Tales of a Wanderer Europe 07 tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-03-26:/blog/?domain=iaremia 2007-05-28T17:52:51Z iaremia img/travel-blog-feed.png The Return of the Wanderer tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-28:/blog/?domain=Iaremia&thisblog_entryid=17&entryid=63371 2007-05-28T17:52:51Z 2007-05-28T15:54:58Z [map=22846 lat=44.406779661017 lon=17.2033898305085 zoom=10.62] The completed map It's dumping rain here in Athens, but it just let up for me enough to make another trek back up to the Acropolis. The second time I was able to take it all in and reflect about the last two months of travel. It has been an amazing time of self-discovery, historical education and good partying. I feel at home in Athens now. It's nice to come back to a city for a second time ...

See the itinerary of this trip, and details about each destination.
The completed map

It's dumping rain here in Athens, but it just let up for me enough to make another trek back up to the Acropolis. The second time I was able to take it all in and reflect about the last two months of travel. It has been an amazing time of self-discovery, historical education and good partying.

I feel at home in Athens now. It's nice to come back to a city for a second time and know the way around, know people working at the hostel, and be the guy who's been here before to the other fresh faced travellers. It's kind of fun to have two months full of stories of cities I've been to, people I've met and things I've seen.

There are things that have changed the way I see cultures, life and my faith. I no longer value some things and value other things much more. Hospitality, friendship, and love for the spontaneous are a few of the qualities I would like to foster more back in America.

I'm ready to go back home, and I'm grateful for the miles behind me and the many more ahead.

Thanks for journeying with me...

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]]> Istanbul tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-19:/blog/?domain=Iaremia&thisblog_entryid=16&entryid=61759 2007-05-19T22:38:03Z 2007-05-19T22:38:03Z Haghia Sophia, church of the Holy Wisdom behind me. Notice the Turkish flags. They are literally everywhere right now because of the political situation. The four of us got in the yellow taxi and took a nightmarish ride through twists and turns and back alleys until we were told we had arrived. The Istanbul bath house, a hole in the wall with cracking ceiling tiles and old oriental furniture. As we got out of the taxi, honking cars began to scream ... SSC_0009.jpg
Haghia Sophia, church of the Holy Wisdom behind me. Notice the Turkish flags. They are literally everywhere right now because of the political situation.

The four of us got in the yellow taxi and took a nightmarish ride through twists and turns and back alleys until we were told we had arrived. The Istanbul bath house, a hole in the wall with cracking ceiling tiles and old oriental furniture. As we got out of the taxi, honking cars began to scream at our taxi driver as the taxi driver demanded money from us. We told him we had already paid a package deal and we did not have the money. He followed us into the bath house, yelling and screaming in Turkish. The bath house owner yelled back and for the next 5 minutes there was all kinds of chaos.

We finally made it into the sauna where we heard deep and cavernous cries from the baths outside. Grunts, yells, splashings and some strange pounding noises brought nervous smiles to our faces. We were in for the infamous turkish bath.

20 minutes later, an overweight, toothless, middleaged Turkish man came in half naked pointing at me. He smiled and had me squat near the marble floor. What followed was a serious of varying temperature buckets, hot water, cold water, warm water dumped all over my head, followed by his vigorous scrubbing of all parts of my body. I was then placed flat on my back on a 20x20 marble slab. The Turk laughed hysterically and said good massage. He took my legs and bent them over the back of my head and slapped my thighs. Then he crossed my arms over my chest and put enough pressure on them to crack my back. He then turned me over and pummeled me with his elbows, lifting my legs upward and pushing the middle of my back downward, all while smiling and laughing with a toothless grin. This was the real thing.

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]]> Turkish Delight tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-18:/blog/?domain=Iaremia&thisblog_entryid=15&entryid=61524 2007-05-18T15:58:57Z 2007-05-18T15:58:57Z Walking the streets in Bucharest, Romania can quickly become a game of Frogger gone bad. There are way too many cars and way too many people for this big city. I just took a 22 hour metal grinding, shrieking, sewage smelling, 10 stop visa, passport ticket all night long festival of train madness from Bucharest to Istanbul. Ah, istanbul! what a beautiful city. The once proud city of Constantinople is lapped by the waters of the Marmara to the South, the Golden ... Walking the streets in Bucharest, Romania can quickly become a game of Frogger gone bad. There are way too many cars and way too many people for this big city.

I just took a 22 hour metal grinding, shrieking, sewage smelling, 10 stop visa, passport ticket all night long festival of train madness from Bucharest to Istanbul.

Ah, istanbul! what a beautiful city. The once proud city of Constantinople is lapped by the waters of the Marmara to the South, the Golden Horn to the North and the Bosphorus to the East. The old three layered Theodosian Walls sit decrepitly in the west, a reminder of the past glory.

