Anastenaria: Firewalking Ceremony

Yesterday my Greek Folklore class went to a traditional Greek Firewalking ceremony in a town near Thessaloniki. This ceremony occurs only twice a year and a ritual known as the Anastenaria. The dance is meant to heal people. Not just anyone can participate though, a firewalker must go through a long process before they can take part. The ceremony is three days long and is centered around St. Constantine. Greeks are Orthodox Christians, but this tradition is one element of folklife that remains in their lives, despite the fact that the church does not approve of it. The festival involves processions, music, dancing, animal sacrifices, and on the first and third days the firewalkers or anastenarides dance on hot coals without getting burned. It is believed that they enter a trance state with the help of St. Constantine and then they walk on the glowing coals carrying icons and red handkerchiefs. These icons have small metal engravings with different body parts, such as an eye, leg, or arm and they symbolize what they want to be healed.

Preparing to dance in the konaki--lots of icons are
decorating the walls 

When we arrived in the community the participants and other members of the community were in the konaki, a special shire where all of the holy icons were kept. They were dancing and there was lots of incense being used in preparation for the firewalking. The video shows the dancers and a small boy being carried across the fire. Apparently we went on a particularly unusual year. Normally only one person at a time will walk, but this year there was a feeling of connectedness among the anastenarides and they all came together to try and heal the little boy. My professor has being going to the ceremony for over 30 years and she has never before seen them carry someone who needs healing. We are not sure what was wrong with him exactly, but we think that the little boy couldn't walk because he was wearing a brace. All of the participants were deeply focused on the dancing and it did appear they were in a trance, they hot coals didn't bother them at all. An American one year tried to firewalk with them because he was so excited about the ceremony, but he ended up in the hospital instead. The event was a fitting culmination to my Greek Folklore class, especially since we had been studying traditional folklife practices for almost four months, it was interesting to actually see one occurring.

Spreading out the coals 

During the dance

Man's feet after dancing

Mykonos (Unofficial Spring Break Part II)

The pool at our hotel

Sunset at Kapari beach

I finally made it to the Greek islands this past weekend, which is what everyone pictures when they think of Greece. It was just like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants... My school's student government sponsored a trip to Mykonos which is in the Aegean Sea, west of Athens. It was an interesting mix of people because both Greek and study abroad students came, normally as Americans were are pretty isolated from the Greek students. We took an overnight bus from Thessaloniki to Athens and then a five hour ferry to the island. As soon as we got there some of us headed to a small beach called Kapari that was tucked away down a little path. We basically had the beach to ourselves. The water was pretty cold, but it was a beautiful day. We stayed till the sun set and then headed back to our hotel to get ready for a night in Mykonos Town. On Saturday a big group of us went to Paradise beach for the day and rented ATVs so that we could zip around the island and not have to wait for a cab. The island isn't too big, but nothing was really within walking distance from where we were staying so the ATVs were a nice way to see a lot more of Mykonos then we would have by taxi (mostly because we didn't really know where we were going so we got to explore while lost). You could really tell that tourism was just about the only industry on the island--everyone spoke English (even the older generation of people, who normally don't) and there were people on ATVs everywhere, lots of hotels, etc. Anyway Paradise Beach was very nice, and you can also stay there (it's sort of like a hostel with a beach/bar) and a lot of students who came over spring break to Mykonos had already been there. I liked our private beach the first day better, but both were really pretty and a lot of fun. After Paradise we decided to meet up with some more of the group at SUPER Paradise, which was basically just a crazy party on a beach (the name kind of gives that away). It was fun, but once the sun went down it got cold pretty quickly and we headed back to out hotel.

At Paradise Beach

The next day Andrea and I got up early before we had to leave on the ferry and we rode our ATV around the island so I could actually get a chance to see something other than the beaches (she had already been to Mykonos in April and knew where to go). The island has enormous windmills on the hillsides and also by the water, there are whitewashed buildings everywhere, and tiny little streets that you can't take anything bigger than a motorcycle down. It was a beautiful island, obviously a very relaxing weekend, and different from a lot of the other trips I've done this semester. And I couldn't leave Greece without being able to say I've been to at least one of the islands.

                                                                 

Andrea and I on a hill looking out over the sea and Mykonos Town

                             

                                           Windmills

                                                                  

It was winter at the top, summer at the bottom, and all the other seasons in between.

Near the top of Mount Olympus!

My favorite school trip took us to the top of Mount Olympus to hangout with the Greek Gods. It was quite the workout and a little dangerous... but so much fun. We took a bus to the mountain about an hour from Thessaloniki, which you can see from the city on a clear day. The mountain is the tallest point in Greece at 2918 meters (it used to be 2917 m, but Africa moves closer to Greece by 3 cm every year, increasing the peak's height). The bus took us up 1100 meters to Prionia and from there we started our trek. The first day we hiked up (with our backpacks) 1000 meters to a refuge, which is only accessible by three methods: hiking, mule, or helicopter. It took about three or three and a half hours of solely uphill climbing and was more definitely exercise than I've had in a while. Some parts were quite steep and we were scrambling up rocks. When we started out the weather was sunny and very hot and by the time we reached the refuge we were slipping over snow that had covered the path. Luckily we were so sweaty and overheated from out climb that the temperature change actually felt good and we felt comfortable in our shorts and T-shirts. The mountain rangers didn't advise going much beyond the refuge because of the long winter that Greece had this year and all the snow that was still covering after the path.

