago and also visited the 'hanging church' which was originally built suspended over the Nile (but the Nile has since change areas and doesn't run along that area any more). After that we haggled with a taxi driver to take us to the Citadel, but upon arriving we decided not to enter (not worth the price of the ticket) so we caught another taxi to an island in the Nile to get some dinner. The restaurant was awesome. I've been trying lots of egyptian food while I've been here and I really like (but I don't think I could eat it everyday though). Every time I go out to eat I always try something new and so far I've liked all of it. TTYL. LoveYa.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Aegina Island Pictures
The coolest Ferry I've ever rode on
View of the Temple of Apollo on Aegina Island
The Temple of Aphaia
View of other Greek islands from Aegina Island
Temple of Apollo
View of other Greek Islands from Aegina Island
Playing in the Sand
Hello everyone. Yesterday I went and visited the Pyramids of Giza, Saqqura and Memphis. We hired a personal driver to drive us around to all these places for the day. It only cost us 250 egyptian pounds, which is $50 (split between me and Alex, so only $25 for a personal driver all day in an airconditioned car). Things sure are cheap here. Our driver was great, not only did he drive us to different places, but he'd point out things along the drive and tell us the history of them. He also helped us find everything we needed to have a great day.
Our day began by being dropped off at a camel/horse stall to rent camels to take us to the pyramids. They were asking 480 for the entire three hour trip, but I talked him down to 420 (which is only 70 euros and that included our tickets into the pyramids and sphnix and personal guides). I've become quite good at haggling with everyone so I get really great deals on taxi rides and souvenirs. The trick is to state a price you're willing to pay, which is 10 pounds ($2), lower then what you are really willing to pay, if they don't agree with your price you start walking away and ignoring them until they yell the price you asked. But the haggling doesn't end there. When you turn around and ask them if they agree to your price, they will state they didn't mean it and state a price 20 pounds higher then your asking price, then its necessary for you to add the 10 pounds to your price so they feel like they beat you at haggling (I use this method with taxis all the time and I can talk down a 65 pound asking price to 20 pounds, yeah I'm that good). They day was the perfect temperature for the trek, but the sun was so bright it was almost blinding without sunglasses on. I imagine its like that everyday in the dessert. The pyramids were amazing and our guide explained how they were built and tons of other interesting facts. I ended up climbing the middle pyramid (even though its not allowed) and went about 12 levels up which was about 72 feet high, before descending to trek off to see the Sphinx. By the time we finished seeing everything by butt was killing me from the camel ride, but I wouldn't have missed that experience for anything (I named my camel Lorenzio, he was super cute).
We left the Giza pyramids and our driver took us to a perfumery shop that showed us how the glasses are blown and let us sample all there scents and explained how each one treats differents things (aromatherapy). Then we were driven to a papyrus museum to be shown how papyrus was made and we ended buying our own legit papyrus pieces of art. From there we headed to Saqqara to see the step pyramid and some other tombs. Here we were actually able to go into the pyramids, climb through the tunnels and different chambers and look at the hieroglyphics and drawings. We weren't suppose to take pictures, but our guide let us take some for a small 'fee/tip'. Upon Leaving Saqqara, we headed to Memphis which was mildly disappointing. What had once been a major hub in Egypt was now nothing but a few statues and lots of stalls selling souvenirs. Our driver then drove us to a restaurant to get something to eat. They brought out a pita bread type thing that is cooked in a wood stove and many types of dips to dip it in. They were all delicious and by the time our food (chicken and beef kebabs) arrived we were full (but still able to finish most of it). The restaurant was great! We sat outside but under a tent and a band was playing Egyptian music and you could watch the bread being made in the wood stoves. It was a very charming atmosphere. After lunch we returned to our hostel.
When we returned to the hostel we were planning on resting, but we soon got chatting with the people who run/own this hostel and ended up joining them to a hookah cafe to smoke and play dominos (I was taught a new way to play dominoes and I'll make sure to teach you all too). After returning to the hostel we played some egyptian card games with them and taught them some American ones, before turning in for the night.
I'll post some pictures and tell you about today later. Tomorrow we're talking about going to the Suez Canal and in the evening we catch an overnight train to Aswan. TTYL. LoveYa.
Our day began by being dropped off at a camel/horse stall to rent camels to take us to the pyramids. They were asking 480 for the entire three hour trip, but I talked him down to 420 (which is only 70 euros and that included our tickets into the pyramids and sphnix and personal guides). I've become quite good at haggling with everyone so I get really great deals on taxi rides and souvenirs. The trick is to state a price you're willing to pay, which is 10 pounds ($2), lower then what you are really willing to pay, if they don't agree with your price you start walking away and ignoring them until they yell the price you asked. But the haggling doesn't end there. When you turn around and ask them if they agree to your price, they will state they didn't mean it and state a price 20 pounds higher then your asking price, then its necessary for you to add the 10 pounds to your price so they feel like they beat you at haggling (I use this method with taxis all the time and I can talk down a 65 pound asking price to 20 pounds, yeah I'm that good). They day was the perfect temperature for the trek, but the sun was so bright it was almost blinding without sunglasses on. I imagine its like that everyday in the dessert. The pyramids were amazing and our guide explained how they were built and tons of other interesting facts. I ended up climbing the middle pyramid (even though its not allowed) and went about 12 levels up which was about 72 feet high, before descending to trek off to see the Sphinx. By the time we finished seeing everything by butt was killing me from the camel ride, but I wouldn't have missed that experience for anything (I named my camel Lorenzio, he was super cute).
