Pints and Punting... what more could you want?

Finally, I've settled in Cambridge. Although I've loved the last month there is certainly something nice about doing laundry, and putting it in a dresser... ah... I've only been here a few days but I'm starting to get my bearings. I already found a favorite grocery store, the family that owns it is super nice. I've started working in the Development Department at Wolfson College, one of the MANY colleges in Cambridge, and next week I'll start working at Kettle's Yard, an art museum owned by Cambridge University. Let's face it, everything is owned by Cambridge University in this town. It's really confusing and sort of ridiculous... especially when it comes to private parks and gardens. That just doesn't seem fair. I've made a few friends as well, and we're all heading out for a pint tonight.

(For those of you who read this post originally I had to omit a part... for fear the person would read it... haha)

Here are some more pictures from Barcelona! Oh yeah... we went to a Monastery about two hours north of Barcelona... it was beautiful....


Twirling ladies at the flamenco show!


View from Montserrat... gorgeous...


*Ron Burgundy voice* I'm on top of a mountain!


Fear of falling off said mountain.


If you really looked at the cliffs you start to notice all sorts of little statues and buildings hidden within them. I wished we had longer than a day to explore.


I really love how this statue complimented the view.


Fruits and veggies in the market.


Inside the Sagrada Familia.

Absent

Hi all! - I've been so busy lately I haven't had a chance to post. FYI I landed safe and sound in England, and I am excited to get to Cambridge tomorrow. Already slightly embarrassed myself by walking around the cab to get in the passenger's seat... only to open the door to find the driver's seat... wow... Gave strangers quite a solid laugh on that one. More soon!! - Kristall

No hablo espanol!

After a small stint in the hospital, I arrived in Barcelona. Oh... wait... you want to know about that pesky hospital thing? Well I had all day to kill in the Athens airport so around lunch time I decided to have a sandwich. Not less than 20 minutes after finishing the sandwich I had extreme stomach cramps and hot flashes. I ended up getting food poisoning which about an hour and a half in, led to a panic attack. I was taken to the airport hospital where they gave me all sorts of medication (who knows what...) and got me in tip-top shape for my flight. Thank god I had all day!

The last few days I've felt a little sick to my stomach, but I've tried to push through. Luckily Anya had an overnight flight and has needed time to rest too. Last night, we went out for some of the most delicious wine I've ever had... and STRONG. Two glasses in we were feelin' tipsy and had the great idea to go see Eclipse!! (Don't judge me.) Anya was convinced it would be in English, and I knew better... Sure enough the Spanish Eclipse started and it only took about 30 minutes for it to be no longer fun, and we left, in search of more wine.

While in Barcelona, I find myself feeling really really bad that I can't speak Spanish. I know a little... a few basic phrases... but not enough to have a true conversation with anyone. In Turkey and Greece I never felt bad. Of course I wished I could speak Turkish and Greek, but I never felt as if I should seriously apologize for it. I consistently feel robbed by the fact I was never really exposed to another language. It's one thing to hear it in a classroom but it's completely different to have people to speak it with... Another part of me feels really lucky that English is my primary language. It truly is the language that binds multiple cultures. For example, at a table over today there was a German couple speaking to a Spanish waiter, and their way of communication was through English. So am I lucky or cursed? I haven't decided yet...

Tonight for dinner we went to a Turkish restaurant. Delicious!! Also, Anya and I shared a pitcher of Sangria... which is a little too much for two... We cancelled or plans of finding another spot and decided to go home, and rest up for a long Saturday filled with sightseeing, shopping, and more wine. :)

What day is it?

Way excited to be at the top... obviously...

It has been so easy to loose track of time on the island... We've been spending our days leisurely cruising around and laying on beaches. We eat dinner late and wake up late, and it's wonderful. I do feel ready to be back on the mainland... looking forward to more entertainment.

