Spring Break '09 - Stop #1 - ROME, ITALY - "'ROME-ing' Around Rome!!!"

ROME, ITALY…

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2009

We landed in Rome on April, 11th and had another ‘interesting’ little story because we forgot to call in advance that we wanted airport pick up. Woops… (But I had emailed them two days before…) Anyway, we found the meeting point and the girl waiting there asked “Are you here for the campground?” I all I was thinking was “OMG, what did I sign us up for?!?!?!” We said yeah and then she said “Oh well you must be Laura(?)” Well last time I check I wasn’t and I told her my name was Britney and then she said “oh well we don’t have you on the list…” She asked if we had called ahead to say we needed airport transportation and I said no but that I had emailed and then I asked if there would be any room on the next shuttle, she said that yeah there should be. So that was good! There was plenty of room! We were the only two on the shuttle bus!

Our Campground... Hostel!

We arrived at the hostel at about 11:30 and once we checked in and got to our room – not in a tent – I was ready to take a nap. Sarah and I went for a walk around the “campground” and found their grocery store. There wasn’t much there besides cookies, crackers, chips, any other type of junk food you could think of, weird looking meat, and tomato and mozzarella sandwiches (which were disgusting). We both got the sandwiches because it actually sounded pretty good but let me tell you it wasn’t… I have learned to deal with tomatoes while I have been here so I thought it would be okay. But it was like mush smashed between two pieces of mushy bread. However, the liter bottle of water that we got tasted amazing. I think flying dehydrates me for some reason because I have noticed that I am always very thirsty after I fly. I think I drank have of the liter and then probably could have drank more but I didn’t want to get sick.

After eating we headed to the bus stop and waited for the FREE transportation to the metro (The one thing that was FREE on this trip!!!) While we were waiting we tried to figure out where we were going to go first. We decided our first tourist attraction would be the Colosso (French for Colosseum). A van pulled up and then just shut off. I thought it was the shuttle but apparently not – The driver got out and went to the vehicle behind him. I tried to ask him if he was going to the metro because another guy got in the van with him but he just drove off. I was like “Ok, I guess not.” Sarah and I just went and sat right back down on the bench to wait for the free shuttle – hoping that it would actually come.

Finally the bus came and our metro adventures had started! We had no idea what we were doing and finally after staring at the map on the wall for a bit, we asked the guy working and he was actually really helpful! He gave us a map to take with us and circled each stop we had to get off at.

Sarah and I trying to figure out the metro system!

It's okay everyone, I figured it out!!!

We got off at the Colosso stop and right when we got to the top of the stairs that led outside – there it was. The Colosseum was right in front of me! It was amazing to see in person – I have seen thousands of pictures of it before and it is so much more extravagant than I had expected!

The Colosseum

Me in front of the COLOSSEUM!

We walked across the road to take pictures of ourselves with it and then we saw these two ‘gladiators’ (who we later named gypsies). We asked to take pictures with them and they were so willing! They even gave us a gold leaf crown to wear – how epic huh? - well guess again… After they took the picture, they were like ok, we charge 5 euro per person. “WHAT?” Not even a full day in Rome and we had been gypsied. ;( I was like well we don’t have that much, sorry. All we had was change and he said oh well that will be fine… It ended up being 5 euro in change anyway but still.

So Lesson 1 – don’t ever take a picture with someone before asking how much it will cost you when you are done.

My Gypsy Gladiators!

We walked around the rest of the area and saw the Roman Forum, the Arch of Constantine, and Il Vittoriano.

The Arch of Constantine

Il Vittoriano was an amazing building. Everything on it symbolizes a different part of Italy. It was so cool because we climbed to the top of it and you could see the entire city of Rome – including the Vatican, and Colosseum.

Il Vittoriano

View from the top of Il Vittoriano

We ‘Rome-ed’ around Rome for the rest of the afternoon and looked for a grocery store to buy stuff to make food for the four days we were going to be there. However, these apparently do not exist in Rome because we could not find one and anyone we asked didn’t know where we could find one.

Pictures of the Colosseum - all done with a few cans of spray paint!