We left the Giza pyramids and our driver took us to a perfumery shop that showed us how the glasses are blown and let us sample all there scents and explained how each one treats differents things (aromatherapy). Then we were driven to a papyrus museum to be shown how papyrus was made and we ended buying our own legit papyrus pieces of art. From there we headed to Saqqara to see the step pyramid and some other tombs. Here we were actually able to go into the pyramids, climb through the tunnels and different chambers and look at the hieroglyphics and drawings. We weren't suppose to take pictures, but our guide let us take some for a small 'fee/tip'. Upon Leaving Saqqara, we headed to Memphis which was mildly disappointing. What had once been a major hub in Egypt was now nothing but a few statues and lots of stalls selling souvenirs. Our driver then drove us to a restaurant to get something to eat. They brought out a pita bread type thing that is cooked in a wood stove and many types of dips to dip it in. They were all delicious and by the time our food (chicken and beef kebabs) arrived we were full (but still able to finish most of it). The restaurant was great! We sat outside but under a tent and a band was playing Egyptian music and you could watch the bread being made in the wood stoves. It was a very charming atmosphere. After lunch we returned to our hostel.
When we returned to the hostel we were planning on resting, but we soon got chatting with the people who run/own this hostel and ended up joining them to a hookah cafe to smoke and play dominos (I was taught a new way to play dominoes and I'll make sure to teach you all too). After returning to the hostel we played some egyptian card games with them and taught them some American ones, before turning in for the night.
I'll post some pictures and tell you about today later. Tomorrow we're talking about going to the Suez Canal and in the evening we catch an overnight train to Aswan. TTYL. LoveYa.
More Athen Pictures
Ruins of Hadrian Library
Tower of Four Winds in the Roman Agora.
Keramikos Cemetary
Changing of the Guard ceremony. Check out the pom-pom shoes!!
The Panatenaic Stadium where the 2004 Summer Olympics held the Track and Field Competition.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Cairo, Egypt
Hello! So yesterday I arrived in Cairo and I thought I'd fill you in on my day and first impressions. Upon leaving the airport I was immediately attacked by taxi drivers (like vultures on a carcus), trying to get me to take a taxi to downtown Cairo. However, I had already decided I would take a bus into town, because it was cheaper and more adventurous. Probably not the smartest move on my part however because public transportation isn't the most sanitary form of transport in this town (somebody send me some PURELL!!!). Upon finding the bus depot (after circling around the airport twice while everyone on the shuttle bus glared/stared at me) I boarded a bus that was absolutely disgusting and crowded (it reminded me of the carnival ride 'the gravitron' because it smelled like burning oil/dirt and had the same blue color decor). Luckily it had air conditioning, because it ended up being an almost two hour ride. My search for my hostel started off badly (a random youth randomly walked by me and yelled 'f*ck you!' right in my face), but I finally asked some young adults for assistance and they were extremely obliging. They didn't know how to get to the hostel either but they asked around until they found out where it was at and then escorted me all the way there (I should have just taken a taxi to avoid all the hassle it would have cost me 65 egyptian pounds, but thats only $13). I was hesitant to leave the hostel after my more then unfriendly welcome into the country, but decided I'd give Cairo one more try. The attempt failed miserably. I returned after 45 mins, because I was tired of being harrassed by shop owners and random guys on the street (I had my headphones on and music blaring, but they still wouldn't leave me alone, even after I claimed not to speak english) and being stared, glared and pointed at (I stick out like a sore thumb with my white skin, red hair and gender), but my last straw was when I boy followed me ten blocks back to my hostel trying to talk to me and me only speaking in french saying I didn't speak any english. My first few hours in Cairo had been a disaster. I'd never felt more uncomfortable, scared and unwelcomed in all my travels. Upon arriving back at the hostel I was afraid to leave again and was planning on talking to my hostel people to see if they could arrange an escort for me everyday, but thankfully I got a roommate half a hour later and it was a male (he sticks out like a sore thumb too, because he's white and 6'6"). I was no longer afraid to enter into the dredges of the city, because I now have a permanent escort around Cairo and Aswan (he's headed to Aswan at the same time as me). We headed out in search of a restaurant for dinnner and wandered for hours finding nothing but kebab shops and hookah cafes (we stopped in one for rest and enjoyed an apple flavored one that actually tasted like black licorice). We did end up finding a place to sit down and eat at, but what I ate exactly I'm not sure (rice/grains/spaghetti/fried onions/tomato sauce mixture). We then tried to find our way back to our hostel, but were completely lost. We asked a lady for directions and she was so helpful that she got us on the correct bus (apparently we had wandered a very, very long way from our hostel, so it was necessary to take a bus back) and even paid for our bus ride. We finally arrived back at the hostel after midnight (with are feet exhausted from walking to much).
I discovered a lot about Cairo while wandering around. For one thing not everyone is unfriendly (or maybe they approved more of me, when I had a male escort) as I originally thought. Another thing is that its very apparent that Egypt is a third world country. There was garbage all over the streets (not just a little litter but massive amounts piled everywhere and broken down cars and buildings just left to decompose themselves). The city is extremely dirty, I actually saw rats running around on the streets (which with the amount of stray cats in this town its remarkable that any have survived). The houses are all five stories or taller and have hundreds of satellite dishes on top of every roof and lots of the buildings aren't finished but people are living in them still. Every other street seems to have a mosque on it (I'm actually listening to a pray right now, it can be heard all over the city five times a day). The people drive like maniacs around here (the only traffic laws they've heard of are all in jokes), I've already been hit by a car once. Tell you more later. LoveYa.
