Another cheap meal

When we discovered gyros were only 2 Euro, we couldn't resist their charm. I think I ate three of these in Athens. I know some people ate more. Gyros are made by roasting meat on a spit and shaving it off into a grilled pita. This place adds a garliky yogurt sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and fries.

Next Stop: Rhodes!!

(above) Greg controls the suitcases on the airport shuttle.

(above) clothes on my bed, ready to be packed. this was our last night at Arethusa Hotel.

I repacked my suitcase using Mom's method of packing, where you roll the clothes to get everything flatter. My suitcase was the lightest of anyones-Even the boys.

The plane to Rhodes was a small one. Nearly everyone in our class had a window seat, with empty aisle seats next to us. I could see lots of islands and beautiful blue water below.

Spanakopita

At the Archeological museum on Saturday, I had my second spanakopita (spinach pie). I think this is quickly becoming my favorite lunch. (I had it again today while we were touring and this one was best because I was starving. The spinach is healthy, the feta adds taste, and the flaky pastry crust gives it an unbeatable texture. MMMMMmmmm.

Greek Nightlife

Our bar adventure with Katula's assistant, Niki, was interesting to say the least.
We started with cheap gyros and drinks on the roof of our hotel. The whole group took the subway to a popular bar. A lot of the songs were familiar American tunes, so we started dancing. Unfortunately, a boy I met called Yorgos (George) explained to me that Greeks don't dance in bars. They thought we were sooo strange, dancing in our big group. We stuck out conspicuously as Americans. We did go to a dance club after, mostly to get a feel for the place. But it wasn't busy because most Greek don't go until much later: one Hellenic American Union student told us he and his friends never set out before 2am!

Some assorted shopping photos

(above) Book cart.

(above) hardware store

(below) Mmm fruit stand.

(Above) bizarre slippers

(Below) Kelly browses.

(above) When Katula described the Hondos Center as "a ladies' store," I imagined a pink and glittery tampon store. They do sell tampons, but it's a superstore with makeup, shower stuff, swimsuits, beach coverups, and sandals.

(below) Pastry store with extremely artsy cakes.

Varkiza Beach

Varkiza!!!!!

In an attempt to be travelers instead of tourists, we crossed the street to this market to buy food. It was weird to see some familiar American products. When I bought my juice, the man behind the counter threw in two free cherries!

(above) Tasha, Valerie, Sarah, Laura, and Jenna pose in front of the market.

(above) Sarah with a massive Sprite.

(above) The best lunch ever: Spinach and cheese pastry with a HUGE peach juice.

(above) A boy came around selling sugar donuts on the beach and Thythy says they were wonderful.

After last night's drama, we deserved a day of relaxing on the beach.

My heart was pounding so fast...

Last night, we learned Greece is not as safe as we were told. Tasha, Shanise, and I sat on a couch in the hotel lobby to decide where to go for dinner. We had the night off and could go wherever we pleased. We debated while waiting for others to come down.

When, a man sitting on a chair near us walked out of the building, the desk guy at the hotel sprang to life. "Did he take your wallet?" he shouted to Tasha, whose big green purse was open on the floor between the chair and our sofa. He ran out the door, after this guy. We ran out behind him. Apparently he yelled for police, because as we got out onto the sidewalk, several police motorcycles zoomed past us (On the sidewalk!!) and they clobbered the guy inside a storefront.

The man's bag was empty except for Tasha's wallet. So the police concluded he was planning to wait in the lobby to steal from hotel patrons. So we thought all was well and we could go to dinner. We were wrong. Tasha needed to go with them to the police station. They loaded her in the police car NEXT TO THE THIEF! We (and some friendly Australian tourists) were in an uproar over this. She later said the ride was uncomfortable because he kept begging her not to press charges. (She says he was Spanish, though pretended to police that he did not understand much Greek, English, or Spanish.) It turns out the guy also stole a car, so I bet he will do jail time. The whole incident made me realize how important it is to be vigilant against possible dangers when you are traveling. I'm being very careful to carry my purse under my arm so no one can take things and locking my money and passport in the hotel safe.