Working at the Acropolis has been by far my favorite thing about the summer. This is the most incredible experience that I have ever had, not only because I am working on a world famous monument but also because I get to interact with different cultures.
My office is set up with three drafting desks, a floor to ceiling set of drawers for drawings, and a couple bookshelves in one decent sized room. I share this space with Machi, a graphic designer in her 40s, and Angelos, an architect in his 40s. In the downstairs part of the building, there is a kitchenette, office next to the stairs, and two rooms, including the room that I'm in. In the other room on the bottom floor, there is Yiorgos, Elena, Lena, and Tina (so difficult to not mix their names up). Upstairs, there is Eleni, Zannis, Kosmas, Vasilia, Antigone, and Rozalia. So including me there are 13 people that share the office space, with the numerous marble sculptors or conservationists coming in daily to get lunch.
Machi, Tina, Lena, and Yiorgos all stick together. They come to work at the same time and leave together. Yiorgos and Machi are my two favorites because they talk to me a lot. Yiorgos comes into my office about 7 times a day, either to say 'good morning Emily' in a British accent or to put a frappe down on my desk, that I of course didn't even ask for. Yiorgos has most definitely made my experience at the Acropolis much better. He has worked here for 37 years and still pays attention to the young intern, joking with me and burning me Greek music. Machi, on the other hand, didn't seem too friendly at first. But everything changed when I told her that my sister was having a baby. I realized Machi's warm spot was for babies. So at the beginning of each day, I give her an update about Zoe and show her pictures. Today, she brought a gift bag with a present for Zoe inside too!! :) (I won't spoil it, because Kate and Brian will have to unwrap it later.)
Angelos, the man who I sit next to, always leaves me with an insightful comment, whether its about architecture or Greek traditions. Our first conversation was about how landscape and architecture should mesh together, but the priority should be maintaining the current landscape and adjusting the building to it. He also gives me travel ideas for my trip to Crete. He is mostly very dry, but occasionally you will catch him making a sarcastic comment or joke. For example, the other day, Lena brought in a big plastic bin covered with white cloth. Inside of the bin was a piece of wood that was in the joint of the column drums dating back 2,500 years. When Angelos went to look at it, he put on his rubber gloves and pinched his fingers around something. He slowly pulls his hand out and says, "look its an ancient piece of hair." I promise you it was funny; I have started to appreciate the little things. :) haha
Working at a place like this has been full of learning-- about history, architecture, culture, language, traditions, and food. Oh gosh, can Angelos talk about food!!! Every day about 10:30, he starts on his daily rant about some wonderful dish that he made…. then my stomach starts growling and my mouth starts watering. You'd think I haven't eaten in a week.
Which puts me on the topic of food. Greek food is fantastic. It is a combination of meats, vegetables, and fruit. And no matter what the dish is, you pretty much know that there is some sort of olive oil in it. Some of their dishes include:
-Tyropita/ Spanikopita-- cheese pie/ spinach and cheese pie
-Souvlaki-- meat on a stick- either pork, chicken, beef, or lamb
-Gyros-- a pita wrapped around souvlaki, tomatoes, tsaziki sauce, onions, and french fries
-Greek salad- no lettuce here- only tomatoes, onions, olives, green peppers, cucumbers, and feta cheese. AND there's no such thing as 'greek dressing;' its just olive oil and salt.
-Kalamari- :) YUMMMM
-Saganaki- fried feta cheese
-Baklava- dessert made of nuts and honey in philo bread
-Loukomades- Greek doughnuts served with honey
The markets around town have the freshest fruits that I've ever tasted. The nectarines and apricots are my favorite!
Okay enough about food, otherwise I will have to go make dinner sooner than I thought.
Let me tell you about my weekend when Hannah, Brooke, Emily, and Victoria came to visit.
They arrived on Thursday night, and the first thing early Friday morning we jumped on an eight hour boat to spend 24 hours in Santorini. This island is one of the most incredible places on Earth. The sunset at Oia is literally the best in the world!! Plus the contrast of the dark red and black cliffs and the white buildings makes the experience much more powerful. Any picture that you take turns out perfectly!
Finally, on Sunday I gave them one of my best tours of the Acropolis, Acropolis Museum, Plaka, Monastiraki, Syntagma, the Zappeion Gardens, Temple of Zeus Olympeion, Hadrian's Gate, and the Panatheniac Stadium. Needless to say, once the tour was over, we were all exhausted and could barely stay on our feet!
