Dorky videos from Scotland: Part I

11 Saturday Aug 2012

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Scotland was the first place I really started taking video, in part because Kat, my travel buddy, was really good about it and it reminded me to do it. But also because I never felt like I could really capture what I was seeing; video is slightly closer than a photo, but still not quite the same as being there. Excuse the utter nerdiness and unpolished quality of these vids. Needless to say, I will not be a YouTube sensation any time soon.

First video, taken across the street from our hostel in Glen Brittle, which we loved so dearly. You can hear Kat mention a rainbow, which will become a theme of the trip: spotting rainbows, photographing rainbows, wouldntitbecooliftherewerearainbowhere, etc. We heart rainbows.

This second video has symbolism that I think many of my close friends will appreciate. People who know me well know that I have a…er, reputation, for telling really…uh, let’s call them “compelling” stories that are incredibly detailed and then may or may not have any kind of resolution or point. They are known in some circles as Sara Button stories. My award in high school drama was Write It Down And Tell It At A Party award…you get the irony. 
As I was uploading this video, I realized the video itself quite parallels this theme. I had started taking it because the sheep appeared to be about to have some sort of rumble, sans finger snaps, so we watched with rapt attention. 
As you can see, nothing happened, and the sheep walked away. A lot like what happens in a Sara Button story. And then I found $20. 
This video (sorry for the bumpiness) is of our hike to the ruins of the MacAskill with Vlad, a Russian hiking buddy we picked up along the way. 

Stay tuned for more cinematic majesty, courtesy of Button Studios!

Temple of Poseidon at Sounio (mostly in photos)

10 Friday Aug 2012

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Greece is a maritime kind of place, and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion is one of the best examples of their enduring devotion to Poseidon, god of the sea. Built around the 440s BCE, the temple is of Doric order and only 15 of the original 42 columns stand today. As is the norm in Greek temples, a huge cult statue of Poseidon would sit in the naos (the worship area), where his gold-leafed, bronze-hearted self would chill. 

On the road to Cape Sounion, where Greeks buy snazzy vacation property
The ruins of the temple are nice, but the best part about it is really the setting. The drive from Athens to Sounio–if you take the scenic route, along the water–takes about 45 minutes or so. From the temple, located on the southernmost tip of the Attika peninsula, the views of the water are grand.
Lately(especially after my trip to Scotland) I’ve been realizing that, despite my desire to be a writer, some things just cannot be explained, especially certain levels of beauty, which is such a subjective thing anyway. So, as a picture is worth a thousand words, check out the photos I took on our little trip to Sounion. Hopefully they will suffice. 

The view’s not too shabby, eh?

Weeeee!

Supposedly Lord Byron, on his first Grand Tour to Greece, inscribed his name on the bottom of one of these columns. There’s not much evidence that it’s his real signature or anything, but it’s cool to know that these places really inspired incredible writers and legends like him. 

My First Photo Contest!

09 Thursday Aug 2012

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Awhile back I entered a photo contest on one of my favorite websites, Beers & Beans. I figured it’d just be a good chance for me to give something new a shot; I’m not really a photographer (although I wish I were a better one), but I do love basic editing in Picasa and trying to capture little moments around me when I can. So, I entered the contest with little expectations, other than to participate.

I got 2nd Runner Up! 

This is the photo that I posted, which I took during the 2010 Mermaid Parade on Coney Island in New York City. To this day it’s one of my favorite memories from my time in the Big Apple, and I had a hard time choosing among all the photos I had taken from that day.

Congrats to the winner, Pauline! (Her photo was actually my favorite when all the entries were posted…)

Turkey Dinner

08 Wednesday Aug 2012

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Tonight we had dinner at a Turkish mall. 

Let me explain. We’ve booked our lodging through Roomorama, and got a really cheap deal on a room in Istanbul with full use of an apartment that has wifi and laundry. The owner is in Hong Kong for the week, so we have the place to ourselves at least for a few days, until some other guests arrive. About $15 a night per person for our own apartment? Yes, please! 

The other advantage (mostly) is that we’re in a completely residential area of Istanbul, called Mecidiyiköy, which is a couple metro stops away from Taksim Square, on the European side of the city. I’m pretty sure we’re the only tourists around. Our street is rife with burger joints, grocery shops, and locals just doin’ their thang. 

There is also a huge mall, Profilo, about a block away. That’s where we ate dinner last night. 

Why the heck would you eat dinner in a mall in Istanbul? You might be thinking. Not a strange question, as I would probably ask the same myself to any other traveler telling me this story. For good reason! I reply. The locals directed us to it! And I kid you not. 



