Documenting Athens

Sunday, October 25th, we got up at the crack of dawn to catch four different buses that would end in us making it to the airport in order to fly to Athens. The airport was packed and we were all tired and hungry. It didn't really make for a good start to the day but we managed once we got off the metro in Athens. Now I must note that we were hoping for amazing weather in Greece but it rained for most of our stay. It has barely rained in Dublin, at least not nearly as much as we had expected and London turned out to be beautiful, but Greece well it rained a lot.
The map and directions that we were given to get to the penthouse were horrible and we walked around Athens for about three hours before finally hailing a taxi to take us to our destination. Along the way we asked a pizza restaurant owner for directions along with a five star hotel doorman and finally a guy who was on holiday by himself from the Netherlands. We passed Hadrian's Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus but it was pouring rain so I didn't get pictures of them. Our friend from the Netherlands was originally supposed to go to California because his friends live there but he ended up deciding on Greece. He told us he likes to travel alone because you get more of an experience that way, having to put yourself out there instead of just hanging out with the people you came with. If it weren't for the fact that I have no sense of direction and also as a safety precaution I wouldn't mind traveling by myself, I did come to this country alone and it's been the greatest experience of my life. I love meeting people who are extremely independent like that, we have a few in our program and it's fun to hear about their trips.
After our friend couldn't read our map either he helped us hail a taxi on one of the busiest roads I've ever seen in my life and we bade him farewell. We made it to the penthouse at about 6:30 pm and we were starved. Laverne, Chris and Charity's International Studies Director, greeted us and gave us food to tie us over until it was time to go to dinner. She had been concerned with our whereabouts since she of course had been expecting us at least an hour or so after our flight had arrived. We ended up at a T.G.I. Friday's across the street for dinner, it wouldn't have been my choice for eats out in Greece but we were tired and hungry so that's what we did. When we got back I used the free international calling on the phone to call home and talk to my dad and sister which was really nice. I rather enjoyed calling them from Greece and even saying so.
Monday I was bound and determined to document as much of Athens as possible with my camera. Chris, Charity, and I set off through town toward the Acropolis. Modern Athens itself is exactly as I imagined it to be with crazy traffic and buildings crammed in everywhere. It's such a cool thing to see a place be the way you expected it to be when you're seeing it for the first time. I enjoyed seeing all of the signs in Greek as well along with stumbling upon ancient ruins. There is just something seriously cool about seeing ruins of the past in amongst modern day living. When we got near the Acropolis the Acropolis Museum appeared first but it was closed like most museums are on Mondays which was a bit of a bummer. Next we decided to make the trek up to the Acropolis and I must note that there were a ton of dogs roaming about, but mostly just lying around napping. The Theatre of Dionysus was the first thing we came upon and from the top of it you could see out over the city. The Parthenon itself was quite breathtaking, but it's under restoration as well so there was tons of scaffolding on it. I really enjoyed just trying to picture how the area was in it's prime in contrast to how it is now.
After our stroll through the ruins we decided to find the marketplace to find lunch. We ended up in a souvenir shop first which had a ton of different things in it from pottery and statues to chess boards and jewelry. All three of us ended up doing our only shopping in Athens there and we chatted with the store owners for quite a bit. It had started pouring down rain once we got down from the Acropolis and one of the store owners told us we had brought it from Dublin with us. Once we left the shop we stumbled upon a gelato shop which of course we had to go into. So we had our dessert before we found a cafe to actually eat lunch at. We had gyros at a restaurant called Ioakh barbeque. The owner waited on us and he was extremely nice and funny. First of all he made us all sit side by side in a booth with Chris in the middle that way he could see all of us because we were “good looking”. Then he teased Chris by saying that he was a lucky man to be out with two girls. He asked us which states we were from and when Charity and I told him Pennsylvania he said, “I used to live 2 hours and 46 minutes from your home”. Turns out he lived in NYC for a while before returning to Greece to live. I'm not sure how long or what the circumstances were surrounding his time in the States but that was pretty cool. We weren't entirely sure what to order but we knew we wanted gyros so he just brought us two big plates, one with vegetables and the other with meat, to share and save us money. The restaurant was such a great find, I loved it.
Once we were fed and the rain had let up we decided to try to get to the Mediterranean Sea, which we did but we just ended up at ports and not necessarily near a beach. We decided to head back to the penthouse after a couple of failed attempts. That night we went to a restaurant and were served authentic Greek food which was really cool. The waiter brought us a ton of samples mainly in the form of appetizers and then we chose three different main dishes for dinner. He was going to bring us 6 plates to share between the 11 of us but through a miscommunication on our end we ended up only ordering 3 plates. Dessert was a delicious chocolate pudding type of dish though so it made up for our mistake.
Tuesday we made our venture back to Dublin which was tiring but it was nice to be home. I didn't realize how much I had missed Dublin until I was on the bus and then in the taxi home from the airport. Just seeing familiar places gave me a real sense of home and I was just super excited to be back. Once I got to the house I just walked around the kitchen and dining room for a while revelling in the feel of my second home (although it's probably more of my third home as Clarion is my second). Next on the agenda is Northern Ireland, Belfast and Derry, November 5th-8th. It's another group trip like Galway was so I'm really excited just to be with everyone in the same place again.

