Delphi and Olympia (May 5-7, 2009)

Hello again! So…we begin again with our second multi-day trip, this time to the two great Panhellenic sanctuaries: the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi, and the sanctuary of Zeus and Hera at Olympia. These sites were famous for their cults as well as their Games, the two major games of Ancient Greece (Pythian and Olympian) held every four years They were like the Summer and Winter Olympics in a sense, with the Pythian games being held in the middle of each 4 year Olympiad (of course the history is a little complicated, but I don't want to get into it). We got on the bus at around 7:30, and I shocked quite a few people, since I had shaved my beard off, prompting them to wonder what I would stroke while I was in class. But, anyhow, we set off for our first destination, Osios Loukas ("Blessed Luke") Monastery, a Byzantine monastery named not after the Evangelist, but after a local hermit whose relics are still in the church and are believed to exude myron, a healing oil used in miracles. The monastery itself was beautiful, high-up on the side of a valley, and the mosaics and murals were quite impressive. After a tour of the monastery, which included a "priests' movie theatre", we had lunch and were off. A couple hours later, we made it to Delphi (after an epic bus standoff in one of the mountain towns) and we went down to the lower site to see the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaos/Pronoia (either "before the temple" or "forethought"). During our site report, it started to rain, which honestly made the site so much more beautiful. The famous tholos (a round colonnaded structure) only had a few columns standing, but it was so majestic. After it stopped, we walked out past the gigantic ancient legos and headed to our hotel. That evening we discovered this awesome shop in Delphi called "Safeway," which sold these beautiful handmade olivewood objects (picture frames, bowls, salad sets, etc.) and where the owner gave us all sample of Mastic liquor and offered free olives to us all. We came back again later because he was so awesome. I also had a gyro that had ketchup, mustard, and mayo in addition to the normal fixins, and it was surprisingly good. After a pleasant night sleep, we went to the upper, more important site of Delphi. It was actually pretty amazing. Several of us had to do site reports pointing out certain historical aspects and locations of different dedications (I presented the history of the Pythian Games) and that made me feel more engaged with the site. Each important element, from the Siphnian treasury, to the Athenian treasury (where Alain got into a non-verbal confrontation with this serious bitch of a Greek guide), to the Temple of Apollo itself, which had orange columns which were once covered in stucco. Everything there seemed so important (and really everything was, because almost everything had some sort of dedication or decree inscribed on it). Unfortunately the evidence of where the Oracle would have been is arbitrary, but it was fun to sort of imagine how it went from what we know about the Oracle (especially since she was probably on a serious acid trip, and the priests interpreted her murmurs into really ambiguous lines of verse). After the site visit, we ventured into the Museum, which had some impressive pieces and dedications (including the monument of Aemilius Paullus), as well as the "original" navel of the universe. The most impressive piece was by far the Delphic Charioteer, a roughly life-size bronze sculpture of a charioteer likely from a dedication in honor of a Pythian Games victory. The same bitch Greek guide showed up behind us (she was kind of following us, trying to force us out of rooms with her annoying nature) and told her group of American tourists that bronze sculpture stopped with the Greeks, since there are no examples of bronze sculpture outside of Greece. I wanted to tell her she was an idiot, but calmed myself down especially after Paul told me she probably would've been very offended and possibly slapped me or something. After we were done at the museum, we grabbed lunch and headed out for Olympia on the Peloponnese, but of course there was a whole Corinthian Gulf between the two sites, so we had to take possibly the coolest bridge EVER: The Rio-Antirrio Bridge. This bridge is not tethered to either end of its span, but instead totally supported by piers along the floor of the gulf that can shift with the ever-moving nature of the Peloponnese, the fastest-moving landmass on Earth. As a result of these piers, the bridge is reportedly earthquake, tsunami, tidal wave, and terrorist proof. After crossing the bridge, we drove out into the middle of nowhere to Ancient Olympia, a tourist town with one main street lined with novelty tourist shops and jewelry shops that takes ten minutes to walk down. We got there later than expected, got overbooked out of our hotel, but luckily put into a "five-star" hotel right next to the site. We walked around a little bit, did some shopping (I found this shop whose owner's brother had run with the Olympic torch for the Moscow, LA, Seoul, Barcelona, and Atlanta games, and I even got to hold the torch from the Moscow games), and had a group dinner where I had a steak that dwarfed John P's cheeseburger. The next day, we went to the site, which was so beautiful! We started off at the museum, which had some fine pieces, including the Olympian Hermes holding the infant Dionysus by Praxiteles, and the Paeonian Nike, as well as the sculptures from the pediments of the Temple of Zeus. My group presented the temple, which was simply monstrous (see picture of me with column drum), and I focused on the chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statue of Zeus, which was added after the temple was built and was designed inside Phidias' workshop built to the exact proportions of the temple just to see how it would look and whether or not it would fit (apparently it was so large if Zeus were to stand up he would burst through the roof). After a pleasant walk through the site, which was essentially a park, we went to the stadium, where we discussed the Olympic Games and watched as people raced, including some of our girls. We walked out of the archaeological park, pausing a few times to look at the temple of Hera, where they have the torch lighting ceremony for the modern Olympics, the Philippeion in honor of Philip II of Macedon, and the palaestra, which had these unexplainable grooves carved in stone implanted in the ground. After we grabbed some lunch, we boarded our bus for the 5-6 hour bus ride back to Athens. So, until next time…

Greek Easter, Spring Break II, and Corinth (APRIL 27-30, 2009)

