A.k.a. Vegetarian Meat Loaf
My Auntie Dawn's recipe has made it's world debut. It has made an appearance in Russia, Switzerland, Hungary, Romania, and New Zealand. And it has been a hit everywhere! Thanks Auntie Dawn! :-)
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Palmerston North, New Zealand
Hello from Kiwi land! I'm here visiting my two super good friends, Ken and Ellie Chitwood. Ellie was pretty much my first Concordia friend. About a week into our Music History class, Ellie turned around and said, "You don't happen to have any chocolate do you? Because I'm having a major craving." It was at that moment I knew we would be friends. :-) She took me to the cafe for the first time at Concordia and introduced me to all her friends. With both of us in the music department, I got to spend many hours in super exciting classes and at concerts and recitals with Ellie. And we often chatted over Starbucks or breakfast in cafe. I got to hear all about it when she had her first date with Ken Chitwood, another Concordia student, and when she knew she was going to marry him. And then in June 2007, I got to stand by her when they recited their vows to each other. They immediately headed off to New Zealand where Ken was to serve as DCE intern at a Lutheran church. When I heard about their plans for 18 months in New Zealand, I told them I would come visit. That promise is what precipitated this entire crazy trip I am on around the world! I had always wanted to go to Europe, and New Zealand was in the opposite direction, so I decided to fill in the gaps a little bit and just head all the way around the world! So I basically have them to thank for this. :-)
Here I am in New Zealand, my last stop on this whirlwind adventure. Ken and Ellie are the cutest couple ever! And they live in a really nice house with the cutest little dog ever named Pepper. You will see plenty of pics of Pepper in the New Zealand slide show because she's so cute. I have gotten to see the church that both Ken and Ellie have worked at the last year and a half. I also got to see them in action at youth group, church on Sunday, and the Thanksgiving Dinner and Service the church held. (It had absolutely nothing to do with American Thanksgiving. Just a coincidence that they are around the same time.) It is obvious that Ken and Ellie have done a lot with their time here and are a huge asset to the church body here in New Zealand. I'm really proud of them and how they've flourished and I felt proud to be their friend when introduced to all the wonderful people in their church family.
Yesterday we went on a bushwalk! It was super cool! And I got to meet Jen and Sam, two of Ellie and Ken's friends. Jen is actually from Minnesota (believe it or not. I totally believe it because Minnesota is everywhere!) and Sam is a Kiwi. He was surrounded by Americans all day as we talked about the differences between New Zealand and America. The weather has been amazing since I've been here. It said it was going to rain yesterday and today and they have both been beautiful days! I am bringing the good weather with me wherever I go. That has been a huge blessing that has carried through this entire trip. This week is going to be super fun. We have a James Bond party on Wednesday night, Thanksgiving on Thursday, and we're going to see the new James Bond movie on Thursday night. I'm pretty excited. Also, Ellie and I have something pretty exciting planned for Wednesday, but it's a secret. If I wrote it, this blog would self destruct in 10 seconds. And then you all wouldn't get to see my cool pictures and everything. I have your best interest at heart. That's all for now.
Here I am in New Zealand, my last stop on this whirlwind adventure. Ken and Ellie are the cutest couple ever! And they live in a really nice house with the cutest little dog ever named Pepper. You will see plenty of pics of Pepper in the New Zealand slide show because she's so cute. I have gotten to see the church that both Ken and Ellie have worked at the last year and a half. I also got to see them in action at youth group, church on Sunday, and the Thanksgiving Dinner and Service the church held. (It had absolutely nothing to do with American Thanksgiving. Just a coincidence that they are around the same time.) It is obvious that Ken and Ellie have done a lot with their time here and are a huge asset to the church body here in New Zealand. I'm really proud of them and how they've flourished and I felt proud to be their friend when introduced to all the wonderful people in their church family.
Yesterday we went on a bushwalk! It was super cool! And I got to meet Jen and Sam, two of Ellie and Ken's friends. Jen is actually from Minnesota (believe it or not. I totally believe it because Minnesota is everywhere!) and Sam is a Kiwi. He was surrounded by Americans all day as we talked about the differences between New Zealand and America. The weather has been amazing since I've been here. It said it was going to rain yesterday and today and they have both been beautiful days! I am bringing the good weather with me wherever I go. That has been a huge blessing that has carried through this entire trip. This week is going to be super fun. We have a James Bond party on Wednesday night, Thanksgiving on Thursday, and we're going to see the new James Bond movie on Thursday night. I'm pretty excited. Also, Ellie and I have something pretty exciting planned for Wednesday, but it's a secret. If I wrote it, this blog would self destruct in 10 seconds. And then you all wouldn't get to see my cool pictures and everything. I have your best interest at heart. That's all for now.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Seoul, South Korea
Two years ago, at college in California, I signed up to be a "conversation partner" for some Korean students who were learning to speak English. My friend and I signed up together and we were assigned the most hilarious Korean students, Jay and Jun. We met once a week so Jay and Jun could practice their English by speaking with us. We took them to have burgers and they took us to eat Korean food, we took them to starbucks to chat and they took us to sing karaoke. The four of us had a great time together and were often joined by their friend Don as well. I remember saying to them, "maybe someday I'll come visit you in Korea." I'm sure they thought, "yeah right, she'll never come." But Jun and I kept in touch and here I am in Korea!
Jun made a ton of sacrifices to hang out with me while I visited and I will forever be grateful. He went around the city to check out the guest houses to make sure I was staying at a nice place, he took a week off of work (which is all the vacation they have in Korea for an entire year!), and he took me to see a bunch of really cool places. He even let me drag him to a Korean cultural show which was amazing! Thank you, Jun! If you're reading.
I really liked Seoul. It was a huge city with lots to see. And lots of shopping! Jun took me to a bunch of cool places for shopping: Itaewon, Myongdong, Inchon, etc. And I am definitely at maximum capacity with my luggage now. Jun and I also went to some really cool palaces and a Korean traditional village. We went to their big space needle structure and saw the famous 63 story building that is the tallest in Korea. We also took a fun cruise on the Han River. I enjoyed the Korean cuisine. Be bim bop and chop chay are my favorites along with egg soup. I tried to master chop sticks and eating while sitting cross legged on the floor. I really enjoyed the Korean culture.
