A walk in the park (Vendicari and Pantalica)

The end of this week was accompanied by a time change (we lost an hour), a rock concert (I could hear it from my house), and two splendid field trips.

The small dots on the right side are bullet holes.

On Friday, instead of zooming off to an Archaeological site, students from my Volocanology class along with an Enviormental Studies class took the bus to the Vendicari Nature Reserve.










There I learned about different plants, and how they adapt to the environment. I saw wild almonds, olive trees, cacti, and many wildflowers including one that had a very sour taste if you chew the stem (it was quite addicting!),

This patch was not very large.

The whole beach was covered in fluffy ball-like things. They were sea grasses rolled into perfect spheres by the wind. In spots there were so many that they completely covered the sand! Upon discovering that they floated in the water, we played catch with them in the ocean.














We explored an old tuna fishery and also saw a salt water marsh, a giant lake covered in flamingos, and played in the sea for a while. Too bad no one had  their swimming suits!









 On Sunday I woke up early and met my ride at the train station. After about an hour of beautiful winding roads, we arrived at Pantalica.

This was what was waiting for us at the top of the plateau. This area is very different from the flat coastal areas around Syracuse.

Here is what remains of a defensive trench (once there was also a wall) built by Syracusans against the Athenians. They trapped the Athenians in the narrow isthmus in front of the wall and destroyed them.

 Rock cut tombs (two here) on the side of the hill.

 More tombs here - in these you can clearly see double lines framing the opening.

Pantalica is still inhabited today - by a group of hippies! In some caves near the bottom of the river gorge you can see their own rock art, self-portraits and names. Some visitors to Pantalica have stumbled upon them dancing in the woods or swimming naked in the river. However, because they never stay in one place we didn't happen to find them on this trip.

 A Byzantine fresco on the wall of a cave. Many of the tombs and natural caves were reused during this period. Also the inhabitants carved paths in the rocks leading down the cliffs for easier access - the same ones we used to explore Pantalica.

 Above the large bat-filled cave, all the black holes on the cliff face are actually tombs. Look for rows of openings - you can see a good spot just above and a bit to the right of the cave mouth, in the center of this shot. Another good area to spot the tombs is on the top left.

 

We made it to the bottom and saw the river. Then we had to climb back up! This was my favorite trip so far, partly because it is off the beaten path. The bridge on the most direct path to Pantalica is out and there are no bus routes nearby, so not very many people visit it (though local Italian families love to picnic there!). We went with an Italian archaeological group, and had almost the whole place to ourselves.


This weekend I will visit Palermo and then show my fellow Buckman Scholar, Michelle, around Syracuse.

Agrigento

Agrigento.

There is life still after Spring Break! I spent most of the week recovering from the trip, listening to stories about the other student's crazy escapades on their own Spring Break adventures, collecting pictures attempting to record my Spring Break in blog form, and settling back into the routine of classes and life in Ortigia. I restocked my vastly depleted stores from the market and scanned some more sheet music for the archives where I volunteer. I worked on homework in the sunshine with an ocean view and finally put my feet in the Mediterranean. I exchanged English for Arabic with my friend Kamal. At MCAS, we celebrated the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification (which also happened to be St. Patrick's day) with a lecture, wine, and cake.

Temple of Juno Lacinia.

On Friday we departed on my favorite school field trip yet, this time to Agrigento.

Temple of Concordia.

The spectacular temples were well worth the 3 or 4 hour long bus ride!

The temple of Zeus reconstructed.

We briefly explored four temples on the outcropping next to Agrigento and dashed through the Museum in order to make it back in time for some students to get to Rome for a marathon.

From the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

This site really needs more time to be experienced and would be well worth a return visit!














 


The weather has been much warmer lately, consequently, I have been spending a good deal of time outside basking in the sunshine! Mornings here are beautiful but as the day wears on the temperature drops and evenings are quite chilly.

A few days ago Trapani Ariport was closed to civilians in order to use it as as launching point for Libyan air strikes, which affected a few of my fellow student's travel arrangements. Thankfully though, despite the turmoil in Africa, here in Syracuse things are still very quiet.

I am off to Vendicari and Pantalica next, keep in tune for some amazing pictures.

Spring Break Part II - the good stuff!