I met Alex, a bloke from Munich, Germany in Brasov Romania and we travelled here together with Daniel from Australia and David from Atlanta. Today we went to the Haghia Sophia (where they still had the scaffolding blocking the central dome of the church), the Blue Mosque, Constantine`s Hippodrome and the underground cisterns.

Haghia Sophia (the church of Holy Wisdom built by Justinian in the 530s) was amazing as i expected it to be and it was even more fun to explain some of the history to David and Alex. They were really interested in the icons and mosaics.

Later on today, Alex, Eric (another bloke I met from LA working in London) had a dinner of kebabs outside the Haghia Sophia to the sounds of the call to prayer.

The political atmosphere is tense. With supporters of the modern secular state and a presidential nominee who is in favor of more fundamental sharia law, Turkey is facing possible political crisis. I took pictures of reporters and cops carrying full riot gear. Nothing to be too alarmed about though.

Alex, Eric and I are going to check out the North side of the Golden Horn tomorrow, from the Galata tower to the Castle (throat cutter) Sultan Mehmet II built in 1450s. The Galata tower is all that is left of the Genoese trading colony that lived here in Constantinople hundreds of years ago. The Genoese (who were Latin speaking) were told to move across the Golden Horn because they were considered crass by the more sophisticated Byzantine Greeks.

On Sunday night, I am taking a night bus along the Asian side of Turkey down to the ancient Roman city of Ephesus...

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]]> Pics!! II tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-13:/blog/?domain=Iaremia&thisblog_entryid=14&entryid=60582 2007-05-13T21:59:10Z 2007-05-13T21:59:10Z my friend mike from canada. we enjoyed a beer in the Alps. The first night in Munich, I saw an amazing quartet, the violin player had many passionate poses. i steered clear of this one. California cruising in Munich [img=http://www.travellerspoint.com/photos/91005/Ssc%5F0375% ... Ssc_0371.jpg
my friend mike from canada. we enjoyed a beer in the Alps.

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The first night in Munich, I saw an amazing quartet, the violin player had many passionate poses.

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i steered clear of this one.

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California cruising in Munich

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I even saw surfers in the English Gardens, Munich

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Lenny, my talented Munich bike tourguide. He swore he wasn't an alcoholic...

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the Hofbrau house was full of toasts, beers and good German songs. this guy toasted me about 5 times

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Kate was a great Czech tour guide, all smiles in the Prague walk

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The Charles Bridge, much like the bridge of Angels in Rome, is full of Christian symbolism.

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In Vienna, they love their generals. Austria has not fared well in battle since 1914 though.

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Budapest bridge at night

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Budapest castle

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streetlight in budapest

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]]> Belching tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-12:/blog/?domain=Iaremia&thisblog_entryid=13&entryid=60440 2007-05-12T18:50:35Z 2007-05-12T18:37:51Z I was sitting in a famous concert hall in the old Hofburg Palace in Vienna minding my own business. I had just bought a ticket to see a Johann Strauss concert, famous for songs such as the Danube Waltz, and I was anticipating the action ahead when a middle aged tourist sitting right in my ear let out the biggest frothy belch followed by a quick apology. It took all I had in me for the next five minutes not to ... I was sitting in a famous concert hall in the old Hofburg Palace in Vienna minding my own business. I had just bought a ticket to see a Johann Strauss concert, famous for songs such as the Danube Waltz, and I was anticipating the action ahead when a middle aged tourist sitting right in my ear let out the biggest frothy belch followed by a quick apology.

It took all I had in me for the next five minutes not to burst out laughing.

Im in Budapest now. I was just at a supermarket, (here in Europe we all have to pack our own bags), and I grabbed a plastic bag to start bagging my groceries. The hungarian woman clerk starting shouting at me in hungarian and charged me 25 HUF...the equivalent of about 15 cents.

I spent 4 hours yesterday in the thermal baths of Budapest. There were dozens of 100+ degree pools, 40 degree pools, steam rooms, saunas, indoor and outdoor giant hot tubs! I had a massage and got back in for a while...really rough day. I then went to the National Museum where I was in my hayday learning about the Barbarians, Romans, Byzanztines and Ottomans, all of which settled this area at some point. They had much of the artifacts and jewelry on display from the people groups I read about in "The Fall of the Roman Empire" by Peter Heather.

I have to say, the majority of europeans are incredibly well dressed, especially the women. its like they all just walked out of a fashion shoot. insane.

the next destination is Trannsylvania in Romania. Ill keep you posted on more quirky adventures...

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]]> Too many cities!! tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-09:/blog/?domain=Iaremia&thisblog_entryid=12&entryid=59997 2007-05-09T22:46:30Z 2007-05-09T22:08:22Z [map=22846 lat=44.1525423728814 lon=10.4237288135593 zoom=10.62] Check out v.2.0.1 wanderer map! Okay, I admit, I've hit a bit of a blogging wall... I'm on vacation! I'm enjoying it for the most part, but I did hit a low point at the one month mark. I know, stop your sob story because you're on vacation and in Europe and it doesn't matter that the dollar is at a record low. Well you're absolutely right! I'm having a great time. So far Paris and Rome are the favorite ...