Taking the train to Daejeon for the day and visiting my friend Nikole was a definite highlight of the trip. She is teaching there and it seems like a really cool community in that area. All her friends there are super fun and it got me thinking about a possible opportunity for my future...
Another super cool and random thing happened one day in Seoul. Jun and I were walking around and were stopped by a couple of guys with a video camera. They were talking to Jun in Korean and it seemed like they were asking to film him and telling him what to do for the camera. I said, "Jun, you should go for it!" And he said, "No, they want you to do it!" Turns out they were working for some Korean organization that exists to help foreigners traveling around Korea. In case they have an emergency or a medical or legal problem, they can call this company and get help with the language barrier and all that. So I stood in the middle of the street and pretended to talk on a cell phone while they filmed me and apparently are going to use it on thier website. :-) Basically, I'm a famous actress over in Korea now, so I should be treated accordingly.
All in all, my week in Korea was fantastic! Thanks to Jun and Jay for letting me come for a visit!
Jun made a ton of sacrifices to hang out with me while I visited and I will forever be grateful. He went around the city to check out the guest houses to make sure I was staying at a nice place, he took a week off of work (which is all the vacation they have in Korea for an entire year!), and he took me to see a bunch of really cool places. He even let me drag him to a Korean cultural show which was amazing! Thank you, Jun! If you're reading.
I really liked Seoul. It was a huge city with lots to see. And lots of shopping! Jun took me to a bunch of cool places for shopping: Itaewon, Myongdong, Inchon, etc. And I am definitely at maximum capacity with my luggage now. Jun and I also went to some really cool palaces and a Korean traditional village. We went to their big space needle structure and saw the famous 63 story building that is the tallest in Korea. We also took a fun cruise on the Han River. I enjoyed the Korean cuisine. Be bim bop and chop chay are my favorites along with egg soup. I tried to master chop sticks and eating while sitting cross legged on the floor. I really enjoyed the Korean culture.
Taking the train to Daejeon for the day and visiting my friend Nikole was a definite highlight of the trip. She is teaching there and it seems like a really cool community in that area. All her friends there are super fun and it got me thinking about a possible opportunity for my future...
Another super cool and random thing happened one day in Seoul. Jun and I were walking around and were stopped by a couple of guys with a video camera. They were talking to Jun in Korean and it seemed like they were asking to film him and telling him what to do for the camera. I said, "Jun, you should go for it!" And he said, "No, they want you to do it!" Turns out they were working for some Korean organization that exists to help foreigners traveling around Korea. In case they have an emergency or a medical or legal problem, they can call this company and get help with the language barrier and all that. So I stood in the middle of the street and pretended to talk on a cell phone while they filmed me and apparently are going to use it on thier website. :-) Basically, I'm a famous actress over in Korea now, so I should be treated accordingly.
All in all, my week in Korea was fantastic! Thanks to Jun and Jay for letting me come for a visit!
A little more about India
Let me just say a few more things about India so you know what you're seeing as you look through the pics.
I went on a two day trip to Mysore to see the HUGE palace there and it was really amazing. It was beautiful! And we stopped at several temples as well, which were really interesting. All the sculptures on the outside of the temples were realy cool. I took a really interesting class in college called Music Cultures of the World with Dr.Geisler (in case you're reading) and in that class we studied a bunch of Indian instruments. I saw those instruments depicted in the statues on the temple, which was cool because the temple is hundreds of years old! So a bunch of my pics are from that trip to Mysore and back and all the cool things I saw along the way.
I did a bunch of shopping because everything is so different, it was really fun, and it was nice and cheap, which I was a big fan of. I am also a bargainer, so I had a good time trying to get a good deal on things.
I definitely had an Indian massage. Yeah, that was a very interesting experience...
I also got a tattoo! :-) A Henna tattoo, that is. (Steven Homestead can now breath a sigh of relief.) I got one on my left hand and forearm and on my right foot. It was super fun and you can still see it after almost two weeks. I really like it. But not enough to go permanent. Just temporary every now and then would be enough for me I think.
So yeah! India was wonderful and unique and I really loved it!
I went on a two day trip to Mysore to see the HUGE palace there and it was really amazing. It was beautiful! And we stopped at several temples as well, which were really interesting. All the sculptures on the outside of the temples were realy cool. I took a really interesting class in college called Music Cultures of the World with Dr.Geisler (in case you're reading) and in that class we studied a bunch of Indian instruments. I saw those instruments depicted in the statues on the temple, which was cool because the temple is hundreds of years old! So a bunch of my pics are from that trip to Mysore and back and all the cool things I saw along the way.
I did a bunch of shopping because everything is so different, it was really fun, and it was nice and cheap, which I was a big fan of. I am also a bargainer, so I had a good time trying to get a good deal on things.
I definitely had an Indian massage. Yeah, that was a very interesting experience...
I also got a tattoo! :-) A Henna tattoo, that is. (Steven Homestead can now breath a sigh of relief.) I got one on my left hand and forearm and on my right foot. It was super fun and you can still see it after almost two weeks. I really like it. But not enough to go permanent. Just temporary every now and then would be enough for me I think.
So yeah! India was wonderful and unique and I really loved it!
