last day in london (august 23)

we flew to london today so that we could catch our plane to new york tomorrow. we dont really intend to do anything special today besides relaxing. i suppose that i should reflect here about what an amazing trip we have had. but i wont. i have a more that i want to say, but i think rest is more important right now. i can say that i have learned a lot from the things i saw, the people i was with, and the books that i have read while here (mainly ‘report to greco’ by nikos kazantzakis). this is certainly not the end of anything, nor the beginning; it is the same present moment that has been flowing forever, and will continue to flow.

barcelona, day 4

sacrada familia


the only major site that we did not yet visit here in barcelona was the sacrada familia, which is a large church that gaudi designed. just like the rest of the things we saw by gaudi, it has a very organic feel to it, and looks like something out of one of the ‘alien’ films. the construction on the building began in the 1880s, and it is still not completed. this is a fact that i cant quite come to terms with, since it seems to be an important enough piece of architecture (it is a large church, afterall; however, there is already a cathedral in barcelona). i know that the cathedral that went up in los angeles, once construction was started, took less than five years to complete (it is also a neat piece of contemporary architecture, but much more simple in design than the sacrada).

anyway, we paid to go up the towers. there was construction everywhere, with cranes and everything all around (however, being that today was monday, actual workers were conspicuously absent). so we walked up the stairs of one of the towers that was already completed (there are eight that are done, and another four are to come). there wasnt really an observation deck, or anything like that, so i did quite understand why they were allowing us to go up; we simply went up and then down, taking whatever pictures we could on the way. because the stairs were spiral, there werent two good handrails (only one), and on the way down, paola got very scared., and even cried. she later said that she hated the stupid ugly church. in any case, i thought it was neat, and because it is not done, cannot be compared, or placed side by side with other churches that we have visited (they werent even able to conduct mass in the church because of the construction, and as such, there was nothing really to look at except for the outside facade; i could only justify the admission that we paid by hoping that it would go towards the finishing of the church, which probably wont be done for another hundred years at the rate taht these people are building it).

just like every other city that we have toured, once we have seen all of the interesting sites, we are ready to move on, no matter how charming the city was when we first arrived (each has been charming upon first arrival, and each has gotten boring by the time we see everything that we want to).

today is basically our last day in europe touring. tomorrow we fly from barcelona to london, basically just to sleep there so we can fly home on wednesday. it has been a good trip so far, but i think that we are just about ready to go home. in fact, we have been waiting to go home since we were in paris. i think that after all our walking around and touring (my feet have finally started to hurt (but, following my dad’s age old advice, i tied my shoes and they feel better), and i have developed a calous on one of my toes that started out as a blister that was not taken care of. i also think that it was a good idea for me to come back about half a week before having to work again, as opposed to two days that i had originally wanted.

barcelona, day 3

us, at the park guell



paola wanted to go to the zoo, so we did. apparently one thing that barcelona is famous for is this white albino gorilla (every place we go to has postcards of it). i thought it would be neat to see it too. so we went, but to our dismay, the gorilla had died in 2003. it turns out that it is also the only known albino gorilla ever (certainly, there have been more, but no person has ever seen another one)! some locals (somewhere in africa) found it and turned it over to the local zoo, which was a subsidiary of the barcelona zoo, so then it came here back in the 1960s. they had it mated, and it has four offspring that have survived (perhaps one day they will produce another albino gorilla). knowing that it was the only one ever, i was that much more impressed. another interesting thing about the zoo here is that they dont keep such a distance between the humans and the animals (the safer ones, at least). we saw some kids feeding the elephants leaves (the elephant had to reach a far way with its trunk, but got the leaves nonetheless). they also had dolphins in a big tank at the zoo, but we didnt stay to watch a show.

paola was most impressed with a gorilla exhibit there. there were no gorillas at this particular place (they were elsewhere in the zoo), but there was a lot of information about the albino gorilla, and some spanish pioneers in gorilla study (before americans jane goodall and diane fossey). she reminiced about how she should have persued biology, or zoology to study animals. she liked the idea of living with gorillas to study them. i reminded her that there is nothing that is stopping her from persuing such a career now; how difficult would it be to go back and get an undergrad, degree in such a field, then persuing such a career. once one starts saying, “i should have,” or “i could have,” or “i wish that,” then that person might as well call it quits now, because as far as i can tell, we are never slaves to the surrounding situation, and are free to do what we want.

from the zoo, which is in a big pretty park like central park, we walked up and saw the barcelona arc de triomf. from what i can tell, just about each city has something or another like this, either from ancient times, or more modern times, or whatever. this one was made with red bricks.

we took the subway up to the parc guell, which is a park that gaudi designed. it was all the way up a big hill, and we had to walk up most of it (there were some escalators, though). it has been described as something that would have been a good home for a doctor seuss character (indeed, a lot of gaudi’s more interesting buildings can be described in such a way). it was very crowded with people, and seemed very empty of structures, since it was such a big park. there were a couple of neat buildings, and artificial cavelike structures that were neat. there was also the fountain at the entrance that has a famous sculpture of a lizard. it was basically just a large park with some neat structures thoughout. although we felt let down when we were there, it was a neat place, and gaudi didnt finish it, so i should be a little more fair....

on our way back, i wanted to see the casa punxta that i was unable to photograph yesterday. we saw it, and i think the sunlight was hitting it a little better anyway, so that was good. i also walked back down to the casa mila to take some more photos there that i was unable to yesterday. we then went back to the hotel and relaxed. we later had a little dinner, and called it a day.

barcelona, day 2

casa batllo
casa mila


today we set our sites on seeing some of gaudi’s famous buildings. yesterday we should have seen one of his houses that is right off of la rambla, but it was all covered with scaffolding, and was being remodelled, to be opened by 2007 as another gaudi museum. that was a bit disappointing (as have been all of the architectural pieces that we (i) wanted to see on this trip, but were covered with scaffolding).

so we started by going down towards the marina so that we might be able to see as many different things we can by walking up the city. we saw a couple of churches, includidng the cathedral for the city of barcelona. we could see the spires and bell towers fine from far, but up close the facade was covered by scaffolding. i got a bit discouraged, but figured it had to be done anyway. we went inside, and it looked neat enough. one interesting thing was that there is a small garden inside, in between buildings or chapels of the church that was very refreshing. it had palm trees and swans walking around.

from there we walked up to the music hall, which follows the same sort of modernist style of gaudi (but isnt by gaudi). it was in the middle of a block that had narrow streets, though, so we couldnt get very good fotos of it, seeing as how we couldnt back up far enough. we decided not to do the tour within the music hall since they wouldnt allow us to take pictures anyway.

we then walked up to casa batllo, our first gaudi building. it was quite a site when we first saw it. it definitely stood out from the rest of the buildings, even the amatlier, which is right next door, and is also a great modernist work (but when sitting next door to the battle, it looks very subdued). the roof looks like fish scales, and the gates around the balconies look like skulls. everything on the building looked as though it were alive; indeed, one important feature of gaudi’s work is that he borrows structures, shapes, and ideas from nature. i was surprised, but they let us go inside and tour the building (for a fee, of course). we decided to take the tour, and were that much more impressed. it seemed that his main theme from nature for this building was underwater. there were ideas borrowed from whales bones, fish scales, wavy patterns (there is hardley a straight line in the whole building). he uses a lot of mosaic tiling to cover different things in the building. that was definitely a high point for us in barcelona.

we then went to see gaudi’s most famous building, casa mila. again, no straight lines, and each apartment in the building is different from the rest. this building lacked the color of the battlo, though, and instead used a very earthy tan or brown for most of the facade and the structures on the roof. another important feature of this (and the last) building that shows gaudi’s architectural thematic concerns (like natural shapes and forms) is the issue of light. in the mila, as well as the batllo, he keeps the center of the building empty, shaping the building like a tall donut (not really, but it gets the idea across that the center is hollow) so that light can come down to even the lowest floors.one apartment in the mila that was open for viewing showed that each room had natural lightcoming in. however, after seeing the batllo, this one seemed a bit toned down, and more boring (though anything would compared to the battlo, and compared with most other buildings, the mila would be much more adventurous with its curved facade, and wavy lines). the attic of the building has been transformed into a small gaudi museum, which shows and discusses most of his works. the drab lighting, however, and dark brown bricks gave the feeling that we were in a dungeon, and we didnt enjoy all that it had to offer (not to mention all the people in a relatively small space). i was just about done with this building anyway when my camera battery died, and i couldnt take anymore pictures. this is a good thing, since i really dont know my own physical limits (during this whole trip i have been pushing and pushing, not letting down, to try to get in as much per day as possible), so it was a good que to quit for the day, and start relaxing.