Getting cozy for the night

For the night, however, we relaxed with some food at the lodge and nice warm cocoa. Once we cooled down we realized that it actually was cool and bundled up. Showers weren't an option, however, since the only water available was melted snow (Brrrrr). Sleeping arrangements were my favorite so far. Seventeen of us slept in one room in a giant row of beds that were pushed together. Some girl asked if they were going to turn on the heater in the lodge and the answer to that was that we were our own heaters. Everyone was given three wool blankets a piece and then we all got real close to our neighbors for the night to stay warm. We all thought it was great--we were literally swimming in blankets, singing, and just having a blast (probably from sheer exhaustion--it just made everything seem hilarious). 

Steep, snowy incline

The next morning we woke up for part two. The hard part. Everything was very steep, there was snow covering the paths so we had to make some of our own, and as we went up the vertical inclines it left me wondering how in the world we were going to get down without falling to our deaths down the seemingly endless drop-offs. The answer to that question? Very carefully. Plus our guides (who had walking sticks) would grab each of us individually at the most treacherous parts and hold our hands to the slightly less treacherous ground. It was quite the experience. Anyway we didn't quite make it up to the very top due to all of the snow, but we made it pretty close and got to have a snowball fight in May in Greece while we were at it. The view from as close to the top as we got was, of course, breathtaking, as you would expect from the home of the Greek gods. 

Hannah, Andrea, and I at the top with our matching glasses

Roma Community Day!

This event actually happened a month ago, the Friday before I left for spring break, but I finally got the pictures and wanted to include it in my blog.

My Public Service class that I am involved in planned a day of games, crafts, and dancing in the Agia Sofia Roma (gypsies) community on April 8th. It was a way to celebrate the Roma community, which is often ignored in Thessaloniki and to bridge the gap that exists between them and other Greeks. As part of a larger project called "Street Kids 2 School Kids," we are working with the NGO Arsis to rebuild a community center in their area that has fallen into disrepair.

We didn't really know what to expect with the community day because it was about 12 Americans planning it and we weren't even sure if anyone would turn up. We were not at all disappointed by the overwhelming turnout. Mostly the younger children came, a few parents, and some of the older kids watched from a distance, along with some of the men and women. We started out with a man on stilts and some dancing, which all of the kids really liked. They all know how to dance and have a very unique style... mostly I felt like eight year olds that I know don't know how to dance like some of the little girls could.

In an effort to encourage pride in the Agia Sofia community we had a trash clean up, which they didn't quite catch on to. The area where they live is covered in trash, especially the open field where we were having our activities. They were more excited to get the plastic gloves we gave them to pick up with than to actually help. A lot of the little kids were eager to please and helped the most. Once we moved on to the next activity, however, all their gloves ended up on the ground. It was pretty obviously they didn't get the point of it. It was also hard to explain because we don't speak Greek and their variation of it is not really what we have been learning. Even the few Greek speakers who were with us would have trouble talking to them. But we managed to have fun with them, despite the language barrier. It really made you have to work to get your point across. The group of ten girls who attend the program every Tuesday run by some people from our school and with student volunteers performed a dance they had been working on and then there was bead making, a banner painting (that didn't go quite as planned--ended up being very messy), and a name tag station. Most of these kids don't know the alphabet or how to read, let alone how to spell their own names.

A little boy with his name tag

The day was really fun, but we ended up having to leave in a hurry because some of the older boys were getting a little rowdy. Their culture teaches them to be aggressive and that was one thing that put a little bit of a damper on the day. Most of the volunteers were girls and I think we all got several marriage proposals by the time we left, plus a lot of unnecessary attention from the older boys. Overall, though, I think the day was a success. The kids all seemed to have a lot of fun and they never have had the opportunity to have someone come to their community and put on an event specifically for them. I think that it meant a lot to all of them to see the positive attention they were getting and they will remember it for a while. These are kids that are normally treated as pests or ignored because they try to sell things like kleenex to people on the streets in order to make money. For once they were getting a different kind of attention. Hopefully the tradition we started will continue next year, even though most of us won't be in Greece.

The girls who go to the class every Tuesday

Halkidiki

My friend Kyle came to visit me in Greece this weekend. She's the one I met up with in London and is studying in the Netherlands. I showed her around Thessaloniki, we went to a taverna and got our 5 euro all you can eat deal, and I finally went in the White Tower (the city's most noticeable landmark) after over three months of being here. We walked to the Old City and to the markets, all things I've mentioned before at some point... 