Minnesota in Korea
So pretty much everyone who knows me outside of Minnesota knows that I am very proud to be Minnesotan. I love Minnesota! Especially when I'm not there in January. So I was super excited when I found ties to Minnesota in South Korea. The first full day I was there, I was shopping around with Jun, and I overheard a couple talking to someone in the store. I recognized their accent immediately and said to Jun, "They are from Minnesota." When I walked over closer to them I saw that the lady and I had the same purse! So I used it as a talking point. "Hey we have the same purse!" I exclaimed. Had this woman not have been from Minnesota, she probably would have said something like, "yeah...that's nice..." and had a look on her face like "please don't talk to me again you weird stranger." But this nice lady said, "Oh my goodness, we do! It's the best purse ever for traveling!" This was all I needed to confirm my suspicions. This couple put the "nice" in "Minnesota Nice." They asked me where I was from and when I told them they said, "We're from Minnesota too!" (I told you so.) So we chatted and introduced ourselves. They are the lovely Tim and Pam Anderson (of course their last name is Anderson!) Tim even took a picture of Pam and I with our purses and Jun and the store owner gladly posed for the picture as well. Tim even gave me his business card and they said, "If you ever need anything, Marla, you feel free to get in touch with us." Sigh. That's why I love Minnesota! :-)
The Minnesotaness didn't stop there! I was shopping later that day and I started looking through a rack when I came upon a shirt that said Minnesota right across the front. It was really cheap, so I bought it. I can't believe I found a shirt that said Minnesota in Seoul, Korea! As we walked around the city throughout the week, I saw other Minnesota things for sale and I saw several people wearing shirts with Minnesota on them. I would yell out, "Minnesota! Yeah!" But they never looked over at me because I honestly think they had no clue what their shirt said or that they were wearing apparel from the coolest state ever. It's really too bad for them.
And then of course I saw my high school friend from Minnesota and ran into my friend Starla from Minnesota. So it was pretty cool. I had a Minnesota nice experience in South Korea. :-)
The Minnesotaness didn't stop there! I was shopping later that day and I started looking through a rack when I came upon a shirt that said Minnesota right across the front. It was really cheap, so I bought it. I can't believe I found a shirt that said Minnesota in Seoul, Korea! As we walked around the city throughout the week, I saw other Minnesota things for sale and I saw several people wearing shirts with Minnesota on them. I would yell out, "Minnesota! Yeah!" But they never looked over at me because I honestly think they had no clue what their shirt said or that they were wearing apparel from the coolest state ever. It's really too bad for them.
And then of course I saw my high school friend from Minnesota and ran into my friend Starla from Minnesota. So it was pretty cool. I had a Minnesota nice experience in South Korea. :-)
Monday, November 17, 2008
Korean Language
The Korean language is way different from the English language. I have been trying to learn as much as I can, but it's really hard! And of course I can't read anything because their characters and the way they form words is totally different. But I have definitely tried to give it a shot. At starbucks, I am really good at ordering my drink because they use the English names, they just say them with a Korean accent and hold the last vowel sound out much longer. So my drink becomes: Caramel Macchiatoooooooo. I'm a pro at it now. I have also learned this:
말라
That's my name in Korean! Cool, right?!
Well that's all for now! Comsamnidaaaaaaaaa.
말라
That's my name in Korean! Cool, right?!
Well that's all for now! Comsamnidaaaaaaaaa.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
It's a small world after all
I will write more about India and much more about Korea as soon as I get the chance, but I really wanted to write about a cool experience I had yesterday. When I was in Belgium, I found out that an old friend from high school, Nikole Simpson, is teaching near Seoul, Korea. So I got in touch with her during my trip and arranged to meet up with her. So yesterday I took the train down to her city and saw Nikole again after 6 years! :-) It was super fun. We went to church first thing and they had a time for the visitors to stand up and introduce themselves. Let me just pause for a second and say that this whole trip I have been wishing that I could randomly see someone from home on the streets of another country. Because that would just be cool to run into someone halfway around the world, right? Well, this was my chance. As soon as church was over I hear, "Marla?!" and I look over and there is Starla Larson! She is a good friend from my home church in Minnesota. I've known her since we were like in second grade singing in King's Kids chorus and we sang together in choir all through the years til we graduated from high school. And she just happens to be teaching English in Korea and goes to church where my friend Nikole goes to church. How cool is that?!!! It was so exciting. So it definitely is a small world...after all.
Malaria
No, I didn't get malaria. At least I don't think so...
I thought I took my first pill in Greece, but when I went to take my second pill in India, I realized that I had never taken the pill prior to arriving in India. I was even blaming tiredness on the Malaria pills, how's that for placebo effect? I seriously could have sworn I took it, but turns out I didn't. I really don't know how that happened. It would have been pointless for me to start taking the pills then, so I basically just wasted $60 on them. :-( Boo. So if anyone is going to India, you should let me know. Am I going to go to jail for saying that?
I thought I took my first pill in Greece, but when I went to take my second pill in India, I realized that I had never taken the pill prior to arriving in India. I was even blaming tiredness on the Malaria pills, how's that for placebo effect? I seriously could have sworn I took it, but turns out I didn't. I really don't know how that happened. It would have been pointless for me to start taking the pills then, so I basically just wasted $60 on them. :-( Boo. So if anyone is going to India, you should let me know. Am I going to go to jail for saying that?
Why I like India
There are so many wonderful things about India. Here are just a few.
1. It's super cheap. Ex: Four of us went out to lunch and had a big "South Indian Meal" and it was $2 for everyone. I also bought a few shirts for $2. Basically a bargain shoppers heaven. I had to be careful or I would be checking two backpacks on the way home.
2. Everyone is a vegetarian! So I never have to worry about trying to find something without meat in it. Yay!
3. They worship cows. So I could say, "holy cow!" And they would totally agree with me. Now my mom just has to find a place where they worship balls and she will fit right in. (like basketballs and baseballs people! Get your minds out of the gutter!)
4. They have so many languages that pretty much everyone speaks English everywhere you go, so it's easy to get around.
5. It's really hot there! The temperature beats Minnesota any day. Except maybe in the summer...
6. Divorce is pretty much unheard of. So is adultery, believe it or not. The hitch (pun intended) is that they pick your spouse for you, but hey, who wants to go through that whole crazy dating business? I sure don't. I'm waiting for my Indian husband to arrive 4-6 weeks after I return to the states.
