Islands

Hey all
Eric is home safe and soundly. The trip home was quite long, i left from santorini on sunday night and could not fall asleep on the boat, arriving in Athens at 6:00 in the morning i go to the hostel. My plane left at 6:20 in the morning on Tuesday so i didnt want to pay 16.50 for one night when i wasnt going to even stay the night. So they let me put my bag down and i walked around all day in Athens, from 6:00 to 11:00 pm and then took the bus to the airport. Slept a couple of hours there and then caught my plane ride. Overall between Saturday night and Tuesday night i had no good sleep and was zoned out beyond the point of insomnia. When i got home i could not sleep and layed awake for what felt like hours watching the cieling, perfectly content to not move one muscle in my body. Well i will see everyone soon and i cant wait to hear about everyones experiences.

Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 03:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This is a hard transition to go from the magically intense nature of Santorini to the dirtiness of Athens. Instead of seeing rugged cliffs, white stained churches, mediterrainian on ever side of you and hiking everywhere you look I see smog, motorcycles going 30 miles an hour on the sidewalk and construction every other block. Although i did get to go to the Acropolis museum this time around because last time it was closed because it want tourist season. I liked this museum as much as Iraklieo's which houses the vast majority of Mioan cultures objects. I learned alot about the history of the Acropolis that i had never heard before. It has been destroyed like 6 times and each time they they created new statues of pertinent signifigance for that time. So this museum had almost complete statues of someone fighting a hydra or of a lioness killing a bull. These things were larger than life and they're muscles looked so real and frozen in a constant state of flex. There was a big statue of posiedon holding his infamous lightning bolt.
Today is one of the first days in a long time that i have felt sleep deprived because i was on the ferry back to Athens last night and it was swaying pretty bad so i was stuck with my head down but not actully getting any sleep. Then i arrive at the hostel at about 6:00 in the morning and they say that i need some flimsy stupid looking internation hostelling card, my International youth travelers card wasn't good for them. So they said i could keep my bag there and now I have just been walking around Athens, seeing all the sights for one last time and then tonight I'll camp out at the airport untill 6:00 in the morning. So this will be one intense reflection in time to come. Well this internet is costing me quite a bit and i want to catch my last litlle bit of sunlight so i will go and the next time you here from me i will be in the comfort of my own home. Good luck to everyone and i cant wait to see and hear from you all in person again. Ciao!

Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 12:19 PM | Permalink

I just watched one of the most beautiful sunsets of my life. Here on Santorini with the sky ablaze in a fiery haze dropping behind the blanket of the ocean. But anyway, Kala Paska to all and a kristos anasti(happy easter and christ has risen). Easter here was unlike any celebration i have seen in my life, from friday to monday it felt like a war zone. People were firing guns, kids were throwing m-80's and fireworks going off all the time. On friday night there was a parade that marched through town that we joined in on and it ended back at the church. As everyone went in they kissed the casket and ducked under it to get in to the church. Once inside you feel completely enamored at the beauty of the architecture and the paintings, golden chandeleirs with images of Christ and the deciples. All the paintings are inspired by the midlle ages style of painting. All holy people have halo's around there head and the general color of the paintings is a shiny gold. When you enter there was an image of christ with images of the decipals around jesus and people kissed jesus then went to sit down. Except the guy in front of me kissed jesus and another saint so i was thinking that he may have been named after that saint because name days are extremely important here. On Saturday at midnight explosions could be heard all over the place, we had to watch out for people throwing fireworks and m-80's on the street because they wouldnt look untill they had it lit. Then on Sunday at 5 pm they lit an effigy or a stuffed doll on fire that was supposed to be Judas. It's hard to really imagine the importance of this day here because it means next to nothing in America. But it does stop the flow of commerce for a couple days and everyone goes to church then decides that it's time to party. I'm curious as to what the difference between Greek orthodox and the others sects is, but all the locals i have asked have never been able to give me a clear explanation. The best one i got was that Greece wanted to have it's own national religion as some sort of pride issue. Im running out of time so i must move on to something else. Santorini used to be a big volcano that exploded a couple thousand years ago, some people think that it could be the lost Atlantis. So the volcano is coming back out in the middle of the caldera and we went to walk along that. Very beautiful and barren, life has been stripped to the bone on this violent part of the earth. It's amazing to see the layers of earth here, the land goes from charcoal black rock to red clay and all different shades in between. After the volcano we went to a little island called thirasia that had a amazing cliffside town that has been untouched by tourism. I hope everyone had a happy easter and is getting ready for the big trip home. Good luck to all and enjoy it while it lasts.

Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

On friday night Ariella and i went to Irakleio to catch the ferry to Santorini. Pressed to the limit by the pressure of time to eat, run to the port, buy a ticket and board the ferry in one hour. Rushed to the bone we finally make it and get our seats on the ferry, thrilled to see another island with all it's magical qualities. So after we settle in and meat up with people that we knew from the Rethymno hostel from a couple of weeks before. Looking out the window, dazed and confused by the stagnant stale view of the city from the ships window we realize that it's 8:45 and the ship was supposed to leave 45 minutes ago. Then an announcement comes on saying that the ship might leave at 10:00 pm, which sounded reasonable to us because ofour incredible excitement about a new island surrounding. After a couple of card games and some journal writing 10:30 rolls around and we are still there while they now say that the ship will leave at midnight. By this time I'm getting a little tired of my anticipation being broken by an expectation that will come a couple of hours later. So to make a long story short the time changed from 3:00, 6:00, 8:00, 12:00, then finally 8:00pm the next day. None of us could stand being on that ship for 24 hours so we left at 12:00 pm the next day, got our money back and went back to Rethymno. So I think that maybe on Wednsday we will go to Santorini if the sun is shinig, sea is calm and the wind is quiet. Although i love the life i have set up for myself on Crete, the amazing people i have met and the beautiful scenery i have seen I have started getting the island itch that is telling me to leave and surround myself in the extravagance of a new life. I know that I will not be able to see everything on the island of Crete that i want to see but i fell complete and comfortable in where i have been, what i have learned and seen about Cretan life, it's history and the way they correlate together in daily life. The last thing that i must see in Crete is the ancient minoan ruin at Phaestos on the south coast of the island. It is a palace like the one at Knossos but unlike Knossos it was left the way it was found and not constructed how the excavator thought it would look like. So the earth may look like it is overtaking the ancient humanities creation it is truly original in it's immense history.
In Santorini I'm ecstatic about the whole trip but supposedly the ferry ride in is lovely because you can see all the volcanic layers of rock on the cliffside which can put the turbulent history of Santorini in context. On Santorini(Thira) we plan on camping on one of the numerous beaches that cover the island. There are two ancient sites at Thira and Akrotiri that I read about in my seminar book of my choice Unearthing Atlantis. These sites are two cities that have been incredibly preserved by the volcanic ash and are equipped with aquaducts, sewage systems, and frescoes. Most of the frescoes are now at the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira so i hope to visit that to. Santorini is not as big as Crete so i hope to cover most of the island. I will write more from the island of Santorini if the sun and wind gods permit me. Oh, one more thing April officialy starts the beginning of tourist season because all the prices of everything have gone up. So to the islands community good luck in your travels and happiness on your islands.
Ciao

Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 02:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

This week i discovered the beauty of numerous venetian fortress, the magnificent strength radiating from every brick. I love the way all these fortresses still carry the story of their creation along with them. Most of the history has lost it's base in reality and exists as a structure of myths. One fascinating story is attributed to the venetian fortress at Rethymno. In the middle ages and renaissance epochs the city was constantly ravaged by pirates every couple of years. The most notoriuos of the pirates was the famous Barbarossa who would come with a whole fleet of ships from Turkey and tear apart the town. So to prevent the city from being attacked they constructed this magnificent fortress on the side of the hill so that the city could see the ships from far off in the distance. While it was also used as a walled protection for the center of the city, now known as the old town. Even today you can see remnants of the concrete wall left as a reminder of the turbulent past. Besides the palace at knossos the venetian fortress are the main attratction for the history lovers. It fullfills the human interest in the raw ugly side of humanity that inevitably leads to war and destruction. To see the incredible time and effort put into a building used for the protection of a community. The lengths to wich humanity will go to feel secure in their lives. It's impossible to not enjoy the comfort in security that inspires creation. From fortresses, weapons, and barriered walls set up to protect yourself from the dangers of the unknown. Tomorrow i will be going to the southwest coast of the island to a little place called elafonissi. From what i have heard it is a white sand beach that is packed during the summer and empty in the winter or spring, so i hope to enjoy some sunny swimming on a white sand beach blessed by the silence of isolation. I think that at the end of this week i will take a ferry to Santorini and enjoy the life on an ancient volcano. In the past forty years they have uncovered about 20 buildings that were perfectly preserved by the volcanic eruption reminiscent of Pompeii. I know a couple of people who i have met on Crete that have found jobs on Santorini and i hope to meet up with them and go camping undr the starry night. For now i must go, but i will keep everyone informed of the beauty i see on my travels. Oh, the flowers are starting to come into bloom, beauty beyond imagination. Red, purple, and pink poppies covering the hillsides which leaves me in a state of amazement because every thing is rocky and rugged. You dont see how such a colorful flower can form out of such a jagged rock. Untill next time YEEASAS AND KALLINECHTA from the country of the west.

Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I finally got to see the Palace at Knossos which is the main attraction in Crete. I went with this girl who knows more about Cretan, Minoan, and Greek myths than anyone i have ever met. It made my trip incredibly enriching to be with someone who could be my own personal tour guide. It puts you in a state of bliss to walk on this palace that was built between 1900 and 1700 BC, you fall intoa haze and every step you take loses it's importance in the sands in time. Stairs lead to nowhere and rooms carry vibrations that penetrate your thoughts into deep personal stories of lives that understood Knossos as the center of civilization. Even in a state of ruin you feel as if your in a labrynth that grows from the ground. I'm so happy to be here in the off season because all the tourist sites are dead, so you feel a sense of isolation that leads to a closer connection with the sacred site. I have to go because someone is waiting impatiently for the only computer in the hostel but I'm doing good, enjoying history and good food.

Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 02:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

In the life of the traveler it is the subtle differences that stick out in the mind. That make you realize that home is another world, far away from where you are. I have been camping around the island, mainly on the south coast, which is beautiful beyond description. Sleeping on a remote beach listening to the waves crash against rocks back and forth with the motion of time. The smell of burning olive branches tickles my senses with an ecstatic pleasure because this smell is totally new. A description of this sense does no justice to the actual experience of immersion in it. When you are hiking around Crete you get the sense that this is not earth, that maybe this terrain is from Star wars or the flinstones. So emotionless in it's age but so eeffected by the destuction and creation of time.
The history of Greece is all around you here yet the designated tourist areas are closed beacuse tourism is almost non existant in the winter. Yiou get the feeling that tourism is the main reason for the preservation of most of these site. But no one is bothered enough to go see the fortress or the ruins unless youre a tourist in the process of sightseeing. It's very hard as a foriegner to understand that most locals do not care about this treasured piece of history beacuse it means so much to me. But if you actully look, you see history around every corner that has just been incorporatedd into the everyday life of society.
I have one issue with what i have seen in Greece. People litter everywhere, it doesnt matter if it's beer cans , spray paint, paper, plastic, metal, or food. Even in the most remote spots you'll find trash tahts been there anywhere from one day to one hundred years. Its a universal problem that humans waste far exceeds their cleanliness but in Greece no one will pick it up, and for me it's hard to believe. But even human waste cannot destroy the beuaty of this place with it's untouchable aroma of history.

Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 09:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I finally have time to write a proper blog without a class coming into the computer lab. I have been using the internet for free at the university in Rethymno, which is a buetiful campus by the way. It's up in the hills and you look out over this expansive view of the mediterrainian. On hazy days you cant tell where the sky ends and the water begins. Mountians to your left and right with palm trees blowing in the wind. I found an apartment in the old town of Rethymno that costs 300 euros a month but i split the pay with my roomate at 150 each. Our balcony has a buetiful view of the fortress, especially at sunset when the colors of the sky silouhette the fortress in a beautiful mix of nature and humanity. About two days ago 5 of us rented a car for the day and this was my first chance to get to see beyond the city limits of the island. The nature here is breathtaking beyond belief, it could bring a grown man to tears. Mountains, cliffs, ravines, gorges, platues, desert, and beaches can be seen within an hours drive. You see goats roaming the sides of these cliffs that a human would unmistakeably fall off of. When we drove through little towns in the hills we would yell kallisperra(good morning) to the local people on the side of the road. Everyone recieved with bright smiles that overwhelmed us with joy. These roads here are very dangerous, the main road is about one and a half lanes wide and they are built on the edge of cliffs that look as if the ground can go out any minute. One of the strangest things i ever seen was when we were driving on the south coast near a town named plakias we see about 60 sheep just stampedeing down the street. There was no sheep herder or dog around, they just freely ran. So i hung out the window of the car and took some pictures of them, it was funny how unimportant our presence was during there little mission. It didnt matter that we were driving, they would swerve across the road from one side to another, over and over, we followed them for about half an hour before we finally squeezed our way through them. That was probably the most interesting experience i have had on this island. I have so many that if i was to explain everything my words would jumble together and fall apart losing the meaning and my intention in one big mess. One last thing, my last two posts were very short because a class came in to use the computer lab both times, right as i was sitting down to write. Oh I think this weekend we will rent a car and travel down to Irakleio to see the palace of Knossos and the Archeological museum. I hope everyone is enjoying their travels around the world.

Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I dont know where to start about my experiences here in Crete. I'am sharing an apartment with a girl i met from the Rethymno youth hostel. It is a buetiful place with a balcony that has a perfect view of the venetian fortress. Every morning i wake up refreshing my mind in the historic bueaty of the old town. N

Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 09:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Life on Crete has been excellent, every day an adventure that grows minute by minute. Believe it or not i now have an amazing apartment that costs 150 euro a month. I got to go a class is coming into the room. But i will write more tomorow.

Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hello islands community. A lot of stuff has happened to me this past week. I left Athens on the ferry and docked in at Hania at 11:45 pm. I met this very interesti9ng man from Norway who owned his own business and gets to travel the world. He was very nice but thats besides the point. I found a cheap hostel to stay at in Rethymno so i took a bus from Hania to Rethymno and thats where I'm writing you from. It cost 42 euro to stay for a week and i get hot showers with breakfast everyday. There have been a lot of parties these past two days, everyone is celebrating Carnival which are pre- lenten celebrations. Yesterday there was a parade in Rethymno where people dressed up in any sort of costume and walked down the main street. oNE OF THE STRANGEST THINGS I SAW WAS a float that had a p[aper mache rabbit being pulled out of a hat but the rabbit was falling apart and it looked like he was hanging from a nuece. The closest thing i can compare this to is a halloween celebration mixed with the festivities of fourth of july. Besides that everything has been pretty quiet, i have been hanging out with the manager of the hostel whose name is Brendan, very nice guy who is originally from Britian. At this hostel i am the youngest one here by far, everyone else is at least 25 to 40 years old. But they are very nice people. I wanted to write earlier right when i got to Crete but the interent cafe i kept trying would not work. I would go in and try to get on internet but it never found any webpage, not google or evergreen or anything. So now i searched a little harder and found this place. One thing i have noticed is that history is everywhere, you cant go out without seeing some historical peice of architecture. It's not necesarily a building of any signifigance but they could be from Byzantine era or Venetian era which is between 600 and 1000 years old. The designated historical sites seem to be from the Roman, Greek and Minoan era's. When looking at these old buildings you start to forget that these rocks and been placed there with human intervention because nature is starting to overtake them. Grass, weeds, and dirt are deciding that they want these historical places back. I still have not got to go to the palace at Knossos or the Iraklieo archeological museums but that is where i plan to go next. Everyone has been telling me not to spend to much time in Iraklieo because the hotel chains have overtaken it and there is mass construction going on. But you never know untill you see it. I'am limited to an hour here so i must go but i will check in a gain when i find out my next step. Right now I'm doing excelent. Peace and good luck to everyone.

Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 05:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

OK I just tried to upload an image and it erased everything i had. So reminder to everyone out there, either upload the image first or save your work before hand. I dont feel like typing anymore so I'll keep it simple. Ariella and i flew out here together, it was great. I'am staying at the Hotel Adonis in Athens for the next two days. I'm here and safe, enjoying myself. It snowed in Athens yesterday so the flight in was beutiful. Blue sky, warm air, ancient ruin and thin layer of snow on the ground. I wish everone the best of luck and keep checking in to the worldwide islands community.

Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 01:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Continue reading "drawing" »

Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 07:55 PM | Permalink

MAGNIFICENT MIGRATIONAL SPECIES

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Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 07:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

view of the abyss.

Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 06:59 PM | Permalink

Here i go again on my own, goin down the only road i ever know. Today i learn, today.

Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 06:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today, a day of fact and fiction blinking back and forth to the wild eyes of chance. Anyway you should choose will only effect the path of recognition to that point. Subjugated to death is the lonely soul who attracts no judgement but his own. Dark lies instintcly call out troubled waters brought out by turbulence, sense or absense.

Posted by Eric McLaughlin at 06:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)