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Monday, March 9, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday-Mistras and Kosmas
Tuesday-Time is flying by
This morning we headed to the village of Mistras to see the ancient remains of the walled city. These were the most intact ruins we have seen thus far. Climbing to the top of the mountain where the churches and palace were located was no easy task, but well worth the effort. For us flat-landers the mountain vistas are just incredible. From the top it was clear why this community chose the location, not just for its beauty but it was easy to defend from their enemies since it was so difficult to ascend.
Cold and exhausted from our climb we returned home for a late lunch and decided to rest awhile. Afterwards Anna joined Zaha and us for a trip to the mountain village (higher up still) of Kosmas only babout 15 min. away. As we departed near dusk we could see that it was snowing in the mountains and as we aapproached we had to stop on the side of the mountain and put snow chains on the tires. Since Anna was not confident about driving on the snowy mountain roads so Kirt took the wheel. When we made it to the top it looked like a quaint, Colorado, ski village and we were in about 6 inches of snow! We has learned yesterday that my grandfather's family used to summer inn Kosmas when it was too warm in Vrontmas. The views were breathtaking, but we didn't linger long as we wanted to start down the snowy roads before it was too dark. We arrived safely home and Anna prepared a wonderful bowl of avgolemono soup (egg lemon chicken soup). What another special day! Luckily 3 snowy pictures of Kosmas uploaded, but sadly we can't get anything else to :(
This morning we headed to the village of Mistras to see the ancient remains of the walled city. These were the most intact ruins we have seen thus far. Climbing to the top of the mountain where the churches and palace were located was no easy task, but well worth the effort. For us flat-landers the mountain vistas are just incredible. From the top it was clear why this community chose the location, not just for its beauty but it was easy to defend from their enemies since it was so difficult to ascend.
Cold and exhausted from our climb we returned home for a late lunch and decided to rest awhile. Afterwards Anna joined Zaha and us for a trip to the mountain village (higher up still) of Kosmas only babout 15 min. away. As we departed near dusk we could see that it was snowing in the mountains and as we aapproached we had to stop on the side of the mountain and put snow chains on the tires. Since Anna was not confident about driving on the snowy mountain roads so Kirt took the wheel. When we made it to the top it looked like a quaint, Colorado, ski village and we were in about 6 inches of snow! We has learned yesterday that my grandfather's family used to summer inn Kosmas when it was too warm in Vrontmas. The views were breathtaking, but we didn't linger long as we wanted to start down the snowy roads before it was too dark. We arrived safely home and Anna prepared a wonderful bowl of avgolemono soup (egg lemon chicken soup). What another special day! Luckily 3 snowy pictures of Kosmas uploaded, but sadly we can't get anything else to :(
Monday-Vrontmas
Monday in Vrontmas
After a wonderful greek breakfast of yogurt with honey, breads and pastries,and cheese we went walking in the village. This mo untain village is is quaint, quite old and very clean. My cousin Zzhz told us there are about 800 residents in the village and they all know each other! In fact when her cousin got married this past September there were 800 people at the wedding because you can't leave anyone out!We stopped by my Uncle Tike's home and visited with him and his wife and enjoyed a cup of greek coffee. His sister lived across the street with her husband so we stopped there next. They live in the home that my grandfather, Anton Nikias, grew up in. We saw old pictures of the family, heard great stories and of course had more greek coffee! It was wonderful to parts of my famiy tree together. We walked thru the town visiting the Greek Orthodox church, the town square and some of the olive groves. After a huge and amazing lunch prepared by Anna of pastichio,moussaka,dolmathes and spanakopita around 3pm we went to Scala to the internet cafe and to walk around the town. We had another lovely dinner about 10pm that was amazing. Sorry we can't load anymore pictures but they simply won't upload. Thanks for checking in with us.