While we mostly went to beaches, we also visited some museums! We met an archeologist from the Netherlands, Jos, so we all went to the archeological museum, which was AWFUL... I think I could honestly say it is the worst museum I have ever been to. There were no didactics, and mostly pots, all excavated from the same grave site in Ancient Thira. Disappointing. We also went to another musuem (I'm completely forgetting the name...) but it is a private museum whose collection is mostly legal documents, mostly archives, but some prints, drawings and paintings as well. It was a neat little museum and the documents were extremely well preserved! Especially considering they were sitting in cases in the natural light, with no temperature control in the 100 degree humidity... For all of you non-museum people I'm sure this talk is endlessly boring, so I digress.

Yesterday, for our last day on the island, we decided to go to the caldera, an active volcano (last eruption was 1950) right off the coast of Santorini. We left late morning (which works well for Anya and I) and were transported by bus to our sail boat. Yep, sail boat! Unfortunately we weren't actually sailing, as the sails were tied down, but it was still a great boat. Our group was diverse, and I was amazed at how many languages the tour guide spoke. He repeated everything in Greek, English and Italian for the tour, and spoke German to another couple. He was kind of an ass though, as he kept gesturing to women's breasts and laughing about it with the captain... (Dudes are dudes regardless of country)

We got to the volcano quickly, and were told we were going to hike to the top. Um, excuse me? I'm all for a good hike, but with no water, in slippery sandals, on a completely black island in the 100 degree heat, with no sun cover I'm not as enthused. We made it to the half way point in about 30 minutes and I thought I was going to loose my breakfast right then and there. At that point dear Anya announced she could go no farther, and I followed her lead. I hate to sound like a quitter, but really, was I going to see anything other than MORE black rocks at the top? Nope.

We returned to the boat and the group arrived shortly thereafter. It was off to the hot springs. At this point the triathlon continued. We pulled up about 100 meters from the spring and they were like "Okay! You must swim!" Now, I'm always up for a good swim, and the heat doesn't make a difference when you're in the water! The spring was awesome. It's sort of straight out of a zombie movie though... There are loads of people swimming and there is a point where the water turns to a rust color from the mud, and at that point you can stand. So people slowly emerge, red stained out of the mud water and everyone is trudging towards land all slow and strange-like. I wish I could have gotten a video. The spring was warm and everyone rubbed mud all over themselves, which seems like a good idea, until later when it dries and you're all orange, and your skins super dry. :/

After the springs we stopped at another little island for lunch... which was very possibly the best meal I've had in Greece. A greek salad (with those delicious Santorini tomatoes), an ice cold Mythos, and mussels! For those of you who know me well, you know I don't like seafood, but Anya was insistent I try them, and they were great! They tasted like chicken, and for someone who hasn't had chicken in a very long time, this was a treat.

We were exhausted as we returned to the port. A day of hiking, swimming and sitting in the sun really drains a person... We were directed to a bus to take us back and we boarded. However, the driver had other plans. He headed the opposite direction of our hotel, picked up another couple, dropped them off at the airport, and continued farther to pick up another group of people... About an hour into being shuttled all over half the island, he stops and tells Anya and I to get off. Anya put her "bitch voice" on and told him where we were going. He said "Too bad. Take another bus." I am constantly amazed at how RUDE some Greek people have been... Honestly... Maybe it's the midwest in me, but people should smile at each other, and try to give each other a hand. We did as he said, grabbed a cab, and paid another 15 Euros for something that should have been free. When we got to the hotel we intended to complain but Loukas, the owner and possibly sweetest man I have ever met, was the only one there... so we didn't tell him a thing. It's probably better this way. After our first day fiasco I'm sure he would have thought we were fools.

We relaxed our last night, as I had to get up for my flight at 5am. We weren't about to make the same mistake we made our last night in Istanbul... Good. Times. Right now, I'm wasting time in the Athens airport. My flight to Barcelona leaves at 4pm this afternoon. Can't wait! As for now... here are many pictures of beautiful Santorini. Goodbye Greece!


On the last day we stumbled upon the coolest beach...


