Well, here we are....the final stretch...the final last days of HLOCK DO-ING Greece....AS of right now...I have exactly 7 days, 2 final exams, 1 term paper, 2 multimedia projects, 1 response, an entire life to pack, last minute shopping, picture taking, and sight seeing before I leave on the 13th. WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE!?
However, as I am writing this and NOT writing my term paper which I desperately need to work on....I decided a list is in order.....I think I'll do few lists between now and the 13th...hmm not really sure...yes I think that would be a great idea...in which case let's do a Food List for madre...JUST so that she's ready!
Food Items that I miss more than life and cannot wait to come home to:
CHICKEN (normal...untouched.....unfried, olive-oiled, easy to get, make, buy, chicken)
BROCCOLI (GOOD grief these people don't know the MEANING of nutritional value)
SKIM MILK
VEGETABLES...ALL OF THEM IN MASS QUANTITIES
SALAD
SALAD DRESSING
SUSHI
Pancakes
Special K strawberries
SUN CHIPS
Baked Lays
CRYSTAL LIGHT PEACH ICE TEA
PROVOLONE CHEESE
Green beans
Mashed potatoes
Pretzels
Grape Jelly
PEANUT BUTTER (does not exist in Greece)
POPCORN (I will never live without again)
CHERRY COKE ZERO
MEXICAN FOOD
CHINEESE FOOD
THAI FOOD
POKEY STICKS
Shooters from Tots
Shooters from Sharkey's
Brushetta from costco
Brushetta chips also from costco
I want Thanksgiving the remix
and Ice that is easily accesible.
OK let's take a moment...NO I don't think about food all the time....umm lies...OF COURSE I DO...however...I started this List a long time ago....and now...now is the time for posting.....that is all madre....there may be other things.....and by may I mean duh/yes.
SO sports fans....my days are numbered......until next time....
<3 Hlo
NEXT TIME ON HLOCK DOES GREECE:
Some random list making, packing worries, other things that need to be said/mentioned before my departure...its going to get serious.....Stay Tuned....and get ready.....It's go time
Friday, December 5, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
KBOO DOES GREECE
AND THERE I WAS…
ALL ALONE in Panepistemou Pente….WAITING…..just waiting, for time to happen. After an amazing Thursday with Kaci (AS USUAL) I was left to myself just contemplating how excited I was for Saturday to get here…..no really. YOU HAVE no idea. IT was ONLY Friday when I woke up, I still had a LOT of waiting to go, UGH! HOWEVER, around noon I got the best email EVER.
REMEMBER that one time when Madre sent a package with a TON of awesome things inside, including my FAVORITE discontinued pair of Jeans…yeah…well A.C.T. LOST IT!? WHAT!? THEY LOST IT. OF COURSE they would lose MY package……but I was pretty adamant about it and was compensated for the contents inside the box. Three weeks later, aka when I’m playing the waiting game on a lonesome Friday, I get an email…keep in mind that I waited 2/3 weeks for the box to get here….and it was KATE the Study Abroad Coordinator, with news….great news….THEY FOUND MY PACKAGE!!! SO EXCITING! In which case, Kaci and I were off to campus to obtain my box (AND she had class, while I had NO intention of going to campus because I didn’t have class…right then) I had to pay back my compensation so that was a downer, but my box was AWESOME!
BUT, where was my box this whole time?
WELL they had thought that someone had stolen my box, which is just ridiculous but plausible since their system of mail and package retrieval is RIDICULOUS! AND the woman that is in charge of it all is not a nice person….in fact she is anything and everything but nice. Not cool….NOT COOL at all. AND SO my missing box was taken to the WRONG post office because the ACT people picked a random package up for someone that had an “American sounding name” and this person was completely GREEK. Meanwhile his package had been hanging out in the ACT package room at the tip top of campus and LET ME TELL YOU those stairs are NOT forgiving! While my package was just hanging out where his should have been…..ok Greeks…you need to LOCK IT UP. I’m getting really agitated with your unintelligent behavior. THIS IS NOTHING NEW….so why is this still a problem…HMMM….??
SO THE BOX came and made my life and my Friday move SO Much faster than anticipated. Kaci left for her weekend with family friends and then I really was all alone in Panepistemou Pente. First time….actually ever….I CANNOT remember the last time I had alone time. SAB-ers are around 24/7. We literally have no choice. I mean we hangout, live, learn, eat, EVERYTHING together….there isn’t room or time anyone to really be alone, so I’ll be honest I really enjoyed some quite time….it was SO NEEDED. I cleaned, did laundry, did some school work, finally wrote my Athens blog…AND finished my Berlin Blog….holy smokes THAT took forever! SHEEEESH!!!! No there aren’t any pictures yet, but there will be eventually, promise promise.
AND THEN, THEN It was Saturday.
I tried to sleep in, but that didn’t really happen. I was too excited…THE COUNTDOWN has reached ZERO. Basically I spent the majority of my morning/day trying not to cry because I couldn’t believe she was actually going to be here….NO REALLY. SHE just needed to get here….AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. JUST knowing that she was closer to me than anyone else made me feel so relieved and pumped….
AND THEN the taxi ride to the airport seemed to take forever. WHY DID TIME MOVE SO SLOWLY….time goes by….so slowly…time goes by….so slowly….annnnd thank you Madonna.
SO I just waited, and paced….and waited, and paced….and I looked on the monitor of the arrivals screen and I saw that her plane had landed, I was literally WIGGING OUT LIKE IT WAS NOBODY’S BUISNESS on the inside…now I know how Kathleen felt when I went to go see her in Mississippi….but this was really really extreme because she got to talk to us whenever she wanted…and I well…..we all do our best….makes me sad….I cannot WAIT for constant interaction between myself and WHOEVER I want! IT’S GOING TO BE SO FUN! YAY ENGLISH!!! I’LL HEAR YOU SOOOOO SOOON!!!!!
AND SO I looked and waited and stood in front of everyone else waiting for people….I had my tp rolled up in my purse ready to go…..because I knew I Was going to be a complete disaster…I tried so hard to look cute, and then I went and messed it all up. AND THERE SHE WAS……ALIVE AND BEAUTIUL! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH INSERT UNCONTROLABLE TEARS and UNCOMPREHENSIBLE WORDS HERE! For several minutes, 15-20 to be exact….give or take 30 more minutes…..perhaps an hour/ rest of the evening.
GOOD GRIEF I HAD TO WAIT FOREVER FOR HER TO GET HERE. The countdown started 38 days ago….38 DAYS and NOW IT WAS FINALLY OVER!? ARE YOU JOKING ME! AHHHHH WE MADE IT!!! WE DID IT!!!!! SO KATHLEEN WAS FINALLY IN GREECE. …it was SO awesome to hear her go off immediately about her trip, and school , and life, and boys, as if I had been there every step of the way because I have been just telecommuting….aka….not cool.
So we went back to Penepistimou Pente......and she got to see how life really was in Thess…the view from my room and everything. SEE MY PICTURES ARE REAL!!! NOW you know! I think she liked it….my favorite line from Kathleen in the first 2 hours….. “SO…..you like…..actually live like in a CITY!? It’s not a third world country!? AND YOU CAN SHOWER whenever you want!” haha ok so that wasn’t what she said verbatim….but that basically sums it up…..haha I WAS SO EXCITED FOR HER TO BE HERE!!! AHHHH
AND SO we decided to go out for dinner at a taverna….the chicken taverna to be exact….DUH! Of course I Would take her here….it is my favorite one…though I am getting tired of it, and they knew me which was super nice and they took great care of us…Kathleen was so confused but excited to just DO GREECE…..FINALLY KBOO DOES GREECE….
Serious Side note: Readers, please expect notes from Kathleen in the future to be placed in this blog or in compensation around the blog post. Once this occurs the blog will be complete. Thank you, Management.
LITERALLY Kathleen had been in Greece for about oh 2 hours….and Appostoli moved us inside because we were sitting outside WHICH floored Kathleen….haha THIS was awesome…yes we sit outside…ALL THE TIME….especially in the cold…these people live for space heaters/lamps and being outside…..and so outside furniture is ALWAYS out….pretttty cool huh? We were sitting outside, but I was glad to be moved inside…the music was inside tonight and I like to be entertained…not that kboo wasn’t entertaining enough!
SO we moved inside and literally not long after we had sit down the boys next to us started talking with us and bought us wine and wine, and more wine. KATHLEEN WAS SO FUNNY with those Greeks…she knew absolutely NO GREEK and they were giving her the hardest time…..to her “oh-he” was “oh-mah” which means “NO” in Greek…it was HISTERICAL….oh Kathleen….she did great though for her first night ANNNNDDD eventually those boys asked us to go to a club with them and I was game for whatever…..luckily…SO Was Kathleen……it’s a good thing she was too excited to notice how tired she really was…but…ohh I KNEW….I had been there.
Side Note for Madre:
Please plan on me sleeping for 4 to 5 days straight. I love you, we will talk A LOT and I will show you my life….but I will be passing out and sleeping-in because my body is going to hate me when I return. Oh Jet-lag you are inappropriate. Love you mean it <3
BUT SERIOUSLY….Kathleen was in Greece for 2 hours and boys were already making moves on her….ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW….if Kathleen had been here since day one…we would have done a lot of damage….yep….a ton….haha maybe it is a better idea that she only did come for a week…hmmm…..
They took us to a really awesome music club that had a huge marble winding staircase. It was like my fair lady meets Hollywood meets the killers meets pink. It was awesome inside…..there were chandeliers with pearls streaming down them and mirrors of all different shapes and sizes. The music was way too loud…but it was good music. And so we just hung out and talked and it was really fun. I couldn’t have asked for a better night out with Kathleen…first night in Greece…and she did it up right! SO PROUD KBOO….SO PROUD! Best part about the night was that those boys wanted to see us again and they were fun and you never know…new people are always fun…..annnd thus ended Kathleen’s FIRST NIGHT IN GREECE!!!!!
HOLY BAKLAVA EVERYBODY!!! (because Kathleen thought this was Greek...and meant something other than what it really is which is....just goofy....and me being well...me...haha BLESS HER HEART!)
To be continued…..
ALL ALONE in Panepistemou Pente….WAITING…..just waiting, for time to happen. After an amazing Thursday with Kaci (AS USUAL) I was left to myself just contemplating how excited I was for Saturday to get here…..no really. YOU HAVE no idea. IT was ONLY Friday when I woke up, I still had a LOT of waiting to go, UGH! HOWEVER, around noon I got the best email EVER.
REMEMBER that one time when Madre sent a package with a TON of awesome things inside, including my FAVORITE discontinued pair of Jeans…yeah…well A.C.T. LOST IT!? WHAT!? THEY LOST IT. OF COURSE they would lose MY package……but I was pretty adamant about it and was compensated for the contents inside the box. Three weeks later, aka when I’m playing the waiting game on a lonesome Friday, I get an email…keep in mind that I waited 2/3 weeks for the box to get here….and it was KATE the Study Abroad Coordinator, with news….great news….THEY FOUND MY PACKAGE!!! SO EXCITING! In which case, Kaci and I were off to campus to obtain my box (AND she had class, while I had NO intention of going to campus because I didn’t have class…right then) I had to pay back my compensation so that was a downer, but my box was AWESOME!
BUT, where was my box this whole time?
WELL they had thought that someone had stolen my box, which is just ridiculous but plausible since their system of mail and package retrieval is RIDICULOUS! AND the woman that is in charge of it all is not a nice person….in fact she is anything and everything but nice. Not cool….NOT COOL at all. AND SO my missing box was taken to the WRONG post office because the ACT people picked a random package up for someone that had an “American sounding name” and this person was completely GREEK. Meanwhile his package had been hanging out in the ACT package room at the tip top of campus and LET ME TELL YOU those stairs are NOT forgiving! While my package was just hanging out where his should have been…..ok Greeks…you need to LOCK IT UP. I’m getting really agitated with your unintelligent behavior. THIS IS NOTHING NEW….so why is this still a problem…HMMM….??
SO THE BOX came and made my life and my Friday move SO Much faster than anticipated. Kaci left for her weekend with family friends and then I really was all alone in Panepistemou Pente. First time….actually ever….I CANNOT remember the last time I had alone time. SAB-ers are around 24/7. We literally have no choice. I mean we hangout, live, learn, eat, EVERYTHING together….there isn’t room or time anyone to really be alone, so I’ll be honest I really enjoyed some quite time….it was SO NEEDED. I cleaned, did laundry, did some school work, finally wrote my Athens blog…AND finished my Berlin Blog….holy smokes THAT took forever! SHEEEESH!!!! No there aren’t any pictures yet, but there will be eventually, promise promise.
AND THEN, THEN It was Saturday.
I tried to sleep in, but that didn’t really happen. I was too excited…THE COUNTDOWN has reached ZERO. Basically I spent the majority of my morning/day trying not to cry because I couldn’t believe she was actually going to be here….NO REALLY. SHE just needed to get here….AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. JUST knowing that she was closer to me than anyone else made me feel so relieved and pumped….
AND THEN the taxi ride to the airport seemed to take forever. WHY DID TIME MOVE SO SLOWLY….time goes by….so slowly…time goes by….so slowly….annnnd thank you Madonna.
SO I just waited, and paced….and waited, and paced….and I looked on the monitor of the arrivals screen and I saw that her plane had landed, I was literally WIGGING OUT LIKE IT WAS NOBODY’S BUISNESS on the inside…now I know how Kathleen felt when I went to go see her in Mississippi….but this was really really extreme because she got to talk to us whenever she wanted…and I well…..we all do our best….makes me sad….I cannot WAIT for constant interaction between myself and WHOEVER I want! IT’S GOING TO BE SO FUN! YAY ENGLISH!!! I’LL HEAR YOU SOOOOO SOOON!!!!!
AND SO I looked and waited and stood in front of everyone else waiting for people….I had my tp rolled up in my purse ready to go…..because I knew I Was going to be a complete disaster…I tried so hard to look cute, and then I went and messed it all up. AND THERE SHE WAS……ALIVE AND BEAUTIUL! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH INSERT UNCONTROLABLE TEARS and UNCOMPREHENSIBLE WORDS HERE! For several minutes, 15-20 to be exact….give or take 30 more minutes…..perhaps an hour/ rest of the evening.