7. The people are soooooooo nice! Especially Meera and Veena and thier whole family!
1. It's super cheap. Ex: Four of us went out to lunch and had a big "South Indian Meal" and it was $2 for everyone. I also bought a few shirts for $2. Basically a bargain shoppers heaven. I had to be careful or I would be checking two backpacks on the way home.
2. Everyone is a vegetarian! So I never have to worry about trying to find something without meat in it. Yay!
3. They worship cows. So I could say, "holy cow!" And they would totally agree with me. Now my mom just has to find a place where they worship balls and she will fit right in. (like basketballs and baseballs people! Get your minds out of the gutter!)
4. They have so many languages that pretty much everyone speaks English everywhere you go, so it's easy to get around.
5. It's really hot there! The temperature beats Minnesota any day. Except maybe in the summer...
6. Divorce is pretty much unheard of. So is adultery, believe it or not. The hitch (pun intended) is that they pick your spouse for you, but hey, who wants to go through that whole crazy dating business? I sure don't. I'm waiting for my Indian husband to arrive 4-6 weeks after I return to the states.
7. The people are soooooooo nice! Especially Meera and Veena and thier whole family!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Bangalore, India
I'm in Innnnndiaaaaaa (with wiggly finger gesture for Steven Homestead.)
I arrived very late at night, so I just went straight to bed. But since then I have been on the go. I got up on day 1 and headed out for a tour of Bangalore. First I visited the Iskon Temple which is a large Krishna Temple. I had to take my shoes off and also check my camera, so I don't have any pictures of inside. It was actually really fun to walk around barefoot. I got the VIP pass of sorts, so I got to go right in front to see the gods and talk to the priest who was there worshipping the god. He told me a little about each of the gods I saw. It was all very interesting. I even got a little ceramic bowl of a sweet Indian dessert from one of the preists. They have all sorts of interesting rituals. They asked me to put my hands on a little bed of flowers and then say my name. Then the priest said a little prayer for me and then he threw the flowers at the gods' feet. Then he gave me some flower petals to take home with me. We sat cross legged on the floor for a little bit so my tour guide could worship the idol. I just looked around at the interesting crowd of people there. The gods are extremely elaborate. Decorated with gold and silver and immaculate outfits. It is certainly very beautiful inside the temple. They even gave me a free book about how to obtain spirituality. Looks like a real page turner. On our way out they also gave us a little little bowl made of dried leaves and they scooped curd rice into it for us to have a little snack. It was my first Indian food for the whole trip and I was looking around for a spoon when I saw everyone else just eating it with their fingers. So I followed their lead, dropped rice all over my shirt, and had my frist Indian snack. It was interesting to say the least. After the temple we headed to the Bangalore Palace. It was absolutely beautiful! It was designed after Windsor Palace in England and it definitely looked British and really out of place for India but it was really pretty. There was even a film crew there filming an Indian movie. And I guess a big star was in it, but I don't really know any Indian actors so I wouldn't know.
After the Palace we stopped by their big Government building that is kind of comparable to the White House. And across the street saw a big red building that is another important building but I can't remember why... :-) Then we went for lunch! It was pretty much the coolest lunch ever. They put this huge banana leaf on the table in front of me and then different people just came around and plopped different little piles of apparently edible material on the leaf. Then a guy came around with little round tortilla-like bread and I was supposed to eat with my fingers! I had to tear off a little piece of the bread and then pinch some food between it and eat it that way. It was very interesting and very delicious!!! I really enjoyed it. And it's so environmentally friendly! When we were done they just folded up the leaf and threw it away and we washed our hands and cleanup was over! Gosh, those Indians are so GREEN!
After lunch we went to the coolest science museum ever. It was really interactive and I had a lot of fun making the tour guide take ridiculous pictures of me. Admission was 50 cents. India was starting to become my new favorite.
We also went to these really beautiful gardens at the end of the tour and it was fun to see all the Indian families relaxing and spending time together. I had some neat conversations with the tour guide about family structure, gender roles, arranged marriages, and so on. It was all in all, a wonderful first day in India!!
I arrived very late at night, so I just went straight to bed. But since then I have been on the go. I got up on day 1 and headed out for a tour of Bangalore. First I visited the Iskon Temple which is a large Krishna Temple. I had to take my shoes off and also check my camera, so I don't have any pictures of inside. It was actually really fun to walk around barefoot. I got the VIP pass of sorts, so I got to go right in front to see the gods and talk to the priest who was there worshipping the god. He told me a little about each of the gods I saw. It was all very interesting. I even got a little ceramic bowl of a sweet Indian dessert from one of the preists. They have all sorts of interesting rituals. They asked me to put my hands on a little bed of flowers and then say my name. Then the priest said a little prayer for me and then he threw the flowers at the gods' feet. Then he gave me some flower petals to take home with me. We sat cross legged on the floor for a little bit so my tour guide could worship the idol. I just looked around at the interesting crowd of people there. The gods are extremely elaborate. Decorated with gold and silver and immaculate outfits. It is certainly very beautiful inside the temple. They even gave me a free book about how to obtain spirituality. Looks like a real page turner. On our way out they also gave us a little little bowl made of dried leaves and they scooped curd rice into it for us to have a little snack. It was my first Indian food for the whole trip and I was looking around for a spoon when I saw everyone else just eating it with their fingers. So I followed their lead, dropped rice all over my shirt, and had my frist Indian snack. It was interesting to say the least. After the temple we headed to the Bangalore Palace. It was absolutely beautiful! It was designed after Windsor Palace in England and it definitely looked British and really out of place for India but it was really pretty. There was even a film crew there filming an Indian movie. And I guess a big star was in it, but I don't really know any Indian actors so I wouldn't know.
After the Palace we stopped by their big Government building that is kind of comparable to the White House. And across the street saw a big red building that is another important building but I can't remember why... :-) Then we went for lunch! It was pretty much the coolest lunch ever. They put this huge banana leaf on the table in front of me and then different people just came around and plopped different little piles of apparently edible material on the leaf. Then a guy came around with little round tortilla-like bread and I was supposed to eat with my fingers! I had to tear off a little piece of the bread and then pinch some food between it and eat it that way. It was very interesting and very delicious!!! I really enjoyed it. And it's so environmentally friendly! When we were done they just folded up the leaf and threw it away and we washed our hands and cleanup was over! Gosh, those Indians are so GREEN!