Beautiful Oia, Classic Santorini


Anna and Irene, best shop owners ever...


Tasty samples from Anna and Irene


Actually "sun drying" tomatoes... delicious.


I love the trees here!


Stairs leading to the lighthouse.


This is the view everyday. Anya and I were laughing about the T.V. last night, there was a weather girl on, being a little too stripper-like into the camera. We figure it's because she never has anything new to say. "Well folks, it's going to be sunny... and hot... again...."

"I wish someone would rub suntan lotion on my back... that wasn't you." - Anya

Yesterday was more of the same in Santorini... a lot of sun, a lot of water, a bit of beer, and a lot of couples. They're everywhere!! A girl can't catch a break... The only single good looking guys on the beach yesterday just did a lot of staring all afternoon. Is that a signal I'm supposed to approach? Well, I guess that's not how I roll... Santorini is definitely romantic, and that is evident in all the canoodling going on. It is endlessly entertaining watching couples on the beach, but a single girl can only take so much.

Anya and I keep joking about how we appear to be lovers. I mean even our room! We had to arrive a few days early so we got put in a room with one bed... no big deal. However, the room also has all red lighting and mirrors around the bed. Ah!! (The mirror continues to freak Anya out in the morning when she awakes to see herself 2 inches away from herself. haha) Also, there are five ways to travel on the island.

1) Walk. (Hell no.)
2) Taxi (15 Euros for a 2 minute ride...)
3) Rent a car (I can't maneuver my body between some of these roads let alone a car.)
4) Rent a Motorcycle (With cars zooming in and around other cars, I don't feel steady on two wheels.)
5) Rent an ATV (Done.)

So all day yesterday we cruised around on (or own separate!) ATVs. It was loads of fun! I honestly had more fun doing that then laying on the beach. We went to Red beach yesterday. This really amazing beach surrounded by red cliffs, with red volcanic sand. It's quite a hike to get there and in this kind of heat I'm not sure if we'll do it again. In the afternoon we came back to the hotel and stuffed our faces with fresh Santorini tomatoes we bought from a road stand. Then we headed out to Perissa beach, a popular beach with black sand. The waves on this beach were killer and it didn't take but a few seconds for me to get completely wiped out by one. I returned to the towel defeated. :(


Only picture from Red beach. That's the cliff we had to climb up and scale down on the other side.

In the evening we showered up and went to Fira, the most popular of the island villages. We found a nice place to eat but it didn't take long for us to be completely wiped and decide to head back to the hotel. Side note: It is FREEZING at night! I don't know how this is possible when a person begins sweating at dawn, but sure enough, when the sun goes down you need a wool sweater to stay warm. Or a man, and since I have neither I will be very chilly for the next 5 nights...


One of many pictures of a sunset. Beautiful.


Our hotel.


Tomato Balls! Famous on the island. Not very good though. I know, surprising.

What a hilarious misunderstanding...

Goodbye Athens! Hello Santorini!

We (Anya and I... and then there were two) left Athens this morning and after a tumultuous plane ride, landed in the Greek island of Santorini. It was nothing like I expected. I suppose I equate all islands with Puerto Rico, which is lush and green, and mostly animal reserves. Santorini is right off of a volcano, so it's dry and brown here. There are cliffs and hills but the island has a very open feel to it, like you can see for miles.

Our trip started off very rocky. We were directed by our hotel owner to wait at the hotel for her husband Loukas. When we arrived at the (small) airport we waited for about 15 minutes. Then a man with a van came up to us and this is how the conversation went:

Man - "Two?"
Me - "Are you Loukas?"
Man - "Yes Loukas."

And off we went with the man. I was worried this wasn't exactly right, but on the drive we tried to clear it up.

Me - "You are Loukas?"
Man - "Yes Loukas."
Me - "And your wife is Gianna?"
Man - "Yes Loukas."

When we arrived on a corner another man showed up to take us to the hotel.

Me - "Are YOU Loukas?"
New Man - "Yes. *touching chest* Loukas."