A group of us from school decided to go to Halkidiki for the night and stay in a villa that you can rent for fairly cheap and cram as many people as you feel comfortable in it (we managed to fit 14). Halkidiki is south of Thessaloniki and consists of three penninsulas. We went to the closest one, near Kallithea, about two hours away by the public bus that runs to Halkidiki. We got there early on Saturday and headed straight to the beach. It was nice, even warm enough for a swim. It was funny seeing a group of Americans laying out in their swim suits and then some local Greeks would walk down the beach still dressed in long sleeves, and even a few winter jackets. I swear they never wear shorts in this country. It was not cold at all! The water (the Aegean Sea) was a little chilly, but we didn't mind. Chilly water wasn't going to stop us.

What did put a damper on the fun was the sun. I managed to get quite the burn. Kyle was worse than me though. We were fine on Saturday, but we woke up on Sunday morning in lots of pain. We went to the beach again, but kept our shirts on, afraid to expose our skin to anymore sun. Guess we learned our lesson. Although I say that every summer and yet I go through this every year at the pool. Maybe I haven't really learned... We went to get the two o'clock bus and of course since we are in Greece it just didn't come. Then the four o'clock came late. But we made it back and would have liked to have collapsed from the excessive sun exposure, but we had tickets to the Poak soccer game.

           

Poak is one of Thessaloniki's three local teams and all of the grafitti around town is usually something having to do with them. Soccer is a huge deal here and the reason for a lot of the riots. Just the other day some guys were blocking the street toward my building by dumping trash and burning it in the street because one of the teams was demoted to third division because they owed money. Anyway we got tickets for the crazy section at the game. Flares go off at the beginning of the game and smoke obscures your view for a good part of the first few minutes. Then they go off again when Poak scores, which happened twice. Everyone was chanting and singing/screaming the whole game. US sporting events do not compare to this at all. Poak ended up winning 2-1. Lucky for us. I'm not sure I would want to see this crowd of people's reaction to them losing. It was a fun weekend overall. The beach was beautiful, game was exciting, and it was good to see Kyle again. Plus it was nice to be in Greece for the weekend for the first time in a while.

            

Germany, France, Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, & Bulgaria all in ONE post. have fun!! If you think reading it is bad, try writing it.

First of all, before I get into the details of my traveling, I think spring break was a great way to see Europe, but by the end of my nineteen days of traveling I don't think my feet have ever been as angry with me and I've never suffered such sleep deprivation as I did during the course of my travels (a large part due to overnight bus rides). Also I never want to see another map in my life. That being said, the past two weeks were amazing and I don't regret the side effects at all. Now that I am showered, feed, and tucked into my bed... okay here goes the recap.

Wednesday April 13th: 

Sonja's apartment--it was once a stable
and was converted into apartments

I flew out of Thessaloniki to Hamburg, Germany, via Budapest where I was met at the airport by Sonja and she drove me to her house in Bad Bramstedt, a small village in northern Germany. Sonja was a wonderful host the entire time I was there, entertaining me, feeding me, and telling me a lot about my family and the history of the area. Wednesday night it was already getting late so we had a snack and then went to sleep for an early start on Thursday.

Thursday April 14th:
My first full day in Germany we got up and had what I came to realize was a typical breakfast of bread, cheese, meat, and boiled eggs. It was much more delicious than the cornflakes I eat everyday at school. Then Sonja gave me a tour of Bad Bramstedt, a village dating from around the 1200s. It's small, very neat, and quaint. Not too busy and I felt much more at home than I have back in Greece. I could tell that I was back in a more "Western" country. In Germany there is something that can be said for being on time, while in Greece everything runs on Greek time. Which means about 30 minutes later than scheduled, right after a coffee and smoke break.

After my tour we had a big German lunch with Klaus and Uwe. There was potatoes, red cabbage, and meat wrapped around a pickle. It reminded me of home, minus the pickle. Then Sonja and I went to the Schleswig-Holsteinishes Freilichtmuseum. It was a collection of houses, barns, and other random buildings displaying Northern German cultural history and folklore on exhibit on over sixty acres. You walk from building to building and can see what life was like for on old farms and mills. Many of the farm house had small rooms and they were connected to the actual stable so that you walked into the place where the animals were kept and then into the house. All of them have very think straw roofs too, which seemed to be a fire hazard as they had set up a system for conducting lightening away from the roofs.

After a quick desert and coffee at the museum's restaurant we headed back to Sonja's for dinner with at Yvonne, Uwe's daughter, and her boyfriend Stefan. They are both just a little older than me and were very nice. Yvonne could understand what I was saying, but she had a hard time speaking in English (by the last night I was here though, she was much more confident in speaking English with me). I really like them both and got the chance to see them again on Saturday and hang out with them that night. 