See the itinerary of this trip, and details about each destination.
Check out v.2.0.1 wanderer map!

Okay, I admit, I've hit a bit of a blogging wall...

I'm on vacation! I'm enjoying it for the most part, but I did hit a low point at the one month mark. I know, stop your sob story because you're on vacation and in Europe and it doesn't matter that the dollar is at a record low.

Well you're absolutely right! I'm having a great time. So far Paris and Rome are the favorite big cities (too bad I skipped Florence because everyone says that was their favorite, doh!) and Munich is the best overall city experience from the bike tours to the beer to the beautiful setting...my twin sister would agree, she spent a semester here. No wonder she liked it so much!

I'm becoming aware now that I have less than 3 weeks of time before I go home - it's very bittersweet, but let me tell you - laundry, a bathroom and several other daily accomodations will be much appreciated upon return.

I had a guy look at a picture from me at my first week in Athens, and he looked at me and said, "whoa, that doesn't even look like you!" yep, i've lost weight, i've tightened the belt, and I'm banking on baklava in Turkey on the last leg to return some body fat after the long trek.

Tomorrow - Budapest! With more history than a jurassic layer, I look forward to having my fill in the national history museum and then soak it all in with the natural thermal baths which maintain a steady 111 degree temperature!

More to come soon!! Pictures are a necessity I know.

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]]> Genoa and Venice tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-05-04:/blog/?domain=Iaremia&thisblog_entryid=11&entryid=59129 2007-05-04T18:52:34Z 2007-05-04T18:52:34Z So if you haven't figured it out yet, there's a story I'm interested in. It's the story of Constantinople, one of the greatest cities in history and its relationship to cities such as Genoa and Venice. Constantinople fell in 1453 to the Ottoman Turks. It was not necessarily a sudden event. The Byzantine Empire had been in decline for several hundred years and was crippled in particular by the sack of the city in 1204 and also the black death in ... So if you haven't figured it out yet, there's a story I'm interested in. It's the story of Constantinople, one of the greatest cities in history and its relationship to cities such as Genoa and Venice.

Constantinople fell in 1453 to the Ottoman Turks. It was not necessarily a sudden event. The Byzantine Empire had been in decline for several hundred years and was crippled in particular by the sack of the city in 1204 and also the black death in the 1300's. For hundreds of years before, Genoa and Venice had quarters in the city where the housed their ships, wares and merchants. Venice was modeled after Constantinople, the church, the imperial culture, almost everything. St Marks is modeled after Haghia Sophia in modern day Istanbul and was designed by a Greek architect.

The riches in the Middle East and the Black Sea led to riches elsewhere, namely the Silk Road to China. The reason we know about the Silk Road is because a man by the name of Marco Polo from Venice was imprisoned between one of the bloody battles between Venetian and Genoese merchants in the Black Sea around the 13th century or 14th? SSC_0170.jpg
Where Marco Polo was imprisoned in Genoa.
Genoa and Venice lost a lot of ships, men and money fighting trading wars with each other.

Venice has Saint Marks, Genoa has Saint Matthews, Venice is on the East Coast, Genoa is on the West Coast, well I think you get the picture. The patron saint was so important to the Venetians, that they stole the body of St Mark from Alexandria Egypt and surrounded the body in pigs so the Muslims would not detect it. Having a Saint was the equivalent of divine power and Venice used this power to the hilt especially in the 1200's when they diverted the Fourth Crusade to Constantinople where they murdered, pillaged and plundered their way through the entire city. St Marks in Venice today is full of treasures from the Eastern city and much of church is covered in gold, undoubtedly recycled from much of the gold in Constantinople. It was not until recently that John Paul II had some of the relics returned from the Vatican to the Eastern Orthodox church.

All this to say that with the power of the Turks rising in the East in the 12-1400's the Greek Byzantine Empire was at the mercy of not only the Turks but also power hungry merchants from Venice and Genoa. This also culminated in an epic 2 month battle in April and May of 1453, the city of Constantinople which had withstood attacks over 20 times from Attila the Hun, Arab Muslims and others would have its ultimate test. Brave soldiers from Venice and Genoa each fought side by side with Greek soldiers though most of the West fled the scene and did not defend the city. The Venetian Senate met for months about whether to send aid to the sieged city, and they were still meeting when the city fell.- suspiciously lethargic response.