Hello again! This post covers a long period of time because I really didn't do that much. After submitting my final project for Helma, our class took a break for Easter and just to have a week off of school. Everyone else went off somewhere, but lucky for me, my vacation was coming to me. On Thursday morning, I got up early to pick up Katt from Piraeus, the Athenian port. She had been in Crete for the past month doing grunt work at INSTAP, an archaeological center in Crete. She had taken the overnight ferry from Iraklion to Piraeus, and she got in at 5 am, two hours before I could get to her. I met her in the train station in Piraeus, and she was exhausted and stressed, so I got her the closest thing I could to a chocolate muffin and we set out for Athens, where she would meet up with Angelo, her landlord, and settle into her flat in Athens, where I would also be staying until the last week of May and commuting to the Athens Centre. It was totally worth it, because I got to spend almost every night with Katt, and I lost a significant amount of weight just from walking roughly 6 miles a day. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Katt's first weekend in Athens was Greek Easter weekend, and if you are not aware of how they celebrate Easter over here, you should seriously look it up. All I can say is that one description we found said that they mark midnight Easter morning with fireworks, gunfire, and dynamite….and that's about right, because it sounded like a warzone. Anyhow, after Greek Easter/Blow Ourselves to Bits and Hope We Get Resurrected Too Day, I had a week off, and neither of us felt like doing much of anything, so we didn't. Pretty soon Greek Civ round 2 with Alain began (along with the reopening of my favorite gyros place, which made me so happy). The first two site visits were to the Acropolis/Theatre of Dionysus and the National Archaeological Museum, both of which I had been to before, so nothing really new there. The excitement arose, however, with our trip to Corinth on the 30th, where we encountered the chain-smoking, grizzled, British archaeologist we all secretly hoped we would meet someday: Guy Sanders. Guy is an archaeologist trained as a geologist who could tell you about the geological and archaeological history of Corinth if you asked him. He could even give you his interpretation of the Persephone myth in correlation with the rape of Helen, but apparently he does that a lot and his stories always lead back to Helen. He is in charge of excavations at Ancient Corinth, which is excavated by the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, and he knows Paul,, since Paul had dug there a few years back. He gave us a private tour of the ruins, and by private tour, I mean we walked behind all the ropes and down into old fountain houses and made other tour groups either jealous or confused by Guy's insistence that the areas we were in were closed and they were not allowed in. After thoroughly confusing several people, he led us to a Medieval house/structure with a courtyard and exterior shops where he explained the history of the site. He then led us to the pottery sheds where he gave us a lesson in trade and economics through pottery. He also showed us the newest excavations on the site, where we saw people digging and sifting away, trying to add to the roughly 4% of the city that has been excavated thus far. After offering our goodbyes and a bottle of wine, and petting his fun-loving Jack Russell terriers, we were off to lunch and our other sites. We went first to Perachora, where there is a sanctuary to Hera right on the coast opposite Corinth, marking the boundary of Corinthian lands but also giving us another opportunity to clamber on rocks overlooking the site of the old apsidal temple. We even found a cave to climb into. It was fun times. We hopped back on the bus to the Diolkos, the ancient precursor to the Corinth canal, wherein the Corinthians charged a fee to drag goods or even boats across the Isthmus between the Corinthian and Saronic gulfs. After a bit at the two long ruts in the ground, we headed back to Athens, where we got ready for a four day weekend, including of all things International Labor Day, May 1^st. So, faithful and patient readers, until next time…

Rhamnous and Marathon, etc. (APRIL 10-15, 2009)

Hello again! This post covers 6 days because not much of interest occurred for most of those days. I didn't do much on the weekend since I was exhasted from the week before. On Monday morning we went to the National Archaeological Museum, only to find it didn't open until 1: 15 pm. So instead we did our planned to visit for Tuesday to the Pnyx which I had already been to before as you should already know. We did go a little further up the Hill of the Muses to the Monument of Philopappus, which provided a pleasant view of the land between Athens and Piraeus, with remnants of the long walls still somewhat visible. On Tuesday, we actually made into the museum, which I had already been to as well, but we did walk through half of the sculpture collection which we had skimmed over minimally before; the other half was preserved for Alain in two weeks. On Wednesday, we boarded a bus early in the morning for Rhamnous, the northernmost ancient deme (political subdivision) in Attica. We saw the temple of Nemesis which was almost 6 inches away from another smaller temple and covered with modern inscriptions in the vein of "Stavros was here" (some of which were in script). After passing through a locked (but not very sturdy) fence, we walked down (and up and down) a ravine/road lined with tombs and dedication bases until we saw our final destination: a fortified ruined city on a promontory flanked by two stunningly blue bays. We proceeded into the city, which had impressive stone walls and other remnants such as herms, broken pottery (which we had fun identifying) and just absolutely gorgeous views of the sea and the surrounding countryside. There was no question why those who settled here did so, as it was both secure and beautiful. After a quick look at the unpublished materials excavated from the site, we went on to Marathon, site of the great Athenian victory over the Persians in 490 BC. We had lunch overlooking the Plain of Marathon and then entered the museum, which was impressive (but unfortunately didn't allow photography) and had within it the Trophy, a monumental single Ionic column set up by the Athenians where the Persians turned to run. We left the museum to see the early tombs on the site, and were lucky enough to be there when the archaeologists were on site, so we could be allowed into the Tomb of the Plataeans, where the Plataeans who died in the battle were allegedly buried. After admiring their bones, we went off to the Tomb of the Athenians, which looks like a gigantic mound of earth. We then got back on the bus for the ride back. When I returned, I was excited, because I would see Katt again the next morning, since she was getting in on the EARLY ferry from Crete. Well, faithful readers, until next time... (pictures later)

The Argolid Pt. 2 (APRIL 8-9, 2009)

