Pantelis took over the shop when his poetic father, Starvos Melissinos, retired in 2004. The shop, near the Monastiraki market area, was started in 1920 by Pantelis’ grandfather Georgios Melissinos.

There are 28 different sandal styles to choose from and if the desired pair isn’t in your size, Pantelis will make it on the spot. My friends and I watched him create a pair of “Jackie O” sandals for one of us.

When we were first trying on sandals, he came from behind the counter to make sure they fit correctly. Pantelis said that Americans often buy sandals too big.

"You don’t want it to look like you are wearing a skateboard,” he said.

Pantelis also said that many European females wear shoes too small because they think their feet will look more delicate.

We responded to his curiosity about Americans by informing him that when we were growing up, our mothers always made us buy shoes that were too big. That way, our parents didn’t frequently need to buy us a new pair when our feet grew. As a result, we became accustomed to wearing shoes slightly too large.

Framed newspaper-clippings from previous decades commemorating the shop hung on the wall with Pantelis’ artwork. Pantelis graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York with a bachelor’s degree in illustration and a master’s in painting.

As we left the shop, Pantelis proudly handed us brochures about his musical comedy, “Bacchus,” which was staged in Greece from 2001 through 2002. He said that the play is written in the ancient Greek style of Aristophanes.

Whether it’s writing plays or making sandals, Pantelis knows how to keep Greek tradition alive.

Above: Pantelis making a pair of the "Jackie O" sandals.

The first day was the most nerve-wrecking, but fortunately I regained my composure and laid-back attitude for the rest of the trip.

In Rhodes Town, the city area of the island, streets are narrow and crowded like downtown Newport during the summer. I had to squeeze through lines of parked and moving cars, pedestrians and motorcyclists.

Finding a parallel parking spot was an adventure. Parking is only permitted in blue-marked areas and cars were jammed tightly within the streets. I parallel parked in a variety of ways, including on a hill and on the left side of the street.

Driving conditions weren’t any easier in other parts of the island. On the main coastal road leaving Rhodes Town toward the airport, cars sped through curvy areas uncomfortably narrow for two vehicles. Motorcyclists often came out of nowhere to speed between opposite lanes of traffic. Cars also passed on the left – even though there wasn’t a passing lane – and I wasn’t creaking along at grandma speeds.

Like Rhode Island, it’s rare to see motorists in Rhodes use their blinker.

Even more bizarre, the white lines on the road that actually did exist were faded and unclear. Stop signs, interestingly written in English, were usually 10 feet before the actual stop. It was helpful though that the traffic signs written in Greek had English translations.

The center of the island reminded me of New Hampshire forests, contrasting the palm tree and sandy environment along the coast. The roads through the Greek mountains were snaky with no lines and again, narrow. Occasionally another car would speed through and I was amazed at how they didn’t shoot off the cliff. But at least in the mountains it wasn’t crowded with living traffic obstacles, unlike the coastal areas.

Throughout the week I regularly asked Lauren, “Is this a 1-way street?”

To which she usually replied, “Nope! It’s a 2-way.”

It snowed all day at the glacier. There was already a ton of accumulation because when my friend skied off the trail, the snow cleared his waist.

I opted to stay on the trails and had a blast carving through the soft powder. Falling on the snow was like sinking into a cloud; except for the time I went head first and then had to dig my face out for air. But that didn’t hurt, nor was I stuck under the snow for long.

One time in the morning, I took a chairlift that landed above the 2,900 meter point. It was so windy that I could barely stand up on my snowboard—and that wasn’t even the highest point. As I began to go down the trail, the visibility was extremely low and I could barely see the bright red trail markers. However there weren’t such harsh winds or unclear conditions at lower parts of the glacier.

By the end of the day, the front sections of my long hair looked like two big, white icicles. The bottom half of my face below my goggles was tomato red and wind burned. I even had a snowy white mustache under my nose.

Despite my resemblance to the Abominable Snowman, I still had the most incredible day of snowboarding. But I do recommend wearing a ski mask.

My apartment-styled accommodation, which I shared with two friends, included a single full-size bathroom and kitchen stocked with utensils, coffee and tea.

