Received: Tue, 22 May 2007 11:45:11 GMT
Dear Aliki,
As you requested, I am hereby providing an
evaluation of our trip to Greece.
Transportation:
George was timely (late only twice and
then very apologetic), hardworking in loading the baggage, an excellent driver,
and possesses extensive knowledge about the best and most affordable places to
eat. He also offered great suggestions along the way – like stopping at a place
where a former priest now paints and teaches you about icons (near Kalambaka).
He also let us stop en route to visit the much neglected but most important
ruins at Sparta. Actually we preferred the freight boat going to Patmos than the
tourist boat returning from Patmos; more comfortable and better food. Next time
I would spend the extra money to get sleepers or to take the hydrofoil. It was a
very tiring (but more affordable) ride for the students.
Lodging:
Each of the places you housed us were clean, comfortable, and conveniently
located to ruins, restaurants, etc. (Hotel Placida is remodeling and once that
is completed then all the rooms will be more inviting. They do not currently
have air conditioning which may prove to be a problem for summer months. Also,
the hotel in Olympia needs an interior paint job in the individual rooms. Thank
you for your helpful suggestion to request upper floor rooms where were nearly
absent of the smell of smoke – a plus for non-smokers. And the full breakfasts
in each hotel provided a great start to the day. Our most favorite hotels were
Mani, Delphi and Patmos, truly exception places.
Translators/Guides:
The one scheduled for Patmos did not show up so the manager of our Hotel Sunset
(a dear man named Michael Konstantas) phoned Nick Alafakis to serve as guide.
The advantage of this excellent guide is that he lived three years at the
monastery prior to leaving and becoming a guide. Also, Nick holds a Bachelors
degree in Theology from the University of Athens so really made our Patmos
experience come alive. The Abbot was most pleased that we had engaged him. His
phone number is 6977694128. All the tour guides with one exception were
knowledgeable, prompt to arrive, and easily understood. My favorite by far was
Katerina at Meteora. I’m reluctant to share this next statement because I
understand that you and Penelope are good friends. But, in fact, we all found
her English to be difficult to follow. In the museums she would linger forever
at one stop rather than focusing on the highlights – the best in the collection
so students would tend to walk away from her discussions. And, at the Stock
Exchange and at Parliament she tended to act as a professor, wanting to
challenge (maybe even argue a little) with the presenters when she disagreed
with them.
Meals: My Greek-American friends warned me that it would be
somewhat challenging to find a full vegetarian bill of fare throughout our
travels. They could not have been more mistaken! Stuffed grape leaves, stuffed
zucchinis and peppers and tomatoes, fried cheese, Greek salads, eggplant made in
a variety of ways (my favorite), lima beans in some sort of wonderful tomato
sauce, pizza and baked spaghetti, cheese and spinach pies, flavorful breads,
fresh cherries and apricots along the way….. Every day was a glorious banquet of
fruits, veges, cheeses and breads. I’m salivating just to recall our dining
experiences. Greece is one of the easiest places to find vegetarian meals. By
the way, they also indicated that early May is not a good time to travel Greece.
The weather could not have been more perfect.
Events: The gentleman
who leads the olive cooperative is Dimitris Valsamos. He is a former submarine
captain, now working with both the olive AND honey cooperatives. He is so
precious with a delightful personality, a great conversationalist, extremely
knowledgeable, and willing to share what he knows. Oh, you must make him a
regular part of future tours! His phone number is 27530-23517 and 6945988545.
Although he spoke not a word of English (nor we of Greek) the time was as rich
as a course taught at any university.
Our all-time favorites of the tour:
#1: the Abbot (who allowed us to visit the laboratory where they restore icons,
their new and utterly awesome library)
#2: Philippos Mazarakis-Ainian,
curator of the Ethnological Museum of Greece who himself gave us the tour and
donated to our School of Architecture (ranked #6 in the nation) these most
incredible books of Greek architecture. You must engage him with all future
architecture tours. There was also a small parade, a band, a priest, and
villagers who were celebrating the independence of their small village at the
front of the museum – an added treat for us.
#3: the olive cooperative man
#4: the gentleman from the stock exchange Summary: In trust, Aliki, none
of this would have been possible without your patience in meeting our requests
(educational experiences, vegetarian diet, non-smoking rooms and buses), in
working hard to make it affordable for us, and for providing such clear
instructions so that I could serve as coordinator along the way. As we drove the
two hours from Chicago to campus, the students commented on how boring they now
found American architecture to be after having been in Greece.
I concur. We are forever in your debt. Please accept my
heartfelt gratitude.
May your business prosper; may you and your family be
abundantly blessed,
Jane Sabes - Andrews University