I discovered a lot about Cairo while wandering around. For one thing not everyone is unfriendly (or maybe they approved more of me, when I had a male escort) as I originally thought. Another thing is that its very apparent that Egypt is a third world country. There was garbage all over the streets (not just a little litter but massive amounts piled everywhere and broken down cars and buildings just left to decompose themselves). The city is extremely dirty, I actually saw rats running around on the streets (which with the amount of stray cats in this town its remarkable that any have survived). The houses are all five stories or taller and have hundreds of satellite dishes on top of every roof and lots of the buildings aren't finished but people are living in them still. Every other street seems to have a mosque on it (I'm actually listening to a pray right now, it can be heard all over the city five times a day). The people drive like maniacs around here (the only traffic laws they've heard of are all in jokes), I've already been hit by a car once. Tell you more later. LoveYa.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Egypt
Hello tout le monde! I've arrived safely in Cairo. Sorry I didn't write yesterday. I'll write a big note tonight to fill everyone in. I'm headed off to the pyramids of Giza, right now, so I'll write more later, just wanted to let you know I was okay (mom please don't call the cops, I'm fine). LoveYa.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Greek Islands
Hello! I was a little shocked to see on the news today that a french tourist was killed by terrorists in Cairo yesterday, but don't be alarmed since they attacked yesterday statistically they shouldn't attack again that soon, so I should be okay. I leave for Cairo tomorrow afternoon, so hopefully my stay in Egypt goes smoothly.
Hydrofoil
Today I left Athens and headed to the port town of Piraeus in order to hop on a ferry to the island of Aegina. But what I rode on wasn't a ferry, it was a "hydrofoil" boat (if you don't know what that is google it). It looked like a boat with nubby wings when I boarded, but as soon as we cleared the docks, this thing jumped out of the water and skidded along the top similar to those boats that land on water (the boat glided along on legs that were similar to the water planes).
Aegina Island
Anyways I arrived on the Island at a port town called Aegina Town (Aegina island is located in the Saronic Gulf, southwest of Athens). From there I hiked a little ways to the Temple of Apollo. All that's left of it is piles of rubble and one (half-destroyed) column. What's left of the temple sits out on a point, so it kind of looks like the island is giving you the finger when you arrive at port (it made me laugh). I wasn't able to examine it closely since its monday, which means everything is closed, so I headed back into town to catch a bus across the island to the Temple of Aphaia (all the temples looked the same back in the day, they were all rectangular with columns surrounding them, so lots of the ruins look the same). I would have rented a moped for the day to cruise the island, but unfortunately it was extremely cold today, so I didn't think I'd find the ride that enjoyable. My little bus ride to this temple was a little adventure though. Not only did the bus look like it belonged in South America (just missing the chickens strapped to the roof), but the roads connecting the towns on the island weren't even paved and the bus stops weren't marked. This caused me to miss my stop and enter the town of Agia Marina (which I was planning on visiting anyways, just after the temple). Because I missed my stop I had to catch another bus back to the temple (which caused me to have to wait in the cold for a hour for another bus to take me back to Aegina Town. Thankfully there was a little cafe to wait in some of the time). I can now see why Greece is a second world country (once you leave the shelter of the big city, you meet real Greece). The island and countryside were very lovely, but all the cars looked like they belonged in a junk yard, the people and houses were pretty shabby and garbage was littered everywhere. The actual Temple of Aphaia was one of the more complete temples I've seen and it was open (even though it wasn't suppose to be) so I'm glad I made the journey. I was planning on visiting some more areas of the island, but since it was so cold (and I didn't want to miss the last ferry back to the mainland) I decided to head back to Athens. I consider it turning in early and wussing out because of the cold, but actually by the time I made it back to Athens it was near 5 o'clock, so I'm glad I left when I did.
I'll post pictures later today, if I brave going out in the cold again (I didn't bring a jacket with me, only warm sweaters because its was suppose to be warm my entire vacation), if not I'll add them all tomorrow. LoveYa.
Hydrofoil
Today I left Athens and headed to the port town of Piraeus in order to hop on a ferry to the island of Aegina. But what I rode on wasn't a ferry, it was a "hydrofoil" boat (if you don't know what that is google it). It looked like a boat with nubby wings when I boarded, but as soon as we cleared the docks, this thing jumped out of the water and skidded along the top similar to those boats that land on water (the boat glided along on legs that were similar to the water planes).
Aegina Island
Anyways I arrived on the Island at a port town called Aegina Town (Aegina island is located in the Saronic Gulf, southwest of Athens). From there I hiked a little ways to the Temple of Apollo. All that's left of it is piles of rubble and one (half-destroyed) column. What's left of the temple sits out on a point, so it kind of looks like the island is giving you the finger when you arrive at port (it made me laugh). I wasn't able to examine it closely since its monday, which means everything is closed, so I headed back into town to catch a bus across the island to the Temple of Aphaia (all the temples looked the same back in the day, they were all rectangular with columns surrounding them, so lots of the ruins look the same). I would have rented a moped for the day to cruise the island, but unfortunately it was extremely cold today, so I didn't think I'd find the ride that enjoyable. My little bus ride to this temple was a little adventure though. Not only did the bus look like it belonged in South America (just missing the chickens strapped to the roof), but the roads connecting the towns on the island weren't even paved and the bus stops weren't marked. This caused me to miss my stop and enter the town of Agia Marina (which I was planning on visiting anyways, just after the temple). Because I missed my stop I had to catch another bus back to the temple (which caused me to have to wait in the cold for a hour for another bus to take me back to Aegina Town. Thankfully there was a little cafe to wait in some of the time). I can now see why Greece is a second world country (once you leave the shelter of the big city, you meet real Greece). The island and countryside were very lovely, but all the cars looked like they belonged in a junk yard, the people and houses were pretty shabby and garbage was littered everywhere. The actual Temple of Aphaia was one of the more complete temples I've seen and it was open (even though it wasn't suppose to be) so I'm glad I made the journey. I was planning on visiting some more areas of the island, but since it was so cold (and I didn't want to miss the last ferry back to the mainland) I decided to head back to Athens. I consider it turning in early and wussing out because of the cold, but actually by the time I made it back to Athens it was near 5 o'clock, so I'm glad I left when I did.
I'll post pictures later today, if I brave going out in the cold again (I didn't bring a jacket with me, only warm sweaters because its was suppose to be warm my entire vacation), if not I'll add them all tomorrow. LoveYa.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Athens has been conquered!
