Greece is a relatively easy country to get around in as an English speaker. Most signs are in Greek and English. Most Greeks speak a little English. As a major tourist destination for people all over the world, most of the attractions have signs and announcements and videos in Greek and English.
All that to say that I haven't been forced to learn a lot of Greek in the last month I've been here. However, it's my goal to learn a handful of words in each country I visit. I think it's so important in establishing connections and showing that Americans aren't as rude and stupid as the rumors have it. Below are a few words I've learned during my time in Greece and some blunders that may have happened along the way. NE! (Neh) This was one of the first words I learned on Santorini. I've heard from multiple travelers, not just English speakers, that it is the hardest mind switch to make because it sounds so much like "no". I want you to bring the Soup Nazi episode from "Seinfeld" to mind. Now picture Elaine strolling down the line and taking her time making up her mind when the Soup Nazi yells, "NO SOUP FOR YOU!". That same intonation and stress that the Soup Nazi uses for "NO" is the same used by many Greeks when saying, "Ne!" or "Yes" on the phone or in person. Now if you don't realize that "Ne" means "Yes" then you are SOL (Sh*t Out of Luck) until you do. For example, let's say you are looking for your bus, point at your map and ask, "Bus 209?" and the old lady says, "NE!". Well, if you think "Ne" means no then you probably ended up walking to your destination instead of spending hours looking for the bus station that was right in front of you. Another example is maybe you're looking at some food and ask if it has nuts in it because you are deathly allergic. If the man says, "NE!" and you think that means no so you buy and eat that food, you either have just made your deathbed or used your Epi-Pen for the first time in the trip. Last example is let's say you have food poisoning and try to ask a restaurant to use their restaurant and they say, "NE!". If you think that means "no", then you probably just purchased some new pants. Disclaimer: Only one of these stories happened to me. And I haven't purchased any new pants. So "Ne" means "yes". (And "Ohi" pronounced o-hee means "no".) Yamas! (Yah-mus) Let's be honest, one of the other first words I learned was "Cheers!" (with eye contact or risk 7 years of bad sex). It's two syllables long and easier to say then "thank you" (that's next). Most Americans would mistakenly use the word, "Opa!" which I have learned is mostly for celebrations and dances. It's not for cheers. You don't want to be the only one that yells, "OPA!" when everyone else says, "Yamas!". Efkharisto I'm not even going to put pronounciation next to this one because I'm not sure exactly the right way to say it. I've heard it said multiple ways including "eff-ree-sto", "eff-kree-sto", "eff-tsree-sto", and one with a real gutteral sound for the second syllable that sounds like they are going to spit up a loogie. I'm a visual person and even when I saw it written out I couldn't say it. I had multiple people break it down for me. I've chosen to say it "eff-kree-sto" very quickly and almost muttered so that neither party really knows if I said it correctly or not. Parakalo (Par-ah-ka-low) In my phrase book, this means "you're welcome". I've heard it used as a response to "thank you", but also a welcoming phrase when you enter a shop or cafe. Yia-su/Yia-sus (Yah-su/Yah-sus) This is used to say hello AND good-bye. The first is more informal/singular and the second is more formal/plural (if I understand that correctly). I knew it meant "hello", but was confused when I left a restaurant and the owner said "ya-su" as I walked out the door. Wait... you're saying "hello" so am I supposed to stay? Ella! In Chinese, when you answer the phone you say, "Wai?". And it's awesome. When Greeks answer the phone, they say, "Ella?!" (they're typically angry or happy on the phone here at least from what I can tell in tones). Why can't we use a cool word to answer the phone, English speakers??? Sygnomi (Sig-no-mi) This is like a bucket phrase for "excuse me" and "sorry". I've found it incredibly useful in pushing my way through crowds. Because I've learned that you might have to act rude in Greece, but you don't actually want to come off as rude. Milas Anglika? (Mi-las Ang-lee-ka) Either I'm starting to look Greek or I just look confident enough to look like I know where I'm going because I was asked this by a foreigner at the bus stop the other day. Stupid American. But they were on the right track! This is an easy