Last I wrote, I was close to finishing all of our interviews, and on Tuesday night, we finally did. There are a number of updates since then, so some of the photos below may not be in the best order. Hope it's still enjoyable.
Jordan and I got eight interviews on Tuesday night in Exarhia, and after we finished, I ended up spending the evening with Maggie hanging out with Doros and Nas at Doros's place. 'Twas pretty fun, and we ended up walking a long, long way home. We had hung out with them on Monday in a park in Exarhia as well after our interviews, so here are some pictures.
Wednesday, we didn't do much--just transcribed all of our interviews. I ended up spending the day at the guesthouse and wrote a long blog entry for Scholarship Junkies. If you're interested, you can go check it out.
Yesterday (Thursday) was another slower day. I went and got a haircut for 15 Euros. A bit spendy, but oh well. My hair was getting long. At night, we met up with Taso for dinner and then I spent the evening grabbing a drink with some friends, Maria and Georgina.
Then this morning, we left really early in the morning for Santorini. Early as in, 6:15 am. We left by ferry, and the ride took 8 to 9 hours total. I spent some time on my computer, reading the German newspaper I bought yesterday, and then napping in an air-conditioned cabin.
Eventually, Maggie and I moved out to the deck and got seats in the sun. I fell asleep without my shirt on and, because I ran out of sunscreen, I ended up getting sunburned on my chest. Oops.
But, I am a great deal darker now. : ) A few pictures from Maggie's camera...like the shades?
I took a few pictures during our ride, and man, the Cyclades are gorgeous. The views are like the pictures of Greek islands you might find in a tour book.
Once we arrived, a shuttle from our hotel picked us up, and we drove up the side of the cliff and to the Santorini Palace. It's the first time that our professor, Taso, has booked this hotel for this program. The usual hotel where the program stays is full, but none of us are complaining as our lodging is fantastic.
Santorini itself is an old island that used to be part of a mountain/volcano that erupted around 1400 B.C. It's the eruption that is thought to have completely destroyed the Minoan civilization on Crete. The Minoans existed just before the Mycenaeans, who borrowed much of their culture from the Minoans.
Anyway, when we first arrived, I didn't Santorini was living up to all the high expectations I had from everything I heard--that is, until the sun started to set.
This island is absolutely gorgeous. The sunset is even more beautiful than what we saw in Hydra or atop the Acropolis. It's almost other-worldly.
After swimming in the afternoon and working out for the first time in two months at the hotel gym, I headed out with the others to join Taso for dinner at a restaurant overlooking the water.
As we ate traditional Greek food, we watched the sun set over the Caldera, the remains of the erupted mountain.
After dinner, Maggie and I went to buy lotion and sunscreen (as well as a bottle of white wine) and then headed back to the hotel. What a hike!
Now, I'm sitting in the hotel lobby, sipping my wine, updating this blog, and watching CSI: New York...which just ended. How exciting. haha.
Tomorrow, we are taking a boat out to the Caldera, which is pretty much all volcanic rock. There are supposedly hot springs there and other exciting activities. Should be fun.
Sunday, we travel to Naxos and stay until Tuesday, when we head back to Athens. Sadly, my program is coming to an end, and we'll be making our presentations on Friday with plans to end the program with a soccer game on Saturday evening. Then I take off for a few more days of travel with Maggie, her mom, and another friend to Crete and perhaps Rhodes as well.
Until next time,
Sam
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