Then we started back for our hostel but our metro ride home wasn’t as successful as the ride to the center. First, we got on the metro going the opposite way of where we needed to go and we got off at the next stop and tried to find a way to get to the other side of the tracks. We exited the metro and walked up some stairs that led in the direction where the opposite metro entrance should be. It was there and we went back in… But guess what metro tickets in Rome are not the same as bus tickets in Thessaloniki. You cannot reuse them for a certain amount of time (you can use bus tickets in Thessaloniki for 70 minutes before you need to buy another one). So we had to buy another ticket – they were only 1 euro but still. I was getting thirsty again and we found a vending machine inside and I got what I thought was water (it was carbonated water – or as they call it water with gas). It was so gross – I didn’t drink hardly any of it because it just made me thirstier.

As we sat waiting for the next metro to come, we got a little confused again as to which direction we actually needed to be going. So we let 2 metros go by before realizing that they all go one way on each side of the track (DUH!) So we hopped on and finally made it back to the hostel.

We went to the restaurant at the hostel because the grocery store wasn’t open at the campground and we really didn’t want mozzarella and tomato mush again. I was surprised it wasn’t that expensive. We got a pizza and it was only 5 euro (about $7-$8 USD). After dinner, we felt we owed it to ourselves to have a drink at the bar! After all we are legal in Europe. I had a Bacardi Breezer and I couldn’t finish it because I was ready to fall asleep. We went back to our rooms and were sleeping by 10pm. I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow. I didn’t even hear the girl we were sharing a room with come in when she did.

I was really nervous to stay in a room with other people on this trip. I did not want to leave my stuff in the room because I didn’t want it to be take . But it was all ok for the day – we locked it up in our suitcases.

SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 2009

This morning was a little awkward because our ‘roommate’ was in the room. The three of us really didn’t say anything to each other, we all just kind of started to get ready. I broke the ice and asked how long she had been here and if she was on spring break. She was and she studied in Denmark for the semester! Her name was Ashley and she lived in North Carolina – and she didn’t know when she was leaving Rome to go on the rest of her journey throughout Europe for her break!?!? She seemed really nice and pretty trusting! So that was a bit more comforting to leave our stuff in the room!

So it was my turn to get into the shoilet (Shower + Toilet with no separation… they are in the same little area – it was fantastic – a little weird). I looked down at the floor and all of the soap was leaking through the door. I just got thinking – there really was only one place for it to go… YEP – it did it leaked onto the floor of the hostel. Fantastic – I flooded our hostel floor as well as almost the Frankfurt, Germany airport!!! HAHAHA. You would think they would have a drain bigger than the bottom of a coffee cup… It was a good thing that I was the last one to shower because we had to use all of our towels to whip up the floor. When the housekeeping ladies came, we asked for new towels and all was got as a response was: “I don’t understand… I don’t speak English very well.” We just had to go to the reception desk.

We finished getting ready and headed out to catch the free shuttle. We had mastered the metro and made it to the center with no problems!!! We ventured off to find the market but after walking around the area where it was supposed to be for an hour… we still hadn’t found it. We asked someone for help had he told us where we had to go. We found it but it was exactly like the market in Thessaloniki. Everything was the same and all of the products consisted of knock-off purses, clothes, jewelry, watches, sunglasses, wallets, fabrics, and the most random things you could think of. We didn’t buy anything except for a package of Kleenexes… I had contracted some cold two days before we left so I wasn’t fully cleared up yet!

We left that market to find the food market… but apparently we were a bit too late because when we got there, there was only one vender left and he was selling Aloe Vera – Not exactly the food I was looking for! So we just kept walking around and found a statue to sit on to figure out where we needed to go to find the Trevi Fountain, Parliament, and the Spanish Steps. We ,well actually my personal GPS, Sarah Frost, was looking for a particular street on the map. I was looking around to see what was going on and “watching for potential ‘gypsies’ that might get a little too close to us.” Once I looked up, I saw a kid that looked like Bobby Hamill (a kid from UWEC that studies in Spain this semester). It was so random but nice to see someone we knew that spoke perfect English!

Sarah Frost, Me and Bobby Hamill

We talked with him for a while and then started to walk toward the Trevi fountain. It was huge – we took pictures and threw our coins into the fountain (symbolizing that we would return someday). The we started to look for the Spanish Steps and I think every tourist and their fan club was there – you couldn’t see the actual steps.

