Sarah Knowles in Rome: It's all Greek to me, unless it's Turkish

It has been a crazy past two weeks! I am so sorry for not being able to update my blog, but I have not had access to my computer. It is nice to finally be back in Rome and clean all my clothes after living out of my backpack for fourteen days.

As many of you know, I decided to travel to Athens, Greece and Istanbul, Turkey for my spring break. I spent my first five days in Athens and the last four days in Istanbul. I left Saturday morning on March 5th for Athens with a group of girls in my program who were also going to be in Greece. It turns out that all the other girls in my apartment, besides my roommate, decided to stay at a hostel by the coast. Oddly enough two other girls from the program, who are from Penn State, were staying in Athens when we were. We ended up spending most of our time together when we were in Athens.

Acropolis at night

Athens is a lot like Rome that its heritage of the classical era is still evident in the city. It has a lot of archeological sites that are definitely worth seeing. When I was there, I went to a lot of sites and museums. In a nutshell, I went to the Acropolis Museum, Acropolis, Parthenon, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Theater of Dionysos, Ancient Agora, Temple of Poseidon, National Archeological Museum, Museum of Cycladic Art, and others.

Parthenon

One of my favorite sites was the Acropolis that houses the Parthenon (not to be confused with the Pantheon!). The Acropolis, meaning high city, is about 500 feet high and was the location of temples paying homage to the goddess Athena. On the Acropolis is the Parthenon which is a temple dedicated to Athena, the protector of Athens. It was constructed in 432 BC and is a great example of the Doric Order with amazing sculptural elements on the metopes, friezes, and pediments. Most of these sculptural elements can no longer be seen on the site because of the deterioration over time, but there is a reconstruction of all of them at the Acropolis Museum. The Parthenon originally was used as a treasury and a place for a large statue of Athena.

Temple of Poseidon, Cape Souinon

Another favorite site of mine I saw when in Greece was the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Souinon. It took about an hour and half bus ride to get to, but it was definitely worth it! The temple sits on a cliff overlooking the sea. It was built around the same time as the Parthenon and is also a Doric temple. The temple is gleaming white and once served as an icon of comfort for ancient sailors who when they was it they knew they were almost home. Lord Byron visited the temple and carved his name on one of the columns. I agree with Byron when he said, “Place me on Souinon’s marbled steep, Where nothing save the waves and I, May hear our mutual murmurs sweep…”

Also, I couldn’t leave Athens without getting myself a pair of leather sandals. I went into a shop with my friends and we tried on sandals. Well, I found a pair I loved yet they were too wide (which is no surprise). The man who made the sandals said “no problem” and customs fit them to my feet! Never before have I had a pair of sandals fit perfectly on my feet! The man who sold me my sandals had also sold sandals to Barbara Streisand, Jackie Onassis, and John Lenon (just to name a few).

Bronze statue of Poseidon in the National Archeological Museum

Athens was absolutely amazing, despite the fact the weather was overcast and even snowed (I thought I left the snow in New England!), I didn’t let it ruin my experience. Greece is a beautiful country and I only hope that I can come back again when the weather is warm and take a trip to one of the islands and go swimming in the Aegean Sea.

Celebrating the last night of Carnivale in Athens

I flew to Istanbul, Turkey late on Wednesday night, March 9th with Emily, my roommate from Rome. There is so much to do and so much to see in Istanbul that I feel that our three full days of touring the area didn’t give the city justice. Turkey, a Muslim nation, is so different from the United States and Italy. You hear the Muslim call to prayer five times a day and it is an amazing sound!

In a nutshell, I visited Haggia Sophia, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art, Grand Bazaar, Blue Mosque, Dolmabache Palace, Pera Palace Hotel, and Turkish bath.

Interior of Haggia Sophia

Having tea at the Pera Palace Hotel

One of my favorite places to visit was the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world. It has more than 58 covered streets and over 4,000 shops! Supposedly it can attract up to half a million visitors a day! I’m sure it is no surprise then that Emily and I got lost in the Bazaar and spent over 5 hours in there. We weren’t lost the entire time, we spent the majority of it haggling for good deals. I started my day with nothing and left holding many bags, Most of my shopping was for gifts for everyone back home. Hopefully, you all like your gifts!

The Blue Mosque was also another favorite site of mine that I visited. The Blue Mosque, officially known as Sultan Ahmed Mosque, was built in the early 17th century and faces the Haggia Sophia. The design is the culmination of both Ottoman mosque and Byzantine church architecture. The interior of the mosque is well known for its blue tiles, which gives the building its nickname. When I went to the mosque, I had to cover my head with a scarf and take off my shoes because it is a holy building. If you are wearing a short dress or shirt, you will be given a sheet to wear. Stupidly, I went to the mosque wearing a long shirt that came to my mid thigh and black spandex pants. Because I had no clean pants left, I didn’t even think that it was going to be a problem. Well, I guess my spandex were considered more as tights and I was handed a sheet to wear. I was so ashamed of myself! I would never have worn spandex to a church and I’m not sure why I didn’t plan head to wear something else.

In the Blue Mosque

I also had a very interesting experience in the Turkish bath! It’s like a spa but A LOT different. They exfoliate your skin, give you a massage, wash your hair and bathe you. It is very much like an ancient Roman bath.

I had so much fun in Istanbul and wish I was able to have stayed longer. It has an amazing culture that can only be understood when you see it for yourself. And, as always, the food was amazing! Gyros and kebabs were a great break from pizza and pasta! I was excited to go back to Rome, even if it was just for one evening because I had to leave for Florence the following day. Rome has become my home and it was nice to return to it after an exhausting, fun filled vacation.