A small plaza in Genoa off the beaten path and almost forgotten about today is named after one of the bravest generals in history, Giuliani Giustiani. A statue in Athens by the Metropolitan church of Constantine XI Paleologus stands as a monument to the brave stance he took at the breach in the wall in Constantinople. He was last seen fighting side by side with his men in the breach of the city's wall. Before the siege started a phrase is still remembered. "ELATE NA THN PARETAI" ("COME AND TAKE HER") is what Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI Paleologus said to the Turkish Sultan Mehmet II upon his demand to surrender Constantinople.

As I travel toward the end of my trip, to that once great city, you will see the gap in the wall where the city fell with the last emperor fighting bravely.

History sidetrack!!!

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]]> Cinque Terre pics and more tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-04-29:/blog/?domain=Iaremia&thisblog_entryid=10&entryid=57993 2007-04-29T15:55:44Z 2007-04-29T15:55:44Z ... SSC_0167.jpg
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]]> Cinque Terre and Genova tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-04-28:/blog/?domain=Iaremia&thisblog_entryid=9&entryid=56725 2007-04-28T15:42:57Z 2007-04-28T15:42:57Z A few things about Italy. -Pedestrians have no rights -the favorite phrases of people here "dime" (tell me) and "va bene" (okay). -I had a Sicilian ask me if I was from Italy while I was staying in Rome...that was the biggest compliment Ive had so far. My accent is getting good. too bad im leaving now. So when I got to Cinque Terre, I had no place to stay. I ended up setting up a shelter next to a rock wall in ... A few things about Italy.
-Pedestrians have no rights
-the favorite phrases of people here "dime" (tell me) and "va bene" (okay).
-I had a Sicilian ask me if I was from Italy while I was staying in Rome...that was the biggest compliment Ive had so far. My accent is getting good. too bad im leaving now.

So when I got to Cinque Terre, I had no place to stay. I ended up setting up a shelter next to a rock wall in a vineyard. As soon as I set up, I had no real camping gear just a bed sheet, some dogs began barking and I quickly ran back down the hill to another vineyard and set up once again. Everything seemed fine until I began to hear a rustling in the bushes next to me and it made the sounds of a ferret. I decided Id try to take a Tylenol PM and sleep it off. An hour later, I was still unable to sleep and the temp dropped consistently. I decided to find a spot back in the town. After finding a relatively sheltered porch, I attempted to sleep to the sound of cars speedin up and down the street below me and drunk Australian tourists. A couple hours of half drugged sleep and numb legs, I decided to make for the coastal trail at 4:30am. I strolled past cats staring at me, the vagrant, to the tune of an eerie silence in the dark alleyways. After,I walked up to the ominously dark coastal path of the Via d'Amore...an enchanting hike for most couples during the daylight, but an eering darkness covered path with 200ft of cliff dropping off into the breaking waters below. I figured this was a good place to brush my teeth.
There are 5 towns in Cinque Terre spread out over several miles of terrain. I reached town 4 by 9am. Exhausted, I looked for a room. Then I ran into Dylan and Amy, my friends from the Athens train to Korinth!SSC_0390.jpg

They were the couple travelling for 9 months all over the world. They sold their condo after they got married and decided to travel off the profits, pretty cool.

Cinque Terre was amazing. Beautiful harbor, trails and people. I left the next afternoon for Genova.

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]]> Venice and after tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-04-21:/blog/?domain=Iaremia&thisblog_entryid=8&entryid=56400 2007-04-21T14:57:27Z 2007-04-21T14:57:27Z (Bronze horses from Constantine's Hippodrome stolen from Constantinople by the Venetians in the 4th Crusade (1204 AD) I was officially homeless last night. After running through Venice for the day, I tried to get across Italy before nightfall. When I arrived in RioMaggiore, the first town in Cinque Terre, it was 9pm and all the rooms were sold out... Ill tell you what happens in a little while. Im off to ... SSC_0270.jpg
(Bronze horses from Constantine's Hippodrome stolen from Constantinople by the Venetians in the 4th Crusade (1204 AD)

I was officially homeless last night. After running through Venice for the day, I tried to get across Italy before nightfall. When I arrived in RioMaggiore, the first town in Cinque Terre, it was 9pm and all the rooms were sold out...
Ill tell you what happens in a little while. Im off to Genoa soon where I hope to have more time to write down the details. I am alive though...

here are some pics to keep you entertained...
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the pigeons were out in force at st Marks
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as was the flag of St Marks...
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view from the hostel across the Grand Canal (I like my tripod)
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this guy really loved the pigeons...
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classical concerts going on around me, amazing venice, but i could only take a day of it...

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]]> Ravenna tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-04-18:/blog/?domain=Iaremia&thisblog_entryid=7&entryid=55814 2007-04-18T12:47:50Z 2007-04-18T12:47:50Z I am now in Ravenna. In 402, the Emperor Honorius moved the capital of the western Roman empire from Rome to Ravenna. At the time, Ravenna was strategically better because it was farther north, situated on the Adriatic sea in good trade routes, surrounded by marshes for defense and all around just better than Rome. The barbarian kings took over the Western Roman Empire during that time...see Peter Heathers book "the Fall of the Roman Empire" to explain the causes. The ... I am now in Ravenna. In 402, the Emperor Honorius moved the capital of the western Roman empire from Rome to Ravenna. At the time, Ravenna was strategically better because it was farther north, situated on the Adriatic sea in good trade routes, surrounded by marshes for defense and all around just better than Rome.