London Calling

October 22, 2009 I officially landed in London at Gatwick Airport at approximately 9:20 am. I have been dreaming about going to London since I was 15 and I finally made it. Chris, Charity, and I took a bus and then the tube to our hotel so that we could squeeze in an afternoon nap before heading to Piccadilly Circus for the evening. Once there we walked through the theatre district and China Town before deciding that we were extremely hungry. We settled on a Turkish restaurant and the food was absolutely delicious, it definitely hit the spot after a long day of travel. Chris and I are Potter fans so we ended up a King's Cross Station that night so we could go to Platform 9 ¾. We first went to the one that was built to have half of a trolley cart coming out of it and then we went to platform 4 which was actually used in the films.
Friday, October 23 Chris and Charity went to the British Museum but I had other plans in mind so I split off for a couple of hours so I could go check out Charing Cross Road. The road itself has a ton of book stores on it, mainly second hand and antiquarian. There was also a side road off of it that was nothing but book stores. I took a few pictures and then headed into Quinto Bookshop which carried antiquarian books on the first floor and second hand books in the basement. I perused the shelves upstairs and picked up an absolutely gorgeous book which had hand painted inside covers and came in at a pricey £60. After reluctantly putting it back on the shelf I walked past the locked glass case that held the most valuable books and I dropped my bag at the front counter so I could go explore the basement. The reason for this is because upstairs they had CCTV cameras but the basement was not equipped with them. They had clothes pins to identify bags with and they were labeled with a famous author's name, I got Keats. The basement was divided into tiny rooms that were packed with books and I could even hear the tube running overhead as I looked through the wide selection. It was a perfect experience but I was in desparate need of a book so I left and went to a new release bookstore that was more within my price range.
I soon got a text from Charity and I hopped back on the tube to meet her and Chris at Tottenham Court Road. We ended up down the street at a little cafe for lunch where I officially had my first cup of tea in London and I ordered an English Breakfast which was delicious. It was time to go see the major landmarks so we took the tube to Westminster where we exited to see the London Eye and Big Ben. I was completely ecstatic and I could hardly contain myself, the whole experience was better than Christmas morning. I took a ton of pictures of Big Ben and Parliament so that I would be sure to have a least one that I liked. We walked past Westminster Abbey and stood by the Thames for a bit before heading to Buckingham Palace. Once at the palace we met up with a friend of Chris and Charity's from school who is studying in London this semester. We went back to her place and made pizza for dinner before heading back to the tube.
Saturday Chris wanted to take a solo trip to Abbey Road Studios, he actually ended up going with a girl we had met the night before, so Charity and I decided to meet up with him later. Charity entertained me and went with me to the Oxford Circus station where we got off and went to Carnaby Street to the Gola store. Gola is a British shoe brand and I of course had to buy a pair while I was in London. It was then time to meet up with Chris and after a bit of confusion and frustration due to a lack of communication we got to him. The Tower of London was the major stop on our list that day so we took a tour and saw the crown jewels along with climbing up through the cramped towers. Afterwards we saw Tower Bridge and then walked along the Thames trail for a quite a while before getting exhausted when we realized we would never make it to the Millennium Bridge before dinner. Finally we found a train station and got off near Monument Station where we crossed the unexciting London Bridge. Chris and I got way ahead of Charity and when we turned around we couldn't see her. Soon enough she came into sight with a couple of guys from Argentina who had asked her directions to St. Paul's Cathedral. We talked to them for a bit and as it turns out they are studying law in Spain this semester. When we reached the cathedral we took pictures of it and then headed to Millennium Bridge which is right across the road from it. The bridge itself is a pedestrian bridge and Chris informed us that when it was first built it had to be closed down for a year to further construction on it because it swayed way too much. It's another destination for Potter fans who have seen the 6th installment as it's the bridge that is destroyed in the opening scene of the movie. We ended up at a little pub near the cathedral for dinner where I got fish and chips and it was absolutely delicious.
I love London and I can see myself living and working there some day even if it's just for a couple of years so I can fully experience the culture of the city. There is so much to do in London that you could live there your whole life and probably not experience it all. I really enjoyed the tube and it was extremely convenient in getting us to where we needed to be. I loved being surrounded by the British accent and there is just an amazing sense of pride about the British people. I really hope I can go back.