Friday April 15th:
Today we headed into Hamburg with Kay to spend the day with Annabelle, his daughter who lives in the city. It had been about seven years since I met Annabelle when she came to Omaha with her parents and Sonja, but we had emailed each other a couple times when I had decided to come to Germany and learned a little bit more about each other's lives since our brief encounter and the only thing I remembered was that she like Japanese anime. She just graduated from college with a degree in graphic design and is looking for a job now. I got to see some of her pictures and the geckos and snakes she is raising in huge tanks with her boyfriend.

The four of us (Kay, Sonja, Annabelle, and I) went on a boat cruise of the Hamburg harbor, which I quickly learned was a huge port city. The Elbe River runs through the city and huge ships come to the city and unload their goods. I learned all about the process and say the huge contractions that remove the giant cargo from the ships. We went through a canal to another part of the harbor and then headed to the Ballinstadt museum. It was from this port that many of the immigrants headed to America left the country, including Christopher Stark. We saw the entire process that the immigrants had to go through and even got to do a simulation of it with our own ID cards. In the end we tried to find Christopher Stark's name or John Schram, but the system was a little hard to navigate without more detailed information.

Then we got lunch at a restaurant in the city: schnitzel, beans, and potatoes. I thought it was pretty good, but Kay and Sonja weren't that impressed by the food. Anything is better than what I eat back at school, so I was happy! Then we weren't and took a ride in a hot air balloon that is connected to a wire and goes up above for a full panoramic tour. This really showed me how much of the city was built around the river. It's filled with little canals and everywhere. Lastly we went to the planetarium and saw a 3D film on Darwin and I was lucky enough to get my own special English headphones. Otherwise I would have had no clue what was going on.

After our long day and once we dropped Annabelle off, we headed to dinner at Sonja's old house where Kay, his wife Iris, and Klaus now live. Iris made us a delicious meal, which was perfect after all of our sightseeing that day. I got to see their huge 30 year old turtle they have and some Sonja's old house.

Saturday April 16th:
Today we made the trek north to Hedeby to see the Haithabu Museum with Sonja, Klaus, Kay, Uwe, Yvonne, and Stefan. This is an old viking village and now a museum where you can learn about the vikings that originally settled in the area and the little towns they set up and even go and visit the town recreated. This was an important trading settlement in the Danish, northern German area in 8th to 11th centuries. Then we went to a close-by town and saw the beautiful Cathedral of St. Peter at Schieswig dating from 948.

Later that night we had a BBQ with all of everyone plus Uwe's son Dennis and his girlfriend. It was really nice to get to meet everyone and they were all so friendly. Sonja broke out the alcohol and wanted me to try shots of hay which is actually made from hay as its name implies, ouzo (which we have in Greece and tastes awful, like black licorice), and Klaus' homemade raspberry schnapps. Then we sat around and talked, ate more, and relaxed. I was thinking it was the perfect way to end my trip to Bad Bramstedt when they suggested that I go out with Yvonne, Dennis, and Stefan to the local discotech that night for a dance held in a small town nearby. I had an early bus the next morning... but it seemed like an opportunity you only get so many times in your life so I went along with them. I was very glad that I did. I got to meet lots of German students and their friends. We danced and just had a really good time. They all thought it was great that I could really fully understand the American music that was being played, since they could sing along, but not necessarily know exactly what they were saying. This was during a Lady GaGa song... so really no one knows what she's saying.

I got back late and had to get up early for my bus to Berlin the next morning. Still I did manage three hours of sleep, which seemed to become a common trend later in my travels.

At the Haithabu Museum

Sunday April 17th: 
I got up at 5:30 a.m. and Kay and Sonja drove me to the bus station for my ride to Berlin (about 3 hours). They waved goodbye with hankerchiefs. It was very sweet. I had a great time with them and am really glad that I got to visit even just for a short time. I think it was a really good experience and I was able to learn a lot about where part of my family came from. I couldn't have asked for a nicer host and am really grateful to them. I told them they all need to come visit Nebraska again soon!

Brandenburg Gate

I arrived in Berlin and made it to the apartment of my friend Florian's brother Felix. Florian studied at BC last semester on an exchange program with his school and I also met him after seventh grade when I went to visit my Aunt Anne and Uncle Rick in Colorado. Felix lives right in the center of Berlin in a nice apartment in Potsdammer Platz.

Florian gave me a tour of the city, a history lesson, politics lesson, and pep talk on internships and interviewing all rolled into one afternnoon. We stopped for coffee, ice cream, and cookies too... the eating never ends. We saw the Bradenburg Gate, which I immediately thought looked very Greek. So it was no surprise to learn that the design was stolen from Greek architecture. Then we walked down the Urer de Linden (Linden Lane), saw the German Parliament, the Spree River, Museum Island, churches, and a million other things.

Later we got dinner in a very posh neighborhood with his two friends from school at an Indian restaurant. Went to a cafe for a drink and then back to his apartment for sleep after a long day of walking running on very little sleep the night before for my time at the Discotech with Yvonne and Co. in Bad Bramstedt.

