couldn’t really get to sleep, read a little of The Chamber. last look at Athens and the acropolis from the cab. the arrival in reverse. the cab fare was ridiculously cheap, 2500 ΔPX, which worked out to 1250 a person. at the airport, this guy manning the souvenir store tried to get Ai’s attention, gave her his address, saying he collected phonecards and he didn’t have any from Venezuela. of course, he already had Singapore phonecards. yeah right. Ai stayed for a while before leaving to catch her flight to Rhodes. one final hug, then I was left to wait to board.

woke up at some point past nine. went to pangrati for coffee. good cappuccino. spent basically whole day shopping in plaka. got wallet for mom, shirt for dad and myself. talked to the jeweler again, about orphic mysteries etc. lunch at a nice café, ham and cheese sandwich. only charged for one, paid and quickly left. Ai saw this very lovely ring in a Byzantine jewellery store. another friendly guy. she bought 2 Al dresses for 15,000. came back about 4 and siesta’d. went for dinner in pangrati (place where I had lunch with T and R, next to morning’s café.) helpful greek who spoke French with Ai and helped us with the waiter. had sampling of appetizers and a very sweet, rich frappe. talked about Iv and his lack of social graces at dinner. walked about a little after that, then went back to hotel to rooftop garden. nice view of all the antennae opposite us and could see acropolis in the distance. some gypsy king was playing and we just sat there and talked. it’s been a very pleasant weekend, leisurely and unharried. glad I didn’t have to spend it alone. arranged for 3 am wake-up call and cab at 3.30. Ai also going to the airport as she’s flying to Rhodes. can’t wait to get back home!

woke up. saw T off, saw Tr off, saw A off, saw L off. said bye to Iv. when I came back from cashing some TCs, our apartment was being invaded by cleaning ladies. stuck around till 11.20 am, surrounded by them cleaning and bantering. got a cab, took the longest time to make him understand that I wanted to get to kleomenous, THEN get down to hotel priamos. cabbie didn’t seem to know his way about much. fare came to 1200. lugged Ai’s big bag to CYA center. met S and M there. went to wendy’s for lunch, where W, Al, Li (J) were. had baked potato with bacon and cheese, pretty good. went to amex to cash in another $20. went with S in search of bookstore then returned to the center. started to read ‘misery.’ sodas for vending machine cost 120 but R found way to sucker machine. put in 50 then 100 ΔPX, get soda, push coin return and get 50 back. said bye to everyone. Al locked up the place, so Ai and I went back to priamos (10,000 for the double, so 10,000 each for the 2 nights). dinner at plaka. kalamaria and coke (2000). was more, Ai wanted to pay with visa and was told she could but when bill came, machine was conveniently broken. oh well, got 900 off 5900 bill. walked around, thinking of bag, perhaps even ring for mom, got a t-shirt (probs for A) and some stationery. met this very nice jeweler who was talking, mostly to Ai, about jewellery, even offered to dip her 14K bracelet for just 1000 ΔPX.

wanted to get up at 7 to study but got up at 8.30 instead. read a while, went down early to the center with R and S. took test at 10.30 am. over and done with by 11.30! just wanted to give in those papers and be rid of them. everyone is so relieved to have everything over. finally managed to call home and talk to mom. can’t wait to get home. N was announcing grades before we went for lunch. got an A-, happy with the A for the final. retsina again, though I couldn’t drink very much. most of the food was really greasy. after lunch, went shopping in plaka with M, Tr, N, A, T and S. split up after a while, Tr was looking for espadrilles, went with S and T to the bookstore. sent Ni off at the apartment, she was crying. will probably keep in touch. rest of us went to D’s house for drinks. his 3 year old son is so adorable, Tr and I were playing with him in his room for a while. getting tired. after pleasant evening (saw D’s photos from 1990 onwards), went to kolonaki with T and S. got ice-cream from everest. walked S back and said my goodbyes. on way there, met those going to the disco, A, L, As, Ai, R and C (both quite buzzed). said goodbye to C. N had kissed her goodbyes after lunch. will definitely miss her.

got up past 9. went to grocery store, got packet of tangerine juice, oregano chips and instant noodles (550). worked on sanctuary paper intermittently throughout the day. quite loathed to do it. noodles for lunch. ice-cream break in the afternoon just to get butt off the couch. reading Time mag, which S has been buying. R buys IHT and USA Today (for the baseball stats.) N cooked the pilaf with mushrooms and lotsa butter for dinner. yummy. finally finished paper at 10 plus pm. wound down with REM’s automatic on L’s discman with speakers.

last session at site – acropolis museum and erechthion, a funky little temple if there was one. walked back with M and S, went to everest for lunch with S. had ham sandwich which unfortunately came with feta, and scoop of ice-cream (mandarina). came back wanting to work on paper but so tired I fell asleep on the living room couch. got down to center early, tried to call home, quite complicated. got through via Na’s phone, no one in. last class with N, she’s been so nice, letting us off early, her class demonstrations and now MCQs on the final. went to neon for dinner with R, club sandwich with pile of fries, only 720 ΔPX. scoop of cappuccino ice-cream. came back and worked on paper. Iv was irritating at intervals, asking questions about which statue to use, how he should arrange them... who cares? finished paper around 1.30 am.

laundry. ЕΘΝΙΚΗ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΑ to cash TC. macdonald’s at syntagma at 8.30 am. exchange of hello’s and how-was-your-weekend’s? forgot to bring camera for the acropolis. talking to A on the walk there. got paper back, A(-), quite happy with it. packed even early in the morning. dr D led us back to the office so was back in time. letter from D. after dr M’s class, went to everest for toast (omelette, ham, cheese, tomato). gotta start keeping away from eggs. short siesta, then off to academic center to watch video of peter hall’s version of Agamemnon: all-male cast in masks. visually sparse, dialogue was in the forefront, visual impact of clytemnestra’s red dress and cassandra’s silver make up all the greater. went to creperie (4 bitten) for dinner. turkey, mushrooms and tomato (700) followed by honey and walnut (500). went with S, L, M. food was good, if not very filling. L had this woodpecker cider, very nice. started list of sculptures, at one point standing around talking with S, Tr, T, N. Iv did this fashion show stance, announcing ‘pheidias, pheidias.’ nearly burst out laughing. talking to Tr about magazines and physics.