TREVI Fountain

Sarah and I in front of Trevi Fountain

The Spanish Steps - I swear they are under all of those people!

View we had from the top after climbing the Spanish Steps! The Vatican is in the background - it is kind of small and cloudy but it is there!

We found Parliament and then looked for something to eat because we were both pretty hungry – after all our ‘planned’ lunch at the food market was canceled due to late arrival. We found this Italian restaurant and we both had lasagna – It tasted amazing!

On our way back to the metro a gypsy came up to us and gave Sarah and I each a rose and told us how lovely we both were. He asked if we wanted our picture taken and we said sure. He took the camera and he kept backing further and further away because he said he couldn’t see us on the screen (it was zoomed in all the way). All I could think of was he is going to run away with my camera and then Sarah and I are going to have to chase him down. He didn’t and once he gave it back we started looking so see where the best way was to get to the metro. He started walking away but then turned around and was like “ Oh come on, you have something for me. You have something to help me out.” I tried to just give the rose back but he really didn’t want it back… I really didn’t want to pay for it. We told him we had no money and he was like “No, 1 US dollar. One USD.” I don’t think he realized that a U.S. dollar is not worth hardly anything but oh well. I wish I had a dollar to give him because it would only be about 65 lepta (65 euro cents). He would not go away so Sarah and I scrounged up 1 euro and told him that was all we had. The he said “ok 1 rose for 1 euro.” I think he thought we would just give him another euro but we both stuck our roses out back at him to take back I think he was a little shocked because he just took one of them and walked away! FINALLY!

Sarah and I with our Gypsy roses!

We headed back to the hostel with no problems and had to wait for about 10 minutes. I was so overtired and had to pee so mad – I sat with my legs crossed and just about (nope I actually was…) crying because I was laughing so hard. Not a good combination… laughing and having to pee!

Waiting for the free shuttle... laughing and having to pee really bad = not a good combination!

Once we got back to the hostel, we went for some ice cream at the bar. I ended up getting cough drops as well and all I had to pay with was a 50 euro bill. I had just gone to the ATM and that is apparently all they have to hand out at the ATMs in Europe. The total was only 3.10 euro and when I handed her ethe 50 she looked at it and then back at me like it had something wrong with it. She asked me if I had a 10 euro bill or smaller. I said I didn’t and she looked at me as if I was crazy to think that she would take a 50 euro bill from a customer. People are so weird about giving change here and I swear no none ever has change to give – but all the ATMs give out are 50s.

We got back to our rooms and went to bed early again (like 10pm). Again, I was out like a light once my head hit the pillow.

MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2009

Sarah and I went to the beach today to catch some rays! Our day at the beach was quite a success! Well once we got to the beach – All of the ‘entrances’ we found were gates that were locked or paths that led to a restaurant. It like the whole thing was a private beach. We finally found an entrance (right through a restaurant). We decided to give it a try, I mean what is the worst that could happen??? We get yelled at in Italian – Oh well!!!

We made it through without any troubles and found a couple of logs to sit on and eat all of our food we got at the supermarket! After stuffing our faces we laid out in the sun (well actually sat on the log curled up in our towels because the sun was hiding behind every cloud in the sky). The sun finally came back out and it was so nice!

We spelled out ROMA with rocks, seashells, and a piece of something that resembled a dried up cornstalk (however, they don't grow very well in the sand so I don't relaly know what it was)!

Watching surfers and waiting for the sun to come out!

Just hanging out on the beach. Trying to stay warm with our jackets on!

We experienced a little Italian night life tonight and went out to a club – where we randomly met two girls from school in Greece!! It was so much fun!

Sarah and I at the club!

Once we made it back to the hostel, we were walking on the road to our room and I seriously found 5 euro! No JOKE! It was a decent ending to the night!

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2009

Sarah and I went to the Vatican City today. I saw St. Peter’s Square, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican museum and the Sistine Chapel. I cannot believe I actually got to see these amazing buildings and parts of Rome. Everything was so beautiful and words or pictures do not do it one bit of justice. It was so cool to see the School of Athens (a painting I studied in Art class), The Last Judgment (another piece of artwork we studied and probably the most famous part of the Sistine Chapel).

The Vatican City

Me in front of St. Peter's Basillica

Sarah and I with the Vatican City in the background!

