Today was a very light day for us and included a lot of free time. We started off the day with a great lecture that everyone really enjoyed. The lecture was over exports of the Greek agricultural sector led by the assistant dean of Perrotis College, Konstantinos Rotsios, and former student, Athanasios Bizmpiroulas. The lecture was very interesting because was composed of various types of research regarding exports such as how Greek exports are perceived and how the quantity of exports has shifted since the crisis. The recent Mediterranean diet craze and promotion of Greek foods has kept Greek exports on the rise in recent years. However, Greece is still in a depression and it appears it will last many years more. From speaking to our various tour guides and observing different areas our group can see many impacts of the crisis. Cheap prices and numerous vacant buildings are a few of the obvious effects, but many more cannot be seen to the eyes of tourists. For instance, we were told that it is common for the government to take sixty percent of incomes in taxes. This just after pay has been cut up to fifty percent. Even amongst the depression Greeks continue to live the laid back, care free lives they have for many centuries. We all love experiencing this relaxed atmosphere when we go into the city and get to walk and shop (YAY!) or sit and drink coffee. Today we walked around downtown for the first time without a guide which was a lot of fun! We shopped and adventured around for the afternoon and then met our favorite tour guide and professor Tryfon! He took us to this wonderful restaurant that had great seafood. He has not led us astray yet when it comes to food. It was tough to beat that wonderful pasta dinner we had last night, but the seafood was close. After dinner we experience some more of the terrific nightlife of Thessaloniki. We all love it here and are having a wonderful time experiencing and embracing the Greek culture!
Until next time,
Emily King
Until next time,
Emily King
Day 10
Jerry here again (for all you dads out there!), and what a day we had today. We started the day tasting olive oil, made traditional Greek yogurt, had a lecture over rural development and sustainability, took a boat cruise around the city, and walked around the city while trying many different treats at the local bakeries and shops.
The first activity of the day was olive tasting with the resident sommelier, and I think I speak for all of us when I say taking shots of the oil is very different from dipping our bread in it. We learned a lot of interesting facts about olive oil, including that it is judged in competitions based on fruity, bitter and spicy attributes.
After olive tasting we ventured to the dairy where we tried our hands at yogurt making. About half of the group enjoyed the taste while the other half had a hard time getting past the “crust” of the yogurt. We had time to burn until the late lunch served here on campus, and this was followed by an interactive lecture with a professor who has degrees from Mississippi Sate and Texas Tech. We discussed rural development mostly in regards to the current crisis here in Greece, as well as agricultural policy issues like subsidies. Our day ended with a trip into the city that consisted of a really relaxing and scenic (and free!) boat ride around the harbor, followed by a walk through the city to see some of the shopping areas they have to offer here in Thessaloniki. Thus concludes our activities for the day. Jerry “Hamp” Maus, signing off.
The first activity of the day was olive tasting with the resident sommelier, and I think I speak for all of us when I say taking shots of the oil is very different from dipping our bread in it. We learned a lot of interesting facts about olive oil, including that it is judged in competitions based on fruity, bitter and spicy attributes.
After olive tasting we ventured to the dairy where we tried our hands at yogurt making. About half of the group enjoyed the taste while the other half had a hard time getting past the “crust” of the yogurt. We had time to burn until the late lunch served here on campus, and this was followed by an interactive lecture with a professor who has degrees from Mississippi Sate and Texas Tech. We discussed rural development mostly in regards to the current crisis here in Greece, as well as agricultural policy issues like subsidies. Our day ended with a trip into the city that consisted of a really relaxing and scenic (and free!) boat ride around the harbor, followed by a walk through the city to see some of the shopping areas they have to offer here in Thessaloniki. Thus concludes our activities for the day. Jerry “Hamp” Maus, signing off.