GOOD GRIEF I HAD TO WAIT FOREVER FOR HER TO GET HERE. The countdown started 38 days ago….38 DAYS and NOW IT WAS FINALLY OVER!? ARE YOU JOKING ME! AHHHHH WE MADE IT!!! WE DID IT!!!!! SO KATHLEEN WAS FINALLY IN GREECE. …it was SO awesome to hear her go off immediately about her trip, and school , and life, and boys, as if I had been there every step of the way because I have been just telecommuting….aka….not cool.
So we went back to Penepistimou Pente......and she got to see how life really was in Thess…the view from my room and everything. SEE MY PICTURES ARE REAL!!! NOW you know! I think she liked it….my favorite line from Kathleen in the first 2 hours….. “SO…..you like…..actually live like in a CITY!? It’s not a third world country!? AND YOU CAN SHOWER whenever you want!” haha ok so that wasn’t what she said verbatim….but that basically sums it up…..haha I WAS SO EXCITED FOR HER TO BE HERE!!! AHHHH
AND SO we decided to go out for dinner at a taverna….the chicken taverna to be exact….DUH! Of course I Would take her here….it is my favorite one…though I am getting tired of it, and they knew me which was super nice and they took great care of us…Kathleen was so confused but excited to just DO GREECE…..FINALLY KBOO DOES GREECE….
Serious Side note: Readers, please expect notes from Kathleen in the future to be placed in this blog or in compensation around the blog post. Once this occurs the blog will be complete. Thank you, Management.
LITERALLY Kathleen had been in Greece for about oh 2 hours….and Appostoli moved us inside because we were sitting outside WHICH floored Kathleen….haha THIS was awesome…yes we sit outside…ALL THE TIME….especially in the cold…these people live for space heaters/lamps and being outside…..and so outside furniture is ALWAYS out….pretttty cool huh? We were sitting outside, but I was glad to be moved inside…the music was inside tonight and I like to be entertained…not that kboo wasn’t entertaining enough!
SO we moved inside and literally not long after we had sit down the boys next to us started talking with us and bought us wine and wine, and more wine. KATHLEEN WAS SO FUNNY with those Greeks…she knew absolutely NO GREEK and they were giving her the hardest time…..to her “oh-he” was “oh-mah” which means “NO” in Greek…it was HISTERICAL….oh Kathleen….she did great though for her first night ANNNNDDD eventually those boys asked us to go to a club with them and I was game for whatever…..luckily…SO Was Kathleen……it’s a good thing she was too excited to notice how tired she really was…but…ohh I KNEW….I had been there.
Side Note for Madre:
Please plan on me sleeping for 4 to 5 days straight. I love you, we will talk A LOT and I will show you my life….but I will be passing out and sleeping-in because my body is going to hate me when I return. Oh Jet-lag you are inappropriate. Love you mean it <3
BUT SERIOUSLY….Kathleen was in Greece for 2 hours and boys were already making moves on her….ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW….if Kathleen had been here since day one…we would have done a lot of damage….yep….a ton….haha maybe it is a better idea that she only did come for a week…hmmm…..
They took us to a really awesome music club that had a huge marble winding staircase. It was like my fair lady meets Hollywood meets the killers meets pink. It was awesome inside…..there were chandeliers with pearls streaming down them and mirrors of all different shapes and sizes. The music was way too loud…but it was good music. And so we just hung out and talked and it was really fun. I couldn’t have asked for a better night out with Kathleen…first night in Greece…and she did it up right! SO PROUD KBOO….SO PROUD! Best part about the night was that those boys wanted to see us again and they were fun and you never know…new people are always fun…..annnd thus ended Kathleen’s FIRST NIGHT IN GREECE!!!!!
HOLY BAKLAVA EVERYBODY!!! (because Kathleen thought this was Greek...and meant something other than what it really is which is....just goofy....and me being well...me...haha BLESS HER HEART!)
To be continued…..
KBOO really DID do GREECE
SO REALLY, this whole week has been one of the BEST WEEKS IN GREECE EVER. KBOO Loved Greece…and more importantly, Greece loved Kboo. The next few days were a series of awesomeness, twinness, and me FINALLY being with my bestfriend. On a scale from one to ten I LOVED IT!!! Sunday rolled around pretty quickly and nothing is really open on Sundays SO Kboo and I pulled a lazy-esque morning and walked around in the afternoon. She got to see everything from my little street with the Fruit man to the water with the white tower. IT was BEAUTIFUL outside and I was just happy to be with her….It was Kboo’s Vacation and it was MY Staycation…..it was awesome for both parties involved. I’m so glad Kathleen was all about being a tourist…..we walked all the way down to the white tower and the water. It was a PERFECT day and we took GREAT pictures….we just walked along the water, talking and taking advantage of the awesome photo opportunities we had. We decided to get a delicious treat at the desert/café place right near the water, Parfait. NORMALLY I would have been ALL about getting some gelato BUT it was kind-of chilly out so we opted for actual delicious treats….which was great because we got to split them….and it was as much her vacation as it was mine…I have NO guilt WHATSOEVER…..I think Kathleen and I talked so much we could have blown up over 23,000 balloons in the first 2 or 3 days with all our constant talking and hot air….SO MUCH to say….I missed it SO MUCH! After our delicious treats we walked more of Thessaloniki and I showed Kathleen a ton of the important things that I pass by often, like the arch and a ton of the ruins that are just randomly put everywhere. We had a great day just walking around the city….KATHLEEN WAS floored to discover that I was in a city….even though I had told her and EVERYONE else that hey….I’m legit, living in a city….and then it clicked to her that Thessaloniki is a lot like a mini-New York….just the feel of it….yep…I’m in a city with a ton of people and everything is just a five-minute walk away….she didn’t hate it!
When we got back to my apartment all the Istanbulers came home and COMPLETELY bombarded us with everything they bought and stories and it was just a whirlwind of sooooo many girls in one place at one time….it was so intense haha….I’m not sure how Kboo took it all but it was fun for me because everyone was SO EXCITED to finally meet her because I was seriously getting annoying with all my counting-down and constant conversation about her…..good grief Kathleen you are a HUGE DEAL in my book!
Things really didn’t die down until about 1 when I decided to go to bed…LUCKILY there was an empty bed downstairs that I confiscated for the week…..um awesome…there were a ton of visitors this week…and I was smart enough to find a place to sleep…..look at me go! Anyway, I did decide to go to class on Monday, but JUST Greek and Tutoring. I finished as quickly as possible and took a cab STRAIGHT HOME to Kboo….who has JUST greeted the day when I had returned around 2:30/3ish…..haha OH jet-lag you kill us Lockwood girls…..we were BOTH hungry and SO I took Kathleen to meet NIKKOS!!!! OK so Kboo didn’t like the Crepe but I certainly did….I ALWAYS DO….but I’ll be honest…Nikko was NOT on his a-game that day…..total disappointment….if only kboo had gotten a sweet crepe….THEN her life would be different…PROMISE PROMISE….so Kathleen and I ventured out and I took her to the Arch where she saw a ton of FAT pigeons…I TOLD YOU they were huge…and NOW I have another witness…these birds are really abnormally huge….they are the size of small, full-grown adult cats….NOTE….this is NOT an exaggeration!! Kathleen discovered Bershka and Zara…Europe’s signature stores most closely related to an American Eagle/Express/Limited and so on….so naturally we had a field day…it was so fun to see Kathleen SO excited about it all. We kept making our way down the whole road and it was SO fun to be with her and show her where I have been living……..IN A CITY….which is Crazy! I KNOW! Well for other people it’s not crazy, but for me…and us….it was intense, cool, and very different. I actually really like living in a city….not for the rest of my life, but I wouldn’t mind it while I’m trying to start my life and my career….it’s actually perfect and good for me because there is SO much to do and life is NEVER closed….except for Sundays…..they aren’t so fun…..right then.
AND SO we had a blast looking at everything and walking the streets just talking and having fun…..eventually we found ourselves at Aristotle Plataea…..so it was Aristotle Square…..well right before it…but I could CLEARLY see it from where I was…..but we were at an out-door mall/type thing that I pass often but never really venture into…and then all of a sudden Kathleen and I were in an elevator going to see a movie in GREECE! I had wanted to see a movie ALL semester and it was REALLY fun. We got free soda’s with our tickets and we saw an American film…..with Greek Subtitles……which was really awesome because I followed along with it and tried to figure things out…..
NATURALLY after the film we were hungry and I WAS CRAVING Chicken….AMERICAN Chicken and SINCE Kaci and I had American Thursday last week and had discovered FRIDAY’S IN GREECE….I apologized to kboo for making her go to Friday’s with me…but I was KILLER FOR REAL FOOD….and FRIDAY’S was awesome……FINALLY CHICKEN……that wasn’t on a stick or was pretend…..it was real and normal….
Dear Chicken,
I Love you more than life itself.
Love, me.
That pretty much ended our night….we just went back to my apartment and it wasn’t early by any means. So we watched a film and continued our girl time which I loved. I HAD tons of Snacks for kboo at my apartment too. I got a ton of things together in a bag for her Arrival and I think she liked it a lot….and by liked it she loved the Greek cookies, the chocolate…and most importantly, the HAPPY HIPPO’S! Don’t you worry Kathleen I’ll be bringing BOXES of those things back for you….I understand your love for them because I love them….DEARLY!
TUESDAY MORNING was a bright and EARLY one. I made Kboo wake up and go to school with me haha muahaha mean of me? Maybe BUT I wanted her to see where I went to school….and I wanted her to meet my gender studies professor….because she is SO AWESOME and has been so great to all of us this whole semester. She is an absolutely amazing lady. BUT, she wasn’t in class! We still had class and had to watch a movie…but prior to it….Kathleen, Kaci, myself, and Heather ALL decided to get a chocolate milk to enjoy while we watched a film….in which case….spilling things is H-jay’s forte….and well it happened before in the class on one of the firsts days and Agili, our professor, was up in arms about it…..but WE did it anyway and literally as we are sitting down…Kathleen’s drink hits the floor like NOBODY’S business…..I died….I was laughing hysterically and she was so mortified……annnnnnd moments later….MY DRINK GOES DOWN…..um figures….GOOD thing she wasn’t there AGILI would have killed me…..haha goes to show you….sister like sister…..Bless her heart.
I made Kboo come to my next class in multimedia which was great because she got to check her email and things while I did multimedia things….and then THEN we met up with Kaci and WE WERE OFF to the COSMOS MEDITERRANEAN…..SO FUN!
I LOVE SHOPPING! I don’t buy things all the time…but I really like going…it’s just fun to do and help other people if they are on missions….KACI is a GREAT accomplice for this….I LOVE THURSDAYS….I spend the majority of my weeks WAITING for Thursdays….AHHHHhhhhh!!!! SO we got food and Kathleen got her FIRST gyro…..she didn’t hate it….they weren’t the best but they weren’t the worst either…..and then we were OFF again looking around watching all the people and Kathleen was having a field day…NOW we were planning on going to Athens on Wednesday BUT it’s not the cheapest to go and we just decided that spending time with each other was enough…I mean she flew thousands of miles, spending thousands of dollars just to see me….if that’s not love, I don’t know what is….so just doing the Thessaloniki thing and seeing everything that we could was great. There was even live music playing in the mall which was really cool and neat AND those boys we had met on Saturday night called me and we decided to meet up with them around 10 that night wooo…THIS was going to be VERY FUN.
IN WHICH case we got ready and Kathleen, Kaci, Myself and ALEXA all went to meet the boys we had met and we ended up at a Taverna just hanging out, eating, drinking, and getting to know each other. OH WINE how you always make things so much more interesting. WE HAD a blast…it seriously was so much fun and they were SO fun….it was a GREAT night….we were going to go to a hookah bar to finish the night off but on Tuesdays things don’t stay open past 3 really, unless you go to the water, than that is different….but the hookah bar was closing and so we also decided to close our night……oh Tuesday you were super fun…minus some sketchy encounters of sketchy guys that Kathleen and Alexa had to run away from…but mostly Tuesday you were a good day!
BECAUSE we decided NOT to go to Athens Kathleen and I slept in a bit. WEDNESDAY was a historical day. We walked all around, in and out…..up and down Thessaloniki. Kboo was so impressed that there were just random ruins chilling in Thessaloniki. Um Random…..today was a chill-esque day nothing to bumping happened just walking again….EVERYWHERE and AS we were walking around Thessaloniki we went to the water again and walked up from there….I took Kathleen to the HONDOS center because I had found one in Thess. I know they are other places but I was pumped that I had found one that wasn’t too terribly far away. We went in and it was just so neat to see her reaction…I wasn’t joking when I explained the Hondos Center when I went to Athens….this thing is MASSIVE, INTENSE….and KATHLEEN was super excited about it……on our way back to my apartment we saw some shady action going on which NEVER Happens in Thessaloniki…….well it might but I never see it…..I’m not sure what was going on but there was a Guy down….and blood…a mass amount of it leaking from his stomach….I’m pretty sure he was Albanian…and there were Gypsies around him too….hmm interesting……sure when Kboo comes these things happen…..giving her a bad impression! NOT GOOD! We came across MORE ruins which was originally a roman marketplace. The columns were still up and I love this area…it is so cool. THEN we went to the LARGEST CHURCH IN GREECE….THIS THING IS HUGE…..inside is beautiful and I have seen a TON of churches in Europe but this one was really neat. I’m so glad Kathleen got an opportunity to see it…..yay for Greek culture….and my tour-guideness……
and then we were on our way walking back to my apartment… we got some treats from ideal….the bakery down the way and Kathleen got to experience Baklava and things….I LOVE Greek pastry’s…..too bad Kboo isn’t into the flakiness because that’s all they got here….haha NOTICE how our days really centered around food….SHEESH! This day we DID get Kathleen a SUPER cute Jacket….I happen to own and wear the same Jacket religiously…..and she loved it so much that we went and got it for her…she looked SUPER styling….but most importantly this jacket is the most functional jacket ever…it GOES with everything and it’s at JUST the right length….it’s good for winter, spring, AND fall….so perfect all the way around and WELL WORTH IT! TRUST ME! WE watched movies again this night….gorged on CORNER PIZZA good grief I love corner pizza AND our delicious treats….don’t judge us we were on Vacation….and it was again really fun…We watched PRIME which was a GREAT film….I might be purchasing that for the near future….
