I have also been really getting to know some people on the trip really well. Everyone is so different here and it’s fun to get to know everyone’s different personality.
Today after class my friend Paige, John, Bobby, Tina and I went to the Old Fortress. These Fortresses here are so impressive. This one was built in the 14th century and it was incredibly complex. There are so many rooms and the architecture is amazing.
I have also been really getting to know some people on the trip really well. Everyone is so different here and it’s fun to get to know everyone’s different personality.
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Today we woke up bright and early to go on a daylong cruise on a ship called Theo’s Party boat. About 16 of us went on the ship together and Theo, who is a Greek man in his 60’s came up to me and said “are you from Ireland you are so white!” If you know anything about me you know I am just about as white as they come. After this I knew it was going to be a good day.
On the way to our first island the boat ride was extremely calm; there was light Greek music playing and a refreshing breeze. All of the girls were sitting at the front of the boat. I remember soaking all of the beautiful surroundings in and thinking to myself that that had been the most relaxed I have been in an extremely long time. It was so great! Our first stop was in the mainland of Greece on a private beach. The sun was so strong that my friend Danielle and I got an umbrella to sit under. Theo’s crew (who were very attractive young Greek men) cooked us a bar-b-que on the island. Hands down it was the BEST food I’ve had so far. Homemade taziki sauce, with souvlaki (which is seasoned pork shish-kabobs), Greek salad, and fresh bread! It was so good! All of the people who were from our group who where there sat back on the boat to eat. When we were eating lunch a guy on the trip stole two beers…then was bragging about it. WHAT A STUPID THING TO DO. He ended up getting caught. It was so embarrassing to me that this kid did this for a 2.50 euro beer, it left a tarnishing reputation for us and I hope Theo and his crew didn’t hold us all to that because they were extremely nice to us. After lunch we got back on the boat for about 45 minutes and went to a lagoon. During the time when we were on the boat they had us put all of our belongings away. I didn’t really think anything of it because they said we could swim and jump into the lagoon. Theo told everyone he wanted a group picture so all of us on the first deck got a picture with him. I was sitting right by him and he said “sweetheart you are still white” lol. Thanks Theo. Once we got the picture taken the crew in the back sprayed us all with shaving cream, then we got in a water fight with everyone on the boat. The lagoon had crystal blue water, you could see straight down to the bottom. It was incredible. I typically don’t like swimming in ocean water (this was the sea but same concept) but since I could see everything I got right in. Some people even jumped off the ledge of the boat. On the way back we had a big party! They played all types of music and we all danced. I really like when we all do things like this together. The two guys on the crew said they needed five girl volunteers to Greek dance with them. Of course I was all over that opportunity. They taught us how to dance; those guys could really kick their legs up high. After they invited us to dance with them they did a few songs on their own. It was cool to watch. After we got back to the room I took a shower then we went to dinner at a new restaurant by our hotel. The restaurant was right on the beach; it was a great location with a great view. I was extremely unimpressed with our meal/service though. Our waiter who was also the owner messed three of the orders from our table. He also brought us all appetizers and said they were on the house, then offered us alcohol and dessert, which luckily we didn’t take. He then charged us at the end of dinner for the appetizers he brought to our table for free…. NOT COOL. This same restaurant also pulled this same tactic to another group of people from our trip. We all aren’t going to this restaurant anymore. This really frustrated me because this has happened multiple times on different occasions and ways on our trip. Prices are very ambiguous here and they can charge whoever they want whatever they want and I don’t really like that because we usually get the short stick since we don’t always know what the prices should me. Today we went to the nude beach.
Lol yes you read the right. **My thoughts going into it** When is the next time I’d be able to do that right? I feel like its one of those things you’ll be 40 and be glad you did or laugh about telling your kids. There probably wont even be that many people there. 8:00am comes around and it was time to get on the bus. It was quite a hike to the beach. There was pretty scenery along the way filled with green pastures, a few cactuses, and wild flowers. There was a farm near by and they had roosters roaming the area. It was cool to see. We got there around 9:30 and there was only one other couple there. We were talking on the way there about what we would do if it wasn’t actually a nude beach, but once we got there we didn’t need to worry about that. There was one other couple there with us and they immediately stripped their clothes off. This may be maturity deficient but I accidentally laughed. But after that we all took out tops off for an hour then I put mine back on because I didn’t want to get burnt. The sun was strong today; I bought a sand umbrella to sit under so it wouldn’t be so harsh. The water at the beach was rough and cold. There were two boulders that were a little ways from the beach that huge waves would crash into. It was fun to watch. The water is so blue and created white waves. We went to lunch (fully clothes) at a restaurant up the hill from the beach. The food was ok. After we came back from lunch the nudist’s were crawling all over the beach. It was a small beach so everyone was sitting semi close together. At this point I was fully clothed and super uncomfortable. You had to keep looking forward or you would get a full view of male privates right in your face. I felt dirty and I was ready to go home. We ended up calling a taxi to come and get us from the beach. I would say that it was an experience I’m glad to day I had but I will never, ever do it again. Today I went shopping a little with my friend Kyla and got a dress. The prices here aren’t bad! I usually don’t buy things so once I start I just want to keep going. I’m trying to buy things that are made authentically in Greece.