It also featured a balcony with a view of the mountains. There were no enclosed windows, but there was a roof which protected the loveseat, tables and chairs from any possible rain. Useful brochures and maps were stacked on a table and tips for enjoying the city, along with city bus schedules, were posted on the bulletin board.

We stayed in a comfortably-sized four-person bedroom and shared the kitchen, bathroom and balcony with travelers in two other rooms. Linens and a small towel were included.

The layout of the hostel made it easier for us to meet other guests. On the first night, we played cards and went out with two girls from England.

Breakfast is also included in the overnight cost. Vouchers cover cereal, rolls with jam, coffee, tea and hot chocolate, which are served in the café from 8 – 11 a.m. Pastries and other food can be purchased for an additional cost.

While there are stated breakfast hours, the time is actually flexible. If 8 a.m. is too late, then guests are given a packed meal the night before. When we did this, we received an orange, apple juice and two meat sandwiches.

And if 11 a.m. is too early, then guests may bring their vouchers to the café and receive a pastry, Tina, the woman in charge of reservations, said.

Overall the hostel was a hit. While there was a range of different age groups staying there (a mother and her teenage daughter, a couple of friends in their thirties and college students), the unique features of Nepomuk’s gave it a relaxing and fun atmosphere for a great price.

My friend Keith Mayotte talking on the phone in our room.

Top right: The Alps view from the balcony, with the sun fading into my camera lens.

“Are you American,” she asked.

“Yes,” my friend said.

“I can tell. Americans are so prude,” she said as she laughed.

Four of my female friends and I had a surprising experience when we went to the Alpen Therme Spa in Bad Hofgastein. We were enjoying the comfort of the outdoor heated pool with the Alps encircling us, when we decided to move to the saunas and steam rooms.

The saunas in the “Sauna World” area of the spa are located in wooden huts outside, but we didn’t know that we had to cross through a crowd of mostly older, nude men soaking in the outdoor hot tub to get there.

Once we left the heated pool, I learned that in most areas of the spa, Austrians keep their bathing suits in the lockers and towels on the hooks.

The surprise wasn’t that people were baring it at the spa, but that men and women of different generations were naked together and everyone except us appeared comfortable with it.

However, there was a separate sauna area for women who didn’t want to join the men.

But spas aren’t the only place where Austrians bare it.

Three times during the bus ride to Zell am See to go snowboarding one Sunday, I saw men urinating in clear view on the side of the road. Rumor has it that there’s no such law as indecent exposure here.

Nudity is found in the live fine arts, too.

While in Vienna, my friends and I attended the musical “Romeo and Juliet”, which was voted Best New Musical Production in 2005, at the Raimund Theater.

During one of the dance numbers, all the men threw off their shirts, but in a manner that reminded me of the Chris Farley-Patrick Swayze Chippendales skit seen on "Saturday Night Live."

And in the scene of Romeo and Juliet’s final night together, both actors woke up naked in Juliet’s bed together. The actors were actually nude because I saw part of Romeo’s bare rear and when Juliet slipped into her sheer nightgown, nothing was left to the imagination.

Maybe that’s why “Romeo and Juliet” was rewarded with its Best New Musical title.

In the 15th century, the monks decided to move away from elaborate religious practices and return to a simple, disciplined life, said the tour guide at Stift Melk.

During this time, one of the monks created a reusable coffin. The coffin was basic and a money-saver for the monastery, said the tour guide.

After a funeral, the coffin's trap door would release the body into the grave, so it wasn't buried with the body. Then the same coffin would be used at the next funeral.

It was a short-lived idea, said the tour guide. To me, it seemed too quirky for the fantastic monastery.

The church at Stift Melk is one of the most beautiful that I’ve seen during my time abroad. Detailed frescos and gold-trimmed walls and columns contribute to its vivid interior splendor. Yet, the décor isn’t overwhelming because of the church’s intimate size.

Fortunately the church’s beauty wasn’t destroyed.

