Monday, September 4, 2006

The program definitely starts out with a bang. We had only been at the villa for a day and a half, and we were already off on our first adventure in Florence. What a day it was. As usual on these adventures, we had to get up early to catch the bus that connects with the next bus that then connects to the train that goes to Florence. I was tired, but I figured I would be able to manage. I had been not taking my Unisom, and I was definitely suffering the consequences.

When we got to Florence, Jeffrey of course stopped off at the local coffee shop. I ended up buying a sandwich that I was sure was going to be my lunch, but that really ended up being my after breakfast snack. I got a chance to visit with Darla while we ate.

When we were done with the coffee, it was time to get down to business. We got a chance to stand outside the Duomo and Baptistery in Florence. The whole group got to stand up very close and touch the bronze doors on three sides of the Baptistery. We got to see copies of what Michelangelo named the “doors to Paradise,” and which I would absolutely agree. After looking at the outside, we went to see the things in the Museum of the Works of the Duomo.

The museum stands where the work yard for the Duomo used to stand. It is the place that the block stood for so many years before Michelangelo was asked to turn it into the David. It was also the place that he then stood and carved the years while he was making the David. It seemed to be a sacred workshop to me because it was the area where such a wonderful work of art was stored. The museum had a million things in it that were complete masterpieces. You would have to look a complete listing of the things up online. I was able to see the Deposition that Michelangelo was carving for his own tomb, which was very memorable. I also got to see a pulpit by Donatello and one by Nicolo Pisano. Donatello had some other sculptures in the museum, which were nice. The museum also had many drawings and other tools that had been used to make the dome. Brunelleshi himself had used many of the tools. That was very fascinating.

I got to see the last sculpture by Michelangelo that was meant for his tomb. It is a beautiful thing to stand in front of, and I was surprised at how amazingly it had been worked. It was the first sculpture by him that I had ever seen.

The original bronze “doors to Paradise” were in the museum, and the group got a chance to walk around and look at them up close. We got to look at the stories that they told as well as learn more about the Catholic religion (which most of the group [myself included] is very ignorant in). The doors were absolutely fantastic.

There was a lot of other good work in the museum, but it is too much to talk about here.

We then split off for lunch. I went with most of the group to get sandwiches. When we were done, we had gelato as the best gelato store in the world. It was really amazing, and all I have to say is that I learned how to navigate myself there for the future.

After lunch, we met and went into the Duomo. It is such a big church. One thing that really amazed me was the fact that there were no pews or places to sit. The marble inlaid floor is the original floor. I couldn’t help but think that it was the floor that Michelangelo stood while listening to the lectures by the famous, but evil Savonrola. The dome was very high, and is covered by beautiful paintings. There are too many things in the church to go over here, but all I have to say is that it is a must-see church. It is one of the most beautiful in the world, and the dome is just excellent. I think that if I lived in Florence that I wouldn’t want to worship anywhere else.

When we were done in the church, we went to the Baptistery across the street. The building for the Baptistery is very old, in fact, no one knows how old. It is for sure the oldest building in Florence. It has been ornately covered from head to toe in marble, so it is just beautiful. The entire ceiling on the inside is covered in mosaic. The dominant color in the mosaics is gold—real gold. It must have taken a long time to put the mosaics up, but it was really great to see them. They have been well taken care of. Jeffrey pointed out the Bible scenes to us, and it was a really big help. I just sat there admiring the ceiling as well as the environment it was in. The font was very incredible, and was of course where all the Florentines have been baptized. It is just an amazing building.

After that, it was late in the day, and we were all tired. We just made our way home. The day was very hot, and on the train, I ended up sitting in the sun for quite a while, and it made me very sick. I was not happy by the time I got back to the villa

Before dinner, we had an hour lecture from Peter Abbs. He talked about creativity. I realized when listening to him that a lot of what he said rang true, but I had a different understanding than I think he wanted me to have. I think that things can sometimes be looked at too complexly, and I came out of the lecture very confident of myself and where I was going with my art career. The whole thing only made me much more sure of what I was doing and why I was doing it.

Dinner was great, but I was only able to eat apples because I wasn’t feeling good. Judy noticed, and she ended up bringing me some Ricotta, which worked well with the tomatoes I could get my hands on. I was much happier.

After dinner, Jeffrey talked a lot about Dante, and we started to read one of his short works. It is translated into English that is old fashioned and a little more proper than I am used to, but I was glad to be back to reading and learning from Jeffrey.

Sunday, September 3, 2006

We got up in the morning and took the bus to Pistoia. The idea was to show us all around and tell us where the main and important things were. We found the Internet café, the coffee shop, the bus stops, the chocolate shop, the main churches and places of interest, and the piazza where the market is held. We went on a tour of the main church, the Duomo as well as the baptistery for the Duomo. I learned a lot about the history of Pistoia. It is such a nice, quiet town, and I was so surprised to see no tourists. It was very easy to navigate, and I am so glad that the Aegean Center uses it as its home in Italy.

We came back in time to have some really good lunch at the villa.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in classes doing orientation and going over the general syllabi of the classes.

Dinner was, of course, very wonderful, and I was honored to be at the table eating such a delicious Tuscan meal with such good company.

Saturday, September 2, 2006

Neither Christy or I were able to sleep, so we were up early and ready to head to the train station to take the train. When we got our tickets the night before, I learned that I was going to have to pay a very stiff fee unless I wanted to take the slow train. Christy agreed to come with me, and was able to take the train for less than half the price of the fast one. John strongly recommended not taking the slow train, but I learned quickly that it wasn’t such a bad idea. I was able to take a look at the scenery around me, and it only took twice as long as the fast train. It wasn’t bad for a free trip for me and a price-reduced trip for Christy. We were both tired from the night before, but we were able to make good conversation along the way.

When we finally got to Florence, we hopped the next train to Pistoia. I was positive that there were going to be other students on the train with us, but I didn’t see anyone there with us. We took the short train journey and were able to quickly get off in Pistoia.

At the train station, I didn’t see any taxis right away, and there was another student sitting there waiting for one. I asked if both her (Darla) and Christy were interested in trying to take the bus. I went over to the bus station and was able to get information. There was a bus going to the villa shortly, so we went and got on it with no problem.

We were dropped at the villa door, and it was really amazing. I recognized the villa from photos at the school, but it was truly a Tuscan Italian villa. I was happy. As we started to walk up the drive, Morgan and Gabriel came running down to help with the luggage. It was good to finally be at the villa.

I was able to say hi to both Liz and John, and there was a full spread of food available to partake of. I sat and talked for a long while with Liz. I told her the secret I had been keeping from her about being pregnant, and she was very happy. She told me that she had noticed in my last interactions with Jared that we had a very good relationship and that I was a very loyal wife. I liked the compliment.

I spent the rest of the day just hanging out, learning new names and spending time with old faces.

Dinner was at 8:00, and I was really glad that I was there. The meals at the villa are 3-5 course meals with salad, cheese and fruit after. The pasta that comes as the first course is just amazing, and as long as I’m feeling well enough to eat varied and random foods, the food is really great. There is wine with the meals. I haven’t had any, but I was able to have just a small taste of it, to know what traditional Chianti tastes like. It was quite nice. I wasn’t feeling really great though, so I went and found some coke to be able to spike my blood sugar and continue on with dinner.

Dinner: Flat Pasta with cheese and tomato sauce, baked potatoes, pork, salad, cheese and fruit.

It just so happened that first day that the villa had been rented out to host a wedding. The students were arriving in the middle of the bride and groom and all of their friends. The back of the villa was set up very nicely. The reception for the wedding was around the fountain. There was lots of food and music.

After dinner, we were all invited out to dance and party with the wedding. They were very happy to have us. All but one of the students went out on the floor to dance, and all of the professors were out there. We had a blast, and it was an amazing kick off to the start of the fall session.

The music and dancing lasted late into the night—long after I was able to stand it, so I went to bed.

Friday, September 1, 2006

I woke up in the morning with a smile on my face chanting, “I will be in Rome today, I leave for Rome today.” I was very excited. It was finally the end of my personal vacation that was also acting in many ways as a tragedy. I vowed at the end that it was always better to travel with a companion. It makes it much easier to get out of sticky or frustrating problems, and you have someone to laugh things off with and bounce ideas off. It is also nice to be able to talk about a work of art that you are interested in or even to talk in general. The future travels with have Jared and our child if not friends to guide us on our way as well.