Florian in West Berlin--the line runs throughout Berlin
showing where it was once divided

Florian and me outside the German Parliament

Monday April 18th:
I got coffee with Felix before he headed off the an important meeting for his company that he started. It seems that everyone at Florian's school either starts their own company, works for JP Morgan, or one other really impressive thing that Flo told me and I forgot because it made me realize how much I'm dreading the real world. One thing that i really noticed was the difference from the small village life and that of the bustling city of Berlin. More people spoke English (very well) in Berlin and the attitude in general was sort of anti-small village. Almost as if they were not as good because they had less to offer or led the simple life. It sort of felt like how people in Boston react when I tell them I am from Nebraksa. People from the big cities tend to have big egos sometimes.... Anyway just a side observation on my part.


I wandered around the city all Monday again. It was a beautiful day and I managed to get some color on my face. I ate my lunch on the lawn outside of a museum and church where people were just laying around taking in the sun.

Then I saw what was left of the Berlin Wall that divided the city until 1989. It wasn't quite what I was expecting when I saw it. I did get my passport stamped at Checkpoint Charlie (seven separate stamps!) when I passed into East Berlin--that's how tight security was just to get from one part of the city to the next before the wall fell.

I then said goodbye to Florian, hopefully I'll get to see him again soon, and headed to the bus station for my overnight bus to Paris via Hannover, Brussels, Antwerp, and Lille. I don't think it was the most direct route at all.

Lawn where I ate lunch/got burned

Berlin Wall

Tuesday April 19th:

Notre Dame!

I arrive Paris in the morning around eight and met up with my friends from ACT, Ethan and Amanda, who were also coming from Berlin so we could travel together for the first full week of spring break. We stayed at Absolute Hostel Paris, which was nice and not too terrible of a location. About a ten minute walk from Notre Dame. The first thing I noticed about Paris was that every single building was beautiful. All the architecture impressed me and left me wondering where the bad parts of the city were, since nothing was a disappointment that I saw.

We headed to the Notre Dame Cathedral and waited in line to walk through it. It was pretty impressive, from the inside and out. Then we headed to the Sainte Chapelle Chapel to check out the stained glass windows there, which were supposed to be "sublime" according to my travel guide. I'm not sure if sublime is there right word, but it certainly was an impressive sight. The windows depicted over 1,100 Bible scenes starting from Genesis. You could spend all day just staring at the different scenes and taking it all end. It was especially impressive because it was so sunny and the colors were all reflected onto the floor.

After our busy morning we got lunch on the seine. We bought some paninis from a little cafe and just sat along the river with everyone else, taking in the beautiful weather, and giving our feet some rest.

Next we walked by the Louve, which is closed on Tuesdays, and then back along the seine to the Place de la Concorde where the Egyptian Obelisk is located. The French stole this from the Egyptians making it the oldest manmade structure in Paris and it now stands in the location of the guillotine, which claimed thousands of lives. Then we continued walking down the Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe, which honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolution. More walking to the Eiffel Tower, I think this was about mile 12. We got a chance to see it during the day, but wanted to wait to go up in it till it was dark. Plus we were so worn out that we wouldn't enjoy it at that point. So course we figured it wasn't that far back to the hostel and decided we should walk: back along the seine, to the Louve and Notre Dame Cathedral again. Only an hour and half power walk. We got dinner around our hostel and going back we randomly ran into a girl from our program in Greece in the lobby who was also in Paris for a couple days. It was a very random encounter. Then we crash for the night.

Inside Notre Dame

St. Chapelle

On the Seine looking toward Notre Dame

Egyptian Obelisk

Arc de Triomphe

Messing around on our walk back on one of the 14 bridges that cross the Seine

Wednesday April 20th:

The Wedding Feast at Cana

Crowd at the Mona Lisa

We got an early start to go to the Louve, but not early enough. The line wound all the way around the museum and was going to be a two hour wait by the time we arrived. Luckily we learned of secret side entrance and only had a 15 minute wait and managed to get in for free with our Greek residence permits (they are finally starting to pay off!). We spent about four hours in the museum and didn't even begin to see everything that was there. You could spend weeks wandering from room to room and still miss things. I thought the Mona Lisa was way overrated. There was a mosh pit that you had to fight through to hope and get a glimpse of it and at one point the wing was cleared by the guards. Then everyone was let back in again, just creating an even bigger surge of people. I also saw the Winged Victory of Samothrace, The Lacemaker by Vermeer, the Code of Hammurabi, Venus de Milo, and thousands of others.

We wandered to the Ile St. louis, a little island on the Seine where poeople such as Voltaire once lived with very tiny streets and cute little shops. Then we walked back to the Eiffel Tower and sat around till it started to get dark. We wanted to go to the very top, but it was closed due to "congestion" and we could only walk to the second level rather than take the lift all the way up. At nine the lights came on and for five minutes at the top of every hour the lights flash. I have to say that I didn't think the Eiffel Tower was going to be worth it/though it was kind of overrated, but with the lights at night it was actually pretty cool.