showered, went to bed from 6 am to 12.30 pm. went out looking for exchange place around kolonaki, zippo. had ice-cream (150 ΔPX) for lunch. came back, did some reading, had siesta from 2 to 5.30 pm. went with Tr to neon for dinner, omelette (ham, mushroom, cheese) for 850. got back, lazed about. N came back, went to neon again (Tr as well). she had BLT with fries, only 720. I had a scoop of chocolate chip ice-cream from everest (170). S was in when I got back. talked to him for a while, swapping weekend experiences. some guy, Nicholas, came to call for C. interesting.

muscles stiff from being tense the whole night. ay caraho. went to travel agent, got ticket back to Piraeus (sundeck class, 4650 ΔPX). breakfast of chocolate croissant and juice. went to akrotiri (R, T, S, Tr), Iv went shopping. yes. fracas over buying of ticket. R showed student id but seller wouldn’t acknowledge it. R kept asking why and eventually threw 1200 ΔPX at the guy. at which point he said ‘money no good. out!’ apparently, the card had expired. rest paid 600. I showed the guy Na’s letter stating I was a College Year in Athens student and got in free. bought R’s ticket for him. site was pretty disappointing. all the frescoes were in the national museum, only some storage pithoi. had lunch at nearby café (on black sand beach). fries and pepsi (700). back in fira, went shopping with R. santorini is touristy, but very nicely so. lots of shops selling interesting stuff, much less tackier than the Plaka variety. went back to pension petros, T asleep, 3 of us went back out to wander. so incredibly picturesque, an amateur photographer’s joy. almost too easy. Tr finally got shirt and bracelet for her brother (who’s into hunting and fishing). took bus to athinios port with Tr. others were staying for one more night and leaving on Sunday at 11 am. ferry was a pleasant surprise. dividers are cushioned so might actually get some sleep. talking with Tr about languages and musical instruments. most enjoyable. bunch of germans came by and plunked themselves in sleeping bags beside us. 2 girls, 1 boy (abt 18) and an older guy. Katherine and ? fairly noisy, then an Israeli struck up a conversation with them. he was going to the army for 6 years, just been to ios, last fling for many soldiers-to-be. interesting for the first 30 minutes or so, then it became a nuisance as Tr and I tried to get to sleep. they stopped around 2 or 3 am. we docked at Piraeus at 4.30 am. took cab back, 2000 ΔPX each.

the room apparently goes for about 8000 ΔPX in jul/aug. must be slow season. then again, no way would I pay 4000 ΔPX for that room (elli hotel). odd pillows. no towels. went over to place of 5. Iv had spilt detergent inside his bag. accident-prone. went for breakfast, ham and cheese pastry (not very good) and coffee (870 ΔPX). went to travel agent to get tix to santorini, N going back to Piraeus. girls/guys split. nice shops, souvenir-shopping, intrigued by Gold Silver Used Books store. ‘zoom’ was a pretty decent bookstore, but for new books. now reading R’s copy of andromeda strain, he’d bought disclosure. R and T decided to go to beach. so 5 of us took bus to philoti (300 ΔPX), into the heart of naxos. nice quiet village. where bus stops is village square of about 5 restaurants and cafes. (Iv’s hat gets blown into the gutter.) have lunch of special omelette (700 ΔPX). ok, cheese a little strong. walked around, picture-perfect place, the whitewashed walls, the touch of blue, green, the winding narrow streets. went back to square for frappe. back to (C)hora. girls jewellery shopping: Tr bought eye of shell pendant (gold), S bought it in silver and plain silver ring (1200). bought a double axe pendant for 400, most pleased. met up for dinner, went to tavern lucullus (since 1908). had swordfish fillet, very good (with grilled pepper, salad, cold potato), about 3000 ΔPX. N was telling story of how she met her boyfriend S. went down to port, lots of people about, quite a lot local. the churches were closed because of some festival. there was music, a procession of religious icons (banners, flags) and fireworks! very nice seeing them up close.
ferry to santorini daliana (2200 ΔPX) arrived an hour late at 11.30 pm. arrived santorini at 2.30 am. fracas of people hawking rooms. settled on 3500 each a night. driven up caldera and into thira to the pension. room with Iv, one double bed. shit. room is clean and decent, towels at least. have saved S twice by now. reminded her to get a box for her pendant (cos she put it on right away). buying Turkish delight, she nearly got the box with ‘sex power’ on it.

up at 6.30 am. left kusadasi in a smaller boat than when we arrived but sea was calm, hardly any sea spray. reached samos at about 11 plus. went for lunch with R, Tr and Iv. missed greek pizza. walked around back alley stores, then returned to samos hotel for ice-cream sodas and pinball. left samos at 4, arrived at naxos at 10.30 pm. very nice ferry complete with volleyball arcade game. dinner of roast beef with rice (1600). kinda ex, but it was decent. the sea was molten silver in the glare with only foam betraying its true nature. the moon was a brilliant dark red.
naxos: 7 of us nearly had to share a nice apartment (but with only 5 beds). Iv: well, as long as I get a single. the prick. guy came back and showed us a double at another hotel. T and I took it. 2000 ΔPX each.
getting here had been interesting. 7 of us bundled onto a mini-van and coursing through tiny streets. ‘problem with police? what problem?’ turned out waterfront was closed to traffic by the police, hence the van. went out for drinks (coke ) after that.

aphrodisias. 3 hrs there, 3 hrs back. wholly roman city. nat was leading. big fat waste of time. ‘egg motif on temple of Aphrodite.’ yeah right. couldn’t believe it when Ls asked him to sing in the odeion. lunch was pretty dismal. limited choice, some of it quite bad. (Iv was sick the whole day, upset stomach, ate something with milk?) went for a walk with T and S when we got back. at dinner, whole bunch of women sat together, picking up/getting picked up by the waiters. sat with T, R and S in the air-conditioned section. Iv joined in halfway. went down to the grocery store to finish up lira. sat by the sea for a while, listening to some dance music. dropped by the irish pub for a bit, the women were planning to go to a club. L, Se, B went to the Temple with three of the waiters.