I got on the train and made it to Rome late. When I left the station, I decided to walk toward the hostel. Halfway there, I had decided I was going the wrong way, so I turned around. I then started to look for Kathy’s hotel, which I was very surprised to find in a very easy location. She had gone out to pick up Morgan, so I had to find my own hostel.
Many hours later, I ended up just following the directions of the paper I had from the place with directions. After many kilometers of walking, I was there finally.

I dropped my stuff off and made it back to Kathy’s. She still wasn’t home from being out, so I waited. She came eventually with Morgan, and it was really nice to finally see her.

We ended up having coffee over good conversation and then did a little shopping.

After that, I walked back to my hostel and sat and waited for Christy. I met some nice other people that were also traveling, but I was just waiting for Christy.

When she finally did some, we ended up going out for coffee, walking to the station to get tickets and then heading back to the hostel for a night of no sleep and lots of excitement for the trip to Pistoia the next day.

Thursday, August 31, 2006

The last day in Naples. I decided that it was time for me to actually make it into the city center and look at some of the historical buildings. There are two castles in the old town area that I understood were really nice to look at. I followed all of the directions I had to make it to down town Naples, but as soon as I got off the metro and walked into the city, I immediately got an idea of the city. It was very dirty and scary. The street vendors were not giving clean deals, and I did not feel safe. I went as far as I could before realizing that I may end up having troubles it I wasn’t careful. Because I was not really well versed in the things to see in Naples, I decided that it wasn’t safe for me to continue trying to stay in the area. After walking a little away from the train station, I decided to turn around and head back for the hostel. If I decided at a later point in my life that seeing Naples is important, I will go back, but I don’t feel that I really missed out on a lot of good art that would be devastating to my education to miss.

I spent a long time getting the train back. When I got there, I spent the rest of the day just realizing, looking at the people walking around me in the piazza, getting gelato, using the Internet, watching TV, reading my book and going tgo bed. It was a realizing end to my vacation knowing that I was going to be in Rome with Christy and Kathy the next day.

Chris in Italy

Hello,

I just wanted to send off a quick hello to everyone to let you know that I have arrived in Italy and I am well. I have been here for 10 days so far, and it's been fun. I spent 1 day in Longon, England, 4 days in Milano, Italy and now I am completing my 5th day here in Naples.

Italy has a different character than I origionally thought. I am having to pick up important Italain phrases very quickly, and I think that after having been in Naples that I will be able to successfully navigate any public transportation system in the world, either in English or not.

The sun is shining, which inevitially means that my tan is coming out again, and I was sure that it was over for the summer. The weather in my final location for study, Pistoia (20 miles outside of Florence) is supposed to be much cooler.

I have done and seen some amazing things. I got to see a castle and very amazing church in Milan. I got to see some famous works of art when I was in London. Here in Naples, I have seen Pompeii and been very close to the volcano that destroyed it.

When I leave Naples tomorrow, I head to Rome for one day to meet with a group of fellow students and then head to Florence\Pistoia the next morning. I am very excited.

The connection to the Internet here in Italy is a lot more difficult than in Greece. I am documenting everything well, and when I get to Greece, I will make sure that it all gets posted on my blog. I'm sorry that I may not be able to update my blog until October 1st, but there will be a lot to read then, I promise. Otherwise, I will try to keep you updated with letters and photos.

Hope all is well in your part of the world.

Until Next Time,

Chao,

Christine

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

I finally decided that it was time to make it to Pompeii. I went to the tracks and got on the train. However, I realized at some point that I was on the train that was going to another location and that I would need to get off and switch trains. It was cloudy outside, and it had rained in the morning, but I decided to get off at a stop that actually was very attractive and drawing to me. It turns out that I chose the wrong stop because I was sitting there on the step watching the correct train that I was supposed to get on go by without stopping. Quite a while later, I was still sitting there, and I ended back on the train that I had gotten off of long before. I was able to switch several stops later.

I eventually ended up back and Pompeii, and with a very short walk, I was at the site. I went on up the hill with the crowd, and then I went off on my own. One of the wonderful things was that I was actually able to pull out my camera and take amazing photos. I spent the rest of the afternoon shooting photos, walking around and sitting to rest and feed the baby and myself.

Pompeii was a really fascinating place though. I was able to get a real idea of the way that the people lived during that time, and the houses were really amazingly built. I could really see the people come to life in front of me. It was interesting to think of such a tragedy happening in the lives of the people. The houses and columns and ruins were amazing. The amphitheatre was really fascinating because it was fully in tact. I got to see the mechanics of acoustics as well as functions in a perfectly preserved theatre. I was very fascinated. Pompeii really gave me an understanding of the surroundings of the people that I was in.

When I had walked my heart out and taken all of the photos that I could handle, I jumped back on the train home and had dinner, watched TV, checked my email and eventually fell asleep.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

I decided to try to visit Pompeii. I got on the train after asking directions from the nice people at the hostel. After waiting for two hours on the platform reading my book, the train finally stopped. I got off at the Pompeii stop only to get off and look around very confused about where I was. I was told that the site was right across the street from the excavations, but when I got off the train, I was standing in the middle of the actual present day city of Pompeii. I walked around for quite a while and found the beautiful church where I sat and ate some yogurt. Confused, I walked around quite a bit more and caught the train back home.

When I got home, I ate a ham sandwich, which seemed to be the things to soothe all problems at the time. I passed the rest of the day reading my book and sleeping.

It was at that point that I decided that I was going to rest and only do the things that I wanted to do. I was very tired, and trying to push to see and do everything was clearly not my style. I wasn’t having fun, and interesting disastrous started happening to me when I did start to push it. I really did decide that it was time for me to rest and just enjoy myself in the city.

When I woke up from my nap, I went up the street to get some groceries. On my way back down, I bought some pistachio gelato to soothe and repair my defeated soul. It went a long way to serve that purpose. I sat in the square and watched the sun set in front of the square with the fountain. I fit in well with the old men sitting on the steps talking over the day’s gossip and getting ready to retire before doing it all over again. Maybe Pompeii will happen tomorrow.

Monday, August 28, 2006

This was my first day in Naples. I got to do some research on the Internet, and I found out that the Archeological museum was good and had some art in it that I have been very interested in seeing. I decided that that was going to be the trip of the day. Public transportation in Naples is horrible; I would say that it is among the worst in the world. The whole city is smelly and dirty, and I felt the whole time that I was going to turn a corner and step on a rotting dead carcass. The streets are not navigable, and no maps or other sources are provided to navigate the transportation and the streets. When I finally made it to the museum, I was happy.

I spent hours in the museum. It was very nice. I was able to see mosaics from Pompeii and Erculano. They were amazing. I really got a chance to see the beginnings of painting, and I was able to understand some of the mechanics that I had studied earlier with Angeliki during my first semester. Many of the pieces were great masterpieces in my estimation, and it is interesting to note that they were just there on the walls of the houses of the normal noble people. The stonework and stone cutting for a time period that was 2000 years ago just astounded me. I was also able to see many of the erotic works that have been preserved. These works are revolutionary because they showed the outlook of the Romans on sex and procreation, and it gave a look into an aspect of life that doesn’t often get recorded from time to time. Many of the works in the erotic area I had seen in books that I was reading about the role and relationship of man and woman in Classical Rome and Greece.

In addition to those things, I was able to see a fantastic set of works from Rome. They were Classical marble sculptures. I was able to see and understand the form of the bust, which I consider to be a very incredible work or art. Many of them were amazing often combining more than one type of stone together into a portrait. Some of them were big, and some of them were small. I was not familiar with all of the people that were being carved, but I did the best that I could to put them into history. I got to see works from the baths in Rome as well as other sculptures from other areas of Rome that used to stand in very famous areas. One of the sculptures is the largest marble sculpture from antiquity, and it was massive and amazing. I spent a good 30 minutes sitting in front of it evaluating it and understanding it.

There was also a special display in the museum of gold and silver dinnerware that was found in the ruins of Pompeii and Erculano. I was fascinated by it. A lot of it was the same, but the fact that the bowls and plates were so well made really surprised me. Additionally, they were very small, which indicated to me that these people ate very small courses in their meals.