Off we went with the new man. He took us up and down hills, through town, down some stairs and down an alley. (Let me remind you that it is 100 degrees (not an exaggeration...), and I was dressed in black pulling 50 pounds of luggage. Not my finest hour.) At the end of the alley there was a sign for "Hotel Lucas" I immediately dropped my luggage and was irate. Luckily Anya kept her cool and went inside to straighten up the issue. The lady at the hotel gave her the correct number and we were told to leave. Nice.

We had to go up the stairs, back up and down around the hills just to get back to the place the first van dropped us off. We saw a set of pay phones and I called Lila, the owner. After a very confusing phone call we decided to head back to the airport, so they could pick us up there. We took another taxi and 30 Euros later we found the owners!!

Lila is a hilarious, ridiculously loud woman who just kept repeating "Where were you?!" and all we could say was "We don't know!!!" It was just a hilarious misunderstanding...

Lila knew just how to make us feel better though. We got to the hotel and she took us to this beautiful pillow-laden patio where she immediately gave us a couple of Amstels... ahhh... The rest of the day we've just been laying by the pool, drinking Amstel, getting some sun and genuinely relaxing. I figure after today, we deserve it.

Acropolis and a few museums!

Much to catch you up on. Yesterday we got up bright and early to head to the Acropolis. Our new friend from Finland, Casey, came with us. On the way to the Acropolis some of the group was intimidated by the seemingly extreme hike to the Parthenon, so when I turned the corner I noticed some of my group was paying to get on a trolley. I am worried about my skin, because I seem to have another bump coming in on my right eyebrow, so I was up for a little shade. We each pay 3 Euro and the trolley drives off... away from the Acropolis! It wasn't long before we realized the trolley was a 40 minute tour of the area we'd been exploring all week. Needless to say we felt like ridiculous tourists, but we embraced it and pulled out the cameras, why not?!
After the worst tour of my life, we got off at the Acropolis.


Conquering the Acropolis!


Umbrella Tour

The Acropolis was wonderful. You can see all of Athens from the Parthenon and out to the sea. It was overwhelming to believe that it used to be a center for political and philosophical discussions, and how ancient the structures are. Also, after being in the British Museum, and then going to the New Acropolis Museum I just can't believe they won't give back the Elgin Marbles... They truly belong in Athens, and the museum can MORE than handle them in their care. Is there a petition I can sign? If so, I'm in.

The last couple days we went to more ruins and a few museums. One of the museums we went to was the Greek Folk Art Museum, and it was great! The museum is ran by this adorable older couple who are extremely nice. He doesn't speak much English, but he liked patting me on the shoulder and grabbing my arm! I learned so much there. The didactics were fantastic and simple, and things were very well organized for flow.


Ancient puppets from Folk Art Museum

Today everyone left, but Anya and I switched out of the backpackers rooms into the studios, and they are NICE. We've been listening to Greek MTV which is endlessly entertaining, and catching up on all of our emailing and homework. Tomorrow morning we leave for Santorini!! Can't wait for a full week of beaching. Greek islands here we come...

Temple of Poseidon and a trip to the beach

Temple of Poseidon

Well I haven't melted yet!! Or gotten third degree burns...
Today we left nice and late in the morning for a trip to the Temple of Poseidon. Poseidon, as I'm sure you all know, was the Greek god of the sea. He is majorly responsible for the struggles of Odysseus, and has a tendency to be a pain in the ass for the other gods. The temple is the most preserved temple in Greece so it was a great site to see. It's also on top of a mountain, which means the surrounding view is just as majestic.

After a short tour we headed to the beach at Sunio. It was sunny and hot but the water was nice and cool. The hot sun felt so good on my skin but I felt like I had to reapply sunscreen nearly every 30 minutes. Either way it worked because I got home without a red spot on me. Thanks Aveno 100+ suncreen :)


Beach!

