Athens and Greek Easter

I have just returned from a wonderful Spring Break in Greece! I cannot believe that I had the opportunity to spend eight full days there, and every moment was wonderful. We were very lucky with warm weather and friendly people, and were able to see and do so much.


When Morgan and I arrived last Thursday at the airport in Athens, Soulis and Voula were waiting for us and took us to the apartment we would be staying at for the week. They happen to have an extra apartment in an area right outside of the city, and set us up there with plenty of eggs, olive oil, cheese, coca cola, and greek coffee...all the staples! The apartment we stayed at had a balcony on both sides, a garden in the back with lots of delicious-smelling orange trees, wisteria, and vines, and a flat roof perfect for sun bathing. The apartment is right near a range of mountains on the border of Athens called the "Crazy Mountains," because all the storms and bad weather come from their direction.


After we had gotten ourselves settled in, we went with Soulis and Voula to their apartment in Pagrati to have lunch/dinner and chat for a while. We ate a bountiful meal (to us, at least--they have a huge lunch every day and tend to skip breakfast and dinner), of meat cooked in tomatoes and olive oil, potatoes, greek salad, rice, etc... We ate, talked, and played with their puppy, Hermes, for about three hours, and then George (a family friend who's been friends with their son Petros since they were babies, and lives across the street) came over! It was great to see him, and he hasn't changed a bit since I saw him almost four years ago at Christina's wedding.


George drove us around Athens to give us an overall tour, and then we had coffee before he took us back to our apartment. It was late and we were tired, but so excited for the next day, when we could fully explore the city.



On Friday, we took a taxi into Athens (which are for the most part, very inexpensive compared to other European cities), and walked around the Plaka and the Parliament Square all day. The weather was fantastic and warm, and everyone was so friendly and happy. While we were approached by several people because we are clearly non-Greek tourists, it was not a creepy type of approach, but rather, a reflection of the welcoming and warm Greek demeanor. We bought ferry tickets for Monday to the island of Paros, and in an internet cafe where we booked a hostel, the staff gave us free smoothies and free chocolate Easter Eggs..."Greek Hospitality," they said.

After going back to our apartment, sunbathing on the roof a while, and changing, we headed to Soulis and Voula's for dinner, and then went to an Easter procession for Good Friday on the streets in Pagrati. There, we saw George and other relatives/friends (I'm not exactly sure who is related to me and who isn't in the big groups we met - it's complicated!) and that night we went to a cafe/bar/lounge with George, his girlfriend Evi, Panos, and some other friends of theirs'. They were all so nice and eager to get to know us, and it was fun to go out with all Greek people!





The next day, Saturday, Morgan and I got a kind of late start and arrived in the city at around noon. We walked through the Plaka and up the hill towards the Acropolis, and on the way there, decided to eat lunch at a rooftop cafe. There, we were again encountered with extreme hospitality, and were given free desserts - spongey polenta-type cake oozing with honey. We sat and ate and looked at the view for a long time, and when we arrived at the top of the hill at the Acropolis, we discovered that it was closed early because of the Easter weekend. So, after looking at the vast surrounding view of Athens from a nearby climbing boulder, we called George, and took a nice long drive with him along the coast to the small town of Sounion.




Sounion is a small, hilled peninsula that is surrounded on three sides by water, and has a huge temple to Poseidon. It is allegedly here that King Aegeus threw himself from the cliffs when he thought his son had died in a mission to kill the Minotaur, thus, giving the sea its name -- the Aegean Sea. It is also a spectacular view for a temple, for Greek sailors coming into the coast. Sounion is a very peaceful place, and the drive there alone was a treat to see. We had yogurt and honey and Nescafe Frappes (a Greek specialty!) at a cafe on the hill, and then drove back to our apartment.

After showering and getting ready, Morgan and I headed to Soulis and Voula's at about 11:00 so that we could go with them to a midnight mass for Easter outside their church in Pagrati. It was so beautiful,
everyone in the streets had candles, and at midnight, firecrackers went off and doves were released. After the ceremony, we returned to the apartment and had a late dinner of liver soup (delicious!), lamb, potatoes, greek salad, the works...We then had to get to bed, because the next day (Easter Sunday) we would be driving early to get to Soulis and Voula's friends' home in the country.




On Sunday, we drove about two hours (including a short trip on a car-ferry, a first for me!) north of Athens, to get to the home of a couple friends of the family, who live in the countryside by the beach, north of Athens. The day started out a bit gloomy, but by noon, the sun was shining and it was quite hot. While a spitted lamb roasted on the rotisserie, alongside some liver wrapped in intestine, Morgan and I took a walk through the fields and along the beach...it was lovely.