We had a quiz today over our class material so I studied a little for that. It was karaoke night at George’s so all of us went there for dinner. George is such a character; he wore his OSU shirt that he got last year. Karaoke was so fun. I really think we have a good group! Everyone sang a song at one point or another. My favorite song of the night was Mama Mia because a few Greek women sang with us. We ended the night with Summer Nights from the movie Grease and everyone in the diner sang along. It was really fun. When karaoke was finished we hung out in Erika’s room and waited for the cute waiter from George’s. Once he came over and I said hi I went to bed because we had to wake up early the next morning. After class today some friends and I went to a restaurant and got crepes. I got an olive, chicken, feta, and spinach crepe. It was SO yummy!
After that we came home and went to a new beach that is close to our hotel. The sun was really hot today but the water was as beautiful as ever! There were rocks far out from the beach that encompassed the bay area making the water extremely calm. It was really neat. When I was boarding the plane to Athens from Philadelphia I remember feeling like I was conquering the world by doing this study abroad session. Today I saw a map of the world in class and the teacher pointed to the island of Corfu and immediately I felt so small. There is an entire world that I have yet to scratch the surface of and so much more to discover. It’s really exciting.
After school we went to the old fort. It was a huge fort made of stone. It was incredible. There were so many rooms and stairways, and not to mention it was a beautiful day! We took a lot of pictures. You could see a lot of the town from the top of the fort. We had Greek class today to learn the language. The Greek language is so complex to me and they speak so fast, I got a few phrases down though. All of the girls went into town for dinner at a restaurant that sat right on the sea! I was so beautiful; you could see the mountain border of Greece on one side of you and the city on the other. I got fried squid and it was so yummy! I had so much fun laughing with all of them; I hope we have more nights like this to come. After dinner we came back to the hotel and went to a restaurant called George’s that is right next door to the hotel. We talked to George and laughed some more. It was a really good night. Coffee breaks & weather--
These are so good they need their own post. I’ve worked at Starbucks before but I have to admit I’m not the world’s biggest coffee drinker. BUT THE COFFEE HERE IS AMAZING! It’s pretty strong but it’s the perfect blend of cream and sugar and it’s so good! We have breaks in between our classes and I get a coffee from this little café that loves us Ohioans! We even got frequent buyer cards. The weather is perfect too! It is a high 70s –low 80s during the day with low humidity and a cool breeze. At night it cools down a little to mid 70s. It’s great! Today was our first day of class; I was actually really excited for it. We took a bus to a part of town that we haven’t been to yet. There are little farmers markets set up along the streets and more shops along the way. Our classroom is set up just like an American classroom. I was surprised how many propaganda posters were on the wall, I didn’t know what they said since they were in Greek but they looked hateful so I asked the professor. He said that a lot of students at the college don’t actually go to college they are just protesting there. He said most of them were protesting for communism, this surprised me a lot. Currently Greece has a socialist government (which presently I am reaping the benefits of with .50 cent bottles of water, and .80 cent postage). Dr. Joyce said that it is a kind of an epidemic like America was in the 60s and the administration just lets them do it because they aren’t hurting anything.
A professor who teaches in Liverpool taught our first class. This was one of the best professors I have ever had in my life. He was tall with long brown hair and a wonderful accent. I am not the biggest history buff but this guy walked about medieval history like it was happening today. His teachings were so dynamic and engaging that he kept me intrigued for the entire three hours we had class. Hopefully our next professor is like this. After class we got our bus passes. Then we went to find somewhere to eat, the places we eat at are really cute. Then we walked around a few shops and took the bus home. Before dinner we took a walk to this beautiful monastery that is right by our hotel. It sits right on the sea. It was gorgeous. When we walked we could see the mountains in Albania in the fog…it is so beautiful. There is so much history here it’s actually really cool. I have to admit I have really been striking out on the food options here. I don’t think I know what to order. I haven’t had a real meal since Thursday and it’s taking a toll on me. Tonight the goal was to find an edible meal! We went downtown to find something and ended up at this really fancy restaurant by accident. It was really classy and the food was incredible. By far the best thing I’ve had so far and the prices were extremely reasonable! It was a super successful night! This morning I woke up around 8:30am and went to the complimentary breakfast that the hotel offers. This was interesting (in a good way). First you come to the 'pastry' table there are croissants and 'donuts' but they are not like what we think of when we think of American donuts they are hard and kind of look like the cookie lady fingers. Then they have coffee cake that tastes like corn bread but I really like it. I'm learning that Europe is all about the bread, so there are various loaves of bread for people to take a slice of. Then there is the a Greek yogurt bar. I had yogurt with dried bananas, honey, and peach jam (it's really good). But at the yogurt bar they have ham, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, baked beans (yes baked beans), jams, pineapple and peaches. The next station has eggs (boiled & hard), bacon, and sausage. This sausage looks like a hot dog and tastes like a hot dog.