This evening we walked around a bit more and had a good dinner. Like I've said before, Greece is great but there is something different about the tourists who choose to visit here. It seems almost everyone is Australian... which makes sense, I mean it's hot there, it's hot here. However, it also seems like everyone just wants to party! For example, our hostel here is nice, and they have some great amenities, including a rooftop bar overlooking the Acropolis, but it's super crowded and loud because everyone is drunk! Our hostel in Istanbul had a rooftop bar but it was so laid back. Everyone just talked and smoked hookah and played backgammon. Of course we had a few drinks as well but we weren't out to get drunk.

Also I found myself annoyed at one guy who is staying at our place. He was talking loudly about how rich people should pay more taxes and how even when they donate $1 Million dollars it's like donating $1 for them. He just kept going on and on about all the injustices in the world, and although there were some points I sort of agreed with... I just wanted to tell him to take a look in the mirror! Is he donating 20% of his income to charity?! No, he is an American, living in Germany, vacationing in Greece. He is doing nothing to better the world. Now I'm not trying to be high and mighty, that's for sure. I completely understand that what I am doing is a selfish thing to do. However, I intend on using my cultural discoveries as a way to educate others, hopefully in museums someday. I'm not sure why it bothered me so much. I guess I get annoyed when people stick so hard to one side of the fence and don't open their minds to the reasons people may feel pressured to behave the way they do.

Anyways, off of my soap box! Tomorrow we are heading up the street to the Acropolis and then off to some museums. The rest of the week we have some issues to deal with. The day we were supposed to head to Santorini, Greek workers are planning a strike at the port of Piraeus. This is the only port we can use to get to Santorini. SO we'll see how the week goes... Cross your fingers.


Stuffed Mushrooms for dinner!

Delphi and a whole lotta sun...

First photo in Greece!

Greece. Is. Hot.
This is an understatement to be sure. I found myself wandering the streets of Athens in the blinding heat, in pants, pulling luggage, wondering where in the world my hostel is and wishing I was wearing some sun screen. This was not a great way to start as I was already missing Istanbul and wishing I had been able to stay longer. We eventually found our hostel and settled in. The hostel is right next to the Acropolis and we have a great view of it from our rooftop! (Not as great as the view in Istanbul... okay okay I'll stop comparing everything to Turkey...)
The first night we just wanted to take it easy. I found a little laundry mat to wash some clothes, and then the girls found a place to eat and did a little bit of shopping. Of course the first thing I had was spinach pie. Delicious. I apologize for the lack of picture. By the time I realized I should have taken a picture it was long gone...


Here's the menu! Greek is definitely Greek to me...

We got some good sleep last night and today we were ready to take on Greece! We took off this morning to Delphi. Delphi is about a 2.5 hour drive northwest of Athens. We went with a tour bus, which I HATE doing, but when it comes to traveling long distances like that it becomes the most convenient way to travel. Delphi was in the mountains of Greece and it was just breathtaking. The Greek countryside reminds me a lot of Colorado, which I love, but it's more European of course and there are olive trees everywhere.


Ruins at Delphi.


More Ruins.


Object mount at the Museum of Delphi... I can make that... No big deal.

Delphi was a long hike up a mountain, but the view was even better, as you can see from the pictures. The best part of the day came at lunch (3 p.m.) when we found a big oak tree to eat our eggplant, tomato, and feta sandwiches and fresh peaches underneath as it rained in the sunlight. Gorgeous... and eventually wet. :)

We made a stop at another little village in the mountains and then we were off to Athens.

View from the Cafe.

I like Greece so far. It isn't what I expect, but I think I am imaging more of a Santorini look. In fact, I met a girl today who had just spent the last two weeks in Santorini. She even extended her vacation because she loved it so much. I have a feeling I will feel much of the same...
Tomorrow: Off to the Temple of Poseidon then the beach!! (like I haven't gotten enough sun...)

Missing Turkey, Sweating a Ton

Classic Turkey, I miss it!!