before going back to the hotel, however, there was another gaudi building nearby (basically around the block) and i wanted to see what i could there. it is called casa punxta, and has been pretty much overtaken by shops and offices. they were all closed, and just as well since i am sure we would not have had access to the interior of the building like we did at the last two places. the facade of this building was more in line with the batllo, in that it was very ornamental and had neat designs around doors and windows. i was sorry that my camera didnt work (the position of the building didnt make it good to photograph at this time anyway since the sun was in the late afternoon sky), and i was sure that i would come back later to get pictures.

this was a fun day, seeing neat and interesting architecture. i was pleased even more because paola really enjoyed it, and basically i was the reason that we came to barcelona (mainly to see gaudi’s buildings). paola admited that she would have never given gaudi a second thought (beyond what little she learned in an intro to art history class, perhaps), and she was pleased that she got to see this neat art.

arriving in barcelona

teh column of columbus at the south end of la rambla



we got here by noon because our flight left paris in the morning (1030). that was cool, and it basically gave us an extra day to explore this town. indeed, our hotel is right in the middle of las ramblas, which is a long pedestrian street that has all sorts of little kiosks set up selling all sorts of weird things (like live chickens); there are also restaurants, and other things to be expected at such a street in a big city (like street artists, etc). the main reason that i wanted to make sure to come to barcelona was to see anotonio gaudi’s architecture. we got a map, and put all the spots on it, but since we were starting the day late, we decided to save that for the next day. instead what we did was walk down to the bottom of las ramblas, to the marina (it is right on the sea). it reminded me of cities in southern california like long beach or san diego. however, paola was quick to point out that southern california looked much better (it didnt help that the sky was overcast with clouds, either, something that effects paola’s judgements greatly). so down at the end of the marina was a new shopping mall (which we didnt go into), and lots of boats. around the back of the mall there was also an aquarium, which is supposed to be the best in europe. paola likes aquariums, so we went in. just as expected, there were lots of fish and stuff. they had a big tank filled with big fish and sharks, and we were able to walk around underneath it to see everything. but other than that, there wasnt anything else (except a little tank with sea horses). if this is the best aquarium in europe, then europe has some crappy aquariums! paola kept saying how the one in baltimore was amazing, and how she has to take me one day. ok. i personally had also seen lots of great aquariums in the usa. oh well.

then we walked away from the marina, along the sea line to the beaches. the beaches were surrounded by a poor neighborhood with rundown buildings, so the beaches didnt appear appealing, despite the fact that they were so close to where we are staying about five minute walk). i am sure that catalan (the region in spain where we are) has many other fine beaches outside of barcelona. i wondered how they could make the beaches better, and i reminded myself of dodger stadium in los angeles (and other, much more recent events), where they basically condemned all the properties in chavez ravine (despite the fact that the predominiately mexican population that was living there was doing just fine, and had no complaints), dragged them out of their homes (that were, after all, condemned), and bulldozed their houses to make dodger stadium. i dont think that would happen here in here (or, for that matter, anywhere in europe) becuase there seems to be a much stronger marxist, or communist, contigency in europe which looks after the interests of the poorer folk. in any case, we didnt like the beach, and probably wont be going there during our stay here (unless it gets really, really hot, which it probably wont). however, there is a center at the end of the beach (which we did not reach because we were too tired, and didnt like the environment), that has a large frank gerhy sculpture (that i was able to photograph from afar) that looks interesting, so maybe we will go back.

we were very tired, and down but when we got back to the marina, and then to las ramblas, our spirits picked up again (like i said, being in a dreary environment has its effect on us). we walked all the way up las ramblas. on the marina end, there is a large column with christopher columbus on the top, and at the other end, at least a mile up, there is the major center of the city called catalunya, where all the subway trains and busses seem to come. there is a large park there as well.

an interesting thing about being here has to do with this region of spain. like i said, we are in the region of spain called catalonia. all of the signs around town (like at the aquarium) are written in spanish, english, and catalan (something that paola (although very fluent in spanish) cannot recognize or discern in either print or conversation (we have overheard people talking, and she doesnt know what the heck they are saying)). this is a proud region of spain, which has even tried to declare independence from spain in the past (but is unique from the basques). in fact, during the spanish civil war, barcelona was the center of the republican, or communist, or democratic government (that eventually lost to the fascists). it is also very proud of its artist sons: salvador dali, pablo picasso, and anotonio gaudi. i did not know that barcelona was in catalonia before we got here, but once we got here, i was reminded of how proud dali was of his home, which is found in landscape form in many of his paintings. this made me more excited to be here. only very recently (when i told my mom that i was coming to barcelona), did i learn that i actually have catalan blood in my veins, by which i feel even more connected to these artists, and the land (though, i must admit, blood is only so thick without culture; however, it might explain (in a mystical sort of sense) both my brother’s and my leanings towards the arts, that (upon my recent visits with my family) dont seem to be from the greek side), and seem to have come up from nowhere (a conclusion that my brother and i have arrived at; however, we may have to revise that conclusion (especially in consideration of my mother’s own artistic talents and interests in certain crafts (which we foolishly ignored (however, i must admit that i have thought of them recently to explain our interests)); perhaps, after all, blood is thicker than i might have thought, and catalan blood influences me more than i previously believed (though i may still be very hesitant to claim myself as half spanish or catalan, seeing as how little the culture has played a part in my life)).

paris, day four and five

ancient sculpture of nike at the louvre



both of these days i was overtaken with a cold. it was a little something that started in amsterdam, when we got caught in the rain (and i was walking around all day in soaked shoes). this cold mainly consisted of a cough and stuffy nose, but worse, it made me feel very tired. so, when we decided to go to the louvre, i didnt have the best time. perhaps it was my own attitude which made me not have a good time, but when youre not feeling well, youre not feeling well, and thats it! so i wasnt feeling well, and basically forced myself all around the museum. the place was huge, much too big for me to handle in one day. although i made sure to get in a lot of the sculpture (mostly by french artists, but nonetheless, still great), and most of the paintings. i saw the mona lisa, and a three other great da vinci paintings, including my favorite, the st. john the baptist (which, except for the title, has absolutely no resemblance or context to reveal it as st. john). there were also some neat frescos by botecelli, and two by el greco. i missed the ruebens room because i was too exhausted and tired to go looking for it. so i certainly missed something. (i didnt care about missing the vermeer or other dutch painters since seeing them in amsterdam, and coming to the cconclusion that they are boring, no matter how good craftsmen they were).

after the louvre, which seemed so boring to me (i think that after a month of touring europe and seeing so many museums, besides my feeling under the weather, i also think that we were just all museumed out, and our brains couldnt take in much more art), we went to see a movie. paola wanted to see the ‘skeleton key,’ and yesterday it seemed like it was out, but they change the movies on wednesday, so they no longer had the movie, and we ended up seeing ‘charlie and the chocolate factory.’ we both liked it (it was in english with french subtitles), and it was a good relax from all the walking around anyway. we also decided that we didnt want to stay in paris for an extra day, as we had thought we did (upon coming to a new city, we are always very excited, and think it is the greatest city yet; after being in any of the cities for a few days, we get bored, and want to move on to the next one). so we told our hotel two days in advance.

the next day, and last day in paris, we tried to take very easy. we went to a park called place de vouges, which was neat enough. upon entering, i heard a street violinist playing my favorite piece by bach, the chaccone from violin partita in dm. i later felt bad that i didnt give him any change, nor wait around to hear him play the whole thing. from there we walked to the picasso museum, just to see the outside (remember, i was all museumed out). we then just walked along st germain, got something to eat, and went to sleep.

it was also interesting how we planned our getaway from paris. we had initially wanted to take a train, thinking it would be good rest time, and cheaper than flying. it turns out that by train, it takes about 12 hours to get from paris to barcelona. not worth it. we then went online and bought a cheap (enough) flight ticket for the next day (my time is valuable, after all, and i am willing to pay for it if need be). i was also excited to find a hotel that (according to our travel book) was right in the middle of the hotspot in barcelona with only one day advance notice. being a two star hotel, it was cheap, so that works for me.

paris, day 3

sacre coeur church in monmarte

moulin rouge




we started the day unlike most other day on our trip. after getting breakfast, we needed to pack up, and move to another hotel down the street. so we did that, then decided to go to monmartre (since it seemed like tuesday all the museums are closed). we took the subway up there, and started on our trek.

the first thing that we saw up there was a church called sacre cour (im not sure on the spelling, or the actually words), or sacred heart. it was a very impressive church with all sorts of different parts to the architecture (but not as ornamental, or intricate as notre dame, but still nice). then we walked around the tourist sort of neighborhood. there were some restaurants, and a lot of different artists trying to sell their own paintings. they charged a lot of money (some of them wanted 400 euros for a painting), and i wondered if any of them were actually making any money. ah, the life of a struggling artist.