THURSDAY was a HUGE DAY for us! WE HAD SOME SERIOUS PLANS! I LOVE THURSDAYS!!!! ALWAYS!!! SO this was a HUGE deal for me because I was going to spend my favorite day with KBOO! SO EXCITING!!!!!! YESSSSS and I skipped class all together again…because it was Thursday…which should be a national Holiday for me….even when I go home…however……my spring schedule for me is a combination of ONLY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY CLASSES….DONE DEAL…I AM SO PUMPED for this to happen! ANYWAY! WE were off to an Early start…I had been wanting to go to Saturday’s market ALL semester and THIS was when I was going to go…to the market and BOOT wonderland where the boots or outrageously cheap. SO EXCITING! AND SO we went to the square and met up with Alexa and the four of us made our way into the market which had tons of fish…hanging pigs (UM EW) flowers and tons of people trying to get us to buy things….it was so different and fun. We found boot wonderland and looked around here and there but boot wonderland wasn’t so much of a wonderland as we had anticipated….ugh…bummer to the max. BUT that didn’t stop us from having a good time…and we found GREAT carry-on bags which was EXACTLY what I needed!!!! SO we bargained them down and bit and got really awesome bags for the plane. YAY for us! AND SO then we walked around a bit and found some more shopping places which was really fun and Kathleen found some great Christmas gifts…AHH SOOOO fun…it was just really fun, I enjoyed spending so much time with her I just didn’t care what we did……and then we got some beverages and Kathleen had her FIRST FRAPPE….a seriously big deal to in the Greek Culture…..these people live for their coffee and Frappes….I had a tea which was wonderful and of course….OF COURSE Kaci had Hot cocoa……GO FIGURE…..and Alexa is just straight up a Coffee kind of a girl. We found this place on a Thursday one time and we just thought it was the cutest place…madre would LOVE It if she had come here….I think that’s why I liked going so much….because Madre would have liked it….it was just nice, cute, and very chic.
SOON after we took Kathleen to the Greek Candy store we also found one Thursday….I LOVE the Greek Candy store…and we got some things while looking for some KILLER boots for Kathleen….the downside….all the shops close at 3 and don’t open up again till 6…..UGH! SO DUMB! IN which case, Kaci and Alexa were off to get ready for Thanksgiving festivities….haha and I BASICALLY forgot it was Thanksgiving…..haha TURKEY DAY….minus the Turkey…..and so Kboo and I stopped back to my apartment to drop off our huge bags that we had gotten and walked to the top of Thessaloniki to the Castle……she got to see everything and walking up was like walking through Santorini…it was amazing and awesome….THIS was the Greece she thought I was living in…and I am…just this was the old town….and I’m in the new town…..the top of the City was beautiful….it was so warm out and it was the perfect day…..I was so excited that she was here and enjoying herself and got see what I get to see everyday! We walked through the small separate neighborhood at the top of the city and finally made our way down RIGHT to where we were going to find boots. WE FOUND them in no-time and Kathleen was officially completely GREEKED OUT and ready for action….she got AMAZING boots….so cute…..and MERRY CHRISTMAS KATHLEEN….even though it was Thanksgiving those boots were for her from me….because she was wonderful and awesome and I couldn’t ask for a better Thanksgiving….well…all things considered….of course we missed Madre, Brosef, Anna, and Padre. WE skyped them and Talked their ears off…it was almost as if we were with them….except there were eating normal food and we were haha well eating everything bad for you as possible! AND then we were of the ACT thanksgiving dinner but by the time we got there….ALL THE FOOD WAS GONE!!!! WHAT!?!!!!! So we opted for Gyros and we had REALLY AMAZING gyros….happy thanksgiving kboo! GREEK style…..haha I suppose I’ll never forget this Thanksgiving….how can I right? We spent most of the night talking and packing all of my stuff and kboo’s things up…..making sure she had everything….I hated it….I wanted her to stay for the rest of my studying at school…..LIFE IS SO MUCH BETTER with her! UGH! But we woke up early and took a taxi to the airport. I hated this. I had SO MUCH FUN….LIES….WE HAD SO MUCH FUN! Her leaving put a serious DAMPER on my mood….way to go Kathleen…yeah….way to go….
IT took us about oh I don’t know 20-30 minutes to say goodbye…I just stood there as she was going through security…haha WALKING with her as she zigzagged through the ropes like that guy with the huge head in Shrek One…….
And then she was off and I was in the Taxi heading back to the apartment to do some school work before I got on the bus to campus….which sucked…BUT the cutest old man really made my life SO much easier because he helped me and was so cute….he didn’t know a WORD of English so I tried my Greek on him…and it was fun…..SEE there are nice people in GREECE annnnnd then I was off to a weekend of relaxation at KazmaIhavenocluehowtopronoucethis with Student government……..hmmm…..until next time….
You stay classy you blog readers.
<3 Hlo
NEXT TIME ON HLOCK DOES GREECE: KAZMAHHUH? Ski resort weekend!!!!!! STAY TUNED, you won’t want to miss it……
When we got back to my apartment all the Istanbulers came home and COMPLETELY bombarded us with everything they bought and stories and it was just a whirlwind of sooooo many girls in one place at one time….it was so intense haha….I’m not sure how Kboo took it all but it was fun for me because everyone was SO EXCITED to finally meet her because I was seriously getting annoying with all my counting-down and constant conversation about her…..good grief Kathleen you are a HUGE DEAL in my book!
Things really didn’t die down until about 1 when I decided to go to bed…LUCKILY there was an empty bed downstairs that I confiscated for the week…..um awesome…there were a ton of visitors this week…and I was smart enough to find a place to sleep…..look at me go! Anyway, I did decide to go to class on Monday, but JUST Greek and Tutoring. I finished as quickly as possible and took a cab STRAIGHT HOME to Kboo….who has JUST greeted the day when I had returned around 2:30/3ish…..haha OH jet-lag you kill us Lockwood girls…..we were BOTH hungry and SO I took Kathleen to meet NIKKOS!!!! OK so Kboo didn’t like the Crepe but I certainly did….I ALWAYS DO….but I’ll be honest…Nikko was NOT on his a-game that day…..total disappointment….if only kboo had gotten a sweet crepe….THEN her life would be different…PROMISE PROMISE….so Kathleen and I ventured out and I took her to the Arch where she saw a ton of FAT pigeons…I TOLD YOU they were huge…and NOW I have another witness…these birds are really abnormally huge….they are the size of small, full-grown adult cats….NOTE….this is NOT an exaggeration!! Kathleen discovered Bershka and Zara…Europe’s signature stores most closely related to an American Eagle/Express/Limited and so on….so naturally we had a field day…it was so fun to see Kathleen SO excited about it all. We kept making our way down the whole road and it was SO fun to be with her and show her where I have been living……..IN A CITY….which is Crazy! I KNOW! Well for other people it’s not crazy, but for me…and us….it was intense, cool, and very different. I actually really like living in a city….not for the rest of my life, but I wouldn’t mind it while I’m trying to start my life and my career….it’s actually perfect and good for me because there is SO much to do and life is NEVER closed….except for Sundays…..they aren’t so fun…..right then.
AND SO we had a blast looking at everything and walking the streets just talking and having fun…..eventually we found ourselves at Aristotle Plataea…..so it was Aristotle Square…..well right before it…but I could CLEARLY see it from where I was…..but we were at an out-door mall/type thing that I pass often but never really venture into…and then all of a sudden Kathleen and I were in an elevator going to see a movie in GREECE! I had wanted to see a movie ALL semester and it was REALLY fun. We got free soda’s with our tickets and we saw an American film…..with Greek Subtitles……which was really awesome because I followed along with it and tried to figure things out…..
NATURALLY after the film we were hungry and I WAS CRAVING Chicken….AMERICAN Chicken and SINCE Kaci and I had American Thursday last week and had discovered FRIDAY’S IN GREECE….I apologized to kboo for making her go to Friday’s with me…but I was KILLER FOR REAL FOOD….and FRIDAY’S was awesome……FINALLY CHICKEN……that wasn’t on a stick or was pretend…..it was real and normal….
Dear Chicken,
I Love you more than life itself.
Love, me.
That pretty much ended our night….we just went back to my apartment and it wasn’t early by any means. So we watched a film and continued our girl time which I loved. I HAD tons of Snacks for kboo at my apartment too. I got a ton of things together in a bag for her Arrival and I think she liked it a lot….and by liked it she loved the Greek cookies, the chocolate…and most importantly, the HAPPY HIPPO’S! Don’t you worry Kathleen I’ll be bringing BOXES of those things back for you….I understand your love for them because I love them….DEARLY!
TUESDAY MORNING was a bright and EARLY one. I made Kboo wake up and go to school with me haha muahaha mean of me? Maybe BUT I wanted her to see where I went to school….and I wanted her to meet my gender studies professor….because she is SO AWESOME and has been so great to all of us this whole semester. She is an absolutely amazing lady. BUT, she wasn’t in class! We still had class and had to watch a movie…but prior to it….Kathleen, Kaci, myself, and Heather ALL decided to get a chocolate milk to enjoy while we watched a film….in which case….spilling things is H-jay’s forte….and well it happened before in the class on one of the firsts days and Agili, our professor, was up in arms about it…..but WE did it anyway and literally as we are sitting down…Kathleen’s drink hits the floor like NOBODY’S business…..I died….I was laughing hysterically and she was so mortified……annnnnnd moments later….MY DRINK GOES DOWN…..um figures….GOOD thing she wasn’t there AGILI would have killed me…..haha goes to show you….sister like sister…..Bless her heart.
I made Kboo come to my next class in multimedia which was great because she got to check her email and things while I did multimedia things….and then THEN we met up with Kaci and WE WERE OFF to the COSMOS MEDITERRANEAN…..SO FUN!
I LOVE SHOPPING! I don’t buy things all the time…but I really like going…it’s just fun to do and help other people if they are on missions….KACI is a GREAT accomplice for this….I LOVE THURSDAYS….I spend the majority of my weeks WAITING for Thursdays….AHHHHhhhhh!!!! SO we got food and Kathleen got her FIRST gyro…..she didn’t hate it….they weren’t the best but they weren’t the worst either…..and then we were OFF again looking around watching all the people and Kathleen was having a field day…NOW we were planning on going to Athens on Wednesday BUT it’s not the cheapest to go and we just decided that spending time with each other was enough…I mean she flew thousands of miles, spending thousands of dollars just to see me….if that’s not love, I don’t know what is….so just doing the Thessaloniki thing and seeing everything that we could was great. There was even live music playing in the mall which was really cool and neat AND those boys we had met on Saturday night called me and we decided to meet up with them around 10 that night wooo…THIS was going to be VERY FUN.
IN WHICH case we got ready and Kathleen, Kaci, Myself and ALEXA all went to meet the boys we had met and we ended up at a Taverna just hanging out, eating, drinking, and getting to know each other. OH WINE how you always make things so much more interesting. WE HAD a blast…it seriously was so much fun and they were SO fun….it was a GREAT night….we were going to go to a hookah bar to finish the night off but on Tuesdays things don’t stay open past 3 really, unless you go to the water, than that is different….but the hookah bar was closing and so we also decided to close our night……oh Tuesday you were super fun…minus some sketchy encounters of sketchy guys that Kathleen and Alexa had to run away from…but mostly Tuesday you were a good day!
BECAUSE we decided NOT to go to Athens Kathleen and I slept in a bit. WEDNESDAY was a historical day. We walked all around, in and out…..up and down Thessaloniki. Kboo was so impressed that there were just random ruins chilling in Thessaloniki. Um Random…..today was a chill-esque day nothing to bumping happened just walking again….EVERYWHERE and AS we were walking around Thessaloniki we went to the water again and walked up from there….I took Kathleen to the HONDOS center because I had found one in Thess. I know they are other places but I was pumped that I had found one that wasn’t too terribly far away. We went in and it was just so neat to see her reaction…I wasn’t joking when I explained the Hondos Center when I went to Athens….this thing is MASSIVE, INTENSE….and KATHLEEN was super excited about it……on our way back to my apartment we saw some shady action going on which NEVER Happens in Thessaloniki…….well it might but I never see it…..I’m not sure what was going on but there was a Guy down….and blood…a mass amount of it leaking from his stomach….I’m pretty sure he was Albanian…and there were Gypsies around him too….hmm interesting……sure when Kboo comes these things happen…..giving her a bad impression! NOT GOOD! We came across MORE ruins which was originally a roman marketplace. The columns were still up and I love this area…it is so cool. THEN we went to the LARGEST CHURCH IN GREECE….THIS THING IS HUGE…..inside is beautiful and I have seen a TON of churches in Europe but this one was really neat. I’m so glad Kathleen got an opportunity to see it…..yay for Greek culture….and my tour-guideness……
and then we were on our way walking back to my apartment… we got some treats from ideal….the bakery down the way and Kathleen got to experience Baklava and things….I LOVE Greek pastry’s…..too bad Kboo isn’t into the flakiness because that’s all they got here….haha NOTICE how our days really centered around food….SHEESH! This day we DID get Kathleen a SUPER cute Jacket….I happen to own and wear the same Jacket religiously…..and she loved it so much that we went and got it for her…she looked SUPER styling….but most importantly this jacket is the most functional jacket ever…it GOES with everything and it’s at JUST the right length….it’s good for winter, spring, AND fall….so perfect all the way around and WELL WORTH IT! TRUST ME! WE watched movies again this night….gorged on CORNER PIZZA good grief I love corner pizza AND our delicious treats….don’t judge us we were on Vacation….and it was again really fun…We watched PRIME which was a GREAT film….I might be purchasing that for the near future….
