counting down

Things I just bought for Athens:

• little red suitcase
  
• big red suitcase
• SPF 50 lotion for weekends on the islands
  
• SPF 30 spray for days in the city
• cute dress
• navy blue strappy espadrille wedges
• black summer pumps
  

Things I need to buy for Athens:

• space bags
• battery for travel clock
• compact hair brush
• loofah
• new turbie twist
• new tennis shoe insoles
• travel toilet paper
• after sun gel
• extra camera battery 

My packing plan

Big suitcase:

• clothes
• shoes
• pillow
  

Little suitcase:

• toiletries
• food (brownie mix, muffin mix, lipton rice sides, mac & cheese)
  
• towels (1 beach, 1 regular, 1 face, turbie twist)
  
• books
• collapsable tote
• down throw
  

Backpack: 

• laptop
  
• moleskine journal
  
• 1 book, probably the Colossus of Maroussi
  
• Stewart
  
• purse stuff
  
• travel toiletry case w/necessities & prescriptions
  
• 1 change of clothes, 1 pair pajamas, 1 bathing suit
  
• travel pillow and blanket
  
• all electrical cords & gadgets (I learned that lesson last summer...stupid Delta)

On the third go around, I think I've finally figured out the perfect combination of stuff to take and how to take it. 

My brilliant solution to the problem of having lots of extra stuff to bring back as the result of summer shopping, is to take one whole suitcase of stuff that I will then throw away before I leave Athens.  So my little 21 inch suitcase will be empty when it's time to go back, the toiletries will be used up, the food will be eaten, and the towels are already old and gross so I don't mind throwing them away. 

I also learned from last year's mistake of taking too many clothes, so I've narrowed it down to this: 3 jersey skirts, one long skirt, 1 dress, 3 bathing suits, a handful of tank tops, 2 or 3 short sleeve shirts, 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of gauchos and 1 or 2 pairs of shorts.  All of this will be crammed into space bags, of course.  Shoes have been narrowed down to my european adidas, my new espadrilles, and black summer pumps.  On the plane, I'll probably wear my long brown gauchos, a short sleeve shirt, and a hoodie with my greek sandals. 

My backpack will be my only carry-on, so that I can use my collapsable tote on the way back should I need to, and I've learned that it's better to be safe than sorry and pack an extra set of clothes in my carry-on, just in case.  I also learned last year that airlines do not hold themselves responsible for the loss of any type of electrical cord or plug...not sure why, but they don't.  So they will all be safely tucked away in my backpack.

I've also devised the perfect combination of stuff to ensure that I actually get some sleep on the flight over...Airborne Nighttime, Tylenol PM, a playlist of classical music, heavy duty ear plugs, and staying up ridiculously late the night before.  I'm determined to sleep more than an hour this year.  Also, there will be no talking to whatever creepy person inevitably ends up sitting next to me...I'll fake a contagious disease if I have to.

I arrive in exactly one month...I can't wait. 

~RLM 

memories

I'll be in Greece in 18 days.

So I can start officially panicking now.

I was looking through pictures this morning, and realized again how weird going back without the last group is going to be.  It was hard enough last summer missing the first group, but now I get to miss two groups of people.

So, I decided to post some pics, of the highlights.  The best memories, of the best 6-week friendship.

Enjoy.

~RLM

 
our first Saturday in Athens...we got drenched in a surprise rain shower on the way back from the beach

the roomies leaving our 'grandma's' house in Poros

the Odyssey group (+Alpin) and Bill on our excursion in Delph
i

the roomies watching the sunset from Snufalapagus Hill...aka, the Areopagos

 
their first walking tour of Athens, about 5 hours after we arrived, I showed everyone around the city

It's going to be hard to top that Fourth of July celebration...

beaches

Talking to Vanessa and Cara about our plans for Athens has gotten me thinking about the new places I want to explore this summer, so I'm making a list.

 Last summer, on our way to Sounio, we discovered Lake Vouliagmeni, and I'm determined to make it this time because it looks really cool.

And I'm determined to find a good beach in Athens.  The past two years, beaches near the city have hardly been worth the 30 minute tram ride down to Glyfada.  Matt Barrett has a whole page of photos that have inspired me to find a good Athenian beach; right now, this one looks quite promising.

I'm also looking forward to our week in Santorini, I've booked our hotel, and it is going to be awesome.

I got Cara excited about going swimming in the rock formations of Milos, and now I can't wait.  I found an adorable little hotel, and figured out that a day trip to Folegandros would be a perfect combination for a weekend trip.

