WEEK 29
Hi! Sorry I'm a day late, quite a few things have been going on! This week on Thursday and Friday we visited the ancient city of Delphi and stayed a night in Galaxidi. Delphi dates back to Roman and Greek times and was built mainly around the temple of Apollo (the god of light, music and harmony) that housed the 'Oracle of Delphi', a woman who would sit on a stool over a crack in the mountain and breath in the vapors that spewed from it. These supposedly put her into a trance in which she would speak with the Gods of Olympus and give advice to travelers. She would give the advice in complex riddles that were often very difficult to understand. There was a stadium at the top of the city where the ancient Olympic Games were held in honor of the gods. There was a Treasury of Athens and rich people often gave thanks to the Oracle by having a special temple or building constructed. We stayed in a rather unusual and empty hotel that seemed to be more like an antique collectors mansion than anything else. Overall, we had a pretty good week, and I started Scale Model building again! :)
-Finn
Sunday, 6 July 2014
Saturday, 28 June 2014
WEEK 27-28
I know what you're thinking. "Finn! This post is a week late!" My excuse is that our whole family has been away since Tuesday on a trip in Crete! We took a 45 minute flight from Athens to Heraklion and stayed there for two nights. We hired a car just outside the surprisingly busy airport and drove quickly to the town. The food was excellent! Greek salad, Souvlaki, Lamb chops, pizza, chips, all topped off with Halva (cakey, ricey, kind of stuff) and a shot glass of Ouzo or Raki (Greek alcoholic drinks). We visited the Minoan palace of Knossos, which, in my opinion is slightly overrated since about 60% of what you see is actually fake reconstructions (including the red columns). Next, we drove for 2 hours west along Crete to the beautiful town of Chania (pronounced 'Hania') with it's amazing Old Town from the 1500s and 1600s in the Venetian period. The narrow cobbled streets are such fun to walk through! Just outside the town itself is an enormous water park with many slides, pools, and facilities. Just next to it is a Go-Kart driving track with Karts for hire to race around. We stayed the two nights at a bed 'n' breakfast that was very cool with its higglety pigglety interior and parts of the building from every period since the Venetians. Beaches in Crete certainly live up to their name and have crystal clear water and sometimes just pebbles instead of sand! On Saturday, we drove back to Heraklion via a beach and Souda bay, finally dropping off the rental car and leaving on a plane to Athens that took forever to board, even though the attendant said it was boarding when the same two people were at the front of the line. We arrived home at 9 pm after taking two buses to get home and quickly ate a small dinner and flopped into bed. It had been an excellent holiday.
I know what you're thinking. "Finn! This post is a week late!" My excuse is that our whole family has been away since Tuesday on a trip in Crete! We took a 45 minute flight from Athens to Heraklion and stayed there for two nights. We hired a car just outside the surprisingly busy airport and drove quickly to the town. The food was excellent! Greek salad, Souvlaki, Lamb chops, pizza, chips, all topped off with Halva (cakey, ricey, kind of stuff) and a shot glass of Ouzo or Raki (Greek alcoholic drinks). We visited the Minoan palace of Knossos, which, in my opinion is slightly overrated since about 60% of what you see is actually fake reconstructions (including the red columns). Next, we drove for 2 hours west along Crete to the beautiful town of Chania (pronounced 'Hania') with it's amazing Old Town from the 1500s and 1600s in the Venetian period. The narrow cobbled streets are such fun to walk through! Just outside the town itself is an enormous water park with many slides, pools, and facilities. Just next to it is a Go-Kart driving track with Karts for hire to race around. We stayed the two nights at a bed 'n' breakfast that was very cool with its higglety pigglety interior and parts of the building from every period since the Venetians. Beaches in Crete certainly live up to their name and have crystal clear water and sometimes just pebbles instead of sand! On Saturday, we drove back to Heraklion via a beach and Souda bay, finally dropping off the rental car and leaving on a plane to Athens that took forever to board, even though the attendant said it was boarding when the same two people were at the front of the line. We arrived home at 9 pm after taking two buses to get home and quickly ate a small dinner and flopped into bed. It had been an excellent holiday.
Sunday, 15 June 2014
WEEK 26
Hey! I was feeling a little lazy this week so I don't have much to report on. Basically, I graduated, and then went to a huge Birthday/Graduation party at this enormous water park. I fell off my raft in one of the slides and now I have bruises all over. We got a printer, a Kenwood, a car, and a GPS (yes, not spending much, are we?). And now I have 2-and-a-half days of school left in which I'm pretty sure we won't do anything but laze around and play. That's my week, pretty much. I know, not interesting. Well, the iPad beckons, so bye!