priene, miletus, didyma. best preserved temple, there’s actually a forest of columns. lots of photos, playacting at priene. lunch with a view of the temple of АПОΛΛΩΝ. spread of veggie dishes (190,000) and pepsi (50,000). back to hotel, thankfully bypassing lee/wrangler discount store. finished English patient by the sea. postage for postcards from 30,000 to 20,000 to 15,000. As bought a very nice necklace which she wore to dinner. borrowed ‘sure of you,’ final book in tales of the city series. went out shopping after dinner (apple tea and Turkish delight). R got a buzz haircut. interesting. Iv left before we (R, T, S, Tr) headed to the jazz club. joined by Se, Mo, M. pianist and bassist were there, trumpeter (jean loup) came on again after 12.
island hopping: R, T, S, N, Tr and Iv. Istanbul dropped cos arriving back in Athens Sunday night.

first site was temple of artemis. one of the seven wonders of the world. one column still standing. of note: nat (our tour guide) felt up the bull on the site, exclaiming ‘he likes it!’ u never really expect to see your tour guide rubbing a bull’s balls. went on to house of virgin mary, then Ephesus: very well-preserved and most impressive, could do without the tourists though. after that, church of st mary (largest baptistry).
lunch. had moussaka (cold eggplant) and cheese rolls. ended up splitting bill evenly (300,000 each). Iv was apparently reluctant to share his shish kebab at the T/S end of the table.
museum of Ephesus. really tacky postcard of artemis with a whole bunch of babies crawling around, with milk squirting from her breasts, as good as clytemnestra’s death scene. got brought to this avarlya(?) leather place where a fashion show was put on for us and we were served apple tea (good). found it most amusing. in the store, Mo tried on a blue vest and black skirt. interesting, but not quite her. surprised to find out that her boyfriend is Taiwanese (but grew up in the states). way back, nat was teaching us some Turkish, but not the phrases we wanted to learn. ‘no, not without a condom.’ ‘no, I don’t want a camel either.’ (‘no, I was not looking at your wife.’ did I make this up in retrospect?) he also sang ‘u are my sunshine’ and ‘roses are red.’ turks are very entertaining. ‘shoe shine half price. body shine free!’ then there was this ice-cream vendor (to Mo) ‘psst! beautiful girl’ when Al or Ls walked by.
nap. lecture at 6. nap. after dinner, took taxi/bus downtown with R, T, Se, S, M and Iv. walked around a little, it’s really neat. finally found pub lane with about 20 pubs, each blasting its music. people dancing in front, trying to get you into their pubs. went to irish pub, got a b-52, nice enough. thumping british dance music. see people dancing in pub across the alley. group dancing was really fun to watch ‘Saturday nite.’ went to a jazz bar after that. interior courtyard, 2 walls of stone, 2 walls whitewashed. low wicker tables and chairs with couches along the side. one tree with its foliage covering the area, could see the night sky through the leaves. live jazz, real soothing. there was this 60 plus male vocalist doing body and soul(?). that was great. Iv left at abt 12. ‘should be getting back and get some sleep.’ he went alone. we left at abt 1, walked back (45 min). spent 320, 000 on drinks in all.

T slept on the floor so I had the double bed to myself. very good sleep. museum, then site. before that, short break at a very charming snack bar with daisies, artichokes, grapes on trellises. heraion. then back to vathy. lunch in a bunch, split veg pizza with Tr, and frappe (1200). walked about a little, lovely views of the bay, joking abt getting worry beads for the boat ride. played 3 games of pinball. decided not to get doped up since it was 1.5 hour trip. much more into the spirit of things this time, sing-a-long with Mo, didn’t even mind sea spray that much. was very glad and excited to reach turkey. some fracas at passport control over port tax, everyone had to pay 6000 ΔPX or US$20, except for me! changed money, have to get used to 44,200 lira per US$1 (from 220 ΔPX per US$1). dinner at hotel, with the sea just outside. very nice buffet dinner: string beans, mutton, fruits, desserts. had coke (40,000). had to count zeroes carefully before paying. walk after dinner with R, N, Tr, B. R has found his Turkish (?) wife. (greek wife is working at cya office.) walked out with Mo to get water. (had gotten stamps.) rooming with T and R at hotel marti. 4 days!

met at 6.45 am in front of library. set off at abt 8.30 am, arkadia lines, samaina. going was ok till we passed sounion. had gone to the sheltered lower deck as it was quite windy above. tables and chairs in the bar area, so everything was cool. then the lurches came, then a grinding sound, followed by this huge lurch which sent chairs sliding. Mo and N both slid onto the floor. N started panicking and crying. trying not to feel sick and stay calm at the same time. waves crashing against the window didn’t help much. took first ever motion sickness pill. took some effort to get back to the upper deck. very windy, but small price to pay for not feeling the lurching motion. when L went down to the cafeteria, she was wondering why so many people had Chinese takeout before realizing that they were barf bags. even if u didn’t feel sick, seeing a packed room full of people barfing definitely didn’t help things. thank god I was wearing jeans, borrowed sweater fr Mo (she had on sweatshirt and windbreaker). very glad I had finished the paper before getting on the ferry. started reading michael ondaatje’s the English patient. dinner at about 7.30 pm, rice with meat sauce and soda (1200). several stops along the way, including icarus’ island. hair was one clumpy mess. salt everywhere (tequila anyone?), especially on glasses. sea spray periodically whooshed on deck. at long last, at 10.30 pm, we dock at samos. never before, never again. could still feel the swaying motion. hotel samos is mercifully nearby. room with T and L. had ice-cream soda, literally ice-cream in soda water. tried to play pin-ball but machine wouldn’t take coins. some greeks laughing; felt like dumbass tourist.

agora in the morning. this time followed by 2 black dogs. rushed from agora to dr M’s class. we were late anyway. got letter from yq! after class, went to everest with R and Se. finally got the TOΣT thing. u just point out the fillings, then the server tells you the price and u pay at the counter. 450 for toast with cheese, ham, egg, tomatoes. it was great. came back, worked on paper. went down to the classroom at 5 for talk on Byzantine art. went down with T, met N on the way (to her cousin’s to get a haircut). she jokingly punched T and he punched back. hard. oh-kay. said he didn’t like getting hit, not even as a joke. thought things might turn ugly. after talk, went to NEON for dinner. spaghetti with tomato sauce, figured it couldn’t be more than 1000 ΔPX, turned out to be 1400! what a rip-off. came back, worked on paper some more, finally finished at abt 11.30 pm.