When I was exhausted from looking at all of the art, I went home. I ended up eating two ham sandwiches and talking to Jared over the Internet. It was nice to be able to talk to him. When we were done, I watched some TV until I was tired and then headed off to bed.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

The next day I took the train to Naples. It lasted all day, and I got to see a lot of good scenery. The sunflowers were still out in their fields, but they had already died, and I was sad that I wasn’t able to see that as a dominant factor in the scenery. I was happy to discover that the hostel was REALLY nice. There were lots of young people that speak English. The hostel had free Internet and TV, and the room was actually very nice. I was able to actually sit down and relax.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

This is my last day in Milano. I decided it was time to venture back into Milano and see some more. I went back to the Duomo and sat in front of it and ate toast and read my book. It wasn’t hot yet in the day, and it was nice. Then, I went into the church. It was huge and beautiful. The sculpture looked amazing. The paintings all around were nice, and I got a real education to go along with all of the things about church I was reading in my book. It was beautiful. After I left, I was drawn to an old deserted building next to the Duomo. There was a man playing the violin, and I sat next to him and read my book. Across the way, a couple was kissing on each other’s lap. It made me miss Jared. I read for quite a while because I was tired after walking in the church.

Eventually, I walked up the road and landed upon the Sfozra Castle. The castle was not well kept up. There were several areas roped off, so I did not get a lot of opportunity to walk around. I walked around the courtyard and sat down. Everything was chained up, so I didn’t attempt to do much more but sit there and read more from my book. I later learned that I had missed out on a free museum with a Michelangelo sculpture in it. It was very unfortunate. The castle was beautiful though.

Friday, August 25, 2006

I finally decided that I was going to make it to the city center and have some fun in Milano. I took a long walk with a book in hand and walked the 30 minutes to the center of the city. Every time I came upon a bench in a nice place, I stopped to read a chapter of the book. It was very nice and relaxing. I managed to find a place to buy a shirt, and I was very happy. I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the center of the city looking at the magnificent Duomo. I was then very hungry, so I bought some food and headed for the hostel. The bus system was very difficult to navigate, and after walking far, I finally ended back at home tired and promptly fell asleep. When I woke up, I began working again at my book. It was very nice. Tonight will be dinner and bed before my last day in Milano tomorrow. Only a few more days until I am at the villa and Pistoia.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

The next day was agonizing. I was very, very ill, so attempts to leave bed until 14:00 were all for naught. I got some sleep. When I woke up, I finally resolved to have my bags delivered to Pistoia and rough it. It is nice to travel very light, but it would have been nice to have things like toothpaste and underwear. I resolved to buy some toothpaste, a toothbrush, shampoo and a new shirt. One problem that I had was that I needed to get a hold of John Pack and make sure that it was OK to have my bags delivered early. I spent the rest of the day buying a phone card and then figuring out how to get a hold of John. I finally got it all sorted out, and then it was back to the hostel for bed, etc. I had good company and was able to pass the night with ease.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

I was determined to have some fun in London. There are so many wonderful things there to see. Every stop on the tube seemed to have some historical significance or relation to a movie I had seen. Because of this, it was very hard to choose what to do when you only have a few hours to do it. For me, the choice was easy when I discovered that both the British Museum and the National Gallery had free entrance. I had been itching to see works in both of them for years, so that proved to be my next excursion. The British Museum has TONS of lovely things in it. Unfortunately, I had no time to see it all. I decided to only do the sections that were Greek and Roman, since that was the area I had been studying and the area that I was on my way to study. It was a lovely collection. Many artifacts in the Cycladic section of the museum were from Anti Paros, and many sculptures noted that they. Were made of Parian marble. The British Museum also has a huge collection of sculptures taken from the Parthenon. They had a display for them that did them justice, and recreated them as they would be in their real habitat.

Seeing the art in the museum was wonderful. After the frustrating time I was having with my luggage, it was so wonderful to see these pieces of our history so well preserved and on display for the public at no charge. There were many memorable pieces. There was also a room with a very good demonstration of architecture and the different types of columns. I wont forget the visit I had there, and it fit very well into the education I was receiving on Classical history.

I had some spare time after the British Museum, so I headed to the National Gallery. My only real intention at the time was to examine a painting by Reubens that I have heard lectures about it possibly not being authentic. At the time the gallery bought it, it was the most expensive painting every sold. After having seen it in a room full of other paintings by the same artist, I would also agree that it is a fake.

When I was done looking at the Reubens, I had some spare time to explore other treasures of the museum. I was surprised at what I saw. I own a book on the treasures that are in the gallery, but I had forgotten about all of the famous works in the gallery. I saw work by DaVinci, Michelangelo, Van Gough, Rembrandt, Reubens, Serut, Monet, Manet, Boticelli, etc. I went only to see one painting, and came out with so much joy at having seen so many great works. One of the great highlights of my life was the chance to see Venus and Mars by Boticelli. I have been studying that painting for many years, but having the chance to see it actually brought tears to my eyes. I consider it the most incredible masterpiece that I have ever seen. The painting was very well representing in the gallery, and nothing made me happier than to see these surviving works of his.

I had a plane to catch to Milan. When I got to the airport, I discovered I would have to check everything into the undercarriage but my photo paper and film. At the thought of my cameras being mishandled, I burst into tears. This was the start. I packed them well with bubble wrap and newspaper and then saw them off with tears still in my eyes. The next piece of news that I got was that my luggage had still not been found and that there was no chance of it being found in the next short while. I was very upset at the though of no clean clothes or toiletries. They compensated me by letting me into the first class lounge while I waited for my plane, which was very nice.

On the flight, an attendance from Greece befriended me and took me to the back of the plane for the flight. I got all the Sprite I could take, and some good conversation that really helped me to calm down. The Sprite helped to ease my morning sickness that was acting up on the plane.

When I got to Milano, I got off the plane and got my cameras back safely. I made my way to the hostel to go to sleep.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

London wasn’t so welcoming. I stood in a massive immigration line for ages only to get through it and discover at baggage that my bag had been lost. Many hours, and forms later, they assured me it would be found. Time investment at the airport finding nothing could be done -- 5 hours.

With a very light load (which I admit was quite nice), I jumped on the tube and headed for my hostel, which was relatively easy to find. I got a room with 20 beds for 20 bucks. The exchange into the GBP was very expensive. I spent 50 Euro in one day only on transport and lodging. I didn’t buy a morsel of food. The hostel was OK. Tons of computers were available to pay to use the Internet, but the place itself was nothing extremely special. I did get a chance to talk to Jared at night, which was comforting for the both of us. At the hostel 20 people in a room guarantees people coming and going every hour even in the middle of the night and into the late morning. That and jet lag made it clear that I would have slept better on a park bench.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Though much excitement comes before a trop such as the one I have planned, it is almost impossible to estimate the many things that inevitably follow.

This writing starts 5 days into my trip due to the incredible high intensity that has precipitated.

I left home under very unusual circumstanced, and it can only be due to my strong, (pig headed) will that I made it at all. In my travels, I meet person after person that is surprised by my circumstance, and their surprise only surprised me. I left home the first day of my twelfth week of pregnancy. That looming second trimester I keep hearing all about. Jared, as always was ridiculous supportive giving me not only the courage to fulfill this sky- high desire, but also the funding to be away without working. He takes a very good attitude to his wife again leaving him in bachelor style with only our dog for company.

I got on a plane Monday, August 21st. I was to go from Portland to Seattle. Jared and I spent the day together furiously packing and shopping taking the time to see a movie together before the final goodbye.

When I got to my gate at the airport, they tried to shuffle me back and forth onto an earlier flight. My bags were transferred several times, which no doubt had a great affect on their eventual disappearance. The flight to Seattle was lovely. We were on a tiny plane that flew low, so I was able to enjoy the scenery of the Pacific Northwest.

When I got to Seattle, my flight to London was delayed by 1 hour, so I had a good 5 hours to kill. I got some dinner at Burger King (good fries), read my book (The Agony and the Ecstasy), and played solitaire on my computer until it was nearly dead. When we FINALLY did board, it was very nice. Because I was pregnant, I was upgraded to first class on the 747 that we were flying on. It was very nice. I slept all the way to London, only to wake up in time to see some of the country of England before landing.

