Greek Orthodox Easter

After arriving back in Greece Good Friday, I hardly caught my breath before I was entangled in Easter festivities (hence the delay in blog postings).  The sleepy island town I left for Turkey has blossomed and exploded with crowds and sunlight.  Paros had awoken at last.  Don't get me wrong, it still does not compare to the Paros of high season, but the greek island vacation I was promised in the program brochure has finally arrived.  Easter in Greece is a much different experience than in the States.  Friday night I went to the Church of 100 Doors where I got to witness the magnificent decorations and later in the night the whole town was out for a candle lit procession.  Saturday was spent on the beach but at midnight I joined the rest of the island to bring in Easter amidst bells ringing, fireworks, kisses, and candles.  It was amazing to see everyone old and young out to celebrate Easter.  Although I followed that with sleep, the rest of the town began the eat-a-thon.  I delayed that ritual until the next day when my landlord had a beautiful lamb dinner on the roof of my apartment building.  The day then brought multiple parties where I got to witness a lamb on the spit as well as pork and rabbit.  The Greeks love their meat.

Turkey

First I want to apologize for the lack of recent entries.  Things have been crazy around here, and I have a lot to update.  This past week I spent in Selcuk Turkey for spring break.  It was an amazing week.  Turkey is so different from Europe, it made me appreciate western culture and women's' rights.  It was also so beautiful. Rolling hills, views of the ocean, and gorgeous flowers were just some of the beauty I experienced.  Also, our group spent a day at the Pammukale calcium baths.  They are an entire mountain made of calcium that is stark white with natural pools that have formed in it that you explore in your bare feet.  It was a surreal experience to be swimming in a bathing  suit on this white mountain that looks like it is covered in snow, and then to have giant mountains in the background that have snow topped peaks.  Another day was spent in an old Greek village (remember the west coast of Turkey used to be Greece) called Sirince where we spent an afternoon wine tasting and getting to know the locals.  They specialize in delicious fruit wines.  Another highlight was Ephesus.  It is an ancient site 6km inland that used to be  a port town when the sea level was higher.  It featured some of the most amazing ruins that I have ever seen.  The entire town is massive and they have only excavated a small portion of it.  It featured a marvelous amphitheater that was so perfectly constructed that you can hear a coin drop at the floor in the highest seat (and it holds over 25,000 people) and a beautiful three story library.  In Selcuk we got to experience the local bazar.  Full of spices, teas, pashminas, clothing, and every imaginable fruit/vegetable it was a sight.  It was so cool to see the whole town out for it.  I of course spent a good amount of time shopping.  The exchange was was too good to pass up after dealing with the euro for so long.  Many nights were spent drinking tea, smoking hookah, and learning to play backgammon in the rug shops.  As much fun as I had, it is good to be in Greece again.  Paros is really starting to fee like home. 

Naxos