Stift Melk’s existence has been threatened several times. It survived dissolution during the reign of Austrian Emperor Joseph II, who disbanded many abbeys in the late 1700s. It was also threatened by the Napoleonic Wars, which lasted through the early 1800s, and Nazi occupation of Austria (the fascist regime didn’t believe in traditional, religious values). While the Nazis confiscated Stift Melk’s secondary school and other parts of the abbey, they didn’t dissolve the monastery.

Top photo: A reusable coffin in the museum at Stift Melk.
At right: Looking back from the altar inside the church.

The image at right is early 17th-century painter Simon Vouet's version there.

The story is told in the Book of Judith, found in the Old Testament of Roman Catholic and Orthodox Bibles (but not in Jewish scriptures).

Over time historians have debated the validity of the story, but it has generally been accepted as a parable:

King Nebuchadrezzar, ruler of the Assyrians (historically the ruler of Babylon), ordered his general Holofernes to attack the nations that didn’t support his war against Media. All others submitted except the Israelites.

Holofernes proceeded to surround the Israelites near Jerusalem in Bethulia.

A Jewish widow, Judith, played a major role in saving the town from Holofernes. She entered his camp, pretending to have betrayed her people. Holofernes invited her into his tent and after he passed out drunk, she beheaded him.

After Judith brought the head of Holofernes home, the Bethulians defeated Holofernes’ army and the town rejoiced.

Now while I found various artistic renditions of the story, I also discovered different facts of the story online.

According to Wikipedia, Bethulia was a “Jewish city.” But MSN Encarta said Bethulia was a “Palestinian town.”

Ironically, two encyclopedias can’t agree if a city from over 2,000 years ago belonged to the Palestinians or Israelites in a story found in Christian Bibles.

As I clicked through Wikipedia, I learned that Nebuchadrezzar destroyed temples in Jerusalem. The online encyclopedia also said he is viewed negatively by Christians and Jews, but seen as a great leader in Iraq.

Saddam Hussein even named an army unit after him, according to Wikipedia.

All I was looking for was verification of an ancient story told by a tour guide in Vienna. Instead I found early hints and even conflicting historical accounts of the clashes in the Middle East that continue to this day.

Frau Schöttke hosted three other American students for dinner in addition to Marcus, Jon and me. She is from Salzburg and has taken in students studying here for a number of years, so they could have the chance to live in an Austrian home environment. Even one of her former residents, Anna, who is Spanish and now living independently in the city, joined us.

I thought I was in a comedy club during the beginning of the meal, as Frau Schöttke entertained us with jokes. She is a sweet, older woman, yet knows how to get college students rolling on the floor with laughter.

But with three history major students seated at the dinner table that night, it was inevitable that she would be asked about World War II. Her eyes were glassy as she recalled her experiences during the war, but maybe that was just a result of the glass of whiskey that she drank.

Frau Schöttke was 9 when the war ended. Her father was a Nazi during World War II, working as a neighborhood watchman. One of his duties was to warn residents of bombings because their home in Salzburg was near a targeted airplane-part production center.

When asked about her mother, Frau Schöttke said “she was the opposite” of her father. She also had brothers and sisters, but didn’t elaborate on their individual personalities.

Frau Schöttke said she was excited the first time the bombs fell because it was during school and she was thrilled to miss class. She didn’t tuck and roll under a desk, but instead ran away from the building. She was told that she be safer if she ran into a field or woods, since it was less likely that those areas would be targeted.

The alarms sounded frequently during the war, Frau Schöttke said. She took cover in a bomb shelter when she was at her house. She said that she never knew what to expect when it was time to leave the shelter, whether everything would be erased above the ground.

Even though Frau Schöttke was a young child during the war, she said that she will never forget it because it was so extraordinary.

The dinner conversation then transitioned to a weekend trip in Croatia. Frau Schöttke offered to take Marcus, Jon and any other students there for an unbeatable bargain price. Right now the only conflict with the trip is the excursions planned for the World War II history class, which many students are in.

I’m not taking that course, but I know that if I want to listen to a personal perspective about the war, I just need to travel to an apartment across town.

An extensive museum was created inside the camp maintenance building and I learned about how Adolf Hitler rose to power, the role of the Dachau concentration camp, the treatment of those placed in the camp and many other issues of the time.

