Sweet Home Alabama

NOTE: The best way to start reading this blog is to scroll down to the bottom and start with the first entry in May, and go from there to get a day-to-day description. Today (June 10) is the last blog, so by scrolling down to the beginning you get to the first one. You may have to scroll down and click "older posts" to get to the beginning, and then "newer posts" to get you back to the posts at the end. If you have any questions please email me at cmiroff@tcss.net.

As I checked into the Athens International Airport for the flight home, I compared and contrasted my impressions of this Greece trip, with the one I took as a college student with Mrs. Gray almost 15 years earlier. Immediately, the convenience of travel in Greece came to my mind. On my first trip, Athens suffered from lots of air pollution and there were so many cars in the city that people were only allowed to drive on certain days of the week--depending on what number (odd or even) your car tag ended in. Public transportation was only available by bus or taxi, and it was quite dangerous. However, since the Olympics came to Athens a few years ago, they built a HUGE metro system that helped the city tremendously. It is one of the cleanest subway systems I've ever experienced. The metro stations are easy to navigate, since the directions are written in Greek and English. The people are still very friendly, and the sightseeing is still incredible. Since the movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was partially filmed in Santorini, the island has become more touristy--but it remains to be completely breaktaking. In my opinion, Santorini is still the most beautiful place in the world. Mykonos, which was Jackie Kennedy Onasis' favorite Greek island, is still amazing. Tourists from around the world come to see its beautiful scenery, historic windmills, and Greek culture. Overall, the trip was fantastic, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to travel to Greece this year. I cannot wait to share what I learned with my students at BMS!

Back to Athens

It's hard to believe our amazing journey to Greece is coming to a close. Greece has an incredible history, and is a beautiful place to visit. From the mainland capital city of Athens, to the wonderful islands in the Aegean Sea--Greece is a place that everyone should see in their lifetime. We ate a scrumptous breakfast at the resort, and headed for the port. We boarded a Blue Star Ferry to take us back to the port of Piraeus in Athens. It was a five hour ferry ride. While back in Athens, we strolled around Syntagma Square to capture last-minute memories of Greece before spending the night at the Sofitel hotel by the Athens airport.

A day to relax

We've hiked for miles on this trip, driven all-terrain vehicles, carried our luggage on and off of ferries and subways, and saw some amazing historical and culural sites. On our last day in Mykonos, we rested to get ready for our ferry back to Athens.

The Countryside

Today we rode around Mykonos to explore the countryside. Mykonos is a typical Greek island, with whitewashed Greek-style homes. We viewed the sea from the opposite side of the island, and wandered through the streets to get a feel for the culture of the island. I was amazed at the flora on the island. It has beautiful bougainvilla plants everywhere, and restaurants serving dishes like fresh octopus salad line the streets near the sea.

Mykonos

Donkeys are a popular method of transportation in Santorini, and we visited the site where the donkeys wait on tourists, to take them up the steep cliffs to the top of the island. Of course, we didn't ride the donkeys because we weren't sure the animals were treated very ethically. But it was interesting to see them anyway. Then we boarded a ferry to the island of Mykonos. When we arrived, the St. John Resort sent a driver to pick us up and take us to the hotel. The driver did not speak much English, but we think he explained a lot about the island on the way to the resort. Just like in Santorini, I had spoken to the manager of the resort before the trip. They made arrangements for us to have an incredible room. When we walked into the room, we noticed the beautiful balcony overlooking the Aegean Sea. It also overlooked the island of Delos, the supposed birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. The view from the pool looked like something you would see on the cover of Conde Nast Travel Magazine, and we noticed that Donald Trump gave the resort a five-star rating.

We rented a scooter to explore the island. This evening, we rode to the main town called Chora, where there are lots of windmills and small pirate alleyways to wander through. We ran into "The Pelican," who is the unofficial mascot of the island.

Churches and Wineries

This was our last full day in Santorini and we had so much we still wanted to see. We started with a quick trip to the village of Perissa, which had some lovely Greek-style homes and a nice beach. However, Serge and I faced a dilemma about how to spend the rest of the day. Serge wanted to visit some of the many churches on the island. I wanted to visit some of the many wineries that have been the main source of income for many people who live on the island. We decided to try and do both, which made for quite and interesting day. The churches are very old, but very beautiful. There are Catholic churches, Greek orthodox churches, and historic Byzantine churches.

Santorini is not a very agriculturally fertile island, but grapes grow well in the volcanic soil. There are many vineyards that specialize in making varieties of wines. We visited the Koutsoyannopoulos Winery and Wine Museum. The winery has existed since 1660, and the museum shows how wine is produced.

We spent our last evening in Santorini in the village called Oia. It is known for its world-famous sunsets, and the view was amazing. It was a great way to spend our final evening in Santorini.

Kamari

Today we rented a four-wheeler and drove to the other side of the island. We spent most of the day in a village called Kamari. Kamari is the nearest village to the ancient ruins of Thera. Kamari also has one of the world's most beautiful beaches. The beach is unlike most beaches, because it is made from black volcanic lava rock. The beach is a popular destination for travelers from around the world.