Hello again! I know it has been a REALLY long time since I've updated this blog. I've been really busy and doing too many awesome things that if I were to write about them immediately my computer would likely burst into flames or something. Anyhow, in order to get caught up, I'm going to be much more brief in my posts. So, where were we? Ah yes... days 2 and 3 of my Argolid trip. After a night in Nafplio I woke up and set out for another Mycenean period acropolis, Tiryns. Not much to report on there except for gargantuan rocks in orderly piles resembling walls. They were made more interesting by Eric's insistence on jumping off one of the Rocks making up a gateway about 12 or 15 feet high. He fell on his side when he landed, his sunglasses flew off, and he skinned his palm, but otherwise he was fine. After leaving Tiryns, our next stop was Argos and its archaeological site, in which was an immaculately preserved greek theatre, as well as the remains of a Roman bath. After bounding around the ruins of the agora looking for hidden treasures, we visited another archaeological museum with a preserved mosaic depicting personifications of all the months of the year (this was of course of Roman period or later). After lunch, we headed to the Argive Heraion (which wasn't as close as the name suggests), and Paul enlightened us on the importance of the site from the archaic period onward. Also during this time, Eric tripped on a rock or something and sprained his ankle, needing to be carried down the hill the temple was on by John P. After those fun times, we went back to Nafplio for a wine tasting and dinner. After our last night in Nafplio, we headed for Epidavros to the Sanctuary of Asclepios, the Greek god of healing. While we were there we learned much about the cult of Asclepios and the procedures pilgrims would undergo in order to be cured of anything from blindness to a five-year pregnancy! After wandering around the sanctuary and witnessing the re-erection of Asclepios' tholos-Heroon, we went to another immaculately preserved theatre, where Nick serenaded us from the bottom while we stood at the top. We then left to return to Nafplio for our visit to the Venetian fortress Palamidi overlooking the city (which in some places seems rather precarious). After enjoying the breathtaking view, we had lunch and slept on the long bus ride back to Athens. So, readers, until next time...

The Argolid Pt. 1 (APRIL 7, 2009)

Hello again! Sorry I haven't been keeping up to date. I've been busy here, and with all the stuff we do, I just feel so exhausted. Anyhow, this post picks up where the last one left off. On Tuesday, I had to get up early to catch the bus on our three day excursion to the Argolid, the region in the northern Peloponnese surrounding Argos. I slept for most of the trip out of Athens, but I woke up right as we were driving over the Corinth Canal, which is actually quite an impressive sight to see. The canal, interestingly enough begun personally by Roman Emperor Nero shortly before his death, is 6 kilometers long and cuts through the narrow Isthmus connecting Mainland Greece with the Peloponnese, essentially rendering the latter an island. The sheer cliffs that compose the side walls of the canal are simply amazing. I saw in Michael Palin's Around the World in 80 Days how they get ships through the canal: three men board each ship, a pilot and two men who watch over the sides, and through communications between the three men they are able to guide ships unscathed through the canal. It was actually pretty cool. After our snack break at the canal, we boarded the bus and continued on to nearby Isthmia, a site that had been excavated by Oscar Broneer of the University of Chicago. Because of our connections, we received an exclusive tour run by the site architect (the member of the excavation team who essentially pieces everything together and draws out plans and elevations among other things). We were allowed into the new museum, not yet open to the public, where we were treated to artifacts associated with the cult of Poseidon (including remains of the cult statue of Poseidon's wife, Amphitrite, still in bubble wrap), the Isthmian games (including an iron discus and part of a chariot wheel), and the sunken harbor of Cenchreai (including decorative glass panels). Outside the museum we walked around the site, even going beyond the ropes into the foundations of the Temple of Poseidon (which was awesome). Our guide showed us a reconstruction of the ancient wall surrounding the sanctuary as well as the old altar and running track, where he explained how footraces worked in ancient Greece, with the starting line where the runners were tethered until the race started (and how the starting line had to be rebuilt because it was so easy to cheat using the old one by simply stepping on your opponent's string). Next to the starting line was the Roman shrine to Palaimon. Palaimon was the son of a Boeotian prince and Ino, the rearer of Dionysus. When his father was driven mad by Hera, he cast ino and Palaimon into the sea. Palaimon's body was taken by a dolphin and deposited beneath a pine tree on the Isthmus of Corinth, where he was discovered by his uncle Sisyphus and brought to Corinth. At the command of the Nereids, Sisyphus established the Isthmian Games in Palaimon's honor. The shrine to Palaimon, the third or fourth of its kind, was supposed to have been constructed above Palaimon's grave (it's actually above a sewer pipe). Here sacrifices were made to Palaimon for good fortune during the games. As we were running out of time, our guide led us to a cavern/dining room and allowed us a distant glimpse of the Roman Baths before we were herded back to the bus for our next destination: Nemea. Nemea is well known for its role in one of the twelve labors of Heracles, the slaying of the Nemean Lion (a fact acknowledged accidentally by Sarah when she insisted she was Heracles and her fleece jacket the skin of the Lion). Our first stop at Nemea was the Archaeological Museum, housing the finds from the excavations conducted by UC-Berkeley. There we were treated to very nice models reproducing the Sanctuary of Zeus as well as the nearby stadium, site of the Nemean Games. After a gander at the miniatures (and Helma mistaking graves for sheep) we set off for the real thing. We walked along the path past fields of grapevines first arriving at the Roman Baths, which had a recognizable frigidarium and caldarium. After basking in the fallen glory of Roman luxury, as well as strange fascination with an octagonal trash can, we moved on to a strange circle of pavement which we really couldn't figure out the purpose for, but decided it was certainly something having to do with religion, and moved on, passing by the ruins of a Roman monastery. We then arrived at the Temple of Zeus, which was clad for the most part in scaffolding. The reason for this was that Berkeley was re-erecting several of the fallen columns, which is at one level good, because they're recreating the experience for future generations, but on another level it removes the romanticism of the site, with its former silhouette of three columns against a sunset with other columns fallen upon the ground looking remarkably like round dominoes. Beyond the temple, we saw the Great Altar of Zeus, where competitors in the Games would sacrifice and proceed to the Stadium on foot, but we decided to take the bus, because we had a few buildings and fences in our way. When we got to the Stadium site, we first passed through the apodytrion, or changing room, then through a tunnel into the stadium itself, which is practically perfectly preserved. Our group gathered at one end, but I clambered to the top of the hill the stadium was built into to get a better view and to see the footrace about to ensue. After that, we reboarded the bus and headed to Mycenae, the location of the citadel of Agamemnon (and his tomb, according to Schleimann). After a brisk trip through the museum, we entered through the Lion Gate, something I've been waiting to see for a long time, and proceeded past the "grave circle of Agamemnon" where Schleimann gazed into the face of Agamemnon to the Megaron and the cistern, which was at least 50 if not 100 steps below ground, cut into solid stone. It was amazing. After those escapades, we went to the tholos tombs nearby, named arbitrarily by Schleimann the tombs of Aegisthus and Clytemnestra and the Treasury of Atreus, which were pretty impressive (especially once we realized the Treasury of Atreus was a whisper dome). After the tholoi we boarded the bus headed for Nafplio, where we stayed in a hotel for the next two nights. That night we went on a hunt for an amazing gelateria which eluded us but was eventually found by accident. Afterwards, we had a very nice dinner as a group at this nice tavern which seated all 26 of us outside in the alley, but it was so cool and the food was delicious. We of course had a repeat run at the gelateria, this time knowing precisely where it was, and later I fell asleep satisfied and awaiting my next day with more ruin-hopping. Well, reader, in the interest of preserving your interest, I'm going to start the next day in a new post. So, until next time…