The three of us shuffled up to the desk just as a lady, in a similar predicament due to the late Athens flight, stepped away. Unfortunately for us, the next flight to Crete was not until the next day - we were stuck in Athens for the night! However, the representative from Air Malta booked us a flight and a hotel room for the night and we would get into Crete around 8 or 9 the next morning. All we would lose was the time spent waiting and a good deal of sleep.

After quite an ordeal trying to figure out how to use the duty officer's phone to call our hostel (which thankfully did not charge us for the late cancellation) we went through security and settled down for a long wait. Carolyn and Lauryn took advantage of working outlets to get back in touch with the rest of the world, while I took advantage of English as a second language in Malta and hit the bookstore! I found a wonderful novel that kept me busy for the next two traveling days.

My hotel room in Athens.

My bathroom in the hotel!

We landed safely in Athens in the pouring rain after a turbulent flight. We received directions to our hotel and ran across the street to check in only to find out that it was a five star hotel! Since it was an Airport hotel, we each had gotten single rooms. It was lovely!



The rooms were huge, with a very large bed and one of the best bathrooms I have ever seen. After a very long luxurious shower I went to bed and woke up too early the next morning - we had to be at the airport by 6:45. It is a good thing I don't get hotels like that more often - I would never leave my room! After the best hotel breakfast I have ever seen, which included the regular pastries, bread and cold cuts, fresh fruit, and hot dishes but also fruit smoothies, rice pudding, and tasty Greek deserts, we went back across the street and caught our flight to Crete.

The view from our hotel room in Crete.

Our first view of Heraklion was of a dreary, wet, and rainy landscape, which is unfortunately how it stayed for the rest of the trip. We caught a cab to our hotel and were promptly informed of the advent of the worst weather in years - we were just in time. The weathermen were even forecasting snow (which hadn't happened in this part of Crete for about 5 years)! Our room was pretty and had an excellent view of the shore, but we had to wade through a few inches of water to get to our beds because the building was not prepared for this sort of onslaught.

We put down our things and decided to catch a bus into the city, a good distance. I bought a hat. We found out that the bus comes every hour, usually late. It snowed. Heraklion and the surroundings would have been beautiful with nice weather. I still found it beautiful in a wet sort of way, however when we got into the city center our main objective was how to avoid the wind.

Snake Goddesses.

The octopus flask.

We split up - Carolyn and Lauryn went shopping and I made for the Archaeology Museum. Because the main building of the museum was under repair, only a small portion of the artifacts were on display. What was there was breathtaking. We found a place to eat for dinner - more traditional type of Greek food and afterward spent the night at a cafe watching soccer.

The Bull Leaping Fresco.

Knossos.

After a very chilly night in the hotel room, the next morning we tried to catch the bus only to find that the bus didn't come that particular hour. It was even colder than the day before. We arrived at the city center and caught the next bus to Knossos. Home of the labyrinth and the Minotaur, the palace of Knossos, capital of Minoan Crete, was a sprawling complex with a maze of rooms and corridors. 

A rare moment of sun during my visit.

Because I had always pictured it on a rise, I was surprised to find it surrounded by even taller hills. There was little shelter from the rain and snow to be found, but I explored every bit of the complex. Incredible.















We caught a quick lunch and wandered around the city one last time, then picked up some sandwiches from a corner store, and finally walked down to the port where we were going to pick up our ferry to Athens. Thankfully they were running - they did not make the trip the day before due to weather.

Storm clouds at the Port.

We bought our tickets and waited for a while more, then boarded the ferry. A note to future overnight ferry travelers out there - get a cabin! We did not and were forced to spend all nine hours on very hard wooden chairs in the lounge because the few couches available were already taken, but if we had brought blankets or a sleeping bag we could have stretched out on the floor. Needless to say I did not get much sleep!

My first view of the Acropolis.

By about seven in the morning we arrived at Piraeus, the ancient port of Athens. Knowing the Greek alphabet really helps navigating the transportation systems in Athens! So armed thus with this knowledge, after light rail, subway, and bus we finally found our hostel, collapsed in our room, and slept until about one.

The monument of Lysicrates

Groggily we set out back to the city center and after a light lunch split up again.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus.