Overall there are many choices and it's good food with interesting combinations. After breakfast I went on a walk with a few people in our group. We walked through Kanoni, the town that our hotel is in. We walked through a lot of mini markets and small shops. The produce in the shops is beautiful! The houses are just like a movie. They are very tall and colorful with wooden shudders. They have beautiful flowers off of all of the balconies. When we got back we had a brief orientation and met our instructors then we went into old Corfu town for lunch and exploring. This town is incredible. Absolutely mesmerizing. To be honest I got chills when I took it all in. There were street full of street performances and colorful boutiques. We went to lunch at a beautiful restaurant called The Rex and enjoyed a four course lunch! It was very fancy and it was kind of the first time being abroad really set it. After that we went and explored the City. My senses were on high alert; all of the beautiful sights, smells, and sounds were a lot to take in at first. I tried not to buy anything during this trip because I will be back later in the month, I wanted to scope out my options. We met the Greek people and they very welcoming and helpful. There were boutique stores after boutique stores. They had a spa where the fish can eat off the dry skin off of your hands and feet for 10 euro (that's really not bad). I didn't do it but a couple others in the group did. My group and I accidentally intruded on a funeral... Best way to blend in is to crash a funeral.... said no one ever. There was a beautiful church in the middle of the city with the doors wide open so we thought it was a tourist attraction. We went in and saw an open casket and then hurried out. Luckily we came back to our hotel and found out other people did it too. We left for our hotel around 5:00 pm and I sat by the pool for a while until we went to dinner at a restaurant called George's. I got a salad and hummus with pita. We hung out for while in our hotel after dinner because we planned to go to a nightclub called 54 dreamy nights. The Greeks don't go out until 2-3am...crazy I know. We all hung out in one of the girls hotel rooms until we were ready to go, it was really fun. I really like the group I'm with. We took taxis there. The place was big with lots of greeters dressed in black. Everyone dressed nice at the club either in black or white and they didn't look provocative. This was supposed to be a dance club but no one really danced but us lol. People just stand there and watch (lol last night it was particularly us they watched). I got to dance with a Greek boy, that was kind of fun, we salsa-Ed for a while. The music was really good they played a lot of US 80s music and they had a lot of strobe lights. We left around 2:30 am and people were still rolling in. I don't know if I would ever want to go to a club like this again but It was an experience worth having that is for sure. So today is our first full day in Greece, but I think it's important to talk about how I got here.
Quick disclaimer: please excuse spelling errors I'm writing this quickly on my phone since the wifi goes in and out. We had to be at the airport on May 7th at 8:45 am. Our plane to Philadelphia left at 11:30 am. After that flight we had a four-hour layover until our flight to Athens. During our layover I had my last 'American' meal of Wendy's and made some friends. We boarded the plane to Athens around 4:30pm. Note** there is a 7 hr. time difference from Athens, Greece to Ohio. U.S. airways did an awesome job at taking care of their attendants I will say that. They gave us food like every 14 mins I felt like. I immediately fell asleep when we got on the plane. Then they woke us up to give us dinner. That's when things took a turn for the worst. I could not sleep at all. At one point in time I got so frustrated because I was SO uncomfortable that I felt like my fingers were swelling. It was awful and I don't know how people do that frequently. After that horrifying flight we had a seven-hour layover from Athens to Corfu. This was not so great either. We flew through the night so when we landed in Athens it was morning and we had a full day ahead of us. With not having slept on the plane or the night before our trip I was not the happiest of campers. I ended up sitting at a table eating with some of the other kids on the trip. The supervisors encouraged us not to sleep so you could sleep through the night in Corfu and not have a messed up sleep schedule. Eventually, I fell asleep in the airport chairs for an hour. We got to Corfu and took a bus to our hotel. The island is beautiful! At this point we have all been in the same clothes for over 24 hrs. with barely any sleep so we were all ready to be there. Once we got to the hotel we checked out our rooms. They are nice and the service is very helpful! That evening we went to dinner at a restaurant that over looked a beautiful monastery that borders the sea. I ordered Musaka. This is mashed potato; eggplant, cheese, and I think ground beef, served in a pot. It was ok. Everything here tastes like skyline chilly which is weird I think it's a spice they use. After that we went back to our rooms and I was in bed by 10pm. |
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June 2015
AuthorMy name is Leah Franklin, I am a junior at The Ohio State University. Follow me on my journey to new places! Share all your thoughts, advice, and experiences. Categories |