Loved This Class!!

What a fabulous class on a memorable day - I wish all my university classes could be this awesome!
Many thanks to all these special souls for making this class so special!

Last Day of Class

Last day of class. 

We are getting notifications for turning back in our books, 

our items from the apartments...

where to leave our keys when we leave.

There are good-bye parties, and end of the semester celebrations.

We are thinking of how to get everything into our luggage,

and how to get to the airport at an ungodly hour of the morning.

Soon we will be heading back to real life, back to our life.

Back to where everyone speaks our language, eats our kind of food, 

and drive rather than walk.

What will I miss?

the guys across the street at the construction site,

our friends at the tavernas we have befriended,

the freedom of 'camping' at a restaurant table freely,

the cheapness of everything...

The sunshine.

I will miss my Orthodox prof, Despina,

a sweeter soul I have never known.

I will miss the church bells, 

especially from St. Spyridon church

Yes, it was the last day of class.

And, what have I learned?

I think I will save for another post.

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Greek Independence Day, everyone. Greeks are celebrating the Greek uprising in 1821 against the Ottoman Empire, which originated from the Monastery of Agia Lavras in the Peloponnese. Today is celebrated by visiting the local parades and eating the traditional dish of codfish and garlic dip, bakaliaros skordalia.
~source CYA

A Few Personal Snaps

The sky here is dramatic most of the time. This is right outside the CYA campus building (on the left)

Chuck captured the sun in a brief appearance - it has been raining, raining, raining all day long,
and is forecast to continue into the week. Boo.

a fire dancer in Monastiraki Square during our evening walk celebrating the end of mid-terms

silhouettes in front of the Parliament Building facing Syntagma Square

favorite :-)

trip to the post office on this rainy Friday -
found another lovely cafe with fun staff!

CYA Ismene Hall, and then some

a lounge right off the cafeteria- my classroom for Mythology & Religion is in the next room

artwork on campus

cafeteria

more artwork...interesting, huh?

not your typical restroom entrance! Pretty fancy!

neighborhood near campus and on our way to our apartment

from the church across the street - so lovely

our apartment building, we are on the 1st floor (remember, the ground floor is 0 in Greece)

entrance to our apartment, reflection of
the church

relaxing after a busy day...every day is busy!!

Group Photo

There are 38 universities represented this term, with most coming from Notre Dame, USC, Tufts, and many others from all over the United States. (Chuck and I are in the front row, left end.)
photo credit: Emma Uri

Some Initial Views

the home of College Year in Athens (CYA) - classrooms, cafeteria, auditorium, offices

The Greek flag at the Marble Stadium,
the sight of the first modern Olympics

The Acropolis oversees all of Athens

Bittersweet Orange trees line streets and alleyways

no real need for gyms in this city - everyone gets their exercise by walking...
and climbing stairs!

small shops of all types line the city streets -
this one is a furniture refinisher

and, like Israel, there are cats everywhere! These two black cats
sleep on parked cars in front  of...

the Black Cat Cafe!