A is for All things Athens

Well friends. I shall catch you up. If you have been following Facebook, you'll know the juicy bit comes at the end of this blog. If you haven't been following, it's not juicy enough to skip to the end. Let's move forward word by single word together! 

So! I left Thessaloniki about a week or so ago and trained off to Mount Olympus. Three Germans from my hostel and Mr. Hare also accompanied me. It wasn't the nicest of days but we managed to make it halfway up route E4 before deciding to turn around. I can see why the ancient Greeks claimed this place to be the house of the gods. The mountain range rises majestically out off the grassy plateau that eases into the sea. The mountains are mostly exposed stone and have that imposing solemn strength that mountains tend to have. We hiked along a glacier fed section of rapids through forest and rock to a stunning lookout. There we scampered slightly off trail to take our pictures from on top of the world. This is where the weather decided to get a bit feistier. Perhaps Zeus was displeased with our presence? Haha. We turned back and I'm glad we did. When we arrived back in town we looked back to see dark raining clouds descend on where we had just been. 

In the small town of Litochoro, I bid my friends goodbye and set off for Athens. Thanks to a stellar ticket lady I even managed to switch my ticket to an earlier one and made it to Athens by 10:30pm. My hostel wasn't far from the train station and I only counted 8 policemen during my 10 minute walk there. 

My first day in Athens was spent wandering with a couple people from my hostel. We went on a self guided walking tour using the one guys guide book. It was a great time to get myself settled and aquainted with the city. I quickly moved on to other lodging however. My friend from the hostel in Istanbul had a spare room for me. It felt like home and I am very grateful to him and his roommates for allowing me to stay with them. 

The next few days are a blur. I usually left the house around 11am and returned around 8pm. I saw every single ruin in Athens. Or maybe it just felt that way. Naturally the Acropolis was the most impressive. The view from up there is stunning and the Parthenon is imposing. It was also under repair which was cool and distracting at the same time.

After about 5 days in Athens I decided to take off to Crete to relax on a beach and try out couch surfing. ("Oh goody", I can hear you say, "here comes the drama!" Here it comes indeed) 

First, I think I picked the wrong island. After 9 hours on the ferry I arrived to predominantly rock beaches and overcast weather. "No matter" I told myself, "it's a huge island and I am headed an hour away from here to a tiny resort town. Surely it will be better." False. 

I arrived to an unsurprising lack of a couch surfing host. I had forgotten to message him to say I arrived while I was still at the port. Again I said "No matter. It's a resort town. They will have wifi". False. It was a Sunday morning during the winter season. After 30 minutes of searching I found wifi and connected with my host. He arrived 30 minutes after that. 

Now my friends, I have always said trust your spidey senses. I have not found a better method for keeping myself out of trouble to date. When my host arrived, I will admit my senses tingled but I thought it was just the natural awareness that comes from being in a strange place with a stranger. He was very nice and welcomed me warmly. Besides, he had a flawless set of recommendations on couch surfing. I felt I had done my research. We grabbed fresh orange juice at a barely open cafe and headed off to see where I would be crashing. 

His place is a ramshackle hotel that has an adorable charm. I had an entire suite, complete with jacuzzi, to myself. Stellar. I definitely thought I hit the jack pot. He made me brunch. Delicious. We went to see the local historical cave where during the war with the Turks the villagers seeking refuge there were betrayed for money and burned alive. Dark. Definitely. Historical. No doubt. Beautiful mountain. Absolutely. Good host. I'd say yes. At this point. 

When we returned to his place it got strange ish. He quickly poured us drinks despite my insistence that I don't drink and despite the fact that it was 11am. We played cards and when he noticed I wasn't drinking Raki, he brought me two 2 litre bottles of homemade wine. I was uncomfortable but able to ignore my drinks under the pretense of playing cards. I eventually begged out claiming to be tired from my ferry ride and grabbed a long nap. When I came back down it was time for supper. Naturally paid for by him, at a restaurant, with multiple shots, and multiple glasses of wine. I got really good at saying "no I don't drink" and he got really persistent with "you're on vacation you must!"

