la bella vita: It's All Greek To Me

Athens, Greece from a lookout near the Acropolis.

Greece was amazing. I cannot begin to describe in words the impact this trip had on me: our group of 29 sped from cordial introductions at the airport to spending 24 hours a day together for the next week, on buses driving up terrifyingly narrow, winding mountain roads, hiking to the tops of cliffs to breathtaking views and ancient ruins remarkably in tact, and immersing ourselves in a culture so important in its early innovations. Greeks are a proud people, and now I understand why. I'll do my best to cover the highlights in photos.


First meal in Greece on night one. Greek salad, with the most delicious tomatoes, a whole block of feta cheese, and Mythos beer. This will be a menu staple throughout the trip.


View from our hotel the first morning in Loutraki, a small beach town near Corinth. It's starting to hit me that we are in Greece.


On our drive to Corinth that morning our professor promised us a surprise, which, yes, surprisingly, turned out to be this lovely isthmus, all natural, connecting to the Mediterranean on both sides and secluding Corinth from the rest of Greece. We then proceeded to count how many times the professor could say the word "isthmus" throughout the day. Approximately 23.


The "hill" we climbed in Corinth. The hike was long and practically vertical, but the view definitely paid off. On top there is a hut that is the supposed birth place of Pegasus, as well as a meeting place for one of the most famous prostitutes in ancient Greece. From the top you can see vineyards and olive trees, and the sea in the distance.

Lunch in Corinth: dim-sum style, where the waiters bring around carts of food and you select what you want. This is a sampling of freshly squeezed orange juice, stuffed tomatoes, stuffed grape leaves, and moussaka.

First swim in the Mediterranean...rocky, cool, and absolutely the most amazing scenic mountain views. And only a few creepy men.

Night out in Naphlion, a very luxurious beach town with elegant outdoor lounges all over the place. We were so excited for Italy that we couldn't resist an authentic gelateria from Rome, and my pistachio did not disappoint.

Inside the Temple of Apollo at Bassae. It's being kept under a large tent while it undergoes restoration, which we had the chance to help with. The man in charge of the operation, Constantine, hopes to see it completed in the next 20 years. Unfortunately the temple's remote location does not make it the most desirable place to live and work, so progress is slow.

Bassae, the teeny tiny mountain town closest to the Temple of Apollo. It had one main street, and one incredible bakery, which we visited no fewer than 5 times in the 24 hours of our stay there. This may have been my favorite town we visited, it was so quaint and welcoming.

Mustache Man. Of course I had to take his photo. He goes down in history.

We heard rumors about a tiny restaurant run out of an older woman's kitchen in town, so we all went to wait outside her house and check it out. This woman saw us, realized the rumored chef was not home that night to cook us dinner (go figure) so she led us around the town, calling out to restaurant owners from the street to try to get them to open up for us. She finally got one to open a few minutes early to serve us. For whatever reason, the language barrier wasn't a problem. I was astounded by her willingness to help us...you'd never find this at home.


Bassae: quaint on the outside, and shower curtain-less on the inside. One of the more interesting showers I've taken.

The class, racing at the original Olympic stadium in Olympia.

View from ruins at Delphi.

Kitty we found outside the Delphi museum. A whole group of cats were lurking around the museum, and I really have to wonder what they're eating to survive. "Cats of Greece" postcards could be found in every town and now I know why.

One of a zillion stray dogs in Athens.

An unbelievably adorable street musician in Athens.

We arrived at the Acropolis early to beat the crowds, but we were so early that the Greek soldiers had not yet raised the flag at the city's most historic spot. Good thing they brought guns.