Everyone at the party was so friendly and we were able to speak to the few who could speak English. I got a couple "shame on you"s for not speaking Greek, but otherwise everything went smoothly. To fully redeem myself for my lack of Greek speaking-skills, I let the party coerce me into trying the brains and tongue of the lamb. I won't go as far as to say they were delicious, but it went down OK. We also had to try the liver wrapped in intestine (which I didn't know was intestine until it was already in my stomach), and another kind of grilled liver, before the lamb itself was even off the spit! All-in-all a very authentic and interesting experience. I have always considered myself quite the carnivore, but if anything could make me a vegitarian, it would probably have been this experience!


After eating ourselves sick, and sitting out in the sun for hours, it was time to drive back to Athens. Soulis and Voula dropped us off at our apartment, (not before supplying us with more hard-boiled eggs and cookies for our trip to the islands) and we packed to depart early in the morning for Paros. More on that part of the trip to come!


It was so nice to spend time with my relatives in Greece. Greek family puts so much importance on family ties, and it means so much to me that even though half a world separates us, we are able to be just as close as I am with much of my immediate family in California. They are so generous and we had a fantastic time. They told us several stories, about Greek mythology and times when my own family came to visit long ago, as well as political theories and the history of Greece. I feel like every time I see them I learn a lot, and am of course fed to full capacity. It is incredible that I only gained about half a kilo on this trip, I ate more than I thought was humanly possible (but perhaps my stomach just felt more pressure after having just recovered from my parasite, haha).


The Athens leg of the trip was a great start to our Spring Break, and a good way to ease into the full relaxation of real vacation, in Paros...


On the right, I've put up six new albums from the trip to Greece, please check them out! And, another post will be up soon!


Xoxo,

Ashley

Feeding the Ducks

Today I wanted to get a touch of nature, so I walked to the Bois de Boulogne after buying a loaf of pain court from the boulangerie down the street. I headed to the Lac Superieur, (ironically, the smaller lake of the two in the Bois), and sat on a grassy knoll to feed the ducks.

It wasn't exactly sunny but it was very warm, and it was nice to sit on the grass with a sleeveless shirt on! Ducks have a good communication system, apparently, and soon practically every duck in the lake was at my feet, wanting to be fed. That loaf disappeared really quickly! Even a mommy and her ten babies came over:

It was good to get out of the actual city a bit and relax for even just an hour outside in the good weather. Tomorrow it's supposed to be foggy and then rain is coming...luckily I'll be in Greece where it's supposed to be in the 70s! I'm not even sure if I know how to handle that kind of heat anymore!

xx,

Ashley

Ma Famille a Paris!

So, as I mentioned below, this week my family was in Paris! Unfortunately for the first weekend I was away in Normandy, and my time with them was limited from Monday to Thursday because of classes, but from Thursday night onward I was able to stay in their apartment with them, which was incredibly located--right by the Champ de Mars, with a view of the Tour Eiffel!

On Sunday night we had a delicious Salade Nicoise that they had made with fresh ingredients from the marche nearby, and we all caught up. Monday, we went to tea at the Mariage Freres in the Marais, and then saw the Petit Nicolas exhibit. Petit Nicolas is a children's book written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempe, 50 years ago. The exhibit is a tribute to Petit Nicolas' 50th birthday, and the stories are still published all around the world. I had read them when I was about 15 in French class (although most French children read them as children, it was a good starting point for my endeavors in French "literature"). It was really neat to see the exhibit and all the original drawings and storyboards that led to the children's book. We then walked to my class at the Sorbonne together (it was a beautiful, hot spring day) and said goodbye for the night.

The next time I saw my family was at the belated birthday dinner my mother organized for me at a wonderful restaurant in the 7th arrondisement, Au Bon Acueil. We invited Madame Poidevin, my French teacher Madame Shirvani from high school (she happened to be here on a high school spring break trip to Paris), my cousin Stephen who is also studying here, and a few of my friends from the program. It was so nice to have everyone together in Paris, and the hours rolled by without us even realizing. The dinner was delicious, a wonderful fusion of Parisian and nouveau-cusine, and the venue very intimate. I tried Langue d'oursins, which was strips of sea urchin, presented in the actual urchin shell with a froth of asparagus and cucumber. Very intriguing and delicious! I was so happy for my friends and for Madame P to meet my mom, dad, and sister!

The next day I had a museum visit at the wonderful Marmottan museum in the 16th Arrondisement, on the western edge of Paris, and I took my sister Avery with me. We saw some incredible Monets, including a part of his water-lily collection. Seeing these paintings in person made me realize why they became so famous--they are so soothing to the eye, and transport the viewer to another place. The Marmotton is an old Parisian house, so the layout of the works inside is very interesting and a nice way to view the paintings.