enough phrase to learn and at least shows you're trying. It means, "Do you speak English?". Again, once you ask most people will know a few phrases to at least help you on your way. The Greek Alphabet It's not the easiest, but I recommend trying to learn a few letters of the Greek alphabet. There are times when posters and things aren't translated into English. I've seen some cool posters for shows and festivals that weren't translated. It's also a fun game I play when I'm riding the bus called "I'm Bored Out of My Mind But I Can Read That Greek Sign". What are your favorite Greek phrases or blunders? Let’s say that you are on a one-day cruise of three Greek islands. Your cruise leaves 5-10 minutes earlier then they said. You are still on the second stop on the island of Poros. Never mind the boarding card that was supposed to be checked at disembarkment and reentry because it’s crap. Your ship left and you have been abandoned on a Greek island. Your life could be worse! In case you wanted to get off the island, here’s an action plan for future reference. Step 1: Find Other Abandoned PassengersI was not the only one abandoned (fortunately and unfortunately). As I was running towards the empty ferry dock, I collided with a young American couple and a woman from Paraguay. They had also been on my cruise. I was still convinced that I had mistaken the location of the ferry dock. They pointed our ferry sailing away to the last island of Aegina. I had honestly been a couple minutes late. However, they had been right on time and the ferry had already been far out at sea. We were stranded, but at least now we had each other. Step 2: Remember That It Was Your FaultFellow Americans, we are not used to being told we are wrong as the customer especially when the company did something wrong (in this case lied about the departure time). Not all countries follow the “customer is always right” culture. This step is important because you will get nowhere blaming natives as a foreigner even if you are the customer. It doesn’t mean people won’t help you. It will just help keep you humble in front of people who don’t want to be called wrong. Accept that it was your fault and move on to step 3. Step 3: Figure Out How to Get Off the Island This can be the most difficult step especially if there’s a language barrier. Your best bet is to find a tour company or hotel where usually they speak English and are used to aiding lost foreigners. The woman from Paraguay, Madre Maria, was a big help in this. She was with a tour group of other people from Paraguay. This included her adult daughter, who abandoned her mother on an island (we were instantly adopted as her new children). The Americans were able to get as far as asking the tour owner to call our cruise company and get the number of the captain of our ship. Unfortunately, the captain did not speak very good English and was not too eager to help (see Step 2). However, I believe that the tour leader for Madre Maria was desperate to remedy the situation and please her customer at the very least. The tour leader spouted off an action plan over the phone and Madre Maria translated our options. We debated staying overnight to catch the next ferry so we could see Aegina. However, we decided the best option was to take the express boat back to Athens (apparently the other cruise would take two days to return to Athens because it had a different route). With a plan of action, it was time to move on to step 4. Step 4: Start Drinking Greek Wine The time allotted by the cruise ship was really enough to hit the main attractions of Poros. Though I guess not enough time for three Americans and Madre Maria to return to the ship. Once you’ve seen the clock tower, the main square, and walked around a few streets then you’ve seen Poros Town. There are some side trips but with the transfer time on ferries and buses, it’s not worth missing your second shot at a ferry. With 3-ish hours to spare, your best option is to just start drinking local Greek wine. It’s delicious, cheap, and helps drown your sorrows of missing the final island tour of Aegina. Step 5: Remember This is What Traveling is About Once you’ve returned safely home, just remember that this is what traveling is about. It’s about making plans and sometimes having them go horribly wrong. It’s about missing out on a few cool Instagram pictures and getting to know some incredible people with different life stories instead (some people with the cutest love stories, I might add). Things usually work out in the end, but the best travel stories usually take place on the way to your destination. For me, traveling is about these stories.