The ride home was when I started seriously figuring out my exit strategy. He plied me with compliments, promises of more drinks and insisted in a half joking manner that we have a full moon party. Just the two of us.

No thank you. 

Wits and politeness about me I fended of all comments as jokes and only really got snippy 2 or 3 times. By 11pm I had had enough. I claimed to be tired and barricaded, literally, myself in my room. The night passed uneventfully. I slept fitfully. Exit strategy always in my mind. Never have I been so thankful for the little amount of self defense I know. 

Now I know what you are thinking "Julia, why didn't you just leave and stay somewhere else?" Believe me I wanted to. But the thing about tiny resort towns in Greece in the winter is that no one lives there. And nothing is open. 

In the morning I was off. I 100% needed to see a museum in Heraklion (the port city an hour away) and I 100% needed to be back in Athens to visit a friend. I don't like to lie to people but in this situation I sure did. No regrets. 

By noon I was on the bus putting kilometre after beautiful kilometre between us. I arrived safely in Heraklion. Bought a ticket and hunkered down to wait til the 9pm departure. 

Now I should give my host a bit of a defense here. By no means is what he did or how he made me feel excusable. But I do believe that cultural differences and a slight language barrier didn't help the situation. In the morning before I left, he apologized if he made me uncomfortable. He stated he was making jokes and he realized I might not have understood. He offered to host me again any time, he said he would pay for me to visit from Athens in the next few days or even buy me a ticket to Santorini. I think his heart was mostly pure. But I still believe he would have preferred a drunker and wilder encounter with me than he got. 

I am incredibly thankful that I came out of that situation so cleanly. Thanks to 25 years of non drinking to keep me sober and alert. Thanks to Brenna for going all Momma Bear and ensuring she knew where I was. Thanks to jail for teaching me "pie plates to the beach", it amused me to think that phrase and settled me to remember that I am strong. Thanks to a year in New Zealand full of meeting wonderful people randomly to remind me that people are mostly good. And thanks to God for keeping a careful eye on me the whole time. 

Now I'm back in Athens. I'll be staying with my incredible host and his roomies again. Tomorrow I'm moving on. I've decided that winter is no time to see the Greek islands and my time is better spent adventuring through the western mainland. I'll likely even make it to Italy early now. That's sweet by me. 

Now you are up to date. I can't say it enough -- I love you guys. I missed you all dearly in the last day. I'm very excited to continue traveling but I'm also just a touch more grateful for the pure awesome I will return home to in June. 

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Greekings!

Greekings everyone! 

Yes my friends, I have made it to the land of the Greeks. My bus trip from Sofia to Thessaloniki was comfortable and relatively quick. I arrived at the train station (apparently train stations are also for buses in Eastern Europe...?) which was really nice for me as my city bus to my hostel left from the train station but not the bus station. Thus, I saved myself some valuable time that I spent lounging in my crazy cute and comfy hostel. My hostel Little Big House is situated up on the hillside of Thessaloniki just above the new town line and just below the old city walls. It's a great location because it's within walking distance of everything but it's in a cosy residential section so it's quiet. 

I was greeted by possibly the happiest person on the planet, Vicky the hostel owner. I was given a map and a cup of tea, shown to my room, and then left to my own devices. I won't lie to you. I wasn't overly excited about my stop in Thessaloniki. I really didn't know what to expect and I was anxious to get moving to Mount Olympus. But! As seems to be my style, I liked what I heard about the city and promptly decided to stay for an extra night. 

My first day here I made friends with a group of camping Germans who had forsaken the surprisingly frozen mountains for warmer and more urban adventures. We snagged two Dutch boys on the way out of the hostel and headed out into the city. We went wandering the university campus and ended up at a Greek underground hip hop club. We didn't understand a word but we all recognized the passion and talent of the rappers performing. After we had our fill of music, we searched out some tasty midnight snacks to fill our stomachs and wandered the city.