Best picture I could get

The Winged Victory of Samothrace

Venus de Milo

Outside the Louve

Back of Notre Dame

Ethan and me at the Eiffel Tower

Thursday April 21st: 
For our third day we decided to head out of Paris and go to the Chateau de Versailles, which we also got in for free because of our residence permits (museums in Paris are free to EU citizens and long-term residents of the EU, we just had to flash our paper and no one questioned us). We did have a nice long wait in line, which was a pain, but the inside was worth the wait. The highlights were the Hall of Mirrors  and I also really like the gardens.

After the palace we took the metro to the Place de Vosges which is the oldest square in paris and home to Victor Hugo. It is a very upscale neighborhood now and the square is a bunch or red brick buildings that are actually all connected in a square with archways for you to enter the inside where there is a little park. From there we walked to the Rue de Rosiers or street of rosebushes, which would have been beautiful if we were there when the rosebushes were in bloom. This is the location of the Jewish ghetto and home to a lot of kosher bakeries and shops. Then we got a pastry and coffee and sat in a park next to hostel, a nice relaxing end to our day. I was starting to really appreciate those moments when I just got to sit. Paris was fun, but with out short amount of time there required a high level of energy.

Outside Versailles

Hall of Mirrors

Amanda, Ethan, and I in the Hall of Mirros

Gardens

Friday April 22nd: 

Sacré-Cœur

We had just a little time in the morning before we left for Vienna (I was going by bus and the other two by train) so we went to see the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, a Catholic church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is located at the summit of Montmarte and allows you to have a view of all of Paris. You could see everything from the lookout outside the front of the church. We did a little souvenir shopping in the neighborhood, got to see the Moulin Rouge, which was not quite what I had expected, and then sat in a little park for awhile where there was a wall with "I love you" written in every language imaginable.

Then it was off to the bus station for my overnight bus to Vienna via Strasbourg, the longest one of the entire trip. I was ready to go with a fresh baguette and some other treats to save me from starvation on the ride.

On a side note the French countryside is absolutely beautiful. There were huge fields of yellow flowers and the greenest grass ever continuously. This made the ride a little better, on the negative side there was a crying toddler and I just couldn't sleep all night.



Saturday April 23rd: 
I arrived in Vienna at 7 a.m. and felt like a zombie. I checked into The Wombat City Hostel, which was really nice, and proceeded to wander the city. It was sunny and warm, just as nice as Paris had been, but with a lot more green space. There were flowers planted everywhere (maybe because the Vienna Marathon was the previous week and so the city was in tip-top shape, but I'm pretty sure it's always beautiful) and it was the perfect day to go at my own leisurely pace after the rushing we did through Paris. I just wandered into about 50 different churches, which were all beautiful, very ornate and each one had a very unique style. The big church was St. Stephen's blah blah blah. Then something about the Hapsburgs, but being too museumed out to actually walk throught the palace complex. plus i saw versailles, how many more palaces do I need to see on one trip?

I talked to a man trying to sell me an opera ticket (Vienna is the Classical music capital of the world home to Beethoven, Mozart, and others) who claimed to be from the USA, the United States of Albania, that is, who spoke a little Greek with me. Beyond "hi, how are you?" I can't say much though. I got some food and coffee (they are big on Cappuccino or Melanges--foamy milk with a little coffee) and then met up with my friends who took an overnight train from Paris to Vienna and got in a little later than me. We walked through the city some more, sat in a park with a pond, and just relaxed.

That night we went to the bar at our hostel for our free drink (it was a nice hostel) and a random girl came up to us because she was traveling alone and wanted someone to talk to. We started talking and I found out she was from Boston College too, also a junior, lived in my same building freshman year, and was roommates with some people that I know. It was a crazy experience. She' studying in Germany right now and had a couple days longer on at her school for break than the other people she was with and so she went to Vienna alone. It's such a small world, at least that is what i am learning more and more. Oh and we are signed up for a class together next fall, too!

Random Chruch

St. Stephen's

Sunday April 24th:
It was Easter Sunday so we figured nothing would be open, but in Vienna they celebrate the holiday on Monday rather than Sunday. We decided to go to church, even though the mass was in German and we weren't entirely sure what was being said. We went to Mariahilfer Kirche and there was a wonderful choir accompanied by an organ and they sang Handel's Messiah, as well as some Bach, Schubert, and Mozart pieces. After mass they handed out red dyed Easter Eggs, a nice little surprise for us.

Then we went to a cafe for brunch and coffee, wandered a little more in Vienna, and headed to the bus station for my ride to Prague. Amanda and Ethan were staying longer in the city, but I went to meet up with my other friends Andrea, Elizabeth, and Hannah for the second week.

On the bus I met a girl from IA State who was traveling with her mom. They had been traveling in Turkey and then Prague, Vienna, and Budapest just like me. I think they were actually at the same place that Sonja was going to in Turkey--it was a cave hotel. Actual caves converted into hotels. Anyway they were very nice and we got to talk about everywhere we were traveling and give each other tips on what to see. It was nice to run into people so close to home.

