<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Love of History &#187; tour</title>
	<atom:link href="http://loveofhistory.com/tag/tour/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://loveofhistory.com</link>
	<description>A historical perspective of current events</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 03 Jan 2020 15:32:07 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.38</generator>
	<item>
		<title>How (not) to organise a Tour in Athens</title>
		<link>http://loveofhistory.com/how-not-to-organise-a-tour-in-athens/</link>
		<comments>http://loveofhistory.com/how-not-to-organise-a-tour-in-athens/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 23 Apr 2010 06:26:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[constantinakatsari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ann Brysbaert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[athens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greek Archaeology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greek museums]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Koroni]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leicester University]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Melissa Vetters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Midlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tour]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Volcanic ash]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://constantinakatsari.wordpress.com/?p=412</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I suggested the commencement of a short MA module in Athens for our Campus-Based and Distance-Learning students, I had no idea about the political, economic and environmental implications. For the past month I seem to have been fighting not only against Greek bureaucracy but also a double dip in the local economy and the volcanic eruptions in Iceland. The omens appeared for the first time a month ago, when the Ministry of Culture denied us permission to teach our Distance Learning students on site, because they are too old! The Ministry assumed that we had evil ulterior motives for our application, although they have not revealed to us what kind of motives these were. At some point I started wondering whether the sinister connection of past archaeologists with spying agencies may have played a role in their rejection! At that point Tania in the British School at Athens (they would not believe me!) undertook the task of explaining that it is not unusual for Distance Learning students to pursue their studies later in life. After this, permission was granted but never arrived in our hands. A week before the Tour started, we have been informed that the Ministry lost our papers! I have kept the story under cover in order to prevent widespread panic, while with the assistance of the British School started a campaign in order to retrieve our papers before the first day of the Tour. We have been successful… just. But the problems have not stopped there. Due to the current economic crisis in Greece, there have been shortages in museum personnel. Or, at least, this is what they told us. Because, when I visited the Numismatic Museum I queried them about the number of visitors they have every day. They confirmed an average number of 20 visitors, while the number of guards on the site exceeded number 10. In any case, because of the alleged shortages, some of the museums closed down, while all archaeological sites closed their doors after 3 o’clock in the afternoon. By the time they took this decision, we have already advertised our touring program, according to which we would have guided the students until 6 in the evening. You can imagine my despair and the urgent need to revise the entire tour at the last minute. As if the Greek issues were not enough, the volcanic ashes of the eruption in Iceland prevented the vast majority of our students to arrive in Athens. We ended up with only two students, one from Jordan and one from Tunisia. The rest of them got stuck in the Midlands, touring the medieval sites under a clouded sky and away from the sea, while myself, Melissa Vetters and Ann Brysbaert enjoyed explaining to our two students the timeless appeal of Attica’s landscape. After four days of relentless exchange of archaeological information within the walls of the city of Athens, we decided to visit some sites by the sea. By the time the bus arrived at Koroni at 2 in the afternoon everyone was dead tired. We all felt relieved, when we sat down in Porto Rafti for a luxurious lunch and later for an even more luxurious coffee. The recounting of the trip proved to be very useful, as it provided me with invaluable information about what went right and what went wrong. I hope that next year I will be more prepared to face whatever calamities nature and Greek politics will throw at me. In the meantime, you can enjoy here the route we took on Koroni during the last afternoon of our last day. By the way, it took me two unsuccessful attempts before I found the right path up to the fort!]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://loveofhistory.com/how-not-to-organise-a-tour-in-athens/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Humboldt Fellowship in Berlin</title>
		<link>http://loveofhistory.com/humboldt-fellowship-in-berlin/</link>
		<comments>http://loveofhistory.com/humboldt-fellowship-in-berlin/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:48:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[constantinakatsari]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Opinions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[berlin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dai]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fellowship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Humboldt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[learn german]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tour]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trip]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://constantinakatsari.wordpress.com/2009/12/04/humboldt-fellowship-in-berlin/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Two years ago I was over the moon. I just found out that I won the 18-month Humboldt Fellowship for Experienced Researchers in order to finish my monograph. My destination was Berlin, the Deutches Archäologisches Institut. The idea of living for a year and a half in this vibrant city, surrounded by excellent libraries, made me quiver with joy! And then, reality struck. I had to move to another country, yet again. This involved making arrangements about my salary, renting a flat, re-learning German and finally acquainting myself with my new adopted country. My first brush with German bureaucracy was a complete disaster. Humboldt Foundation refused point blank to pay my stipend into my University Research Account, which means that I had to let go of my salary and take a year of unpaid leave, with severe consequences for my pension. Of course, this arrangement in the end worked like a charm, since the pound collapsed Renting a flat was the other obstacle. I decided to rent online an overpriced apartment in Prenzlauerberg, with the hope that I will enjoy living in a trendy and, yet, safe area. My expectations of the area were fulfilled but the apartment fell well below its standards. And the worse part is that I had to enter very painful negotiations in order to leave earlier than the stated time in the contract. After a lot of heartache and some financial loss I moved to a new apartment in Rosa Luxemburg Platz at a third of the rent I have been paying. This place belonged to the granddaughter of Robert Havemann and it was full of memorabilia; a veritable treasure-hunt for an archaeologist like me! My abilities to speak German took off very fast. Well, they had to. As soon as I arrived in East Berlin, whenever I asked the indigenous people, if they spoke English, they answered… Ruski. Bear in mind that the reunification of the city of Berlin is far from being complete. Humboldt Foundation generously paid for three months of lessons with a private tutor. I worked hard and finally got to a satisfying Grundstuffe level. Unfortunately, my German was not good enough to help me befriend many Berliners, who tend to keep to themselves. But I did manage to maintain comfortable levels of contact with other locals (Turks, Italians, Greeks, Russians, French and… Germans). My work in the DAI was the highlight of my trip. Researchers came and went, while I made some very good friends among the more permanent members of staff. Some of them even followed me in my crazy ventures to find the best tango school in the city! The library proved to be a little less than excellent for my subject. So, I complemented the existing material with books from Freie Universität and the Stadtbibliothek. In this process the DAI staff was most helpful and I would like to thank them from the bottom of my heart. The second most wonderful experience I had was the Humboldt Study Tour around Germany. The Foundation paid for two weeks of holiday around the country, which included a bus tour and accommodation for researchers and their partners! During that trip I built friendships that I am certain will last a lifetime. Above all, I came to understand German society and some of the more obscure workings of the German system. In the end, between German tutorials, tango lessons, trips to neighbouring cities and visits to libraries, I managed to finish my book. The official title is the Roman Monetary System and I expect it to be published in the summer of 2010 by Cambridge University Press.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://loveofhistory.com/humboldt-fellowship-in-berlin/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