The barbarian kings took over the Western Roman Empire during that time...see Peter Heathers book "the Fall of the Roman Empire" to explain the causes. The barbarian kings ruled the Western Empire from here in Ravenna. In the 500s, Emperor Justinian came from Constantinople and retook Ravenna and most of Italy back in the name of the Roman Empire. Confused yet? Well, all this to say that, there are the best preserved Byzantine mosaics in the world in this city...next time Ill upload a few of the shots. The churches and their mosaics are simply some of the most beautiful pieces of art I have ever seen.

Ravenna reminds me of where i went to school, UCDavis. Everyone rides their bikes around and they let tourists rent a bike for free! I have my sporty yellow bike and I am riding around in style. I met a great French couple today, Joelle and Eric and they bought me a cappucino and we talked Bush, politics and life. They asked a lot of questions about Americans and they say that French media does not think Americans to be very smart. I was trying to help out the team a bit.

Ciao for now! Check out some of these pics...

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Me at St Peters Basilica, Rome
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I was fortunate to get a nice shot (I did not flash, even though everyone was using their flash...)
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South of Naples in Sorrento...everyone uses scooters here
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a statue in Sorrento
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I met Antonio feeding pigeons in Sorrento
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A courtyard suriving from 70 AD! in Herculaneum
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not a bad spot to spend the afternoon, i took a bus from Sorrento (crowded place) to a small little harbor called Nerano
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you can see why some of the emperors used to come here...
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frescoe of Alexander the Great found in Pompeii dating back to 70AD
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Samuel from Ghana, the guy I met in the Naples McDonalds...

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]]> Napoli, Roma, etc tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-04-16:/blog/?domain=Iaremia&thisblog_entryid=6&entryid=55509 2007-04-16T17:22:18Z 2007-04-16T17:22:18Z Buon giorno from L'Italia! I just saw 5 lightning strikes in Rome this evening!! A train strike is happening in Italy that almost prevented me from coming to Rome. I forgot to mention in my last blog that I met a great guy in Ancona named Simone...he was here on business from Milan (clinical research). I was asking him about something and we ended up hanging out the rest of the night and going to a hole in the wall Italian restaurant. ... Buon giorno from L'Italia!

I just saw 5 lightning strikes in Rome this evening!! A train strike is happening in Italy that almost prevented me from coming to Rome.
I forgot to mention in my last blog that I met a great guy in Ancona named Simone...he was here on business from Milan (clinical research). I was asking him about something and we ended up hanging out the rest of the night and going to a hole in the wall Italian restaurant. He taught me a bunch of Italian words, helped me to interact with the waitress and ordered a great bottle of red wine on his company card! We talked women, politics and life. Vive L'Italia!

At some point Im going to have to slow down just a bit. I am about 3 days ahead of schedule, but my feet are starting to hurt a lot from all of the walking. Rome is my favorite city so far - it is so beautiful and so amazing, and I finally can get around without a map. I took a tour of the Circus Maximus, Colosseum, Palatine Hill, Forum, Pantheon, St Peters and the Vatican Museum. I feel like I can walk around here safely and confidently...Im starting to get the hang of this travelling thing...I find the Italians a lot friendlier than the Greeks. I dont get cold stares or looks like Im invisble.

I cant stay here much longer because the hostel I stayed at the first night blew a hole in my budget the size of the iceberg in the Titanic. This ship aint sinking though! After 3 hours of wandering around Rome from 6pm to 9pm, talking to several Italians and covering a third of the city, I found the hostel I was looking for. It didnt help that it started raining when I was walking around. Iàm really starting to realize how dependent we are upon other people for information and hospitality, and it puts a different perspective on tourists I see back in the Bay Area.

I have met a lot of friends here, I ate with Samuel from Ghana in the Naples McDonalds (yes I broke down and finally had McDonalds!) It costs six Euro for a Bic Mac meal which is about $9 American = Big Whack.
I met a couple from Seattle, Bill and Janice who bought me pizza in Naples, Matt and Sue from Pennsylvannia who I met at Trevi Fountain here in Rome, Tim and Kelly from South Carolina, I met John and Shelly from Boston today and helped them find their way to the Metro, talked to Sean from Ventura, Mike and Jill from Toronto and many others.

The world is truly becoming globalized. There is an ethnically Chinese Australian named Eugene working in my hostel, musicians from the Andes are playing on the main street in Rome to the tune of Gladiator music, Indians and Pakistanis selling street wares from umbrellas to dancing mickey and minnie trinkets, Brasilians, Mexicans, French, Swedish, Japanese, theyre all here... Almost everyone speaks English...and almost everyone dislikes America.