See more photos from my adventure, on Flickr. Today I was going to write my first post about Athens and how after two weeks I finally visited the Acropolis (where the Parthenon is located). Well that changed tonight. I went to visit my new friends at Academy Travel (www.academytravelgreece.com) for some coffee and conversation. Once I finished my coffee though, I was told to grab my "picture machine" because we were going to watch the demonstrations. Chances are in America you probably had no idea there were demonstrations happening today in Athens. The only reason I knew about them was because the US Embassy in Athens sent an email out saying to watch out for protests especially around the embassy (whoops). I had little idea what the demonstration was about, but got a good idea when the first chant I heard roughly translated from Greek was, "Killers of the world, Americans!" I've only been able to find one English article so far on the event. However, it's only 8PM here and it's supposed to go on until 10PM or so. Maybe more will come out in the morning. Basically the march marks the anniversary of a student uprising against the former dictatorship that the US backed (surprise! surprise!). They march to the US Embassy and I'll be watching the news from home to find out what happens next. Here is the article from the Greenwich Time: http://greenwichtime.com/news/world/article/Greece-20-000-join-annual-protest-to-US-embassy-5898369.php Below are my observations and pictures from my first Greek demonstration:
See more pictures on FlickrWhen friends asked what I was doing for my birthday last weekend, it was easiest to say that I was going to the mountains. However, "mountains" certainly does not do Meteora justice. The only way to describe Meteora is to have people web image search "Meteora, Greece" and get back to you. Because the words "mountains", "rock formations", "monasteries", "nunneries", and the like are all pretty boring words to describe an extraordinary place. In short, Meteora is a cluster of monasteries built on top of rock formations. According to Lonely Planet, Meteora comes from the Greek word meteoros which means "suspended in the air". Monks started settling in the area around the 11th century and it's believed that they started building monasteries in the 14th century when monks were seeking a safe haven from the Turkish invadors. Today it's a UNESCO World Heritage site and if you are going to Greece, this place is a must. Add it to your list now and use the tips below to help you plan your trip. How to Get ThereYou really have four options to get to Meteora:
Where to StayThere are three main areas/towns close to Meteora where you can find accomodations.
Hiking MeteoraI was lucky because as soon as I arrived the hostel owner sat me down with a drink of homemade red wine and a map of Trikala, Kalambaka, and Meteora. Then he described my best options for exploring the monasteries. As a disclaimer, I am the world's slowest walker/hiker. I used to get invited to hikes back home, but when people tried to follow the "slowest person sets the pace rule" they realized they would never finish the hike with me and so for some strange reason I stopped getting invited on hikes. All that to say is when you look at the map above it looks huge. And when you're sitting at the peaks you don't think you can get to each of them before the end of the day. However, I used the main roads all but a few times and they only had a gradual incline if at all. The hardest part was the steps at the actual base of the monstaries. You could also hitchhike between monastaries. (It's much more common here than in the States.) If you rented a car, you'll definitely have more than enough time to explore. Last three comments before I list my route: (1) Pick 2-3 monasteries to visit and actually see inside. It's €3 to visit each one and from the inside they all start to look the same - church, museum with old Greek documents, and artifacts. My favorites were Megalo Meteora (it's huge!) and Agia Trias (spectacular views of the other monasteries and the valley). (2) Dress Code. Women should at least have your shoulders covered because a skirt will be provided. Men make sure you are also wearing at least a t-shirt and pants. (3) Plan the days you'll be there carefully because the monasteries are closed on certain days. I visited on a Monday and all but one were open.
Other Things to Do in the AreaThe hostel and their website provided a bunch of other options if you decide to stay longer: http://www.hostelmeteora.com/index.php/trikala-guide I visited:
Where I'd like to go next time:
More Pictures on Flikr#HostelHorrorStories Part 2If you're still reading, then you're in for a treat. If you've been following along, you know that I had quite the hostel experience in Santorini.
Well, at no fault of Hostel Meteora, I had a second episode. This time the guy above me would be considered a heavy breather compared to Mystery Man with sleep apnea in Santorini. However, people with poor anger management skills are universal. The night begins with the guy above me lightly snoring. I'm awake since I decided to drink a Greek coffee late in the afternoon, so I am reading in bed. All of a sudden I hear someone fall out of their top bunk across the room. Then this women starts charging toward my bed with beady eyes staring at me and I'm having flashbacks to Vietnamese Student pounding on my bunk. In self defense, I brace myself under my covers and immediately point up to my bunkmate as she loudly whispers, "ARE YOU SNORING SO LOUD?" After she discovers it's not me and it's the guy, she huffs and charges back to bed. Now I can't sleep because of the coffee and fear of being attacked again. There's really two things I'm learning from staying in hostels:
Reasons London Reminded Me of Seattle
These are just the things that reminded me of Seattle. In many other ways London was very different. Their public transportation was amazing (I also learned that double decker buses are not just tourist attractions). As mentioned before it is HUGE. Huge would actually be an understatement. There are people everywhere and there's this energy and intensity that can't be fully described. I loved London and didn't feel sad saying goodbye because it wasn't goodbye. As an international hub, I know I'll be back again whether it's because of airline miles or, more likely now, because I choose to be there. Itinerary and some tipsBelow is the itinerary I followed. This is a modified version of something my friend put together with recommendations from my hosts. I felt like 4 days was a good amount of time to see the tourist attractions I wanted to see and get an overview of the city. For future trips, now I know where I would spend more time. Before you start exploring London, get yourself an Oyster card. Most likely you will take the metro to your accomodations. Find an Oyster card machine and put 10 to 15 pounds on it. It will last you a couple days at least. This is the cheapest and most convenient way to travel in London. It's accepted on almost all forms of public transportation. Day 1 My biggest travel recommendation if you are only in a place for a week or less is to try to do and see as much as possible in the first half of your trip. This way you know you covered what you want and can spend the last half a little more leisurely. I say this because my list is going to look a little intimidating for the first day. Also the only tour I paid for was the Tower of London. The rest I just looked from the outside.