around the corner was a dali museum that had a lot of his lithographs and prints, and a few sculptures (no paintings). it was very impressive because a lot of them involved his drawing, which showed his mastery (which is, in any case, evident in his paintings). however, in these prints (which looked a lot like watercolors), he was able to be a little bit more abstract, which helped give a mysterious edgew to some of the series’ of prints, such his series on the bible, don quiote, and alice and wonderland. although i had already seen some of his don quiote prints (in books), i have never seen the bible series, which is based on stories from the bible, old testament and new. i was very impressed with a lot of the different prints in that particular series. next door to the museum they had a small gallery that sold lithographs and prints from famous twentieth century artists like dali and picasso. one day i would like to get one, since it is like a real work of art, but lower priced (around a thousand dollars). however, i am always weary about buying dali prints because there was a bit of a scandal with his prints. it turns out that he had signed a lot of blank peices of paper, expecting his prints to be on them in the future, but other people were putting their own work there. so, there are a lot of fakes floating around, and it seems to me to be too big a risk to buy one (when it might not be authentic).

after that we walked down the hill (the church and surrounding neighborhood are up on a hill), and saw the moulin rouge; not very impressive during the day. it was at the end of a street that was filled with porno shops. in fact, the moulin rouge show is basically like a vegas showgirls show (at least from what i can tell), topless and all. neither the moulin rouge area, or the tourist area near the church seemed to give off a good vibe. i cant quite pinpoint it, but it wasnt at all as charming as i thought it might be. oh well, not everything can be perfect.

we also saw a chopin concert later at night. it was good. i already have a complete collection of all of his piano works (which are most of his total compositions), but 13 compact discs, it is difficult to listen to them all, and to remember all of the different tunes. in any case, there were a couple of pieces that i do remember, and they happened to be some of my favorites, so that was nice. also, it was amazing to see the virtuousity of the pianist. we were about three rows back, which wasnt actually that bad, but considering that there were probably only about 50 people in this little church, it wasnt as good as it sounds, either. yes, the concert was in a small church around the corner from our hotel. i forget the name of the church, but it claims that it is the oldest church in paris. indeed, the inside looked pretty drab, and empty, without all of the ornamentation that we had become accustomed to in some of the bigger churches around.

it also amazed me that such a talented performer was giving these little concerts in a small church. well, in fact, it doesnt surprise me at all. being a person who tries to be an artist (in different fields), i realize that artists, even extraordinary ones, are a dime a dozen. indeed, good for her for being able to give a concert of any size to an audience (of any size) who appreciates her talent. i (and many other artists, i am sure) would be very happy for such an opportunity. this was interesting because earlier in the day, we saw a photographer selling pictures in the street. this is not an uncommon occurence, especially (i am sure) in a big city like paris. one thing that stood out with this particular photographer, however, was how good he was. he had many great prints. again, great artists are a dime a dozen. i am sure that he realized that himself, and after trying to make it in more commercial and/ or artistic enterprises (and not quite making it), decided as a last resort to sell his work on the street. man oh man, is it tough being an artist.

paris, day 2

a pensive gargoyle at the top of notre dame cathedral.



paola and i in front of the eiffel tower.




today we went and ate at a nearby cafe; this is the first time in a long while that our hotel did not have breakfast, and it is just as well, since the hotel breakfast at our last hotel was garbage. in any case, we had coffee and crossaints, which held us over well enough until lunch. after that, we decided to go inside notre dame cathedral.

notre dame cathedral is only the second major church that we went into during this trip (the first being st. peter’s basilica at the vatican, and the second being the church at pisa). paola said she had gone before, and it was worth it, so we went in and even paid extra to go up the towers. it was neat up there becuse we could see the whole city of paris around us. we also got close up views of some of the neat gargoyles, and the intracacies of the architecture. when we got back down, paola noticed that we forgot to go up the bell tower, which is where quasimodo lived in hugo’s ‘the hunchback of notre dame’ (i assured her that he was just a fictional character, but it was all the same to her). realizing our mistake, she wondered if they had an elevator in this nearly thousand year gothic cathedral, becuase she wasnt about to walk up the stairs again. so we didnt see the bell tower, but we did go inside the church. it was interesting because there was actually a service being conducted. this was the first time that we saw a full service (the church was filled with people) in all of the churches that we had been to (in rome, however, we saw a small wedding). it was neat to see all the priests at the front conducting their mass. looking around, we saw all sorts of neat things inside the cathedral, including fine sculpture (including a statue of joan of arc), stained glass windows, and some neat paintings (though no paintings that i found too intriguing).

after the cathedral, we stopped back at the hotel to upload my pictures (i took so many in notre dame that it filled up the memory card), and then went to lunch at the same place we had breakfast yesterday, and dinner last night. from there we walked to the louve, and saw the whole outside (we will actually go inside one of these days). it was neat, and the pyramids by im pei were neat too (though because i had seen so many pictures, it could only effect me so much). we walked around the great garden outside, in the front, and went to a small carnival that they had set up nearby.

becuase it was up the street, i wanted to see the paris opera house, which is a great work of architecture. so we went up there and saw it, and it was neat, especially since i didnt really like it in the pictures that i had seen. seeing it up close it looked much better, and much more amazing. then we went all the way back down to the louve, becuase from there we would take the main avenue, champ de elysees to the arc de triumph. so we walked along that tree lined boulevard, past all the shops (not without making some sort of clothes purchase, though), and saw the arc. it was cool. it was certainly bigger than i thought (even though all the pictures make it look big too). the sculptures on it were neat as well.

from the arc, we wanted to go down and see the eiffel tower. we took a subway because we were getting tired from all the walking. so we overshot where we wanted to be by several blocks, but oh well. the eiffel tower is a big monument to shittiness. i didnt think it would look so crappy, but it did. it isnt really anything, anyway, except for a big tourist trap. even though i took enough pictures, i let everyone within earshot know my opinion. i still cant put my finger on it, but it reminds me of something from knott’s berry farm, in my childhood. it is as crappy as it looks, and it is the one bad thing that i could say about paris (everything else being great). from there we took a walk and saw a couple of neat other buildings on the way home: the hotel de invalids (which is some building dedicated to veterans and has a big gold dome), and some other palace just opposite of the awful tower (some palace or another).

i really had to use the bathroom (number one) and saw one of the pay toilets on the street. it looked like a space pod, in which you pay forty cents, then the station door slides open. i was amazed by it because it was so clean. in fact, it says on the outside that this space age toilet unit self cleans itself after each use (i didnt get to see who used it before me, so i cant confirm if they left a big mess to be cleaned up or anything). in any case, looking around the pod, it appeared as though the insed had been given a big shower, since everything was wet, and it smelled good (although i would still hesitate before sitting on the seatless toilet (i would end up sitting down if i needed to, though))! while taking leave of my urine, i wondered if i should test the unit by splashing some on the seat. without intending to do so, as though it were subconscious, i then did splash the seat! after finishing, i looked for where i should flush, and could find nothing. i suppose that is part of the self cleaning process. since i did not drink enough water throughout the day, it would certainly have been clear to the next user if the toilet self flushed. in any case, i left, and in my excitement with this amazing toilet, i told paola all about it. it was only because we didnt have anymore change that i didnt go back to see if, in fact, it had all been cleaned up (toilet flushing and all). i will be wondering how clean that bathroom got all night now, not sure if i will be able to sleep tonite. as far as i can tell, though, that was one pay toilet that was worth it! next time we will eat at the mexican place and i will put the toilet unit to the test, making sure that i have eighty cents to conduct the experiment.

after much debating, we decided to walk home, rather than take the subway (we were really tired, so it was a hard decision to make). in any case, we came across the rodin museum (which was closed, but at least now we know where it is), and some neat small cafe. it was where a lot of the literary figures and artists liked to hang out; it might be fun to have coffee there, but not tonite. we ended up eating sushi at a place near home.

arriving in paris

a view of teh notre dame cathedral from behind at night.



we took the subway from the train station to the hotel becuase paola knew where the hotel was, right near notre dame cathedral. so we got there without much problem. however, when we got to the hotel, the man said that because we had forgotten to call earlier to confirm our reservation, we might not get the full reservation of five days. he did assure us that we could stay there for two nights at least, though. this made paola very nervous and upset, and it was difficult for her to control her emotions. i tried to calm her, saying that we could go around town and sightsee, and if we saw a hotel, we could inquire if they had room, telling her that it wasnt such a big deal. we tried to do that, walking around notre dame cathedral, but her nerves wouldnt calm, though she tried to hide it from me. because she was mad, i was mad, and we decided to immediately book a room. we booked another hotel for the last three days right down the street from where we were, so problem solved, easily.