THURSDAY was a HUGE DAY for us! WE HAD SOME SERIOUS PLANS! I LOVE THURSDAYS!!!! ALWAYS!!! SO this was a HUGE deal for me because I was going to spend my favorite day with KBOO! SO EXCITING!!!!!! YESSSSS and I skipped class all together again…because it was Thursday…which should be a national Holiday for me….even when I go home…however……my spring schedule for me is a combination of ONLY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY CLASSES….DONE DEAL…I AM SO PUMPED for this to happen! ANYWAY! WE were off to an Early start…I had been wanting to go to Saturday’s market ALL semester and THIS was when I was going to go…to the market and BOOT wonderland where the boots or outrageously cheap. SO EXCITING! AND SO we went to the square and met up with Alexa and the four of us made our way into the market which had tons of fish…hanging pigs (UM EW) flowers and tons of people trying to get us to buy things….it was so different and fun. We found boot wonderland and looked around here and there but boot wonderland wasn’t so much of a wonderland as we had anticipated….ugh…bummer to the max. BUT that didn’t stop us from having a good time…and we found GREAT carry-on bags which was EXACTLY what I needed!!!! SO we bargained them down and bit and got really awesome bags for the plane. YAY for us! AND SO then we walked around a bit and found some more shopping places which was really fun and Kathleen found some great Christmas gifts…AHH SOOOO fun…it was just really fun, I enjoyed spending so much time with her I just didn’t care what we did……and then we got some beverages and Kathleen had her FIRST FRAPPE….a seriously big deal to in the Greek Culture…..these people live for their coffee and Frappes….I had a tea which was wonderful and of course….OF COURSE Kaci had Hot cocoa……GO FIGURE…..and Alexa is just straight up a Coffee kind of a girl. We found this place on a Thursday one time and we just thought it was the cutest place…madre would LOVE It if she had come here….I think that’s why I liked going so much….because Madre would have liked it….it was just nice, cute, and very chic.
SOON after we took Kathleen to the Greek Candy store we also found one Thursday….I LOVE the Greek Candy store…and we got some things while looking for some KILLER boots for Kathleen….the downside….all the shops close at 3 and don’t open up again till 6…..UGH! SO DUMB! IN which case, Kaci and Alexa were off to get ready for Thanksgiving festivities….haha and I BASICALLY forgot it was Thanksgiving…..haha TURKEY DAY….minus the Turkey…..and so Kboo and I stopped back to my apartment to drop off our huge bags that we had gotten and walked to the top of Thessaloniki to the Castle……she got to see everything and walking up was like walking through Santorini…it was amazing and awesome….THIS was the Greece she thought I was living in…and I am…just this was the old town….and I’m in the new town…..the top of the City was beautiful….it was so warm out and it was the perfect day…..I was so excited that she was here and enjoying herself and got see what I get to see everyday! We walked through the small separate neighborhood at the top of the city and finally made our way down RIGHT to where we were going to find boots. WE FOUND them in no-time and Kathleen was officially completely GREEKED OUT and ready for action….she got AMAZING boots….so cute…..and MERRY CHRISTMAS KATHLEEN….even though it was Thanksgiving those boots were for her from me….because she was wonderful and awesome and I couldn’t ask for a better Thanksgiving….well…all things considered….of course we missed Madre, Brosef, Anna, and Padre. WE skyped them and Talked their ears off…it was almost as if we were with them….except there were eating normal food and we were haha well eating everything bad for you as possible! AND then we were of the ACT thanksgiving dinner but by the time we got there….ALL THE FOOD WAS GONE!!!! WHAT!?!!!!! So we opted for Gyros and we had REALLY AMAZING gyros….happy thanksgiving kboo! GREEK style…..haha I suppose I’ll never forget this Thanksgiving….how can I right? We spent most of the night talking and packing all of my stuff and kboo’s things up…..making sure she had everything….I hated it….I wanted her to stay for the rest of my studying at school…..LIFE IS SO MUCH BETTER with her! UGH! But we woke up early and took a taxi to the airport. I hated this. I had SO MUCH FUN….LIES….WE HAD SO MUCH FUN! Her leaving put a serious DAMPER on my mood….way to go Kathleen…yeah….way to go….
IT took us about oh I don’t know 20-30 minutes to say goodbye…I just stood there as she was going through security…haha WALKING with her as she zigzagged through the ropes like that guy with the huge head in Shrek One…….
And then she was off and I was in the Taxi heading back to the apartment to do some school work before I got on the bus to campus….which sucked…BUT the cutest old man really made my life SO much easier because he helped me and was so cute….he didn’t know a WORD of English so I tried my Greek on him…and it was fun…..SEE there are nice people in GREECE annnnnd then I was off to a weekend of relaxation at KazmaIhavenocluehowtopronoucethis with Student government……..hmmm…..until next time….
You stay classy you blog readers.
<3 Hlo
NEXT TIME ON HLOCK DOES GREECE: KAZMAHHUH? Ski resort weekend!!!!!! STAY TUNED, you won’t want to miss it……
Friday, November 21, 2008
my name is Heather Lockwood and I LIVE FOR THURSDAYS
NO REALLY! MY NAME IS Heather LOCKWOOD and I LIVE….LIVE for THURSDAYS!
WHY!? I’ll tell you….because Thursday is my me day….my ME day with Kaci….it works…trust me…..every Thursday we leave school at 3:30 and do something amazing and awesome the rest of the day….this usually involves a LOT of walking, tea, snacks, or just amazing fun. I LOVE THURSDAYS……I don’t know what it is…..I spend most of my week just waiting….anticipating for either a. an awesome weekend or b. THURSDAYS….usually both happen simultaneously….in which case…THURSDAY always starts my weekend off right…..NICE!
I LOVE going for tea, hot cocoa, random walking, errands, just EVERYTHING….we accomplish SO much on Thursdays…and that’s all we need to remember…..ESPECIALLY on AMERICAN Thursday…greatest THURSDAY ever….Kaci and I did EVERYTHING American that we possibly could this past Thursday….INCLUDING a FABULOUS trip to FRIDAY’S which was SO AMAZING and baller…and we talked for hours next to this guy who we had no clue was American or at least knew English…let’s just say our dinner conversation wasn’t really suitable for the dinner table….it was awesome…..THURSDAYS make my life….they put me in the BEST moods ever and they really make my weeks here EVEN better than they were…….this THURSDAY thing will not end here….I plan on making my Thursday’s at home my “ME” days as well….its important to take time for yourself and Thursday is just a PERFECT day to do it!
Anyway…sorry for the random tid-bit but.....
My Name is Heather Lockwood and I approve this Message.
WHY!? I’ll tell you….because Thursday is my me day….my ME day with Kaci….it works…trust me…..every Thursday we leave school at 3:30 and do something amazing and awesome the rest of the day….this usually involves a LOT of walking, tea, snacks, or just amazing fun. I LOVE THURSDAYS……I don’t know what it is…..I spend most of my week just waiting….anticipating for either a. an awesome weekend or b. THURSDAYS….usually both happen simultaneously….in which case…THURSDAY always starts my weekend off right…..NICE!
I LOVE going for tea, hot cocoa, random walking, errands, just EVERYTHING….we accomplish SO much on Thursdays…and that’s all we need to remember…..ESPECIALLY on AMERICAN Thursday…greatest THURSDAY ever….Kaci and I did EVERYTHING American that we possibly could this past Thursday….INCLUDING a FABULOUS trip to FRIDAY’S which was SO AMAZING and baller…and we talked for hours next to this guy who we had no clue was American or at least knew English…let’s just say our dinner conversation wasn’t really suitable for the dinner table….it was awesome…..THURSDAYS make my life….they put me in the BEST moods ever and they really make my weeks here EVEN better than they were…….this THURSDAY thing will not end here….I plan on making my Thursday’s at home my “ME” days as well….its important to take time for yourself and Thursday is just a PERFECT day to do it!
Anyway…sorry for the random tid-bit but.....
My Name is Heather Lockwood and I approve this Message.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
But I did Acropol-this...and now I'm gonna Acropol-THAT
BACK to Athena: Oh yes. So after a good night’s rest I was up and on my way down to breakfast….which was really good. This hotel did fairly well on the breakfast-end of everything thing….we all ate entirely TOO much, but we did not mind at all. SOON after we ate it was BUS TOUR time. SWEET! Ok Let’s have an A & B real quick, if you’re not interested just C your way pass the side-note, but who loves side notes? I LOVE side notes…ERGO!!
Walking:
-I love walking everywhere
-I don’t’ love being tired
-I love seeing everything and getting lost
-I don’t love my feet filling me from days on end, no seriouslyà my feet have become flat from walking too much. You think I’m joking? BAHAHA not at all! I don’t get it either but it has happened. Either way, walking=exercise=eating badly really isn’t so bad=winner=me. Math equations without numbers have never made so much sense!
The bust tour around the city of Athens was good. Athens was not what I was expecting. Even though I had been there before…briefly, but I had been there. From what I had experienced which was Athens in the dark in the late, late evening complete exhausted and uncaring about what was around me. I was pleasantly surprised that it was what it was. I do like Athens, I don’t love it, I am really thankful that I live in Thessaloniki because I think it is way better, but Athens isn’t so bad. Especially since we got to see so many things in a short amount of time. The bus tour took us to the Olympic Stadium which was cool I had been here before. Our friends we met from the Santorini trip/ put us up for a few hours before catching our train home live right past here…which is really neat. The stadium was being set up for the Athens Marathon for Sunday. The stadium is officially called the Kallimarmaro stadium. Athens obviously built a new stadium for the more recent Olympics, but this stadium is the site where the original panathenaic stadium was built in 330-329 BC…UM HOLY OLD! They said on the tour that it was reconstructed for the gladiator events and then rebuilt again for the panathenaic Games in 144 AD….woah. Really intense right? AND THEN in 1895 they completely restored the stadium for the first modern Olympics…and THAT is exactly what we saw. They start the fire thing every year for the Olympics right here…and then they just run with it….so cool. The bus tour took us to see more of Athens…not too much more because we were headed toward the ACROPOLIS. I WAS SO excited for this……not just the acropolis or this…but ACROPOTHIS…clever? Haha. SO WE walk up to the acropolis, and actually there are a ton of other important Grecian structures in this general area. We entered the area through the Propylaia which was basically the formal entrance to the Acropolis, the Beule Gate was the first entrance into the Acropolis but they had it blocked off. Which made sense…especially if the Propylaia was a perfectly fine entrance…. and surrounding that was the Temple of Athena Nike. I thought this was really neat. As we were walking our guide gave us a lot of really interesting information…I mean what is up with the whole Olive tree thing anyway? WELL obviously Athens was named after the Goddess Athena. What happened was that when the people were going to name their city two Olympian Gods wanted dibs and to be the ultimate protector. So there you have Poseidon vs. Athena. The people decided and by the people I mean their king, I think his name was Cecrops? Or something like it…but he made a competition for the God’s and who ever offered the most valuable gift to the city would be the winner. Poseidon did something with his trident or something powerful and “God”-like and he created a spring. BUT THEN Athena gave the people of Athens an Olive tree to be planted there…ergo, she won the competition. AND the very first olive tree is still chilling and hanging out on the Acropolis. It’s right next to the Porch of the Caryatids ohh I don’t’ know, if you want to know more about it…just google it…it’s hard for me to remember EVERYTHING. So the guide started to bore me so I decided to go off on my own…OH LOOK…it’s the Parthenon….hmm…so cool. I also saw the Theatre of Herodes Atticus…they kind of restored it and I’m pretty sure they still use it for performances. This was SO COOL….to actually see what I have learned in too many of my classes. I just really appreciated the history that I was walking on…….clearly haha I appreciated it with every hop, skip, and JUMP. We had a lot of fun at the Acropolis….AND it was crazy hot out…I don’t get it!
Soon after we AcropolTHAT ok that was a weak attempt….meh…anyway haha we walked through Ancient Agora to get to the central plaka. Ancient Agora was SO cool, and really beautiful and heavily supervised. They had old women EVERYWHERE telling us not to do things…listen, photo opportunities cannot be missed….they are old stones…and things we understand that but seriously….even the grass cannot be touched? REALLY!? However, walking through ancient agora was so cool. It was originally a market-place which was the center of ancient Athens. This is where the philosophers hung out and were philosophical….and were also executed here….poor Socrates…we was indicted and executed in the state prison…which is one of the buildings in this area…couldn’t even begin to tell you which one….but this area also housed the schools…so hey Plato…you walked here….and Aristotle…you walked here too….WHAT!? I think the coolest part of Ancient Agora was definitely the Hephaisteion. This was a really awesome temple was known as the Theseion…we didn’t get much information on it other than it is the best preserved building in ancient agora….I thought it was really cool anyway….hmm
ENTER Central Plaka…SOO many people, too many people....the streets were SO busy and filled with little stands, shops, and tavernas. They shuffled ALL of us into a taverna to the tip-top floor and gave us gyros….ok this whole part of the afternoon was a confusion and just a ton of turmoil….they really need to separate the SAB students from Nu-in students…there were just too many of us....they were stressed, the taverna people were stressed…and I’m over immature freshman who need to be in an actual college there first semester to learn what is up….being abroad is NOT SMART. Anyway we all just kind of wanted to get out of there….so us peaced-out and proceeded to get lost. I just love hanging with Kaci, Alexa, and H-jay….so fun…slash never a dull moment…..and we all just are interested in the same things…I didn’t hate it…..woo…in which case we found some GREAT scarves for a GREAT deal…not to mention some other great things. We found all these great things from this Aussie-Greek guy. Ok please, think about this. Australia…and Greece….Australian accent….Greek accent….WHAT!? HE spoke awesomely. Basically it was the best one-two combo of hey I know English and talk awesome by default and hey I’m Greek so let’s just infuse them together.
Athens was crazy American-ized….everyone knew some sort of English…this was really different for us…at least for me it was…I’ve been trying so hard to get this Greek thing down because they just don’t understand English here….so I’ve been doing well…but coming here it was like…you huh…you understand me? I don’t think I would have liked studying in Athens…I really like the fact that I had to learn a language to get around here….I don’t know it makes my experience that much more….intense? Memorable? I’m not sure…one of the two maybe….but then again I have yet to visit an English speaking country abroad…so when that happens…I wonder if my perceptions will change about being in a non-English speaking country…hmm….we will see…Ireland is NEXT Weekend….so exciting….But yes, YAY Greece American-style….