After a wonderful greek breakfast of yogurt with honey, breads and pastries,and cheese we went walking in the village. This mo untain village is is quaint, quite old and very clean. My cousin Zzhz told us there are about 800 residents in the village and they all know each other! In fact when her cousin got married this past September there were 800 people at the wedding because you can't leave anyone out!We stopped by my Uncle Tike's home and visited with him and his wife and enjoyed a cup of greek coffee. His sister lived across the street with her husband so we stopped there next. They live in the home that my grandfather, Anton Nikias, grew up in. We saw old pictures of the family, heard great stories and of course had more greek coffee! It was wonderful to parts of my famiy tree together. We walked thru the town visiting the Greek Orthodox church, the town square and some of the olive groves. After a huge and amazing lunch prepared by Anna of pastichio,moussaka,dolmathes and spanakopita around 3pm we went to Scala to the internet cafe and to walk around the town. We had another lovely dinner about 10pm that was amazing. Sorry we can't load anymore pictures but they simply won't upload. Thanks for checking in with us.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sunday- To Vrontmas
At noon my cousin Zaharoula Nikias and her mother Anna picked us up at he Stanley Hotel for our 3 hour drive south of Sparta to my family's village in the mountains called Vrontmas.
We had a wonderful lunch at 4pm of Greek spaghetti with pot roast, greek salad and bread before heading to the neighboring village of Scala 18K away. They had a carnival parade which sadly was mostly rained out but the glendi that followed was in a large tent in the square and the villagers were not dismayed by the rain. We were treated to live music by well known singers from the greek islands, lots of greek dancing and pork souvlaki and loukemades for dinner and dessert. We met up with Anna's sisters, Kiki and Angleline, and their families to enjoy the glendi together. I could not have wished for a better introduction to the village and my family!!
We had a wonderful lunch at 4pm of Greek spaghetti with pot roast, greek salad and bread before heading to the neighboring village of Scala 18K away. They had a carnival parade which sadly was mostly rained out but the glendi that followed was in a large tent in the square and the villagers were not dismayed by the rain. We were treated to live music by well known singers from the greek islands, lots of greek dancing and pork souvlaki and loukemades for dinner and dessert. We met up with Anna's sisters, Kiki and Angleline, and their families to enjoy the glendi together. I could not have wished for a better introduction to the village and my family!!
(Our photos and journal are a bit out of order but we are having difficulty getting images to load.)
Saturday- Tour of Athens
Our day began early once again for our tour of Athens' antiquities. Our first stop was at Zeuss' Temple with several colums standing stark again the modern landscape. We alos saw the gate to the temple site and several ruins of ancient homes at the site.
Next we visited the acropolis which means "top of the city", and is of course the classic ruins of Athens. The acropolis includes the aeropagus-Mars Hill where Paul preached, the temple gate, the Temple of Erythmian which has the columns of beautiful maidens, and of course the stately, immense Parthenon. It was a bit surreal to be standing next to theses ruins which we'd only seen in books! Phidias---- who designed and calculated the Parthenon's dimensions was a genius. He incorporated several optical illusions into the design such as the columns are narrower at the top than at the bottom but they appear at a distance to be perfectly straight, the columns are not spaced uniformly apart yet also appear to be so at a distance and the foundation is convex in shape though it also appears straight and flat. It is truly amazing and it has withstood the test of time and even pollution. They are currently adding some new marble to restore and preserve it as well.
After the acropolis we spent the afternmoon at the National Archeological Museum and saw an outstanding collection of artifacts and statues dating from 6000 BC!! When the museum closed we went shopping at Monistiraki Market downtown in the Plaka. There were many people out and about and some were dressed in carnival costumes and putting on mini parades in the streets. They celebrate of week of carnival before lent much like Mardi Gras.
After a short rest we went to Lycabettus Hill which was an uphill climb from the subway station, then an even longer climb up more than 150 stairs to reach the cable car ride which took us to the top of the hill. At the top we had a panoramic view of Athens at night and the Parthenon brightly lighted and glowing like gold.
At midnight we returned to the Plaka for roast pork and pilaf dinner followed by greek yogurt with honey for dessert and a shot of ouzo compliments of the house. At 2am we ended a long and tiring but very exhilarating day!
Saturday- Tour of Athens
Our day began early once again for our tour of Athens' antiquities. Our first stop was at Zeuss' Temple with several colums standing stark again the modern landscape. We alos saw the gate to the temple site and several ruins of ancient homes at the site.