National Museum, Epigraphical Museum (APRIL 4-6, 2009)

Hello again! This weekend was relatively uneventful, as I was simply exhausted from my first full week in Athens. On Saturday, I slept in and just relaxed all day, going out for lunch and dinner and the occasional trips up to the Athens Centre to sit on the steps and leech off of the wireless connection so I could talk to Katt. On Sunday, seeing as it was a free day at all museums and sites, I went with Paul, Helma, Eric, Stacy, and Prya to the Epigraphical Museum, where they had over 13000 inscriptions found across Greece. Some of the highlights were the oldest inscription found in Athens from the 8^th century BC, the order by Themistokles to retreat to the Acropolis during the Persian Wars, the decree found on the cover of Mastronarde's Introduction to Attic Greek (which was my favorite), large stelae inscribed with the Athenian tribute lists, a catlog of deceased soldiers from ca. 411 BC (likely form the Sicilian Expedition), and ostraka (potsherds inscribed with the names of men nominated for ostracism, or forced exile) inscribed with the names of Themistokles, Pericles, and Thucydides (the politician, not the historian). After the Epigraphical Museum, Helma bought us lunch at a café and we then went into the National Archaeological Museum, my first of MANY visits in the coming months, to get a taste of it all. We saw the geometric funerary krater with the woman on the bier and hair-pulling mourners, the golden "Mask of Agamemnon" complete with the fake 19^th-century Bavarian mustache added by Schliemann, as well as the Vase Collection upstairs and the frescoes and finds from Akrotiri, the Minoan site on Thera/Santorini. After that we made a quick stop for caffeine in the museum café, browsed the museum shop, and since it was rainy and could get worse, and Eric was worried about his bank card (he went to the bank and then realized it was Sunday), we headed back, where I sat and relaxed in my windowsill listening to The World According to Clarkson, and just relaxed, having pita and feta for dinner. After sleeping in and being woken up by the schoolkids across the street, I went to get food, talk to Katt, and finally catch up on my blog. So, that being accomplished, until next time…

Acropolis (APRIL 2-3, 2009)