When I got to Prauge, however, it was starting to get dark and I managed to get lost immediately and experience the scariest part of the trip. I couldn't get on the subway right away because I didn't have any Czech crown so i started wandering and that was not a good idea. The bus station isn't in the best area and I had no clue how to read anything and I asked at the Metro station, but they didn't really speak English. There were creepy men on the street so I headed in the direction I though seemed like there were the most people and then amazingly I found the touristy section filled with people, even on Easter Sunday night, and asked some students from South Dakota where to go ( I heard them speaking English and immediately moved in). I got some money exchanged and got onto the Metro and finally made it to the Clown and Bard Hostel where I met up with Elizabeth. Safe and sound (thank goodness).

Easter Eggs at Church in Vienna!

The Church we went to + my egg

Statue commemorating Mozart

Monday April 25th:

St. Nicholas Church near the Old Town Square

On Monday morning Andrea and Hannah arrived after spending their first week visiting the Greek Islands. I think I made the better choice. They had a lot of rain and cold weather and everywhere I went was sunny and warm. They brought the rain with them to Prague, unfortunately. We got up and wandered to the Powder Tower, the Old Town Square, and Clock Tower. In the Old Town Square there were a lot of little booths set up selling fried cinnamon bread called Kurtos Kalacs, sausages, little trinkets, and souvenirs. It was for the Easter celebrations in the city so we went at the right time. Everything was decorated and men were chasing girls with whips made of willows, which is another tradition especially in the villages. If a guy things a girl is cute he whips here and then she can dump a bucket of water on him, and give him a dyed Easter egg. 

The Fried Bread at a little booth

We did a "free" walking tour of the city and got a little history. Everything is named after Charles IV who reigned in the 14th century. There was the Charles Bridge, Charles University, and then my mind started wandering a little and I forgot the rest. One interesting thing I did learn was that there are 27 crosses in the Old Town Square representing the 27 people who were executed for rebelling against Emperor Mathias in the 1600s. Ten of the heads were taken and hung from the Charles Bridge for ten years following this incident. A little gruesome bit of history. We also saw the bizarre Kafka Statue and attempted to recreate it with Hannah on my shoulders. I think we did a pretty good job and we got some great looks from the people on our tour. We also managed to run into some more people from our program in ACT. It crazy how everyone kept meeting up in cities throughout Europe. It's pretty big, but everyone has stories of running into each other on their travels. 

Church of Our Lady Before Tyn in the background: the tower on the
left is lightly slender because it is meant to represent Eve and the other  Adam

Astronomical clock Tower

Kafka Statue

Other ACT students we ran into by the Powder Tower

Tuesday April 26th:
Our second and last day in Prague we went to see the Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge. It was a hike up the hill to the Castle, but the view was worth it. We didn't really go in the Castle, just wandered through the Church, harassed the guards for being so serious, and enjoyed the view. Then we probably ate (sausages, I think). Walked some more. Back to the hostel to change. Dinner at a Thai food place (we were all craving it for some reason) and then we went on a bar crawl. The owner of the bar was from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and he moved back to Prague after studying abroad their to open this bar because he loved the city so much. It was lot of fun and we met some interesting people.

On the Charles River Bridge

Near the Prague Castle looking down on all of Prague

Danube River and Charles Bridge

Wednesday April 27th:
All four of us took an early morning bus to Budapest and arrived at our hostel, 11th hour Hostel and Cinema, a little tired. First though we had to book our bus onto the next city. We really wanted to go to Belgrade, Serbia, but there was no bus (and we learned about the train too late) so we had to settle for a bus to Sofia, Bulgarian on Friday night. 


The first thing on our minds was food (no surprise there), which we got at the Grand Market. We met a couple there from Maine who come to Budapest for work and have been doing so for years. They told us exactly what we needed to see, which was very helpful because we had absolutely no plan of action. 

Elizabeth and I being silly

We walked down Vaci Utca, a street with lots of touristy shops and souvenirs, and then alone the Duna River (this was on the Pest side of the city. Across the river is Buda and at some point in their history the two were united as one city). We saw a memorial to the victims of the Holocaust in Budapest. The Jews in the city were marched to the river and forced to walk into it, killing themselves. The memorial is collection of bronzed, old-fashioned shoes lines up along the river as if they were left behind by their owners as they walked into it.

We walked to the beautiful Parliament building and saw a photo exhibit that was set up outside it with lots of photos of Eastern European scenes and people. Then we walked back and used the very nice Intercontinental Hotel for their restrooms, as advised by the wife of that couple. It was worth the trip. And finally we sat by the Chain Bridge and watched the bridge and the Buda side of the city light up across the river. It happens a little bit at a time--a few lights here and there, until eventually the entire place is lit up.