Some of the most interesting information was about the role of propaganda and the press. The museum displayed posters and newspaper clippings from the period. I learned that at the beginning of World War II and the Holocaust, the foreign press relied on reports from the local press, controlled by the Nazis, without challenging or investigating it first. But as the war progressed, even with access restrictions to journalists, more of the truth came forth to readers.

Propaganda was found everywhere, even on the camp’s front gate, which read “Arbeit macht Frei.” That means “work sets you free” in German, as the Dachau camp was projected as a work and labor camp, not a death trap. I learned that everyday the writing on the gate taunted those trapped inside the camp.

Ulli, one of my advisers in Salzburg, said that she grew up near a former concentration camp that was hidden in a quarry. When she went to it, she said that it remained in almost the same condition as when it was used. Children’s shoes were left scattered at the end of the crematories. She said that Dachau was cleaned up too much and should better resemble its original condition, as it is necessary to prevent another tragedy from occurring.

I realized one of the unique experiences of traveling after my trip to Munich. No matter what occurs in a place today, it won’t necessarily parallel the place of yesterday. But through historical preservation, we can remember and learn from the past.

On Sunday, my roommate moved in, as students taking classes directly through the university began their semester this week. (I’m taking my classes through the American Institute of Foreign Study, so while they are through the university, I’m in a separate program from other students). Elena, my roommate, is from Moscow. With the time and place relationship on my mind, I wondered if our housing situation would have been possible over 15 years ago, when the Cold War still divided the world.

In early February, my advisor, Ingrid, told me that Salzburg was having an unusually long winter (the snowing began in November and was still continuing strong). Typically the snow would start to melt by this time, she said.

After a couple of weeks of on-and-off snowy weather, the snow started to melt. That is, until a few days ago.

BAM! Salzburg was hit with snow again. Every day this week it has snowed, but in the most inconsistent way. For one minute the skies were clear. Next? Oh, just some light flurries. But then all of a sudden I thought I was trapped in the middle of an Arctic blizzard. And the erratic cycle continued.

Today it is sunny and clear with a light breeze in the air. But I’ll wear my Ugg boots just in case.

Looks like a blizzard to me. Yesterday, March 7, in downtown Salzburg when the heavy snow began. But less than an hour later? Not a flake in the sky.

*Update to this morning's blog entry: It's just before 8 p.m. and yes, it's snowing after a day of pure sunshine. Good thing I wore the boots.

When I entered the square, I was given a goody bag filled with an Austrian flag, rain poncho, loaf of bread and one Mozart Drink (tastes like rich chocolate milk). Classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg 250 years ago, so for the entire year the city will celebrate this anniversary. But more about that in another post.

I proceeded to the crowd of joyous Austrians gathered in front of the stage. Fans of all ages attended – toddlers, teenagers, middle-aged parents and elderly citizens waved their flags in the air.

Even amid the doping scandal involving the Austrian men’s cross country ski team coach, the nation’s athletes still brought home 23 medals (just 2 behind the United States).

The emcee kicked off the festivity by leading the crowd into cheers for the returning athletes and then unveiled the city’s proposal for the 2014 Olympics.

A multimedia presentation showed improvements made from the 2010 bid plan, which Salzburg lost to Vancouver. According to the 2014 plan, the entire span of sporting venues is only 55 minutes from end to end. Salzburg is easily accessible to the mountains and I can testify to this, as I have already taken multiple snowboarding day trips in the Alps.

The International Olympic Committee will decide the 2014 host city in July 2007.

After the presentation, a Salzburg cover-band called Straight Up played Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman.” It was strange to me that a city with so much pride would start off a rally concert with an American pop-country song from a Canadian-born artist. But American music is prevalent in the local bars and clothing stores.

The band finished playing and the medal-winning athletes were interviewed on stage. Unfortunately my German is nicht gut, so I didn’t understand everything that was said. Nonetheless, it was still an electrifying atmosphere.

Austrian Olympic medal-winners on stage at the rally.

Hockey: Italy vs. Germany

I originally planned to go to Turin to just hang out in the Olympics atmosphere -- until I heard about the possibility of scoring hockey tickets. Naturally, I assumed that tickets were sold out. Glad I was wrong.

