The Mean Reds

I feel like I have a lot to say, but no words to say it with.

Lately I've been having the mean reds, as coined by a certain Holly Golightly. It's when you're afraid of something, but you don't know what. The song that Audrey plays in this scene, Moon River, is one of my favorites. It helped me get through freshmen year and I may be taking advantage of it again this year.

I know this isn't really travel related and that I've done a bad job at catching up with updates, but I think that my wanderlust is more than physical. Sometimes, my mind just wants to be in other places.

Catching Up (Delphi)

Delphi

I have something to confess. I didn't take pictures of my feet in every city, like I thought I did. And I'm really regretting it now. But here's a substitute photo.

Delphi was my absolute favorite site. I also didn't take as many photos as I wished I had, so I also regret that. This little city is in the middle of mountains or giant hills or something, so it's all stairs. Each street is one level, and to get to the next street over you have to go up or down a flight. Needless to say, my knee hurt a lot. And, as I found myself saying frequently, "Who needs a Stairmaster when you have Delphi." Anyway, here is Delphi at night. These pretty little lights were everywhere.

Here is the beautiful site. Everything is up hill, but it was so worth it.

Justine, cute as always.

I think this is the Treasury of Apollo.

I missed it on our quiz.

THE ORACLE OF APOLLO.

(haha sorry for the caps, it was a big highlight being there).

On our way to the museum, Jamie found this little guy on her foot.

The famous kouros brothers (please don't ask me their names).

They were on their way to the festival of Dionysus but their cart broke down. Their mother really wanted to go but couldn't walk because she was sick. The brothers then carted their mother over to the festival. Later, the mother went to the temple to give thanks and asked how to make her sons die the happiest men alive. The next morning they were found, like this, dead but immortalized in stone. That day was their happiest because they served their mother and the gods. (I think that's how the story goes).

Me and the view from Delphi.

Greek risotto. Delicious.

Beautiful little church.

The day before, when we went to Delphi we couldn't go to the Temple of Athena because they were doing construction. I really wanted to see it, so the morning that our bus was leaving, I woke up really early and walked down to see it myself. It was a hike, but it was worth it.

I love you, Delphi.

pretty things

makool loves you is having a wonderful giveaway over at their lovely blog. i can't decide if i love this bicycle locket or pinwheel necklace more.

Happy

well i got surgery on tuesday, and have a ton of restrictions now. i'm supposed to ice my knee for 20 minutes every 2-3 hours, and i'm supposed to spend a total of 4-6 hours on a cpm machine (i put my leg on it and it moves my leg for me to keep my range of motion). i also get to wear an enormous brace.

since then i've been pretty bed ridden, i spend my time playing this game and watching this show. it's kind of nice watching a season from the beginning and getting to watch it all in order without weeks in between. my sister has been a lot of help and my family has been really sweet. i'm mostly amazed and really grateful to have david help me so much. he's taken half-days at work all week and getting off early to keep me company, and he drove me to my post-op surgery this morning. he helps me get food, sets my equipment up to do my knee exercises and keeps me company in my lonesome.

i feel exactly like piglet.

Catching Up (Olympia)

Olympia

Olympia was a very, very small town- but here is a photo of our hotel:

It had an amazingly large swimming pool and it was so nice! I think it may have been 11 or 12 feet deep so I did a lot of diving in which is always very refreshing in the hot sun.

The site we went to visit, was of course, the Olympic ruins. Here, the ancient Olympic games were held. Even though pretty much everything left was only a a fifth of what it used to be (or not there anymore..), you could tell that this was a gigantic place. I couldn't even imagine what it would have looked like to see it as it was meant to be seen.

Here I am with a Greek tablet. The room used to be (something else) but was turned into a church, so the tablet says things about Jesus and his divinity.

These were pedestals for statues.

An Ancient Wonder of the World:

The Temple of Zeus

That single column is actually a replica, to give an idea of

what the temple would have looked like (i.e. it was huge).

Entering the stadium...

where races were held

Professor Engen, showing us the proper way to start

(my feet photo at the top is the correct positioning for your feet)

Tholos tomb

And of course, after the site we always go to the museum.

Here is a pedament:

The helmet of Militiades, the general at the Battle of Marathon.

And, funny story.

When I first flew to Athens from Philadelphia, I sat next to this guy on the plane who was an incoming college freshmen at Yale. He said he was Greek and that he went to Greece every summer to stay with his grandmother in Thessaloniki. He also fluent in Greek, so he taught me some words (which were really, really helpful) and when the plane ride ended and we got past passport control, we said good luck to one another and were on our way.

The trip continues, I go to Athens, Nauplion, Sparta, and then here, to Olympia. At the hotel, I'm walking out to lecture and I pass some people entering the hotel- one of which is none other than Marios, my 9 hour plane trip buddy. WHAT?!?!

And after that, I run into him here, at the Olympia museum.

And then I see him again at the Delphi site, completely randomly.

After I get home and post my photos on facebook, he leaves me links to his photos,

which are of the exact same places as mine, showing that we were pretty much

at the same places, just at different times.

Amazing.