Chairs are still set up from Easter Sunday!

The inside of St. Peter's Basillica

Mass was going on when we went inside.

ALL IN ALL, ROME WAS FANTASTIC AND I CAN NOT WAIT FOR THE REST OF MY EUROPE TRAVEL TO START TOMORROW! We head off to Barcelona!!!

SPRING BREAK 2009 - TRAVELS ACROSS EUROPE

SPRING BREAK

I cannot believe spring break is over already. It flew by and was a blast! I did a lot of things, tried many new things, made many memories, learned a lot about different things and people, and of course had a fantastic time.

So to start, I was a little too anxious to sleep Friday night before break (April 10th). So I had a total of about 3 hours of sleep that night… And needless to say, I didn’t hear my alarm go off at 4:30am when I was supposed to start getting ready. Instead, my alarm consisted of Sarah knocking on my door at about 5:15am. We had to leave our apartments by 5:30 in order to make it to the airport on time and make sure we had enough time to find the gate. I got ready in about 10 minutes and Sarah and I were off to find a cab at 5:30am on what seemed like a deserted street. We finally got a cab and made it to the airport before 6:00am so we were doing perfect on timing.

Security was a breeze and we found our gate and had over 30 minutes to spare before boarding! We finally boarded the plane and I thought about going to sleep but realized that the flight was going to be about 30 minutes and it would be along the coastline. It was clear skies the whole morning so we could see the coast the entire way to Athens – Amazing view!

We landed in Athens, found our next gate and had over 1.5 hours before boarding our next flight to ROME, ITALY. We both were hungry because we had not had time to eat breakfast (well at least I didn’t – haha). I saw a McDonald’s on the way to the gate and was somewhat excited because we were going to be able to get breakfast! I really just wanted a pancake but of course, they didn’t have those… Just Egg McMuffins – it was good but just not the same! After we ate, we went back to our gate to wait, and wait, and wait…

It finally boarded and Sarah and I were sleeping before takeoff. It was kind of funny because the flight attendant had to wake me up (more like shake me a bit) so I would put my purse under my seat. I had to do the same to Sarah because she was out as well! Oh well, I was back out again in about 5 minutes.

European Travel Begins... First Stop Athens!

So Here is a little bit about my trip to Athens. We left Thessaloniki on Friday, April 3rd and returned Monday, April 6 at about 3am...

Friday, April 3, 2009

So it is about 8 am and everyone in Alexandreas is waiting outside for the Zorpidis bus company to show up and take us to Athens. So 8:30 rolls around and they are still not their. Our study abroad cordinator, Kate Diedrick, called the company and asked where they were. Their response was "We do not leave that early (8am) we will be there soon!" Ummm... Ok so the school just paid you to show up at 8am and you confirmed the reservation but you decided that you didn't want to wake up that early so you just didn't... That is Greece for you though....

So we waited, and waited, and some of us ran back to the apartments to get stuff that we had forgot. Finally at about 9:15, we see the bus round the corner of Del Fone and we were like oh... only 1.5 hours late...

We got all of our stuff loaded on and it was about 9:45ish. Our trip to Athens had finally started. I was so excited to finally get out of Thessaloniki for a change. I don't feel like a tourist anymore and staying in the city was getting to be a little "old." So what better place for change than to go to Athens?!?!

It was a pretty uneventful 6 hour bus ride, so that was good. We watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" on the TV (we felt it was very fitting) and then stopped at a taverna for lunch! I was shocked... When we walked in, the first thing I noticed was that there were 2 clocks on the wall... This is the first place I have seen in Greece that has a clock! I could hardly believe it!

We arrived in Athens at about 5:30pm and one of our first sights was the Acropolis and the Parthenon. I couldn't believe that I was actually in the same city as one of the 7 wonders of the world! We got to see the 2004 Athens Olympic Games Stadium and some pretty cool hotels along the way to our hotel. We finally got to the hotel (which by the way was right across the road from the sea/beach - Amazing view) and got off the bus! We unpacked and then went for a walk down by the board walk!

Once we got back to the hotel around 9:00 and it was time for our first tour of the city... We took the TRAM to the center and then our guides showed us where most of the food, shopping, bars, and touristy stuff was, then set us free to explore Athens.

