Paros

Just going back over my pictures from the trip I am learning a lot, but maybe that's because I'm enough of a nerd to look up the wikipedia references for each of the places we visited. Makes my flickr captions much more interesting, at any rate. As I said in an earlier post, I fell in love with Rome, but wasn't particularly impressed with Athens. The islands were beautiful and I loved the laid back speed of life. Siesta is another major bonus of Mediterranian lifestyle, and taken very seriously on the islands.

Leaving Athens we took the metro to the port at Pireaus. I was quite impressed. The metro stations we encountered were new and clean and included displays of archeological pieces uncovered while they were being built. From Pireaus we took the ferry to Paros, where we had made reservations. After getting off the ferry we were immediately swarmed with men trying to convince travellers to stay at their pension or hostel or hotel. Upon hearing we already had a place to stay they offered to "help" us find it, for a fee of course, going as far as following up to halfway to our pension. An overwhelming introduction to be sure. We finally made it the short distance to Rena's, the directions to which included "turn right after the ancient cemetery," which was actually really cool. And well lit. We were shown into a beautiful room by Rena, the owner and then offered wine.

We spent the next day at the beach. For the most part the beaches in Greece aren't great, but this was okay. The sand was a bit pebbly, but not too bad and the water was cold, but not unbearable. We watched a group of kids about eight to ten years old or so have sailing lessons in these tiny sailboats. It was hilarious. We napped during siesta, then went for a walk along the water front and sat an watched the sun set. Beauty.

Dinner was a seafood place called Porphyra. Amazing food. Especially the Greek salad. Mmmm. And one of my favorite things about Greece - the house wine was excellent. Later we went and sat at a cafe and watched Eurovision with the locals. Talk about a phenomenom...it was hilarious. Cheesy europop and bad costumes, for the most part. Lordi, from Finland won the whole deal. They're a hard rock band who wear "monster" costumes. Something between an Orc and a Klingon - or as someone else described it: "the Muppet Show gone all wrong." Tried to go to a club on the other side of town. Three bars, including a Salsa club and an Irish pub, on one roof top, purported as "The Parsian Experience". They were all closed when we showed up at midnight, when the festivities usually begin, though whether due to Eurovision or the season wasn't quite clear. We chilled at a fabulous, trendy place with amazing chocolate (there's a major theme in my vacation involving food...) and called it a night, early by island standards.

The next day we went looking for the Temple of Athena and found our way into the streets of the real town and shopping district, wondering at why we had not found it earlier during our stay. Cobbled streets too small for anything but foot traffic with lots of fabulous shops and bars with sunset views. We went to dinner at a place when we returned there a week later; it was magical at night - all the lights were from the shops, and the restaurants which had strung lights through the trees in the plazas where they set up their outdoor seating. I really wish I had thought to take photos of it, but was lost in the euphoria of having gotten my photo CD back, which I had left at an internet cafe where we had lunch - to anyone going to Paros, go to Cybercookies cafe. Not only is the owner super-nice (he held onto my CD for me for nearly a week and was just generally quite friendly) but the crepes are great and you get 15 minutes of free internet time with an order of food.

dead tired

Two weeks away, feels like the whole world should have changed
But I'm home now and things still look the same
I think I'll leave it till tomorrow to unpack, try to forget for one more night that I'm back in my flat
on the road where the cars never stop going through the night
to a life where I can't watch the sunset, I don't have time, I don't have time...
-Dido; Sand in my Shoes

Back in Austin. Exhausted, happy to be sleeping in my own bed, but still have the streets of Rome in my eyes.

More later. Maybe. Definitely pictures. Lots and lots of pictures.

greek island hopping

Paros is amazingly beautiful. I could die happy here. Watching the sunset last night was a moment of peace, though laying on the beach yesterday afternoon wasn't exactly stressful either. The sea is an incredible blue to match the sky.