Hello again! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy/lazy. I'm combining days 8 and 9 because I had the morning off on Thursday, and all I did was get my laundry done and go to classes. On Friday, however, I was treated to the gigantic elephant in the room that is Athens: the ACROPOLIS. I went to sleep early so I would not be drowsy when we met up at 8:30 am to make the expectant journey to the Rock. We walked through the National Gardens toward the familiar strand leading past the Areopagus and the new Acropolis Museum and made our way up the hill, accompanied by the necessary dogs and constantly bugged by vendors trying to sell us water and other sundries, and congregated at the top to wait for our free tickets into the Acropolis. After an overview of the site, we entered through the crowded entrance gate and continued further up the hill to the ancient entrance to the Acropolis, the Propylaea. The Propylaea was a quasi-symmetrical portico/building supported by Doric columns along the front and Ionic columns along the entrance gate (the reason for this is that Doric columns had to have a certain proportion between height and width, while Ionic columns are able to reach higher with narrower shafts). To the right of the Propylaea is the Temple of Athena Nike, currently under restoration, as well as a hole cut in the fortification wall, showing the Mycenaean period foundations on the Acropolis, a testament to the stability of the site's occupation. To the left is the monument to Agrippa, the builder extraordinaire of Augustan Rome. We walked up the switchback steps (in ancient times it would have been a ramp, presumably to accommodate the Panathenaic procession) through the Propylaea into a wide expanse of ruins, cluttered with fallen marble and the modern machines and scaffolding erected to commemorate the modern Greek insistence on reinstituting their past to emphasize the perseverance of Democracy in a country which had been crushed under the oppression of so many. The cranes lifted old and new marble blocks, shaped by workers on site, into place to try and build up again monuments destroyed by centuries of conflict and siege. To the left where a woman was preparing a large block of marble there once stood the great bronze Athena Promachos (possibly made in the "foundry" at the base of the hill), a statue depicting Athena as the defender of the city, fully clad in armor and bearing a spear, once taken to Constantinople and destroyed during the Fourth Crusade, and only known to us today through smaller copies. Beyond that was the Erechtheion, a "split-level" temple erected in the late 5^th century BC and once used as the harem for the Ottoman ruler of Athens. The temple is bedecked with a frieze-band of blue limestone, a "sky-light" marking the spot where Poseidon supposedly struck the Acropolis, creating a salt-water spring, and a majestic olive tree which is the "descendent" of that which was given by Athena in her battle with Poseidon for patronship of Athens (like we would be as fascinated with a city called Poseidos). The most recognizable feature of the temple, and possibly my favorite feature on the Acropolis, is the Porch of the Caryatids, or "Porch of the Maidens," a seemingly random porch on the North side of the temple with a roof supported by 6 caryatids, or female-shaped columns, which was built to simply mask a support beam, but comes to us as a monument to beauty even for mediocre purposes (even though the original caryatids have been worn horribly by the modernization and pollution of the Attic basin and were replaced by copies). The maidens overlook what is today an open field toward possibly the most recognizable (though often misnamed) building in the world: The Parthenon. The Parthenon was erected between 447 and 432 BC as a "victory monument" and treasury for the Athenians and the Delian League (the Athenian quasi-empire). The Parthenon housed the statue of Athena Parthenos ("Athena the Maiden"), a massive chryselephantine (gold and ivory) sculpture by Phidias whose golden armor and crown could be removed to be melted down as a source of emergency money (also, Phidias supposedly made them removable to prove that he didn't steal any gold by weighing them). The Parthenon, while from the exterior a typical Doric order temple, is special in that there was no cult associated with it, so there is no recognizable altar, and the inner chamber has been altered into a massive opisthodomus ("back-porch/back-room") for the storage of the treasures and offerings of the Delian League. While the Pathenon is wonderful, it is mostly decrepit as a result of the destructive nature of the conquerors of Athens and the cursed venetians who in 1687 bombarded the Parthenon, then the munitions cache of the Ottomans, blowing a massive hole in the side of the temple, still seen today and which will likely remain despite the restoration activities elsewhere on the Parthenon. Another glaring absence on the Parthenon and Greece as a whole are the Parthenon marbles, taken by Lord Elgin under Ottoman auspices in 1801-2, and now housed in the British Museum. While the argument for preservation of the marbles by bringing them to England is sound in hindsight (see: caryatids from Erechteion), the new Acropolis Museum was erected to replace the inadequate shack of a museum on the Acropolis in order to bring them back to their homeland, and of course they plan to emphasize this by noting in their Parthenon exhibit all the marbles missing and where they are currently located. Veering away from ranting, another fascinating fact about the Parthenon is that the building has absolutely no straight lines, with the foundation curved to follow the curvature of the earth, and the columns leaning inward at an angle which, if traced, the lines of all the columns would converge 5 miles above the Parthenon (neat huh?). Anyhow, after taking in the rest of the ruins on the Acropolis, including the column bases of the Temple of Augustus and Roma and the Frankish tower where during WWII Greek patriots scaled the Acropolis cliffs to raise the Greek flag in place of the Swastika, we headed out the Propylaea, which was now filled to the brim with tourists, and went down to the Peripatos, once the haunt of Aristotle who waxed philosophic in the cool shadow of the Rock. Along the Peripatos, we passed the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, still used today for concerts and shows, and the truly massive Theatre of Dionysus, taking up the north slope of the Acropolis. Luckily we had Paul with us, who had done reports on the caves and sanctuaries along the Peripatos for the ASCS, so he showed us all the cool things along the path, including the massive stone that denoted the pathway as the Peripatos, and the Sanctuary of Aphrodite and Eros, where the niches are even today used for offerings (usually of rocks or the occasional candle or pomegranate). After the long walk around the Acropolis and the long morning in general, I headed back to relax. I talked to Katt, did some work, went to class for my "quiz," and just relaxed from a long week and got ready for a long, lazy weekend. So, reader, until next time…

Euboea (APRIL 1, 2009)

Hello again! My day started off early (7 am) when I rolled out of bed and out the door to catch the bus down the street for our excursion to Euboea, a long island skirting the eastern coast of mainland Greece. Our first stop after a nice nap on the bus was to the Amphiareion, or the Sanctuary of Amphiaraos, located near Oropos. The sanctuary was dedicated in the late 5th century BC to the hero Amphiaraos, one of the members of the expedition against Thebes who knew it would fail, and upon retreat from a battle with a son of Poseidon, he angered Zeus, prompting him to hurl a thunderbolt and break open the earth, swallowing the chariot of Amphiaraos. The sanctuary was founded around the spot where supposedly Amphiaraos' spirit breaks free from the earth in the form of a sacred spring, and later on became a famous oracle (one of the two reliable oracles, with Delphi, according to Herodotus' Croesus). At the site, we visited the 4th century BC Doric-order Temple of Amphiaraos, whose pediment was on display in the courtyard of the museum, with remnants of paint still extant. In front of the temple is a great altar with inscriptions to a number of gods and heroes and surrounded by a poor-quality theatre set-up of carved benches. Across from the altar is the stoa, with several extant staute bases, where in ancient times pilgrims would, after making a sacrifice of a ram, sleep overnight in the ram's hide in order to "incubate" and cure their troubles (the rooms where they incubated are visible in wall foundations). Behind the stoa stands a Greek-style theatre, which is one of the most well preserved in Greece, as the proscaenum has been reconstructed in its original form, and the dedicatory seats for priests and magistrates still stand. Across the ravine/river/torrent lay the foundations of several large houses as well as a very unique object: a klepsedra, or a water clock, essentially a cistern filled with water that is released at a regular flow which is used to tell time via the present level of the water. This water clock was especially unique because the bronze valve was still intact in the bottom of the cistern. After admiring the water clock, we got back on the bus and headed to Oropos, where we boarded the ARES II ferry to Eritria. When we arrived in Eritria, we headed straight for the Archaeological Museum, where they had the finds from the various sites in the area, including the theatre, Sanctuary of Apollo, the house of the mosaics, the old town, and the "Heroon" at Lefkandi, a 10th century apsidal (curved at one end) hall where the Swiss Archaeological School found a "chieftain" cremation burial alongside the inhumation of a woman and that of two horses. After wondering at the finds, including a centaur from Lefkandi that was decapitated and buried in two places and the pediment sculpture of the Archaic Temple of Apollo, we walked to the House of the Mosaics, where we were let in by a special key to view the well-preserved mosaics once decorating a floor with a highly mythological program. We then ventured to the old theatre, which was massive and partialy hidden by the top of the Scaenum (stage building) at ground level. We walked on to the old town, which was a meter tall labyrinth of walls, but provided ample opportunity for scampering and climbing among the ruins, even including a nearly 3000 year old tunnel to walk through at the West gate, once part of the great defensive wall. We found the Temple of Hephaestus, now a simple foundation with a hole in the middle, as well as the Heroon, which we had been standing on the whole time and didn't realize until we found a sign with a map telling us where we were. After copious amount of ruin walking and I'm pretty sure an epic game of "Don't step in the lava", we left to eat lunch on the harborfront, where some kids from the school behond us kept hitting on all the girls, telling them to call them later. It was great! We then went to the final stop on our journey, Lefkandi, which was really just scant remnants of walls and a few holes in the ground, some systematic, some from looters. I was able to orient Helma and help her realize where the Hero-graves were, and that the "trapdoors" led down to them by way of a metal door. I took a few pictures of what remained, and then we had to go back to the bus to make our way home. (NB: We had to be let in to all the places in Eritria with a special key. Kinda makes me feel special.) After a ferry ride and a 2 hour bus ride home, most of which I slept through, we made it back to Athens, where I talked to Katt, had some totally awesome Pita Quesadillas, and subsequently passed out. So, reader, until next time...