Comhaltas

Monday evening a big group of us ventured to Dalkey with the intention of climbing Killiney hill. Andy, Brady, and I fell behind what with trying to take pictures and all. We ended up on a path going around the hill, seems to be my trend as of late, and then we asked some locals for directions back into town. Once in town we met up with the rest of the group and it took about half an hour of indecisiveness before we decided to eat at an Italian restaurant. The majority of us headed back home but some of them stayed to go to a pub.


This past Friday a group of us was going to get on the DART and go to Greystones today. It ended up pouring down rain and Casey and I were the only
ones who made it, or so we thought at the time. We waited around the
station for a little bit thinking maybe Toby would show up, but as he
doesn't have a cell phone we weren't sure if he was coming or not.

We ended up running through the rain and then walking through the small
town area in it until we found a coffee shop where we sat and talked
for about two hours. Mainly we discussed home and friends but we spent
a good chunk of time discussing people here.

Once it stopped raining so Casey and I decided to go for a walk
along the beach and it was absolutely gorgeous. It is just amazing to me how close we are to the
Irish Sea and I love it so much. The beaches here are obviously a lot
different than back home, but I kind of like them better. They are the
type you put on a raincoat and hat to go walk along, dogs are frequent
as are parents with cameras. We saw a guy fishing with a huge pole; I
took a picture of him it made my day at that particular point in time.

After a bit we wandered back into the town to catch the DART to Dalkey
where Charity lives. We drank hot chocolate and talked to her host
family for a bit. A girl from Clarion named Constance came over about
a year and a half ago and they hosted her, so we had fun talking about
how amazing she is. After watching a couple episodes of The Office the
three of us headed to the DART station. We incidentally met Toby there
who was in fact in Greystones today and didn't believe that Casey and I
had been there until I threatened to show him pictures.

Aside from that, we took the train to Monkstown where we went to a club
I guess you could call it? There was a pub area and then a dance floor
where they teach you how to do Irish dances. A bunch of European kids and the few Americans
there, we were all tripping over each other but it was a blast. I only
danced two as we got there late and I wanted to get back into the city
before it got too late. The music was wonderful though and I really
wish I had the money to buy an Irish flute. So after sweating to death
dancing, I ate my complementary scone and left to make my way back to
the station.

I, with my mother's keen sense of direction (sarcasm implied), got
terribly lost by going in the opposite direction of the station, mind
you this is at 10:30pm. I asked a couple for directions and after
speed walking so far, I knew I was never going to make it to the
station in time to get back to catch my bus. I hailed a taxi and paid
the 4.80 euro to get to the station.

Once on the train typical me kicked in and I kept checking the time
knowing that the last bus would be around 11:30 and it was 11:07.
I managed to get into Tara St Station at 11:22 and I ran the two blocks
down to my bus stop. I'm sure I looked ridiculous but I didn't want to
have to pay a taxi the 12 euro it costs to get out of city centre. I
managed to catch the bus, many prayers brought me to that moment
because I started praying as soon as I left Comhaltas (the pub/club?).

