Athens has lots of stray dogs and cats that roam around the city. They are taken care of by Athenians and most of the dogs are overweight from being fed all day by passersby. These dogs have their own territory in the city and I will see the same ones in the same places everyday. One particular dog is around the academic center day and night, watching students come and go. These dogs take on human characteristics and I have seen them cross the street only after the pedestrian signal turns green. On a class fieldtrip, two dogs joined our class and walked around Athens with us. Last night, walking back from cooking class, my roommates and I had a dog follow us back, barking if other people came close to us. I've actually heard that it is common for the dogs here to take on a protective role, especially for women.

This past weekend I went to Aegina, an island right off the mainland coast. It was about an hour and a half ferry ride from the port city of Piraeus. The ferry boat was huge and mostly empty. But I can imagine that during the busy season it is packed with visitors. It was nice to get out of the city, away from the noise and people. Aegina was beautiful. The day was clear and the water was brilliant. In contrast to the giant ferry boats, there were small fishing boats lining the port (which of course reminded me of the Sisterhood of the Traveling pants). We visited the Temple of Apollo and ate lunch in a taverna right on the water. Our lunch was unlike any other dining experience I have ever had. The view was spectacular. From where we were sitting, you could see the Mediterranean Sea and several other islands in the distance. The restaurant had a pretty extensive menu, but we soon learned that they didn't have most of the items because they hadn't gotten the supplies from the mainland yet. I was also reminded of how nice it would be to speak greek, as I thought I ordered shrimp but got calamari instead. I can't wait to visit more of the islands!

Athenian Days

Last Saturday I went on a hike up Mount Pendeli, which is about an hour outside of Athens. The city of Athens is surrounded by mountains (very different from South Bend, IN) and it was fun to see some of the suburbs of the city as we drove away from the busy city center. The view from the top of the mountain was spectacular! It overlooks an outlying suburb of Athens, and area which is known to have been a part of the route of the first marathon (during the Battle of Marathon). Behind the city you can see the Mediterranean Sea and one of Greece’s larger islands. I sat there on the top of the mountain eating the most delicious Greek pastry, soaking up God’s beautiful creation; it was unreal. The water was just as blue as the pictures I have seen and the landscape of Greece is so varied. The Acropolis is about a ten minute walk from my school. This week, a group of friends and I took a walk down to Plaka, which is the neighborhood right around the Acropolis. It is a really charming area, with narrow streets, cool architecture, and lots of little shops. Every so often, you come across columns or some type of ruins that has been exposed. The Acropolis towers over the neighborhood below and for the first time I was really able to get a sense for how big the Acropolis really is. We climbed a nearby hill that offered an amazing view of Athens. In one direction you could see the port, with the boats and the ferries in the Mediterranean. Looking the other way you could see the Acropolis, surrounded by the sprawling urban city. Again I was struck by the diversity of the city as I walked through the different neighborhoods. On this particular day there was a group of people protesting the working hours. Protests are common in Athens and are for the most part, extremely peaceful. Demonstrating is simply a part of everyday culture for Athenians and it is learned at a very young age (elementary school students are allowed to demonstrate if they don’t like their teacher). Police were closely following the protest as the people headed towards Syntagma Square and closing the streets for the protestors to allow them to pass. As I walked through other parts of the city I saw the guards that march in front of the presidential palace, doing a highly stylized and symbolic march to commemorate Greek independence from Ottoman rule. Each part of their unique dress is symbolic of something. For instance they wear clogs that make a particular sound when they march to recreate the sound of horses walking.I also took Greek dance lessons this week at my school. . . OPA!