Olympieion, Areopagus, Pnyx, Agora (MARCH 31, 2009)

Hello again! Sorry about the late post...I passed out from sheer exhaustion from the past two days, which is really a good thing, because it means that I'm enjoying it. If I weren't, I wouldn't be tired, I'd be crabby. Anyhow, the day started off with a rendezvous at the Athens Centre, from where we walked through the National Gardens to the Olympieion, or the Temple of Olympian Zeus, once the largest temple on mainland Greece, now relegated to the ranks of ruins, with columns both standing and toppled, and taken over by the nature from which it ultimately came. We entered through the old gateway to the sanctuary (the grounds surrounding the temple), first admiring the unique history of the temple, which started off as a small Archaic temple, was overtaken by the beginnings of a massive temple by the Pisistratids (the column drum segments left over from the Pisistratid temple were enormous, at least 5 feet in diameter if not more), was later revived by Atiochus IV, and finally completed in the 2nd century AD by Roman Emperor Hadrian, whose temple remains are those that exist today (identified by the typically Roman Corinthian capitals), and the stone from the other stages was likely used to build the many defensive walls erected in Athens in the period before Hadrian completed it. We walked around the temple to get a sense of the sheer size, but also to see the valley of the river Ilissos, where there was ongoing excavation. After we had made the trek around the temple, we came upon the Arch of Hadrian, erected by the Emperor to mark the boundary between the Athens of Theseus, the legendary founder of Athens (AKA the old city), and the Athens of Hadrian, the legendary renovator of Athens. Hadrian was so important to Athens that a tribe/deme of Athens was named after him, the Hadrianis, putting him among the ranks of the eponymous heroes. After the Arch of Hadrian, where we were nearly blind-sided by a bendy-bus, we headed towards the Acropolis, but not to it, as Helma felt it good to tease us with the high city. We passed a random ruin in the middle of a square, and found the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, erected around 335 BC by himself in honor of his benefaction as a choregos of a winning play in the Theatre of Dionysus. It is a drum-like structure on a podium adorned by engaged columns of the Corinthian order, one of the first pieces of monumental architecture to use acanthus-leaf capitals. The monument was once home to poet Lord Byron in his frequent visits to Athens in the early 19th century, and there is a plaque commemorating his tenancy. From there we made our way further uphill to the base of the Acropolis, passing by the new Acropolis Museum, not open until June 20th but built specifically to house the finds from the Acropolis, including the so-called "Elgin marbles" in the British Museum taken by Lord Elgin in 1801-2. Along the way we had attracted a host of dogs, who quickly dispersed when we arrived at the tourist trap at the base of the hill. Passing by, we ventured first to the Areopagus, or "the hill of Ares," where the Athenian homicide court established in the tragic cycle of the Oresteia was located. The view from the top of the hill, reached by the more adventurous via the "original" slippery, worn stone stairs or by the more cautious/tired via modern metal stairs, was very impressive, overlooking the Ancient Agora and the Pnyx, as well as providing a view of the Propylaea on the Acropolis, as well as a strange red balloon floating over the Acropolis... Nevermind the balloon. From the Areopagus we hiked down and back up to the Pnyx, a site that until I saw it I honestly could not understand. Apparently, the Pnyx was the meeting place for the citizen assembly, where men could speak their mind from the bema (the Greek "soapbox") to the crowd collected in the semi-circular standing area. Unless you see how it is laid out, it is confusing, because during its lifetime the Pnyx was reversed to face the countryside (now the city) instead of the Acropolis and the sea, suggesting an emphasis on the importance of land-based sustenance and the shifting of political modes between democracy and oligarchy. Thus, instead of following the natural slope of the hill, a retaining wall was built to make a faux-horizontal area/terrace for the audience. Enough of this confusion. After enjoying the relatively unimpressive Pnyx, we walked down to the Ancient Agora, a site I will return to later in further detail, but for now will highlight. We entered near the Hephaesteion (or Theseion), a beautiful Doric order temple overlooking the agora with a frieze depicting the labors of Theseus, likely meant to imply connections between the temple's brain-child, Pericles, as well as revel in the toils of the Persian Wars, especially since the frieze also depicts the battle between the Lapiths (civilized men) and the Centaurs (barbarians). Making sure to cover all the bases, the metopes depict the labors of Heracles alongside those of Theseus. From the Hephaesteion we walked into the agora, wandering past the House of Simon, the Tholos (of Socratic fame), the monument of the Eponymous Heroes from whom the tribes of Athens derived their names, and a headless statue of Hadrian with Athena perched atop the she-wolf suckling Romulus and Remus, a symbol establishing Rome as the stable foundation of Athens in the 2nd century AD. We the visited the Agora Museum, which is housed in the restored Stoa of Attalos, a roofed colonnade meant as a retreat from the blistering Greek sun in ancient times and today. After a quick gander at the pottery and other finds from the agora, I headed back to the apartment, grabbed some lunch, relaxed, talked to Katt, went to classes, and essentially passed out, thus why this post is a day late, and the post covering today will come tomorrow. So, reader, until next time...

