Dreamer, artist, student of life. Appreciating the simple things.
My friend Lizzy came to visit me Saturday. I got to see Nafplion again through the eyes of a newcomer. It really made me realize that I’ve been here for four weeks already…and only have one week to go.
Like me, Lizzy is an adventurous heights climber. We spent our time together walking up various sets of stairs and looking down from heights. When she arrived, we climbed half-lit paths to find a gorgeous view of Nafplion at night.
City lights
Greece feels like an eternal dream.
–Shirley, being extremely cheesy
That may be overly dramatic, but it’s hard not to feel this way when in one Saturday so much happens…
This post is basically a picspam of Nafplion. There’s really nothing much else but beautiful scenery around here. I wonder if the people living here ever get tired of it? Or at least, be immune to it. Nearly all the Greek students in the program are dying to leave the country; while we Americans would love to move here for this scenery can really be found nowhere else.
This morning we climbed the large, looming castle on the mountain overlooking Nafplion. The heat wasn’t too overwhelming and the journey was made infinitely more fun with everyone going together.
Yay friends! ♥
I love stairways, particularly ones hidden in the middle of cities. They always look so mysterious and promising — cooome, climb me, I offer hidden landscapes away from the little ones down on the ground.
The first set of fascinating stairs are the ones in the Center for Hellenic Studies, the building where I’ll be working (and is hosting us students for this program). The stairs spiral upwards creakily to the attic, leading to an adorable little balcony where we interns like to sit, chat, and chill in the beautiful scenery.
We have Greek lessons three times a week. The first lesson was, of course, learning the alphabet. Alpha, veeeeta, gamma, etc…made me feel like I was in elementary school again. (Luckily, I’ve always wanted to relive my six-year old life.) Our class is taught in Greek, with minimal English explanations from Mata, our teacher. The pantomime and repetitions are fun, but half the time I don’t know what I’m saying or agreeing to.
Truth noted by fellow student: almost every vowel is pronounced “eeee”. ι, of course, is pronounced “eee.” η is pronounced “eee.” υ is pronounced “eee.” ει, οι, υι are also pronounced “eee.”. If you want to guess a pronunciation, just say “eee.”