My office is set up with three drafting desks, a floor to ceiling set of drawers for drawings, and a couple bookshelves in one decent sized room. I share this space with Machi, a graphic designer in her 40s, and Angelos, an architect in his 40s. In the downstairs part of the building, there is a kitchenette, office next to the stairs, and two rooms, including the room that I'm in. In the other room on the bottom floor, there is Yiorgos, Elena, Lena, and Tina (so difficult to not mix their names up). Upstairs, there is Eleni, Zannis, Kosmas, Vasilia, Antigone, and Rozalia. So including me there are 13 people that share the office space, with the numerous marble sculptors or conservationists coming in daily to get lunch.
Machi, Tina, Lena, and Yiorgos all stick together. They come to work at the same time and leave together. Yiorgos and Machi are my two favorites because they talk to me a lot. Yiorgos comes into my office about 7 times a day, either to say 'good morning Emily' in a British accent or to put a frappe down on my desk, that I of course didn't even ask for. Yiorgos has most definitely made my experience at the Acropolis much better. He has worked here for 37 years and still pays attention to the young intern, joking with me and burning me Greek music. Machi, on the other hand, didn't seem too friendly at first. But everything changed when I told her that my sister was having a baby. I realized Machi's warm spot was for babies. So at the beginning of each day, I give her an update about Zoe and show her pictures. Today, she brought a gift bag with a present for Zoe inside too!! :) (I won't spoil it, because Kate and Brian will have to unwrap it later.)
Angelos, the man who I sit next to, always leaves me with an insightful comment, whether its about architecture or Greek traditions. Our first conversation was about how landscape and architecture should mesh together, but the priority should be maintaining the current landscape and adjusting the building to it. He also gives me travel ideas for my trip to Crete. He is mostly very dry, but occasionally you will catch him making a sarcastic comment or joke. For example, the other day, Lena brought in a big plastic bin covered with white cloth. Inside of the bin was a piece of wood that was in the joint of the column drums dating back 2,500 years. When Angelos went to look at it, he put on his rubber gloves and pinched his fingers around something. He slowly pulls his hand out and says, "look its an ancient piece of hair." I promise you it was funny; I have started to appreciate the little things. :) haha
Working at a place like this has been full of learning-- about history, architecture, culture, language, traditions, and food. Oh gosh, can Angelos talk about food!!! Every day about 10:30, he starts on his daily rant about some wonderful dish that he made…. then my stomach starts growling and my mouth starts watering. You'd think I haven't eaten in a week.
Which puts me on the topic of food. Greek food is fantastic. It is a combination of meats, vegetables, and fruit. And no matter what the dish is, you pretty much know that there is some sort of olive oil in it. Some of their dishes include:
-Tyropita/ Spanikopita-- cheese pie/ spinach and cheese pie
-Souvlaki-- meat on a stick- either pork, chicken, beef, or lamb
-Gyros-- a pita wrapped around souvlaki, tomatoes, tsaziki sauce, onions, and french fries
-Greek salad- no lettuce here- only tomatoes, onions, olives, green peppers, cucumbers, and feta cheese. AND there's no such thing as 'greek dressing;' its just olive oil and salt.
-Kalamari- :) YUMMMM
-Saganaki- fried feta cheese
-Baklava- dessert made of nuts and honey in philo bread
-Loukomades- Greek doughnuts served with honey
The markets around town have the freshest fruits that I've ever tasted. The nectarines and apricots are my favorite!
Okay enough about food, otherwise I will have to go make dinner sooner than I thought.
Let me tell you about my weekend when Hannah, Brooke, Emily, and Victoria came to visit.
They arrived on Thursday night, and the first thing early Friday morning we jumped on an eight hour boat to spend 24 hours in Santorini. This island is one of the most incredible places on Earth. The sunset at Oia is literally the best in the world!! Plus the contrast of the dark red and black cliffs and the white buildings makes the experience much more powerful. Any picture that you take turns out perfectly!
On Saturday, I had the chance to see the new Akrotiri structure that opened a few months ago, after the old one collapsed. The combination of ancient and modern is one of the tensions of architecture that I love looking at.
Finally, on Sunday I gave them one of my best tours of the Acropolis, Acropolis Museum, Plaka, Monastiraki, Syntagma, the Zappeion Gardens, Temple of Zeus Olympeion, Hadrian's Gate, and the Panatheniac Stadium. Needless to say, once the tour was over, we were all exhausted and could barely stay on our feet!
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