Lykavittos (MARCH 30, 2009)

Hello again! Last night I was feeling better, so I walked down to Varnava square, where almost everything was closed, but I found a bakery where I got this bread thing containing cheese and bacon, and it was delicious. I went to sleep after starting my Odyssey reading and later woke up so I could meet the group at the Athens Centre. From there, Helma led the group through the traffic toward Likavittos hill/Mt. Lykabettos. Along the way we acquired a stray dog that became a mascot of sorts. Henceforth I shall refer to him as Stavros. Stavros was probably following us for a few reasons, whether he just wanted to cross the streets safely, wanted human company, was running from the police and military who seemed to be out in full force today, or was just going the same way we were and probably wondered why we were following him. Anyhow, we walked through Kolonaki, the posh Athenian neighborhood, and soon made it to the base of the hill/mountain. Our destination was the monastery at the top, and Helma urged us to take whatever route went up, of course with her lagging to the rear of the group and laughing at those charging ahead, wasting energy they would miss on those last few flights of stairs. We made our way up trails, wooden and stone steps, switchbacks, and paved roads (turns out there were taxis at the top as well as a train that brought people less young and bucksome as our lot apparently). When we finally reached the top, I was on my last leg (i could feel each one leave me as we climbed) and promptly sat down on the nearest stone bench to catch my breath. I was not alone, as most of the group was wiped out. Even Stavros was panting as he laid down near me. The view from the top, the highest point in the city, was impressive, and would have been much more impressive if the clouds hadn't rolled in during the night. Paul said on a clear day you can see the islands in the Saronic gulf, which would be pretty awesome, but I took some pictures of the view so you, reader, could see what I saw, from the Acropolis, to the Stadium near where I live, to the University and Mt. Hymettus. I think, since I went there on the first day of my classes, I will return on the last, to see the view before I leave, but also to see how fit I am after 3 months of walking a city of hills. After the view was enjoyed, we walked down (so much more pleasant) and slowly made our way back to Mets (the "home" neighborhood). After a much-needed shower, I went off to get lunch at the gyros place in Varnava square. Afterwards, I talked to Katt duringher break, and then went to classes. In Greek we got some background on Xenophon and started sight-reading The Constitution of the Athenians (not actually by him, but whatever). Then we had our discussion/seminar with Helma, where she had trouble remembering names and doled out the traditional first-day-of-class test on Richard "Hard" Stoneman's Traveller's History of Athens. Wasn't too bad. Helma then gave us an overview of the first three weeks of the course, and let us on our way. And this, reader, is where I meet you in real time, so, until next time...

MARCH 29, 2009

Hello again! Not much to report today really... Last night we went to a taverna in Varnava square just down the street, where I had some lamb chops and stuffed grape leaves (tasty pretty much everywhere I've found). When we got back to the apartment Eric offered me some Ouzo, which I must say I really enjoyed, partially because it tasted great, but partially because it also cured my sore throat. I've been kind of sick since my last night in London, starting off with a sore throat and developing into full-on head-cold congestion disgustingness, waking me up with violent coughing in the middle of the night. I drank the ouzo, and it was gone, with the congestion still clearing up. As a result of my near recovery, I decided to take a relaxation day to let the sickness leave my body, and tomorrow I will start my classes at 9 am with a walk/hike to Mt. Likavittos. Until next time...