Announcement

OK. I may as well announce this one here. I'm pregnant!

We are very excited about this. I'm going to start keeping a journal here and then post some photos. And, of course, you'll get to see lots more photos when I head off to Italy in about a month here!!!

Apartment Photos

Ok. Here are some photos of my apartment for next semester. It looks pretty exciting to me.

Chris on the Snorkeling Boat

Yep. Taken just yesterday. As she lives and breathes. Pretty amazing.

Chris Snorkeling in the Aegean

Yep... That's really me with a snorkeling mask and flipper fins. It really is the Aegean too. The water really is THAT clear. It was beautiful.

Four Wheel Adventure

A photo of a friend and I on the road.

Four Wheel Adventure

A photo of a friend and I on the road.

Jared on Naxos

Here's a long awaited photo of my dear husband with me on a trip to Naxos. Note the temple in the background.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

There have been a lot of incredible things happening recently. I haven’t really made a lot of time to get them posted because the semester is fast coming to an end, and I am in the throes of preparing for the end of semester exhibition. It seems as though my hard work has now started to pay off because I have very few things left to do and a full week to do them. Sadly, at the end of that week, I must return home back to my real life for the summer. The Fall holds a lot including a 22 day tour of Italy and some more advanced studies of photography with the amazing John Pack and Liz Carson. Not to mention the Art History things coming my way by the brilliant Jeffrey Carson.

Jared has come and gone now. We had quite a blast though. It’s great that he got to come and hang out with us and our group. He got some good Greek sun and even got a four wheeling tour around the island, which he enjoyed very much. We did a little island hopping together, and we got to explore some art stuff on the nearest neighbor to Paros, Naxos.

Naxos was amazing. We got to go to many of the major sites there including the three korui, the marble quarries, the Temple of Dionysus, the Temple of Demeter, The Tower of Aiya, etc. I got some great photographs that are going to go into the show here. I intend to display them in Portland as well, which I am looking forward to in a big way. I loved Naxos in a big way because I was able to explore and island that you think would be so similar to Paros. It is complete different though. It is so huge, etc. There are a lot of stories about that island including the idea that Zeus was born there and stayed in hiding there in a cave until he was old enough to overthrow his father. He was, of course, taken care of by and eagle. Another story is that Dionysus planted the first grape vine there, and thus the island is the father of wine making. The island is still very agricultural, and I was able to see many more donkeys (Jared thinks I have donkey radar) and I even took some photographs of an old man on his donkey.

I have also been taking four wheeling adventures on the island. I drove up behind the famous quarries of Marathi here and went up to a very high point on the island to take photographs. I have found some interesting things. These adventures involve things like finding oregano growing, finding sea salt in the rocks by the sea, swimming, trying to explore deserted monasteries, driving through towns we’ve never been to, taking photos of things like cows in poppy fields, taking pictures of pretty flowers, finding churches that are immaculately kept but not used by anyone, driving the four wheeler a little “off road” on a crazy adventure to Naoussa, going through the channels of the marble quarries, etc. Watching the sunset and then getting up to see the sunrise, etc. My good friend Brie and I have been having a blast.

Most of these trips have been for photography purposes, and it has worked out very well.

It has been getting very hot here, and swimming is a great way to cool off. I have also been spending a lot of time in the cool darkroom getting everything ready for next Friday. It is going to be a blast.

So…. That’s what I’ve been up to. I’m not ignoring the blog, just getting pretty busy. Stay tuned for more.

All Night Adventure

It's been a little crazy around here lately. We have an exhibition coming up very soon, and that means that we all have to get ready. I have a bunch of work ready, but I still need to get more done. Even though I am only going to have a few works of art in the show, I will be leaving for home the next day, so it will be important for me to have everyhing wrapped up before the show. I say the least, I have about 55 photos that need to be completed both digitally and in the darkroom. I think I am currently about half way there. That means that in the next two weeks I have to do more than the two months before.

The computer lab has been really crowded these days and so has the darkroom. I decided to try working during off times and see what happened. After my night class, I tried going to the darkroom. I went in at about 8:00 PM and I didn't arrive again until 1 AM. That was very good. I got two whole photos developed, and I was thrilled with them.

Then it was off to the digital lab. I was expecting it to be empty, but it still had people in it. I settled down and started to work. At around 3:00, I asked if my friend was going home, and she was uncertain. I agreed with her. I still had a lot of work to do, and I wasn't really tired yet. We agreed to pull an all-nighter so that we could have the lab and the printers to ourselves. It was quite amazing. We went out to get supplies--coffee and french fries. When we went to the coffee shop/bar, she had just cleaned the coffee machine, so we weren't able to get any. She offered, as a replacement a shot of tequilla and Sprite. She said that it would energize for the night. It sure did. Once we got our french fries and ate them, we worked happily on.

Eventually, I looked out the window and the sun was rising. We went out on top of the roof in the cool air and watched as dawn spread out her finger tips of rose. It was beautiful. We are not back to work--actually she is. I've printed 5 photos today, which is many more than I have ever printed in a day, so I'm calling it a good quits.

We're just waiting for one more comuter thing to happen and then it's off to walk on the beach with the sun rising. I'm looking forward to that.

My prints look amazing and the all-nighter has officially been accomplished. It was quite refreshing. :)

After the beach walk, I'm off to change my clothes and get some food before heading back to the darkroom for more fun printing time.

I'll post photos of the roof sunrise. It is amaing.

Chris

All Night Adventure

It's been a little crazy around here lately. We have an exhibition coming up very soon, and that means that we all have to get ready. I have a bunch of work ready, but I still need to get more done. Even though I am only going to have a few works of art in the show, I will be leaving for home the next day, so it will be important for me to have everyhing wrapped up before the show. I say the least, I have about 55 photos that need to be completed both digitally and in the darkroom. I think I am currently about half way there. That means that in the next two weeks I have to do more than the two months before.

The computer lab has been really crowded these days and so has the darkroom. I decided to try working during off times and see what happened. After my night class, I tried going to the darkroom. I went in at about 8:00 PM and I didn't arrive again until 1 AM. That was very good. I got two whole photos developed, and I was thrilled with them.

Then it was off to the digital lab. I was expecting it to be empty, but it still had people in it. I settled down and started to work. At around 3:00, I asked if my friend was going home, and she was uncertain. I agreed with her. I still had a lot of work to do, and I wasn't really tired yet. We agreed to pull an all-nighter so that we could have the lab and the printers to ourselves. It was quite amazing. We went out to get supplies--coffee and french fries. When we went to the coffee shop/bar, she had just cleaned the coffee machine, so we weren't able to get any. She offered, as a replacement a shot of tequilla and Sprite. She said that it would energize for the night. It sure did. Once we got our french fries and ate them, we worked happily on.

Eventually, I looked out the window and the sun was rising. We went out on top of the roof in the cool air and watched as dawn spread out her finger tips of rose. It was beautiful. We are not back to work--actually she is. I've printed 5 photos today, which is many more than I have ever printed in a day, so I'm calling it a good quits.

We're just waiting for one more comuter thing to happen and then it's off to walk on the beach with the sun rising. I'm looking forward to that.

My prints look amazing and the all-nighter has officially been accomplished. It was quite refreshing. :)

After the beach walk, I'm off to change my clothes and get some food before heading back to the darkroom for more fun printing time.

I'll post photos of the roof sunrise. It is amaing.

Chris

A sneak peak

Ok.

I know I haven't been writing a lot lately. Most of that is due to the fact that I am very hot and heavy trying to get things done here before the end of the semester. I came a month late (after it had started), so I am really behind. Not a whole lot of adventures going on for me other than the fact that I'm taking a trip to Naxos. My tan is fading away slowly as I spend all of my days inside working even though the beautiful sun is outside. For example, I was in the darkroom from 8AM until 2PM today. After that, I was in the digital lab from 2PM until my 6PM class. After that, I get a chance to watch the sun set before heading back to the world of digital printing. I know--it's a whole process :)

Here is a sneak peak photo from my latest project. I am really enjoying it. I have a whole direction that my portfolio is taking here and Greece, and it's quite different than I thought it would be. I think it will tie in to the things that I am going to need to do next semester (I have an idea for then too). As an artist, the inspiration to communicate about certain things come and go, but the important part for me is to hold on to the things that do come to me and wring them of life so that they can be recreated in my own fashion. It's quite a process. :) I'm becoming a better and better printer every day. The darkroom has taken ahold of me and won't let go. I really am addicted :)

Anyway, I only put rejected photos up here online for you to see, so here is one that has been rejected from my recent project. Enjoy it and look for more clues as to what this project could possibly be.