R asked for lecture to be pushed back, so it’s now at 10, extra hour of sleep! Brought laundry in. after class, went with Tr and M to stationery place, notepad paper. Collected laundry (1 load this time). R was depositing his, went for lunch at Everest, ordered hot dog, got hot dog, had wanted the bacon/egg/cheese… sandwich. Went with him to stationery place, his notebook. Went to American Bookstore followed by another English bookstore on Amerikis. 2nd one was better, like a regular bookstore with different subject headings, but no prices. All the while, I’m lugging my clean laundry around. Got back, read a little, time to go. Went to academic office to try to change flights, about $109 for Lufthansa leg, no seats for SIA up till 8/4. There goes Egypt. ($880 saved.) Nice to see Dr M again, I think we’ve all missed her. After her class, went for dinner with T and S. Neon, had omelette (ham and mushrooms) for 550 and frappe for 460, pretty good deal. W is getting quite a few people irritated, S included (beer bottles, dishes…) N got letter from boyfriend and was looking for T or me to calm her down (gee, what a compliment). Came back, worked on paper.

Sanctuary of Apollo (museum first) in the morning. Yes, breakfast with cheese and ham again. Incredibly hot, lucky to get under shade a few times. View is incredible. Love it. After sanctuary, went down to village with R. Store selling Greek monopoly board still not open, got some ice-cream. Short ride to town, got lunch: string beans, sprite, bread (900 ΔPX). Veggies were good. (with R, Mo, M, L, Se). Some shopping after that, R, Mo, M all bought rugs, I bought 2 retsina jugs. About 3 hrs back to Athens, comfortable being back, but would prefer the heat wave was over. N cooked spaghetti and sauce for dinner, Se and I went over. Postcard from W. Finished ‘Significant Others,’ book 5 of Tales of the City. I had thought there were only 3 books. Great to return to familiar characters. No work done. (As’s, she has book 6 as well.)

Independence Day. Lovely morning on the beach (1/2 hour from Olympia), nice and sandy, shallow for a good 10m or so, even with fish. Talking to As about the army, she was most amused. Nicest beach ever and no sea urchins! Had ham and cheese toast there. Start of drive to Delphi, short (10 min) boat ride from northern tip of Peloponnese across, then another 2 hr drive. Nice β class hotel (Acropole), fixtures newer and shower is plastic-enclosed. Fantastic view of the mountains. (Room with R, T.) went for frappes (liko, megala) together, small café (300 ΔPX). Met at 6:45 pm for site (lower sanctuary to Athena). Guard was REALLY weird. First, he asked for cigarettes and took 5 from L’s box. Throughout our tour, he was acting really strange, asking about a fire, dancing, we completed our tour fairly quickly. Went up to the Roman catch basin and glimpse of the gorge. Dinner with T, S, N, Tr, Mo. Set for 1400 (Moussaka, spaghetti, greek salad, watermelon.) T bought a lapis lazuli necklace for his girlfriend ($180). [While on journey here, N told us (As, A) that she was really pissed with W, didn’t exactly catch why. Seeing those Silk Cut cigarette ads. Nice Work!] N talking about Orthodox church, marriage and Easter.

Breakfast here is pretty good. Certainly better than Nauplion’s. 3-hour session at sanctuary of Olympia, much impressed by size of temple of Zeus and no doubt the cult image. Lunch at café Dionysos with T, S, Tr. Had stuffed tomatoes and tried yoghurt with honey (good but would have liked more honey). Went back and siesta’d till 3:30 pm. Had a hard time getting up. Got to the museum by 4 and it was another intensive session, esp when Dr D announced we were doing the 12 labors of Heracles on the metopes and assorted figures, after we had just finished with the pediments. Almost 7 by the time we finished, was hungry, so joined N, As, L and A for dinner. Exchanging Ids with photos, always amusing, T’s student ID photo is really hilarious, hair messed up and this goofy look. Walked around after dinner, shops here are less cheesy than the ones in Athens, but trying not to buy (but still have to get souvenirs). Met Al, Ls (who decided to go watch Mississippi Burning at the open-air theater) and W, who walked back with us.
[Earlier in the afternoon, saw suntan lotion labeled ‘Topless.’ Talk about niche marketing.]

dreamt abt the whole group cutting trip short and returning to Singapore for NS. Well. Museum in the morning, Lerna, Tiryns, Palamidi. Walked down the 900 or so steps with T, R, S. Calves shaking by the end, gross. Lunch together at taverna in alleyway. ‘Spaghetti bolognaise’ I said and pointed and the waiter went straight back into the kitchen. Duh? Kinda dry when it came. + coke 1100 ΔPX. Iv joined us halfway through. Status ice-cream for 300. Apparently things a little strained between W and L over who’s got worse arthritis. Loong bus trip to Olympia. Hate twisty mountain roads. Borrowed Apuleius’ The Golden Ass from As. Stopped at beach at 5:30 pm. Read and listened to walkman (A’s). People are really into this paddle-ball thing. Hotel Pelops is very nice, double with R, spacious (bigger than triple at Diouscuri), extra pillows (bolster!), couch, chair, tub with curtain… Dinner at this place with no menu, waiter recited, Dr D translated. Had cod-fish, tsatsiki, coke, wine (1800). Everyone except Al and gang, L and gang there. One main street, walked along with T and S.
[Vegetation around here positively lush compared to normal short trees, barren rocky landscape normally seen.]