I, the only non drinker, was quickly declared the tour guide and put to work. Who knew that I knew so much about Thessaloniki?! Certainly not me. But that didn't stop me from regailing my new found German and Dutch friends with tales of fantastically dressed drunk monks, terrible prisons, an accidentally drowned bride to be and inukshuks. I can confidently say I had no one fooled and it was all complete nonsense. Except for the inukshuks part. That I actually knew. 

Today we slept in as we only got to bed around 4:30am last night. Around 1:30pm we set off to learn more about the Byzantine culture of the area. The museum we visited was nice. I enjoyed it even though we were a bit rushed. The museum closed at 3 and we arrived at 2. The Byzantines have had a large impact on the countries of Eastern Europe and an especially large impact in the Balkan region. 

This was made even more clear when at 4 we joined a free walking tour arranged for us by our hostel host. Our guide was perhaps the most historically knowledgable man I have ever met. (Sorry David, he might out knowledge even you!) He showered us in history and when we were soaked he rinsed us off with a little more. The general overview is this: Thessaloniki has been occupied and liberated about 4 times. In nearly every instance there was a significant amount of death and destruction of property, yet reminents of each era remain. Thus the city is a diverse mix of people groups with centuries of history and a diverse collection of buildings and architectures. It makes for a crazy labirynth of streets and shops where the most significant landmarks are shambling ruins from thousands of years ago. 

I will share a couple brief segments of the tour that caught my attention. The first story is of chariot racing. There was once a very popular racer who was banned from racing in a tournament in Thessaloniki by the head guard at the venue. The people were so outraged by this ban that they murdered the guard. The emperor, who it turns out was very good friends with the slain guard, responded quickly. He invited the people to a special racing event. When everyone arrived, he had the doors of the venue sealed and all 7,000 men, women, and children killed. He later confessed and repented of this atrocity to a priest who denied him entry to the church because of his grievous sin. 

The second story is of Saint Paul. Those of us with Christian backgrounds know that Paul came to Thessaloniki and preached here. Today I stood in a monastery where he is said to have once stayed and looked across the sprawling city to the church where it is said that he hid away and enjoyed his last view of the city before he fled an imminent stoning. Thessalonians are sometimes referred to as "Paul Cursed" because Paul shamed them in one of his letters for threatening to kill him. 

The last bit I found interesting was about the architecture in the area of the city where my hostel is situated. As my guide put it, the modern Thessalonians had no respect for their history and were tearing down old and historical buildings with no regard to their cultural values. Thus in, I think..., the 1940's a law was passed that made it illegal to tear down the existing buildings. It also required that any new buildings constructed follow the arichtectural style of the neighbourhood. And also that the new buildings not be more than three stories high. These laws are still in effect today. Unfortunately, due to economic problems many people cannot afford to maintain these old homes and keep them up to code. So they abandon them and wait for nature to take it's course. Once the building collapses of it's own free will, they are able to clear the lot and use it for whatever they may choose. Until the economy rebounds, this neighbourhood will likely become slowly more abandoned. It's a real shame as the area is lovely, the view is stunning, and the people are being displaced from family properties. 

The Crisis, as the bankruptcy of Greece is being termed, is something I know very little about. In fact I actually feel slightly uncomfortable in claiming the previous sentence to be totally correct. I can say though that the crisis has had a large impact on Greece and this student city. There is graffiti everywhere, there have been small riots, and the police are making their presence known. When I planned this trip I knew that Greece was not in the best shape, but being me I didn't do any research into what that meant. Now that I am here I am sure I will learn what the crisis really is and how it is effecting the Greek people. Walking around there are many abandoned businesses and the amount of graffiti is truly stunning. I have yet to see a building that hasn't been marred by spray paint. But there is hope. Some of the graffiti is beautiful. There are still many open and, I think, thriving businesses. And the people, as frustrated as they may be, still smile as they walk down the street. I am already taken with this country and I wish good things for it in the future. If 300: The Rise of an Empire taught me anything, it is that the Greeks do not give up. 

Tomorrow I hope to channel that Greek tenacity as I will be hiking a section of Mount Olympus. Two lovely German girls from the hostel will be joining me. After the hike I'll be heading to Athens where I hope to meet up with a friend I made in my hostel in Istanbul. There's even a chance he will have a spare room for me to crash in. 