Hiking in Santorini

Today we decided to take an adventurous hike to the other side of Santorini. We hiked from Fira to Oia, which took about five hours. We saw breaktaking views of the volcano during the hike, including lots of lava rock. At times, we didn't think we could actually finish the hike because the terrain was very rugged. But we kept hiking, and we finally made it to Oia. We took a bus back to Fira, where we had Gyros at a place called Lucky's Souvlakis. It was a great day!

Over the Rainbow

We traveled by metro from Athens to the port at Piraeus, where we boarded our ferry for an 8-hour boat ride to the island of Santorini. Santorini is called Thera by the locals, and is located in the Greek island chain called the Cyclades. We had wonderful seats on the ferry, and the view when we approached the volcanic island was incredible. The seasonal winds made it extremely windy upon arrival, and for a moment I felt like I had been caught in a cyclone and I had landed where trouble melts like lemon drops, high above the chimney tops in Oz. We checked in to our hotel, and could not believe how beautiful our room was. The Atlantis Hotel is the place to stay on the island, and they were very hospitable during our stay. I spoke with the hotel owner a few weeks before the trip, and told her of my plans to research the history of the island. She gave us the best room in the hotel! We had two huge balconies. One overlooks the village of Fira, and the other one overlooks the caldera. We had a late lunch at a restaurant called Ouzeli's, and Serge said it was the best salad he ever tasted. We spent the rest of the day sightseeing around Fira, and making plans for the next few days.

The Acropolis

We hiked to the top of the Acropolis today to see the ancient "city on a hill." It was very hot, and the walk to the top was challenging. However, it was worth the climb to see the Parthenon at the top. Although there were many tourists at the site, the view of Athens from the top was breathtaking. Athens is a huge modern city today, but it was easy to sit at the Parthenon and think about what Athens looked like long ago. We grabbed a quick cheese pastry for lunch, and headed across town to the National Archaeological Museum. The museum showcased many historic sculptures from various times in Greek history. I was amazed to see an ancient bowl inscribed with Aramaic writing, which was the language that Jesus spoke. I was also impressed at the Santorini frescoes, which were excavated from the island we will visit for four days of our trip. We returned to the Plaka this evening, where parts of it still look very old. I wouldn't be surprised if I saw Socrates himself walking by the restaurant where we ate Greek food and listened to music of the bouzouki.

Athens--The Birthplace of Democracy

When we arrived in Athens, we considered taking a convenient taxi to our hotel. However, we thought it would be good practice, in case "The Amazing Race" ever casts us for their show, to find our way using public transportation. We took a bus from the airport to the famous Syntagma Square, which is right in front of Greece's Parliament building. From there, we ventured onto the Metro (subway) system. Our hotel, the Royal Olympic, is located near the Acropolis. So, we just took the subway to the Acropolis metro station. From there, we walked down cobblestone streets to the Temple of Zeus. Our hotel is across the street from the temple, and we made it safely. We spent the evening exploring the temple, and walking through the nearby Plaka Historic District. We had dinner in a Greek taverna, and we tasted the most incredible Greek salad. Tomorrow we are headed to the Acropolis for a full-day of sightseeing.

Today's the Day!

I boarded my plane at 6am on May 30th, out of Birmingham Airport. Serge and I flew from Alabama to Newark, where we had a 7-hour layover. Then, we boarded our huge plane for a 9-hour flight to Athens. We had great seats on the plane, because there were so many empty seats. We were able to stretch out across an entire row, and I slept most of the way. We arrived in Athens on the morning of May 31st, and headed straight to our hotel. I decided against taking my laptop, so I'll have to update my photos to the blog when I return to Alabama next week.

Starting the summer in Greece!

In a few days, I will journey to Greece for another fantastic summer travel experience. The University of Alabama in Huntsville's Office of International Programs is providing the funding for this trip, via their STAR (Success Through Academic Research) Scholarship. http://oip.uah.edu/star.php

I will spend three days in Athens, the capital of Greece and the birthplace of western civilization. After exploring amazing sites such as the Parthenon and the National Archaeological Museum, I will take an 8-hour ferry to Santorini.

I had the opportunity to visit Santorini in the late 1990s, and I made a promise to myself that I would return someday. Nothing can quite describe... the unsurpassed magic of Santorini. There is talk about the connection between Santorini and the mythical lost continent of Atlantis. The volcano is what gives Santorini the unique landscape and makes it the most famous place in the world for its Caldera - which is the opening created by the Santorini volcano. I will be staying at a hotel which is located on the highest cliff--the only place in the world where you can actually stay on the caldera of a volcano. I've traveled around the world, and without a doubt--there is no place on earth more beautiful than Santorini.

After exploring Santorini for five days, I will take a high-speed ferry to the island of Mykonos. In Greek mythology, Mykonos was the location of the battle between Zeus and the Titan, and the island was named in honor of Apollo's grandson Mykons. Today, Mykonos is the most popular island in Greece--and possibly the most popular island in all of Europe.

I will return to Athens for my last day in Greece, where I will meander through the ancient Plaka District before my 12-hour flight home. Upon my return, I will create an exciting Curriculum Guide for my students at BMS. I will be posting new blogs and photos during the trip. Please feel free to ask questions about Ancient Greece on the blog. If you will be an 8th grader at BMS during the 2009-10 school year, this blog is a FANTASTIC resource for you to get prepared for our unit on Greece next year!