Epidaurus in the morning. Picnic lunch at church near Franchthi Cave, small church, few benches outside, very nice view of the bay. Bread, cheese, egg, tomato, peach, great lunch. 20-25 min trek to cave along coast. Quite spectacular, esp the gorge after a little rock-climbing to get to it. Swim, water’s gorgeous, busted right toe on urchin. Magnet for them. Picking up shells and dried urchins with N on walk back from cave. It rained! Started at sanctuary of Asclepius, fairly heavy when we were on our way back to the hotel. Saga of Oresteia. Last minute jitters abt whether the weather would hold but we eventually set off (Al, As, T, S, Tr, B, Ai, Iv, C). Supposed to start at 10, couldn’t get to seats till abt 15 past. Finally at 10:40 pm, announcement that heavy rain had short-circuited 80% of the wiring and we would get the concertante version. Made no sense, music sounded atonal, this guy was doing all the parts from falsetto to bass and back. From the program, saw photos of funkily dressed actors, most interesting was drawing of Clytemnestra, breasts bared, squirting blood? from her nipples. Al got the refund for us. Got back to Nauplion at 12:40 pm. Had fish soup, went back, collapsed on bed.
Finished The Dead Zone (T’s). Fairly entertaining, overall disappointing.

Met at 8 in front of the library. Mycenae first thing. Coolest thing was the walk to the underground cistern (100 ft deep) through this tunnel. Glad there was no artificial illumination, just used candles. Wait, rest stop earlier at bridge between Attica/Peloponnese. Lovely gorge. Got into Nauplion at about 2:30. Lunch at this in-the-alley taverna. Pretty good (moussaka, tsatsiki). Unloaded at Hotel Dioscuri, room with R and Iv (who was making some suspicious moans while in the bathroom). Slept, got woken up by opera singers (which worked its way into R’s Al-in-a-bikini-as-high-point dream.] Dind’t go for walk because of headache. 8:30 pm for dinner (Dr D, Al, R, Ai, B, L, Al, Ls, W, Iv). Good food and wine, pretty full after appetisers, but eventually ate about half! a chicken (2700 ΔPX each). B’s going to be teaching in an international school in Tourino, Italy and R will probs come back to Greece every year. How nice. Al seems to have visited more places in Asia than I have, by accident of course, travelling cheaply on Bangladesh Airlines. L had bought a meander ring and bracelet (later found out jeweller’s name was Schmuck!) The women are all so caught up by the jewellery. B, Ai, Mo have all bought rings. Went for ice-cream at Napoli di Romania with R, C, Ai, B, L. Split N de R with B, pretty good ice-cream. Listened to L’s break-up story with the farm boy. Basically ate from 9 pm to 12:30 am. What a life!
[Met Ch!!! at the doorway of Treasury of Atreus. She’s on tour. Didn’t have much chance to talk. Met John again. American school people staying at Dioscuri as well.]

Morning session at Agora. Finished by 10:05 am, which was kinda surprising. D tends to stretch class times at sites a little, M is much better about letting us off early. Went to Wendy’s for lunch (T, S, Se), then went grocery shopping. Feels good doing that, not just a tourist here, but a student with home base in Alopekis. After religion class, hung out at the office for a while. Back to apartment, Se, Mo, L were making dinner. Bunch of us went to Prego’s for dinner at 8. 2 tables, sat with R, As, N and A. Split Diavola with R, onions, chillies, sausage, very good. Nice sitting with them. So odd now that we’ve kinda settled into cliques. Had a good talk with As, mainly on books (Tales of the City, Adrian Mole, Stephen Fry). About 9 out of the 14 girls have boyfriends – L, M, Tr, Ls (?), Al (?) don’t. Only T has a girlfriend. Joined T, S, C for a while before leaving to pack. Getting very tired. [On way to Agora, saw dog chased by cat, never seen a cat so hunched up, fur standing straight UP!]

Intensive session at museum this morning. Packed with info. Lunch at small shop (T, S, Tr). Finally had ΣΠANAKOΠΠITA (spinach pie). Pretty good, + frappe (420 ΔPX). Got A- for test. (R already knew he had an A+, the bum.) Ugly scene between Dr M and Ls. Ls said “Thank you” when papers were handed back, M said “No need to thank me.” When L asked W her grade, M said “Why not ask your sis instead?” (Al got an A.) During class, L was looking at itinerary, M put notepad over it and told her she needed to do better in class. L didn’t return after break. Egypt: $880 for 5-day cruise…? Was very irritated by lecture. Had not thought it was compulsory, so had to go and skip dinner. Worse, it was on the different ecologies by Na. She defined “ecology,” “ecosystem,” said ok? A million times. Showed slides, at one point she said “You might not be able to see anything from this picture,” could have applied to all. Best part was the strawberry tree with the fruit o (what she drew on board). What a waste of time. Went to Dino straton theater to watch Greek folk dances. Pretty enjoyable, especially the male feet-slapping bit. Dinner at Prego (R, T, S, Tr, Ju). Very good pizza and only 1080 per person, and we paid for Ju. S came up for ouzo nightcap.
[As buys 15000 ΔPX bra! Blue, flower motif on straps. That’s it, just the top, doesn’t even come with satellite dish (T).]

Everest at 8:15. National Archaeological Museum with Dr D till 11 am. Went for lunch at Coconut Corner with R. Had mushroom pie and frappe (700 ΔPX). Gossiping about the breakout couple (L and As), the frustrated couple, the triangle, the suave gentleman (R, not). Met Dr M for a short session at the exhibition of women (from Medea to Sappho). Oh yeah, checked out the theatre playing West Side Story, 4-5,000 ΔPX in Greek, that would be a blast. Went to see the Theran frescoes, then went back with R to get laundry. He was in a weird mood, probs doped up from all the Halls he’s been eating. Met Ju at 8 at Hadrian’s Arch. 8 of us, good number (+ R, T, S, C, B, Ai). Good dinner of Greek specialties and with retsina (2100 ΔPX). Walked around Plaka, besieged by the restaurants, it’s only 30-31°C but the lack of breeze makes it feel much warmer. What R said about B not giving out vibes, most true indeed. N is getting a lot friendlier, ever since the dancing.