Four Wheel Adventure VIEW

Four Wheel Adventure Photos

Four Wheel Adventure

See. I did say that I was going to post again soon, and I did. I'm so happy when I keep my promises.

Today was an incredible day. I woke up and went on a tour of the Church of a Hundred Doors here with our Art History Professor. He is so smart about everything, and I really love learning things from him. I gained a lot of knowledge about the church, and I was also able to scope out some interesting photo ops there.

After that, I was hired by the person that runs the apartments that I live in to photograph them and put together a portfolio of the different apartments. He was really happy with my work, and he asked me to extend my job. Officially, this means that I've had a job in Greece and when I'm older I can say, "When I lived and worked in Greece!"

At about 12:00, Jared and I decided to rent a four wheeler and go around the island with it. It was a lot of fun. We started in the port town and went counter clockwise around the island. I got to take a lot of cool photos of him, and I also just got to take a lot of cool photos. It's been a long time since we both just up and went and did something like that, and I know we both enjoyed it even though it was quite cold.

When we got home, I decided to go back out again and brave the weather. It turned out to be a great idea. I had an incredible time alone, and I got to discover places I have been wondering about since the first day I was on the island over a year ago. I visited the ancient quarries twice. On my way to Lefkes, I ran into thousand year old olive trees that I have been fixing to photograph for over a year. When I got to Lefkes, I happened upon some old windmills where the grain used to be ground into flour. They are deserted and falling apart. I got the chance to photograph them and explore them, and that is something that I have been looking forward to doing since I made it here. It was very exciting for me. One of them even had a donkey outside. I went to visit him, but he wasn't to excited at the idea of having a visitor. Jared says that I have donkey radar, and I would have to say that he is right. :)

On my way back, I was able to stop and visit many of the old sites. It really made my day to do all of the things that I did.

I'm going to post some photos up here so you can see us in action.

We head to Naxos tomorrow. More stories and photos when we return.

Thursday, May 4, 2006

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Ok. It’s been over a week since I’ve written. I’m sorry about the lag, and I promise that things will get better. Pascha was an amazing experience for me personally, and it was the height of a lot of energy for quite a few people here (in the school as well as the Greeks around the school). Having Easter come and go was quite wonderful. My friends and I had a very nice potluck on Easter day. One of the students’ mom owns a restaurant, and she made a remarkable lamb stew. It tasted quite good. The man that runs the area that we live in brought us a loaf of fresh bread that he had made. It was quite enjoyable.

Over the past week, I have been organizing my life and getting things restructured here so that I can come out the other end of my studies here with some actual things to show for. For the past month, I have been taking lots of photographs of all sorts (both in film and digitally), and preparing them to be printed. I am now in the throes of printing them all. I have stopped taking some of the thousand classes that I WAS taking, and I am now concentrating almost exclusively on photography only. It is a very refreshing experience. I spent 7 hours today in the darkroom, and I am now on my computer again evaluating some images to be printed digitally.

Jared has arrived on this beautiful island of mine, and we are having quite a bit of fun. I have shown him many of the ancient sites that I have seen. I don’t know that he has the exact same take on them that I have, but at least he has been able to see them.

I have a great plan for the next couple of days though, and I thought that I would share it.

Tomorrow, I am taking a tour of the Church of a Hundred Doors (the oldest church in Christianity) with an art historian. He is amazing, and he is going to get us access to the parts of the church that you can’t normally go it. I am very happy about it.

After that, I think that I am going to rent a four-wheeler with Jared and drive around the entire island with him. It sounds like a lot of fun, and I believe that I will be able to take quite a few photographs that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to take (without walking for days and days).

On Saturday, I am going to go with Jared to Naxos. We are going to rent a car and drive around for a while. I am looking forward to seeing many of the ancient sites including the place where Zeus was born! I am also very interested to see the ancient korous, which is a sculpture that was started and not finished. It is VERY big.

I will tell you more of my adventures as they happen, but I thought that it would be good to at least give you and update and tell you that I am alive and well.

Poppies

Some poppies growing in a grape field I happened upon.

Easter Church Photos

One of these photos is everyone with their new Easter light. The other one is the light that has just been lit spreading throughout the church. Both very beautiful.

Sunday, April 23, 2006 Pascha

I haven’t written in several days, but the things that have happened over the past couple of days couldn’t possibly be described in writing. I will try my best though.

On Friday, I woke up and helped my friend paint the lines out on her street. We were actually very good Samaritans and we painted the neighbors as well because they are kind of old and it must be done by Easter. We had so much fun though, and by the end it looked really good. Plus, I am able to add it to my “street conservation” credit. J

After that, I went to Lefkes with her again and hung out. Because it was good Friday, everything was closed. It is a very big holiday, but not in the sense of celebrating. Good Friday symbolized that Christ has been crucified. It is supposed to be a deeply sad day. The bell at the church tolls non-stop all day from 6 in the morning until 3 in the morning (that’s when I lost count and fell asleep anyway). It is a day to go to church, and there are essentially services all day. There is a very beautiful church in Lefkes, so I just went and sat outside of it (I wasn’t properly attired to go in) and listened to the Byzantine Greek being sung in the service. It was very nice. I stayed there on the bench outside the church for about an hour.

After that, I decided to go for a walk, so I just followed paths until I got to the end of town. At the edge of town, there are the remains of the road built during the Byzantine Empire. The road is amazing in the places that it is well preserved. I walked a couple of miles down the path until I got a sense that it was time to go back. The path was beautiful with a stream running beside it at times. It took me up a mounting, through an olive grove and over fields of flowers. I really enjoyed it.

When I walked back, the church service was over, but they had a parade of the Greek equivalent of the Boy Scouts (except that the Greek version is a bit more morbid with it’s roots in Fascist Greece).

We finally left Lefkes, and I spent the rest of the afternoon eating dinner, snacking on gelato, taking photos and visiting with friends.

There was another church service at night, so I decided to go to it. I was told that it was one of the most amazing things I would see on Paros. At first, it was just chanting in Greek, and it seemed a little dull. However, the church is beautiful because it is all decked out with purple ribbons and flowers, etc. The tomb of Christ (holding the icon inside) is covered in flowers, and lines form for hours on end to kiss it (as it tradition in Orthodox Christendom). The priests spent and hour lighting candled and carrying them around the church. They also were swinging incense everywhere, and it was a very fun tradition to watch.

At 11:00, they sung a very beautiful hymn and then threw thousands of rose petals from the dome of the church down onto the tomb (and the priests). It was an amazing thing to see. I photographed it, and the photos will be ready by the end of the semester to view, but I would say that it WAS one of the most worthwhile things I’ve seen. It really was a religious experience. I had a good spot to watch it from as well up in the balcony of the church which is closed except for two days a year.

Yesterday was Holy Saturday. I spent the day working on photographs and doing other things for school. However, at 10:00, it was back to church for me. I spent one full hour taking photos of the beautiful but empty church. At 11:00, the service started, and I listened to the Greek that I don’t know and never will for a while. At 11:55, the lights went out in the church and in the holy sanctum, you could see the priest light up a light. It then grew as the alter boys and everyone else lit their lights. The point is that at that moment (12:00AM Easter morning), Christ has been resurrected. The light symbolizes new life. Everyone was then to light their light from the light of the priest or someone that had lit their light from the priest. It took a while for me to get my candle lit up in the balcony, but as my friend was giving me a light, fireworks went off outside and the song “Christos Anasti (Christ is Risen)” reached it’s high point. It was amazing. I took many photos of the light spreading over the church, and it was a great experience. When I managed to make my way through the crowd of thousands of people, I took my candle home and made a black cross over my doorway. Though this sounds as though it has its roots in the Passover, it is actually an Orthodox tradition to keep the evil sprits away for the year. The amazing thing is that the light that burns in the church and across many Parian homes all year (until next Easter) was born on that night, and I took part in it.