We explored a bit and then set out to find the famous ICE BAR. It was so cool, the bar was made of ice, the chairs were made of ice, the cups were ice, and the walls were ice. The bar provided you with big furry winter jackets and gloves so you don't freeze - which we did anyway - but they helped. It was so much fun, except for the fact that my shoes kept sticking to the floor.



Saturday, April 4, 2009

This morning we had continental breakfast at the hotel and it was so good... We met in the lobby at 10 and then headed to the Acropolis to see the Parthenon. I couldn't believe I was actually standing in front of the PARTHENON. I am not going to lie, it was not what I had expected, and it is a little over rated. I don't know if I was expecting something more but it was exactly like all of the pictures you see. But don't get me wrong, it was still AMAZING to see.

After the Acropolis we went to another taverna to eat dinner and then we did a little bit of shopping!!! The shops were all on one street and they basically sold a lot of the same things.

We took the Metro (first time riding on the metro - ever) home and then went back to take a nap... But after about a half hour, Annie, Stephanie, Sarah, and I couldn't sleep at all and decided to take a walk down to the beach. The sea was so cold, clear, and blue! We spent about an hour here, skipping rocks, writing in the sand, and just taking all of Athens in! It was pretty relaxing.

We went back to the hotel and were laying around trying to waste time, so we could go out that night, but we all kept falling asleep. So we got up, got some supper, and then watched some TV and went to bed by 11. I couldn't believe it. I was like, "Sarah, we are so lame... We are in Athens, Greece and going to bed by 11!" But honestly, I really didn't care, I was so tired. But we knew we would be the only ones with a full 8 hours of sleep the next day!


Sunday, April 5, 2009

Again, this morning we had breakfast at the hotel and then went to Parliament to watch the "Changing of the Guards." The guards change every hour on the hour. Their changing process is rather interesting. They have kicks and certain steps that they do while being changed out. I felt like I was at a danceline show (Just Kidding). There outfits were pretty interesting and each "pom, pom" shoe weighs 6 pounds.

After the Changing of the Guards, we walked through the Royal Gardens and then up to the highest point in the city. The gardens were cool and there was a zoo of the most random animals in it. There were donkeys, peacocks, goats, rabbits, chickens, and roosters.

The walk up to the ___________ was rediculous. The path zig-zagged up the mountain and at one point the hill was steeper than Eau Claire's that takes you up to the dorms. I felt like I was walking up "Barn's Bluff" in Red Wing or someting except that it was on the streets with cars driving towards you.

When we finally reached the top, we were all so out of breath it was rediculous (but it definatly wasn't becasue we were not in shape.. .it was the altitude! HAHA) Ok, maybe a little of both but you will have that. The view was breathtaking (literally)!

The walk down took about 20 minutes, compared to the hour and 15 minutes that it took us to get up the dang thing. So we headed to the taverna for lunch which was delicious. We had something other than slouvaki or euros. It reminded me of lasagna but with cream sauce instead of tomato sauce. It was so good!

We were supposed to leave the taverna to come back home at about 2:30pm and then the bus broke down so we waited at the taverna.

Lovie, you would be proud, I had a deck of cards in my purse and we whipped them out! I couldn't play Euchre because no one knows how to play it, but we still played cards!

We were told, the bus was fixed, but somehow when we got to where it was sitting (it was fixed but yet we still had to walk over a mile to go to the bus - it couldn't come to pick us up). A little sketch but we went with it. But wouldn't you know, when we got to the buses, they were not running - go figure. So we went to a cafe and just sat there for about 3 hours. The company wasn't sure whether it should send another driver from Thessaloniki - 6 hours away (or use one of the buses from the Zorpidis bus company in Athens - or send the new part) After about 1 hour of deciding what they should do, they sent a new part and fixed the bus. It was about 7pm when we finally left the city of Athens.

The bus ride home was uneventful as well and I slept most of the way. When we were nearing our Apartment building, one of the professors from the school got on the intercom on the bus and was like "Good Morning, Sunshines..." And then he just started talking the rest of the time. We have come to the conclusion that he is just the type of person that likes to hear his own voice!




All in all, Athens was amazing and it was a blast. I would definately go back again!

I am off to explore the rest of Europe for the next two weeks so I probably will not be posting anything on here til we get back from Spring Break.