After lunch we went to the coolest science museum ever. It was really interactive and I had a lot of fun making the tour guide take ridiculous pictures of me. Admission was 50 cents. India was starting to become my new favorite.
We also went to these really beautiful gardens at the end of the tour and it was fun to see all the Indian families relaxing and spending time together. I had some neat conversations with the tour guide about family structure, gender roles, arranged marriages, and so on. It was all in all, a wonderful first day in India!!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Athens, Greece Day 2
Arrived in Athens after another lovely ferry ride. Checked into my hostel and stored my luggage and then headed out to see the city. I had a long list of things I wanted to see. First, I headed to the Acropolis. On my way up I realized that I didn't have any Euro left and needed to exchange some leftover money from Hungary and Romania to get some. So I walked over and asked someone who worked there how much the entrance fee was and guess what?!! I just happened to be there on the first Sunday of the month when everything is free admission!!! I can't believe it worked out so perfectly. I had no idea when I planned my trip that this was the case and I just happened to be there on the one day in the whole month that is free. Woohoo! The Acropolis was super cool and so was the Parthenon. Although of course it was under reconstruction so I couldn't see the whole thing. But all the buildings up there were really cool. And it gave a really cool view of the city and some of the other sights that I was going to be visiting that day. After walking around the Acropolis for awhile I went and sat on a hill right next to the Acropolis. It just happens to be the hill where the apostle Paul gave a sermon! Isn't that cool?! I walked around in the exact spot where the apostle Paul walked 2000 years ago. Amazing! It also had a great view of the Acropolis. After that I walked over the the Temple of Olympian Zeus, which was HUGE and amazing! How in the world did they even build those things? There was one pillar that had toppled over and you could see that the pillar was made in sections that were piled on top of each other. But I still don't know how they would do that without all the heavy machinery we have today. After Zeus I went to the stadium where the first Olympics ever were held. It has been completely restored, so it doesn't look very old. But it was still cool to stand in the place where the first Olympics happened. After seeing the stadium I went to the Ancient Agora and saw all kinds of ruins and one beautiful building that is completely in tact. It was pretty cool just to walk around the place that housed an ancient civilization. After strolling around the Agora for awhile I headed to the National Archaeological Museum, which was also free, and saw some really old statues, jewelry, and many other artifacts. There was a huge statue of Triton and I asked someone to take a picture of me with him. I stood in front of him and copied his pose for the picture. Before the picture was snapped, a lady employed by the museum came over and said "no! You cannot take such picture!" When I asked why she said, "That is just the rules." So I moved on into a few other rooms and saw a funny looking statue with the head missing. If I just stood behind the statue (not making any sort of pose, just standing there) and someone took the picture from the front it would look like my head was on the statue. I had a Japanese man taking the picture and he and his wife both thought it was a really cute idea. But again before he could take the picture a woman came running over and said, "No! You cannot do that!" I asked her for the reasoning behind this rule and she said that we have to be respectful of the culture and of the people who lived during this time. I asked her if she thought the people who lived back then had a sense of humor too (I know, sassy question) and she said it's just not allowed. So I wandered a little more through the museum. But now I couldn't think of fun pictures to take or anything like that. I had to actually look at the statues and exhibits. So after a few minutes I was so bored that I just left. I headed back to the Agora, sat inside the music theatre (which isn't technically inside because all the walls have fallen down) and wrote in my journal a little. I stayed in the Agora until closing time. Then I nestled into a big comfy chair in Starbucks and journaled some more. It was pretty funny going from the Agora to Starbucks with my journal. :-) I headed back to my hostel pretty early because I was running on about 2 hours of sleep and my flight was early the next morning. The receptionist at the hostel was an incredibly nice man. I told him what time my flight was and he let me call the airlines to make sure my flight was still as scheduled, helped me figure out what time to catch the bus, and even put me in a room that didn't have anyone else in it so I wouldn't disturb anyone when I got up really early. He put everything out so I could make some tea before I went to bed and arranged for a wakeup call at 4:45am. He was so helpful! And I had the whole room to myself, which was amazing! I went to bed early because I was exhausted and when I was ready to head out in the morning, the female receptionist who was there made me a little to-go breakfast for my trip! What an amazing hostel! I would recommend it to anyone who is traveling to Athens. It's called Hotel Dioskouros. Everything in Athens seemed to be perfect timing and worked out wonderfully. If you're interested in history at all, it's pretty much the coolest city ever. :-)
Crete, Greece
The Greek island of Crete is beautiful!!! I am staying with my friend Bekah and her family. Bekah has 8 brothers and sisters, so there is never a dull moment around her house. :-) The first day I got here I put on shorts for the first time since France I think and went to the beach with Bekah's dad and brothers. It was so nice out and the ocean is beautiful. They have an ocean view from their house and the beach is like a 2 minute drive down the hill. Amazing! It was like 80 degrees every day that I was there. It was absolutely wonderful.
Bekah and I did a lot of shopping and we even went to Starbucks. I spent way too much money in Greece on souvenirs for people and myself. But how often do I get to Greece, right? And they had amazing olive oil and soaps and many beautiful things. And the food is delicious in Greece. I don't know why I haven't been making more Greek salads. They are yummy.
Bekah and I went on a little road trip one day and stopped at a bunch of cool places. We went to an old war cemetary, which is on of the only places on the island that actually has grass. It was so green and beautiful. Then we went to a museum that is in an old Greek house that shows what a typical Greek house used to look like. There was even a spot for stomping on grapes to make wine. It was really neat to see some of the old Greek traditional materials, dress, etc. After the museum we went down into a cute little town with a really pretty beach and the most beautiful blue water. There were lots of rocks to climb on, which I always enjoy, and a lot of beautiful scenery. And it was so nice out I definitely could have laid on the beach had I brought my swimsuit. After the beach we headed to an old fortress that stood up on a hill. It was really interesting to walk around inside it and see where people used to live up there. It also gave an amazing view of the city below. After the fortress came my favorite part of the day: shopping! I spent way too much money and had a great time with Bekah.
