December 2009
3 posts
Rome: The Epic Journey
Have you ever had the experience of being unable to find your train and only having a few minutes left before departure, so you start running frantically through the train station… only to have your backpack fall open and spew out a trail of your belongings? (*Note to self… make sure the zipper is zipped next time it is necessary to sprint through a train station.) After arriving,...
Italy: The Early Trip
The trip started with a seven hour ferry ride, unfortunately it became a thirteen hour ferry ride due to the bad weather that was determined to sink our ship… I was sitting next an old Italian man that did not speak English or Greek. I decided that it would be a good time to try to learn some Italian… Our conversation was a cross between charades, sign language, and ‘hot...
Italy!!!
( Photo from the beach by the estate.) (A few weeks ago.) My roommate and I were talking about how we both wanted to do some more travelling since it is not to often that we get to live in Europe… But we both felt uncomfortable travelling solo. So, we decided to see if we could get some time off of work and take a trip together….. (Today) I am currently typing this with my backpack...
November 2009
4 posts
Filming a Greek Movie!
A movie about the life of Count Ioannis Antionios Kapodistria (Κόμης Ιωάννης Αντώνιος Καποδίστριας) is being filmed in Corfu. Kapodistrias was a Greek diplomat of the Russian Empire, and later, first head of state of independent Greece. Spiros, a Greek man who works at our barn, is playing the lead role in the movie. A couple of the scenes needed to have Kapodistrias riding a horse, since he was...
A Trip to Albania... Or So We Thought
A few weeks ago we all decided it would be fun to visit Albania. Before our trip we checked with a car rental agency to see if we could drive across the Greek/Albania border. The man who ran the agency assured us it would be fine and he said he would meet us once we got to the mainland.
In order to get to mainland we took a ferry, the sun was setting just as we left, so we had quite the view. ...
Harvesting Organic Kiwis
In addition to breeding endangered ponies, riding lessons, and saving almost every stray animal on the island, the Silva Project also runs an organic kiwi farm. Mrs. Steen originally bought land so she could have a new area for the riding center. On the new land she found entire field of abandoned kiwis. Since Mrs. Steen doesn’t like to see anything go to waste, she decided to rehabilitate...
Παλαιοκαστρίτσα: Paleokastrista
Monday… what a wonderful day of the week! Then again, maybe I currently feel this way because my day off is on Monday, and on Mondays I get to explore. Winter has officially hit Corfu, which means no tourists, closed shops, colder temperatures, and last, but certainly not least, rain. This past Monday was no exception, but we decided to rent a car and drive to the other side of the island to...
October 2009
3 posts
'Οχι Day
The magnificent Greek holiday Οχι Day is celebrated every year in Greece on October 28th and mostly remembered for general Ioannis Metaxas’ strong reply of ‘oxi’ (no) to Mussolini’s request to allow Italian troops to come into Greece at the beginning of WW II.
In Corfu they celebreate Οχι day by having a parade. The volunteers got to finish work early and we got to the...
Hitchhiking
The Silva Estate, where I am currently living, is about an hour walk away from Corfu Town. Corfu Town is the main area for restaurants, shopping, and sightseeing. Besides walking, there is also a bus which runs a couple of times a day, and the occasional taxi that drives by. When none of those options are possible, and it is necessary for the volunteers to get into, or home from town, we have...
The Silva Project
The Silva Project is a non-profit organization located in Corfu, Greece which is dedicated to preserving the Skyrian horse. This volunteer based charity has a riding school and is involved in the rescuing of abused animals and owns an organic kiwi farm.
My first week at the Silva Project has been an amazing experience. I have worked with Greek children, eaten Ostrich for dinner, and live in an...
September 2009
1 post
