Class has been going on for about a week now in Greece but it already feels like we’ve done a months worth of activity. Our days are hectic but entirely worth it. So far we’ve visited all over Athens and explored the Island of Crete. I think I prefer Crete to Athens in the long run because Athens just reminds me of Los Angeles while Crete actually feels like what I pictured Greece would be like. Athens is still an absolutely beautiful city however; we got to visit the Acropolis as well as Monastiraki square.

The Acropolis was truly a beautiful site. We studied it for almost the entirety of fall quarter and I found myself still in shock by the enormity of the site. Staring at the ruins made me feel so small and unworthy because you could see the amount of effort that went into sculpting each little piece of architecture and art that was shown on the site. It’s amazing to see the restoration that is going into the acropolis because they have to try to match up the details exactly on some pieces that are smaller than my hands.

We got to take a “surviving Greek language class” on one of our first days here and it was helpful even though I’ve only remembered how to say “please,” “thank you,” “You’re welcome,” “hello,” and “Good day,” but hey, it’s more than I knew to start! I really want to continue learning the language  but we have very limited wifi and limited free time so it makes it difficult to sit down and write/study the letters. I’m hoping I can just at least learn the alphabet so that I can be able to figure out the words, even if it takes me a minute to figure out what’s being said.

Crete has been, by far, my favorite place we’ve visiting since we’ve gotten here. It was exactly what I pictured Greece would be like. We got to spend Greek Easter there which was one of the most amazing experiences that I’ve ever had. Being a part of such an intimate religious experience was .eye opening. I’m not extremely religious but going into the monasteries and being welcomed by the Greek families almost made me start crying. Midnight mass was unlike any festival I’d ever been too; they had a march of the soldiers out in front of the Church while they sang songs and lit candles and they even set off fireworks at the end of the night. We didn’t eat meat for the whole weekend until after the Midnight Mass which is when they feast. The locals actually go totally vegan for the 50 days before Easter which is astonishing. Trying lamb for the first time was really interesting, definitely glad I waited until Greece to try it because they know their lamb here.

The beaches in Crete were extremely beautiful; I’d never seen water so clear in my life. Even though it was so deep, it looked like the ground was right underneath our feet. I’ve always loved the water but I’m extremely terrified of anything that lives in the water so it’s always been hard to go in the oceans back home since you can’t see anything. The sea here was both terrifying but also mind easing since I could see if anything was coming near me, luckily nothing was. I think my favorite thing that we visited on Crete, however, was the Botanical Gardens of Crete. It was like walking through what I would imagine the Garden of Eden would be like. There were fruit groves everywhere and every single kind of flower that could come to mind, it was mind blowing. I’ve been to Botanical Gardens before but this was like an out of body experience.

One of the last things we did on Crete was visit the Agia Triada Monastery. I grew up Quaker and went to a very beautiful, stone meeting place on Sundays with my grandfather and in the summer we had meeting outside in a Quaker grove in the Poconos but neither of those even slightly compared to the beauty of this Monastery. From the outside it was pretty, with red stone buildings everywhere but the real magic was inside. Walking inside the Monastery quite literally made my eyes tear up. I am not a religious person but you could feel the amount of spiritual energy and love that took up the halls of this place. The decorations were outstanding and inside the main dome of the building was a huge mural of Christ looking down at all those who pass underneath. There were yellow stars lining all of the ceilings and there were beautifully painted icons all over the walls. It was, honestly, one of the most stunning things that I’ve seen in my life.

We’re heading back to Athens and then onto Nafplio, Olympia, and Delphi so more to come soon!