Again our travel plans include:
April 11-15: Rome, Italy
April 15 - 17: Barcelona, Spain
April 17 - 20: Paris, France
April 20 - 22: Dublin, Ireland
April 22 - 26: London, England
April 26: Thessaloniki, Greece



Hope all is well with everyone at home! I miss you all!

Love ya!

March 25 - Greek Independence Day

Today was Greek Independence Day when the Greeks won independence from the Turks. Here is a little description of Greek Independence Day and also the meaning of the flag. The pictures are from the parade that went through town today! Each different outfit represents a different area in Greece or a Greek school that is near Thessaloniki.

Greek Independence Day

The celebration of Greek Independence Day on March 25th draws inspiration from one of the holiest days for Greek Orthodox Christians, the Annunciation of the Theotokos. This is the day that the Archangel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear a child. Bishop Germanos of Patras seized the opportunity by raising the banner of revolution, in an act of defiance against the Turks and marked the beginning of the War of Independence. Cries of Zito H Ellas and Eleftheria H Thanatos can still be heard today. These freedom fighters, or klephts as they were called, of Greece sacrificed much for their country. Kolokotronis, Nikitara, Karaiskakis, Bouboulina, and Mpotsaris are some of the heroes of the revolution.

The struggle for independence was supported abroad by intellectuals of the day. In addition to the Secret Society of Friends (Filiki Etaeria) and the Sacred Band (Ieros Lohos) prominent world figures including Lord Byron of England, Daniel Webster and Dr. Samuel Gridly Howe of the United States raised the interest level among Europeans and Americans.

After centuries of unsuccessful uprisings and failure of the Ottoman Empire to assimilate and convert the Greeks, The War of Independence began in 1821 rising up against 400 years of occupation and oppression by the Ottoman Turks. The origin of the Turkish occupancy began in 1453 with the fall of Constantinople (currently referred to as Istanbul). All true and faithful Hellenes living in their occupied homeland reacted to the Turkish oppression and resisted the attempts to deprive the Greeks of their heritage, their freedom and their religion. During the dark years of the Ottoman occupation, thousands were killed and tortured for attending church or teaching their children culture, history and language. It was the Greek Orthodox Church that helped to retain their very identity by the institution of Crypha Scholia (Hidden Schools).

For eight years the fighting ensued, until 1829, when the Sultan Mahmud II, facing Soviet troops at the gates of Constantinople, accepted Greek independence with the Treaty of Andrianople.

Pom-Pom Shoes! Very Festive - many of the guys in the parade had them on their shoes.

The little boy on the left, was taking the biggest steps and everytime his foot would hit the ground, he would stomp it into the ground.

The Band

The dog wanted to get some attention. It was a stray that came off the sidewalk in front of me and just started walking with the school!

Greek Flag
The flag of Greece has not changed since the revolution against the Ottoman Empire in 1821. The white cross in the upper left hand corner covering one fourth of the flag signifies the important role of the Greek Orthodox Church in the formation of the Hellenic Nation. The blue and white alternating stripes represent the sea and the relentless waves of the Aegean. According to legend, the Goddess of Beauty Aphrodite emerged from these waves. There are nine stripes representing each letter of the Greek word for freedom, Eleftheria.

The Rotonda & The Museum of Byzantine Culture

Πρώτη στάση (First Stop): The Rotonda

The Rotonda

The fountain outside of the Rotonda - before entering it was required to wash your hands, feet, and face to clean yourself of any impurities.

Cross in the bushes outside of the Rotonda.

After walking through the 6m thick walls, you have entered the Church of Agios Georgios, or the Rotonda of Galerius. It was built in 306 (4th century A.D.) and survived many of Thessaloniki’s earthquakes; including the earthquake in 1978 that damaged the structure. It has since been under construction and has been subsequently restored; it is currently being stabilized with scaffolding and has been since 2004. The diameter and height of the Rotonda are approximately 30m high and the walls are interrupted by eight rectangular bays. There are only a three mosaics that remain on the arches of the eight bays. One of the bays is the entrance into the cylindrical building and another is an extension, the minaret that was added in 1590.

The scaffolding that is supporting the Rotonda.

An exit that is no longer used. The next picture is what is on the ceiling of this bay.