Dear English language and American people,
I miss you. Save your breath…I can’t wait to talk to you
<3 Heather
Right then, so we found even more to look, see, and DO. BUT we were starting to get tired….however we did not head back until we of course found some more shopping. THIS was really fun. ALEXA just had to find some new make-up. So we went into the body shop and the next thing we knew, she was getting a full-blown make-over by some dude….he was having a FIELD day…umà awesome…just to check make-up out…you don’t even have to get it…and they don’t just half of your face, you get the whole thing for free…DONE! It was really fun to see her get a whole new face...ha-ha ohhh GREECE you are funny sometimes…so after that stop we went into this little shop area and Kaci fel in love with a store that screamed her first, last, and middle names….vintage is for lovers and Kaci is vintage beyond words…she’s timeless really haha…BUT REALLY this store had SERIOUSLY fabulous accessories that were BLINGING and ringing…and well we had to leave her in there for a few minutes..maybe an hour…haha…this store really was cool…and so while Kaci had a conniption H-jay, Alexa, and I went into the Hondos center…HOLY MOTHER OF PRODUCTS…no really…it’s like 5 or 6 floors….HUGE floors with isles among isles, shelves among shelves just filled with hair products, sprays, brushes, make-up, nail stuff…no literally, EVERYTHING was here in MASS quantities! MEANING kboo is going to FLIP when she sees this….so awesome….To be honest, I spent more of my time in Athens analyzing what Kathleen and I were going to do when she got here…I have a countdown. It is very impressive you know. I’m more excited for her than IRELAND at this point. WHAT? It’s like get the motherland trip out of the way and get her into my life RIGHT NOW!!! Not Joking. I am excited for Ireland, but you have no idea how excited I am for her to get here. Everyone…and I mean EVERYONE is anticipating her arrival. I’ve made it a point to address this EVERDAY…no Really…My Greek Class can’t wait…or maybe it’s just me…hmm…either way…Kaci has been counting down for me…in fact she’s been beating me to the chase everyday….taking my countdown thunder….She’s pumped…I can tell….OK so after the Hondos center it was time to depart. Kaci and Alexa had a date with Athens Marathon registration and Hjay and I had a date with naptime. SO my favorite partner in crime/avid blog reader/ creeper extraordinaire/ drama analyzer/mostly a creeper/ name stealer/ name borrower/name sharer/reading this RIGHT NOW…you get the point…so we went head on back and run into to Veronica and Joana and they were heading back to the hotel as well. So together we found the tram that ran straight to our hotel area. BUT of course we didn’t hop on until we met some Carolinians…GOOD GRIEF….AMERICANS are EVERYWHERE….I don’t hate it though….there accents made me think of how utterly ridiculous CHRISTMAS family vaycay is going to be…YES! SO AWESOME! BRING on the south!
After naptime happened Hjay and I dated. I was debating going out-out but I was feeling a little on the sick-side…more or less I felt like I Was about to come down with something so staying in was a good idea. SO we went to dinner at Goody’s
Dear Goody’s,
THANK YOU SO MUCH for creating a fabulous CEASAR SALAD
<3 Hlo
NO REALLY, the Caesar salad is so good…it’s now a new 4.60 euro favorite….DONE and done! AND there was a gelato place RIGHT next door…um HELLO! ICE CREAM it was and then lights out Athens….YOU EXHAUST me.
Sunday SUNDAY Sunday!
Florida, Alexa, and Kaci left bright and early b/c it was race-time…very cool of them to go for the gold and run in the Athens Marathon…SUCH athletic buffs…on my heart, I was truly running with them…no really. BUT breakfast sounded too good to miss….so I opted for toast and things instead of the Athens Marathon…bless your hearts girls….bless your hearts.
Today we had the option of free-time for the morning OR the National Archaeological Museum. THIS was awesome…and I took entirely TOO MANY pictures…but….this museum was FILLED to the walls with all the things they have found not only in Athens but all over Greece….HELLO….Greek and Roman Mythology independent study….YOU ARE NOW OWNED…I got lost by myself and literally snapped every God and Goddess thing I could…and I read and read and READ and read my little heart out…HOW COOL is this museum…ok I could take this class in school and just read a book and look at power point slides OR I could literally go to where they are showing us pictures and lecturing us…I really feel like I made out in this situation…SOOO much information about the Gods this weekend! Joann is going to be so proud when I put this all together…SMELLS like a winner…right here…RIGHT NOW! CHA-CHING! Whoop. THIS museum really was cool…and kboo is going to like this a lot too…we are definitely going to come here….since I half-assessed everything we could do together in Athens…I AM SO EXCITED FOR HER TO GET HERE however…since I decided to go on my own in the museum…I got really lost…I started to freak out because I couldn’t find anyone for a really long time….and then I see Kate….(study abroad coordinator) she told me to head back to the bus….and that she was on the search for the rest of everyone…so I took a hike and got to the bus where the coach driver continued to talk at me very agitatedly because no one was back yet….I’m not in charge I don’t know what to tell you…so I said signomi for about 5 minutes and that just to wait they were coming…OY VEY…I can’t do anything about a ton of missing persons…not my job…!
EVERYONE finally made it back to the bus and we were off to meet everyone else for taverna fun….there was live music AND way too much foodà INSERT food coma here…no really….it must be inserted. AND soon enough we were back on the coach ready for an intense journey home. Nothing really significant happened on the ride home…Just me doing work in the rowdy-half of the bus. To be honest I love long bus rides I haven’t a clue why. BUT Athens was a fun weekend and I cannot WAIT to do it again with Kboo…but until then…stay Greece-y
NEXT TIME ON HLOCK DOES GREECE:-HEARTS, stars, and horseshoes! CLOVERS and BLUE moons! POTS of gold and RAINBOWS…and me RED BALLONS! So basically I’m going to my people, finding my husband, and finding the true meaning of being green. Oh Ireland…get ready….I’m coming....
Walking:
-I love walking everywhere
-I don’t’ love being tired
-I love seeing everything and getting lost
-I don’t love my feet filling me from days on end, no seriouslyà my feet have become flat from walking too much. You think I’m joking? BAHAHA not at all! I don’t get it either but it has happened. Either way, walking=exercise=eating badly really isn’t so bad=winner=me. Math equations without numbers have never made so much sense!
The bust tour around the city of Athens was good. Athens was not what I was expecting. Even though I had been there before…briefly, but I had been there. From what I had experienced which was Athens in the dark in the late, late evening complete exhausted and uncaring about what was around me. I was pleasantly surprised that it was what it was. I do like Athens, I don’t love it, I am really thankful that I live in Thessaloniki because I think it is way better, but Athens isn’t so bad. Especially since we got to see so many things in a short amount of time. The bus tour took us to the Olympic Stadium which was cool I had been here before. Our friends we met from the Santorini trip/ put us up for a few hours before catching our train home live right past here…which is really neat. The stadium was being set up for the Athens Marathon for Sunday. The stadium is officially called the Kallimarmaro stadium. Athens obviously built a new stadium for the more recent Olympics, but this stadium is the site where the original panathenaic stadium was built in 330-329 BC…UM HOLY OLD! They said on the tour that it was reconstructed for the gladiator events and then rebuilt again for the panathenaic Games in 144 AD….woah. Really intense right? AND THEN in 1895 they completely restored the stadium for the first modern Olympics…and THAT is exactly what we saw. They start the fire thing every year for the Olympics right here…and then they just run with it….so cool. The bus tour took us to see more of Athens…not too much more because we were headed toward the ACROPOLIS. I WAS SO excited for this……not just the acropolis or this…but ACROPOTHIS…clever? Haha. SO WE walk up to the acropolis, and actually there are a ton of other important Grecian structures in this general area. We entered the area through the Propylaia which was basically the formal entrance to the Acropolis, the Beule Gate was the first entrance into the Acropolis but they had it blocked off. Which made sense…especially if the Propylaia was a perfectly fine entrance…. and surrounding that was the Temple of Athena Nike. I thought this was really neat. As we were walking our guide gave us a lot of really interesting information…I mean what is up with the whole Olive tree thing anyway? WELL obviously Athens was named after the Goddess Athena. What happened was that when the people were going to name their city two Olympian Gods wanted dibs and to be the ultimate protector. So there you have Poseidon vs. Athena. The people decided and by the people I mean their king, I think his name was Cecrops? Or something like it…but he made a competition for the God’s and who ever offered the most valuable gift to the city would be the winner. Poseidon did something with his trident or something powerful and “God”-like and he created a spring. BUT THEN Athena gave the people of Athens an Olive tree to be planted there…ergo, she won the competition. AND the very first olive tree is still chilling and hanging out on the Acropolis. It’s right next to the Porch of the Caryatids ohh I don’t’ know, if you want to know more about it…just google it…it’s hard for me to remember EVERYTHING. So the guide started to bore me so I decided to go off on my own…OH LOOK…it’s the Parthenon….hmm…so cool. I also saw the Theatre of Herodes Atticus…they kind of restored it and I’m pretty sure they still use it for performances. This was SO COOL….to actually see what I have learned in too many of my classes. I just really appreciated the history that I was walking on…….clearly haha I appreciated it with every hop, skip, and JUMP. We had a lot of fun at the Acropolis….AND it was crazy hot out…I don’t get it!
Soon after we AcropolTHAT ok that was a weak attempt….meh…anyway haha we walked through Ancient Agora to get to the central plaka. Ancient Agora was SO cool, and really beautiful and heavily supervised. They had old women EVERYWHERE telling us not to do things…listen, photo opportunities cannot be missed….they are old stones…and things we understand that but seriously….even the grass cannot be touched? REALLY!? However, walking through ancient agora was so cool. It was originally a market-place which was the center of ancient Athens. This is where the philosophers hung out and were philosophical….and were also executed here….poor Socrates…we was indicted and executed in the state prison…which is one of the buildings in this area…couldn’t even begin to tell you which one….but this area also housed the schools…so hey Plato…you walked here….and Aristotle…you walked here too….WHAT!? I think the coolest part of Ancient Agora was definitely the Hephaisteion. This was a really awesome temple was known as the Theseion…we didn’t get much information on it other than it is the best preserved building in ancient agora….I thought it was really cool anyway….hmm
ENTER Central Plaka…SOO many people, too many people....the streets were SO busy and filled with little stands, shops, and tavernas. They shuffled ALL of us into a taverna to the tip-top floor and gave us gyros….ok this whole part of the afternoon was a confusion and just a ton of turmoil….they really need to separate the SAB students from Nu-in students…there were just too many of us....they were stressed, the taverna people were stressed…and I’m over immature freshman who need to be in an actual college there first semester to learn what is up….being abroad is NOT SMART. Anyway we all just kind of wanted to get out of there….so us peaced-out and proceeded to get lost. I just love hanging with Kaci, Alexa, and H-jay….so fun…slash never a dull moment…..and we all just are interested in the same things…I didn’t hate it…..woo…in which case we found some GREAT scarves for a GREAT deal…not to mention some other great things. We found all these great things from this Aussie-Greek guy. Ok please, think about this. Australia…and Greece….Australian accent….Greek accent….WHAT!? HE spoke awesomely. Basically it was the best one-two combo of hey I know English and talk awesome by default and hey I’m Greek so let’s just infuse them together.
Athens was crazy American-ized….everyone knew some sort of English…this was really different for us…at least for me it was…I’ve been trying so hard to get this Greek thing down because they just don’t understand English here….so I’ve been doing well…but coming here it was like…you huh…you understand me? I don’t think I would have liked studying in Athens…I really like the fact that I had to learn a language to get around here….I don’t know it makes my experience that much more….intense? Memorable? I’m not sure…one of the two maybe….but then again I have yet to visit an English speaking country abroad…so when that happens…I wonder if my perceptions will change about being in a non-English speaking country…hmm….we will see…Ireland is NEXT Weekend….so exciting….But yes, YAY Greece American-style….
Dear English language and American people,
I miss you. Save your breath…I can’t wait to talk to you
<3 Heather
Right then, so we found even more to look, see, and DO. BUT we were starting to get tired….however we did not head back until we of course found some more shopping. THIS was really fun. ALEXA just had to find some new make-up. So we went into the body shop and the next thing we knew, she was getting a full-blown make-over by some dude….he was having a FIELD day…umà awesome…just to check make-up out…you don’t even have to get it…and they don’t just half of your face, you get the whole thing for free…DONE! It was really fun to see her get a whole new face...ha-ha ohhh GREECE you are funny sometimes…so after that stop we went into this little shop area and Kaci fel in love with a store that screamed her first, last, and middle names….vintage is for lovers and Kaci is vintage beyond words…she’s timeless really haha…BUT REALLY this store had SERIOUSLY fabulous accessories that were BLINGING and ringing…and well we had to leave her in there for a few minutes..maybe an hour…haha…this store really was cool…and so while Kaci had a conniption H-jay, Alexa, and I went into the Hondos center…HOLY MOTHER OF PRODUCTS…no really…it’s like 5 or 6 floors….HUGE floors with isles among isles, shelves among shelves just filled with hair products, sprays, brushes, make-up, nail stuff…no literally, EVERYTHING was here in MASS quantities! MEANING kboo is going to FLIP when she sees this….so awesome….To be honest, I spent more of my time in Athens analyzing what Kathleen and I were going to do when she got here…I have a countdown. It is very impressive you know. I’m more excited for her than IRELAND at this point. WHAT? It’s like get the motherland trip out of the way and get her into my life RIGHT NOW!!! Not Joking. I am excited for Ireland, but you have no idea how excited I am for her to get here. Everyone…and I mean EVERYONE is anticipating her arrival. I’ve made it a point to address this EVERDAY…no Really…My Greek Class can’t wait…or maybe it’s just me…hmm…either way…Kaci has been counting down for me…in fact she’s been beating me to the chase everyday….taking my countdown thunder….She’s pumped…I can tell….OK so after the Hondos center it was time to depart. Kaci and Alexa had a date with Athens Marathon registration and Hjay and I had a date with naptime. SO my favorite partner in crime/avid blog reader/ creeper extraordinaire/ drama analyzer/mostly a creeper/ name stealer/ name borrower/name sharer/reading this RIGHT NOW…you get the point…so we went head on back and run into to Veronica and Joana and they were heading back to the hotel as well. So together we found the tram that ran straight to our hotel area. BUT of course we didn’t hop on until we met some Carolinians…GOOD GRIEF….AMERICANS are EVERYWHERE….I don’t hate it though….there accents made me think of how utterly ridiculous CHRISTMAS family vaycay is going to be…YES! SO AWESOME! BRING on the south!