Next we visited the acropolis which means "top of the city", and is of course the classic ruins of Athens. The acropolis includes the aeropagus-Mars Hill where Paul preached, the temple gate, the Temple of Erythmian which has the columns of beautiful maidens, and of course the stately, immense Parthenon. It was a bit surreal to be standing next to theses ruins which we'd only seen in books! Phidias---- who designed and calculated the Parthenon's dimensions was a genius. He incorporated several optical illusions into the design such as the columns are narrower at the top than at the bottom but they appear at a distance to be perfectly straight, the columns are not spaced uniformly apart yet also appear to be so at a distance and the foundation is convex in shape though it also appears straight and flat. It is truly amazing and it has withstood the test of time and even pollution. They are currently adding some new marble to restore and preserve it as well.
After the acropolis we spent the afternmoon at the National Archeological Museum and saw an outstanding collection of artifacts and statues dating from 6000 BC!! When the museum closed we went shopping at Monistiraki Market downtown in the Plaka. There were many people out and about and some were dressed in carnival costumes and putting on mini parades in the streets. They celebrate of week of carnival before lent much like Mardi Gras.
After a short rest we went to Lycabettus Hill which was an uphill climb from the subway station, then an even longer climb up more than 150 stairs to reach the cable car ride which took us to the top of the hill. At the top we had a panoramic view of Athens at night and the Parthenon brightly lighted and glowing like gold.
At midnight we returned to the Plaka for roast pork and pilaf dinner followed by greek yogurt with honey for dessert and a shot of ouzo compliments of the house. At 2am we ended a long and tiring but very exhilarating day!
Saturday-tour of Athens
From Vrontmas we went to the mountain village of Kosmas, where my grandfather and his family spent their summers as a child. As you can see there was plenty of snow! We even put snow chains on the car to manage the mountain roads! The quaint village at the top was well worth the trip.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Friday Kalambaka to Meteora
(Note: This entry had to be rewritten because just as I tried to publish it my internet connection card ran out of time-just figures!)
After visiting the charming mountain town of Kalambaka we took a short drive to the sheer rock cliffs of Meteora to see the monasteries perched on top of these rocks. We visited two of the six remaining monasteries (there were 26 at one time) that of St. Stephens and Rousanou both ran by nuns rather than monks. Fortunately access to these two monasteries was not as difficult as the others we’d read about. One was quite close to the parking area and the other took about 150 steps to reach. Unfortunately the gale force cold winds nearly blew us off the rock and only a few of us braved the cold to photograph the breathtaking view. We expected rather plain, austere buildings inside the monasteries but were surprised to find a church within the walls of that was one of the most ornate, gold gilded; iconic painted churches we’ve ever seen. The chandelier of gold, the intricately carved altar screen and walls which were covered every square inch with brightly painted saints and stories from the life of Christ were a feast for the eyes!
By evening we returned to Athens where we took the subway downtown for shopping and we found a wonderful place for dinner with a strolling guitar serenading us throughout dinner. The food was amazing-dolmathes and greek spaghetti!
Tomorrow it’s the tour of Athens and the centerpiece of the tour -the Acropolis and the Parthenon.
(Note: This entry had to be rewritten because just as I tried to publish it my internet connection card ran out of time-just figures!)
After visiting the charming mountain town of Kalambaka we took a short drive to the sheer rock cliffs of Meteora to see the monasteries perched on top of these rocks. We visited two of the six remaining monasteries (there were 26 at one time) that of St. Stephens and Rousanou both ran by nuns rather than monks. Fortunately access to these two monasteries was not as difficult as the others we’d read about. One was quite close to the parking area and the other took about 150 steps to reach. Unfortunately the gale force cold winds nearly blew us off the rock and only a few of us braved the cold to photograph the breathtaking view. We expected rather plain, austere buildings inside the monasteries but were surprised to find a church within the walls of that was one of the most ornate, gold gilded; iconic painted churches we’ve ever seen. The chandelier of gold, the intricately carved altar screen and walls which were covered every square inch with brightly painted saints and stories from the life of Christ were a feast for the eyes!