One of the few remaining mosaics in one of eight Rotonda arches. The birds and peacocks are a symbol of heaven. One of the only reasons this mosaic still exists today is because it does not contain any holy figures.

These two pictures are of the minaret that was added to the Rotonda structure in 1590. Nothing was damaged in the minaret during the time when the Greeks captured Thessaloniki during the Balkan War.

Mosaic on the ceiling in the Rotonda.

Center of the ceiling mosaic. The middle was a picture of the Lord but was removed when the Greeks took over Thessaloniki during the Balkan War.

After Galerius's death in 311, the structure stood empty until the Emperor Constantine ordered it to be converted into a Christian church in the 4th century. The church was embellished with very high artistic quality mosaics. Only fragments survived of the original decoration.

The building functioned as a church for over 1.200 years until the city fell to the Ottomans. In 1590, it was then converted into a Muslim mosque, the Mosque of Suleyman Hortaji Effendi. It remained a mosque until 1912, when the Greeks captured the city during the Balkan War. It was then formally re-consecrated into a church, but the minaret was not demolished. The building is now a historical monument under the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities of the Greek Ministry of Culture, though the Greek Orthodox Church tries to reclaim it every so often.

Επόμενη στάση (Next Stop): The Museum of Byzantine Culture

The Museum of Byzantine Culture aims in presenting various aspects of life during the byzantine and post-byzantine periods: art, ideology, social structure and religion, as well as how historical changes and the political situation were affecting people’s everyday life. The treasures housed in this fine museum include priceless icons, frescoes, sculpted reliefs, mosaics, jewelry, manuscripts, and pottery.

The founding of the Museum of Byzantine Culture and its official opening in 1994 in Thessaloniki, the most "Byzantine" city of the Modern Greek state, marks the end of a story that had begun long before, just after the city’s liberation in 1912.

In August 1913, a decree issued by the Governor General of Macedonia, Stephanos Dragoumis, resolved to establish a "Central Byzantine Museum" in Thessaloniki. At the suggestion of the Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, Gennadios, it was decided that it would be housed in Acheiropoietos Church. The decision was never carried out, however. Instead of Acheiropoietos, a government decree issued in 1917 appointed the Rotunda as the new Macedonian museum, and large numbers of Christian sculptures were collected there, some of them remaining on display in the Rotunda until the earthquake of 1978. Meanwhile, the Christian and Byzantine Museum was founded in Athens in 1914, and in 1916, antiquities were transferred en masse from Thessaloniki to Athens "for their own protection" and eventually included in the collection of the Byzantine Museum in Athens.

The question of founding the Museum resurfaced in actuality after the change of polity in 1975. In 1977, a nationwide architectural competition was announced and it was won by the entry submitted by Kyriakos Krokos.

The foundation stone was laid in March 1989 and the building was completed and handed over in October 1993. The antiquities that had been transferred to Athens in 1916 returned in June 1994, part of which was displayed in the museum’s inaugural exhibition, "Byzantine Treasures of Thessaloniki: The Return Journey", which opened, together with the museum, on 11 September 1994.

The 11 rooms that comprise the Museum’s permanent exhibition opened gradually to the public from 1997 to early 2004.

This is a column that was found inside St. Demetrius's Church after the fire in 1917.

"Most of the elaborate decoration inside St. Demetrius's -sculptures, mosaics, and frescoes - was destroyed by the disastrous fire of 1917. However, some interesting parts of the original dcoration do still survive. The lost wall mosaics from the small north colonnade are known from photographs and form the water-colours painted by the English architect W.S. George"

"Fan-shaped ambo from the basilica near the Philippi Museum, 6th century."

Pottery used for food storage and transportation. These were also used as urns in tombs.

Glazed Pottery

"In the Middle Byzantine period, the practice of glazing household wares, particularly tableware, became widespread. A layer of glaze rendered the surface of the pottery impermeable and accentuated the decoration, which was painted, sgraffito (engraved through a layer of white slip), or relief (produced with a mold or a stamp).

The decorative motifs of Middle Byzantine pottery frequently include such mythical creatures as griffins, harpies, and centours, and scenes featuring heroes of the Acritic ballads."

"Vases - used for storage of foods, cooking oils, perfumes, and other liquids"

Tunic worn by priests/pastors/bishops/etc.