Hi everyone. So just so everyone knows, it didn't rain a single drop today! Good thing I knew the weather man is worthless and planned my day accordingly. I started my day off bright and early at 7:30am with a nutritious breakfast (white bread toast with butter and jam, a hard-boiled egg and a glass of OJ...okay maybe it's not so nutritious, but it free at the hostel!) seeing that my day was jammed packed and I had to stick to a tight schedule in order to see everyting before it all closes at 3pm (I still can't believe everything closes by 3pm and nothing is open on Mondays).
National Archaeological Museum
I began my trek by winding my way through town to the National Archaeological Museum. I'm guessing that everyone reading this knows I'm not the biggest person on any type of museum (I'm not prejudice I hate them all equally and think they should all be like OMSI if they want me to enjoy myself) which is why you won't be reading about very many, but thanks to this flaw in my genetics it means that I just do quick passovers through every room. This museum was full of half rotten bits here and missing chunks there that it seemed like every piece belonged to a giant rusting jigsaw puzzle (but when things are thousands of years old, I guess you can't expect them to be in perfect condition). Statues are always my favorite things to look at in museums and this museum was full of them. I love how every statue is missing body parts. The nose and penis seem to be the most commonly broken off, in fact the only noses and penises still attached were ridiculous huge ones which made it look even funnier. I need to correct myself. When I say there were statues everywhere I mean basically there were rooms full of heads or torsos and occasionally an arm, that at one time were complete statues. In my guide book it said this museum would take at least half a day to get through, it took me 35 minutes, which left the rest of my day not so rushed.
National Gardens
Since my museum trek was shorter then expected I had some spare time (one hour) before the changing of the guards ceremony in front of Parliament to visit the area in and around the National Gardens (which are right next to Parliament). The National Gardens were very beautiful with native Mediterranean plants, like palm trees and olive trees (yes, olives grow on trees...I didn't know this fact until I visited Italy in October) I walked through the gardens until I came across the Zappeion Palace (which is just a big governmental building now and not bery pretty). From there I made my way to the Panathenaic Stadium (which is where the track and field bit of the 2004 Olympic Games was held) and then walked by the President's Palace (which I couldn't really see because of the extremely high walls and the intimidating looking security guards outside of it), then I headed back to the Parliament to see the changing of the guards ceremony.
Changing of the Guards
Lucky for me I happen to read in my guide book yesterday that there is a huge ceremony on Sundays for the 11am changing of the guards. In case someone doesn't know what the changing of the guards is (you should because they do it in every country) it is when the guards who watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are finished with their shift and are replaced by other guards (it happens every hour on the hour). Their ceremony consisted of a military band of about 50 people and a group of marching military men of about 100 people. They blocked off a couple of blocks and marched. There outfits are total 'faux pas' as the french would say. The guards are wearing what look like short white dresses that tu-tu out and flowy, drappery sleeves. The best/worst is their shoes which have giant pom-poms on the tips. I'll make sure to post a picture of them and also a video of the actual ceremony (all I can say is they need a new choreographer).
Stoa of Attalos and Keramikos Cemetary
After the ceremony I headed back to the Ancient Agora to see the museum (boo) that is housed in the rebuilt Stoa of Attalos (I hadn't seen it the day before because it closed right before I got there). It was extremely small, which I hadn't anticipated so it only took me 5 minutes to 'thoroughly' examine the exhibits (which were the same rusted, half missing stuff from all the other museums except it had been excavated from the Ancient Agora sight). So I quickly made my to the Keramikos Cemetary, which didn't take long to explore because not much was left except ruins of what is known as the street of tombs (very few have survived needless to say) and old fortress walls.
Gyro
Upon exiting the Keramikos my belly began to rumble so I headed to a gyro shop (my goal for the day) that I'd read about in my guide book. When the waiter delivered my gyro I was expecting a wrap like you usually get in the states, but this was no wrap. A plate piled with pork on top of gyro bread was delivered to me with the cream dressing on the side. It was AWESOME!! But I think I'll try a different gyro shop tomorrow to see if I can get an actual wrap.
Roman Agora and Hadrian's Library
After lunch I hit up the Roman Agora which was another gathering of ruins but with the Tower of the Winds, which is this huge still intact cylinder building built by some Astronomer in 1 AD that functioned as a sundial, weather vane, water clock and compass. It was pretty cool. I left the Roman Agora to head to Hadrian's Library, because you'll agree with me on this on, if you've seen one pile of rubble, you want to see the rest. And this was the last stop on my visiting piles of rubble and ruins tour of Athens.
After this busy day it was almost three so I started heading back to the hostel. I stopped at an internet cafe to download some pictures for this blog and to return your emails. Tomorrow the weather will hopefully stay nice because I've decided to visit Piraeus, which is a sea port near Athens. From Piraeus I plan on taking a ferry to the island of Aegina and spend the day exploring it. Until tomorrow...Loveya!
P.S. I'll post some more pics and videos tomorrow
National Archaeological Museum
I began my trek by winding my way through town to the National Archaeological Museum. I'm guessing that everyone reading this knows I'm not the biggest person on any type of museum (I'm not prejudice I hate them all equally and think they should all be like OMSI if they want me to enjoy myself) which is why you won't be reading about very many, but thanks to this flaw in my genetics it means that I just do quick passovers through every room. This museum was full of half rotten bits here and missing chunks there that it seemed like every piece belonged to a giant rusting jigsaw puzzle (but when things are thousands of years old, I guess you can't expect them to be in perfect condition). Statues are always my favorite things to look at in museums and this museum was full of them. I love how every statue is missing body parts. The nose and penis seem to be the most commonly broken off, in fact the only noses and penises still attached were ridiculous huge ones which made it look even funnier. I need to correct myself. When I say there were statues everywhere I mean basically there were rooms full of heads or torsos and occasionally an arm, that at one time were complete statues. In my guide book it said this museum would take at least half a day to get through, it took me 35 minutes, which left the rest of my day not so rushed.