I was hoping to catch either the Slovakia-USA or Kazakhstan-Russia games, but neither fit with our train schedule. Instead we decided to watch Italy-Germany.

Keeping in form with our spontaneous decisions, we arrived a few minutes late to the game because we purchased tickets at a location different from the Palasport Olimpico stadium, where the game was played. Italy was already leading 1-0 and we sat in an Italian fan section. It was only 1 p.m., so while the crowds were enthusiastic, they were not drunk and rowdy. The Italian fans were the most abundant and loudest, as they cheered, “Italia! Italia!” Several times cheerleaders led the 8,000-person crowd in the “wave,” which I probably did for the first time since I was five.

The style of the game was a lot cleaner than what I was used to watching. My friend Laura, who is from Minnesota, commented that she had seen high school games rougher than this. No fights broke out and there wasn’t a whole lot of checking. But the game was close throughout and fun to watch. The final score was 3-3.

The city atmosphere

I’m relieved that I went to a hockey game not only because I got to see an event, but I probably would have been bored just hanging around. I’ve never been to the Olympics before, but it wasn’t what I expected.

I thought there would be more hype spread throughout the city. I understand that many of the events weren’t in Turin, but farther west into the Italian Alps. Even still, with Turin being the official host city, I expected it to be crazier than what it was. When we were leaving the train station, there were only some banners posted along the median in the road. The only real signs of the Olympics were at the stadiums that we visited, Palasport Olimpico and Torino Esposizioni. I couldn’t even find a T-shirt to buy for my sister outside the merchandise shop within stadium gates. There were ushers only at the gates and within the stadium. I expected to see more Olympics employees throughout the city at major travel points and near the stadiums. However, the employees who were present were extremely friendly and helpful.

Traveling problems back

We had to ride on three trains to get back to Salzburg. The first was from Turin to Bologna, Italy. That train left Turin late. Now, this was where the weekend turned interesting.

We missed our connection from Bologna to Kufstein, Austria by one minute. It was the last train to leave Bologna, and at 1:30 a.m., there were no railroad employees in sight. Even when we were still on the train to Bologna, knowing that we were going to be late, we couldn’t find a conductor to help us.

We were forced to stay overnight in the deserted station until 6 a.m. when the ticket booth would reopen. Everything, including the bathrooms, was closed. However, right outside of the station was a 24-hour McDonalds. Ah, a little comfort from corporate America.

Surprisingly it was packed with people and playing American music from the ‘90s, so we made the best of our situation by chomping down some greasy food and rocking out to some old tunes. When it was time to settle our stomachs, we headed into the waiting area in the train station.

While we couldn’t find a station employee in sight, the room was hopping with a crowd of homeless people and a handful of travelers and policemen. We tried to sleep on the cold, metal seats by crouching into uncomfortable positions, but few of us were successful (luckily, I was one of them for an hour). I couldn’t spread across two seats though, because one of the homeless men walked around scolding anyone who took up more than one seat. There was another man who sat in several areas of the room because he threw up at each chair he sat in. Finally, after the man puked for the fourth time, a few policemen escorted him outside the building. It was an interesting night to say the least.

After three long and never-ending hours, the international ticket booth opened. We purchased tickets for a train that would leave in two hours for Verona, Italy, where we would connect to travel to Innsbruck, Austria. Once in Innsbruck, we could use our Vorteils card (a discount card for trains in Austria and Germany) to purchase tickets to Salzburg. We weren’t allowed to exchange our unused tickets for the new ones, but the agent did give us a group discount in which we paid 25 euros ($30) each.

None of our trains were delayed for our return to Salzburg. We arrived home hours later than expected, tired, dirty and hungry, but the experience was worth it. Our minimally planned trip had some surprising twists, but it gave us a great story to share.

Train ticket cost details

While 13 students and I traveled to Turin, we each bought our tickets in separate groups. I bought mine in the largest group with three other girls and paid the least amount. In our group of four, we each paid 114 euros ($136) and we had a sleeper cabin on Friday night from Munich to Turin. However, one of the groups of three paid 150 euros ($178) each and only had typical seats (no beds for the 13-hour train ride to Turin). The couple that traveled paid 175 euros ($208) each. We all had the same itinerary, but the group discounts were significant.