we then walked around notre dame cathedral, and bought tickets for a chopin concert on tuesday night that will be performed in the oldest church in paris, which is right around the corner from our hotel. then we walked to ile st. louis, which is a little island in the seine rier behind the notre dame cathedral. it was cute, but nothing special. from there we walked to hotel de ville, which is a great big building that had some sort of function during the revolution. neat. up the street from that was the pompidou center, which is a modern art museum. it was designed by richard rodgers (who also designed the lloyds building in london) and renzo piano (who also designed a large part of potsdammer platz in berlin) in the early 70s. it is interesting because it is one of the first buildings to have the insides turned out (like the lloyds building). it is also the building that brought renzo piano to great fame. it was dark, and night, so we couldnt go in, but still neat to see. from there we walked down to the louve. the building (or rather, ‘complex’ is what is should be called) is so large, that we only saw the back side of it (becuase it was so late, and we wanted to go home). it is one of the most important art museums in the world, and has paintings like the mona lisa, etc. from there, started to walk back to the hotel, and crossed the bridge, where we saw the museo de orsay, which is the more modern counterpart to the louve. we walked back to the hotel and fell asleep.

from amsterdam to paris

we had our train booked, with our own seats reserved. however, when the train got to rotterdam (only a half hour from amsterdam), it somehow broke, so we were delayed. after the delay lasted about 15 minutes, they said it would be impossible for the train to continue, so we would have to get on another train. so we got on the train headed for brussels (which we were going to pass thorugh anyway), then in brussels we had to get on a train headed for paris. it wasnt so bad, really, except that we no longer had reserved seats, so we had to scramble to get seats, and hope that someone would not come to claim them. someone did come to claim one seat in brussels, but we found another seat really close, and it wasnt so bad. from brussels, it was nonstop, so we got to paris only an hour behind schedule (at 6).

amsterdam, day 3

george, tokin' it



paola, tokin' it




we started the day by going to the rijksmuseum, which is the biggest museum in holland. however, the building was being remodelled, so we only got to see a small part of the collection. it is just as well, because i didnt like what i saw, which are supposed to be the great works of the collection. it was all dutch art, including rembrandt and vermeer. certainly, there is no denying the craftsmanship in these paintings; they are masterfully completed. however, the content of these paintings is rather boring. i thought that all of the paintings that i saw were extremely boring. so we raced through the collection, and considered the 18 euro fee for both of us as a loss. (in fact, i thought that the 9 euro price for such a small fraction of the normally viewed collection was absurd from the beginning.)

after that, we had doubts about whether or not we wanted to go to the van gogh museum afterwards. in fact, i dont even particularly like van gogh, so it was easy for me to say that it was not necessary to go. since, we were there, though, and we really didnt have anything else to do, we went. by the time we got to the front of the line, we were surprised that they almost didnt allow us to pay with a credit card (there was a 50 euro minimum, and we didnt have the cash to pay), but they let us pay with the credit card when we were ready to walk out and paola gave a sad face. in fact, i was much more impressed with the van gogh museum. there was a collection of his drawings on exhibition, which showed his masterful skill (which i didnt think was so apparent in his paintings). i did develop a new respect for the artist after going to the museum (especially after seeing some of his earlier paintings, before he developed his signature style), so i suppose it was a successful visit in that regard. in fact, it makes me want to go home and start painting again. van gogh produced all of his work in the last ten years of his life (before he shot himself). so i figure that i should try to produce about that much work; we’ll see.

all in all, this was a much better day than yesterday (i guess that i just woke up on the wrong side of the bed yesterday). perhaps we were both helped by the fact that we could see the sun today (however, it did still rain; one of our books said that it rains, at least a little bit, every day).

we decided that we probably wont go out tonite, seeing as how i have probably seen the last of my clubbing days (in fact, there is even going to be a dj who i like there, so...).

all in all, then, i would say that i didnt take part in much of the hedonism that i thought i would. it seems as though i am getting older now, perhaps too old, perhaps too tired. it might be time to move on to different things.

we then went to the train station to book our train to paris. this morning we already booked the hotel. paris was a much easier city to book than amsterdam (which took about 20 different hotel calls; paris took 2, and we booked with the third). in any case, we should have a smooth ride tomorrow.

amsterdam, day 2

us, over a canal, one a rainy day.



we went downstairs to get our breakfast. for such a nice looking hotel, i expected something that would be a bit more than what we had been getting at the small hotels. that did not come to pass, however. in fact, the food was barely edible (and this is coming from a person who doesnt care about food too much). i also decided that when we went back upstairs, that i should take a shit. maybe there isnt anything in the amsterdam water afterall, because whoever designed this toilet was a moron. it isnt a typical bowel that i am used to, but rather there is a sort of plateau in the toilet, much higher (and closer to your ass) than where the water is. in fact, when one does shit (or piss) it just sits there, on that plateau until you flush the toilet, which then washes it down the drain. that said, there is a much stronger chance, and it is easier for little scraps of shit to remain in the toilet (as does happen anyway with normal toilets). it is a bit hard to describe, but the reader will have to trust me that it is retarded. in any case, because i had coffee yesterday, my shit smelled particularly bad (it must be because of the coffee because usually it smells like roses; paola can confirm this). in any case, the toilet room (which is different from the bathroom) stunk up very quickly. it was only then that i realized that there was little ventilation in this bathroom, not even a fart fan. i figured just close the door, and hope that it does not get into the room too much (but i was scared because if we closed the door, then where would the stink go?). in any case, when we got back later that day, the stink was gone; perhaps the maid did something about it. all this said, i have to say that the worse bathrooms in europe have to be in amsterdam (the only thing that will stop amsterdam from getting this distinction is if in paris or barcelona the toilets actually spit the shit back out at you).

before getting on to the day, and since we are already on this pleasant topic, allow me to share somehting else with you. it seems as though it is all across europe that public bathrooms have to be paid for. i dont understand how this is the case. i suppose that they feel that the public is paying to keep the bathrooms clean. however, while the bathrooms are usable (by somone like me), they are not especially any cleaner than most public bathrooms in america. that is not to say that they are filthy, but only that they are decent. certainly, i have come across those bathrooms in america where there is shit splattered all over the walls, and someone has written their name in shit (in a sort of disgusting finger painting style), and i have not come across bathrooms like that here. but most of the filthiest bathrooms that i go to in america (like the one described) are not public, but rather inthe back of bars or something. not only that, but seeing how many people use these public bathrooms, they must be making a tremendous profit (they are not paying the person who cleans the bathroom that much).

so after making our hotel room unsuitable for cockroaches, we went out to start our day. we first went to rembrandt’s old house. it was interesting to see how the great painter lived, but still a bit boring for me. i did like the collection of etchings and drawing that they had on display.

berfore that we walked around the new market, which is a flea market. paola searched for the perfect t-shirt, while i waited, thinking that they were all pretty much the same from vendor to vendor. we walked around that area a bit, and learned that, as in berlin, there are a lot of people who ride bicycles in amsterdam. in fact, they have their own part of the road, apart from the sidewalk and the street. these bike paths are usually make with red brick. in fact, because bikes are not loud like cars are, i think that they are a bit more dangerous than the cars. this is especially the case because, as in berlin, the drivers are actually very considerate (especially when compared with italy and greece), but the bicyclists behave as thought they own the road. all they do to alert people is turn their little ringer (the same sort of ringer that i once had as a kid, with the lever that is pressed around a can-shaped bell, and sounds like a fr-fr-fr-fr-fring; i remember my parents giving me this sort of bell, and i hated it, thinking it was the stupidest, uncoolest thing anyone could put on their bike, and i would be damned if i actually used it to alert someone, lest i reveal what a dork i am). in any case, paola almost got killed by a biker because she forgot the grade school rule: look both ways when you cross the street; perhaps she did not forget it, but rather she applied it, only looking for cars, and not paying attention to bikes who might run into her.

it started to rain, and continued to do so pretty much all day. so in the rain we looked for the oudekerk, which is the oldest building in amsterdam. it is a gothic style church, dedicated to st. nicholas. after being in rome, i wasnt so impressed by this church, so we left.

we walked to anne frank’s house to take a tour through that place. i suppose that since most people read the diary during high school, that a lot of people feel some sort of connection, and want to take the tour (i didnt read the book in high school, thus felt no connection, and had no desire to walk through another person’s house). the line was very long, and since it was raining, we decided to pass.

we decided after walking around the shops a bit to go back to the hotel, and snuggle rather than let our feet get even more soaked.