I want to go back to Hydra and explore more of the town, since all we really saw last year was the beach at Miramare...it was awesome, but the village is supposed to be amazing.  I also want to see Angistri, since I didn't really like Aegina, I'm thinking Angistri might be more my style.

I'm leaving in 11 days, and getting incredibly excited about being back in the city.  It still hasn't really set in that I'm going back for the third time.  It won't hit me until I get off the plane, just like last year, when I walked past the giant window in the airport overlooking the hills outside the city and realized that I was back in Greece.

~RLM 

leaving the country

I'm leaving today.

In about 5 hours to be exact.

We have to be at the airport at 9:30 in order for me to say goodbye to Dad, so I'm up early.

Plus, I haven't finished packing.

So, here's all my contact info, please keep in touch.  Comments are also very good.

contact info removed

 

I'll also be blogging for HotelsByCity while I'm there so you can find some of my writing on their Athens page, at: http://www.hotelsbycity.net/blog/eur_greece_athens/

I'll have a Greek cell phone and number all summer, so don't call my regular phone (my sister will be using my cingular service).
I'll post the Greek number once I get it.

Keep in touch!

And wish me luck!

~RLM 

when it feels like rain

I'm here.

And not in a good mood.

My flights were fantastic, but it is pouring down rain, my hotel room won't be ready for another hour, it's a holiday in Greece too so everything (including the University) is closed, and my mother won't answer her phone.

Therefore, I am in a bad mood.

Athens is a dismal city in the rain.  Add to that the fact that I got about 3 hours of sleep last night, and that all I've eaten in the past 24 hours has been airplane food, and you get a not very happy Rachel.

To remedy that situation and occupy some time, I walked over to Mitropoleous and got a mango frappuccino at Starbucks.  Then I picked up a phone card, talked to Dad, got a SIM card for my cellphone, and stopped by the Hondos Center and picked up the shampoo, conditioner, and mousse that I neglected to pack.

And now I'm bored and exhausted.  With no one to talk to or hang out with, it's just not all that fun.  I'm beginning to remember why I said last summer that I needed a break from Athens; I've seen it, experienced it, and am tired of it.

Here's hoping my excitement returns with the sun.

~RLM

PS. My new phone number is 0030 694 892 6138.  All incoming calls are free for me, so I would love to talk to you, but make sure you have either a calling card or some kind of international coverage or it will cost you a fortune.  Also, don't call my old number, because Caitlin has my Cingular plan for the summer and will be of no use.

brand new day

After yesterday's breakdown at the internet cafe, I walked out into a massive deluge of rain and decided to head back to my hotel to see if my room was ready.
Halfway up Nikis Street, looking I'm sure like a drowned rat, I literally ran into Owen outside his apartment; we got lunch at one of the little neighborhood grocery stores instead of braving the rain to find a restaurant, and then went back to the apartment to eat and hang out--since I had nothing else to do.

By 3:30 my mood had improved, although I was still feeling out of place. Finally able to get into my hotel room, I discovered that I had been lucky enough to score both air conditioning and a fridge-amenetities not granted to every guest. My bed was larger than expected and quite comfortable, so I tried to nap, but was interrupted by madre figuring out how to call my cell. Evan and Owen met me back at the hotel for dinner, and we wandered around Plaka and Monastiraki before deciding to get gyros take away and eat in Mitropoleous Square. It was a pretty good first meal, not my favorite place to get gyros, but accompanied by a box of Amita cherry juice and some pita bakes, it was excellent.

We spent about two hours walking around the city, just a ramble, originally took us to the famous gelateria in Psirri, then back up Ermou and eventually to the Nikis apartment. After a sit on the balcony, we settled in the living room to watch a few episodes of Rome, The Riches, and the Scrubs Season Finale.

I finally crashed back at the hotel around 3, and slept until the blinding sun woke me at 7, prompting me to close the shutters on my balcony and crawl back in bed. After a hot shower, I walked to campus in a much better mood, smiling under my huge sunglasses.

I arrived in this city yesterday, in a cloud of rain and depression, feeling as if I didn't belong here, yet this morning, as I walked to "work" in my skirt and sandals, laptop bag slung over my should, it felt completely normal.

I finally talked to Dina and figured out what I will be doing for my internship (which consists of hanging out in the office, doing stuff with Owen, and helping with orientation), and have been hanging out in the student affairs office since I got here at 11. Probably how I'll spend the next few days, it has been a great relief to finally have something to do.

Hopefully I'll get my wireless connection figured out tomorrow so I can post some of last night's city photographs, I decided to concentrate on that to take my mind off that unshakeable feeling.

Thankfully I'm feeling better today, and hopefully the mood will continue to improve.

For today, I'm going to say adio.

~RLM