Life is good my friends. Xoxo

Sofia, my love, you are beautiful.

On my last night in Istanbul Mr. Hare took me out to a lovely dinner at our favourite Turkish restaurant, Medina. Mr. Hare is a handmade stuffed rabbit who has a thirst for world travel and has kindly agreed to traverse with me across Europe. We had 22 Turkish Lev to spend on dinner and we feasted. On a previous visit to Medina we made friends with staff and management and they made sure that our last visit was a good one.

After dinner it was off to the train station to catch a bus. Yes you read that right. Our bus departed at 10pm. We met up with our train around midnight and happily transferred to our couchette for the rest of the journey. We had been led to believe that we would arrive in Sofia, Bulgaria at either 10am or 12:30pm. In fact we arrived at 4:30pm. Wiley, a Canadian I met in Sochi while ticket hunting for the gold medal hockey game, met us at the Sofia train station and our Bulgaria adventures began. 

Wiley is living in Bulgaria and coaching hockey with Hockey Without Borders. Through him we acquired accommodation. On my first night in Sofia, Wiley and I went on an intellectual and cultural pubcrawl. We visited 4 different culturally significant local watering holes. Our guides graced us with information about each location. The coolest part for me was how hidden and treasured these bars are. Two of the four were tucked away so discretely that it actually appeared you were entering someone's home rather than a bar. My favourite stop was called The Apartment. It is actually an old apartment that has been turned into an artist hangout where drinks are also served. You can go to this "bar" and play instruments with your friends, premier homemade movies, play card games, read books, and discuss events. It is purposefully kept a secret to preserve the intention of the gathering area. 

Before I continue with my blog about my Sofia adventures, I would like to take a brief moment to clarify my new relationship with alcohol. As many of you reading know, until a few days before I left Canada I had never drank alcohol. This decision was my own and very multifaceted. I was and am still proud of those 25 years of sobriety. I decided to begin consuming alcohol so that I could experience all the cultures I encountered in Europe fully and with the knowledge that I was not putting myself into danger. Since I have been traveling I have tried beers, a few wines, some vodka and some local alcohols. I want to be very clear. I do not get drunk. I am surprised if I can finish a whole beer. I have found that I do not enjoy the taste of alcohol. Even more than that, I greatly dislike how alcohol makes me feel. I am an extreme lightweight. Half a beer and I start to feel sick to my stomach, I get a headache, and I get dizzy. I have found that I am actually less fun and social if I am drinking. Therefore, it is my new and informed choice to stay relatively clear of alcohol as I travel. I will still remain open to experiencing cultural traditions that I encounter but alcohol will play as minimal a role as possible. Thanks for listening. It is important to me that I am not misrepresenting myself. 

My second day in Sofia sparked my love affair with this city. Wiley and I went on a historical tour and a food tour of the city. Both tours (and the pubcrawl) are run by Free Sofia Tours. They are exceptionally well done and due to them I saw the beauty of Sofia. Please take a look at my Facebook for pictures and history of what we saw. 

Our next day was filled with more walking, more museums and churchs and history. I loved every minute. Those pics will hopefully be going up soon. 

Throughout my stay here I have also endulged in local cuisine. Bulgarians make extremely tasty food. Highlights for my have been the desserts and cheeses. I knew I liked cheese before this place. Now I know I love cheese. And Bulgarians make the best cheese I have ever tasted in my life. I said I would miss the Сырок in Russia, I think I will miss the cheese of Bulgaria even more. 

Today Wiley and I went to Plovdiv, another Bulgarian city. We took the Free Plovdiv Tour and were equally informed and impressed by it. Plovdiv is older than Sofia and for me it's almost as beautiful. True we had some rain today which always puts a damper on sight seeing but I think even on a sunny day Sofia would shine more. 