got up early to get to Everest by 8:15 to get to museum. Well, doesn’t open till 12:30 pm on Monday. 2nd time it’s happened, bummer. (It’s a brisk 25 minute walk.) Tried to get laundry done after class but the “Self-service” is a total misnomer, had to pay 2000 ΔPX per load of 3 kg (1 had about 6 kg). Got the key done for 3—ΔPX so I can finally open the front door. Lunch, N baked her aunt’s schnitzels and cooked some rice with mushroom thing, very good. Didn’t feel too hot about the test. Got back and changed for the ballet tonight. B wore a very nice red dress, good for her willowy frame, complimented nicely by geometric necklace. In concordance with R, this is different from Al’s baby blue casual sundress. “Zeus” was pretty entertaining if confusing, liked the divertissement but would have preferred life orchestra. Fought my way through to the counter at intermission for hydration. Ended at about 12, snack at Everest.
[Received postcard and letter from SH today! That dear girl.]

Slept intermittently. No REM. Reached Piraeus at 6. Took metro to Monastiraki for 75 ΔPX, walked back with T and Se to apartment. From about Syntagma Square, joined by 2 dogs, seemed to be our canine protectors, barking at cars, running in front of a few, barking at parked cars, chasing a cat up a tree and all the while keeping with us. The male led and the female seemed to look to him, kinda like a gritty Lady and the Tramp. Slept from about 8 to 2. Went to McDonald’s for lunch with R, McChicken Meal (980) and chocolate sundae (400). Most of us were reading for most of the day. Dinner at 7 at Kolonaki Pizza. Interesting to eat on an inclined slope, took effort to sit and eat (seated perpendicular to the slope). Couldn’t believe it when I saw John from Ancient History of Rome class. Both of us raised our eyebrows, took a little while to register. There’s another program American School of Archaeology which he’s doing. Apparently mostly grad students. Good to see someone from Penn.

Well, no one made it to the gorge. Went down at 8 for breakfast and a dip in the pool (T, S, C). There was a diving board and even a slide. Cool! Water was nice. Walked about for a while, bought spices at the central market hall, found this marketplace of sorts for jewellery and leather goods. Again had lunch at the quiet waterfront (as opposed to the touristy one packed with restaurants.) asked for fish soup which was not on menu, it was great: soup with potatoes and tomatoes, and boiled fish dish in olive oil. (1500 ΔPX) This time, free fresh cherries and plums. Spent a long time there, writing postcards. Met up with L, Mo, Se, M at 5 near the bus terminal to get to Souda (185 ΔPX for bus fare). No more tourist class cabins so had to get deck seats (5000 ΔPX). First we got a spot on top of the chests containing the life vests, then we moved down a deck to a quieter spot, sure there were no seats, sure there was the dust bin, sure we were kinda exposed to the elements, but by golly, we were having an adventure! Then Mo found out we could use the Pulman seats, basically airline type seats, feels great because there’s lots of space and considering our previous positions... Only thing is, people are allowed to smoke. Some variety show on right now featuring 70s disco! Dinner with B, Ai and Tr as well. Had spaghetti with meat sauce and orange juice (1000 ΔPX). Let’s see if I’ll get sleep.
[On deck as we moved off, talking to Se for a while.]

4th and last(!) palace at Malia. Everyone is pretty much jaded except for Dr M herself. It’s amazing how she keeps up her energy. Finally, Gournia, mansion and town, last site. Went back to Herakleion museum after lunch with T and S. Took a leisurely pace. (800 Drx) About 3 hour bus ride from HPAKΛEIO to XANIA (2400 ΔPX). Mostly same shrub and stunted vegetation until we neared Xania when there were actually trees! Walked to Hotel Kriti. Nice hotel, decent room, best of all is the swimming pool! For 3800 ΔPX! Really near the sea, so 5 of us (+ C, Iv) had dinner by the sea. Fresh swordfish, retsina, white wine, fries, tsatsiki (2050 ΔPX). Free raki and dessert. Dessert was good but only took a sip of the raki, which was stronger than Zaros’. Took our time, then had a leisurely stroll in search of coffee. Short diversion on swings. Nice café place, Nescafe for 400 ΔPX, again took our time. Great to have the sea just next to you in the dark. Incredible that the water is so clear. Best thing is the waterfront is not chock-a-block with restaurants and people, just a few, nice and quiet and peaceful. Went back at about 1 am.

Our bus is a thing of wonder, maneuvering through hairpin bends, one-way dirt tracks, often with only a hair’s breadth to spare. It had to admit defeat however when faced with the dirt track to Galatas (blocked by bulldozer) so we walked for about 15-20 minutes, mostly uphill. It’s really exciting to be at this 5th palace, with its view of Knossos, Juktas and the other sacred peak. Apparently, the palace was abandoned and taken over by squatters before the explosion (blocks and rocks strewn about) in 1500 BC. The most interesting feature was a monumental hearth, 1st of its kind. The N wing façade is the most imposing, yet to uncover entrance. No adyta yet, best bet in W court. Slept on journey to Heraklion. People are getting tired too, pretty quiet on the bus today. Felt like Athens when we arrived, took triple (at Olympic Hotel) with T and L. 6th floor, nice huge deck down the hall. View of packed city, but also the sea. Best thing is the tub and the fixed at end (instead of middle) shower head. Santorini snatched away since no boats leave Crete on Fri except for Piraeus. Damnit. Museum at 5, went round with R who was felling a little sick. Travel agent (Pancreta) after that. Going to Chania, triple with T and Iv. Probs doing gorge thing. Most rushed off for “Pulp Fiction’ but apparently cinema was too far away. Went to Pizza Hut for dinner with Ryan. Nice change. Walked around the area, 1 or 2 bookstores, ice-cream at this café next to bookstore. R was saying how this trip is great as he gets to meet all sorts of people (Al and L are pre-med). Definitely, the smokers for one I wouldn’t normally hang out with, for that matter, practically most Americans I wouldn’t normally hang out with. Joined T, S (and C) on the rooftop lounge for a while.
[On the walk back from Galatas, N stepped into this mud hole. Fortunately she can actually communicate in Greek, so this village old woman brought out water for her, despite this being a dry time for the village and offered us water as well. So nice.]

