It's All Greek to Me!

Our class may not have been eligible for the many snow days and cold days that have cancelled classes back at NDSU this semester, but this last week we were able to participate in NDSU’s spring break. Spring break took Olivia, Laura, Michaela, Keira and I to Greece, where a multitude of experiences awaited us!

Once we arrived in Athens it didn’t take long for us to realize that Greece, though part of the EU, differs quite a bit from its northern European neighbors where we have spent most of our time abroad so far. It was a treat to leave our scarves behind and don our sandals and sunglasses for a week. Although, our summery outfits labeled us as tourists - the locals were still wearing their winter coats in the 60 and 70-degree weather! While we have navigated a handful of languages during our time abroad, this was the first time we had to read signs that were written not only in a different language, but also a different alphabet. We also noticed that we hardly saw any of the pigeons that are so common up north, and in place of pigeons, there were cats everywhere! As a kitty lover, I much preferred the cats over the pigeons. We started a trend of naming them, although there were too many to keep track of them all.

Culturally, we also found Greece to be very different from northern Europe and the U.S. We were told many times when trying to pay for food to “Just relax and be comfortable - you don’t have to pay yet.” Our hostel almost forgot to have us pay for our stay after insisting that we settle into our room first, and we had to chase the worker down to give her our money. What a contrast to our businesslike American ways! This laid-back Greek attitude was widespread and, admittedly, frustrating at times. However, it did push us out of our comfort zones and lead us to a few gems, like the breakfast place in Athens. We went there the first day because our hostel did not provide breakfast, and we ended up going back the next two days for the company. The woman who ran the small cafe hardly spoke any English, but she became our friend very quickly. Each day she made us something a little different and taught us new Greek words. On our last day in Athens sent us away with oranges and countless kisses on the cheeks.

Exploring the ancient ruins of Athens was a dream come true for a bunch of architecture nerds like us. We examined the old plans of the Parthenon and other temples of the Acropolis and identified the orders of Greek columns which have been so influential to classic architecture. We visited the Acropolis museum, which has been awarded for its sophisticated design at the foot of the Acropolis hill, stilted above the ruins of ancient homes. It was marvelous for us to learn more about Ancient Greece and experience first-hand these designs we have studied for years.

What we did not anticipate were the unexpected design lessons we would find when we made our way from the mainland to the Greek island of Santorini. We were very excited for our Airbnb in Santorini: a bioclimatic cave house buried in the rocky hillside. This is a traditional style of Greek island homes, favorable for the natural temperature regulation and use of local resources. Since addresses basically don’t exist in Santorini, we had to be escorted there from the airport. It appeared to be a short walk to the village of Fira... until we set out for dinner in Fira at sunset and ended up walking an hour along unlit, nameless, village roads with no designated sidewalks. The greatest design lesson of the island’s roads occurred on the rainy day that we stepped out of our cave house to find the stepped passageways of the neighborhood turned into a giant network of cascading waterfalls. That was when we realized that we have taken storm sewers for granted! Our shoes got completely submerged and saturated! We set them out to dry in our cave house, but they didn’t really dry because, you know, we were in a wet cave.

Beyond the cultural quirks and design lessons, my most treasured memory from Greece was our hike from Fira to Oia along the caldera of the volcano that produced the island of Santorini. The landscape is like none that I have ever seen before. The villages are nestled into the hillside with charm, and they wear a striking palette of stark white and ocean blue. The Aegean Sea stretches into the distance and reveals small glimpses of the surrounding islands on the horizon. The coastline tells of the island’s volcanic history, as its cliffs bear rocks of all hues that lead down to beaches with black and red sand meeting crisp, blue water. This beautiful landscape will stay burned in my mind and will always be something I treasure about this trip, right up there with the tasty food, but just below the priceless company. :)