Remembering the Adventure: Photographs of My Year Abroad

I took over 4,000 photographs during my year in Greece and my visits to Hungary, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and the UK.  And now that I've been home for two months (two months!?), I've finally taken the leap from storing the photos digitally to printing some of them out and framing them.  In the process of doing this, I've realized that even though I love seeing the photo in all its physical glory (it feels entirely different than seeing it on a computer screen) and I enjoy the artistic process of choosing the best matting color and frame to complement the photo, I really dislike messing with the photograph with photo editing software.

A lot of the photos need this extra touch, whether it's because cropping or straightening the horizon really enhances the final photo or due to the stretch of weeks in which I had sand in the lens of my camera (resulting in a dark circle on some of my best photos that needs to be digitally edited out.)  I've found that I don't have the patience for this type of detailed and time-consuming alteration, and I dislike the process even more because it's on a computer.  The physical act of creating has always been part of the appeal of the crafts that I choose, something that digital photo editing lacks.  But, my photos shouldn't be doomed to remain on my hard drive just because I'm lazy about fixing them and uninformed about the photo programs available.  So, I've started with the pictures that need only minor adjustments, and I'm working my way up to those that are victims of the sand-in-the-camera-lens phenomenon.  It's a lot harder and more time-consuming than I thought it would be, but I'm so proud of the results!  Take a look at my first framed photographic artwork.  Isn't it gorgeous?

P.S. Since I'm back at home for a while and don't have the space to display even a tenth of my photographs, I'm listing some of my favorites for sale on Etsy.  Keep tabs on fashnblylatecrochet, store name "Fashionably Late" - I'm listing photographs as I finish and frame them.  And, if you have a favorite from the blog that you would like to see in my Etsy shop, let me know!

Stuck in Paradise... Call Back Later

Escape to the Peloponnese

After two weeks of summer camp, all of the Fellows needed an escape.  So, in the tradition of our initial trip to Hydra waaay back in September, seven of the Fellows (and our token Brit, Tom) loaded into rental cars for a weekend road trip in the Peloponnese.

Just in case you didn't know, the Peloponnese is the large land mass to the west of mainland Greece.  It's almost, but not quite, an island, and it's home to one of my favorite places - the city of Nafplio.  For this trip, however, Greg and Robyn planned for us to head further south towards the town of Kalamata.  The guys were determined to leave Friday night, but the girls opted to sleep and then drive down Saturday morning.  Since we rented two cars, that left all five girls in a moderately-sized car.  It's safe to say that it was a tight squeeze, but we were all so excited to once again be in a car.  

The drive was blog-worthy in and of itself: huge mountains, valleys, and trees; gorgeous beaches and impossibly blue water; endless olive trees and curving mountain roads.  We made our first stop of the day at a roadside stand that looked a lot like it had been abandoned several decades ago.  We were served water and cheese toast by an aging YiaYia.  Just after Whitney compared the scene to something out of the movie Saw, several men in a delapidated pick-up truck pulled into the parking lot and calmly sat down at the lace-covered table next to us to repair their chainsaw.  No joke.

Next, we stopped at the Byzantine-era fortified town of Mystra.  The area that's available to explore is enormous, but we only spent a couple of hours exploring the uppermost region.  It's completely worth a second visit, and I loved taking photographs there.

We tried to catch up with the boys at a beach past Kalamata, but we ended up at different beaches almost next to one another!  Both of the beaches were idyllic, and we stretched out in the soft, soft sand for a nap. Later we watched the sunset at a seaside taverna.

The next day we drove on down the coast and stopped at a completely different beach - the volcanic landscape with its pockets of seawater looked as if it belonged on another planet.  Tragically, my camera's shutter had jammed earlier that morning, so I don't have any of my own pictures of this beach.  After only a few hours (in which I still managed to sunburn), we turned our cars back towards Athens and the last remaining week of summer camp.

Justin Goes Greek

I was delighted when my friend Justin, who is currently researching at CERN in Geneva, arranged his schedule so that he could visit me in Greece.  It's fun to have people visit, not only because everything is more fun with a good friend, but also because visitors remind me of the amazing things about the place that I live - things that I often forget in the day-to-day annoyances of living.  Justin appreciated the particular beauty of Greece immediately, whereas I had to grow accustomed to the sparse and strange vegetation.

We spent a couple of days in Athens, visiting the Acropolis, the museum, and the tomb of the unknown soldier.  We even stopped by the protest at Syntagma Square on Sunday, though there weren't as many people as usual (likely because it was a holiday weekend.)  And, since Justin appreciates food as much as I do, we ate... and ate... and ate... wherever we went.