By evening we returned to Athens where we took the subway downtown for shopping and we found a wonderful place for dinner with a strolling guitar serenading us throughout dinner. The food was amazing-dolmathes and greek spaghetti!
Tomorrow it’s the tour of Athens and the centerpiece of the tour -the Acropolis and the Parthenon.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Hi family and friends,
We had an incredible day in Meteora today. The sheer, rock cliffs were beautiful against the blue sky with the monasteries perched on top. We went to 2 monasteries Rossanou and St. Stephen. We expected austere buildings but found instead the most ornate small churches in the monasteries. The were filled, every inch, with iconic paintings and gold leaf and candelabra it was really wuite a feast for the eyes. The wind at the top was gale force making it extrememly cold and difficult to even stand but we braved it for a few picturesque pictures which we'll try to upload soon.
Tonight we are back in Athens. We took the new subway system into the restaurant and nightclub area where tons of people were gathered celebrating.....(computer glitch)
We had an incredible day in Meteora today. The sheer, rock cliffs were beautiful against the blue sky with the monasteries perched on top. We went to 2 monasteries Rossanou and St. Stephen. We expected austere buildings but found instead the most ornate small churches in the monasteries. The were filled, every inch, with iconic paintings and gold leaf and candelabra it was really wuite a feast for the eyes. The wind at the top was gale force making it extrememly cold and difficult to even stand but we braved it for a few picturesque pictures which we'll try to upload soon.
Tonight we are back in Athens. We took the new subway system into the restaurant and nightclub area where tons of people were gathered celebrating.....(computer glitch)
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Athens,Corinth and Delphi have been amazing. Though it is beautiful here and sunny it is quite cold and we are in snow capped 11,000 ft high mountains.
Tomorrow we are off to see the mountaintop monasteries at Meteora. They are literally perched on the top of huge peaks and will require a lot of hiking to the top! The monks who live there paint icons and we will see them painting them and they will explain the importance and use of icon in the Greek Orthodox church. Hopefully if we can get an internet connection tomorrow we will include pictures and more information.
Our tour group has been moving quite fast and we only have the late evening hours free but we are seeing so much and yet we are looking forward to a slightly slower pace at our cousins house next week.
Thanks for checking in with us! Love from the Greek trekkers!
Tomorrow we are off to see the mountaintop monasteries at Meteora. They are literally perched on the top of huge peaks and will require a lot of hiking to the top! The monks who live there paint icons and we will see them painting them and they will explain the importance and use of icon in the Greek Orthodox church. Hopefully if we can get an internet connection tomorrow we will include pictures and more information.
Our tour group has been moving quite fast and we only have the late evening hours free but we are seeing so much and yet we are looking forward to a slightly slower pace at our cousins house next week.
Thanks for checking in with us! Love from the Greek trekkers!
The Beginning a quick note
Here is a quick note that come from my parents:
We have had trouble using the phones and finding an internet connection or anyone at the hotel who knows how to use it until now and sadly we leave any minute on our tour of Delphi.
The eee pc wouldn't log on the internet in Athens though we bought an internet use card for 5 euro. So sadly we can't work on the blog either yet.
Corinth yesterday was amazing and we still can't believe we're here. We saw where Paul preached and was on trial in the marketplace-way cool! We are in the mountains now in Delphi and they're snow capped!! Yes, it's cold but not unbearable, but Dad has the skiing bug!! Today feels colder so pray for us!
Hopefully we will hear more soon :)
-Alyssa
We have had trouble using the phones and finding an internet connection or anyone at the hotel who knows how to use it until now and sadly we leave any minute on our tour of Delphi.
The eee pc wouldn't log on the internet in Athens though we bought an internet use card for 5 euro. So sadly we can't work on the blog either yet.
Corinth yesterday was amazing and we still can't believe we're here. We saw where Paul preached and was on trial in the marketplace-way cool! We are in the mountains now in Delphi and they're snow capped!! Yes, it's cold but not unbearable, but Dad has the skiing bug!! Today feels colder so pray for us!
Hopefully we will hear more soon :)
-Alyssa
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
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