No Ships, We Strike!

On Friday, Karen and I planned on visiting the island of Aegina, right off the coast of Athens. We woke up quite early (6:30...ouch) and headed down to the port of Pireaus. Having ordered the tickets online, we needed to pick them up at the port authority before boarding the ship. No big deal. When we got to the ticket office, it was closed. Apparently it opens at 9am. Our ferry was leaving the port at 8:50. This makes for a little incongruous situation. Typical Greece. Of course we would be sold tickets for a ferry that leaves ten minutes before we are able to actually get our tickets. Well, that ended up not being the numero uno problemo of the day... We found another man who apparently worked for the harbor. When we asked him about the tickets, he just looked at us, smiled, and said, "No Ships. We Strike!" in the most cheerful tone I have ever heard at 8 in the morning. Was I supposed to be happy for him?

Well, no worries. We went back home and I called the travel company, with which we booked the tickets, to see if we could get a refund. After settling that whole bit, Karen and I made use of our free day and climbed the Acropolis. It was amazing; however, on the walk up, I get a call on my cell phone. It is the ship company. What do they say? "Hi! There are no ships today. We Strike!" "Yeah, I kind of got that, considering I'm not on Aegina right now. Thanks for the info, about 3 hours too late."

An American Thanksgiving, Greece Style

I am so thankful and lucky that Karen was able to join me for Thanksgiving. I picked her up at the airport on Wednesday and she had with her most of the fixins for a traditional American dinner. She brought cranberry sauce (with the ridges!), stuffing, cream of mushroom soup and french fried onions for the green bean casserole. I have been looking forward to seeing her for so long. I was thrilled when she walked though that customs gate!

Thursday, we went to the Central Market to get all the produce to make our feast: green beans, eggplant, fresh eggs, celery, onions, potatoes, apples, and cinnamon. When we got home, we went straight to cooking. Let me tell you, for having a 1ft. by 1ft. work space, no measuring cups, one dull knife, and an oven that doesn't really show the temperature, this Thanksgiving dinner was pretty delicious. It was no comparison to Mom's home cooking, but we weren't too shabby with what we had to work with. We made the classic Guthrie sticky rolls, mashed potatoes, roasted butternut squash, stuffing, monkey bread, cranberry sauce and apple crisp. YUM! Since not everything could be made at once in our tiny little oven, we had to cook things in shifts. We starting with our very Greek tsatsiki and bread for appetizers, then adopted the European coursed meal. We spread the meal out into an entire afternoon of eating, or rather grazing. By the end of the night, we were some pretty stuffed birds.

We finished the day with a Skype call back home. It was really nice to see everyone in one place. Karen and I both agreed that we missed the craziness of Guthrie holidays, but at the same time, are kind of glad we are taking a break from the constant noise and chaos that defines a Guthrie Thanksgiving.

Sometimes, it's right under your nose.

My roommate and I set off one morning to find the grand, much-talked-about Central Market of Athens. It is supposed to be the quintessential place for fresh meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, eggs, dried herbs, honey, wine, you name it. Surrounding the iron and glass building are quaint little vendors, screaming their heads off trying to get you to buy something from them. One man, while he had an entire array of fresh produce, kept shouting about his bananas. "FRESH BANANAS! LOOK AT THESE BANANAS! DO YOU WANT TO BUY SOME BANANAS?" I was very tempted to go up to him and say, "Excuse me, sir, do you happen to have any bananas by any chance? I didn't quite understand what you were saying."

After wandering around the streets of fresh produce, Katie and I decided to head inside the market. If outside is this great, inside must be Narnia! Au contraire, my friend. As we stepped inside, the smell of fish was strong enough to knock me out. There was about an inch of water on the floor from the melting ice covering the fish. There was not a vegetable in sight. The crowds were packed like the sardines they were buying. We walked as fast as we could to the other end of the market, trying not to slip on the innards that were casually tossed on the floor. There has got be a different area. Well, there was. We turned the corner and just as we stepped away from the fish guts and octopus tentacles, we literally ran into a man hacking away at a freshly slaughtered lamb. Wonderful. I hightailed my little vegetarian butt out of there as fast as I could. Traumatizing.

After loading ourselves down with dried raisins, apricots, oatmeal, lavender, and cinnamon, we wandering around the area for a bit. Personally, it was the first time I felt like I was living in a capital of a country. Athens is a great city, but is not very beautiful. However, near the Central Market, the architecture is cohesive and monumental, the streets are clean and bustling, the squares are well groomed and inviting. It was a gorgeous walk and exploration around a wonderful part of the city.

The biggest thrift store I have ever seen

I also went to the Benaki Museum, my now favorite museum in all of Athens, quite possibly the world, though the Rhodes Archaeological Museum puts up a good fight. The Benaki used to be a private collection of the Benaki family, which was given over the Greek government. The family's mansion was turned into the museum, exhibiting all the pieces beautifully and intimately. The collections range from 6000 BC all the way to modern art. While for the most part the collections follow a chronological order, there are random modern pieces displayed in line with the ancient collection. I love this juxtaposition. It is quite refreshing to see the contrast between the two so vividly. I appreciate both periods of art, but when exhibited as one cohesive unit, I am forced to recognize the stark differences and surprising similarities within the 8,000 year range of art.

Off to London, but first a few Flea Market Finds

After spending the past couple weeks in Athens, I'm off traveling again! I will be spending the weekend in London with my best friend Amy. I cannot wait to see her. It is a little strange that I will she her twice before I see anyone else from Chapel Hill, but I am definitely not complaining! It will also by nice to be back in an English-speaking country again!

London's climate, however, is quite different than the one in Athens. Here, it is 70 and sunny most days. I have a raincoat and a couple of sweaters and that's pretty much it for cold-weather clothing. For London especially, such clothing is a must. Well, you don't need to tell me twice to go shopping! And off I went.

Not wanting to pay tons of euros on nice sweaters and coats, I went to the open air street market in Metaxourgio this morning to battle the yaya's (grandmas) for inexpensive stuff. The market is a remarkable experience. On one street, for one day a week, almost everything can be found there. We have clothing, kitchen supplies, toilet paper, produce (YUM!!) and so much more. The street is crowded with little old women pulling their bags of goods behind them, in this strange type of suitcase that almost every Greek housewife has. The produce men are shouting what fresh stock they're carrying and the mothers are busy haggling with the clothing cart owners. The fish mongers are sorting their catch-of-the-day's while the florists are arranging their bouquets. Everyone is one a mission, and so was I.

I bought a purse/overnight bag for my trip this weekend (I definitely did not want to lug around my huge backpack) and two sweaters that will hopefully keep me warm. It all added up to just under 15 euros. A great deal and an unforgettable experience!

Off to London tomorrow!

So exciting, it's explosive.

I assume that most people have been keeping up with the news, but in case you haven't been, here's a little headline to catch you up:

Several parcel bombs, intended for various embassies around Athens, have either exploded or been neutralized. The first of many went off in the courier's office right in my neighborhood. There has been massive police control and many roads have been blocked off.

It is a little scary to be living here at this time, but it does not seem to affect my fellow Greek residents. I'm not sure if the stark difference is due to my over reaction or their indifference. It's almost like they are saying, "Whatever, this sort of stuff happens all the time." And well, it kind of does.

Along with massive road blocks (which makes a usual 15 minute walk turn into an hour taxi ride) the Greek government has suspended all international mail. Hopefully this does the trick!