National Gardens
Since my museum trek was shorter then expected I had some spare time (one hour) before the changing of the guards ceremony in front of Parliament to visit the area in and around the National Gardens (which are right next to Parliament). The National Gardens were very beautiful with native Mediterranean plants, like palm trees and olive trees (yes, olives grow on trees...I didn't know this fact until I visited Italy in October) I walked through the gardens until I came across the Zappeion Palace (which is just a big governmental building now and not bery pretty). From there I made my way to the Panathenaic Stadium (which is where the track and field bit of the 2004 Olympic Games was held) and then walked by the President's Palace (which I couldn't really see because of the extremely high walls and the intimidating looking security guards outside of it), then I headed back to the Parliament to see the changing of the guards ceremony.
Changing of the Guards
Lucky for me I happen to read in my guide book yesterday that there is a huge ceremony on Sundays for the 11am changing of the guards. In case someone doesn't know what the changing of the guards is (you should because they do it in every country) it is when the guards who watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are finished with their shift and are replaced by other guards (it happens every hour on the hour). Their ceremony consisted of a military band of about 50 people and a group of marching military men of about 100 people. They blocked off a couple of blocks and marched. There outfits are total 'faux pas' as the french would say. The guards are wearing what look like short white dresses that tu-tu out and flowy, drappery sleeves. The best/worst is their shoes which have giant pom-poms on the tips. I'll make sure to post a picture of them and also a video of the actual ceremony (all I can say is they need a new choreographer).
Stoa of Attalos and Keramikos Cemetary
After the ceremony I headed back to the Ancient Agora to see the museum (boo) that is housed in the rebuilt Stoa of Attalos (I hadn't seen it the day before because it closed right before I got there). It was extremely small, which I hadn't anticipated so it only took me 5 minutes to 'thoroughly' examine the exhibits (which were the same rusted, half missing stuff from all the other museums except it had been excavated from the Ancient Agora sight). So I quickly made my to the Keramikos Cemetary, which didn't take long to explore because not much was left except ruins of what is known as the street of tombs (very few have survived needless to say) and old fortress walls.
Gyro
Upon exiting the Keramikos my belly began to rumble so I headed to a gyro shop (my goal for the day) that I'd read about in my guide book. When the waiter delivered my gyro I was expecting a wrap like you usually get in the states, but this was no wrap. A plate piled with pork on top of gyro bread was delivered to me with the cream dressing on the side. It was AWESOME!! But I think I'll try a different gyro shop tomorrow to see if I can get an actual wrap.
Roman Agora and Hadrian's Library
After lunch I hit up the Roman Agora which was another gathering of ruins but with the Tower of the Winds, which is this huge still intact cylinder building built by some Astronomer in 1 AD that functioned as a sundial, weather vane, water clock and compass. It was pretty cool. I left the Roman Agora to head to Hadrian's Library, because you'll agree with me on this on, if you've seen one pile of rubble, you want to see the rest. And this was the last stop on my visiting piles of rubble and ruins tour of Athens.
After this busy day it was almost three so I started heading back to the hostel. I stopped at an internet cafe to download some pictures for this blog and to return your emails. Tomorrow the weather will hopefully stay nice because I've decided to visit Piraeus, which is a sea port near Athens. From Piraeus I plan on taking a ferry to the island of Aegina and spend the day exploring it. Until tomorrow...Loveya!
P.S. I'll post some more pics and videos tomorrow
Pictures
This is what the Ancient Agora looks like now. Nothing but piles of rubble.
Parthenon at the top of the Acropolis
Another temple on the top of the Acropolis
That's the Temple of Zeus seen from the Acropolis and the white thing behind the hill is the 2004 Olympic track and field stadium.
My favorite temple at Acropolis
Stairway Entrance to the middle Acropolis
Theater of Dionysus
Temple of Zeus. That's the Acropolis in the background
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Athens, Greece
Hi everyone. So arrived safely in Athens (no terrorists attacked the plane and no birds hit our plane, so we didn't have to make an emergency landing or anything exciting like that). My morning of travel didn't start off so well. I thought I had awoke with enough time to get ready and finish my last minute errands but unfortunately not. It was pure luck I ever made my flight. First I almost missed my bus to the train station (I ran out the door a minute before it was suppose to leave, fortunately it was late so I made it), but since the bus was late I was going to miss my train (but fortunately the train was ten minutes late, so I once again made my connection), but since my train was late I arrived at the airport with hardly enough time to check my bags and get through security before my plane left (it actually left 20 minutes early). By the time I was on the plane I realized that I was extremely hungry since I'd skipped breakfast and lunch seeing as I had been running late all day. The flight proved to be extremely accommodating though. Since it was only a three hour flight I wasn't expecting anything but a cup of soda and a bag of peanuts, but they greeted us with mints as we were waiting for take off and half an hour into the flight they delivered a huge meal (which usually only gets served on international flights) and it was awesomely delicious (maybe that was the hunger speaking though). I'm flying with Aegean Airlines more often now! I had no problems with finding my hostel once I arrived, but it was already around 8:30pm so I didn't get to see any of the sights or explore upon my arrival.