Halloween on Crete was uneventful because they don't celebrate it there. I kept forgetting it even was Halloween. I only remembered because it was the sixth anniversary of my lovely cousin Stephanie's 29th birthday. Happy Birthday Cousin Fannie!
Even though I didn't celebrate Halloween at all, I still had a fabulous day on the 31st. I got up really early and went to the bus stop to take the bus into Hania. I was sitting there for about five minutes when I saw the bus coming, so I gathered all my things and stood up in anticipation...and the bus drove right past me. There was only one bus stop. But apparently you have to stand on the other side of the road to catch the bus into town, which I didn't know. I thought surely this couldn't have been the right bus since it showed no signs at all of stopping, so I sat there for another 30 minutes or so. Defeated, I walked back to Bekah's house and asked if she could drop me at the bus station on the way to work. So I was a couple hours behind schedule, but I made it eventually, and took the bus to Heraklion, about 2.5 hrs away from Hania. When I got there, I tried to find the archeological museum. I asked for directions about 8 times and ended up walking all around the city. Which was fine because I got a nice little tour. Finally, I found the museum and they were doing some major reconstruction, so I couldn't for the life of me find the temporary entrance. I was about to throw in the towel when I happened upon the entrance. They were only showing a few things in a temporary building, but I think I saw the important things. I'm not exactly sure. It's all Greek to me! (okay, sorry, I just had to use it once.) After the museum I took the bus up to Knossos to see the 4000 year old Minoan Palace. It was soooooooo cool! They had huge jars that they used to use to store honey and other food items, we saw the old throne (which didn't look very comfortable), and the royal staircase. Also saw the Queen's quarters which apparently house the world's oldest flushing toilet. Their water system was amazing! They made pipes out of clay and had running water and everything! They were probably the world's first engineers. Pretty amazing. I took a ton of pictures of the palace and found it extremely interesting. The guide even told us that they found silver tweezers, ivory combs, and materials used for makeup. Also, I noticed in the museum that some of the jewelry that is 4000 years old looks just like jewelry you see people wearing today! I guess we haven't changed so much over the centuries. The Queen's quarters even had wallpaper with dolphins on it and there was evidence of other wall paper underneath it with a different design. So one Queen died and another moved in and redecorated. :-) There are too many interesting things to write about from my tour of Knossos. But it was definitely a worthwhile experience.
On the English tour, I met a super cute couple from Portugal who were on their honeymoon! Their names were Ana and Felipe and they were extremely nice. After the tour, they asked if I needed a ride. When I told them I was taking the bus back to Hania they said, "We'll just drive you." And they didn't even know where it was! They were going to a city that is on the way to Hania, so I said I'd just ride with them until there and then I'd hop on a bus to Hania from that city so I would be a little closer. We had the best time chatting in the car. I told them it was Halloween and Ana said she could make me feel right at home by celebrating if I wanted. I was thinking I could knock on their hotel room door and they could open it and give me some candy or something. But then Ana said, "We could take you some place really dark and scary and chop you up into little pieces." :-) I'm not sure that's exactly what I would associate with Halloween but I guess if you are into scary movies it's about right. And then I remembered that I did get into a car with two complete strangers...
Obviously, I made it home safely with two new friends and an invitation to visit Portugal! I think I feel another world trip coming on! :-)
That night Bekah and I had falafel and ice cream and watched a movie. It was so fun to have some girl time. The next day Bekah took me on a tour of the military base where both she and her dad work. It was pretty cool. It's so neat that they live on Crete! I had an absolutely wonderful time on the island with Bekah and her family. Thank you Alex family!
Bekah and I did a lot of shopping and we even went to Starbucks. I spent way too much money in Greece on souvenirs for people and myself. But how often do I get to Greece, right? And they had amazing olive oil and soaps and many beautiful things. And the food is delicious in Greece. I don't know why I haven't been making more Greek salads. They are yummy.
Bekah and I went on a little road trip one day and stopped at a bunch of cool places. We went to an old war cemetary, which is on of the only places on the island that actually has grass. It was so green and beautiful. Then we went to a museum that is in an old Greek house that shows what a typical Greek house used to look like. There was even a spot for stomping on grapes to make wine. It was really neat to see some of the old Greek traditional materials, dress, etc. After the museum we went down into a cute little town with a really pretty beach and the most beautiful blue water. There were lots of rocks to climb on, which I always enjoy, and a lot of beautiful scenery. And it was so nice out I definitely could have laid on the beach had I brought my swimsuit. After the beach we headed to an old fortress that stood up on a hill. It was really interesting to walk around inside it and see where people used to live up there. It also gave an amazing view of the city below. After the fortress came my favorite part of the day: shopping! I spent way too much money and had a great time with Bekah.
Halloween on Crete was uneventful because they don't celebrate it there. I kept forgetting it even was Halloween. I only remembered because it was the sixth anniversary of my lovely cousin Stephanie's 29th birthday. Happy Birthday Cousin Fannie!