On Saturday we took the bus to Nafplio, as Justin ruled out the beach in favor of castle-climbing.  No complaints from me, since Nafplio is one of my favorite places!  And, of course, there was eating - this time at the most incredible gelato place - Antica Gelateria di Roma.

We topped off the visit with a movie night at the mall (so very Greek, I know).  But Justin had not had a chance to see a movie in the theater since his arrival in Europe, and I'd only been to one.  Plus, the movie, X-Men, was great - and since seeing movies was a general weekend thing for our group of friends back at Rhodes, it has a sense of happy familiarity, as well.

Swiss Miss

I had a long layover in Geneva on my way back from London, so I took advantage of it to leave the airport and see some of the city.  Switzerland is a country that I've wanted to see ever since I read Sharon Creech's Bloomability.  Unfortunately, what I really think I wanted to see were the Alps, not the capital, so I was a little disappointed by my visit.  And, as it was a Sunday, all I could do was drool at the windows of the closed chocolate shops and gape at the expensive designer stores.  But, if nothing else, I got some great pictures!

Being British

I know that Spring Break was a long time ago, but I'm finally blogging about the long weekend I spent with my sister in London!  This was my first time in the UK, and it was marginally strange to be in a foreign country where the official language is English.  A combination of having my sister there and the familiarity of the language made London a city that I felt I fit very comfortably into.  Nevertheless, I heard more foreign languages in London that I have ever heard in Greece.

I arrived in London during my sister's last week there; consequently, she was finishing exams.  According to our recently established tradition (which I didn't mention in the post about Halie's visit to Greece) she was also sick while I was there, just as I got sick while she was here.  We managed to pack a lot in, regardless.  My first night in London we got to go see Les Miserables.  I was ecstatic when my sister suggested the idea before my visit - to see Les Miserables for the first time in London?  What could be better?  Now, I'm not a musical theater geek, but I have a good friend from college who is, and I owe all my theater knowledge to her (thanks, Natalie!).  So I was excited.  We had a choice between front row seats and the balcony, so though I anticipated craning my neck up to see the stage, we chose the front.  I was sitting so close to the orchestra pit I could peer right in!  We could even see the tiny microphones attached to the foreheads of the actors.  While it wouldn't be the way I would choose to see every play, it was a very cool experience, and maybe my favorite of the whole trip.  I bought a poster that I'm definitely going to frame.

The morning of my sister's exam, I took the opportunity to visit the Victoria and Albert museum, my sister's favorite.  I walked there, and everything in London is just so... pretty.  After Athens, which specializes in stucco, the neighborhood of Kensington was just so neat and orderly and architectur-y.  The museum itself is spectacular, as are the other museums nearby.  I saw a temporary exhibit at the V&A called "The Cult of Beauty," which focused on the aesthetics of the 19th century, my favorite literary period!  And, just in case I didn't enjoy the museum exhibit itself enough, they had a gorgeous cafe where I had my very first British tea and scones.

In case you didn't know exactly when my Easter break was, let me remind you... it coincided with the royal wedding.  And, like a true tourist, I stood with my sister and her boyfriend Jesse for five hours to watch the royal parade to the church and back.  Except for the one lady behind us who had no concept of personal space, it was totally worth it, and it was pleasant to hear the people around us chatting about where they were from. I was pretty sure I wouldn't get any good pictures, so I didn't really try very hard.  Mostly I just enjoyed the experience.  And I got a great view of the Queen!  Jesse is tall, and he got some very respectable shots, so I can always steal them.

That same day, after a nap, we took tea at the Kensington Palace Orangery.  We managed to get in right before closing, despite my late napping habits.  The gardens there are beautiful, and the tea absolutely delicious.  We each got our own three-tiered set of tea cakes and sandwiches; I was practically rapturous with joy at the sight of the little dish towers, as my sister can attest.  We strolled home through Kensington and Hyde Parks.

The next morning was spent at Burrow Market, a sight worthy of pilgrimage for all food lovers.  Now, I like the Greek market, but the variety (and the samples!) at Burrow put anywhere else to shame.  The only thing they couldn't compete in was citrus fruit, and they had more than enough to make up for it.  Paella? Roast duck sandwich? Ostrich burger? Fresh fruit smoothie? Toasted cheese? Fudge? Specialty chocolates? Jam? Fish and Chips? Baked goods? Spanish sausage? Fresh milk? Heart attack?  Yes, please!  It was difficult to tear me away.

We closed my trip with a river walk and then a nighttime visit to the London Eye.  The ride is pricey and not that long, but it was a great one-time experience.  Everyone was politely jostling to get pictures with the best views.  Mine didn't turn out too well because it's hard to get a night shot in a moving car, but I have plenty of other pictures.  Finally, my visit (and my break) were at an end, and I headed back to Athens.  But I hope this isn't my only visit to London.