Saturday, February 27, 2016
I can’t believe I’m spending my spring break in Greece! I’ve dreamed of visiting here ever since I was little, when I got to read about Greek mythology. We landed in Athens last night, but it was too late to do much. This morning we got up bright and early to visit the Acropolis, where we were able to see the Parthenon and the other ruins up there. The structures are amazingly intact for being thousands of years old, though some parts are crumbled or reconstructed. And the view from the top of the Acropolis? Incredible! You can see the whole city of Athens spread out, piling up on the surrounding mountains.
Then after a stop at the Theater of Dionysus, which was down below, we went to the Acropolis Museum. The museum houses the original sculptures and friezes and pediments of the Parthenon, as well as lots of other artifacts that have been found on and around the Acropolis. A huge part of the museum’s collection was actually found on the site where the museum was being built. Some of the excavation can be viewed through glass panels on the floor.
Our last stop for the day was the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion. The temple overlooks the ocean, which makes perfect sense for Poseidon, god of the sea. The ancient temple set against the gorgeous seaside backdrop was so pretty it was unreal! I’m already loving Greece!
Monday, February 29, 2016
We left Athens this early this morning and went first to the archaeological site of Corinth. There were tons of ruins there, the best preserved of which was a temple to Apollo and some old stone structures that were once baths and wells surrounding long-gone hot springs. Those were all from the ancient Greek period, but there were also remains from the days of the Roman forum, with a few damaged archways that would’ve once led into shops. The Roman part of the ruins includes a porch that was once part of a building where Saint Paul did some of his preaching from, and some of the road still remains. I walked down a road that Greeks and Romans walked down two thousand years ago!
After Corinth we went to Epidaurus. Though it has ruins of several temples and other various buildings, this site is best known for its ancient theater. The Theater of Epidaurus is the best preserved example we have today of what a theater would’ve been like for the ancient Greeks. In fact, it’s so well preserved that it’s still used today in the summer for music festivals and performances. It also has near-perfect acoustics, so despite its enormous size, a person all the way at the top could hear someone drop a coin way down on the stage. It’s a hike to get all the way to the top though, that’s for sure!
On our way to our new hotel, we stopped at an olive oil press. Olives are a big deal in Greece, and olive oil is one of their most important exports. The place we stopped at showed us the process for pressing the olives to get the oil, which is much more complicated than I’d expected. But at the end we got to sample some of the oil with bread, and it’s worth all that work. We also learned that there are lots of other products that can be made with olives and olive oil, like soaps and lotions. I brought back a bar of soap to try that out—I’ll let you know how it goes.
Our new hotel is in a pretty little coastal town called Nafplio. The city is built right next to the ocean, and there are lots of restaurants right alongside the water. It’s smaller than Athens, but our hotel has an amazing view of the town and the water! We’ve got another busy day tomorrow, so I’ll sign off.
Friday, March 4, 2016
We got into Delphi last night and are staying in a hotel in the modern town for now. This morning some of our group got up a little early to hike up Mount Parnassus, which overlooks the whole city of Delphi, and is rumored to be the home of the nine Muses, ancient goddesses of the arts and sciences. I didn’t see any of the Muses, but I did get a breathtaking view of Delphi!
After breakfast, we headed out for the archaeological site of Delphi. Delphi is best known for its temple and oracle for Apollo. Though nothing remains of the oracle today, a few of the temple’s pillars have been lifted upright once more and give visitors an idea of the enormity and grandeur of the building. In ancient times, anyone with an important decision came to Delphi to ask the Pythia, Apollo’s priestess, about the god’s advice. Apollo was the god of prophecy, among other things, so it was believed that he would speak his advice through his priestess and thus answer people’s questions, though not always straightforwardly.
Delphi also has a museum to protect the original statues and carvings of Delphi, and some of its pieces were stunning. The bronze and marble sculptures are incredibly lifelike, even thousands of years later. It’s no wonder that they were originally offered to the gods in thanksgiving.
We only have a little while left; it’s back to the USA on Sunday. And I’ll be so sad to leave. But I’ll make it back here someday, I have no doubt!