This afternoon we head to Ios for a couple of nights. It's a party island, but we're in the off season, so it won't be too crazy. Hopefully a few more late night options than Paros has right now, though. Last night we wound up just sitting and chatting a little cafe along the ocean drinking chocolate and watching the finals of Eurovision, which was a spectacle in and of itself.

rome has my heart

Rome took a piece of my heart. The night before last we went to the Trevi Fountain at sunset, saw it all lit up for evening. It was crowded, but beautiful. After that we wandered to the piazza in front of the Pantheon, got gelatto at this place Carrey recommended, which was, as she said, absolutely delicious, then just sat on the steps to the fountain in that piazza talking for like an hour before wandering back to the hostel. Rome is a jumble of new (relatively) superimposed on old, tourist mingling with local, etc. And everything is beautiful. There are these random ruins, archeological digs, here and there through the city and crowded buildings with shuttered windows and balconeys with flowers growing over them everwhere when you look up. Don't get me started on the food. Bags was right: pizza, wine and gelato are all you need there. I am already plotting my trip back.

Athens hasn't cast the same spell on me. The city itself is very white. From the Acropolis, all you see is a hazy sea of white buildings interspersed with hills. My first impression of the city was that it seemed very shiny and new, like it had all ben rebuilt for the Olympics, which the main streets probably have. Wandering today dispelled that notion. Would like to make it to the Olympic village, but don't see it happening, as we're only here for the rest of today and then however long we have tomorrow before we have to catch the ferry to whichever island we decide to go to.

I'm not sure I ever want to go home.

Rome

Don't have much time, so I'm just going to go with this place is absolutely AMAZING. The Coliseum, the Forum - like walking on history. I think I'm in love with this city. Definitely with traveling.

no longer just a fantasy

“Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life.”
~Michael Palin

This time tomorrow I will be on my way. It's hard to believe that after all the anticipation we are finally leaving. I couldn't be more excited and I have no idea how I'm actually going to sleep tonight.

The plan is to head to Houston tomorrow morning and Em and I catch our separate flights to the east coast. I fly into LaGuardia then have to take the transit from there to Newark, where the flight to Rome is out of. We fly overnight and arrive in Rome at 1PM local time on Monday. We'll wander around in a daze, mouths open and gaping at the fact that oh.my.Gawd. we are in ROME, see some of the big sights, hopefully including the Coliseum and Trevi Fountain. Throwing at least one coin of course being necessary. Then we fly from Rome to Athens, spending as little time in Athens as necessary to see the Parthenon and Acropolis and maybe the Olympic Village. After that we have until the evening of the 25th when we'll be flying back to Rome to do whatever we like on the islands. Ios and Santorini are the only two we've settled on thus far.

I can promise lots and lots of photos and plenty of stories when I return. Blogging is a possibility, but completely dependent on the availability of an internet cafe, but I bought a Chatwin-esque Moleskin journal, as is only appropriate for travel, and will be writing everything I possibly can down.

You know you're jealous.

now i understand

So this is why they all go running in the opposite direction...

note to self

find out how to say "I'm a lady" in Italian. say as many times during post-Greece canuding trip as possible.

in summary

In this moment my life feels right. The temperature outside is absolutely perfect, I have several defined and achievable goals for the next few days, and I'm going on a vacation of a lifetime with two fabulous friends next week. Note: reading Matt and Andrea's wedding site is maybe making me a little, jealous, but I know it's not my time yet. Someday.)

This evening I had to proctor an exam from 7-10. It wasn't as bad as it sounds, because I got to read a real book for no reason other than I can, for the entire three hours. Yesterday wasn't nearly as great. It was a frustrating day in which I had not one but THREE conversations that touched on my deepest insecurities. However, they were all at least constructive and kind. And one was extremely helpful. Ari gave me exactly the advice I needed: "you just have to decide that you can." I needed a while to fully mull over it and get myself to the point where I can at least see myself believing such a statement from my own mind. We'll see what happens. It's getting better, as is my initiative, especially considering the burnout and self doubt I'm operating under at the moment. Going from being successful to struggling every step of the way is a major shift.

word of the day

otiose: ineffective; also, being at leisure; also, of no use.