later that night, we decided that we should go out to have dinner. on our way out, paola stopped to ask the desk woman if she knew how to use the phone card that we got becuase we could not figure out how to use it from the room (i am sure that it is now a loss that we have to accept). since we had asked her ealier that day about a club that i want to go to tomorrow, she gave us free tickets for anotherr club for tonite. that was neat. so we took them, not knowing if we would go or not. we went and ate chinese food again; it was teh first decent meal that we had since getting here. while at dinner, i realized that i was in some sort of funk. i didnt quite know why. it didnt seem as though amsterdam was impressing me. paola then made the suggestion that i was not inspired by amsterdam, and this was exactly what the issue was. weed wasnt that good, i couldnt get any prostitutes (in virtue of being with paola, i even asked; though i must admit that after hearing whatever price they might charge, i wouldnt do it anyway, since (in the worst case scenario) i could use my hand for free), and didnt feel like clubbing too much. we made the obserrvation that, although being free to smoke weed and get prostitutes is very cool in theory, it brings with it an unsavory element: namely those people who want to smoke weed freely and buy prostitutes. so the vibe did get a little gross here. perhaps the world class clubbing (most of my favorite djs are dutch) would bring my spirits up.

we went to a bar and got some drinks and i smoked a little before we could decide whether or not we wanted to go out. again, the smoke did not effect me too much. last nite we shared a joint, but tonite i had one all for myself. all the same, little effect. paola thinks that i dont know how to smoke properly, by inhaling it into my lungs. she might be right. oh well, my loss, i suppose. since they were playing some cool music inside the bar, we were influenced to go to the club that we had tickets for. also, since it was after 12, we would have to take a cab home (since the busses dont run so late), and we thought if we were going to have to pay for a cab, we might as well pay a little more to check out this club, so we did. we went and got in with no problem. once we were inside, though, we didnt quite feel like staying, and we werent feeling like we were having a good time. certainly, it was still too early, and if we would have stayed later, the club would have filled up a bit more, but we decided to go anyway. we i think that i have grown out of the clubs now; im happy just chilling out with paola, and relaxing together.

amsterdam, day 1

an old school windmill in amsterdam. i suppose that these are famous here.



we came in on thursday night, and the first thing that i noticed is that there is a lot of neat contemporary architecture. apparently there is something in the water in amsterda (and in teh netherlands) that makes a lot of its citizens good designers and architects. from the train station we took a cab to the hotel, because we didnt know where it was. the cabs here are quite expensive. the room that we got was nice (too nice, i think) especially since we reserved it last minute, earlier the same day. it was a bit out of the way, though, but that didnt prove to be too much of a problem.

after setting up camp at the hotel, we took the bus to the city center. it was neat, a bit like berin, actually, except with a lot of people walking around. the weather was very dreary, but the mood of the city seemed good. after eating at a bad chinese restaurant in dam square (a convenient square from where to start or exploring), we walked east. we came upon the red light district. paola was a bit amazed at what it was all about: actual hookers in the windows who will actually have sex with you. while we walked around, she had her mouth open most of the time. one interesting sight was right around the corner from all of the red light action was a little old black lady handing out pamphlets, suggesting that jesus wouldnt like us to partake in such sexual behavior. i couldnt imagine a more fruitless job than that (given the location, and the people who were around; i suppose if she were to save one person, though, it would all be worth it).

this is pretty much what amsterdam was: some gothic architecture, some contemporary architecture, hookers, and weed. i pretty much expected that, so the impression that i came to this town with was that we could lose ourselves in hedonism, more or less. that sounded like a plan to me. so we looked for any coffee shop that was selling pot. we walked in, and got two beers, and two joints. the joints were big, so we thought that we should probably start by sharing one. so we sat there and puffed away. paola got a bit paranoid and self conscious (despite that everyone around us was doing the same thing). perhaps i was not smoking properly, or the quality of the weed was not so strong, but i did not get obliterated as i had planned. instead, we decided to go back home and paola decided that she didnt want to smoke weed anymore, but said she was ok if i wanted to.

new posts

go down to about rome day 2, then read up from there. its been a long time since the last post, three countries, and about 20 single spaced pages!

berlin, first and last day: wednesday august 10

berlin dome church. (you can see how dirty it is.)



we woke up this morning, and had breakfast downstairs at a nice restaurant (which didnt have anything special for breakfast but bread and deli stuff. during our whole trip, this was the first day that was overcast all day; in fact, it was raining lightly most all day. in any case... one quick thing that i noticed is how many people ride bikes around here. also, based on the cab ride from last nite, berliners are decent drivers (unlike in greece and in italy).

the weather only enhanced the dreariness of the whole city. paola came knowing she wouldnt really like berlin, but she tried to give it a chance. i was excited, and didnt quite know what to expect, but had to finally agree that the city had an overall dreary vibe.

we started out on foot at about ten. the street was not very crowded, and i thought that we were the only tourists around. i think that was only because of the immediate neighborhood that we stayed in. on the walk down to some market center, we saw a bunch of punker looking german skinheads come out of a building. when we walked by the building, we saw that it was a bar/club, and realized that they were probably just getting out from their party that started last night. cool.

from that market square, we could see berlin dome, which is a big church. it was certainly impressive, but now i see why all of the previous places that we went to had been covered, at least in part, by some scaffolding. most of the facade of the building was black with soot, or just dirt that probably hasnt been cleaned off since it was built. this was the first impression of dreariness in this city.

from the berlin dome, we went across the spree river to museum island. the altes museum (old museum) had ancient artifact from all over. since we had just come from greece and saw lots of ancient artifacts, we didnt feel like going in. the facade was impressive, though. there were other neat buildings around that island that housed one sort of museum or another, but again, we werent quite in the mood for a museum, and did not go into any of them.

from museum island, i intended to lead us to the reichstag. i saw a great dome in the sky, though, and led us towards that instead. it turns out that was the new synagogue (built some time after world war 2, im sure). it was pretty and the dome had gold trim. then i looked at the map more carefully, and saw that we actually went away from the reichstag, so we backtracked a bit to there.

there was a lot of new architecture aroudn the reichstag. first is the norman foster dome over the center of it, that is very contemporary looking over an old building which now houses the parliment. also, across the river were interestign buildings being built, or that were probably recently finished. i didnt recognize any of them, or the styles of any architects in particular, though. from the grass in front of the reichstag, i saw a neat curved roof that i thought resembled a soccer stadium, but we marched there only to find that it was some world’s cultures museum (another one that we didnt feel inspired to enter). the building close up disappointed as well, espeically since i thought it might be some sort of stadium.

from there we wanted to see brandenberg tor, a famous gate in front of which the berlin wall once stood. that was neat, resembling many victory arches that we have already seen in other cities around europe. it also was the front of a small square, or plaza, which had little of any significance to me. i overheard a tourguide say that they were building a new american embassy there (where we saw construction; by the way, there was a lot of constuction all over the city, which only added to the dreariness), where it once stood before world war 2.

from there we walked south, headed for potsdammer platz. on the way, we came across the holocaust memorial. the first thing that i noticed is that i didnt see any signs denoting it as such. in fact, the only way that we knew it was such is becuase it was noted on the map in our book as such. in any case, i liked it very much. the whole block, which is a small square, is covered with grey concrete cubes, that vary in height. from the edge, it does look as though there are taller ones in the middle, but only once you walk through do you realize how tall they are. around the edge, they are about knee height, and appear to be about the height of a man towards the center, but upon walking through, and recognizing that the ground dips down in the middle can you realize that the concrete slabs are two or three times the height of a person. it was intense to walk though the perfect grid formed by the slabs, and see them surrounding you. i thought it was brilliant, but paola did not share my opinion; not understanding how it ammounted to a memorial of any type, least of all a memorial of the holocaust. i shared my opinion with her, and she, at least partially, agreed with me. i thought that it served as a reminder that although it did not look so intense from the outside, once you immerse yourself in it, the intensity presents itself (reminding her that even the americans (who claim that they are the reason the nazis were defeated, seeming to forget the contribution that the soviets made at the end of the war (or was that just a coincidence of timing?)) did not enter the war to help stop the holocaust, despite transparent evidence that it was happening). that is, things might seem not so intense, but try to put yourself in another’s shoes to try to understand.

the hilight of the day was getting to potsdammer platz. it is basically a commerical center spread over several blocks that different important contemporary architects contributed to, including one of my favorites, renzo piano (from italy). very interesting architecture, indeed. there is also the sony center, which i hear is the european headquarters for sony, which culminates at a central circle, covered by a tent. we walked through the mall there, and i got a german language edition of hermann hesse’s ‘siddartha.’ we also ran across the street, and i saw the kultural forum, where the berlin philharmonic plays. it seems that at one point in the recent future, the city decided to pour lots of money in this one area to help it flourish. it seems to have worked. there were also parts of the berlin wall out front, and that was interesting to see. one part of the wall stated something to the effect (if my german is accurate, which it probably isnt) that here at potsdammer platz is where they first started to hit the wall down. neat.

so far, all of this was done by two in the afternoon. we were already a bit disenchanted by the cities apparent dreariness, so we decided to go and see a movie, ‘the island,’ there in potsdammer platz. i certainly liked it: lots of adventure and excitement (even if a tad bit long), and good philosophical (ethical) issues addressed, (which is a requirement, i think, for any good science fiction).