In a way, its all quite overwhelming...so much going on, so much to see, so much to do. I sat on the Spanish Steps for a long time last night just people watching resting my sore feet.

When I left off from Assisi, I was headed down to Napoli, to the land of Mt Vesuvius, Pompei and Herculeneum. My base for two days was in Sorrento, the retreat of many Roman emperors and senators starting with Caesar Augustus.
I saw the ruins of Herculanum, left from the eruption of Vesuvius in 70AD and saw the frescoes and sculptures saved from Vesuvius in the Naples National Museum.

Im having my laundry professionally done today for the first time after sink washing for a while. Washing your laundry in the sink only takes about 50% of the smell and grime out of your clothes.

Im starting to miss home at points now. I realize how important community is, and how being alone can remind you of your great need before God and others. I am learning a lot about the world, the problems we face and Im trying to figure out more solutions. Robert (my Polish friend I met in Assisi) told me he thinks industry is one of the biggest threats to the world in our time. But he said "we have hope because we have God" and showed me his cross.

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]]> Pics!! tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-04-13:/blog/?domain=Iaremia&thisblog_entryid=5&entryid=54923 2007-04-13T17:34:33Z 2007-04-13T17:25:33Z Steve in front of Agammemnon's Fortress Me Me in Front of Lions Gate at Agammemnon's Fortress in front of Agammemnon's Cistern inside Agammemnon's Cistern ... SSC_0343.jpgSteve in front of Agammemnon's Fortress

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SSC_0345.jpgMe in Front of Lions Gate at Agammemnon's Fortress
SSC_0346.jpgin front of Agammemnon's Cistern

SSC_0347.jpginside Agammemnon's Cistern
SSC_0348.jpgBreakfast in Greece...cant get enough Nescafe...
SSC_0349.jpgGod rays
SSC_0350.jpgAt the top...you cant see the 999 literal stairs or the back i brought up...
SSC_0351.jpgSteveo with defo

SSC_0352.jpg1500 ft of cliffe behind me...I love those Venetian imperialists building castles all over Greece...

SSC_0353.jpgmore sexy poses
SSC_0354.jpga third of the 999 steps
SSC_0355.jpgsunset at Ancona
SSC_0356.jpgmore sunset...
SSC_0358.jpgold German i met in Assisi
SSC_0359.jpgAssisi behind me
SSC_0360.jpgan Assisi sunset...while i was eating
SSC_0357.jpgnun talking to bird

SSC_0361.jpgpolish friend Robert studying engineering in Rome...also a brother in Christ
SSC_0386.jpga Mycenean tomb (maybe Agammemnon's grandfather)
SSC_0387.jpgMars Hill in Athens, where St Paul spoke
SSC_0388.jpgmy mug in front of the Parthenon
SSC_0389.jpgthe Great Metropolitan Church in Athens where I past the guards on Good Friday...they kicked me out shortly after...
SSC_0390.jpgfriends on the train...from left to right...Dylan, Amy, Whitney, Crissy, Nick, Evan and Steve
SSC_0391.jpgCorinth was a thriving city in the past...

SSC_0392.jpgat the top of Corinth, going through the fortress and up to the temple of Aphrodite
SSC_0393.jpgthe view from the top
SSC_0394.jpgevery good fortress needs a white tree...

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]]> Assisi and Superfast Train! tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-04-12:/blog/?domain=Iaremia&thisblog_entryid=4&entryid=54745 2007-04-12T16:03:34Z 2007-04-12T16:03:34Z [map=22846]Assisi was amazing! I visited the hometown of St Francis amongst busloads of tourists, witnessed nuns talking to the birds just like St Francis, and visitied the tomb of St Francis. It was a beautiful hill town besides all the people during the day.(tourists) The view and the sunset were spectacular. I ate my picnic dinner of fontana cheese, crackers, a pear and ritter chocolate in the main town square as the sun went down. The town is full of Pax ...

See the itinerary of this trip, and details about each destination.

 Assisi was amazing! I visited the hometown of St Francis amongst busloads of tourists, witnessed nuns talking to the birds just like St Francis, and visitied the tomb of St Francis. It was a beautiful hill town besides all the people during the day.(tourists)

The view and the sunset were spectacular. I ate my picnic dinner of fontana cheese, crackers, a pear and ritter chocolate in the main town square as the sun went down. The town is full of Pax y Bene = peace and goodwill. On the way out I heard a rousing version of We Are Going to See the King coming from a cathedral. It was some of the most stirring music I have ever heard. An African woman also heard it and followed me in. In the Catholic church, a protestant American choir was belting away beatiful melodies in Assisi. As soon as I sat down it was over, but it was beatiful. The choir director said, thats all even though people kept applauding and wanting more.