Today began with me walking to the Temple of Zeus, which is the largest temple ever built. All that is left is a few pillars and the foundation. There is also some foundations of the smaller temples, baths and other public buildings that surrounded the temple. I then walked the 'Promenade Anglais', it used to be a street, but now only pedestrians are allowed to use it and it connects all the main historical sights together. I followed the path to the Acropolis where I saw the Theater of Dionysus and the Parthenon (and also a policeman scaring away all the people peddling their crap outside the entrance, apparently it's illegal). Both were impressive and would having been shockingly stunning and majestic in their heydays, but now they are basically just ruins (all though still impressive because of their enormous size). After that I visited the Ancient Agora (market place). Athens is a lot like Rome in the sense that all the places of interests are all ruins. Basically all that remains of these places are the foundations and a couple of pillars of ruble. The entire city seems to be made of marble, so if you ever visit make sure to wear non-slip shoes. I was walking around in my ballerina slippers all day and sliding left and right. I thought that I kept on stepping in dog poop, because in France that is usually what causes one to slip, but it was just all the marble sidewalks. There is a huge market (seems more like a flea market to me with all the worthless crap they were peddling) just outside of the Ancient Agora. It's the place to go to find souvenirs and antiques (and any other worthless crap you could ever imagine). The businesses were extremely small and close together (and apparently not large enough for all their crap so it flooded out into the walking street making the passages seem extremely small and claustrophobic). All the main sights close around 3pm during the off season, so I spent the rest of the day just wandering around the streets. What really sucks about all the sights closing so early is that it means 1) I have to wake up early in order to see all I want to see that day and 2) I have to hurry at the sights in order to make it to the other sights I want to see that day. I'm only here for a couple of days so I'm trying to fit all the things I want to see in. I took my time today at the major sights (the ones I wanted to see the most), but tomorrow is going to be busy and rushed. Plus lots of things are closed on Mondays, so I have to see all those things tomorrow or I won't be able to visit them. Oh well, that's just the life of a world traveler I suppose.
I remembered that Greece is home of the gyro (I'd forgotten this fact until I saw a man walking around eating one), which is one of my favorite sandwiches so my mission tomorrow is to find a shop to buy a real, legit, Greece made gyro. I'm rather surprised at how cheap everything is here compared to all the other places in Europe I've visited. Everything from transportation, lodging, souvenirs and entrance fees are all extremely cheap. I guess that's a sign that I'm in eastern Europe now. It was a beautiful day today. The sun was shining and temperatures in the 60's. However it's suppose to rain tomorrow, but I decided that if that's the case I'll just visit museums all day tomorrow and then going out trekking again on Monday.
I was planning on posting some pictures from today on here, but unfortunately the computers at this hostel won't do it, so I'll visit an internet cafe some time in the next couple of days and try to post some. LoveYa. Katie.
Today began with me walking to the Temple of Zeus, which is the largest temple ever built. All that is left is a few pillars and the foundation. There is also some foundations of the smaller temples, baths and other public buildings that surrounded the temple. I then walked the 'Promenade Anglais', it used to be a street, but now only pedestrians are allowed to use it and it connects all the main historical sights together. I followed the path to the Acropolis where I saw the Theater of Dionysus and the Parthenon (and also a policeman scaring away all the people peddling their crap outside the entrance, apparently it's illegal). Both were impressive and would having been shockingly stunning and majestic in their heydays, but now they are basically just ruins (all though still impressive because of their enormous size). After that I visited the Ancient Agora (market place). Athens is a lot like Rome in the sense that all the places of interests are all ruins. Basically all that remains of these places are the foundations and a couple of pillars of ruble. The entire city seems to be made of marble, so if you ever visit make sure to wear non-slip shoes. I was walking around in my ballerina slippers all day and sliding left and right. I thought that I kept on stepping in dog poop, because in France that is usually what causes one to slip, but it was just all the marble sidewalks. There is a huge market (seems more like a flea market to me with all the worthless crap they were peddling) just outside of the Ancient Agora. It's the place to go to find souvenirs and antiques (and any other worthless crap you could ever imagine). The businesses were extremely small and close together (and apparently not large enough for all their crap so it flooded out into the walking street making the passages seem extremely small and claustrophobic). All the main sights close around 3pm during the off season, so I spent the rest of the day just wandering around the streets. What really sucks about all the sights closing so early is that it means 1) I have to wake up early in order to see all I want to see that day and 2) I have to hurry at the sights in order to make it to the other sights I want to see that day. I'm only here for a couple of days so I'm trying to fit all the things I want to see in. I took my time today at the major sights (the ones I wanted to see the most), but tomorrow is going to be busy and rushed. Plus lots of things are closed on Mondays, so I have to see all those things tomorrow or I won't be able to visit them. Oh well, that's just the life of a world traveler I suppose.
I remembered that Greece is home of the gyro (I'd forgotten this fact until I saw a man walking around eating one), which is one of my favorite sandwiches so my mission tomorrow is to find a shop to buy a real, legit, Greece made gyro. I'm rather surprised at how cheap everything is here compared to all the other places in Europe I've visited. Everything from transportation, lodging, souvenirs and entrance fees are all extremely cheap. I guess that's a sign that I'm in eastern Europe now. It was a beautiful day today. The sun was shining and temperatures in the 60's. However it's suppose to rain tomorrow, but I decided that if that's the case I'll just visit museums all day tomorrow and then going out trekking again on Monday.
I was planning on posting some pictures from today on here, but unfortunately the computers at this hostel won't do it, so I'll visit an internet cafe some time in the next couple of days and try to post some. LoveYa. Katie.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Change in Itinerary
Okay, so I received an email the other day stating that my hostel in Athens is still being renovated so they have moved my reservation to their sister hostel called
Since my last blog I haven't done much that's of great interest. Valentine's day a group of the assistants here went to Paris to watch the Scotland vs France rugby match, but I didn't go (I would have, but there weren't enough tickets) so I made my favorite cookies instead from the ingredients grandma sent to me in my last care package (she even mailed the butter for the cookies which my roommates and me thought was really cute, but we decided we'd better buy other butter that hadn't been traveling in the mail for a week just to be on the safe side). I've been saving up as much money as I could this month so I haven't been going out as much as usual to the movies, bars, clubs, concerts, parties, ect. Some of my roommates and I recently took up basketball, so we've been going to the courts everyday and shooting hoops. I recently discovered the joy and curse that is LimeWire (a website used to illegally download movies, music, ect). So I've been catching up on all my favorite tv series and recent movies that have missed since moving to France (so basically instead of being productive and reading, going to the gym or making sure to keep my blog updated, I've been watching tv...that is the curse of LimeWire).