After naptime happened Hjay and I dated. I was debating going out-out but I was feeling a little on the sick-side…more or less I felt like I Was about to come down with something so staying in was a good idea. SO we went to dinner at Goody’s
Dear Goody’s,
THANK YOU SO MUCH for creating a fabulous CEASAR SALAD
<3 Hlo
NO REALLY, the Caesar salad is so good…it’s now a new 4.60 euro favorite….DONE and done! AND there was a gelato place RIGHT next door…um HELLO! ICE CREAM it was and then lights out Athens….YOU EXHAUST me.
Sunday SUNDAY Sunday!
Florida, Alexa, and Kaci left bright and early b/c it was race-time…very cool of them to go for the gold and run in the Athens Marathon…SUCH athletic buffs…on my heart, I was truly running with them…no really. BUT breakfast sounded too good to miss….so I opted for toast and things instead of the Athens Marathon…bless your hearts girls….bless your hearts.
Today we had the option of free-time for the morning OR the National Archaeological Museum. THIS was awesome…and I took entirely TOO MANY pictures…but….this museum was FILLED to the walls with all the things they have found not only in Athens but all over Greece….HELLO….Greek and Roman Mythology independent study….YOU ARE NOW OWNED…I got lost by myself and literally snapped every God and Goddess thing I could…and I read and read and READ and read my little heart out…HOW COOL is this museum…ok I could take this class in school and just read a book and look at power point slides OR I could literally go to where they are showing us pictures and lecturing us…I really feel like I made out in this situation…SOOO much information about the Gods this weekend! Joann is going to be so proud when I put this all together…SMELLS like a winner…right here…RIGHT NOW! CHA-CHING! Whoop. THIS museum really was cool…and kboo is going to like this a lot too…we are definitely going to come here….since I half-assessed everything we could do together in Athens…I AM SO EXCITED FOR HER TO GET HERE however…since I decided to go on my own in the museum…I got really lost…I started to freak out because I couldn’t find anyone for a really long time….and then I see Kate….(study abroad coordinator) she told me to head back to the bus….and that she was on the search for the rest of everyone…so I took a hike and got to the bus where the coach driver continued to talk at me very agitatedly because no one was back yet….I’m not in charge I don’t know what to tell you…so I said signomi for about 5 minutes and that just to wait they were coming…OY VEY…I can’t do anything about a ton of missing persons…not my job…!
EVERYONE finally made it back to the bus and we were off to meet everyone else for taverna fun….there was live music AND way too much foodà INSERT food coma here…no really….it must be inserted. AND soon enough we were back on the coach ready for an intense journey home. Nothing really significant happened on the ride home…Just me doing work in the rowdy-half of the bus. To be honest I love long bus rides I haven’t a clue why. BUT Athens was a fun weekend and I cannot WAIT to do it again with Kboo…but until then…stay Greece-y
NEXT TIME ON HLOCK DOES GREECE:-HEARTS, stars, and horseshoes! CLOVERS and BLUE moons! POTS of gold and RAINBOWS…and me RED BALLONS! So basically I’m going to my people, finding my husband, and finding the true meaning of being green. Oh Ireland…get ready….I’m coming....
Monday, November 10, 2008
ATHENA: Acropol-THIS!
ATHENS
1. 50 Regular Study Abroad Students
2. 60 irregular NU-in Students
3. 6 hour bus ride
4. Two 30-minute Stops
5. I lied when I said 6 hour bus ride
6. I meant 9
7. Holy crap what were they thinking
8. What do you mean we can’t watch a movie on the bus?
9. Seriously, what were they thinking
10. Acropolis….no no, Acropol-this.
OH HEY ATHENS! So let’s think together. What happens when you have entirely too many American students between the ages of 18 and 23 in a bus for 9 hours to get to the number 1 city in Greece?
Yeah…about that…
SO THERE we were. FRIDAY MORNING….elated about the New CAMERA ACTION!! WHAT WHAT! The bus was leaving at 10am so Kaci and I shout ourselves up at the ass-crack of dawn to set our train tickets for Ireland next weekend…since the night before we were unable to purchase them…not good…we needed to get these puppies secure so we could fly far, far away to the land of the green. SO 7am came way faster than anticipated, but no one gets ahead by……well you know the rest. The train station isn’t too bad of a walk…but in light of our early departure to Athens cabin’ it was clearly the way to go. It took a little bit but we snagged an empty cab right when I was starting to worry that it wasn’t going to happen…because it was Friday morning…BUT no worries, we got one. We jumped on in and headed toward the station. IF ONLY we had gotten to the station a few minuets earlier the night before…we had JUST missed them by a few moments…AYE DE MI! Ok, that’s Spanish but hey, it’s all Greek to me right….oh Spain…how I would have OWNED you…language wise…not you know… “owning” it….right you knew that….hmm
ANYWAY, so we get to the train station t find that 1. We didn’t bring our flight information 2. We needed passports? UGH! So we priced both the bus and the train for the trip to Sofia…you know got the times and the schedules and we reserved bus seats JUST in case….we were pretty set on the bus, but we peaced without tickets which means on MONDAY for sure we have to go get them…ABSOLUTE MUST! Get it? Got it? GOOD!
Despite an unsuccessful morning we were successful when we hopped on the 11 bus and went to the Starbucks at the Arch. OH CHAI TEA you are the same at every Starbucks in every country, BLESS you on consistency. A little American on a Friday morning was JUST what the doctor ordered, and it was JUST what I needed, AND we had so much time before we had to catch the bus for Athena….um PERFECT…in which case what goes great with Chai Tea? NIKKOS! WHAT a fabulous IDEA! Which brought us to K-Yo and I chilling with Nikos which was a brilliant beyond brilliant idea…OH Nikos, how we adore you.
Side note action: I FOUND my new walking partner….she’s FAST and she’s FURIOUS! So the 10 minute walk from Starbucks to Nikos was more or less a 3 minute walk….I can’t help walking fast…I just do it…I have places to be…people to see…you know, THINGS to do!!!!
But really, you just don’t know until you get to Experience Nikko in real-life. I’m going to miss him when December 13th hits…but until then, Nikko and I are best friends. I don’t know if he even knows what that word means…but it’s true, we are….mmhm….so true. In which case Kaci and I had a sit-down, a moment with Nikko and then headed to see the Fruit man to stock up on some healthy snacks for the trip and before I knew it we were all getting our style’s cramped to the EXTREME in the coach: SEAT BUDDY: Insert H-Jay here…I would not have had this ANY other way. Two really is WAY better than one, and besides she’s got some SWEET wheels….haha of rolling luggage, you kill me.
Sequence of events after fruit man:
Get on coach
sit down
bus starts
BOREDOM HITS
In which case it was probably about 5 minutes into the trip and Boredom really hit, WHAT was I going to do during this trip. Sure I brought work to do but then what would I do on the way back? WELL I brought some cinematic adventures for the journey JUST in case and my laptop because I like to watch a film when I’m traveling for long durations of time. It makes the trip go faster, I think we all can agree that a good film never hut anyone. Though my films were not the greatest, but hey they work.
SO Super bad it was on the overhead TV screens on the bus…after a newly instated democracy by Kathryn we were able to fight the authority figures in control of the Athens and Study Abroad operation and tell them to chill out and put the movie on…what part of we are not children don’t they understand? EXACTLY.
After several stops, WAY too many stops and 7-9 hours of traveling, WE MADE IT! OH HEY ATHENA!! AND we were STARVING luckily they served us a really nice dinner at the hotel as part of our trip expenses…the food was interesting but it was on less thing I had to worry about!
The hotel was actually really nice. I was rooming with Flo-Rida which settled some rooming issues and it was nice to get some different people into my life a little brief change never hurt anyone. SO I decided that I was going to head out with hr that night and of course I wasn’t about to not bring my home-girls along. In which case enter H-jay and Alexa here. This was going to be a new and different outing for all of us. SO….pre-gaming on the pronto at the pronto, sweet sauce…Florida got H-jay and I some SICK 3 euro wine from the Kiosk. No really, this wine was sick…but for 1.50 each for a TON of wine? DONE. Obviously I’m a Bargain shopper and a Bargain extra-curricular activity do-er.Yes, this makes perfect sense…very good. So we decided to head toward a large group of sab students in one room. ONE. After they explicitly told us NO large congregations in one room, meaning not to congregate, at all, period, end of story….hmmm….YEP! One room, about 30+ people, and one game…Thumper, now I know about thumper but I have never actually participated in it, but it was fun to see how it worked even though the game was impossible with so many people…in which case it ended spectacularly and off and away to outside. Ok, big groups I don’t do…waiting, standing, waiting…that’s how it went for a good bit of time outside the hotel. YAY for photo Ops…and there were several Photo opportunities may I just say. EVENTUALLY we hopped in a cab and found ourselves in La Placka. Um…awesome….where is everyone else…? SUPER! Lost in Athens 3 hours in…..sweet…..insert walking aimlessly hereà GREAT! While walking aimlessly, someone was smart and asked for directions to wherever we were going to or needed to get to I literally have not a clue what I was doing…and this was simply because I did not care. I didn’t have to worry about a thing this trip it was all taken care of and THAT was nice. FINALLY aimless walking had an AIM. I love goal-orientated tasks or activities. Also while walking I noticed even more study abroad students with us…..it was like they all flocked and got lost at the same time in the same place, this was just perfect….if you’re going to be lost, you might as well be lost with other people…woo, and different people at that. Eventually we found a strip of night-life. Hurray! Despite it was a bit sketchy. There were TONS of people, everywhere…..just sitting at the bars and walking it was crowd after crowd. THIS clearly was a different pace from Thess. Sure, there are lots of people out and about but not everyone is headed in the same direction, it’s more organized? This was a fun atmosphere though, I just love fun atmospheres. Amidst our walking, BOOM….MORE sab students already chilling at a bar outside. Perfect! And so we sat down to join them…but every good sab and struggling college student knows that evening beverages are much better spent somewhere other than a bar…so we sat and Alexa went to the perip. To fix this situation. It worked out perfectly. Kiosk= cheap Bar=no thanks….see how the math works? I thought you would…fantastic! SO with new people, in a new area, and new fun we were buzzing. Enter really adorable shot glasses that I certainly did not use….enter the actions of an individual who felt the need to borrow them and make me the lucky carrier of said prized processions. Awesome….but I got to keep one…so that was ok right? Mehhh….leepoh… (Phonetically spelled for your American pleasure….this word means the casual whatever or so) Anyway, we kept walking around a bit and tiredness set in….I do love a good cab ride you know….before Greece…cabs intimidated me so much, I had no clue how they worked or how to even go about taking one to get somewhere…..I never had to depend on public transportation so much…but I’m a FIRM believer in cabbin’ it as much as possible….4 is a score….but anything else is a downer…and oh hey public bus system. The cab ride back to the hotel was fun because I got to see more of Athena just driving around…even though it was dark out….HOWEVER before our cab ride home….there was a SERIOUS photo shoot, and I DO love a good photo shoot….most of you already know this. Over-all it was not a bumping night, but a good night I thought. Athens-shmashens. I got back to the room and Florida was back as well….insert search for snacks here. KIOSK and GO. Cookies and a good liter of Nero goes a long way AND to top it off American movies, IN ENGLISH on the T.V. YES! AND The Other SISTER was on! OH HEY top ten favorite film list. IT was number one but that’s the best part of having favorite things, they can change whenever you like. THIS however, may or may not have made my night….mostly may. I LOVE hotels….hmm
Side note: Hotels, let’s discuss:
GOD LOVE THEM, and so let’s make a list, shall we? WE SHALL!
1. Hot Water
2. FUN shower bonuses….who doesn’t love miniature shampoo and conditioner…I DO!
3. TV (you NEVER realize how nice it is until its gone)
4. SNACK on slash near pillow area usually a cookie or chocolate….DONE
5. I just really like hotels, they put my living area in Thess to shame, especially the fact that these hotels are NOT the nicest, but we lucked out this trip….even the hostels are nicer than my place at Thess…hmm that should be a red flag shouldn’t it….?
to be continued.....
1. 50 Regular Study Abroad Students
2. 60 irregular NU-in Students
3. 6 hour bus ride
4. Two 30-minute Stops
5. I lied when I said 6 hour bus ride
6. I meant 9
7. Holy crap what were they thinking
8. What do you mean we can’t watch a movie on the bus?
9. Seriously, what were they thinking
10. Acropolis….no no, Acropol-this.
OH HEY ATHENS! So let’s think together. What happens when you have entirely too many American students between the ages of 18 and 23 in a bus for 9 hours to get to the number 1 city in Greece?
Yeah…about that…
SO THERE we were. FRIDAY MORNING….elated about the New CAMERA ACTION!! WHAT WHAT! The bus was leaving at 10am so Kaci and I shout ourselves up at the ass-crack of dawn to set our train tickets for Ireland next weekend…since the night before we were unable to purchase them…not good…we needed to get these puppies secure so we could fly far, far away to the land of the green. SO 7am came way faster than anticipated, but no one gets ahead by……well you know the rest. The train station isn’t too bad of a walk…but in light of our early departure to Athens cabin’ it was clearly the way to go. It took a little bit but we snagged an empty cab right when I was starting to worry that it wasn’t going to happen…because it was Friday morning…BUT no worries, we got one. We jumped on in and headed toward the station. IF ONLY we had gotten to the station a few minuets earlier the night before…we had JUST missed them by a few moments…AYE DE MI! Ok, that’s Spanish but hey, it’s all Greek to me right….oh Spain…how I would have OWNED you…language wise…not you know… “owning” it….right you knew that….hmm
ANYWAY, so we get to the train station t find that 1. We didn’t bring our flight information 2. We needed passports? UGH! So we priced both the bus and the train for the trip to Sofia…you know got the times and the schedules and we reserved bus seats JUST in case….we were pretty set on the bus, but we peaced without tickets which means on MONDAY for sure we have to go get them…ABSOLUTE MUST! Get it? Got it? GOOD!
