Last week, the moment I was waiting for became a reality. My dad arrived. Before I'd come, he'd said he wanted to visit me in Greece, and I sort of didn't count on it...it was just one of those things people say they'll plan, but you know they never will...but come February or March, he'd bought his ticket. And up until they got here, he and Judy learned so much about the history and culture of Greece that they made me feel like I'm living a lie.
It was almost indescribably exciting to see them here. The part that I loved most was having people out here who truly care about me and remind me that I'm loved, which I don't feel much here because my roommate situation failed. I'd met a few other family members of the study abroad students when they visited them, and even a few friends who just wanted to see their good buddies, and in all the situations, the study abroad students took to holing up with their families and ditching out on social activities. And why wouldn't I, too? I just wanted Dad and Judy to love Greece and understand how it works at least a little bit. I was in a sort of giving mood that rarely happens in this time of my life.
Not to mention that Judy is so psyched to uncover ancient history that it was impossible to go touring with her without reading all the information stands. Learning history before or while I'm at a place is something I really suck at. As stated previously, I like seeing what the place has to offer me when I'm there, instead of planning what to do without experiencing the atmosphere first. In fact, I'm in the process of reading up on the histories of the places I've seen in Greece and Spain. But I learned that it's nice to read history while you're there, if only so that you feel smarter. With Dad I went back to the agora and acropolis in Athens, to Hydra, down south to Mycenae, and over west to the theatre of Epidauros. Those two had the fortunate experience that I missed of climbing off the metro into downtown Athens straight from the airport, and the first thing they saw was the Parthenon. They didn't even appear jet lagged to me, even though they said they were. Judy, who has never been anywhere, didn't seem blissfully out of sorts like I still get sometimes. And they love the food!
Besides the archaeological sites, which I'll get to in a second, they were equally interested in modern life here, in a different sense than I was, probably because they did their homework. We went all over the "anarchist" area of Athens looking for rembetiko music. It was fun to have a theme for a day that isn't simply touring. I also managed to pull strings with study abroad so that they could come with us on our planned excursion to the island of Hydra. Even though they didn't eat as much as I wanted them to, and I went swimming without them, I'm happy that they got to fit at least one island into their plans.
Mycenae hosts the former castle of Agamemnon, so we got to see the remains of tiny rooms on yet another hilltop that looks like it was put there for the purpose. We marvelled at the Lion's Gate and how it could possibly have gotten there, along with the beehive tomb. And Dad and I went on a small adventure and climbed down a roped-off tunnel, formerly used for water retrieval. I took a picture with the flash so we could see just how far down we had to walk, but really, it was pitch black in there. It was awesome.
We continued to Nafplio, which I've already seen, which is pretty and full of life. We got some of the best ice cream I will ever have in my life and watched the main square at night, of which the floor is made of marble. It was a beautiful setting, fit for a painting.
Then we went on to the amphitheatre of Epidauros, so that father and daughter musicians could test out the rumored phenomenal natural acoustics. They evidently heard me shaking my water bottle from the other end of the stairs. Dad performed a brief show of hitting empty water bottles against the side, and when I ran all around the floor taking pictures of him, I could here the echoing of the bottles in different spots around the place.
By the way, as we discovered, you're not allowed to do that...
I was put on the bus for the typical disorganized drive from Corinth back to Athens while those two continue their exploration of the Peloponnese without me. I cried on the bus ride. I know I'll see them again when they come back to Athens on Saturday for their flight home, but I was still sad. I am so happy that they came so that we could have this experience together, and to make it more real for my dad that his daughter is living in Greece. If it weren't for me, they never would have come to this place, so I feel proud, too.
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