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Home, At Last
posted Sunday, 24 February 2008
Things have been very quiet here since my return on Monday.
Unfortunately, the internet has been down most of the week. I am working on dial-up right now, as I can't get on wireless. that means I have been online for an hour and have read eleven of the forty-something emails sitting in my inbox. I have no idea when I had time to read email before we had wireless. Very frustrating. It also means I can't upload any pictures just yet. I am hoping the wireless will be sorted out by Monday, but we'll see.
We've also had spotty power the last few days. The hospital compound runs off the the hydroelectric plant down by the river, but we have not gotten much rain lately, so the river is low. They have enough power from the hydro to run the hospital, but the houses on the compound are being run off the generator right now. And it shuts down every now and then. We were out of power most of the night and most of today--it did come on for a few hours this morning. I am hoping it stays on through the night.
We have had an unusual week. I missed school on Monday and then three of my students were gone Thursday and Friday, so most of the day I only had one student. It was nice--she is the youngest in the class and it was nice to be able to give her some one-on-one time for a change.
I am looking forward to having a regular schedule this week, though. Back to normal--or at least as normal as things get around here.
So. . .Athens! I loved it. I spent the first two days fairly turned around --but mostly because two of the museums on the map were not there anymore, so I just assumed I had made a wrong turn (which I hadn't) and ended up truly turned around. Anyway, once I found my way around, I had a much better time, as you can imagine.
It was a very different experience from my trip to Istanbul--very different architecture and culture. But still very interesting. (I do think, however, that the Ayasofia in Istanbul will always be my favorite building. Even the Parthenon didn't compare.)
Not to sound like a broken record, but I will try to write a more detailed update later. I will, however, tell you about my two favorite places.
The Acropolis was, of course, absolutely amazing. Several of the buildings up there are in the process of being restored, so there was plenty of scaffolding and work going on, but not on all the buildings. I waited until Thursday to go, primarily because I wanted better weather. There really isn't any place up there to step inside and warm up or to avoid the rain/sleet, so I waited for a sunny morning and I picked a good one. There was not a cloud in the sky.
Amazing view of the city.
I actually had a view of the Parthenon from my hotel, which at first, didn't seem real. I have looked at so many pictures and drawings of the Parthenon in the last few months that it seemed surreal to actually being seeing it in person. Another building blocked the rest of the Acropolis, but the Parthenon was in plain view. Amazing.
My other favorite part of the trip was going out to the island of Aegina. The water is just as blue as the pictures make it. Amazingly beautiful. I took the metro from the station near my hotel down to Pireaus, the port in western Athens. I thought for a while that I had missed the ferries, even though there were suppose to be ferries leaving every hour for Aegina. It took me a while to find the Aegina ferries--the port is huge and somewhat confusing, at least if you don't read Greek. I was on the verge of giving up the idea of a day on a Greek Island when I spotted a sign in English for the Aegina ferries.
I bought my ticket--about $20 for a round trip-- and found the ferry. It was HUGE--there was a hold down below for all the cars and trucks going to the island, as well as a restaurant deck and nice comfy chairs. There were even cabins you could book, although, the hour ride to Aegina, that would be pointless. (I think they only book them when the ferries travel to the Greek Islands that take 10-20 hours to reach.)
I guess I was expecting a ferry the size of the one in Istanbul that took us up and down the Bosphorus. Nope--this was was easily 4-5 times the size of that one. The island was amazing, as was the weather. I actually walked around in a t-shirt. Aegina is known for several things. One is pistachios (yes, I bought some) and grilled Octopus. Reading the guidebook on the way over, I was completely gung-ho for some grilled octopus, but once I got there and looked at the smoky, crowded, and over-priced taverns, it just didn't seem appealing.
I ended up buying some bread and cheese and an orange from a little grocer and had a picnic out on some rocks on the beach. Perfect lunch.
Aegina is also known for some important ancient temples, which I decided not to visit. I had had enough of visiting ruins for the week and decided to spend a few hours just roaming. The beach was practically deserted, so I walked down the shore for a few kilometers before turning around and heading back.
While I love cities, especially ones as interesting as Athens, I am not a city girl. It was SO nice to get out of the crowds and meander down an beautiful beach. Exactly what I had wanted out of the day.
Then I wandered a bit around the main town on the island--Aegina town. Lots of neoclassical buildings and tons of fishing boats in the harbor there. Something of a typical island village--white buildings, narrow streets. Lots of little shops, plants hanging out over every balcony.
I caught one of the late afternoon ferries back to Pireaus port and took the metro back to my hotel.
Okay--I have to mention one more highlight. I visited a number of museums, but my favorite was the Benaki art museum. It's an old, old mansion in Athens filled with art from that region of Europe and from pretty much every era. Fascinating--tons of variety. It's a private museum, but has free admission every Thursday. On a normal day, it's the same price as the National Art Museum, but, I have to say, I like the Benaki much better.
The National Art Museum has some important pieces-- a Delacroix, a Rembrandt, among others--but the Benaki covered a much greater breadth of art. From ancient carved figurines, royal jewelry, and very early pottery to an entire room (ceiling, doors, rugs, furniture) from a Byzantine palace, as well as tapestries and clothing from various periods. Unless you are dying to see a Rembrandt, I would recommend the Benaki Museum over the National Art Museum any day. And not just because it was free the day I went--it had more to see and was a better overview of Greek art.
Now that it is far, far past dinner time and I am not sure how long the power will last, I think I am headed into the kitchen to fix something.
I will post pics as soon as I can. Have a great weekend!
Unfortunately, the internet has been down most of the week. I am working on dial-up right now, as I can't get on wireless. that means I have been online for an hour and have read eleven of the forty-something emails sitting in my inbox. I have no idea when I had time to read email before we had wireless. Very frustrating. It also means I can't upload any pictures just yet. I am hoping the wireless will be sorted out by Monday, but we'll see.