Everyone I have talked to believes I am capable of succeeding. Why can't I see it?

winding down

I'm declaring this a week to wind down from the semester and get ready for the trip. This time next Monday, Emily, Laura and I will be in Rome! Between now and then I am, however, flush with errands to take care of.

Karavel Shoes and finding a pair of insoles is the biggest thing. High arches + shin splints + walking around foreign cities = I'd better have some good support. After that, I need a pair of hiking shoes and a backpack. Got the pack picked out, just delaying on spending the money. Thesis project decisions need to be made, but that requires a discussion with my boss who is currently too busy to even think about me. My car registration expired six months ago and the DMV isn't exactly open when my schedule is free. My apartment is a complete wreck, as I tend to neglect all things domestic when my life goes to hell. Plus, the final for the class I TA is on Wednesday; grading nearly ninety of them is not something I'm really looking forward to, but, like everything else, it will get taken care of.

The weather yesterday on the river was beautiful. Four hours on the water with enforced nothing to do. It was beautiful.

sweet relief

My re-write for my qualifying exam, or as I've been oh-so fondly calling it, "the damn thing," is finally finished. Finished. Major weight off of my shoulders. I am spell checking and emailing it to the neurobiology track chair right now, because anything else I do to it will be finicky details.

Will I pass? Well, I certainly hope so. I did my absolute best and put everything I had into it. At this point I can't let myself think of any other outcome, though while idly floating down the Guadalupe this afternoon all manner of horrible possibilities will probably ambush me.

Enough. I need to get outside.

oh chocolate, dark and mysterious...

how I love thee...

we like it rough

...but not violent...

"'Growing up, you play football with the boys and you tackle, but then as you grow older there are not contact sports,' said Gogla, a sales associate for the Boston Company Asset Management LLC, a branch of Mellon Financial. 'Here you can take out your aggressiveness on the field. I missed that childhood roughness. It's fun.'"

Excellent article about women's rugby published in the Boston Globe last week. Practice last night was fantastic, so much fun. I'm proud of my sore shoulders and slightly skinned knees, and had forgotten just how physically intense even just running drills can be. It feels good to do something like it that I enjoy so much again, even if I am in so much worse shape than most of my teammates after my six months off and their three months of getting run ragged in fitness practices. Can't wait to start actually playing again.

Okay, back to my still not finished rewrite. Gonna be another long night.

paved with good intentions

Damn. I'm currently sitting on over 100 signatures for the Kinky Friedman campaign and can't do a thing about them. Yesterday on my way to work I noticed a bunch of papers strewn along the east side of Guadalupe street and realized what they were. So I picked them up, finding more and more as I walked until I had over ten pages. Good intentions are all well and good, but there is a small problem here. Every signature must be witnessed by the person who gathers them, who then has to sign an affidavit affirming witnessing the signatures in front of a notary public. Since I didn't gather them I didn't witness them. So I won't lie and say I did. So Kinky loses over 100 signatures due to unknown circumstances causing these stained and wrinkled, but signed, pages to be strewn along one of Austin's main streets.

all grown up

Thomas' Prom
Originally uploaded by Hull Cove.

My baby brother went to his junior prom this weekend. (Mom just sent me the photos.) His 18th birthday is on Thursday. He's a good egg and is lucky enough to have more charisma than any human being should be allowed to possess.

Otherwise, I'm super busy because I got very little done this weekend. Though I did manage to go Jeremy's birthday party and the opera. We saw Don Giovanni at the Bass Concert Hall. It was amazing. (And I looked and felt like a million dollars in my new little black dress.) This week is going to be rough, so I may just go into hiding until I get finished with everything I need to deal with. Except for practice. Screw the shin splins. I need to play, even if it's just running drills.