Today it is Easter Sunday. Everything is as dead as I’ve ever seen it in the town. People are at home roasting their lamb, eating the things that have been deprived of them for 40 days. The old men on the street say “Christos Anasti” (Christ is Risen) to which I reply “Alithos Anasti” (He is Truly Risen). I get a “Bravo!” and a pat on the back. I say. “Chronia Polla” (Many Years) and head on my way with a smile on my face.

All I have to say to you is “Kalo Pashcha!” (Beautiful Easter).

Easter Eggs

Here are some photos of the red Easter eggs my friend and I dyed. They were really good. Red is the traditional color to dye the easter eggs.

Street Conservation

OK. Here are the photos of the street conservation I did :)

Note the lines I painted :)

Palm Sunday Decorations

OK. Here are some decorations from last Sunday. Pretty cool I think.

Chris in Lefkes

Report for Thursday, April 20, 2006: Holy Thursday

Today was quite amazing. This actually marks the second day in a row that I have found myself up on the roof of a building asleep. It was actually quite nice. Not only did I get to thaw out from the winter, I have also started to work on a very nice summer tan that I am sure will stay with me until I leave my home here in Greece.

I woke up late this morning because I very rarely keep a clock next to me in bed, and it very rarely matters when I wake up in the morning. I took a shower (at least the pathetic version of one that they have in Greece) and headed for the school. As I was starting to figure out what I was going to do for the rest of the day, my friend walked in and announced that she was going to go to Lefkes and that she had extra room in her car. As I was thinking of doing something in Lefkes today by bus, I took her up on her offer and jumped in her car. We took a nice little ride. I had 4 hours to kill. I took a walk to the top of the hill around the town, and I was able to take quite a few amazing photos. I was pleasantly surprised.

After my walk, I read my book and fell asleep on the roof of the sanctum. It was very nice.

My friend and I took the long way back, and we ran into some cattle in a poppy field. It was quite amazing to see. The field was really red, and the cattle were just munching away. I got quite a few good photos there as well.

We were hungry when we got back so we stopped at a café and had a little bite to eat, it was really enjoyable. I had a feta and olive sandwich. It’s been a while since I went out like that, so I had a really good time.

Today is the day that you are traditionally supposed to color Easter eggs. The store was all out of eggs. When I went to the other store to get eggs, I was so happy to get my hands on some that I didn’t realize until later that I had grabbed brown eggs, and they aren’t good for coloring. Oh well. I’ve decided to spend the rest of my day here working on my photos. I’m pretty excited about that.

Jared will be here in almost exactly one week. That’s very exciting to me. I’m so happy!!!!

OK. Hope your day is going very well.

Holy Tuesday

OK. I don’t know if you read what I put up about Easter, but today is the Wednesday of the Orthodox Holy Week. Things around here are starting to get a little crazy. I’d say more than a little crazy. Greeks are like bears in the fact that they work hard all summer and then they kind of hibernate in the winter. Easter is an excuse for things to start to get going because 1.) it is religiously a restart to the year and 2.) so many tourists come that it proves to be a very lucrative endeavor to have your store open and running by then. So, I have been on a kind of sleepy island for the past two weeks that has suddenly awoken.

Another traditional thing during Easter time is to clean. It’s surely where the idea of spring-cleaning came from. If Christ is going to be resurrected, we may as well get everything clean and shiny for the rest of the year. So, for the first time all winter, people are actually working during the afternoon siesta trying to get their floors washed and buildings cleaned. It is also the time of year when they do the major construction repairs to their houses. Any area that needs to be plastered is re-plastered, and white washing is done if the current job isn’t pristine.

Another major thing is the repainting of the lines on the streets. Traditionally white was painted around each flagstone in the street to provide illumination in the moonlight (before streetlights). The islands have now become very well known for this street painting, and it is a mandate (at least in Parikia) that all lines be repainted once a week. It holds to tradition (and tradition is a VERY Greek thing) as well as fulfilling the expectations of the tourists.

The school needed to do this in several places, so I volunteered to help. We painted the lines all around the Plaka outside of the school. It was a lot of fun. I learned some things actually, and I’m going to put it on the course description of the things that I did while I was in Greece. After all, it is ancient street restoration isn’t it?

The holy week has thus far been uneventful for me. Palm Sunday was a lot of fun because I got to go to the church and listen to them chant out all of the traditional things. There are church services every day that go over the week before the death of Christ, but them being usual services and done in Greek, I haven’t attended any of them. The churches will soon be all decked out in flowers and purple, and the priests will have on their best attire. At that point, I will sneak in with my camera and get some shots of this beautiful time.

The one thing that I did end up getting was some traditional bread. It is sweet bread in the form of a ring covered in sesame seeds. It actually tastes quite wonderful. Though the Greeks eat tons of this anyway, it is traditional to make it on Holy Tuesday. The bakery was LOADED with it, and I went and bought two of them for just half Euro each. I got to share them with some of my friends, and I was glad to have taken part in that tradition.

Today and tomorrow are relatively uneventful, but all the excitement comes on Friday and Saturday. Friday is Good Friday. This is the day that Christ was crucified. It is a very sad day. Everyone wears black and the bell in the church tolls all day long (as is traditional when someone dies). The young women decorate a tomb with wildflowers, and people spend the day going to visit it. Nothing sweet is eaten (and in many cases nothing is eaten) because when Christ asked for water, he was given vinegar to drink. On this day there is a very late service (I believe at 10 PM) where they take the tomb off of its position in the church and parade it around town. There is a very beautiful moment when the lights of the church go out and then the priest lights a single flame. Everyone has candles, and they must light their candle with that flame. These are then taken home and three black crosses are put over the door to keep evil spirits out.

Saturday night is the actual Easter service. It is very late because after it, all of the restaurants are open and ready for business as LENT is over, and meat, oil, milk, cheese, etc. can be eaten again. I have never been in Greece when Lent was not going on, and I am excited to see meat again heavily in restaurants (not that it’s not easy to get during Lent).

As for me, I’m enjoying my little break here. I have spent time in the darkroom and time in the painting studio. I am preparing for Jared to come by picking up any loose ends needed before he arrives (like buying food, etc.)

I am also working with my school at this point to get them to give me credit for the work I have done here. They are quite picky, but I spent the entire day yesterday working out things, and I think I have outsmarted them. When I return from Greece, I should have relatively little left for me to have a degree in Art History (as I have been working toward for so long).

Today, the wind has come up from the south and we again have a sirocco. This is the 5th one since I’ve come. A sirocco is when the wind comes up off the Sahara desert and carries the warmth with it. It is funny to go outside because you think that the weather is going to be so cold because the wind is blowing so hard, but if you go outside with more than a t-shirt you sweat to death. On the south side of the island the wind is blowing so hard that your body can be at a 45-degree angle to the ground and the wind will hold it’s full weight. There are many odd things that happen during a sirocco. Mainly, the sky can turn a dark, deep shade of Amber from all of the sand traveling in it. On a less grand scale, people get headaches, have bad dreams and go crazy in general. There is a saying that if a sirocco has been blowing for more than three days and someone commits a crime of passion that it will be forgiven. You have to experience it to understand it’s strange effects.

Ok. I hope that this is enough of an update for you because I have nothing left to write up on. I will fill you in on how the rest of the holy week goes.

And the Clouds Smiled Upon the Carpet of Flowers

And the Clouds Smiled Upon the Carpet of Flowers

Flowers, Flowers, Everywhere

And the carpet of flowers lay before her...

Wild Flowers Abound

Check out these wild flowers.

More Anti Paros

Note the wild flowers.

Anti Paros

This is a photo I took when hiking on Anti Paros. Note the field of lavender in the back. Very beautiful.

Greek Easter and Holy Week

Holy week started yesterday. To give you a little bit of an education, here is some data about what this entails.