i lastly have to mention that last night i saw a familiar site. it was a large sculpture in the middle of one of the rivers that we crossed on the way here from the airport. there is an exact replica (or at least something very, very similar) in los angeles. i dont know the artist, or the name of the piece, but i will try to describe it. it is a figure of four men, perhaps ten meters tall, all at right angles of each other pushing against each other’s hands. each man is in a two dimensional portfolio image, made of aluminum, with holes perforated all over his body. in los angeles, this sculpture is found in the courtyard of the roybal federal building. it was neat to see that, and made me think of my mom, who works right nearby, and would certainly know the sculpture that i am talking about.

perhaps we are being a bit too harsh on berlin. maybe we will come back soon and give it, and other german cities another chance (i hear that munich is supposed to be neat, and duesseldorf has some neat modern architecture). also, i later realized that we were mostly in east berlin today, and we really did not go into west berlin (which a lot of people have told me is the nicer half, based on the fact that is where the western powers were (as opposed to the soviet eastern half)), and as such, our opinions on berlin are not fair. also, berlin is most like los angeles in that it is very spread out, and we did not go very far. like i said, maybe we have to come back and reevaluate to be fair (but for now, our opinion stands).

we intend to take a train to amsterdam early tomorrow, and see what happens from there.

arriving in berlin (august 9-10)

one thing that i dislike about flying is when i am tired, but i cannot sleep. it doesnt help when the person whom i am travelling with eats with her mouth open, and smacks her lips with every bite, then unwraps the plastic wrapper around little candies rather loudly.

in any case, we happened to get one of the hardest cab drivers in berlin. if he is any real representation of the people here, i dont think berlin will be very friendly. i told him where we were going in german. then paola wanted me to ask how far it was, but i wasnt certain how to say it (just leaving greece, i am mixing up greek and german, and i am was a little confused at 1230), so i asked him in german if he spoke english. he responded with a firm, NO! i then thought and figured out how to ask him how long it would be, and he responded, THIRTY MINUTES! i was scared to ask him anything else, or to try to start conversation with him (as i would with cab drivers). i am excited to see how it goes here, though.

we are well over the halfway point of our whole trip. but i think that some bests and worsts awards have already been clinched. best television so far was in rome, where after 10 at night, there were porno commercials for sex hotlines. that was fun to watch, and i dont think that it is going to be beat. worst beach we went to was in naufplio. i know the setting was perfect, the water was clear, and the sun was great. however, never have i ever been bitten by fish at the beach like here. we happened to go to this same beach twice, and both times (and no other times) fish were biting my ankles. i am only noting that here because the mark (yes, they left little bite marks!) that they left on me from a couple days ago is itching. i dont think that there will be a beach that we go to that will be worse than that. by the end of the trip, i am going to figure out more bests and worsts, and compile a list.

last comments on greece

one thing that paola noticed today, while walking around so much, is that she did not like the vibe of athens. it seemed as though the locals, especially those close to our age, were not friendly, and put off by others; or they thought that they were better than others. i have to agree with paola that that is the vibe that i got also. i much more liked the laid back vibe of argos and naufplio.

also, i seemed to actually understand a bit more greek than i thought i would (however, there is still much that i did not understand). i think that i will try to teach myself extensively this year, by actually talking and listening (to myself) and reading the different books that i got here in greece. trying to pass the language while here, i had an interesting revelation in connexion with an argument by wittgenstein. he said that there is no such thing as a private language, because then there is nobody to tell you if you are wrong in your translation (much simplified, of course). indeed, i found that to be the case often while with my family, especially when i thought out sentences in my head before saying (and in most cases, actually mouthing them out, which would get interesting reactions from paola). it so happened tht i was often wrong in my translations and interpretations of things. eh, but we learn. that said, i do think that i did learn a bit while here, and so did paola (it also helped, of course, that my uncle and aunt would point and act out things that they were saying to lead to better understanding on our part. i know that while i was in italy, i caught on to an entirely new language a little bit (i actually went to the store by myself once and successfully bought a screwdriver (which i may or may not have mentioned before). so languages arent all that hard.

also, being with my family brought good feelings in me, especially when sitting at the big dinner table with everyone. although paola and i could not understand much of the conversations that were being had (unless one of my cousins spoke up to fill us in, which was seldom), the joy around the table could still be felt (by me, at least, and i hope by paola). more than anything, it made me wish that my dad was there with me, and that he could participate in getting in touch personally with his family. (i had a similar feeling when i visited my uncle john in virginia back during thanksgiving.) perhaps at a later time. it also rekindled a desire in me (a desire that was first struck when i visited my uncle john) to write some sort of history of my family. it would take quite a bit of work, but i think that it could be done (and it probably should be done sooner than later before uncles, aunts, and so on begin to die off, leaving their side of the history unknown to me). we’ll see what happens.

my family in greece was definitely very kind, and welcoming to us. indeed, we felt like family. we have promised them a couple things about coming back. first, that it wont be another thirteen years before i return. (my uncle claims that if i were to wait that long, he might be with my grandparents down the hill by then.) also, he said that if i were to return, it was to be with paola; he does not want to see me by myself. he also said that he wants us to visit soon with a baby. all those promises but the last were ones that i think i am able to adhere with.

besides writing a history of my family, while in greece i also decided that i want to build my own house (an extension of one of my earlier noted desires to become an architect (which seemed to start in london)), and my own boat. we’ll see how any of this turns out. (it seems that wherever we go on this trip, i get some sort of new, way out west idea of what i might want to do with myself.)

also, to be nice to the reader, and not extend and negativity, i will not tell you about my time here at the airport, trying to leave athens for berlin; no, i will not tell you how i got into line, then had to get out of line only to get back in again; i will not tell you how i sit here at departure time, and still the plane is not here to load in; nor will i tell you about the little german children (children that paola is prejudiced to believe will grow up to believe that they themselves are the from the greatest nationa, and thus makes them the greatest people) run around the terminal gate in circles, and anger me with their laughs of joy while i sit with anger in my heart by the fact that i had to make special arangements with the german hotel at which we will be staying to let us check in at 1am (that is, if the flight were to be on time); no, i will not bother you anymore with how much i hate airports.

athens, day 2

paola and i at the parthenon.


we started by having breakfast, which the hotel provided. it was on the roof of the building, which was really neat, since from the roof, there was a view of the acropolis and the agora. from therre we went to the agora and walked around. i was impressed with the ancient sculptures that are out in the open. the hilight was the temple of hephastion, which is the most complete, and best preserved ancient greek temple in greece. there was also a small byzantine church, and another long temple, which originated in the ancient times, but was destroyed, and as such, was rebuilt sometime in the twentieth century.

after the agora, we went to the acropolis. that was very neat. so far on this trip, although i have seen a lot of astounding things, i have not had that feeling of wow like i have here. of course, it was very crowded, and that made paola disappointed (she compared it to when she went to machu pichu). certainly i feel that it would be better if we were the only two people on the whole site, but i also know that we are just the same as they are: tourists who all want to see the same thing. in any case, the whole complex was much larger than i thought it would be. of course, there is the parthenon, and the dionysian theater, but there was also another temple which was nice, and a lot of space to walk around. there was also a museum in the back which had a few interesting items from the acropolis site.

back to the temple of hephastion. nobody named elgin has removed the marble sculpture reliefs and put them into the british museum as was done on the acropolis. thus, these marbles were still there, and the figures very much resembled the reliefs that we saw in london. one major difference, however, was that the sculptures on the temple of hephastion in the agora were very worn down, and much detail was lost. that is, the reliefs in the british museum looked as though they were in much better shape than those on the hephastion temple that is about a few kilometers from the parthenon. this seems to lend a bit of credence to the argument that the british have often given: the greeks would not know how to take care of the precious artifacts.

after the acropolis, we took a walk up athenas street, which was listed in our tourist book as something special, but really wasnt. we ended up at the national archeological museum, which had great artifacts and sculptures from all periods of ancient greek history. some hilights were the bronze statue of zeus (or posiedon; there is a debate as to who it is, but i think it looks better if the figure were throwing a lightning bolt rather than attacking with a triton), a bronze statue of paris (or perseus; after seeing the statue, i am more compeled by the argument that it is paris holding an apple rather than perseus holding medusa’s head), and a famous marble sculpture of aphrodite. i was a little disappointed that there were not more minoan frescos; i suppose that i will have to trael to santorini or crete to see those.

one thing that i wanted to do today but couldnt was visit the olympic stadium (the new one, different from panathenakon stadium that we saw yesterday). i asked someone, and he said that it was further away, and not in the immediate area. once we got on the subway to go to the airport, i saw where it was, though, and only then realized how easy it might have been to see it. perhaps next time.