Avery and I met our parents at Angelina, where we had a wonderful lunch. I mentioned before how I went to Angelina with Alison and Paul, and when we had gone Alison tried the steak tartar, so I had it as well...my stomach had been troubling me but it was well worth the delicious raw meat :) And of course, Angelina hot chocolate is truly the best I've ever tried.

We walked through Tuileries, through the courtyard of the Louvre, into the gardens at Palais Royal, and then through the 1st arrondisement to the Les Halles and Chatelet area. It was so nice to be with my family, and one thing I love about travelling with them is that we always wander and end up finding really interesting areas. In my few months here, I had still not ventured over to this arrondisement, so it was neat to see! We met up with a friend of my Aunt's who is a professor of English at Sorbonne for coffee at Saint Michel, and afterwards, I had a play to go to with my French Avant-Garde class.

The play is called "La Cantatrice Chauve," by Ionesco, and has been playing at small theaters in the Latin Quarter for 52 years. It was hilarious, and very avant-garde indeed. Afterwards, I grabbed a gyros plate and then headed home. Little did I know that this would be my last delicious, meaty and greasy meal for a while...(more on this later)

After class the next day, I was able to "move in" with my family to their apartment. We explored the city over the next few days, and saw Spring really transform Paris. It was as if overnight, all the trees burst into green, and all the flowers really came into bloom. I heard that Paris had a particularly long winter this year, which I hadn't noticed because I was so enthralled by the city. But now, seeing Paris in all its springtime glory, I can see what everyone was so looking forward too!

The Luxembourg gardens were just exquisite--all the flowers and trees are so beautiful right now. Big dovelike pigeons have emerged and have the prettiest cooing (I know that not everyone is a fan of pigeons, but I have been raised to love them thanks to Uncle Johnny and Aunt Diana). We walked all over, and saw Notre Dame at sunset right before Easter, and had a wonderful dinner on the Ile Saint Louis. We went to Montmartre at night, and wandered through the streets leading up to the Artists' Hill and Sacre Coeur. It is really beautiful to see the Eiffel Tower sparkling on the hour from up on the hill, juxtaposed with the full moon!

Saturday, unfotunately, I was unable to do much due to the stomach issue I was foreshadowing earlier. As it turns out, the Fruits de Mer platter that I mentioned in my previous post seems to have given me a parasite. As the French say, one must always drink white wine with a shellfish dish. Unfortunately I had not, and so the little parasite that found me was not destroyed. The entire week I felt funny and by about Friday disaster struck! I have been unable to partake in the rest of the family dinners and wasn't able to make it out with my family on Saturday. But, they did get to see Pere Lachaise, and Uncle Johnny--they got some photos of Jim Morrison's tombtone for you! Fortunately, by that night I was feeling better so when they returned, we were all able to go to dinner with Morgan's family, which was nice. We went to a wonderful Bistro, Thoumieux, which appeared to be delicious. I looked on with envy as everyone dug into courses such as Tartare du Boeuf, buttery steak, Cassoulet, beautiful white tender fish...you get the idea! It was beautifully presented, the waitstaff was incredibly friendly and very French, and it was so nice to meet Morgan's family and for them to meet mine!

The next day was Easter! The Easter Bunny was very generous, and I have carefully stowed away my Easter chocolates for when I have finished my special diet of carrots, rice, stomach plaster etc. We had a lovely tea at Laduree, and I was so happy to finally get to experience the teahouse! The pastries, macarons, cakes, and candles are so beautifully presented there, the colorschemes are wonderful, and the decor oozes classical French grace and elegance. I absolutely loved it and was able to try a wonderful tea infusion of verbena leaves...mmmm!

For Easter dinner, Madame invited us over to the apartment where my family dined on an amazing entree of scallops (Coquilles Saint Jacques) served in their original shells with leeks, a seven-hour braised lamb shank with carrots and onions, a platter of four cheeses from different regions of France, and a beautiful homemade Easter dessert of meringues floating in a milk and caramel sauce. It was a great dinner and I was very impressed with my mother's French skills...for someone who doesn't "speak" French, she was able to whip out quite a lot of phrases, and really communicate well with Madame. Very impressive. Of course my father showed me up with his fluent French, and had a long political conversation with Madame about Sarkozy. Avery did well too, she is in French IV right now and has made so much progress since the last time I heard her speak! What an intelligent family I have :)

It was so sad to see my family go, but I'm glad to know that now it is even less time until I see them again than it was between the start of the program and this week. Of course, it is a bit strange that already I have Spring Break, and then only three weeks left of courses and a couple more of finals, but it will be good to be back in California for summer. The time has gone by far too quickly.

Looking back on this post, I realize I've spent a lot of time discussing food...I think that since I haven't been able to eat, food is on the mind, however vicariously I've experienced it this week. In my next few posts about Greece (I'm going in two days for Spring Break!) I'll hopefully have many wonderful anecdotes about the places I ate and the food I actually was able to enjoy there..I know my Greek relatives are looking forward to fattening me up...

