Elbow Greece

As part of our intro to Greek language course, we were expected to learn how to communicate basic orders at places like a coffee shop. We learned how to order coffees (sweet, no sugar, etc.), and other pastries and snacks too. It was fun practicing my Greek in real life situations such as this, and through my experiences in the local cafes, I noticed some differences (and similarities) between the coffee shops here and the ones in America. One of the primary differences between the two cultures in regards to their cafes is the reasons that people usually go to them. In Greece, it seems almost necessary to go to a cafe with a few friends- it was uncommon to see someone sitting by themselves without company. It seems cafes are more of an excuse for a place to meet up with your friends than a place to get coffee. In America, this is not the case. Many people stop by cafes and bring their laptops or homework to sit down in the peace and quiet and get work done. It can still be a pla

One of the amazing areas our group from UNF went on one of our weekend excursions was Nafplio- another dazzling cove featuring a cove with crystal blue water and beach-side restaurants and bars. At this cove, we spent the afternoon swimming around in the water, and when we got tired of that, Timothy and I found a rock or two to jump off of, which was an absolute blast.  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Around this area (I don't remember if it was technically in Nafplio or not) our group also got the opportunity to explore an ancient castle on top of mountain. This was a really cool experience, and one of my favorite aspects of the site was the underground prison/cell area that we were able to check out. 

The natural beauty of Meteora was indescribable- the giant mountains jutting straight up from the ground, covered in lush, green plants. It was like nothing I've ever seen before. Additionally, the monastery on top of the mountain featured brilliant architecture and was a work of art on its own.  The monastery also contained amazing examples of some of the clothing items that some higher-ranking religious officials wore throughout the monastery's history. 

Exploring Ano Petralona was a unique adventure compared to what I had experienced throughout the rest of Athens. The town was comprised primarily of houses and apartments, typical shops one might expect to find in a residential area, and many nice restaurants. The architecture appeared to be styled in the 1980's. It seemed like Petralona is chiefly a residential area- there were no obvious tourists or signs of tourist attractions, apart from the great restaurants scattered about. As far as demographics go, we only saw a small handful of young adults/teens our age. It seemed like most of the people living there were middle aged or older: people who likely chose to live in the area due to it being a calm and quiet area to live. If I had to guess, I would presume that this area has always been similar to its current condition: a fairly typical, quaint residential neighborhood without a lot of tourist action. I imagine this neighborhood will continue in its current condition and

For my final project in my documentary photography class, I chose to explore the concept of music throughout both the urban and rural areas of downtown Athens. Here are some of my favorite images and my corresponding thoughts from my ventures in the city...    In these two images (below), I attempted to display the importance of listening to music on portable devices like phones, and how people use their headphones to escape from the noise and chaos as they travel from place to place- whether that be on the bus, the metro, or walking around by foot.  I wanted to portray the significance of music through the street art and graffiti strewn across the city on many of the buildings, which is what the following 3 images convey.    Street performers are also a significant part of the city life found in Athens- it was common to find someone playing the guitar (or some random, weird looking instrument that I don't even know the name of) in many of the urban a

When comparing Greece and America in regards to shopping centers, or "platias", both cultures seem to have a shared appreciation for this type of organization, although there are differences in their uses. Rather than functioning as a place to simply go and find items to purchase, American malls and Greek platias seem to be focused on serving as a place for people, especially young adults and teenagers, to talk, get food and drinks, or simply spend time together.  In my hometown,  the Indian River Mall is one of the top places to go for teenagers in the area. When I was in high school, this mall was where my friends and I hung out on break, after class or on the weekends- whether it be to eat some Chick-fil-A in the food court or walk around the variety of clothing stores and other shops. It served as a general meeting place when our friend group couldn't think of a different place to go; it was almost just an excuse to go there so we could hang out together.