I'll make sure to update my blog regularly during my vacation which starts tomorrow (booyeah!) LoveYa. Katie
- 'Athens Easy Hostel'. Their address is Satovriandou 26, Athens 10210 Greece. Phone +30.210.5243211-3.
- I take a train tomorrow morning (Friday February 20th) from Angouleme to Paris at 8:50am. I Arrive at the Charles De Gaulle Airport at 12:09pm.
- My flight to Athens leaves at 2:05pm.
Since my last blog I haven't done much that's of great interest. Valentine's day a group of the assistants here went to Paris to watch the Scotland vs France rugby match, but I didn't go (I would have, but there weren't enough tickets) so I made my favorite cookies instead from the ingredients grandma sent to me in my last care package (she even mailed the butter for the cookies which my roommates and me thought was really cute, but we decided we'd better buy other butter that hadn't been traveling in the mail for a week just to be on the safe side). I've been saving up as much money as I could this month so I haven't been going out as much as usual to the movies, bars, clubs, concerts, parties, ect. Some of my roommates and I recently took up basketball, so we've been going to the courts everyday and shooting hoops. I recently discovered the joy and curse that is LimeWire (a website used to illegally download movies, music, ect). So I've been catching up on all my favorite tv series and recent movies that have missed since moving to France (so basically instead of being productive and reading, going to the gym or making sure to keep my blog updated, I've been watching tv...that is the curse of LimeWire).
I'll make sure to update my blog regularly during my vacation which starts tomorrow (booyeah!) LoveYa. Katie
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Greece/Egypt Itinerary
So here is my itinerary for my trip that's in less 12 days:
Friday February 20th
Friday February 20th
- I'll be taking an early morning train from Angouleme to Paris
- I depart Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris at 2:05pm Aegean Airlines Flight #611 to Athens Eleftherios Venizelos airport
- I arrive in Athens at 6:20pm
- I'll be staying at the 'Hostel Aphrodite' (from Feb. 20th until Feb. 23rd) the address is 12 Einardou & Michail Voda Corner 65, Athens. The telephone is +30 210 88 10 589
Tuesday February 24th
- I depart Athens at 12:00pm Aegean Airlines Flight #930 to Cairo International airport.
- I arrive in Cairo at 2:00pm
- I'll be staying at the 'Wake-up! Cairo Hostel' (from Feb. 24th until Feb. 26th) the address is 33 A Ramsis st., Marouf Tower., Downtown Cairo. The telephone is +20 227735086
Friday February 27th
- I'll be taking an overnight sleeper train from Cairo to Aswan. Train 84 which departs Cairo at 8pm and I arrive in Aswan at 8am on Saturday February 28th.
Saturday February 28th
- I'll be staying at the 'Keylany Hotel' (from Feb. 28th until Mar. 2nd) the address is 25 Keylany Street, Aswan. The telephone is +20972317332 / +20972323134
Tuesday March 3rd
- I'm taking a train from Aswan to Luxor which is three hours north of Aswan.
- I'll be staying at the 'Bob Marley House Hostel' (from Mar. 3rd until Mar. 6th) the address is Badr Street, Luxor. The telephone is +0105278297
Saturday March 7th
- I'm taking an overnight sleeper train from Luxor to Cairo. Train 85 which departs Luxor at 9:40 pm and arrives in Cairo at 6:45am on Sunday March 8th.
Sunday March 8th
- I depart Cairo International at 2:45pm Aegean Airlines Flight #931 to Athens E.V. airport
- I arrive in Athens at 4:45pm.
- I'll be staying at the 'Hostel Aphrodite' again (so see above address and phone number)
Monday March 9th
- I depart Athens at 10:40am Aegean Airlines Flight #610 to Paris C.D.G. airport
- I arrive in Paris at 1:10pm
- I'll then be taking a train from Paris to Angouleme thus ending my vacation
Hope this is helpful for everyone in case you need to get a hold of me in case of an EMERGENCY!! (as in ONLY contact these establishments in case of an extreme emergency...as in someone better be dead or the country being invaded) I'll have my cellphone with me and it should work in Greece, but I don't know if it'll work in Egypt. I'll make sure to check my email like always and update this blog every couple of days, so no one worries that I'm kidnapped by pirates on the red sea or being held captive by terrorists or sold into marriage for a couple of camels and all the other silly worries I've been warned about so far. LoveYa. Katie
Bande Dessin Festival
So I don't have much new to tell everyone because I've been laid up for the past five days with the flu (which really sucked), but I'll fill you in on the events surrounding the Bande Dessin Festival which was the first weekend of February. Bande Dessin Festival
Angouleme isn't known for much except for its two museums (the paper museum and comic book museum) and its two festivals Les Gastronomades (a huge food festival at the end of November which was a great festival with free wine tasting and very tasty free food to soak up all the free alcohol you drink) and Le Bande Dessin which is a huge comic book festival. Basically all the nerds, freaks and geeks of France, Europe and from all around the world gather here for a long weekend of well 'geekin out'. Buildings were set up all over town and many businesses hosted some of the different themes of the festival. Even the towns famous Cathedral (which is the only one I visited because it was free and my friends I was with wanted to see it) had comics in it that was the "European Capitals" theme bit of the comics tour (I thought it was ironic that all the capital comics were politically aimed and housed in a church...leave it to the french to not seperate government and religion). People dressed in their favorite comic book character outfits and just people dressed to be weird were running around all over town. Needless to say I didn't partake in much of the festivities seeing as I'm not a comic book reader and don't enjoy surrounding myself by people who grew up loving Dungeons and Dragons and playing Magic cards, but I admit that some of the drawings I saw were pretty cool and it was nice to have a lot of new people in town to hang out with in the evenings. The nightlife in Angouleme was more fun
then usual with new faces and a lot more people. Some friends and me hit up a rock concert and then went out dancing until all hours of the morning (literally, I think we made it home around 6 am). Some friends from Limoges had came over and visited for the festival and some other people in the tower had friends over for the festival too so the tower was completely packed of people and life. So all in all it was a very fun loooooong weekend.