Glendalough, Bray, Maynooth

Wednesday, September 30 I attended a play that was part of the Dublin Theatre Festival. The play was Chekov’s Three Sisters and it was performed in Russian with subtitles projected onto screens above and beside the stage. It was hard to follow both the translation and the action on stage but I managed and was greatly exhausted afterward. It was a play where the audience, if it is performed correctly, feels empathetic toward every character at some point. The sisters themselves all had dreams about working and love, but nothing turned out for them in the way they had hoped. It was by no means a happy ending, but more of a realistic one.
Friday the school hosted a free trip to Glendalough which a few of us Americans took advantage of while the rest of the tour group was filled by European students. The ruins of the monastery were quite impressive, but our tour guide was speaking so the European students could understand her so it was hard to completely appreciate the tour. It’s not that she was talking slower but more of the fact that she sounded like a pre-school teacher. After a quick lunch by the lake, eight of us headed up a trail, six of them went up a mountain but I wasn’t feeling too great so I stayed behind and Laura joined me. Kyle came back down after a bit and we waited for Chris so we could head back to the bus. At this point it was 1:30pm and the bus was to leave at 2:00pm. We hoofed it back and saw the bus leaving the parking lot at 2:10pm so we were stranded; apparently no one noticed that eight Americans were missing. The rest of the group caught up to us about 10 minutes later and we went into the tourist office where we learned there is only one bus that heads back into Dublin and it wouldn’t be around until 4:30pm.
Most everyone was accepting of the fact that we were left behind. As Patrick and I said at least we were altogether. It definitely made for an adventure that none of us has planned on, which I feel most of this trip has been like that anyway. We ended up walking into the nearest town, Laragh, where we found tea rooms in the downstairs of someone’s house. It was a very laid back atmosphere and definitely a place you read about stumbling across in a tour book. The bus for Glendalough actually left from Laragh so we managed to get on it for 13 Euro each back into the city. There weren’t too many people on the bus; one man did bring his dog though.
Once back in Dublin I didn’t feel like going home so I went back to the apartments with Patrick, Abby, and Kyle. Patrick and I had scraped together some of our change, and I’m not kidding we counted it twice to make sure we had enough, to buy pasta and sauce. Patrick made dinner and Kyle and I partook in eating a ton of pasta with him while Abby ate some food she had made in her own apartment. After dinner Patrick and I did dishes and discussed an array of topics from religion to awkward conversations at dinner in Galway to why all the men in his family drink black coffee. We then joined Abby, Katie, Casey, and Teri on a venture to a true local Irish pub called The Cobblestone. The pub itself is quite small and packs a ton of Irish locals into it along with traditional music played by whoever feels they want to play that night. I didn’t get anything to drink as I had to catch the bus within the hour, but I stood with Casey and watched the band play. I have fallen in love with the Irish flute and that is all I’m going to say on the matter as I will want one even more if I go on about it. More people joined our group so it got quite crowded in our corner, they themselves had been playing beer pong. Patrick walked me to the bus stop and gave me a history lesson on the architecture of the churches in the area, as he himself if a history major.
Saturday I got up and met Abby and Katie so we could catch the DART into Bray. The weather didn’t look promising and we were caught in a downpour about a block from Tara St. Station. Once in Bray the weather was quite lovely and we met up with Erin and Jeff. We stepped into a pub called Katie Gallagher’s complete with a fireplace so we could decide what we were going to do. Maps laid out on the table, Jeff, Katie, and Erin decided to climb Bray Head while Abby and I decided on the cliff walk aka the trail around the mountain. Abby and I didn’t make it around but we explored some ruins and then sat on the stone wall overlooking the Irish Sea and had a really nice conversation. We met back up with the other three in the pub after they completed their hike before splitting off again to explore the town. Once back in Dublin, Katie, Abby, and I all napped and then woke up for a late dinner during which we met Toby’s twin sister Gwen, who is studying at Oxford this semester. We then attempted to find room at The Brazen Head and The Cobblestone before settling on the Glimmerman as there was such a big group of us. I drank a Kopparberg pear cider and spent most of the night in a booth talking to Patrick and Brady. After leaving the pub we all went back to the apartments where I spent the night on Casey and Teri’s couch.
Sunday morning, I woke up and headed out of the apartment complex toward the bus stop. I was stopped by a little old woman who asked me the time, it was 9:45am and her watch was reading 3:20. I find it nice how for being a big city, people act like it’s a small town. When I finally got home I met Mary’s sister Anne who had come to visit for the weekend. We then made a trip to Maynooth with is where their brother Joe and his family live. Lunch consisted of chicken, ham, potatoes, and vegetables followed by apple tart and raspberry swirl ice cream for dessert. They then took me down to Maynooth College and gave me a tour of the campus. It was an absolutely beautiful campus but I forgot my camera so I didn’t get any pictures of it unfortunately.