From: http://www.webcam-crete.com/sfakia-crete/greekeaster.html

At least 95 percent of all Greeks claim membership in the Greek Orthodox church, part of the Eastern Orthodox church. Until 1054, the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches were one body. Theological, political, and cultural differences split the church in two, and those differences were never completely reconciled. Despite the power religion holds over everyday life, most younger Greeks are not devout churchgoers. Aside from the special Easter celebrations, services are attended mainly by old women and young children. And the Greeks often defy their church's teachings by clinging to beautiful old symbols, rituals and customs of pagan origine. Many Easter traditions originated long before the beginning of the Christian era.

The Greek Orthodox Church does not always celebrate Easter on the same date as the Catholic and Protestant countries. The reason is that the Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar when calculating Easter. This is case even in the churches that otherwise use the Gregorian calendar. When the Greek Orthodox Church in 1923 decided to change to the Gregorian calendar (or rather: a Revised Julian Calendar), they chose to use the astronomical full moon as seen along the meridian of Jerusalem as the basis for calculating Easter, rather than to use the "official" full moon.

Many Easter traditions originated long before the beginning of the Christian era. Like Christmas, which is related to pre-Christian winter festivals, Easter is connected in many ways with pagan rituals that accompanied the arrival of spring. It is possible that the name "Easter" stemmed from that of Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon goddess of springtime. Easter is also associated with the Jewish festival of Passover, or Pesach. The term "paschal", meaning "of Easter", is derived from the name of the Jewish festival, as are the names of Easter in some foreign languages. In Greek, Easter is called Pascha, meaning passover: It is the eternal Passover from death to life and from earth to heaven.

One of the most common Christian symbols, especially associated with Easter, is the lamb. It is often depicted with a banner that bears a cross, and it is known as the Agnus Dei, meaning "Lamb of God" in Latin.

The origin of the symbol is related directly to the Jewish Passover. In ancient times the Jews sacrificed a lamb in the course of the festival. The early Christians, most of whom were Hebrews, associated the sacrifice of the lamb with Christ's sacrifice on the cross. They connected the joyous Passover festival, which commemmorates the liberation of the Hebrews from their years of bondage in Egypt, with the liberation from death represented by the Resurrection.

The popularity of lamb as an Easter food is undoubtedly related to its importance as a symbol. During the middle ages roast lamb became the traditional main course of the Pope's Easter dinner, and it is still customarily served on Easter Sunday in many European countries.

The Easter Egg is associated with beliefs of particularly ancient origin. The egg was an important symbol in the mythologies of many early civilizations, including those of India and Egypt. It was commonly believed that the universe developed from a great egg and that the halves of its shell corresponded to Heaven and earth. The egg was also connected with the springtime fertility rituals of many pre-Christian and Indo-European peoples, like the old Cretans, and both the Egyptians and the Persians made a practice of coloring eggs in the spring.

Greeks mainly color eggs red (scarlet) to signify the blood of Christ. They use hard-boiled eggs (painted red on Holy Thursday) which are baked into twisted sweet-bread loaves or distributed on Easter Sunday; people rap their eggs against their friends' eggs and the owner of the last uncracked egg is considered lucky.

The 50 days which follow Easter are signified by the Pentecostarion, which are dedicated to the spiritual enjoyment of the participants in the deep belief that God is with all men in everyday life and thoughts.

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Easter begins on the Saturday of Lazarus (the Saturday before Palm Sunday, 1 week before Easter Sunday) with children going from door to door singing the hymn of "Lazaros" and collecting money and eggs.
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On the morning of Palm Sunday people gather in church and are given a cross made from palm fronds, which they put on their icon-stands at home and keep it for the whole of the coming year.

Every evening throughout Holy Week, people gather in church to follow with devoutness the Passion of Christ.

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On Holy Tuesday, housewives make sweet rolls, the koulourakia, and the following day they do the housework, while in the evening they follow the blessing of Holy Oil that takes place in church.
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Holy Thursday is the day for dyeing eggs. In the evening, after the reading of the 12 Gospel, the girls undertake the decoration of the bier of Christ (epitaphios) with garlands of white and purple flowers, so that in the morning of Good Friday it is ready to receive the image of the body of Christ when He is taken down from the cross.
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Good Friday is a day of mourning. The drama of the death of Christ is followed with great devoutness. Sweet things are not eaten-for the love of Christ, who was given vinegar to drink. Soup made with sesame-paste, lettuce or lentils with vinegar is the food eaten on this day. It is considered a great sin to work with a hammer or nails or sew on Good Friday.

Vesper evening on Good Friday is followed by the procession of the bier (representing Christ's funeral). A band or choir playing or singing solemn music precedes the procession; they are followed by the cantors, the clergy, women bearing myrrh, the altar boys carrying the liturgical fans, scouts and guides, and the people of the region, who sing the hymns throughout the procession. All along its route, people scatter flowers and perfumes on the epitaphios (bier), holding lighted candles in their hands.

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On Holy Saturday evening, the Resurrection mass (Anastasi =resurrection, the Resurrection of Jesus) takes place. At midnight the ceremony of lighting of candles is the most significant moment of the year. People, carefully, take home their lighted candles with the holy light of the Resurrection. Before entering their houses they make a cross with the smoke of the candle on top of the door, they light the oil candle before their icon-stand, and try to keep this light burning throughout the year.

The Midnight service is without a doubt the most important day on the calendar. At midnight all the lights are extinguished in the church and the priest comes from behind the doors on the altar carrying a candle. He walks to someone in the front row and lights their candle and these people who receive the light of the resurrection, the light is a symbol of the resurrection, pass the light from candle to candle and the light fills the church. Everybody leaves the church just before midnight, singing a song the words of which mean, Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. Through death conquering death. At midnight at the moment of the resurrection all the families have gone to church together, all standing sort of huddled in these little insular units and everybody kisses everybody and say, 'Christos anesti, Christos anesti, Christ has risen, indeed He has risen. And it's a very touching moment. In the moment of conquering death, it has a certain meaning to kiss your grandparents at that point, who you know you'll be burying soon. And to be kissing the children who are coming up, who will be replacing you in the next generation. And there's a feeling of the weight of centuries. People have been saying these prayers unchanged for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years.

In Crete it's a custom to carry this candle back home, taking care the flame is not extinguished. At the house 3 crosses are made with the flame above the entrance door: the black soot 'paints' the crosses, in order to bless the house and its inhabitants by the light of Christ's resurrection.

Chris' First Week

Ok. I know that I haven’t written a lot lately. After my hectic life before traveling to Europe followed by a three-week, whirlwind tour across Europe, I’ve taken the last week to just regather my life, sort out what direction the next two months are going in, and get set in a routine that will get me there. Though this is not yet accomplished, I am here, I have started school, and I have set into what could be considered a routine.

I have decided to take the following classes here to enhance my education.

Figure Drawing
Basic Drawing
Darkroom Photography
Digital Photography
Mosaic
Painting
Creative Writing
Literature
Art History

It is a hell of a lot, but I don’t see the point of working hard here while I’m here, and while I have the attention of the amazing mentors that the school has provided.

Here’s how I spent my last week while I was busy NOT writing on my blog J

Monday, I went to the all school meeting where I got the basic idea of what classes are being offered, etc. We also talked about other super important things like “If someone discovers they have an extra 10 pair of underwear, would they kindly return them to the laundry.”

After the meeting, I went to the darkroom and re-familiarized myself with it. I met with my darkroom mentor, and we had a cup of coffee while I explained the things that I had been up to for the past year. She then took me back to the darkroom and told me to develop film.

It was an amazing experience to be back in the darkroom. Last year, I had so much trouble in there and it was like a torture to have to go there. I had this amazing ability to not go there because of it’s association with pain. This first time in the darkroom was amazingly simple and easy. It was all old hat, and somehow, over my amazing break from the darkroom, I have this magical ability to make everything work just perfectly!

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I went to classes and got myself settled. My painting studio is where it was last year, and it’s just a great thing. I like being down there with the doors that are so tall and wide. I can throw them open while I paint, and I really like it.

Friday again was very special for me. We were going to go on a hike, but when it came down to it, there were only three of us that were going to be able to go, and John wanted to return very early. We got on the boat to Anti Paros and he walked us to the edge of town and pointed in the direction we should go. We had been there before, so we had some idea of the direction that we were going in. We walked and walked and found a field full of flowers. The poppies were blooming, and the whole field was dotted with red poppies and assorted other yellow and purple flowers. It was definitely a mythic experience to be in the field, and I can certainly see where the Greek myths came from, they were born in a field of poppies. It really was magical. I sure hope that they are still out when Jared comes to see me in a week and a half, because they are just something else.