Angouleme isn't known for much except for its two museums (the paper museum and comic book museum) and its two festivals Les Gastronomades (a huge food festival at the end of November which was a great festival with free wine tasting and very tasty free food to soak up all the free alcohol you drink) and Le Bande Dessin which is a huge comic book festival. Basically all the nerds, freaks and geeks of France, Europe and from all around the world gather here for a long weekend of well 'geekin out'. Buildings were set up all over town and many businesses hosted some of the different themes of the festival. Even the towns famous Cathedral (which is the only one I visited because it was free and my friends I was with wanted to see it) had comics in it that was the "European Capitals" theme bit of the comics tour (I thought it was ironic that all the capital comics were politically aimed and housed in a church...leave it to the french to not seperate government and religion). People dressed in their favorite comic book character outfits and just people dressed to be weird were running around all over town. Needless to say I didn't partake in much of the festivities seeing as I'm not a comic book reader and don't enjoy surrounding myself by people who grew up loving Dungeons and Dragons and playing Magic cards, but I admit that some of the drawings I saw were pretty cool and it was nice to have a lot of new people in town to hang out with in the evenings. The nightlife in Angouleme was more fun
then usual with new faces and a lot more people. Some friends and me hit up a rock concert and then went out dancing until all hours of the morning (literally, I think we made it home around 6 am). Some friends from Limoges had came over and visited for the festival and some other people in the tower had friends over for the festival too so the tower was completely packed of people and life. So all in all it was a very fun loooooong weekend.I'll try to post my Itinerary for my trip to Greece and Egypt up on here a little later today. LoveYa. Katie
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Contact Info
My address here is:
Katie Cole - Assistant de Langue
LISA
303 Avenue de Navarre
Angouleme 16000 France
Cell Phone: 00.33.06.66.32.83.89
Katie Cole - Assistant de Langue
LISA
303 Avenue de Navarre
Angouleme 16000 France
Cell Phone: 00.33.06.66.32.83.89
Angouleme, France
Hello everyone! Once again I have decided to keep a blog because its easier to keep in touch with everyone that way. Just to catch everyone up...
Bristol, England
After leaving the states in September I didn't head straight to France, but made a stop in England in order to visit my friend Melanie and her daughter Jasmine. I spent ten days there exploring all around the area including making a special trip to Stonehenge. From England I took a train to Paris and meet up with a friend there to spend the weekend before heading to my new home.
Angouleme, France
I'm currently living in Angouleme, France. I've been living here since the end of September. It's located two and a half hours southwest of Paris and one hour north of Bordeaux. Cognac is just forty minutes west of here so any Hennesy fans should come and visit. The population of Angouleme is around 60,000. I live in an eleven story tower with 12 other language assistants. Each floor has three rooms and a communal bathroom. The third floor is our common room and kitchen where we all hang out.
My Job
I'm an english language assistant for the French Ministry of Education. I teach elementary school students english vocabulary and phrases. I only work three hours a week so I tend to have a lot of spare time. In October I began taking rowing lessons and joined a gym in order to fill up some of my spare time.
The french are known for their laid-back attitudes which they call "laissez-faire" which basically means that the average work week is only 35 hours a week and everyone gets at least 6 weeks of paid vacation a year. And if they decide that is still to much work or they want a random day off they go on strike. Striking is like their national past-time here. At least once a week I see a group of people marching through the streets on 'strike' for one thing or another (I think they just like having an extra day off).
Italy
At the end of October we had our first two and a half week vacation (I'd only taught two days since I'd started my contract on October 1st and we already had a vacation). I decided to go to Italy. My first stop was Rome where I visited the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Cistine Chapel and even saw the Pope in Vatican City. From there I left to visit Florence and see the famous statue of David by Michelangelo. I took many little day trips to the Tuscany countryside while I stayed in Florence. I visited the Leaning Tower in Pisa, Il Campo Piazza in Siena, the towers of San Gimignano and the medieval city of Lucca. From Florence I headed to visit Venice and see St. Mark's Square and take a Gondola ride (I ended up taking a ferry ride instead because the Gondolas were ridiculously over-priced). I even went on a day-trip to Verona the legendary city of Romeo and Juliette. My favorite thing about Italy had to be their Gelato and Pizza. 
Scotland
My second school vacation was over Christmas and New Years. I spent Christmas with two of my roommates (Pamela and Nalleli) in Auchterarder Scotland (at Pamela's parents's house). We visited many of towns in Scotland including Perth, Glascow, Edinburgh and Iverness. We visited Edinburgh Castle, enjoyed shopping on "boxing day" in Glascow and made a special trip to the Lochness to try and spot 'Nessie'. 
Travelling
As everyone knows I love to travel. Even when not I'm not having long holidays I've been making sure to visit lots of the areas around this region. I've spent some time in Poitiers and Limoges, visited Carly a couple of times in Toulouse, spent the weekend with some friends in Cognac and have made several trips to Paris. Needless to say my savings account is quickly dwindling but I have one more giant trip planned before its all gone. Next break is at the end of February and I am going to be visiting Athens, Greece and various sites in Egypt. I'll make sure to send postcards like usual and now you'll be able to read along with my adventures there on this blog.
Visiting
A few people have expressed interest in coming and visiting me here in France and I say the more the merrier. You'll have a free place to stay and your own personal guide and translator. Since I only work twice a week I'm available basically all the time and can take weekend trips to other areas. I'm expecting Dad and Anna in March and maybe Chris. Tina plans on coming at the end of April. I've already had quite a few of you come to visit already, but I hope more of you will make the journey here.
TTYL. LoveYa. Katie
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