I made a beeline for the Archaeological Museum (on the other side of the city from almost everything else) and approached the front doors just to find out that it had closed two minutes before I had arrived, contrary to the posted hours I had looked up. In fact, almost every archaeological site and museum in Athens closed at three!

The Arch of Hadrian.

So I wandered through the streets, checked out as much as I could from the Acropolis Museum (it was the only one I found open later than three) until I had to meet Carolyn and Lauren again. We ate, watched another game of Soccer, and went to bed.

Aphrodite, Eros, and Pan.

 The next morning I got up very early and ran to the Archaeological Museum, arriving just as it opened.

Bronze age mask from Mycenae.

The Artemision Bronze.

 My camera, despite my efforts to charge it the night before, died somewhere around the bronzes.

Grave Stele of Hegeso.

Though one of my favorites with lots of familiar pieces, I rushed through this museum and met Carolyn and Lauryn at the Acropolis at one (so many museums and monuments, so little time!).

The Spring Fresco.

The Propylaea.

 At the Acropolis I found out that my student card gave me free admission to most of the museums and sites in Athens (which would have been nice to know before!) and we climbed up.

The Erechtheion.

 The view was incredible, the weather perfect.

The Parthenon.

The monuments were like old friends I knew well from my art history classes. It was beautiful.

A view of the Agora.

Though I could have spent forever there I knew the three pm deadline was quickly approaching so, while Carolyn and Lauryn caught a train to a beach, I walked down part of the slope to the Agroa. It was so much better than anything I had previously pictured in my mind. The whole space was a park and so I lost myself in among the stones away from the noise of the city. I didn't get to spend enough time here either.

A Greek Street.

After I was ejected from the Agora at closing time I walked back to the Acropolis Museum and finished viewing the displays (this time for free!). I met up with Carolyn and Lauryn for dinner once more and discovered my favorite food from the Greek restaurant in Cincinnati on the menu in this place in Athens. It was wonderful. For lunch I had tried Moussaka and for dinner I enjoyed lamb.

The next morning we met a friend from MCAS who was staying at the same hostel. He was supposed to have been on our flight but lost his passport and was stuck in Greece for a few more days after we left. We figured out how to get to the airport, which took longer than we thought it would, and traced our way back to Syracuse, first to Rome, then Catania, then by bus back to Syracuse. It felt wonderful to be back home once more!

Happy 150th Italy!! Spring Break (What everyone has been waiting for!) Part 1

Sicily and Malta.

After finishing a stressful week of Midterms, though a week earlier than many of my friend's breaks, it was finally time for a break from MCAS. For Spring Break I traveled to Crete and Athens, touring around Greece for the first time. But before everyone scattered to their various destinations, the group of us from Arcadia had one more field trip. This trip was the trip we were supposed to take to Tunisia, but because of the current political situation we ended up in the small island country of Malta instead.

Malta was a very interesting place with a very complicated history. You can find it just south of Sicily, partway between Sicily and Africa. As fitting for a small island (and recounted in all the various Malta movies we saw) "change to Malta has always come from the sea". Malta, first settled by prehistoric people from Sicily, had been occupied by the Ancient Greeks, Phoenicians (many fishing boats have the eye of Osiris, thought to trace back to the Phoenicians), Romans, Fatimids, Knights of St. John, and the French, but most recently by the British. Actually, English is Malta's second language, and English was everywhere. It was almost spooky to understand what people in the streets were saying again!

The shopping complex around our hotel.

On Friday after a long very early bus ride from Syracuse to Pozzallo, and we took a ferry from Pozzallo to Malta. Unfortunately, the sea was very rough and it was not an easy ferry ride for many! A bit late getting in, we dashed into our four star hotel (nestled inside a busy shopping complex in a very built up and touristy town), slung our luggage into the luggage room, and booked it to the sites.






 

The Tarxien temple.

 In Malta, there was a very impressive prehistoric period in which the inhabitants constructed massive temples and winding rock cut tombs.

More Tarxien Temple.

We explored the Tarxien Temple, which
was still very visible inside a large park. The megalithic temples are said to be the oldest freestanding structures in the world (older than the Pyramids and Stonehenge even!). Then we took a tour of the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, an awesome labyrinth like structure carved completely out of the rock adorned with painted decoration. Unfortunately, cameras were not allowed there.