Back at the hostel Andrea and I were convinced into going out with some people who work at our hostel and some other guests to a "ruin bar." It is a building from the Jewish ghetto that has not been renovated in anyway, just converted into a bar with a rooftop patio, an large outside area, and the most random decorations everywhere. There was a room of just random lights and a switch-board that when you pressed a button something different would light up for each one. There were bicycles on the ceiling and random things hanging everywhere, as well as some cars converted into tables. None of the chairs matched--it was just a very odd, but impressive conglomeration of junk that made a very cool, low-key place to hang out.

Holocaust Memorial

Looking across the Duna to Buda

Parliament Building

At Szimpla, the ruin bar (Sz = S sound & S = Sh, so it's said Simpla)

Thursday April 28th:
On Thursday we got up and were made a nice cup of coffee and foam milk by the lady at our hostel. She couldn't really speak English at all, but she was very excited to help us and make us a cup of traditional Hungarian coffee, which was delicious, sort of like what they were drinking in Vienna. We got a traditional three-course Hungarian meal for only 780 forint (about $4). There was a soup with very thin noodles, the main dish was potatoes and sausage in a paprika sauce (they love paprika), and a little pastry with a sweet cottage cheese like filling (sort of like cottage cheese kolache filling).

Then we headed to the Buda side of the city across the river. We ended up going on a bit of an impromptu hike up a rather steep hill, not that we were dressed appropriately for that. We then wandered along some trails and eventually found our way to the Castle District. It was very quaint, much more so than the Pest side of the river, and we just walked the streets for a while, before heading back to Buda and the Grand Market to get some apple strudel before it closed. We basically just ate all day. For dinner we went to another Hungarian restaurant and got paprika rolls and bean soup with gnocchi.

Castle!

Church in the Castle District

From Castle District looking toward Pest

Friday April 29th:

On the little island with the Castle near Heroes Square

Hannah left early in the morning to catch a flight to Naples and the three of us remaining got up and had a nice cup of coffee milk. We got a late start, but trekked to Heros Square, saw another little castle on a mini island, did some souvenir shopping, and got a lunch/dinner at the Market, plus several desserts. I managed to lose the last of my Hungarian money at the post office, a 500 forinth bill. It sounds like a lot so I was a little upset, but then i remembered it was only about three dollars and got over it pretty quickly. The exchange rates are tricky sometimes, especially when you have to keep switching, you kind of lose track of what something is really worth. We walked back to the hostel and collected our stuff and then to the bus station for our 12 hour bus ride to Bulgaria, via Serbia.

DISCLAIMER: If you have every checked out Lonely Planet travel guide they warn you against using trains and especially buses in the Balkans, particularly if you are a girl and traveling alone. Well we weren't alone, but lets just say that if I had been, it would have been a miserable experience. No one spoke English at all, which we could deal with, but it was very crowded and you were crammed next to random people, harassed by border patrol people, and stared at constantly by the men on the bus. Not the best feeling. Crossing from Hungary to Serbia took forever and so the trip ended up being about 14 hours instead of the 12 we expected. I couldn't sleep at all so I was not a happy camper although I did see a beautiful sunrise in Serbia with the Balkan Mountains in the background. That was the only good part of the bus ride. But now I know what not to do when I travel Eastern Europe again.



Saturday April 30th:
We arrived very early in Sofia and walked to the Hostel Mostel, where we had stayed the last time we came to Sofia, and then collapsed for an hour or two on their no-shoes pillow and TV area for a power nap.

Later we booked our bus back to Thessaloniki for Sunday morning, bought some delicious Iraqi food, saw a bear exhibit, one for each country (it had just been in Berlin not that long ago), and went to the Ladies Market to stock up on cheap trail mix. The highlight of Sofia was our 15 leva pedicures we got for our weary feet. After all of our walking we were ready to pamper our blistered and swollen feet that had taken us so far. I think they appreciated it and it was a nice relaxing way to spend our last afternoon of break. Plus it was super cheap (about ten dollars). Then again everything in Bulgaria is cheap. We love the leva.

We got our free spaghetti dinner at the hostel, chatted with some random travelers, and then went for a walk for deserts (one last time) to wrap up our spring break. It was nice to end to our travels being in a city that we were familiar with. There was no pressure to run around and see all of the sights.

Bear Exhibit

Sunday May 1st:
I didn't really sleep well the last night, I kept having the feeling that I was forgetting something, maybe that I hadn't set an alarm or that my phone wasn't charged. Turns out that what I was forgetting was the fact that my phone doesn't adjust to the time change from Budapest automatically and we were relying on it for the alarm to wake us up. So we got up at 9:30 and had to race to get to the bus station by 10. But we made it and after a nice short six hour bus ride (that's sad when six hours is short) we made it HOME to Thessaloniki. It immediately started pouring rain of course, but we got in a taxi and were back in our rooms in no time. Now that my laundry is done and things are unpacked (living out of a bag for 19 days is not fun) I am feeling ready for a nice long sleep. Thank goodness Greeks don't believe in early class so I can sleep in for a bit tomorrow. Overall my break was a complete success and with a bit of a rest I would be ready to go again next week on another adventure!