The last few days have been quite busy so I apologize for the lack of blogging... Tuesday we spent all day preparing our presentation for the ICOM Inclusive Museum Conference presentation we were giving on Wednesday. We had a lot to prepare so we needed most of the day. By the afternoon we were definitely a little antsy so we took to the streets for some shopping!
We checked out the Spice Bazaar which was fun. It's spice/food focused (obviously) but most of the shops are replications of other shops... so if you see one thing you see 50 just like it. I'm pretty sure very little is authentic. Regardless we had some Turkish Delights, which were delightful :) The rest of the evening was relaxing with a few drinks on the rooftop of our hostel. I can't get enough of that view.

Wednesday was the conference! We were up early, lookin' sharp, ready to wow museum professionals. Actually I was damn nervous... it was my first conference and I had less time to prepare than the other girls. They had been doing their research all semester... I just started mine. Regardless it went off without a hitch! We had a lot of people attend, including the Vice President of ICOM and a number of well respected professionals. Everyone complimented us afterwards and wanted to know more, and I'm pretty sure we were the talk of the conference. woo!


Podium at Conference

After that a few of us headed to Hagia Sophia, which is beautiful (see below). The history is so astounding and I am so in awe of how grandiose it is that I can barely register my emotions. Usually I just walk around looking at everything repeating "oh wow..." Lame.

Thursday was a busy busy day. It was our last full day in Istanbul so there was a lot to cover. In the morning we headed to the Istanbul Archeological Museum, then over to the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art. The Archeological Museum was nice, but a lot of the same statues repeated throughout. Plus it's hard to get excited about a statue from Greece when I knew I was going to be there the next day! The modern art museum though, was AWESOME... I loved it. We met with Lora Sariaslon, a curator at the museum who gave us a tour. She was the student of one of my professors in her undergraduate degree program.


Statue in the Istanbul Museum of Archeology


Ceiling at Hagia Sophia

After this we met up with Cagatay for one last horah. We walked to the Grand Bazaar, which is much different from the Spice Bazaar. It's like the Grand Bazaar is the Mall and the Spice Bazaar is more like the market... It was crowded and annoying, due to all of the men pestering us to buy things, a common occurrence in the tourist neighborhoods of Istanbul. Later Cagatay told me that most of the men are Kurdish. This is a talking point of grand size because there is quite a bit of annimosity between the Turkish and the Kurdish. Knowing very little about the subject I press him to go on. He explains how the Kurdish want part of Turkey for themselves. For example, this would be like all of the Chinese immigrants in New York City going, "You know what? There are a lot of us here. We should get this land as our own!" And break it apart from the U.S. Also, many terrorists come from the Kurdish South East area of Turkey, which angers the Turkish. It takes me awhile but I begin being able to tell the difference between the two, although not without fault.

We all walked down to the sea and spent the afternoon drinking çay and talking about politics. After another walk down the bay we said goodbye to Cagatay. :( That evening we decided to stay with the hostel and have a few drinks at the bar. They also had a belly dancer that night which was interesting, as well as odd... There was a creepy man looming in the corner and he sort of ordered her around to people who seemed like they would give her money. I think he was her belly dancing pimp. Not. Good. After some great food we went to the popular street in Istanbul. Our friend from the hostel took us to a bar where you had to go down a long skinny hall, into a little elevator (with no door) up to the 4th floor, down another hall and around a corner where I was sure we were going to be murdered. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in a bar! With a band!!


Cumbus Cemaat

The band's name was Cumbus Cemaat, an awesome traditional Turkish folk band that was just zany. Alyssa and I jumped on the dance floor and had an awesome time dancing with everyone. Side Note: It doesn't matter what country I find myself in... musicians are always attractive. The violinist = yummy.

We stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, and I would be lying if I said I was completely sober on the plane ride to Greece. However, after a solid 2 hours of sleep we had to say goodbye to beautiful Turkey. I will miss the country and my new good friends.


Crazy Mole Hair Wig.. smelled very bad, looked wicked awesome.