Like most travelers, Boris & I prefer not to eat in super touristy areas. Prices are better, and usually quality is higher, when you get out of the craziness of the tourist district in any city you’re in. Istanbul is no different. So, being in a normal neighborhood, we asked a lady on the street where she recommended to eat. In broken English, she told us the name of a place that was pretty cheap, and gestured directions. With the name in mind, we turned and went in search of this local eatery, wondering what it would be like.

We stopped a couple times and asked for directions of a group of men sitting in a little convenience store. They gave us a thumbs up when we asked whether this place was good, and proceeded to direct us to the food court of Profilo Mall. And so we went. 

We ate a two-course meal with Turkish apple tea at Otantik, which is a Turkish chain. The prices were good. The food was good. The waiter was nice. And again, we were the only tourists in the place. Apparently there are other locations in more trafficked parts of town, but we were hanging out in the mall in Istanbul for dinner. There was also a KFC in the food court. 

My Favorite 5: Things to Do in Scotland

07 Tuesday Aug 2012

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When I agreed to go a bit out of my way to hike in the Scottish Highlands, I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. Scotland was on my list of travel destinations, to be sure, and hiking in the Cuillins with a photojournalist sounded pretty good, despite the fact that we had never met in person before. Turns out, Scotland is one of the most breathtaking places I’ve been privileged to visit, in every sense of the word.

Oban

 Here are my favorite 5 things we did in Scotland:

View in Oban


Isle of Skye (#1-3): Kat, my travel companion, really wanted to head for the hills on this trip. She’s an avid hiker and has summited a jillion things. I was game to try to keep up as well as I could, and so we took an early morning bus to the Isle of Skye.

The Isle of Skye is in the Inner Hebrides, a series of islands off the western part of Scotland. It’s also home to some of the most striking landscapes I’ve ever seen: lush, rolling hills with patches of forest, waterfalls rushing down rocks and glimmering lakes in places you’d never expect. The highlights of our trip really took place here, with no frills except those provided by nature.

How the heck can anything be so beautiful!? 

Clouds drifting in above the Fairy Pools waterfalls

After our swim in the Fairy Pools. It was COLD.

1.       Glen Brittle: Not even a true village or town, Glen Brittle is where you want to position yourself if you ever go to the Isle of Skye. It’s along only one road, at the end of which is a campground and lake reaching into the sea. We stayed at the Glen Brittle Scottish Youth Hostel, which was located minutes away from trailheads leading to some of the coolest hikes I’ve ever been on. We swam in the Fairy Pools and made our way up a mountain to find a stunning lake. I think specific posts deserve dedication to what we did and saw there, so stay tuned for more on the jaw-dropping beauty of Glen Brittle. (And also, a post on how we got there…)

The Cuillin
2.       Driving through the Quiraing: One of the best things about travel happens to be meeting new people, and Kat & I sure did that. In our hostel at Portree, we were fortunate enough to meet Anna-Marie and Bas, whose plans to hike around Portree were foiled by bad weather. What luck that was for us, because the four of us ended up renting a car and driving around the island together for the day! Yes, I drove in the UK and didn’t crash/harm anyone/kill a sheep! It was quite thrilling, and one of the very cool, windy roads we went through was in the Quiraing, which is a landscape created by a series of landslides called the Trotternish Landslip, some of which still occur.
The Storr
3.       The Storr: part of the whole landslide-derived landscape, the Storr, which includes the famous Old Man of Storr, has alien-looking rock features that jut into the sky. There are sheep, too. 
Me at the Storr

4. Edinburgh Fringe Festival: Every August for most of the month, artists from all over the world descend on Edinburgh. The Royal Mile is clobbered by tourists, performers and locals just trying to get to their bus, and acts ranging from general street performers (you know, fire eaters, magic, balancing acts, guitar) to music to mime to dance to experimental theatre to whatever the heck one can qualify as “art.” Hundreds—yes, hundreds—of shows take place, many of which are free or very cheap. If you hate crowds and the risk of hit-or-miss performances, avoid Edinburgh at this time, as accommodation prices skyrocket, but if you’re interested in the quirky, thought-provoking or plain old funny, definitely check out the Fringe. (FYI: We stayed at a great hostel, Castle Rock. Highly recommend!)

5. London 2012 Olympics! We heard that tickets to soccer in Glasgow were cheap, sometimes even free, so we figured we’d break up the long bus ride from Skye back to Edinburgh with a stopover in Glasgow to catch some Olympic action. Although we didn’t get to see Team USA play that day (they were over in Newcastle or somesuch), we did get to see France defeat Sweden in a hard fought women’s quarter-final soccer match! Tickets were not as cheap as we had been promised, but when else was I going to go to the Olympics? 

Team USA during the Opening Ceremonies! We watched from a pub in Portree.