Wake up call at 7:15 am. “Ring, ring.” “Hello?” “Wake up.” “Thanks.” “Click.” Breakfast at hotel. There are the 2 cutest kittens around, no mom, but certainly lots of human affection. 1st site was Phaistos, brutally hot even at 9 plus in the morning. Next saw Aghia Triada mansion, heard and saw snake slithering away. Final site, Kommos, grand building right next to the sea. First seaside resort? Lunch and beach at Malata. Had stuffed tomatoes, not bad but not very filling. Didn’t particularly feel like beach at 2 pm and with only 1.5 hours, so walked around with T and S, looking for postcards, looking at souvenir shops. Eventually went to Café Panoramica for strawberries at 600 Dr! each. Didn’t go beach but went to the pool, just a tad warmer than yesterday. Tanned a little, hung around, writing postcards (Mk’s)… Egypt is being dangled tantalisingly in front of me, 4-6 days for $700-800, everything (airfare, food, accommodations included) after this course. Don’t see Egypt in my near future, certainly not with Dr M. Don’t think that we can reach the critical mass of 14 students though. Dinner at relatively cheaper TABEPNA down the road. 1100 for gyro. Pop music! Depeche Mode, Proclaimers… Somewhat inappropriate, but what the heck, I do miss music. L and As were doing this most entertaining mock seduction dance, twirling around pillars, eye contact… We were offered free raki, Cretan moonshine rumoured to be up to 180 proof. Though not THAT strong, still had quite a kick. Took just half a shot. N tried to teach me belly dancing but I couldn’t quite make it. R was clowning around (3 shots of raki). M was getting plastered. Left after a while.
[2 maxims: It could be worse. This is as good as it gets.
It’s not cool to be shocked. The only way to do that is to be cynical about everything.]

Missed the sunrise, oh well. Had breakfast buffet at hotel Astoria then went on to Knossos. Great having Dr M on hand to explain and answer questions. Most amusing incident at the theatral area when a tour guide told his unfortunate flock that that was where the Minotaur was kept. Felt really good when the guard let us into the throne room, bypassing all the tourists. Much smaller than expected but it was great seeing the throne flanked by the griffins. From Knossos to Archanes, local chieftain’s house with spectacular view. Unfortunately, the museum was closed, unable to find guard to open it. So, to lunch. Sat with T, R and S. Had moussaka (eggplant, meat) which was very good and we shared a kilo of retsina (600 Dr!) Best retsina yet, tasted very light but I felt a little light-headed after 2.5 cups. Long, winding journey through mountains and small winding roads through villages to reach Idi Hotel. Saw a pool when we came round the bend toward the hotel, a little taken aback by the greenish water. Turned out it’s not the hotel’s. Whew! Very nice place, sharing a room with T and L. Everyone put stuff down and headed for the very clean and cold pool. (Dr M had about half kilo of retsina for lunch and had exclaimed “No more guiding today for me!”) She said “How decadent!” when she saw us lounging in the pool. Indeed, food, wine, nap on bus, then a dip in the pool… Suntanned a little, then siesta'd. Had dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. Pretty good, more wine, some free. As S commented, This is Utopian Crete. Dr M was quite merry during dinner, telling stories of past delinquents. Sat outside bar with T, R, S, Ai, B, Tr at some point. Conversation moved to beside pool. Night sky dripping with stars, strong breeze blowing, went in at 12, the witching hour.

Classes. Chapter 4’s really dry but well at least finished the reading. W, the last girl, finally showed up. It feels odd that new people are joining us now that we’ve kinda settled down, can’t be easy for them. Who smokes: S, M, L, C, apparently T did + quit. At break at 11, went with T + R to a bakery up the street for breakfast. 3 of us walked around for lunch + got take-out cheese pizza + (for me) potato salad from Giorgino Pizza. Very good cheese pizza, much better than the American kind. The potato salad was good too (1200 Dr). got back + did packing for Crete. Set sail at 7:15 pm from Piraeus. Hung out with T, S, then R. Had dinner with R, Ai (reminds me of Ir in her animated way of speaking), B + Tr in the cafeteria. Had fish + rice, pretty good, + soda (1000 Dr). R + I were sitting around + then T, S, Al, C, later Ls, joined us at the table for their dinner. Americans are good at telling stories, I’m starting to learn. Conversation turned to assholes dated, interesting I must say. Hung out for a while with T, S, C on the upper deck, feeling the night breeze, traversing the wide dark seas… trip to Crete is about 12 hours, staying in room with 4 beds with R, Se & Iv, nice facilities, lovely ship, cost 700 Dr. Also has private toilet/shower. Can’t help thinking of the rip-off Channel crossing for ₤50 for an hour’s ride.

flea market at Monastiraki Square. S + L came over at about 10:30, set off shortly (+ T, Iv). R + S still sleeping, they had gone on to a club after the bar. Some interesting stuff: power tools, auto parts, locksmiths, one or 2 pet stores, various knives, antique shops, there was even a gramophone playing! Pretty packed, some pockets more touristy than others (ie. Nicer stores, familiar brands), + of course, a lot of tacky stuff. Stopped by museum of folk art. Free since it’s Sunday, some pottery + stuff, housed in a nice mosque. Amazingly enough, R managed to bump into us. Went for lunch, had kebab for 1100, pretty good + surprisingly fulfilling. Waiter was very animated, showing us a live menu (others’ orders) + dashing back + forth across the street (kitchen 1 side, tables on the other). There was this man singing Greek songs + then did ‘I just called to say I love you’ in the most charming accent. Came back, siesta'd + then did reading most of the day. Mo, the 6th girl next door finally arrived. At about 9, S + L came over having first ordered pizza delivery from Kolonaki Pizza. Pretty good + cheap too, about 1200 per person. As + A dropped by for a while, so did Al + Ls, living room got a bit cramped. Actually, it’s kinda nice with no tv, radio, etc, no distractions really from the pursuit of ancient mysteries with only banal activities like eating, sleeping, sightseeing to take care of.