"Tunic (sakkos) and genual (epigonation) of loannikios, Bishop of Melnik, 1745 - 53, Mitre and devotional pendant (enkolpion), 19th century."

Another tunic. This one weighed 50 lbs.

"Scenes from the Old Testament story of Joseph, 1677-82"

"Manuscript Gospel, late 13th first half of 14th century.

Jewelry

"Gold bracelets with enamel decoration, 9th - 11th century. Such costly items of jewelry, which were worn by women, reflect the splendour and the luxury of the imperial court and the aristocracy."

Not Much... Just Chillin'

There hasn't been much going on lately... Just school and livin' the college life. Writing papers and taking exams. Oh well, I guess that is why it is called the American College of Thessaloniki... I got my first marketing exam back and Mom/Dad you would be proud! It is definately refridgerator material! ;) Sarah and I were both going to hang them on our refridgerator but decided we didn't want to be too corny!

I can't believe how fast time is flying by here. Spring break is only 3 weeks away and then we are traveling throughout the whole month of May!

Just wanted to say thank you to eveyone that has been staying in touch with letters, cards, and email! Getting mail here is like winning the lottery! It helps pass the time by!

We are going to the Byzantine Museum and touring the Rotonda, one of Thessaloniki's oldest churches, this Saturday so that will be interesting! The Byzantine Museum is a continuation of things after the archaeological museum. I will post some more pictures of that and some more of our weekend adventures after the weekend!!!

SPRING BREAK IS OFFICIAL!!!!

Hello Everyone!

So we have officially booked all of our hostels for spring break!!! Now we have a place to stay throughout the whole trip instead of trying to find a cardboard box with 24 hour luggage security!

I had a few mishaps in this whole spring break planning extravaganza but I finally got everything figured out! One day this past week Annie Mahoney, Sarah Frost, Dewey Thoner, and I were sitting in the library trying to find the cheapest hostels/hotels and I was looking into the Paris hostel. So I am putting in all of our search information when it comes to put in the arrival date. I went back to check my plane ticket confirmation and just used that date (April 18th). So I found a hostel that we were all satisfied with (2 blocks away from the EIFFEL TOWER!!!!!) and was going through all the info before I clicked "Book Now."

I read through the details and Dewey was like "Wait, I think we get into Paris on April 17th." I told him, no I checked my plane ticket and it said the 18th. So I told him, well maybe we booked different days. I was like, well it is only 1 day and it is far enough in advance that you could change your ticket. So Sarah and Annie checked their confirmations and guess what "THEY WERE LEAVING THE 17TH. I WAS GOING TO BE IN BARCELONA BY MYSELF FOR A DAY!" I had booked the wrong day. I couldn't believe it because when I booked my flights, I used the flight numbers Sarah gave me from her flight confirmations. I went back and checked to make sure I had followed that right, which I had and then I was really confused. Well who knew that Ryanair (the website we booked our tickets on) would assign ONE flight number to TWO different planes on TWO DIFFERENT DAYS.

We all laughed so hard in the library, my abs started to hurt and I was crying!!! So after rebooking my flight to the right day and paying the flight change fee, we booked our hostel and everything is figured out now. We are all leaving Barcelona on the 17th on the same plane!!!


There has been a few changes to the rest of my travels but not too many!

April 2-4 - Athens, Greece (Field Trip through School)
April 11 - 14 - Rome, Italy (Spring Break)
April 15 - 16 - Barcelona, Spain (Spring Break)
April 17 - 19 - Paris, France (Spring Break)
April 20 - 21 - Dublin, Ireland (Spring Break)
April 22 - 26 - London, England (Spring Break)
April 29 - Halkidiki or little village near Mt. Olympus (One of my friends from Eau Claire is studying abroad in England and she is coming to Greece when we return to Thessaloniki on the 26th because she is done with school earlier than we are - We are going to take a day trip to some place!!)

May 1 - 3 - Corinth Canal (Bungee Jumping)
May 10 - Halkidiki (Hopefully it is warm!!!)
May 16 - 18 - Santorini
May 23 - 24 - Mt. Olympus (School Field Trip)
May 31 - Halkidiki (Happy 21st to ME!!!)

June 7 - Destination: ELLSWORTH, WI, USA

I will keep you all updated if anything changes!!!