Why I loved traveling in Greece (and why you should try it sometime)

02 Thursday Aug 2012

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Port of Nafplio, Greece. See the couple having their wedding photos done? 🙂

By now, I’ve got a little more than a month in Greece under my belt. Now I can say that I’ve traveled it solo and accompanied, and both were majestic. If you didn’t realize that a lot is happening economically in Greece right now, you’ve probably been living under a remote rock somewhere. Their economic crisis and the political turmoil that is part of that has made an impact on tourism in Greece, too, which is a bummer when you think about the fact that last year, 16.5% of Greece’s GDP was based on tourism. So, here are a few things I’d like to share about my time in Greece, in case you’re having doubts about traveling there! 

I ordered an omelet for dinner one night and this is what I got! Whimsical!
The food. If you’re anything like me, you like to eat. A lot. Food is one of my favorite things, and I strongly believe that sharing food is a huge part of sharing in a community’s culture. Greece is no different, and lucky for us travelers, the food here is wonderful! Like seafood? No problem! Pretty much anywhere you go in Greece, the seafood is guaranteed to be fresh and pretty local. Vegetarian? Definitely no problem! Tons of salads and vegetable options grace tavern menus. Need gluten-free? Also not an issue, especially if you eat meat. Can’t really help you vegans out; pita is the shiznit, so you’re missing out. But again, the produce in Greece is incredible, and you won’t find better cherries anywhere. My favorite Greek foods are their traditional yogurt, horiatiki (which is basically what in America we call a “Greek salad:” olives, tomatoes, onions, and a HUGE chunk of feta to top it off), and biftekis gemistas, which are stuffed hamburgers without a bun, essentially. There are dozens of other incredible foods that I love there, but those are some standouts. Oh, and of course don’t forget to try the pita souvlaki! 
The transport. Getting around in Greece is quite easy, despite the fact that they don’t even have the same alphabet! The KTEL bus system goes almost everywhere you could want it to go, and since the national train service has been cut quite a bit, it’s a lot quicker generally to travel on the busses. We did take the train, and that was great, too, although it’s running less and now there are no international trains out of Greece (so don’t try to get on one bound for Turkey; you’ll be waiting for Godot for that one). Sometimes it’s tricky to find schedules on the KTEL website, because each region has its own site. Generally, hotel and hostel folks are very helpful in figuring these things out, though, so I never had a problem, even when I was traveling on my own. For tips on navigating from BusStation A to Bus Station B, check out my post! 
In Athens, at least, the metro is super easy to navigate, thanks to the 2004 Olympics. There’s a direct train from the airport into the center of the city, and you can buy a ticket that’s valid for both bus and metro, in case you need to transfer. Ferry travel is relatively easy to organize, although you might be advised to stick with a Greek travel agent for that. We were able to book our overnight ferry to Santorini no problem, but figuring out where to pick up the tickets caused some confusion. Greece still has jobs for travel agents, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding one in Piraeus or in the cities; they can book your ferry and accommodation, which is helpful because not all the ferry times are online. Overall, though, I found Greece super easy to get around in, even all by my non-Greek-speaking self.
The Acropolis at dusk
The sights. Greece truly has something for everyone. If your dream vacation is lying on a beach with a drink in your hand, go to the islands. You’ll see some of the world’s greatest beaches and most picturesque sunsets. Prefer something more outdoorsy, like hiking? That’s cool, try Olympus or hiking up to the monasteries in Meteora. If history is your cup of tea, then Greece is definitely one of the top places to be. The Acropolis (and essentially everything in Athens), ancient Olympia, Mycenae, Epidaurus, Rhodes, Crete, Santorini…all of these places have notable ruins and interesting histories, and that’s barely scratching the surface. 
These reasons are not the only ones I loved Greece, but they are some big ones. It’s helpful that the Greek people I encountered were, without exception, eager to help me have the best experience possible in their country; whether it was the locals advising Boris and me on where to eat dinner, or a periptero owner directing me to the bus stop, folks weren’t bothered by my lack of language skills, nor did I feel talked down to for being a tourist. Most Greeks speak English (many of them really well), but even if they don’t, a general eagerness to communicate exists. 
A final note about safety in Greece: last year, headlines were rampant in American newspapers featuring the riots in Syntagma Square and the protests happening in Athens. A lot of people were freaked out about this, especially us danger-wary Americans. The general rule of thumb when protests like that happen is to avoid the areas of the city where protests are happening and you’ll be fine. I had friends who were excavating in the middle of the city and had to go around the protest areas daily; they were fine. I had other friends who were working in the Peloponnese when things were going nuts; they were fine (if inconvenienced by transportation strikes). Just like anywhere else, if you avoid an active conflict, you should be fine. What I’m starting to learn is that America is actually a much more dangerous place compared to most European countries.
There’s my endorsement of traveling Greece. What are you waiting for!?