Even though I didn't celebrate Halloween at all, I still had a fabulous day on the 31st. I got up really early and went to the bus stop to take the bus into Hania. I was sitting there for about five minutes when I saw the bus coming, so I gathered all my things and stood up in anticipation...and the bus drove right past me. There was only one bus stop. But apparently you have to stand on the other side of the road to catch the bus into town, which I didn't know. I thought surely this couldn't have been the right bus since it showed no signs at all of stopping, so I sat there for another 30 minutes or so. Defeated, I walked back to Bekah's house and asked if she could drop me at the bus station on the way to work. So I was a couple hours behind schedule, but I made it eventually, and took the bus to Heraklion, about 2.5 hrs away from Hania. When I got there, I tried to find the archeological museum. I asked for directions about 8 times and ended up walking all around the city. Which was fine because I got a nice little tour. Finally, I found the museum and they were doing some major reconstruction, so I couldn't for the life of me find the temporary entrance. I was about to throw in the towel when I happened upon the entrance. They were only showing a few things in a temporary building, but I think I saw the important things. I'm not exactly sure. It's all Greek to me! (okay, sorry, I just had to use it once.) After the museum I took the bus up to Knossos to see the 4000 year old Minoan Palace. It was soooooooo cool! They had huge jars that they used to use to store honey and other food items, we saw the old throne (which didn't look very comfortable), and the royal staircase. Also saw the Queen's quarters which apparently house the world's oldest flushing toilet. Their water system was amazing! They made pipes out of clay and had running water and everything! They were probably the world's first engineers. Pretty amazing. I took a ton of pictures of the palace and found it extremely interesting. The guide even told us that they found silver tweezers, ivory combs, and materials used for makeup. Also, I noticed in the museum that some of the jewelry that is 4000 years old looks just like jewelry you see people wearing today! I guess we haven't changed so much over the centuries. The Queen's quarters even had wallpaper with dolphins on it and there was evidence of other wall paper underneath it with a different design. So one Queen died and another moved in and redecorated. :-) There are too many interesting things to write about from my tour of Knossos. But it was definitely a worthwhile experience.
On the English tour, I met a super cute couple from Portugal who were on their honeymoon! Their names were Ana and Felipe and they were extremely nice. After the tour, they asked if I needed a ride. When I told them I was taking the bus back to Hania they said, "We'll just drive you." And they didn't even know where it was! They were going to a city that is on the way to Hania, so I said I'd just ride with them until there and then I'd hop on a bus to Hania from that city so I would be a little closer. We had the best time chatting in the car. I told them it was Halloween and Ana said she could make me feel right at home by celebrating if I wanted. I was thinking I could knock on their hotel room door and they could open it and give me some candy or something. But then Ana said, "We could take you some place really dark and scary and chop you up into little pieces." :-) I'm not sure that's exactly what I would associate with Halloween but I guess if you are into scary movies it's about right. And then I remembered that I did get into a car with two complete strangers...
Obviously, I made it home safely with two new friends and an invitation to visit Portugal! I think I feel another world trip coming on! :-)
That night Bekah and I had falafel and ice cream and watched a movie. It was so fun to have some girl time. The next day Bekah took me on a tour of the military base where both she and her dad work. It was pretty cool. It's so neat that they live on Crete! I had an absolutely wonderful time on the island with Bekah and her family. Thank you Alex family!
Athens, Greece Day 1
Because my flight was delayed I didn't arrive downtown Athens until about 3:00. I booked my ferry ticket and stored my luggage for the day and then headed to Syntagma Square. I walked around the square a little and then went to the Parliament Building just in time to see the changing of the guard, which was really cool. They wear these skirt-like outfits with white tights and they have huge pom-poms on their shoes. And they took those huge steps with their legs lifted out straight. It was really fun to watch. After the guard had officially changed, a man dressed in an army outfit asked that we not take any pictures while he adjusted the hats and outfits of the guards so they looked very put together while they stood guard. It was kind of cool how he asked everyone not to take any pictures because it looks kind of silly him adjusting the outfit of the other man. And people were really respectful about it and didn't take any photos. After that we could go stand next to the men and have our picture taken. But the army man was there to make sure we didn't get too close. The guards had to stand there perfectly still and stare straight ahead with no facial expression. I could never do that! If too many people went up on the platform at the same time and the army man didn't see it, the guard would pick his gun up and slam it down on the ground to get his attention. And then the army guy would come over and tell people to only come up one at a time. It was really interesting. They weren't aloud to talk at all.
After the changing of the guards I walked behind the Parliament building and visited the National Gardens. They were absolutely beautiful. I hung out there for awhile and wrote in my journal on a bench surrounded by trees. It seems like every place I've visited has had a really nice garden/park place where people can hang out. It's been really nice. After the gardens I walked to the Plaka and the Monastiraki where they have a bunch of shops and vendors selling all kinds of souvenirs. I also got a view of the Acropolis from there and made my way through some small Greek streets that were exactly as I pictured them. I also saw two ruins sites. It seems as though you just happen upon ruins as you walk through Athens. There are so many sites. It is really cool.
At night I took the subway out to the port of Piraeus and found the "ferry" that I was to take overnight to Crete. But it was not the ferry that I was picturing in my head. It was like a huge cruise ship! It was amazing! I took an escalator up inside the ship where I checked in to my cabin. Someone carried my bags up to the cabin and I was given a nice bed in a little room with 3 Greek women. And the cabin even had a bathroom with a shower! I made a friend whose name in Greek means Happiness, so I just called her Happiness because I had a hard time pronouncing her Greek name. Happiness and I hung out in the bar area of the ship and drank some free lemonade and had snacks that we brought. I was totally in awe of how nice the ship was. I wish I could have enjoyed it longer, but I was so tired from only a few hours of sleep the night before, so I went up to my cabin and slept. That concluded my lovely day in Athens.
After the changing of the guards I walked behind the Parliament building and visited the National Gardens. They were absolutely beautiful. I hung out there for awhile and wrote in my journal on a bench surrounded by trees. It seems like every place I've visited has had a really nice garden/park place where people can hang out. It's been really nice. After the gardens I walked to the Plaka and the Monastiraki where they have a bunch of shops and vendors selling all kinds of souvenirs. I also got a view of the Acropolis from there and made my way through some small Greek streets that were exactly as I pictured them. I also saw two ruins sites. It seems as though you just happen upon ruins as you walk through Athens. There are so many sites. It is really cool.