Becky at the Tarxien Temple.

Quail, Horse, and Rabbit!

Later that night we dined at a nice restaurant and had a chance to try out some traditional Maltese dishes. I had fish stew and then quail, horse, and rabbit all in one dish! A large portion of Tiramisu for dessert was divine.

The next morning we got up and sampled the hotel breakfast - quite a spread. Because of the British influence, this included cereal, yogurt, bacon, eggs, toast, croissants with marmalade, but also stewed tomatoes and baked beans. We ate this well each day for breakfast until we left Malta Monday afternoon.

Can you see the British influence?

After this we took our bus to Valletta and explored the capital of Malta. This entire fortified city was built from scratch after the Great Siege by the Knights of St. John.

The ceiling.

Our first stop was St. John's Co-Cathedral, the crowning Baroque jewel of the city. It was breathtaking.

St. Jerome Writing, by Caravaggio.

There were different chapels decorated with styles and iconography from the different regions that the knights of the order came from.

The altar.

 Every inch of the church was lavishly decorated. The floor was covered by inlaid marble tombs and two paintings by Caravaggio, The Beheading of St. John the Baptist and St. Jerome Writing, were displayed in the oratory. I found spectacular Flemish tapestries and beautiful illuminated choir books in another room.

The view from the WWII Monument.

On the WWII Monument!

After this we looked out across the bay from the World War II Monument and then watched The Malta Experience, a video illustrating the history of Malta. We explored Valletta for a bit more, taking in spectacular views and architecture (one of my unfortunate group members got to know first hand the frigid water as well). Valletta was also in midst of Carnival and the streets were full of spectators, costumes, and floats.

The Sleeping Lady from the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum.

I explored the Archaeological Museum in Valletta and saw some awesome prehistoric artifacts from the local sites we had visited the previous day. Also on display were prints, posters, and paintings of Alphonse Mucha, one of my favorite Art Nouveau artists!

Maltese homes have spectacular door knockers.

For dinner we had received vouchers for a reduced meal at a local casino, so a friend and I took up that offer and had a very fancy meal and good dessert for a good price. However, like all fancy restaurants the portions were minuscule, so we opted for Indian food the next night. I won 10 euros using a slot machine voucher, which covered my part of dinner - you could say I ate for free! I found it interesting that there were two casinos within 5 minutes of each other here, vying for customers. St. Julian's, where we stayed, was situated near the capital of Malta and was very built up. They enjoyed a very different sort of tourism here than what I had gotten used to in Sicily.

The gate of Mdina.

Sunday, after another wonderful breakfast, we traveled to Mdina, the silent city. It was a breathtaking historic citadel with gorgeous views of the Maltese countryside.

The view from the walls.

 The city was occupied during the great siege, and was very well preserved but quiet as the grave. No one stayed there but shopkeepers and tourists (although we did hear bagpipes in the distance from the town below!). We watched another Malta movie here which was not as good as the first but provided a point for comparison.

A well-preserved Roman mosaic floor.

The cathedral here was closed, unfortunately, but we did have a chance to inspect a Roman townhouse with extant mosaics and a winding system of underground catacombs.

In St. John's Catacombs.

A Carnival float.

Later many people went back to explore St. Julian's further and I braved the bus system (with distinctive orange and yellow old-fashioned buses) to head back to Valletta once more. Carnival was still going in full force, so we had a hairy time navigating the bus system to get home again - involving bus-mobbing, number-switching, and extreme over-crowding.

Finally on Monday, while most of our group had to leave at 5 in the morning to take the ferry back home, I slept in and had one last nice breakfast in Malta. My two friends who were going with me on our Spring Break adventure and I idled around St. Julian's for a few hours, catching the internet at a McDonald's with free wifi. Then we braved the bus system once more and found the right bus to airport. We were still very early so we explored the airport for a bit and then I read every book I had bought in a bookstore in Valletta (the joy of English books!). Finally it was time to check in for our flight to Athens. We went up to the desk only to find that our flight had been delayed for two hours! That in itself would not have been a problem, but because of the delay we would miss our connecting flight to Crete. Tired from waiting and a bit unhappy because we did not know how this would affect our plans for the break, we headed over to the Air Malta desk to see what they could do...