I have picked up a couple Bulgaria souvenirs so far. My first purchase was a game I was introduced to on the pubcrawl. It's called Jungle Speed and it's awesome. I can't wait to introduce it to people as I travel. Along with Dutch Blitz naturally. My second purchase was made today. I bought a delicious rose water perfume. Bulgaria is famous for its rose water. This perfume will make me famous in Saskatoon for smelling good. 

So we are nearly home from Plovdiv. I have been writing this as we drive. Bulgarians drive like mad men and writing this has kept me distracted from imminent death. Tonight, should I survive the rest of this ride, will likely be spent in more research. Wiley and I saw Pompeii the other night to prep me for my first stop in Italy. Tonight we will probably see 300: Rise of the Empire in preparation for Greece. 

Ok. We are home. Snuggles from Bulgaria.

Trying Something New

This is going to be a baby blog. Just a little tiny one to test the new app I've discovered. I did a quick search on apps for Blogger and it turns out that there indeed is an app for that. 

Today was another eventful day. We were up and at 'em around 10am for breakfast. The hostel provides a tasty breakfast of bread, cheese, sour cherry jam, butter, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, a boiled egg and tea or coffee. It's not what I'm used to in either Canada or Russia. During the Olympics we ate tiny crepés and yogurt, in Canada it's a sausage and egg breakfast sandwich on a biscuit from Tim's. Anyway! We ate and were off to the Basilica Cistern. We were supposed to meet our new Anerican friends but missed them by about 10 minutes. The Basilica was stunning. It's basically just a huge cave with pillars and water. Oh and mood lighting. The coolest part for me was the Medusa heads that are in the back corner. One is upside down (so naturally we shared a Spiderman kiss) and the other is placed sideways. There are a couple myths surrounding why the heads are there but no one really knows for sure. I think the mystery adds to the allure. 

After the Basilica we went to Hagia Sofia. Neither Polina nor I knew anything about it so we bought the audio guide. Man do they ever give you a lot of information. The building was far more impressive on the inside and the history of the building was far more impressive than I expected. If I understand correctly, it's been torn down, modified, burned, added to, remodelled, changed from Christian church, to school, to mosque, to museum, and more. I had two favourite spots. One on each floor of the building. On the main floor I enjoyed the Wishing Column. Legend states a few things about this column. First an angel was supposed to protect it and the tools used to build the structure at some point. Then a saint or prophet was buried inside of it. Then some other dude blessed it. And at some point someone also stuck their thumb in it, swivelled their wrist around and in doing rotated the whole building so that it faced the correct direction. Now it is believed if you stick your thumb in and swivel your wish will come true. I stuck and swivelled but forgot to wish... Oops. My second favourite spot was on the second floor. There was once a sarcophagus in one corner containing the remains of a leader of the 4th Crusade. One time when Istanbul was seized the conquers entered Hagia Sofia, saw this sarcophagus, got mad and threw his remains out the window. I found that terribly amusing. 

Right. This is shaping up to be more extensive than I thought. Time to wrap it up...

After Hagia Sofia we went for a delicious lunch were we finally caught up with the boys. It was nice to just sit and chat. They work for the US Organizing Committee for the Olympics and such so we chatted about our experiences in Sochi. They too had a wonderful time. We decided that Sochi (and perhaps Russia) operated in a chaos til start kinda way. Everything seemed to be up in the air but when it came to go time everything went mostly smoothly. 

We went with the boys to Blue Mosque which was stunning on both the inside and out. The super low chandeliers made me feel really tall. The enormity of the structure made me feel quite small. The amount of work that went into that building shows a tenacity of people that I am not sure exists anymore. 

Our stroll out of the Blue Mosque took us to Topkapi Palace but alas it was closed. Here we parted with the guys and carried on to another early closing museum which we went able to view. But! We knew the Grand Bazaar was open and nearby. Our trusty feet got us there and through the labirynth of shops. I haggled for a scarf with a shop keeper who was the most friendly and happily rude man I've ever met. We left satisfied in my purchase but unsure if we should be insulted or amused by the conversation. 