arriving in athens

panathenakos stadium



the acropolis from below



we got into athens about 7pm. the first hotel we drove by, we took and booked for the night (one night only since we hoave booked a flight to berlin from athens for tomorrow night). perhaps it would have been better if we had some more time in athens, but such is how things have passed. (there is always next time). i must admit that before comming here, i had always heard not so good things about athens specifically. however, that was before the olympics last summer, when (i believe) a lot of improvements were made. even when asking people here in greece, they suggested that one day was enough in athens. however, before we came out here, my aunt hresula and my cousin dina both said that at least half a week would be necessary for athens. in any case, we had tonite and have early tomorrow.

right away, on the ride in, we knew we were in athens when we saw the acropolis, and the parthenon on top. it was an intense experience, even seeing it from afar in the car driving in. after checking in to the hotel, and saying goodbye to my uncle and heraklea, we took a walk over to the acropolis. on the way, we saw the outside of the ancient agora as well. unfortunately, it was too late to get into and explore any of the sites. i was slightly disappointed, but we can do it tomorrow. after walking around the hill that the acropolis sit on, and seeing the parthenon from the outside (which is still quite a site), we walked up the street to the parliment building. before getting there, we saw hardrian’s arch and the ruins of the temple of hercules. it was neat. when we got to the parliment building, we saw the guards standing out front in the classical greek soldier’s uniform. we walked back here around nine, and they were doing the changing of the gaurds. they are like the soldiers at buckingham palace, in that they cannot talk, or smile, or any of that stuff. we then went around that block and saw the royal palace, where the president lives. it isnt all that much, a big mansion with a gate out front. walkign down that street led to panathenion stadium, where the olympics were held. it was neat because one end was opened, and we could see right into it. it was not the stadium that i was thinking of when i thought of the olympics, though. i am also interested in seeing the more modern stadium (this one is in the classical mode), that i imagine they had other sports in (perhaps swimming, but im not sure).

after that, we walked home, and got some nice night shots of the acropolis and the agora. we also walked around the plaka, which seems to be the active center of social athens, where there are many cafes, restaurants, etc. tomorrow we will try to see what we can before leaving for berlin.

lastly, one thing that we noticed right away is that there is a severe stray dog problem in athens. perhaps it would be wrong for me to call it a problem if most of the residence here do not see it as one. afterall, people are not really being attacked, and it seems as though the city’s dogs and the city’s people are getting on just fine. i am sure that if there was a real health risk, this would be addressed (although, based on what i know about greeks, and what i have seen so far here, that assumption may not hold true.

argos, last day

before leaving for athens today, we went to naufplio, and walked through bourdzi. it is a fort that was built in the middle of the bay of naufplio. it was neat to walk around the castle undeterred by any gaurds and what not. that is one thing that i really like about touring the ancient sites in greece: they barely block people at all from actually exploring the sites and looking closely. because we were tired, we decided to just go to the beach afterwards rather than explore more, such as the palamida, the famous castle at the top of the highest mountain in naufplio. after 8 straight days at the beach, we are very dark skinned, and appreciate the relaxation that a beach can bring.

another thing that i appreciated during our time in argos is the pace of life in a smaller place. i enjoyed watching the horizon with my uncle on his patio, while twirling koboloi (worry beads). it was also cool to just hang out, and not really care much about all the other different things that might be happening in the world. in america, people live to work; while in greece, people work to live. i have friends in new york who work 10 to 12 hours a day, six to seven days a week on wall street, and i am sure that they make a lot more money than i do. the problem is that if one works all the time too make money, there is no time to spend the money and enjoy life. i definitely could get used to laying about in argos or nafplio, and give up lots of the other luxuries and worries of big city life.

after a nap, heraklea rode with us while my uncle drove us to athens. on the way out, matula cried while kissing us goodbye. all and all, i think that it was a bit of an emotional leg of our trip. it has been my experience that it is always good to be with family, no matter how distant.

argos, day 7

bebe, loula, and nikos


sunday was our last full day in argos. dina took us to a beach called candia. we met loula and nikos with their baby there (however, they had to leave in the afternoon). it was very nice and calm there. the water was nice, but got a bit more rough later in the afternoon.

we went back home and relaxed a bit. since it was going to be our last dinner there, they set up a small feast, and loula and nikos came back with their baby, and hresula also came up. one event that really touched our hearts was that when loula and nikos came sunday night, they brought gifts for paoula and me. we were both really surprised. they gave us both crosses, and we also a book on naufplio, a tea cup set, and a porcelan doll of a traditional greek soldier. i already knew that i was part of the family, but it was then that paola really felt that she was part of the family. the whole week they really made us feel that we were at home, and treated us the same as their own children.

later saturday

me at my grandparents grave and uncle george´s memorial.


we finally went to the show at the ancient theater. it turned out to be a play, and that meant that we would appreciate it a little less since we didnt understand the dialogue. i tried to just appreciate the visuals, such as the costumes, that were very elaborate. i tried to follow what i could, but after about 30 minutes, it got to be a bit too weird for me to figure out, so i stopped trying. it was almost like watching ‘un chien andalou’ with a bunch of surrealists who were in on it. it started with a couple of guys feeding shit to a monster, then one of them quitting because they didnt like being around shit all day. by the end someone got married. in between was a lot of fantastic stuff, that almost reminded me of the wizard of oz. the character of hermes was wearing a bright silver sequined suit. there were a lot of scarecrows jumping around and dancing. all the actors were men, following ancient tradition. i dont know what else to say.

before we went to the theater, my aunt took us to see where my grandparents are buried. we walked through a lot of the cemetery, all of which looked the same, except for the pictures that some people put in. before my aunt showed me the stone marker, i recognized it because it had, in addition to a photo of my grandparents, a photo of my late uncle george (after whom i was named). i saw his picture before the other, and it hit me a bit harder than i expected. i didnt really know him (nor did i know my grandparents very well), but i remember my dad saying that he was his favorite brother; it was george that my dad followed to america, and helped him get his berrings. like i said, i didnt know either of them too well, but emotions nonetheless overtook me. my grandparents died old, 90 and 95 years old; my uncle died when he was 51, rather young. the beauty of his photo struck me, and it does as i look at it again.

different cultures

i suppose that right now might be a good time to describe some differences between greek and american culture. the one that bothers paola the most has to do with the roles that men and women play. she noticed from the beginning how at dinner time, the men dont do anything but sit and wait for the table to be set and served for dinner. paola, of course, got mad at this, and expressed her disgust with me. i pointed out that while she was right, and the men looked like they were sitting around doing nothing, that the men had a job to attend to all day, while the women stayed home. certainly, there are more women at work than there used to be, but the role of stay-at-home housewife is still very prevalent throughout greece (as far as i can tell). i try not to defend this culture, nor attack paola’s feelings, but rather try to look at it without any culture. that is, one has to understand that there are roles in every society and culture, and that is just the way that it is played out. in america, the roles that are differentiated between women and men are more blurred than they are in greece. who is to say that one is better than the other. certainly my cousin dina proves that these roles are not set in stone, and are becoming more blurred in greece, as she has divorced her husband, and is still raising her daughter and son. i feel that as long as people accept their roles, and choose them freely, nobody should feel bad for anyone else. certainly the people here seem very happy, and however one might think that they are being treated, if they are happy, there is little that can be said against the culture. (in the brilliant words of my brother, everybody is just trying to live a happy life.) indeed, many people are not happy because they feel that they want more in life, that they have been cheated in some way. one philosophy of living that goes back to the ancient greeks (the stoics, in fact, and then developed into some prayer within the christian faith (let me accept things that i cannot change); and also taught independently in the east through buddhism and such) claims that there is very little in life that one can effect. that said, find happiness in what is with you, rather than wanting more (things, objects, love, freedom, whatever one might want).

argos, day 6 (august 6th)

palamidis palace in naufplio at night.



today is saturday, and we just got back from the beach with dina. the day was much cooler than it has been, so cool in fact that we decided to leave the beach early. after we left, it actually started to rain. i decided to go into the water sparingly, and while i was laying out, i kept my shirt on. i realized this morning that what i thought had been a very bronze tan actually looks more maroon than i would prefer. so i thought that i would give my skin a rest, and keep out of the sun for most of the day (under an umbrella).

after we came home, we had lunch, and are taking advantage of the greek practice of napping or resting after lunch. i can get more used to this.

later tonite we will go to a show at the ancient theater nearby. (my uncle said that when he was a kid, my dad would go there and play (with himself). i suppose that it is fair that he said that since my dad would tell me that herakles was a punk when he was young, due to the fact that he knew he could always count on my dad and george to use their clout to bail him out of whatever trouble he had gotten into. so now i get to hear both sides.) i think that it will be a neat experience to see a show in an ancient theater like that, even if we wont completely understand the show. i remember when i came to greece before, i had seen a concert at the ancient theater as well, but i dont remember it too well.