Despite an unsuccessful morning we were successful when we hopped on the 11 bus and went to the Starbucks at the Arch. OH CHAI TEA you are the same at every Starbucks in every country, BLESS you on consistency. A little American on a Friday morning was JUST what the doctor ordered, and it was JUST what I needed, AND we had so much time before we had to catch the bus for Athena….um PERFECT…in which case what goes great with Chai Tea? NIKKOS! WHAT a fabulous IDEA! Which brought us to K-Yo and I chilling with Nikos which was a brilliant beyond brilliant idea…OH Nikos, how we adore you.
Side note action: I FOUND my new walking partner….she’s FAST and she’s FURIOUS! So the 10 minute walk from Starbucks to Nikos was more or less a 3 minute walk….I can’t help walking fast…I just do it…I have places to be…people to see…you know, THINGS to do!!!!
But really, you just don’t know until you get to Experience Nikko in real-life. I’m going to miss him when December 13th hits…but until then, Nikko and I are best friends. I don’t know if he even knows what that word means…but it’s true, we are….mmhm….so true. In which case Kaci and I had a sit-down, a moment with Nikko and then headed to see the Fruit man to stock up on some healthy snacks for the trip and before I knew it we were all getting our style’s cramped to the EXTREME in the coach: SEAT BUDDY: Insert H-Jay here…I would not have had this ANY other way. Two really is WAY better than one, and besides she’s got some SWEET wheels….haha of rolling luggage, you kill me.
Sequence of events after fruit man:
Get on coach
sit down
bus starts
BOREDOM HITS
In which case it was probably about 5 minutes into the trip and Boredom really hit, WHAT was I going to do during this trip. Sure I brought work to do but then what would I do on the way back? WELL I brought some cinematic adventures for the journey JUST in case and my laptop because I like to watch a film when I’m traveling for long durations of time. It makes the trip go faster, I think we all can agree that a good film never hut anyone. Though my films were not the greatest, but hey they work.
SO Super bad it was on the overhead TV screens on the bus…after a newly instated democracy by Kathryn we were able to fight the authority figures in control of the Athens and Study Abroad operation and tell them to chill out and put the movie on…what part of we are not children don’t they understand? EXACTLY.
After several stops, WAY too many stops and 7-9 hours of traveling, WE MADE IT! OH HEY ATHENA!! AND we were STARVING luckily they served us a really nice dinner at the hotel as part of our trip expenses…the food was interesting but it was on less thing I had to worry about!
The hotel was actually really nice. I was rooming with Flo-Rida which settled some rooming issues and it was nice to get some different people into my life a little brief change never hurt anyone. SO I decided that I was going to head out with hr that night and of course I wasn’t about to not bring my home-girls along. In which case enter H-jay and Alexa here. This was going to be a new and different outing for all of us. SO….pre-gaming on the pronto at the pronto, sweet sauce…Florida got H-jay and I some SICK 3 euro wine from the Kiosk. No really, this wine was sick…but for 1.50 each for a TON of wine? DONE. Obviously I’m a Bargain shopper and a Bargain extra-curricular activity do-er.Yes, this makes perfect sense…very good. So we decided to head toward a large group of sab students in one room. ONE. After they explicitly told us NO large congregations in one room, meaning not to congregate, at all, period, end of story….hmmm….YEP! One room, about 30+ people, and one game…Thumper, now I know about thumper but I have never actually participated in it, but it was fun to see how it worked even though the game was impossible with so many people…in which case it ended spectacularly and off and away to outside. Ok, big groups I don’t do…waiting, standing, waiting…that’s how it went for a good bit of time outside the hotel. YAY for photo Ops…and there were several Photo opportunities may I just say. EVENTUALLY we hopped in a cab and found ourselves in La Placka. Um…awesome….where is everyone else…? SUPER! Lost in Athens 3 hours in…..sweet…..insert walking aimlessly hereà GREAT! While walking aimlessly, someone was smart and asked for directions to wherever we were going to or needed to get to I literally have not a clue what I was doing…and this was simply because I did not care. I didn’t have to worry about a thing this trip it was all taken care of and THAT was nice. FINALLY aimless walking had an AIM. I love goal-orientated tasks or activities. Also while walking I noticed even more study abroad students with us…..it was like they all flocked and got lost at the same time in the same place, this was just perfect….if you’re going to be lost, you might as well be lost with other people…woo, and different people at that. Eventually we found a strip of night-life. Hurray! Despite it was a bit sketchy. There were TONS of people, everywhere…..just sitting at the bars and walking it was crowd after crowd. THIS clearly was a different pace from Thess. Sure, there are lots of people out and about but not everyone is headed in the same direction, it’s more organized? This was a fun atmosphere though, I just love fun atmospheres. Amidst our walking, BOOM….MORE sab students already chilling at a bar outside. Perfect! And so we sat down to join them…but every good sab and struggling college student knows that evening beverages are much better spent somewhere other than a bar…so we sat and Alexa went to the perip. To fix this situation. It worked out perfectly. Kiosk= cheap Bar=no thanks….see how the math works? I thought you would…fantastic! SO with new people, in a new area, and new fun we were buzzing. Enter really adorable shot glasses that I certainly did not use….enter the actions of an individual who felt the need to borrow them and make me the lucky carrier of said prized processions. Awesome….but I got to keep one…so that was ok right? Mehhh….leepoh… (Phonetically spelled for your American pleasure….this word means the casual whatever or so) Anyway, we kept walking around a bit and tiredness set in….I do love a good cab ride you know….before Greece…cabs intimidated me so much, I had no clue how they worked or how to even go about taking one to get somewhere…..I never had to depend on public transportation so much…but I’m a FIRM believer in cabbin’ it as much as possible….4 is a score….but anything else is a downer…and oh hey public bus system. The cab ride back to the hotel was fun because I got to see more of Athena just driving around…even though it was dark out….HOWEVER before our cab ride home….there was a SERIOUS photo shoot, and I DO love a good photo shoot….most of you already know this. Over-all it was not a bumping night, but a good night I thought. Athens-shmashens. I got back to the room and Florida was back as well….insert search for snacks here. KIOSK and GO. Cookies and a good liter of Nero goes a long way AND to top it off American movies, IN ENGLISH on the T.V. YES! AND The Other SISTER was on! OH HEY top ten favorite film list. IT was number one but that’s the best part of having favorite things, they can change whenever you like. THIS however, may or may not have made my night….mostly may. I LOVE hotels….hmm
Side note: Hotels, let’s discuss:
GOD LOVE THEM, and so let’s make a list, shall we? WE SHALL!
1. Hot Water
2. FUN shower bonuses….who doesn’t love miniature shampoo and conditioner…I DO!
3. TV (you NEVER realize how nice it is until its gone)
4. SNACK on slash near pillow area usually a cookie or chocolate….DONE
5. I just really like hotels, they put my living area in Thess to shame, especially the fact that these hotels are NOT the nicest, but we lucked out this trip….even the hostels are nicer than my place at Thess…hmm that should be a red flag shouldn’t it….?
to be continued.....
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Berlin there, done that
OH HEY BERLIN!!!
Easy Jet….you done did great kid, no really….I like the Easy Jet flights a lot....and no…snacks are NOT included….but I’m really ok with that….I’ll save the snacks for really important flights…like for when I go home…SNACKS will be very important…as are liters of water on treks….Weave and I started that tradition long ago…liters are good ANY TIME…every time…and snacks…well you ALWAYS need snacks…and it’s a fun underappreciated word…right then….BACK to BERLIN….so with the time change and the fact that DAY LIGHT savings time was hitting…did hit…or was going to hit…hmm I cannot remember….well this whole day light savings time really through me for a loop…I’m already 7 hours ahead in Greece and then went back an hour in Berlin and Prague…and yet again another hour…or ahead an hour….SO CONFUSING…which is why I’m still tired from this whole time-debacle.
WE arrived in Berlin STARVING and in search of our hostel…which we found pretty easily. SUPER! It actually ended up being in a SERIOUSLY prime location…no really…we had walked all around this area our first night here and this was PERFECT. IT was so accessible. MAD props to Kathryn...serious mad props…however, WE WERE STARVING…and I could have gone for some German food…to try it. I’ve never really had an opportunity to try German food…I mean I like hot dogs? That isn’t German though…I just don’t know…but instead we opted to search for the hard rock café. Ok so though I could have gone for some German whatever-ness…there is NOTHING like chicken….and…oh wait for it…BROCCOLI….I LOVE, live, think about chicken and broccoli more than I should…
SIDE NOTE: If you were to ask my mom what I would want for dinner on ANY given night and ANY given day repeatedly for 6 weeks straight…do you know what I would say…I want chicken…I LOVE chicken, we an unhealthy passion. If you ask me what I want for dinner on any given day I will probably and always say CHICKEN….FOR ALL THAT CLUCKS AND IS FABULOUS when I get home to America I want chicken for days straight….I also want sushi….but that is another story…I’ve gotta stop thinking about this…
THE SEARCH for the HARD ROCK was on………and in the process we ended up wandering randomly into major parts of the city like where the Jewish Synagogue was well what was left of it from the war and the brand new one built right next to it…it was really cool…EVENTUALLY we found it….woo…DUH, I got chicken and it was AMAZING….but let’s not talk about it anymore…I don’t think I can handle it without getting emotional….I’m going to need a moment.
OK much better….moving on….after our AMAZING AMERICAN-meal we just wandered. Wandering wanderers around Berlin, which was so awesome. I just love Berlin. I love the people, the culture, the crazy crisp air (check out that alliteration), the history is just so intense and captivates you. EVERYTHING about Berlin was really great, I absolutely will be returning. While we were wandering we found ourselves at the Brandenburg Gate AND the Reichstag. THEY were crucially lit up with tons of lights and colors and why you might ask?? Well alright, I’ll tell you. Because we had decided to visit Berlin during their Festival of LIGHTS! This was so cool. All the serious buildings, historical monuments, you know all the important things in the city were lit up with TONS of lights and images were being flashed into the starlit evening sky. MAN, I just really love Berlin. If you ever have the opportunity, just go….you won’t be sorry.
Amidst our wandering we decided to head back to the hostel to prepare for an evening out….the girls in our hostel room had given us some maps and things of where they went the night before. They were from Madrid and seemed really nice. Only one of them spoke English really well….but it we could still communicate. It’s funny these different languages….I mean we talk about whatever we want all the time and how are we to know that the people around us do not understand English….and how were those girls from Madrid supposed to know that both HJAY and I understand Spanish. I was really surprised that I understood most of what they were saying….I guess my 8 years of Spanish paid off? Haha mehhh NOT really.
We ventured out sooner than later after some quick preparations and walking toward the metro stop we came across an Irish pub called KilKenny’s. The same Irish pub we stepped in on our first night in Berlin….only we decided to go in because it WAS bumping…it was really loud…and when we walked in a MASS of gentlemen were all dressed up like Geeks crowding the bar area. Now we could have sat at a table in a more tame area of the bar…BUT I saw a table just CRYING for us to sit there….so we took a seat…and literally, LITERALLY 2 minutes….mere moments of us sitting down 15 of those geeks crowded our table….Drunken Englishmen are SO fun. We started chatting up a storm and they loved us and by us I mean Joana and the fact that Kathryn kind of sort of looks like Sarah Palin and can kind of-sort-of nail a dead on impression of her. Those Brits were so funny….they were in Berlin for a “stag” weekend….apparently ONE of them was going to get married….do we know which one? Not a clue….they all seemed to be so single it hurt haha. Anyway they were dressed to the 9’s in geek garb because apparently nerds and geeks was the theme of the Stag….the lucky guy getting married must be a geek in real life….either way it was really fun….so fun in fact that we closed the bar down with them….BUT we were not done so we decided to go to the AM to PM bar we ALSO went on out first night in Berlin because well it was open from AM to PM….or was it PM to AM….either way I was content….we went with just a few of them….I was rather taken with one of them. His name was Lee….and come to find it….haha he’s a professional cricket player…..http://content-www.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/12445.html he may or may not be in Wikipedia….mostly may…hmm….um random.
ANYWAY. AM to PM…..ok I was rather happy at this point and Joana’s great idea just sparked Britney Spears right out of me….GOOD GRIEF…seriously….DO NOT mention Britney when I’ve been out for an evening. It is not fair…I can’t help it and she knew it….enter embarrassing after thoughts here. HOWEVER, after a rendition of Lucky the bartender came over with a piece of paper that said American Idol Winner, Am to PM 2008…..and he gave me a shooter which was delicious….and the brittish guy that was trying to sing the American national anthem which was HISTERICAL got a shooter as well….and it was an inappropriate one at that haha….he lost…obviously….so I was in Britney mode and Kathryn was Sarah Palin for the rest of the night….I think we all lost our identities for a bit….and then it was like 4 in the morning when we were planning on going for the Gold for Berlin’s nightlife oh well…I suppose down the street never really hurt anyone….we had a ton of fun though….well worth the short walk haha. I video documented much of these events but…..how about that sad, sad tale….
GOOD MORNING BERLIN! I need shoes….pronto. MY FEET are hating me so Heather and I ventured out for some kicks while Joana and Kathryn got ready for the day……and ONWARD. We went straight to Checkpoint Charlie….this was really cool. They still had the post up with a guard though I don’t think he was a legit guard…but he certainly dressed for the part. It was good that I got a book the night before….Berlin in 24 hours…haha because that is what we basically had to do….24 hours and Berlin….CAN WE DO IT!? Ehhhh I think we could….so after we Checked out CHECKpoint Charlie haha get it…..so much CHECKING this trip hahaha get it again? We went to the Chez republic and saw a hockey game where the players CHECKED each other and now we were Checking-out CHECKpoint Carlie….SO WITTY!
Next on our list was the Jewish Museum. This was so interesting and architecturally incredible. Anna and Brosef I really think you would have enjoyed this….despite that you don’t like the architect who designed it…it was still really really cool. We learned a lot in that museum and just being in a city where there was so much more behind the history made it even more of an awesome experience. After the Jewish Museum H-jay and I went to find the Topography of Terror but on the way we found the Martin Gropius Building and that was pretty cool….and then it started to rain…eww gross…LUCKILY I had an umbrella so I was good to go! The Topography of Terror was really intense. The Topography of Terror is an outdoor exhibition that documents the past of the surrounding area so literally where this stretch of pictures, information and outdoor exhibit was/on was where the Gestapo headquarters used to be…literally on the walls of the headquarters they had all this information…..how unbelievable is that? To be in a place where not too long ago people were discriminated to unimaginable heights because of their beliefs….I literally was dumb-founded just thinking about it….I still am….