After that, we went down to the beach. No one was there, and it was completely private. None of us had our swim gear. It was such a nice day, etc., etc. You can use your imagination to figure out how we ended up going swimming. The water was very cool, but it was quite nice. We got out to sit on the rocks to dry off, and that completed another perfect section to the afternoon.

As we started to walk back in, the clouds rolled in after us. By the time we completed our 1.5-hour walk back to town, the rain was pouring. We got on the boat and had a rough ride back home. It was nice to sit in the bus as it drove half way around the island to get back to Parikia.

I am working on the photos now, and I will try to post one or two of them. It was, however, the first time in a long time that I shot more film than digital. It felt good, and the photos looked GREAT when I took them into the darkroom.

Today is beautiful Greek Palm Sunday. I went into the church and had a very good time. I just stood there and watched them do their thing. Everyone got herbs and palm leaves. The church was decorated with palm leaves weaved into amazing shapes (like donkeys). It was kind of fun to hear them chant in Greek. I felt like an outsider, but no one looked twice at me, because anyone is welcome in a Greek church. The ritual was very interesting, but I can see how it has it’s roots in pre-Christian religion.

Today, I am headed to the darkroom and likely to the beach. I’ll tell you all about it when I’ve done it.

Happy Latin Easter!!!!

Another Photo

A photo of Chris

This is me at my favorite spot

Heavenly Field of Lupin

This field of Lupin was Heavenly.

My beautiful Greek Hike

Some photos I took on my hike yesterday...just for your personal Blog viewing. Enjoy...

Prague

One photo from Prague at night.

House is Brussels

Here is a photo of the room I stayed in in Brussels. Very amazing house. It was really a work of art.

Eiffel Tower

OK... Here was one of my quick snapshots of the Eiffel Tower. Pretty nifty.

My Inspiration

Today was different…different at least than what I am used to. It’s my second day here on my little Greek island of Paros.

The circumstances surrounding me leaving Greece almost a year ago and returning at the same time of year make it a comical return. It feels like I have run into a really good daydream. Believe me, I’ve had some really good daydreams over the past year, but I think you get the idea. It’s all so surreal. When I stepped off the boat, everything seemed so familiar, and it hasn’t stopped feeling that way since. I knew exactly where to go to my apartment, where to go for school, where to go for food (bougatsas and souvlakis). The island was exactly as I left it, in most ways.

When I arrived at the school, I realized that the people that I had shared my adventure with last year were all gone, save one, and the next adventure will have to be shared by others, many others. My small but close group of friends last year consisted of 9-10 very good friends. We all went everywhere together, and thought almost exactly the same. It was an odd thing, and at the time, we all were convinced that some cosmic reason had pulled us all together. This time, there is a group of 26 students, not separated into cliquey groups, but not so closely thinking that they all know and do the same actions together automatically. So, while the surroundings are the same, the people are different, which makes for a very surreal dream at this point until I get to know everyone and move on from that point.

So many amazing things have happened over the last day. I have been planning to months to eat a souvlaki and a bougatsa as soon as I got off the boat. I did that yesterday afternoon, and it was just amazing. The weather yesterday was just amazing, but the sirocco started last night, and man is it blowing.

I went on a hike today with my new group into the hills of Paros. It was amazing. We took a bus to the town of Lefkes and then took off from there. Lefkes is one of those towns that belongs in a tourist book, but hasn’t made it there, so it still has its amazing charm. It seems so empty and so full at the same time, and you rerealize every second that you are in Greece. The houses are whitewashed and the doors are all painted that amazing blue color. The flagstones on the ground are painted on, and the old Greek men sit at the taverna or the barber talking about the latest gossip before a full day.

From Lefkes we set out on the road and went to a big valley. It was amazing. Walking around the island with John Pack is an experience that I swear should have only been reserved for the Angels in Heaven. He knows so much and has so much passion for the combination of nature, art and students that it makes every moment spent outside with him completely worth it. We looked at flowers I haven’t seen in a year, plants I’m not familiar with and the amazing sirocco wind pulling the clouds quickly overhead at a low elevation. John found me some Oregano growing on the side of the hill, picked it, handed it to me and said, “Welcome home.” It was one of the best gifts I could have been given. It, as well as many more I found today, are sitting on my table drying. I am waiting for the perfect piece of meat to roast them with (likely to happen after the Pascha meat ban).

On the hike I found a field of Lupin just blooming. It blew me away. Though I wasn’t much in the picture-taking mood, I fell behind the group and just sat in the field and snapped away. That field is one of my seven wonders of the world. Hopefully what I caught in my camera is representational of what happened with me sitting there. Lupin has got this glow about it’s downy leaves and it’s many violet shades that make you feel like you are in a field created only for a king. If I were a king I would make Lupin my royal flower and protect it nationally.

Also on the hike I got to see the “Sanctum” that the school acquired recently. It is a small building in Lefkes that has been designed to be a place to go and relax, think, become inspired and get away from it all. It is definitely quite an amazing place, and I have plans to use it in the future.

Everything seems so familiar to me again here. The same bird that woke me up last year every morning is again outside my window reminding me that his sweet song still exists and still is beautiful. The church bells go off at the top of the hour in uneven patterns that make them impossible to count. The goats on the hillside are living out their last days before Pascha starts next week. The wild flowers are in full bloom. The Greeks are still driving the wrong way down one-way streets and yelling kalimera (good morning) as you stroll by. I keep telling John that it’s like I fell asleep and woke up a year ago. He agrees that it’s good to be back.

All I can say at this point is that I admire what they do here in this place. It’s not all about art technique and how to paint. Though that is something you get out of this place (and in a much better way than anywhere else) it’s about beauty and looking at the world in a different way. The reason that I was so excited to come back here was because of the experience that I had here last year. That experience took me out of the life that I was living a little unhappily and put me in a place that made it so natural to be who I was as an artist that I wouldn’t be able to betray that in the future. It really gave me the strength to go home and start producing and surviving on my own as a photographer. I come back here with that courage, and I know that it will be cowardly compared to how I will leave here again. I’ve learned in the last day not to ever stop reinventing life. Never to stop being willing to live in quality and not in quantity. The reason I chose to be an artist was because I have an ability to step outside of life for just a while and turn it around. Though I may not have in words right now exactly how this works, I will soon, and it will be inspirational to me again. My outlook has been refreshed, and I must remind myself that it is important for me to not lose that again in the future.

John tells me that I must eat my fill of oranges because as soon as the crop disappears, they stop selling them here on the island. Those oranges are amazing, and in the last 24 hours, I have consumed 5 of them (and thinking of a 6th here as soon as I’m done). I’ve never had a more amazing fruit, and I can see how little kids use to get oranges in their stocking at Christmas. I’d be happy with that as well as long as it came from Greece!

My bougatsa for the day is waiting, and I’m ready to consume it. I hope that my writing has allowed you to get some glimpse of how amazing it is here, and be understanding of me if I talk nonstop about Greece. J

Chris is in Greece

Hello All,

I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that I have finally arrived in Greece. Not only in the country of Greece as a general area, but as I type, I am sitting in my final destination of "Aegean Center for the Fine Arts, Paros Greece."

The weather here is nice. I was able to get off the ferry this morning and dump my bags in my amazing apartment before setting out to get the Greek food that I so know and love. Those of you that have heard me talk about these things before will know that I grabbed a souvlaki and a bougatsa and went and sat at the port and fed my tomatoes to the fish. It was great.

So... the three week traveling journey is behind me, and two semesters of long, hard work are about to begin.

As I sat eating my souvlaki this afternoon, I couldn't help but feel shock at this magical place that I have again landed myself in. My camera is ready. Tomorrow, our fearless leader, John Pack, is leading our student group into the hills to find something. I plan to pick plenty of herbs for my own personal use in cooking this week.

Speaking of cooking, I best get off to the supermarket before it decides to close for siesta leaving me with no yogurt and no oranges for my first weekend back to my magical and wonderful island!

Hope to hear from you soon.

Christine