Day 2 This day I planned for markets. If you think you are going to go to markets, research the days and times they are open.
Day 3 This was an off day for me. I had been moving non-stop since I left Seattle and it was finally time to take it all in. Also, honestly, I had explored British pubs a little too throughly the night before. I spent time with my hosts and learned that hangover days of movies and filling food are universal. Day 4 Back to exploring!
When I Go Back to LondonWhen I go back, these are the places and things I'd like to spend more time in:
Check Out Pictures from My Trip on FlickrNot going to lie, I really acclimated to island life. Yes, I posted a few pictures to social media but I was on the island for a week and a half. There was plenty of time to write blogs, Skype friends and family, and do all those things you're supposed to do to keep in contact. But I didn't. Instead I spent hours just walking around, sitting on the edge of the caldera to stare at the sea, scooting up and down the hills of the island, and chatting with new friends. It has been an amazing experience that I'll post more about soon.
First, there's that one time at my hostel in Santorini... My first few nights were a little restless. I haven't shared a room with strangers in a few years, but I expected lights, noises, and people would make sleeping difficult. Those first few nights it was because of the guy sleeping next to me. He was one of those young, late-nighters, that coughed half the night and then woke up early. Typical hostel behavior, but just something I had to get used to again. He left after my first few nights and so I thought I was finally going to get a full night of sleep. I could not have been more wrong. The night he left, it was just me, Canadian Woman, and Vietnamese Student. We all went to bed around the same time, when at about 1 AM the hostel worker comes marching in turning on all the lights followed by two guys - Montana Man (small world moment: lived in the same town as my best friend, Katie and knows her sister) and Mystery Man. Montana Man quietly puts his stuff away and climbs into bed. Mystery Man decides he needs to (loudly) shuffle around for awhile before finally turning out the lights and climbing into the bunk above me. That's when the fun began. As soon as Mystery Man started to drift to sleep his light snores turned into a thunderous roar that shook our entire bed. It was very obvious that this man has sleep apnea because between every few snores there was a giant gasp for breath. I mean, I feel sorry for the guy now, but in my sleep depravity I was not sure whether I should laugh or cry at the sheer craziness of it all. As Montana Man put it the next day - it was like sleeping inside a working dump truck. The snoring of Mystery Man is not the end of the story. Let's return to Vietnamese Student. He was also a light sleeper, but he showed his annoyances. When we had the previous semi-loud roommate, Vietnamese Student would sigh and grunt at every move/noise the roommate made. That was his reaction to normal hostel behavior. So now imagine how he reacted to Mystery Man's sleep apnea. Not well. About 20-30 minutes after the snoring started, the Vietnamese Student had enough, walks over, and slams his fist into our bed several times and screams "STOP F***ING SNORING!!! WE'RE TRYING TO SLEEP!!!!" Canadian Woman and I sit straight up in our beds and look at each other. Mystery Man wakes up and doesn't say anything. Awkward silence fills the air. You know everyone is thinking, "what.the.effffff." Vietnamese Student returns to his bed and everyone tries to go back to sleep. And when Mystery Man goes back to sleep, he obviously starts snoring. He can't help it! He has sleep apnea! Well, at about 3 AM Vietnamese Student has had more than enough. We hear him rustling through his stuff and then open and slam the door behind him. He left a hostel on an island at 3 AM with no place to go. Smart kid...with some serious anger issues. Then at about 6 AM, Mystery Man wakes up and also leaves the hostel. Come to find out he apparently took the wrong ferry, had already tried leaving Santorini for Athens, and ended up back in Santorini. I don't know how that's possible (because it's not). The next night it was just me, Canadian Woman, and Montana Man and we had possibly the best sleep of our time on the islands. At least I did. |