MARCH 28, 2009

Hello again! Catching up from where I left off... we went to dinner at another taverna courtesy of the Athens Centre as our "welcome dinner" and were treated to a six course dinner. It started off with bread, followed by a potato salad-ish dish, then salad complete with to-die-for feta cheese, then saganaki, a greek appetizer consisting solely of fried feta cheese (it was AMAZING), then the main course, followed by dessert of fruit and greek confections and a sweet wine. My main course was Rabbit in a wine sauce, and it was DELICIOUS (we started calling it chicken so one of the girls at the table wouldn't get sick at the sight of the rabbit vertebrae on my plate). After a good night's sleep we met up at the Athens Centre from where we set off on our introductory walking tour of central Athens. We walked from the centre past the stadium to the National Gardens (formerly the Royal gardens back when Greece was ruled by bavarian kings), which were a peaceful refuge from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding city. Within the Gardens we came upon the Zappeion, a neo-classical meeting and ceremonial hall where the documents that accepted Greece into the EU were signed. Through the gardens we walked onwards towards Syndagma (or Constitution) Square, the site of many riots in the young years of Greece as well as the base of operations for the Nazis during their occupation in WWII (their HQ was the Hotel Grande Bretagne). On one side of the square is the Greek Parliament Building, once the palace for the "Greek" monarchs, in front of which is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, guarded 24/7 by two Evzones, the Greek presidential guard, dressed every season in full wool ceremonial garb down to their pompon-adorned clogs. The tomb wall has inscribed upon it in ancient greek the names of the many battles in which the greek army has participated, even indicating Korea in the ancient script. From the tomb, we went beneath into the Syndagma Metro station, which looked similar to a museum, with displays of Grave stelae and pottery found during the excavation for the station in the early 1990's. Along the wall of the station was also a recreation of the stratigraphy of the excavavtion, with plaques denoting the different features found in the area, from graves and walls from the many periods of different rule in Athens, to ancient roads (one of which was labeled as the road to Mesogaia, which is roughly translated as Middle-earth...). Once we emerged from the undergraound Metro museum, we made our way down Ermou St. but kept running into another group, so we took a detour (thats when i saw a Toys of the World, which was a shock to me, because it looks EXACTLY like the one mom used to work in, down to the Playmobil guard outside). We ended up at the Mitropoli church, the main Greek Orthodox cathedral in Athens. There was scaffolding covering the exterior decor, and apparently the interior wasn't that great, so I was happy I didn't go inside, since I would have missed possibly the most awesome thing ever. There was a girl coming out of the church with her mother and she was whining and crying and complaining, struggling to get out of her grasp. So along comes this priest, who had previously been chatting it up with a couple cops, and he stops, turns and looks right at the girl and says in an incredibly intimidating voice some greek words that I will translate solely on how the situation played out: "God will strike you down if you don't shut up!" And lo and behold the girl shot up straight, folded hed hands in front of her, and stayed absolutely still and quiet, following the priest with only her eyes until he dissapeared into the church. That was just awesome! Anyhow, after the great Greek intimidation, we made our way to Monastiraki Square, where we divided up for lunch. I went with a small group to the little cafe place and got a lamb gyros and I ate it as we walked down to Kerameikos, the old Greek burial area/potter's quarter. I only went to see what it looked like, since we were going later on and for free, so afterwards I headed back alone the way we came, making a detour/getting lost in the National Gardens, which was good, because I got a great picture of the daily life of old Greek men: watching other old Greek men play chess. I shall call it the Battle of Athens, considering their age and likely experience of the hardships that Athens has endured just in the past century. From there I found out where I was, and decided to stop by the Stadium, because now I had my camera and could take pictures with less people around. That done, I made my way back so I could talk to Katt for the first time in nearly a week. It was refreshing. She told me roughly where her apartment would be, so, having nothing else to do, I walked to the area around Athens University, which was 20-25 minutes walking leisurely down a straight, busy thoroughfare populated by banks, cafes, a mall, several gelaterias, and a starbucks, so I think its safe to say that the walk won't be a problem whatsoever. After I came back I just started relaxing and wondering what I'm going to do tomorrow, with most of everything closed, but of course, you'll find that out tomorrow. Until next time...

MARCH 27, 2009

Hello again! catching up a little...Woke up this morning at like 7 am, wasn't going to have that, so i slept until 9:20ish. I went to the Athens Centre for our orientation welcome thingy, and its such a nice retreat from the hustle and bustle I've become accustomed to. The courtyard is cozy and open to the warm sun and cool breezes, they have free coffee and tea, and the roof of the centre has tables and chairs and overlooks the city and has a fine view of the Acropolis (save for a chimney in the way) which i discovered later in the day. The sky is so blue and wonderful here. Anyhow, we went on a walking tour of the Pagkrati neighborhood where my apartment and the Athens Centre are, and it was so fascinating! We walked around to see where the essential shops were, like the supermarket (where I later got some milk, cereal, and some NUTELLA) and the barber shop. After we emerged from the maze of buildings we came out onto this wide boulevard and to my left, clear as day, was the Parthenon, completely unobstructed from view. It was the first time I had seen it in person and it was amazing!! Of course later as i was walking back from the athens centre to my apartment i realized you could see it from the road between the two, i just hadnt been looking for it. We went to the Panathinaikos Stadium, the only extant stadium built fully of marble, and it was just outstanding and so massive (i had noticed the olympic rings in the trees as we were walking back from dinner last night, and Eric said that was the stadium, and i couldnt believe it was so close and surrounded by stuff, but it is). After the stadium we walked to Pangratiou Square, which is the starting point of the Pangkrati farmer's market that is set up every friday. All the fruit and vegetables looked so good (and they were sooo cheap) and the smell of olives was the perfect cure for the stench of fish. When we made it to the end, we found a little shop that sold gyros (pronounced yia-ros; its kinda hard to type out how its pronounced) and it was possibly one of the best things I've ever eaten. Can't wait to go back sooo many times. After the meal we went back to the apartments, and i went to the athens centre to use the internet (which drained my laptop battery hardcore and thus showed me i need to bring my power cord next time), and then went to the supermarket to see what they had and pick up stuff. And thats where we stand now... Going to another taverna tonight, and i might try some rabbit or something... Until next time...

MARCH 26, 2009

I flew into Elefthérios Venizélos Airport at around 2 pm after not sleeping the night before. I figured everyone else would be as exhausted so it wasn't so bad (plus, it lightened the blow i received when i got to heathrow and found out i had to pay 35 GBP extra for my second bag because i was flying on a dinky plane, but whatever, from the money i saved coming over here, it all evens out). I met up with the group in the terminal and we took a coach bus into the city, where the bus had much fun navigating corners and avoiding absolutely insane drivers and bikers. We finally got out and made the uphill trek to our apartments, where we had time to relax and unpack until dinner. The view from my balcony is great, as you will see from the pics i'll post soon. It overlooks the First Cemetery of Athens, which as most of you should know would stir up a rather eerie feeling for me, but its not too bad, mostly because i cant really see the graves through all the beautiful trees. Anyhow, after a brief nap, we went to have dinner at a local taverna, where i had a lamb chop (i think, im not quite sure what i ordered or what i got, all i know is that it was delicious) and stuffed grape leaves, as well as a rather tasty greek red wine. The walk back to the apartment was pleasant, with a light misty rain, and I slept very well except for some infomercial/advertisement calling me like 3 times last night. Until next time...