Until next time, Bisous! And look to the right, I have updated some more photo albums of my birthday festivities in Paris, my Parents' and sister's visit to France, and my trip to Normandy!

xx,

Ashley

A Weekend in Normandy and Bretagne

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted...my family was here this week which kept me off the computer and busy for a while! But more on that in a bit...

Last weekend we had the amazing opportunity to go to Normandy and Bretagne with our ACCENT group. I didn't really know much about the area before heading there, just that the region is known for its Camembert cheese and foggy mornings. But I have come back ladened with knowledge of Normandy's history, culture, and beauty. I had an amazing weekend, and saw so much in just a few days!

On Friday morning (the 3rd...now it feels like so long ago!) we left Paris (which was shrouded in a misty fog) at about 7:45 am. Only a few hours later my family landed at Charles de Gaulle, but I wouldn't see them until Sunday night. A few hours later, we stopped in Caen, to visit the museum dedicated to WWII, and to the history that led up to the D-Day invasion of Normandy. The museum exhibit had a lot to take in, and at the end was followed up by a documentary-type film that incapsulated the museum, in a sense. It was overwhelming but very interesting. It made the experience even more somber when we stepped outside and the day was still so gray. The weather reminded me a bit of Monterey -- overcast but beautiful nonetheless.

We drove a little while and arrived in the early afternoon to Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery. It was glorious to wade in the water and collect shells for even a short time, and although it was still cloudy, it was warmer than it has been in ages for all of us. It was amazing to look at the beach and imagine all the soldiers coming to the shore from the waters during World War II, and also very sobering. The cemetery was almost foreboding, and the air was heavy. However, at the same time, it is a very peaceful place, with fresh ocean air and a sense of safety. All the tombstones are in the shapes of crosses (except for a few scattered Jewish stars), which gives a very uniform and American look to the cemetery, and all the graves face West, towards home. All of the men and women buried here are the bodies that families did not request be sent home; it is amazing how many people died during this part of the war, when one considers that this isn't even all of the people...it is also sad because some gravestones were of men that could not be identified as anything but a brave soldier who defended the Allies.

After our visit we drove the rest of the way to our lodgings, in St-Malo. We stayed at the Hotel l'Univers, right on the waterfront, and it was incredibly quaint. The town itself is amazing--surrounded by ramparts, and right on a picturesque Normandy beach. We arrived just in time to head out and have a nice dinner at a nearby creperie (I had a delicious Soupe de Poisson), before crashing for the night.

The next morning, we took a day trip to an old medieval city, Dinan. It was the most picturesque town I have ever seen, even after having travelled through the English countryside last summer! What made it seem particularly French was the fact that it is walled and on a hill, and one can practically hear the knights cluttering their way through the narrow, cobbled alleyways. There are thatched rooves, wooden overhangs, and adorable shopfronts, as well as a multitude of tiny cafes and taverns, remniscent of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast." We were inspired to burst into song!

Just as we were leaving, the daylight broke through the clouds and it was a gorgeous spring day. We returned to St-Malo and spent the afternoon walking along the glorious sandy beach, collecting shells and appreciating the water and warm sun. That evening, the entire group went to a three course seafood dinner a long ways down the beach in St-Malo, and had Fruits de Mer, scallops, fish, and a wonderful sorbet dessert.

The next day, before heading home (on a long busride of 6 hours), we stopped at the incredible mountain village of Mont Saint Michel. The site is an old Abbey, built on a huge hill of rocks that is set into the middle of a vast valley of sand and marshland. The sand stretches in from the coast, and underneath it for miles and miles is water, so in effect, it is a huge expanse of quicksand. Mont Saint Michel is an awesome sight in the middle of such vastness, and it was quite intimidating as we drove up. We could not see the abbey at the top of the hill because it is so high up the fog was covering it. But as we climbed up the mountain and through the cute little village, we eventually wound up above the fog and on top of the town. It was so breathtaking! We toured the abbey and cloisters, which were incredibly built on the very tip of the rocks, and the experience felt like being in the Elvin town in Lord of the Rings! What a fairy-tale weekend!

We arrived back in Paris around 6 that night, and I was able to meet up with my family for a lovely dinner at the apartment they were renting. I was so happy to see them--I think it had been the longest stretch of time we've all gone without seeing each other! Thank goodness for Skype. More on our week in a bit!

Sorbet on a Sunny Day

A little treat of Berthillon sorbet (thanks, Heidi) before a weekend trip to Normandy.

We leave tomorrow morning very early and will return Sunday, at which point I get to see my family, who's flying in right now!!!

Keep posted for a hopefully merveilleux post about Normandy next week, and until then, Bisous!

xx Ashley