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!]