Wednesday, June 29, 2011

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.


Monday, June 27, 2011

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!










Sunday, June 26, 2011

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.  




Sunday, June 5, 2011

Girl Scout Camp

When I was about 10 or 12, I decided to spend a week at Girl Scout camp.  The way it worked out, I wasn't going to be going with anyone that I knew; my sister was going the same week, but she would be in a completely different age group.  I told myself that I would be okay - it was supposed to be a better experience if you didn't take a friend along to cling to, and I would make new friends.

It was miserable.  I was lonely and homesick, and I spent most of the week on the verge of tears, but I was stubborn enough to stick it out until the end of the week.  Needless to say, I never went back to Girl Scout camp.

The last few weeks of my time in Greece have brought this long-ago experience to mind.  Now, I don't want to give the impression that I've been miserable my entire time abroad - I've had amazing experiences.  But whether it was the visit from my parents that reminded me what I'd been missing, or whether I've simply run out of plucky resilience, my time in Greece is winding down, and the only thing I can think of is... I'm ready to go.  All in all, this could be seen as a positive thing - maybe I won't regret leaving when the time comes.  But, I'm not ready to go because I feel I've gotten all I can out of the experience, or I've seen all that Greece has to offer, or even that I'm simply ready for a change.  I'm ready to leave because I'm lonely, and my biggest regret is all the things that I still want to do here - I just don't want to do them alone.

I've never had an easy time making friends - meeting new people can be an anxiety-filled experience for me.  To me, moving abroad is nothing compared to putting myself out there on a daily basis.  My roommates and I didn't click, personality-wise, and I found myself at a loss.  Instead of taking the more challenging route of making friends, I decided I could do things on my own.  And for a long while, I did.  I've realized that even if I don't need someone else to do something, I still want someone to share the experience with me.  What fun is it to discover something new if there's no one to share the excitement with?

I did make a friend at Girl Scout camp, though I can't remember her name now.  It's good to know that even unhappy experiences are never entirely unhappy.  But I've learned something important: people are what make things worthwhile.