-Finn
Monday, 9 June 2014
WEEK 25
Hello! Things here are warming up for summer and I'm getting very excited! My graduation is in four days but that's beside the point. The point is that I should be reporting on Athens, not my life. Well, where to start? For one thing, it's crazy busy here, especially in the markets near Omonia Square. Luckily the public transport here is excellent, if a little cramped at times. Near Omonia, there are many pet shops that are fun to look in but are a little concerning with the amount of animals kept confined in small cages. Piraeus is a huge bustling port filled with all manner of enormous cruise ships and small catamarans and hydrofoils. Meanwhile, in Pagkrati, the rather squeezy downtown of Athens with it's tight corners and narrow one-way streets, there are many small squares that become bustling hotspots at night and serve as the locations of many nice cafes during the day. Sadly, Athens has a very large population of stray cats and dogs, which fortunately are fed by locals a lot. A nice place to spend the day is in the National Gardens, close to Syntagma Square, and filled with playgrounds, trees and even a small zoo which once housed a lion but had to have it sent away due to cramped conditions. It houses an aviary containing lovebirds, cockatiels, and budgies (parakeets), as well as enclosures with rabbits, doves, geese, ducks, goats, chickens and some beautiful peacocks. It is definitely a wonderful place to spend a warm afternoon. Well, afternoon tea calls, and I must be off, so goodbye, and I will see you next week!
-Finn
Hello! Things here are warming up for summer and I'm getting very excited! My graduation is in four days but that's beside the point. The point is that I should be reporting on Athens, not my life. Well, where to start? For one thing, it's crazy busy here, especially in the markets near Omonia Square. Luckily the public transport here is excellent, if a little cramped at times. Near Omonia, there are many pet shops that are fun to look in but are a little concerning with the amount of animals kept confined in small cages. Piraeus is a huge bustling port filled with all manner of enormous cruise ships and small catamarans and hydrofoils. Meanwhile, in Pagkrati, the rather squeezy downtown of Athens with it's tight corners and narrow one-way streets, there are many small squares that become bustling hotspots at night and serve as the locations of many nice cafes during the day. Sadly, Athens has a very large population of stray cats and dogs, which fortunately are fed by locals a lot. A nice place to spend the day is in the National Gardens, close to Syntagma Square, and filled with playgrounds, trees and even a small zoo which once housed a lion but had to have it sent away due to cramped conditions. It houses an aviary containing lovebirds, cockatiels, and budgies (parakeets), as well as enclosures with rabbits, doves, geese, ducks, goats, chickens and some beautiful peacocks. It is definitely a wonderful place to spend a warm afternoon. Well, afternoon tea calls, and I must be off, so goodbye, and I will see you next week!
-Finn
Sunday, 1 June 2014
(Sorry, this blog is a little late, so I will be beginning on week 24)
WEEK 24
The waterfight
Hi there! Not much has been happening this week, but last night at my school, there was a huge spring fair with a waterfight! It was open warfare! 5th Grade went up against 4th to defend the soccer field, but eventually we teamed with them to take on 8th grade, who had climbed to the top of the Elementary School and were dropping water balloons on us! The fight dragged on for 4 or 5 hours (I wasn't keeping time) until people started going home and things got boring. Eventually, the teachers shut down every tap in the school, except for a water fountain in the kindergarten area which actually exploded (it wasn't blown apart, but there was a flash and a bang and smoke was everywhere)!! I got home, had a shower (I don't think I really needed one after a waterfight), rested my sore feet, and went to bed. That pretty much sums up my week, I think. Well, I'm off.
-Finn
WEEK 24
The waterfight
Hi there! Not much has been happening this week, but last night at my school, there was a huge spring fair with a waterfight! It was open warfare! 5th Grade went up against 4th to defend the soccer field, but eventually we teamed with them to take on 8th grade, who had climbed to the top of the Elementary School and were dropping water balloons on us! The fight dragged on for 4 or 5 hours (I wasn't keeping time) until people started going home and things got boring. Eventually, the teachers shut down every tap in the school, except for a water fountain in the kindergarten area which actually exploded (it wasn't blown apart, but there was a flash and a bang and smoke was everywhere)!! I got home, had a shower (I don't think I really needed one after a waterfight), rested my sore feet, and went to bed. That pretty much sums up my week, I think. Well, I'm off.
-Finn
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