Fortunately, all 14 of us purchased our tickets from Salzburg to Munich together on Friday evening. When purchased in groups of five, travelers only pay 6 euros ($7) each (that’s cheaper than my cab fare from downtown Salzburg to my dorm). The ticket agent still gave us the discount even though we were off by one person for a multiple of five.

Another discount that we all used was our Vorteils card. The Vorteils card costs 20 euros ($24) and gives travelers half-off on trains in Austria and a 25 percent discount on trains in Germany. We used the card discount for our original tickets and when we traveled from Innsbruck to Salzburg.

On Monday, one of the girls on the trip discovered that we can get refunds for our tickets purchased in Bologna. Since we bought a group train ticket (even though we paid separately), we all have to go to the train station with that ticket and our unused individual tickets. That paperwork will be sent to Vienna and then one person’s credit card will be refunded with the total amount due to all of us.

We took the Salzburg Snow Shuttle, which takes skiers and snowboarders to a different mountain each day of the week. The shuttle, sponsored by Toursimus Salzburg, leaves Mirabellplatz at 8:30 a.m. and departs the mountain at 4 p.m. It costs 13 euros ($15) round trip to ride on the shuttle and 37 euros ($44) to ski at the mountain all day, along with a three euro ski pass deposit. Ski passes are electronic keys that scan when getting on the lift. As long as the ski pass is returned at the end of the day, the deposit will be returned.

We didn’t arrive to Gastein until 10:30 a.m., which I consider to be a late start (I usually start riding at 9 a.m. back home). By the time two of my friends gathered their rental gear (I brought my own), it was already 11 a.m. However, we were amazed to discover that there were no long lift lines and we had our first run all to ourselves.

We rode the gondola up again. There were two more lifts that we could take further up the mountain, so we went on those. On the side of the packed snow trails were areas of powder snow that we tried to slide through. Riding through powder is a lot harder, since you need to shift your weight differently than riding on the marked trails. The snow can build up on the front of the board, forcing it to sink. It is also harder to turn when carving through deep powder.

Trying to ride through the powder was the best part of the day. When I fell, it felt like I was jumping into a giant foam pit. My body didn’t hurt because I wasn’t slamming onto a hard surface. After my friends and I tried out the powder, we hopped back on to the trail and continued gliding down. We kept repeating the process through the day because the variety of snow conditions made the session unique and incredible.


AIFS students Marnee Peterson and Jessica Schaefer taking a break on the slopes.

During my senior year in high school, I traveled to France, Switzerland and Italy with other students on a school trip. We took a train to the top of a mountain in Lucerne and the view was incredible. As I took in the fresh, cool air, I decided that I must return to the Alps. Luckily when I researched study abroad programs last year, I discovered the American Institute of Foreign Study program, which has a strong international relations curriculum in Austria.


I live in the Europa Kolleg, which houses university international and Austrian students. It is located 15 minutes by bus from downtown Salzburg. The view of the Alps from my bus stop (Ginzkeyplatz) is spectacular! It snowed here for the first few days, so I couldn’t see the mountain backdrop to the city. But once the skies cleared up during the weekend, I was able to see what motivated me to come to Salzburg.





Looking across the street from the Ginzkeyplatz bus stop.


The city culture seems to be very laid back so far. I have never seen a baby cry or a dog bark yet in Salzburg. Many Austrians bring their dogs into restaurants, shops and food markets. Bus transportation operates on an honors system. The driver doesn’t check to make sure that everyone has a ticket. Instead, people are expected to purchase tickets (daily, weekly or monthly) at a Tabak (corner store that also sells newspapers and cigarettes) or at an electronic machine at various bus stops. One can also purchase one way rides by paying the driver with cash. However, there are undercover bus employees, dressed in street clothes, who randomly check people when they are getting off the bus. My advisor here said offenders who don’t have tickets are publicly scolded, fined 35 euros and required to give their passport numbers to the authorities to keep on file. While I haven’t been stopped yet, one of my friends has been asked twice to show her ticket. Fortunately, she had a valid monthly pass.