Returning to the hostel we acquired new friends who accompanied us out to a extremely delicious and cultural meal. Our food came out in a flaming clay jar that was broken very percisely. The chef even threw the flames down the street. The experience alone was worth what we paid and the tasty food seemed like a bonus. More friends arrived and dessert called to me. I had a chocolate banana crepé that I will dream of tonight. Then it was a tiny stroll, more lounging, and back home to bed. 

Now I'm writing a no longer baby blog to you and wishing I was sleeping. Luckily I've run out of things to stay and sleep I shall. 

Here's to you! Now let me get some sleep. 

Love, love, love. 

Playing Catch Up

Hey everyone,

Well I've suffered through and am happy to report that it only took 25 minutes for my computer to open Mozilla and then open this lovely website so that I could share with you. I'm counting that as a serious win. I do want to apologize for the space between blogs. It's a fight worth fighting and I'll do battle more frequently on your behalf.

Let me attempt to catch you up.

Weeks ago I was in the throws of the Olympic experience. Work in the village was standard and I started making friends with the athletes. It continued to amaze me how they could be so normal and yet so elite. I guess people are really just people when it comes down to it. The Canadian bobsled team was one of the first groups that I met. There I was just minding my own business by nosily saying hello to every person who walked by and demanding to see their accreditation as they entered the cafeteria when I look up from one ID to none other than Graeme Rinholm. Now. I'll have you know this is a big deal. Graeme graduated from my high school just a year or two before me and actually conducted my application interview. Mouth agape I said "Oh my goodness! It's Graeme!". To which he replied, "Yup" and kept walking. I yelled after him, "It's Julia! From RJC!". He looked confused and grabbed a food tray. I'll have you know I was shocked. How dare he just saunter by like that. He should have at least feigned interest in my unexpected appearance in Russia, in Sochi, at the Olympics, in the athlete's village, in the athlete's dining hall, at the exact moment he was. But no. Alas! He didn't remember me. Oh well, it happens. 10 minutes later he came back and apologized. He said I looked familiar but he hadn't been able to place me. We shared a good laugh and I met the bobsled teams. Graeme was attending the Olympics as an alternate athlete. Due to the crash during the Games, he was actually able to race. I am incredibly proud of his accomplishment. And I thank him for making the Games that much more memorable and special for me.

Naturally the Canadians weren't the only ones I met. The Jamaician bobsled team was true to expectations and hilarious. The Brits had the most adorable and kind skeleton racer. The Irish were a feisty lot. Australia brought me a lovely lady who reminded me a lot of Patrice. The Brazilians promised to look for me in Rio. The French enjoyed my attempts at speaking French. The Latvians brought a man with the most piercing blue eyes (I never did get the courage to tell him they were stunning). I could go on and on. Everyone was friendly and happy.

Outside of work, our little international clan was growing closer and beginning to incorporate more and more Russians. When we first arrived, I will admit that we English speakers clung together a little bit. But by the end of the games, we were just as likely to sit with Russian friends as international ones. Our work and village brought us together out of sheer situation but the Olympic spirit of cooperation and friendship made us connect on a personal level. Language barriers couldn't stop us. Indeed they often provided us laughter and made our conversations that much more meaningful in the first few weeks. As the Games progressed our Russian counterparts became more confident in their English and us internationals began to adopt more Russian. We also had opportunities to just hangout with each other. As I previously wrote, the Russians quickly took to Dutch Blitz and our friendship circle expanded that way. Most of the people that we worked with also lived in the village of Vesoloye so we saw each other at meals and often ventured out to buy sweets together. The olympic organization also gifted volunteers free tickets through out the Games to events that didn't sell out. I had the pleasure to go watch Alpine Skiing with Oksana. I really enjoyed that one on one connection time.