INSERT getting lost in Berlin like we got lost in Prague here…..and so H-jay and I were off just exploring Berlin like everyone should explore a city…getting lost. It was the best piece of advice my tour-guide from my high school trip abroad told me…just get lost…you won’t be sorry…and I’m not. We got lost and found the Berlin Wall which was amazing. We walked the wall until there was no more of the wall to walk…it was the longest stretch of the remaining wall that was covered in artwork. We continued to wander and walk and get lost until my feet seriously couldn’t handle it anymore…. (Later to find out that I strained the arch in my foot eeek!)
SO after some random shopping at the metro stations, which was really fun…AND a slipper purchase for H-jay because her feet were ALMOST as bad as mine…but still pretty bad….OY vey….walking miles every day is fun…just not when you walk so much that your feet cannot take it anymore….
While we were walking we knew that food was absolutely on the agenda. I really, really wanted to try some hardcore German food….especially since 1. H-jay is German and told me all about it 2. Because I was hungry 3. Because Everyone thought H-jay was German and just started talking to her in German which was really awesome and Hysterical at the same time.
We stumbled upon this German Pub/Brewery and it was really cool. It was right by the TV tower that you can see from all over Berlin. I got whatever H-jay told me to get…not because I can’t decide for myself…but because we wanted the same thing…haha THAT didn’t make sense….I don’t feel like re-working my last ideas…I just wanted food. We got some form of bratwurst, sauerkraut, and potatoes. IT WAS SO GOOD. IT WAS GREAT. SO I REALLY DID LOVE everything the people, the food, and the place….I heart Berlin.
We walked back to the hostel…aching every step of the way….LITERALLY and took a quick nap. It was decently late but we had to be at the airport at 4 IN THE MORNING....so taking a nap and then staying up all night was really the only option. We played cards….OF COURSE…..you don’t have to ask who won….just ask h-jay….she’ll tell you….haha I just LOVE playing cards.
Soon enough Kathryn and Joana came back from a serious night out and we went immediately to the Airport…..we made it back to Thessaloniki in one-piece, exhausted, but stoked about a great trip. I need more time in Germany THAT IS FOR SURE! I loved EVERY second of it and there is so much history and so much more to see there. I learned a LOT and I’m glad that I took my time and appreciated everything that I could. I’m not taking this experience for granted…I’m doing everything that I possibly can….when else in my life will I have this incredible opportunity….right? RIGHT!
The Saddest Tale of All the Tales:
We were unpacking after our long trip and all of our friends were anticipating some great and fabulous documentation. I tore apart my suitcase, everyone’s luggage, my purse, my jacket, I looked through everything and tore it all upside down. What happened to my camera? Germany happened. Auf Wiedersehen my amazing baby-blue cannon camera….Auf Wiedersehen……such a sad tale….such a sad end to such a great trip……I told you it was a sad, sad tale….was it not? I need a camera and pronto.
OH WELL…..with every good there is an equal bad….this was the bad…..no worries…I’ll get a new one…..maybe…..but anyway….I’ve Berlin there….and Done that….
NEXT TIME ON HLOCK DOES GREECE:
I’m not looking for Meteors…but I AM GOING to METEORA!!!! Just you wait avid readers…just you wait….but until then, so much love from my Grecian shores to yours.
-H
Easy Jet….you done did great kid, no really….I like the Easy Jet flights a lot....and no…snacks are NOT included….but I’m really ok with that….I’ll save the snacks for really important flights…like for when I go home…SNACKS will be very important…as are liters of water on treks….Weave and I started that tradition long ago…liters are good ANY TIME…every time…and snacks…well you ALWAYS need snacks…and it’s a fun underappreciated word…right then….BACK to BERLIN….so with the time change and the fact that DAY LIGHT savings time was hitting…did hit…or was going to hit…hmm I cannot remember….well this whole day light savings time really through me for a loop…I’m already 7 hours ahead in Greece and then went back an hour in Berlin and Prague…and yet again another hour…or ahead an hour….SO CONFUSING…which is why I’m still tired from this whole time-debacle.
WE arrived in Berlin STARVING and in search of our hostel…which we found pretty easily. SUPER! It actually ended up being in a SERIOUSLY prime location…no really…we had walked all around this area our first night here and this was PERFECT. IT was so accessible. MAD props to Kathryn...serious mad props…however, WE WERE STARVING…and I could have gone for some German food…to try it. I’ve never really had an opportunity to try German food…I mean I like hot dogs? That isn’t German though…I just don’t know…but instead we opted to search for the hard rock café. Ok so though I could have gone for some German whatever-ness…there is NOTHING like chicken….and…oh wait for it…BROCCOLI….I LOVE, live, think about chicken and broccoli more than I should…
SIDE NOTE: If you were to ask my mom what I would want for dinner on ANY given night and ANY given day repeatedly for 6 weeks straight…do you know what I would say…I want chicken…I LOVE chicken, we an unhealthy passion. If you ask me what I want for dinner on any given day I will probably and always say CHICKEN….FOR ALL THAT CLUCKS AND IS FABULOUS when I get home to America I want chicken for days straight….I also want sushi….but that is another story…I’ve gotta stop thinking about this…
THE SEARCH for the HARD ROCK was on………and in the process we ended up wandering randomly into major parts of the city like where the Jewish Synagogue was well what was left of it from the war and the brand new one built right next to it…it was really cool…EVENTUALLY we found it….woo…DUH, I got chicken and it was AMAZING….but let’s not talk about it anymore…I don’t think I can handle it without getting emotional….I’m going to need a moment.
OK much better….moving on….after our AMAZING AMERICAN-meal we just wandered. Wandering wanderers around Berlin, which was so awesome. I just love Berlin. I love the people, the culture, the crazy crisp air (check out that alliteration), the history is just so intense and captivates you. EVERYTHING about Berlin was really great, I absolutely will be returning. While we were wandering we found ourselves at the Brandenburg Gate AND the Reichstag. THEY were crucially lit up with tons of lights and colors and why you might ask?? Well alright, I’ll tell you. Because we had decided to visit Berlin during their Festival of LIGHTS! This was so cool. All the serious buildings, historical monuments, you know all the important things in the city were lit up with TONS of lights and images were being flashed into the starlit evening sky. MAN, I just really love Berlin. If you ever have the opportunity, just go….you won’t be sorry.
Amidst our wandering we decided to head back to the hostel to prepare for an evening out….the girls in our hostel room had given us some maps and things of where they went the night before. They were from Madrid and seemed really nice. Only one of them spoke English really well….but it we could still communicate. It’s funny these different languages….I mean we talk about whatever we want all the time and how are we to know that the people around us do not understand English….and how were those girls from Madrid supposed to know that both HJAY and I understand Spanish. I was really surprised that I understood most of what they were saying….I guess my 8 years of Spanish paid off? Haha mehhh NOT really.
We ventured out sooner than later after some quick preparations and walking toward the metro stop we came across an Irish pub called KilKenny’s. The same Irish pub we stepped in on our first night in Berlin….only we decided to go in because it WAS bumping…it was really loud…and when we walked in a MASS of gentlemen were all dressed up like Geeks crowding the bar area. Now we could have sat at a table in a more tame area of the bar…BUT I saw a table just CRYING for us to sit there….so we took a seat…and literally, LITERALLY 2 minutes….mere moments of us sitting down 15 of those geeks crowded our table….Drunken Englishmen are SO fun. We started chatting up a storm and they loved us and by us I mean Joana and the fact that Kathryn kind of sort of looks like Sarah Palin and can kind of-sort-of nail a dead on impression of her. Those Brits were so funny….they were in Berlin for a “stag” weekend….apparently ONE of them was going to get married….do we know which one? Not a clue….they all seemed to be so single it hurt haha. Anyway they were dressed to the 9’s in geek garb because apparently nerds and geeks was the theme of the Stag….the lucky guy getting married must be a geek in real life….either way it was really fun….so fun in fact that we closed the bar down with them….BUT we were not done so we decided to go to the AM to PM bar we ALSO went on out first night in Berlin because well it was open from AM to PM….or was it PM to AM….either way I was content….we went with just a few of them….I was rather taken with one of them. His name was Lee….and come to find it….haha he’s a professional cricket player…..http://content-www.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/12445.html he may or may not be in Wikipedia….mostly may…hmm….um random.
ANYWAY. AM to PM…..ok I was rather happy at this point and Joana’s great idea just sparked Britney Spears right out of me….GOOD GRIEF…seriously….DO NOT mention Britney when I’ve been out for an evening. It is not fair…I can’t help it and she knew it….enter embarrassing after thoughts here. HOWEVER, after a rendition of Lucky the bartender came over with a piece of paper that said American Idol Winner, Am to PM 2008…..and he gave me a shooter which was delicious….and the brittish guy that was trying to sing the American national anthem which was HISTERICAL got a shooter as well….and it was an inappropriate one at that haha….he lost…obviously….so I was in Britney mode and Kathryn was Sarah Palin for the rest of the night….I think we all lost our identities for a bit….and then it was like 4 in the morning when we were planning on going for the Gold for Berlin’s nightlife oh well…I suppose down the street never really hurt anyone….we had a ton of fun though….well worth the short walk haha. I video documented much of these events but…..how about that sad, sad tale….
GOOD MORNING BERLIN! I need shoes….pronto. MY FEET are hating me so Heather and I ventured out for some kicks while Joana and Kathryn got ready for the day……and ONWARD. We went straight to Checkpoint Charlie….this was really cool. They still had the post up with a guard though I don’t think he was a legit guard…but he certainly dressed for the part. It was good that I got a book the night before….Berlin in 24 hours…haha because that is what we basically had to do….24 hours and Berlin….CAN WE DO IT!? Ehhhh I think we could….so after we Checked out CHECKpoint Charlie haha get it…..so much CHECKING this trip hahaha get it again? We went to the Chez republic and saw a hockey game where the players CHECKED each other and now we were Checking-out CHECKpoint Carlie….SO WITTY!
Next on our list was the Jewish Museum. This was so interesting and architecturally incredible. Anna and Brosef I really think you would have enjoyed this….despite that you don’t like the architect who designed it…it was still really really cool. We learned a lot in that museum and just being in a city where there was so much more behind the history made it even more of an awesome experience. After the Jewish Museum H-jay and I went to find the Topography of Terror but on the way we found the Martin Gropius Building and that was pretty cool….and then it started to rain…eww gross…LUCKILY I had an umbrella so I was good to go! The Topography of Terror was really intense. The Topography of Terror is an outdoor exhibition that documents the past of the surrounding area so literally where this stretch of pictures, information and outdoor exhibit was/on was where the Gestapo headquarters used to be…literally on the walls of the headquarters they had all this information…..how unbelievable is that? To be in a place where not too long ago people were discriminated to unimaginable heights because of their beliefs….I literally was dumb-founded just thinking about it….I still am….
INSERT getting lost in Berlin like we got lost in Prague here…..and so H-jay and I were off just exploring Berlin like everyone should explore a city…getting lost. It was the best piece of advice my tour-guide from my high school trip abroad told me…just get lost…you won’t be sorry…and I’m not. We got lost and found the Berlin Wall which was amazing. We walked the wall until there was no more of the wall to walk…it was the longest stretch of the remaining wall that was covered in artwork. We continued to wander and walk and get lost until my feet seriously couldn’t handle it anymore…. (Later to find out that I strained the arch in my foot eeek!)
SO after some random shopping at the metro stations, which was really fun…AND a slipper purchase for H-jay because her feet were ALMOST as bad as mine…but still pretty bad….OY vey….walking miles every day is fun…just not when you walk so much that your feet cannot take it anymore….
While we were walking we knew that food was absolutely on the agenda. I really, really wanted to try some hardcore German food….especially since 1. H-jay is German and told me all about it 2. Because I was hungry 3. Because Everyone thought H-jay was German and just started talking to her in German which was really awesome and Hysterical at the same time.
We stumbled upon this German Pub/Brewery and it was really cool. It was right by the TV tower that you can see from all over Berlin. I got whatever H-jay told me to get…not because I can’t decide for myself…but because we wanted the same thing…haha THAT didn’t make sense….I don’t feel like re-working my last ideas…I just wanted food. We got some form of bratwurst, sauerkraut, and potatoes. IT WAS SO GOOD. IT WAS GREAT. SO I REALLY DID LOVE everything the people, the food, and the place….I heart Berlin.
We walked back to the hostel…aching every step of the way….LITERALLY and took a quick nap. It was decently late but we had to be at the airport at 4 IN THE MORNING....so taking a nap and then staying up all night was really the only option. We played cards….OF COURSE…..you don’t have to ask who won….just ask h-jay….she’ll tell you….haha I just LOVE playing cards.
Soon enough Kathryn and Joana came back from a serious night out and we went immediately to the Airport…..we made it back to Thessaloniki in one-piece, exhausted, but stoked about a great trip. I need more time in Germany THAT IS FOR SURE! I loved EVERY second of it and there is so much history and so much more to see there. I learned a LOT and I’m glad that I took my time and appreciated everything that I could. I’m not taking this experience for granted…I’m doing everything that I possibly can….when else in my life will I have this incredible opportunity….right? RIGHT!
The Saddest Tale of All the Tales:
We were unpacking after our long trip and all of our friends were anticipating some great and fabulous documentation. I tore apart my suitcase, everyone’s luggage, my purse, my jacket, I looked through everything and tore it all upside down. What happened to my camera? Germany happened. Auf Wiedersehen my amazing baby-blue cannon camera….Auf Wiedersehen……such a sad tale….such a sad end to such a great trip……I told you it was a sad, sad tale….was it not? I need a camera and pronto.
OH WELL…..with every good there is an equal bad….this was the bad…..no worries…I’ll get a new one…..maybe…..but anyway….I’ve Berlin there….and Done that….
NEXT TIME ON HLOCK DOES GREECE:
I’m not looking for Meteors…but I AM GOING to METEORA!!!! Just you wait avid readers…just you wait….but until then, so much love from my Grecian shores to yours.
-H
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