We've also had spotty power the last few days. The hospital compound runs off the the hydroelectric plant down by the river, but we have not gotten much rain lately, so the river is low. They have enough power from the hydro to run the hospital, but the houses on the compound are being run off the generator right now. And it shuts down every now and then. We were out of power most of the night and most of today--it did come on for a few hours this morning. I am hoping it stays on through the night.
We have had an unusual week. I missed school on Monday and then three of my students were gone Thursday and Friday, so most of the day I only had one student. It was nice--she is the youngest in the class and it was nice to be able to give her some one-on-one time for a change.
I am looking forward to having a regular schedule this week, though. Back to normal--or at least as normal as things get around here.
So. . .Athens! I loved it. I spent the first two days fairly turned around --but mostly because two of the museums on the map were not there anymore, so I just assumed I had made a wrong turn (which I hadn't) and ended up truly turned around. Anyway, once I found my way around, I had a much better time, as you can imagine.
It was a very different experience from my trip to Istanbul--very different architecture and culture. But still very interesting. (I do think, however, that the Ayasofia in Istanbul will always be my favorite building. Even the Parthenon didn't compare.)
Not to sound like a broken record, but I will try to write a more detailed update later. I will, however, tell you about my two favorite places.
The Acropolis was, of course, absolutely amazing. Several of the buildings up there are in the process of being restored, so there was plenty of scaffolding and work going on, but not on all the buildings. I waited until Thursday to go, primarily because I wanted better weather. There really isn't any place up there to step inside and warm up or to avoid the rain/sleet, so I waited for a sunny morning and I picked a good one. There was not a cloud in the sky.
Amazing view of the city.
I actually had a view of the Parthenon from my hotel, which at first, didn't seem real. I have looked at so many pictures and drawings of the Parthenon in the last few months that it seemed surreal to actually being seeing it in person. Another building blocked the rest of the Acropolis, but the Parthenon was in plain view. Amazing.
My other favorite part of the trip was going out to the island of Aegina. The water is just as blue as the pictures make it. Amazingly beautiful. I took the metro from the station near my hotel down to Pireaus, the port in western Athens. I thought for a while that I had missed the ferries, even though there were suppose to be ferries leaving every hour for Aegina. It took me a while to find the Aegina ferries--the port is huge and somewhat confusing, at least if you don't read Greek. I was on the verge of giving up the idea of a day on a Greek Island when I spotted a sign in English for the Aegina ferries.
I bought my ticket--about $20 for a round trip-- and found the ferry. It was HUGE--there was a hold down below for all the cars and trucks going to the island, as well as a restaurant deck and nice comfy chairs. There were even cabins you could book, although, the hour ride to Aegina, that would be pointless. (I think they only book them when the ferries travel to the Greek Islands that take 10-20 hours to reach.)
I guess I was expecting a ferry the size of the one in Istanbul that took us up and down the Bosphorus. Nope--this was was easily 4-5 times the size of that one. The island was amazing, as was the weather. I actually walked around in a t-shirt. Aegina is known for several things. One is pistachios (yes, I bought some) and grilled Octopus. Reading the guidebook on the way over, I was completely gung-ho for some grilled octopus, but once I got there and looked at the smoky, crowded, and over-priced taverns, it just didn't seem appealing.
I ended up buying some bread and cheese and an orange from a little grocer and had a picnic out on some rocks on the beach. Perfect lunch.
Aegina is also known for some important ancient temples, which I decided not to visit. I had had enough of visiting ruins for the week and decided to spend a few hours just roaming. The beach was practically deserted, so I walked down the shore for a few kilometers before turning around and heading back.
While I love cities, especially ones as interesting as Athens, I am not a city girl. It was SO nice to get out of the crowds and meander down an beautiful beach. Exactly what I had wanted out of the day.
Then I wandered a bit around the main town on the island--Aegina town. Lots of neoclassical buildings and tons of fishing boats in the harbor there. Something of a typical island village--white buildings, narrow streets. Lots of little shops, plants hanging out over every balcony.
I caught one of the late afternoon ferries back to Pireaus port and took the metro back to my hotel.
Okay--I have to mention one more highlight. I visited a number of museums, but my favorite was the Benaki art museum. It's an old, old mansion in Athens filled with art from that region of Europe and from pretty much every era. Fascinating--tons of variety. It's a private museum, but has free admission every Thursday. On a normal day, it's the same price as the National Art Museum, but, I have to say, I like the Benaki much better.
The National Art Museum has some important pieces-- a Delacroix, a Rembrandt, among others--but the Benaki covered a much greater breadth of art. From ancient carved figurines, royal jewelry, and very early pottery to an entire room (ceiling, doors, rugs, furniture) from a Byzantine palace, as well as tapestries and clothing from various periods. Unless you are dying to see a Rembrandt, I would recommend the Benaki Museum over the National Art Museum any day. And not just because it was free the day I went--it had more to see and was a better overview of Greek art.
Now that it is far, far past dinner time and I am not sure how long the power will last, I think I am headed into the kitchen to fix something.
I will post pics as soon as I can. Have a great weekend!
comments (1)
1. Joan left...
Tuesday, 26 February 2008 7:02 am :: http://www.daddysroses.blogspot.com
I enjoyed reading your recounting of your visit to Athens!! Thanks so much
for the details. Did you by chance stay at the Titania? That is the hotel
we stayed at, and we had a great view of the acropolis from there. The
trip to the island sounds wonderful. You sound so amazingly
self-sufficient. I would have been pretty uneasy doing all that touring
alone. I'm glad you are safely back in Tenwek. We love you and miss you
here in Georgia's Rome.