Speaking of events -- I attended the Snowboard Slope-style competition the day before the Games officially started and also the Apline Ski near the end of the Games. Most importanty/excitingly/extensively/Canadianly I was able to attend 4 Canadian Olympic hockey games. I watched Canada vs. Finland (which I had purchased tickets for). I watched Canada vs Austria due to my most wonderful friend Chad. I watched Canada vs Latvia due to a generous Russian man who gave me a free ticket. And... drum roll please... I watched the Canada vs Sweden GOLD MEDAL GAME! I jokingly stated in one of my interviews that I was a good luck charm for Canada. Well it's less joke and more reality. I have empirical proof people. I purchased my Canada Gold Medal Game ticket and rushed off to get my camera. Naturally my nature and the nature of Russia colluded and I arrived at the game late. I shimmied into my seat, turned to my friend and asked "How are we doing?". "It doesn't look good," he replied, "We are getting dominated". "Don't fear, momma's here" I responded. Three minutes later we had our first goal and there was no doubt who was going to come out on top. So. You're welcome Canada. :)

What else should I tell you!? These blogs are so much easier if you write as you go. This experience has been an incredible vivid blur. I guess this also leaves some mystery for you folks back home. Haha. You'll still have to ask me about my trip.

I guess I'll just talk about now. Right now I'm sitting in Istanbul. I arrived late last night and got to my hostel with little trouble.The city is stunning. If you ever decide to come to Istanbul, stay at the Istanbul Hostel and follow their directions on how to get to there. Also, arrive around sunset. I got off the metro around 9pm. It was dark except for the Agia Sofia lit up on my left and the Blue Mosque shinning on my right. It was overwhelming. As you might have guessed, the hostel is in an incredibly central location. I am blocks away from Blue Mosque, Agia Sofia and the Basilica Cistern is only one block further.

Polina arrived safely last night and we spent most of today walking around. We toured Topkapi Palace and the Istanbul Archaeology Museums. The palace was huge which I suppose is to be expected. It was opulent and yet comfortable. Don't worry, I'll have pics up (hopefully) soon. Then we had a scrumptious lunch at a stunning cafe near the palace. So many veggies. I missed those over the last month. After lunch we sauntered back to the hostel to grab an extra layer and then headed out to the Spice Market. It wasn't nearly as crazy as I expected but I loved every second. We even got to eat some free samples. Tasty. Even tastier were the mini donuts we found and devoured. Note to Canada; ground pistachios on mini donuts is a thing. It's a very good thing. Fat camp continued -- Oh! I should tell you about Fat Camp. Side bar Your Honour this is important. During the Olympics we walked insane amounts. Up hills, down hills, around hill, thru hills. We climbed sets of stairs like it weren't no thang. But it was. Cause no matter how you step it 900 stairs in a row is a lot. Hence, we lovingly refer to the walking aspect of our experience as Fat Camp. So! Fat Camp continued for Polina and I today as I'm fairly certain we walked over 25kms up hills, down hill, around hills, and thru hills. And we encountered some stairs. Haha. It was great. (Freedom friends, I might actually come back relatively in shape). Our stair count was some what diminished when decided to skip the Galata Tower due to cost. Though it may have had an elevator... In any case we still walked to it.

I'm trying to think of a witty way to sign off but it's simply not coming to me. I think tonight I'll just say good night and sweet dreams.

Sleepily yours,
Julia

This is surreal.

As I type this, I am sitting in the volunteer village cafeteria with roughly 100 Russian and international volunteers watching the Biathalon. Cheers erupt every time a Russian athlete appears on screen. I literally stopped typing for a few minutes just now because the room was full of cheers urging a Russian athlete to cross the finish line in first place. He missed it by 4 seconds or so. The room groaned with disappointment. Not to worry though. There are multiple other Russian athletes to urge forth. Every time cheering erupts I catch myself thinking it's odd. Why is everyone cheering for this strange man? There is no Canadian on screen. And then I remember. I'm in Russia. Watching Olympic events that are taking place mere kilometers, mere minutes away from me. I am here. This is surreal.