argos, day 5- hydra

the two of us on the boat to hydra.



the beach that we found and were alone at.


since we decided against trying to get to santorini, the family here thought it would be a good idea to go to another local island, hydra. it is one of the saronic gulf islands, and is pleasant and tranquil. they dont allow any motorized vehicles on the island, but we saw a few (i think that exceptions are made for construction vehicles and sanitation). the main mode of transportation, then, is by donkey or by foot. it is very hilly, and the houses just seem to be stacked upon each other when seen from afar. when we got there, there was no beach in sight, but i knew that there had to be something. so we just explored though the houses, and narrow streets of the city, trying to get some good photgraphs of the local architecture. we didnt see many houses that one might think of when thinking of greek islands (which are mostly photographed in santorini), and we got a bit discouraged at first, especially since paola didnt have a short lense with which she could capture enough within the frame (her lense only allowed for close ups, being 135 mm).

so after walking through the houses, we decided to go back down to the port, where the main tourist center was (with restuarants and little shops). being an entirely new location for both of us, this didnt entirely appeal to us. so we wanted to explore a bit more. i knew that there had to be some sort of beach, so we decided to walk a bit further. after the port, goining west as we did, there was little on the road. paola was hot and tired, and didnt feel like walking in the sun, but i insisted, since there seemed to be nothing else to do. you see, even though it was an island, and we were surrounded by water, hydra (like most of greece) is ver rocky and mountainous. that beign the case, there was no decent place to jump into the water (rather, we could jump in, but the steep rocky terrain did not allow for us to get back out). it was my feeling that we would find a small area at which we would be able to get into the water and get back out comfortably. based on what we saw, paola doubted that this would be possible because the road was long, deserted, and hot (although it was not as hot as the previous days had been). i saw in the distance what looked like stairs built into the cliffs that lead from houses to the sea. i knew that there would be some way to get there, and sure enough, there was.

we took the steps all the way down, and they led to a small bay that was all by itself; we were the only ones there. we had a good time there, and it lifted our spirits about hydra. it also lifted paola’s spirits, and made her want to explore some more; perhaps we could find another private beach. so we walked some more in the same direction away from the main port, and came upon a public beach with a lot of people. that wasnt as fun, so we just jumped in to get wet and cool off, then went back because the ferry was scheduled to take us back at 1615 (by this time it was about 1445). i know that if we wanted to, though, we could have gone further and found some other neat stuff, but for that, we would have had to stay the night, which didnt seem appealing (despite the fact that staying to explore did sound appealing; afterall, just above the private beach, was the crater of the volcano which must have formed the island (greece is a hotspot for tectonic activity), and it was smoking (or else it was just some sort of natural crater, in which someone was having a bbq; had we the time, i would have gone to find out, but as of now, my guess is the volcano). on our way back, we saw another place where most of the people went swimming, on the opposite side of the port that we went. in any case, they werent really beaches, but rather concrete platforms placed on the rocks below to allow for access to the sea. it didnt seem as cool as what we had experienced, so we didnt feel like we missed out or went the wrong way.

right as we were going back to catch the ferry, paola stubbed her left big toe. i would guess that it got cut as bad as it could have been without needing hospital assistance. we then hobbled to the ferry, catching it just in time, and there she was able to put on some antiseptic gel to keep it clean and help it heal. when we got home, my aunt matula cleaned it with some bactine and wrapped it. it wasnt so bad at all and she is just fine, if limping. i figure the way that she has been walking around during this trip, we are lucky that it isnt worse. indeed, something was destined to happen, and it’s better that it is a small cut rather than a broken ankle or something.

argos, day four

paris, and his daughter stella


we have gone to the beach the first three days, and this day will be no different. today we went again with paris to his camp site. the difference, however, was that he moved his caravan from drepano to astro, a completely different city in a completely different state (arcadia). to be honest, this site was not as appealing as drepano, but it had its advantages for his family. a few days earlier we had learned that paris’ wife, eleni, speaks english very well (though her words were that she doesnt like to speak english, and prefers french). we also learned that their older daughter, elpitha is learning english and french right now (as a six year old, being taught by a private tutor).

last time i was in greece, i couldnt quite grasp the practice that they have here that involves resting after lunch. it is as though the whole city (if not the whole country) closes shop from about 2 in the afternoon until 5. in fact, when we were walking around nafplio earlier in the week, this was exactly true (no stores were open for us to go in and browse after we went to the beach). being from america, where there is no such practice of taking naps after lunch, it was difficult for me (and for the adults then who were trying to get me to take a nap) because i had a little more energy. however, after about four days here in greece, i could appreciate the practice. also, this is in light of the fact that we havent really been doing anything except going to the beach! after lunch on thursday, both paola and i were very tired. we didnt quite take a nap, but we were almost to that point. paris’ caravan setup helped, because he had a tarp, or canopy extending from the caravan, to about two meters away from it, which created a nice shady environment. he told us that before taking us back to my uncle’s (we had to be back by the early evening becuase it was decided that since we were not going to santorini, we would go to another island off the coast of argolida called hydra the next day; the ferry leaves from tolo, which is close to nafplio, which is where loula lives, which is where we would sleep that night for convenience), we would walk around the town of astro, but we were too tired to do too much. in any case, he took us through the center, which was little more than one small street of little cafes and such (he told us that it got very crowded at night, and i believe him).

on the way home, paris told me some interesting stories about the history of my family. it so happens that the family that i know did not start in argos, as i had previously thought. rather, my grandfather and grandmother were apparently from the state of arcadia, close to a city called tripoli. they had their first three children there (hresula, kanella (neitsa), and george). they then moved from there to argos for work (i suppose the working economy was better in argos at that time than in tripoli). my father was the first to be born in argos (followed by herakles, john, then tasso). it was interesting that they moved to argos for work, and then later george would move to america for work (followed by my dad, then everyone else except heralkles and hresula (in fact, even my grandfather moved to america for a short time to work).

after returning to my uncle’s and resting a bit, we went to loula’s in nafplio. she would take us to tolo the next morning so we could catch a ferry to hydra. her home is very nice, although they admit that they would like to get something bigger, with three rooms instead of two. also, despite the great location in the center of old nafplio, there is a significant flaw about the apartment. becuase it is considered old nafplio, and the local government wants to maintain the integrity of the old architecture (indeed, all of the buildings are very venetian in style because, if my sources are correct, some venetians settled here and founded nafpio), they do not allow modifications in order to instal and air conditioner, so their apartment gets very warm inside, especially during the summer. there is a little consolation in that they are able to spend time out on one of the three balconies at night, where it is much cooler than the inside. nikos also told me some stuff about the big castle in nafplio that is on the top of a hill, and has 999 steep steps leading to it from the bottom of the hill: that it was built in the 1400s, and was a major fort in the fight for independence from the turks in 1820s, and that after the war, the new government imprissoned one of the key greek generals there (for a reason that was not made clear), which is a famous prison that is not quite big enough for a man to stand in.

after dinner (at about 1130pm) paola and i went for a little walk around old nafplio. like i said before, it was neat, becuase it was very crowded with people (the greeks seem like they dont start to go out until about 11, then it gets very crowded (which perhaps explains the brilliance of taking naps after lunch)). we happened upon a little book fair that they have during the month of august, and i was able to find some other greek books that i hope will help and encourage me to learn the language. i was able to find the seferis book, and the cavafy book that i couldnt find a couple days ago. they also had a complete book of elytis, but i didnt want to spend so much money for his complete works, when i was only interested in one. so i have found three books total, and am still looking for one. we soon went back to loula’s and tried the best we could to fall asleep in her warm apartment. it was easier for me than it was for paola to sleep through the night.

the santorini problem

and tonite the subject of santorini came up again. everyone agrees that it is the prettiest island to visit, so paola and i (more paola than i) really want to make sure to go. however, the difficulty is that we do not have any reservations at a hotel, and we dont have all that much time either. we were thinking of rebooking the flight out of athens to germany, under the presumption that the lost money would be worth it for santorini. in fact, if we were to go to santorini, we would probably not even go to berlin and amsterdam, and instead go to paris after greece. we figure that we are out here now, why not just go now rather than wait till next time (especially since berlin doesnt appeal that much, nor does amsterdam (except for the mad parties we will be sure to encounter)). then the problem had arisin that since we do not have any sort of preorganized plans, that even the ferry would be difficult to secure. we had heard on the that there television that people were waiting for twenty two hours for a ferry ride to santorini (a ride that in itself is 4 to 7 hours, and should be able to be secured the same day). that said, then, we have finally decided to postpone a trip to santorini, and perhaps plan something for later, when we could give people notice of our plans, and perhaps get help from the locals (my family and their friends), who might be able to organize a trip to many islands.