At night I took the subway out to the port of Piraeus and found the "ferry" that I was to take overnight to Crete. But it was not the ferry that I was picturing in my head. It was like a huge cruise ship! It was amazing! I took an escalator up inside the ship where I checked in to my cabin. Someone carried my bags up to the cabin and I was given a nice bed in a little room with 3 Greek women. And the cabin even had a bathroom with a shower! I made a friend whose name in Greek means Happiness, so I just called her Happiness because I had a hard time pronouncing her Greek name. Happiness and I hung out in the bar area of the ship and drank some free lemonade and had snacks that we brought. I was totally in awe of how nice the ship was. I wish I could have enjoyed it longer, but I was so tired from only a few hours of sleep the night before, so I went up to my cabin and slept. That concluded my lovely day in Athens.
Last Day in Romania
Okay, so I haven't blogged for awhile. I'm really sorry. I seriously haven't had a free second and access to the computer at the same time until now.
So, let's catch up. My last day in Romania I went to church and then hitched a ride back to Bucharest with a friend of Estera's named Adi. He was super nice and decided to take me to see a few sights on the way back to Bucharest so it wouldn't just be an uneventful trip. So first we drove to Brasov and saw the Black Church. It's a huge Lutheran (holla) church that is beautiful! There are two towers that can be climbed to get a view of the city and the church and we climbed both the black and white towers to see the church and city and also to look at the artifacts they have inside the tower museum. It was really beautiful and the town was really cute. The town square had a cute fountain and the different views of the church were just lovely. After Brasov we headed to Sinaia. There we saw the beautiful royal palace. It was getting dark by then, but it was still absolutely beautiful. After that we headed to Bucharest. The traffic was horrible on the way in. It was Sunday night and everyone was heading home from their holiday homes in the country. Once in Bucharest we quickly drove by the Parliament House, which is huge and gorgeous and apparently has a swimming pool in the basement for all employed there to swim in, which is super cool. We also saw Bucharest's response to Paris' Arc de Triomphe. And then we stopped quickly by Adi's parent's Christian book store. He opened it up special for me so I could get some things. I felt pretty VIP. And it was super nice of Adi to take me sightseeing for the day and give me a lift to Bucharest.
Finally, we arrived at the place I was staying for the night. Remember Theodora? The lady I met on the train from Budapest to Bucharest? Well, I was in touch with her during the week in Romania and she invited me to come and stay with her in Bucharest! :-) I thought it was so cool that I met her a week ago on the train and I already got to visit her! I was so lucky to have ended up in the same compartment as she. I felt bad because Theodora had been waiting all day for me to arrive. The traffic really held us up, so I didn't get there until late. But she had dinner all prepared for me and I got to meet her super cute dog, Dolly. Theodora even prepared a lunch for me for the next day. :-) She's so sweet! I had a wonderful night's sleep and got up really early to get ready to head to the airport. But as I was packing I made a startling discovery. I had left my coat in the back of Adi's car!!!! What was I going to do? South Korea is going to be freezing. I needed that coat! I tried to get ahold of Adi, but couldn't, and I had pretty much come to terms with freezing to death when finally I got a text message saying that he would meet me at the airport with the coat. Whew! I would be roasty toasty after all. So Theodora dropped me off at the airport, I bid farewell to my new Romanian friend, and I waited for my flight. Adi brought me my coat and even hung around with me while I waited to check my luggage. And then I discovered that my flight was delayed 2 hours, so I sat in the airport, wishing I had slept in 2 hours longer, until finally I checked my luggage and headed off to the next adventure. Romania was beautiful and amazing and I had a really lovely time there with all the wonderful people that I met.
So, let's catch up. My last day in Romania I went to church and then hitched a ride back to Bucharest with a friend of Estera's named Adi. He was super nice and decided to take me to see a few sights on the way back to Bucharest so it wouldn't just be an uneventful trip. So first we drove to Brasov and saw the Black Church. It's a huge Lutheran (holla) church that is beautiful! There are two towers that can be climbed to get a view of the city and the church and we climbed both the black and white towers to see the church and city and also to look at the artifacts they have inside the tower museum. It was really beautiful and the town was really cute. The town square had a cute fountain and the different views of the church were just lovely. After Brasov we headed to Sinaia. There we saw the beautiful royal palace. It was getting dark by then, but it was still absolutely beautiful. After that we headed to Bucharest. The traffic was horrible on the way in. It was Sunday night and everyone was heading home from their holiday homes in the country. Once in Bucharest we quickly drove by the Parliament House, which is huge and gorgeous and apparently has a swimming pool in the basement for all employed there to swim in, which is super cool. We also saw Bucharest's response to Paris' Arc de Triomphe. And then we stopped quickly by Adi's parent's Christian book store. He opened it up special for me so I could get some things. I felt pretty VIP. And it was super nice of Adi to take me sightseeing for the day and give me a lift to Bucharest.
Finally, we arrived at the place I was staying for the night. Remember Theodora? The lady I met on the train from Budapest to Bucharest? Well, I was in touch with her during the week in Romania and she invited me to come and stay with her in Bucharest! :-) I thought it was so cool that I met her a week ago on the train and I already got to visit her! I was so lucky to have ended up in the same compartment as she. I felt bad because Theodora had been waiting all day for me to arrive. The traffic really held us up, so I didn't get there until late. But she had dinner all prepared for me and I got to meet her super cute dog, Dolly. Theodora even prepared a lunch for me for the next day. :-) She's so sweet! I had a wonderful night's sleep and got up really early to get ready to head to the airport. But as I was packing I made a startling discovery. I had left my coat in the back of Adi's car!!!! What was I going to do? South Korea is going to be freezing. I needed that coat! I tried to get ahold of Adi, but couldn't, and I had pretty much come to terms with freezing to death when finally I got a text message saying that he would meet me at the airport with the coat. Whew! I would be roasty toasty after all. So Theodora dropped me off at the airport, I bid farewell to my new Romanian friend, and I waited for my flight. Adi brought me my coat and even hung around with me while I waited to check my luggage. And then I discovered that my flight was delayed 2 hours, so I sat in the airport, wishing I had slept in 2 hours longer, until finally I checked my luggage and headed off to the next adventure. Romania was beautiful and amazing and I had a really lovely time there with all the wonderful people that I met.
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