The last couple days my brain has been orbiting on a mind blowing loop. Things have started to feel comfortable here. I know the bus system, trains, etc. I have friends and my room contains my stuff arranged in the order I like. My job is second nature. And then I see the rings, or the row of flags, perhaps an athlete tramps by with all their gear talking about their upcoming competitions. Instantly I am pulled into the shocking revelation that this is not just another day. This is the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games. I am here. This is surreal. But surreal quickly fades to the usual, that is, until it becomes unusual again. Today one of my good friends here witnessed in person an Olympic record get set in speed skating. I have no doubt that she was also the happy victim of this mind warp. Yesterday, two of my friends went to the Opening Ceremonies on tickets gifted to them. Minds. Blown. I watched the Opening Ceremonies rehearsal in person surrounded by thousands of Russian and international volunteers and then 6 days later watched official production on TV surrounded again by thousands of Russian and international volunteers. I have no way to express what I felt when they lit the torch. This is surreal.

I can only imagine how the athletes feel. They too have settled in. They have found their ways around. They are surrounded by friends that they have trained with and competed against for years. Their training programs are completely memorized. And then, they see their names on a competition list, they find themselves standing at the top of a hill looking down on the Olympic Rings and the athlete's village nestled into the hill. Never mind the moment when they stand at the top of their run counting down the seconds til countless years of training culminate into that one, all important run. Everything is the same. Everything is completely different. Mind blown. This is surreal.

How does one capture this experience? I don't know. You try to remain in each moment. Try to keep yourself from growing accustom to this place and all that it means. You try to capture what you can in countless photos (thank God for digital cameras). You talk to everyone about what you have seen, heard, and felt. Somehow all these things make it feel more real. If you can, you scrounge up enough time and energy to write a blog for your friends and family back home. It's not enough -- it's all we have.

This is surreal.

This just in, Olympic Sports News

Hello ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the second edition of this years Julia's Adventures. I would like to extend the warmest wishes to you all and hope that you enjoy this evenings presentation.
(I really hope you read that in a news casters voice cause that's what I was going for.)

These that few days have been incredible.

The athletes are into the village, the press have been stopping by, and this are nearly in full swing. I'm absolutely loving my job. I get to talk to athletes, help them solve their problems, make them laugh, and share in this amazing experience. Two days ago I worked in the cafeteria. So much fun. I can now put interactions to the face of the athletes as they appear in competition lists. They are fun, down to earth, and so excited to be here. I'm shocked at how much they want to interact not only with each other, but also with the volunteers. They are starting to recognise our faces and remember facts about us. Super cool. The best moment here so far was when I ran into Graham (from RJC). Graham graduated a year (I think) ahead of me and conducted my entrance interview into RJC. He's been a friendly acquaintance  since 2006. And he's here. As an alternate athlete in the bobsled event. I am so proud. He stopped to talk to me and promised to introduce me to the rest of the bobsled team! I'm managed to introduce myself a little and it turns out another bobsledder is from Regina. We are going to learn some Russian together. I'm so excited! Have I mentioned that?

Today we went to the Snowboard Slope-style Event. This is the first year that Slope-style has been an Olympic event. They put on a great show. The jumps, speed, and technique were impressive. They were only qualifying but you could see the passion and dedication shining though. It was a surreal experience to look up on the huge tv screens for fans and see the face of a man I bid good morning to and wished a good day. It was dumbfounding to then see that man board down the hill and place in the top 4. He's going to the final. I've talked to someone who will literally be competing for an Olympic Gold medal in a few days. No blogged words, not even my own thoughts, can capture the essence of that feeling. This is only going to get better.

It's getting late now and I must be up early. There are so many more things I want to tell you and I'm hoping I'll make time soon. But not tomorrow. Tomorrow we are going to a Live Site to watch the opening ceremonies - tv version. The once in a life time experiences just keep rolling.

I should mention that I completed my first of two interviews. This one with CKOM. The next will be with CBC morning radio (I think on Friday). The following are the links to what I know has been posted thus far. You'll have to scroll down through this first link til you come to something like "An Olympic Volunteer with Julia Coop". http://ckom.com/ckom-podcasts?page=1 If you can't find it easily, go To The Google! Duu dun duh daaa!
http://ckom.com/story/saskatchewan-sochi-saskatoon-volunteer-olympics/245508 This is the second link you need. It should take you straight to a written story about exactly the same stuff as the sound radio interview.

Alright my darlings.
Good night.
Julia