I took a superfast train from Roma to Naples today (186mph) and then took a bus to Sorrento. Im staying in a pretty freaky hostel tonigt (La Serene) Siren of the Sea and one of my roommates is a guy named Chris from Missouri.

I miss you all...i am trying to

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]]> Greece part II tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-04-10:/blog/?domain=Iaremia&thisblog_entryid=3&entryid=53677 2007-04-10T14:46:50Z 2007-04-10T07:14:37Z [map=22846] I spent the first day in Athens running all over. I think I saw almost every temple, ruin, and forum monument constructed in the history of Athens. It was an amazing day. I saw the Parthenon, the theatre at the Acropolis, Mars Hill (the aeropagus) where St. Paul walked and spoke. Mars Hill was used by the Greek philosophers to make important civic decisions. When Paul stood on the rock at Mars Hill, he saw a tribute to the "unknown ...

See the itinerary of this trip, and details about each destination.
I spent the first day in Athens running all over. I think I saw almost every temple, ruin, and forum monument constructed in the history of Athens. It was an amazing day. I saw the Parthenon, the theatre at the Acropolis, Mars Hill (the aeropagus) where St. Paul walked and spoke. Mars Hill was used by the Greek philosophers to make important civic decisions. When Paul stood on the rock at Mars Hill, he saw a tribute to the "unknown god". It was there that Paul made his comparison to the one true God who had raised Jesus bodily from the dead. Many of the philosophers (who were stoic) did not believe in a resurrection - let alone a bodily one. It's ironic how all of Greece is now filled with people who believe in a bodily resurrection.

Not that the Greeks are perfect. In fact, I've had some unpleasant exchanges with some of the locals today. The Greek army was out in force today for the Good Friday service. The Metropolitan bishop was there, the king? of Greece and other important folk. Before any politicians arrived, I tried to enter the church in spite of a wall of soldiers blocking the steps. One of them asked me what I was doing. I told him I was going into church and he said no, it's too full. He then changed his mind and said I could look for a minute. Yup, it was a Greek orthodox service.

I met up the next day with a Brit named Steve and a Moldovan Peace Corps worker named Evan who is from LA. We ended up heading down to Corinth together and exploring the ancient ruins at the bottom. A local Brit and his Bostonian wife gave us a ride to the tope of Akro Corinth, a huge mountain fortress which once housed the temple of Aphrodite with 1000 prostitutes. The view from the top was amazing. you could seen the water on the Adriatic and Aegean seas and the very point where Greece connects with the lower Peloponnese peninsula, the very small 6 km stretch of land that has seen the Spartans march through as well as thousands of others through history.

At the top I met a Baptist pastor named Adam from Missouri. He's got a Baptist church in Athens of all places. Not quite orthodox.

Steve, Evan and I hiked, hitched, bussed and made our way to Mykenae where the ancient ruins of the palace of Agammemnon lay. Agammenmon's and his brother went to Troy to rescue Helen. Turns out in this very palace that Agammenmom's wife through a net on him when he returned and bludgeoned him to death. Their son Orestes fled out the back gate of the palace and returned to bring justice upon his mother and new lover. Ah, the birthplace of Greek tragedy. We explored the Tholos tomb, a huge honeycombed shaped hive of burial goodness. (We actually hopped the fence on this one because it was closed Easter Sunday and we really want to get in).

Steve and I headed to Nafplion where we hiked a 999 staircase to a 500 year old Venetian fortress on the water! We did it all with our backpacks on - people were giving us the strangest of looks.

I rushed back down to Corinth and took a train to Patras, and made it to the ferry station and got a 10 euro ticket on a super fast overnight ferry to Ancona, Italy! I feel like I'm on the Titanic. There's 50 men's dorm beds, and I'm the only one in there so I have a gloriously large bathroom to myself. This morning I woke up looking at the blue Adriatic, went down to eat breakfast and saw dolphins jumping next to the boat!!!

Some funny cultural moments - Greek taxi driver -total Euro music blaring and Euro glasses corrects Evan on his pronunciation - it's fiCCHHuuutio, not fitio. he did that 10 times. (the same taxi driver tried to charge us 3 times as much by taking us in a circle so when had to call him on that.)
I approached three old greeks playing backgammon at a bus station and said "anesti" (which is short for Christ has risen). They all looked at me and mumbled christos anesti and smiled.
Ordering an Ouzo beverage at the local Greek restaurant and getting a shot of hardcore licorice tasting goodness.

Okay pictures soon, I promise, I am in Italy soon!!