went to National gallery + Museum of Cycladic art with T, Iv, S & M. Best thing at former was the 6-m high figure made of sheet glass piled together. Also a sculpture by Magritte, figure of a man with a bird cage for torso. Cycladic museum was small and nice, some lovely vases [horse (Attic), seal (Phoikaia, Ionian)] and the distinctive Early Cycladic II statues which T described as having a stomachache. Went for lunch at Neon food court (up from Kolonakis Square, up Skoufa), pretty decent. Came back to apartment for siesta. At about 6, went up to Dinos… 59 with R, S + C, supposed to go for hike up Lykavitos hill. L, Al + Ls still not back from beach. Eventually set off at 8:30 pm, by which time everyone not out of town was gathered (+ T, Iv). Had retsina + bread before leaving. While a short trail it was pretty rocky, but hey it was good exercise. 360° view of Athens from the top. Amazing how compact the city is, how ominous the smog looks, how cool it was. Had dinner up there, paid 3500 drachs which was reasonable considering that I had a glass of wine, the view… Al’s a bio major, pre-med, really laid-back and looks good in a pale blue sundress. Conversation turned to the topic of marriage, C’s getting married after graduation, T + his girlfriend are seriously thinking about it and I’m like, whoa! M was of pretty much the same opinion.. Marriage means settling down, loans, debt… the good stuff. S wondered how long we would go on being polite to each other, + I said there’s always the veneer of hypocrisy. Seemed to be a shocked silence for the tiniest fraction. Hiked down the hill in the dark which was pretty fun and then went to Everest for dessert. Roamed around looking for a bar for a while. S, T + I decided to go back first.

had really bad sleep, air warm + still + added attraction of mosquitoes. Thank god for siestas, I’m so tired that I just sleep right through the afternoon heat. Lessons: Always interesting how your prof propounds his/her own personal theory + tells you everyone else is mistaken, to be sure the cases are convincing because you tend to hear only one side. What’s interesting is that D and M overlap their material quite a bit + have clashing viewpoints. Eg. Existence of Minoan empire. Went with T to Syndagma Square for lunch. Crass commercial touristy area, 400 drachma for a cheese pie. Wandered some more, lots of souvenir shops around foot of Acropolis: Greek t-shirts, pseudo artefacts.. ice-cream for 450. Was really, really hot, didn’t fell it till I got back, had to sit in front of fan for a bit. Went to dance performance, part of Athens Festival at the Theatre Herod (The Odeon of Herode Attikus). Kinda weird, T left after the first item. (R, Se, Iv, S, M, Al, Ls, L as well) rest of us sat through the whole then went for dinner, after that went up to the girls’ apartment. Chitchat + retsina. Boy can L go on. I would prefer talking to M or S.

about 1/3 of the 19 people know Greek. How I wish I knew Greek but the alphabet is starting to get familiar. First full day of lessons, Dr D is very interesting, + I find the mystery of Crete simply fascinating. Can’t wait to get there. Had lunch with R + T at a KAFETERIA, selection of Greek appetisers, fried cheese + iced coffee 1550 drachmae each. Went to Porto Rafti beach in the afternoon. Lovely water + view. Experience spoiled by stepping on sea urchin. So far, no pain. M had one spike too but I stepped right on top of one. T swam out with his wallet + had to get everything to dry on his towel. Spoke with S about medieval + modern english, her interests. Had dinner at a YAPOTABERNAS, the table was just next to the sea, had kalamari + fish (smelt). Getting to like the taste of retsina. Feeding mosquitoes. Tired out on bus ride back. Everyone’s pretty studious, doing their (huge) amount of reading.

Got to 41 Alopekis (Al got me a taxi from the Academic Center) + met Iv my roommate. 6 of us in an apartment, 3 doubles, living room, kitchen, one bathroom with toilet bowl + 1 just with toilet bowl (chain from which u flush hangs from the ceiling, mysteriously enough).
1st lesson. Thank god the room was air-conditioned. Went to lunch with L, As + Iv at this chic café place, terrible ham sandwich for 900 drachma. Took my siesta, was so tired that I had harried, vivid dreams.
It’s warm but very dry, if I stop sipping water, feel like I’ll collapse from dehydration. Traffic conditions are terrible, streets are barely 3-cars wide with parking on both sides, lots of honking, the air quality is terrible. It’s a very packed city but most buildings not too tall so not claustrophobic, feels like lots of nooks and crannies around. Met at 6:30 at the library for tour of neighborhood. Talking with R, already graduated, entering master’s program in fall. Official briefing followed by dinner at a taverna, nice outdoor setting with trellises + vines, don’t care much for retsina but the food was pretty good esp fried cheese + the beef. Talking to a few pple – S, B’s dad was apparently in Singapore for 3 years. Sat with Dr M + J for dinner. She’s living in Egypt half the time since her research is there. Apparently, her father is a really famous archaeologist. Can feel the heat getting to me.

Philly to JFK. Met this Korean grad student from Penn going home. SQ to Frankfurt. Beef was actually more tender than some I’d had at restaurants. Reached Frankfurt at about 11 am, Lufthansa to Athens at 8 pm. One single restaurant Leonardo da Vinci, lunch freaking ex, DM23 for chef’s salad + evian. Could not help falling asleep, very uncomfortable with bags wrapped around me but I was so tired that I managed to have REM sleep despite jerking every so often. After a while decided to go over to terminal 2 via sky train. Very new spacious terminal, practically deserted with full body chairs tilted at an angle, perfect for slumber! Security very tight, men + women with rifles patrolling the customs point. Then found out there was this food court at t2. Finally time to fly, like Lufthansa (crew friendly, food good) but the décor is a little too grey. Got ripped off by cab driver 5000 drachma but in no mood (unable) to argue. Hotel Stadion was full. Fortunately, Hotel Priamos about 30m down had vacancies. Old habits die hard re throwing of toilet paper into receptacle.
[Amazing thing was amidst the signs + billboards in unfamiliar Greek, there was this huge cutout of Michael Jackson promoting HIStory. Talk about reach!]