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]]> Athens day 1 tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-04-06:/blog/?domain=Iaremia&thisblog_entryid=2&entryid=53618 2007-04-06T07:54:41Z 2007-04-06T07:54:41Z Kalispera (greek for hello) After several flight delays and travelling for over 24 hours, I arrived in Athens around 2am. I immediately met a group of Americans studying abroad in Paris who were headed to the island of Milos for spring break. Speaking of spring break, every college student in europe must have come here because they're everywhere. The Americans were very friendly and we had a nice chat on the bus - they were surprised that I was travelling on ... Kalispera (greek for hello)
After several flight delays and travelling for over 24 hours, I arrived in Athens around 2am. I immediately met a group of Americans studying abroad in Paris who were headed to the island of Milos for spring break. Speaking of spring break, every college student in europe must have come here because they're everywhere. The Americans were very friendly and we had a nice chat on the bus - they were surprised that I was travelling on my own and offered me their info in Paris since they'll be there when I swing through later this month. I met a man from Crete on the bus as well who is now living in Athens. We talked about the movie "300" and he asked me if I surfed. I tried explaining about the cold water and the great whites - not sure if he totally understood.

The airport in Amsterdam almost arrested me. I had such a long delay (9 hours) that I was able to take the train into Amsterdam. It was amazing weather and scenery - bikes everywhere, beautiful canals and pot shops all over. When I got back from Amsterdam to the airport, I was looking for my luggage in my storage, when I passed backward through a secure checkpoint. Immediately I had 3 dutch security guards questioning me and threatening to arrest me. Thankfully they let the "stupid American" go. hahaa I was so beyond tired yesterday that I must have wandered in circles for several hours in the airport before I was able to finish checking in. Don't even make me explain what happened with the liquids in my bag.

I'm going to see the Acropolis today - it's Good Friday today so it opens at 12pm. The one thing I forgot was my camera cable to d/l images so I'll have to buy one soon so I can show you all some pics on this blog!

Hope you're all well - Jeremy

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]]> Countdown to the TRIP tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-03-26:/blog/?domain=iaremia&thisblog_entryid=1&entryid=51790 2007-04-04T06:45:50Z 2007-03-26T21:45:27Z My blog name is Iaremia. Why? Because that is my name in Greek and to Greece I am going. Follow my travel progress here: [url=http://www.travellerspoint.com/member_map.cfm?tripid=22846&stopid=61421] I have never been to Europe (besides the 15 minutes of glory I spent running around Picadilly Circus in London after a long excursion out of Heathrow Airport.) Why am I going? I'm not getting any younger and I'm not orphaning any children if I mysteriously disappear. I've had my ... 872409888_l.jpg

My blog name is Iaremia. Why? Because that is my name in Greek and to Greece I am going.

Follow my travel progress here:
http://www.travellerspoint.com/member_map.cfm?tripid=22846&stopid=61421

I have never been to Europe (besides the 15 minutes of glory I spent running around Picadilly Circus in London after a long excursion out of Heathrow Airport.) Why am I going? I'm not getting any younger and I'm not orphaning any children if I mysteriously disappear. I've had my share of travelling in other countries – Guatemala, Philippines, Mexico, Canada and South Africa but have never been anywhere for an extended period of time just to travel.

I have been reading much of the history of Europe for the last several years from King Leonidas' stand at Thermopylae in the 5th century BC (yes I started reading Tom Holland's book "Persian Fire" long before "300" came out in the theater) to Ataturk's creation of the modern state of Turkey in the early 1920's (see "A Peace to End All Peace" by David Fromkin). I have to say that I am most interested in Greek history – the twists and turns of demokratia (democracy) in the face of dominating Persian monarchy to the incorporation into the Roman Empire and the pinnacle of Greek culture and ideology in the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Justininian. Hagia Sophia (the Church of Holy Wisdom) built by Justinian in the 530's in record time in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul) is definitely one my top destinations. Considered one of the 8 wonders of the ancient world, it still stands today as a museum in the heart of Istanbul. The church was the symbol and the center of the Byzantine Empire for almost 1000 years until the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmet II took Constantinople by siege. The Sultan hired a Hungarian engineer to build around 14 cannons to destroy the 1000 year old walls. Ironically, the Hungarian had appealed to the Byzantine Emperor previously to make cannons for the Greeks, but the Emperor did not have the funds to build the cannons. Constantinople withstood over twenty sieges previously including Attila the Hun in the 400's and Muslim invasions in the 700s. For an amazing non-fiction read, I recommend Roger Crowley's "1453", an in depth account of the siege of the world's greatest city of late antiquity and beyond. The city, when it was looted systematically for 3 days under Islamic Law, contained few of the treasures the Turks hoped to find (the Byzantine Empire had been in decline for 300 years and was past bankruptcy). The high altar of the church, the icons and the huddling survivors were taken from the church as spoils and slaves respectively.

When I visit in late May, I hope the museum curator can take down the scaffolding they've had up for years sitting idly and blocking the views of the amazing central dome of the church. I also can't wait to see many of the mosaics that have survived.

Enough ranting about history for now. Stay tuned for my Athens blog coming soon!!!

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