Huh, my computer only wants to be in Greek...

Guess what... no pictures again.  Way too tired.
Last time I wrote it was my last night in Thessalaniki.  The whole group went out to dinner and had a great time.  The next morning we got on the bus and headed to Kalambaka… now, before I continue, I need to let you know that a few years ago I decided I HAD to visit as many James Bond film locations as I could.  “Why?” you ask?  Well why not?!?!  Luckily this summer I get to cross four locations off my list (I’ll discuss my plans to get to certain space related “Moonraker” locations later).
Luckily the drive to Kalambaka was long so I got a couple hours of sleep.  Along the way we stopped in Pella and went to the alleged tomb of Philip II (long story…).  We also went to the site of Pella saw some great floor mosaics.
Finally, Kalambaka.  Meteora, located outside of Kalambaka, was in “For Your Eyes Only.”  It consists of huge cliffs with monasteries scattered all over them.  Had the chance to watch the sunrise over the cliffs, which was pretty cool.  We boarded the bus and went to one of the monasteries where we had a nun explain some of the wall paintings (it involved a man being flayed…).
After Meteora we hopped back on the bus for a 5-6 bus ride back to Athens.  Along the way we stopped at two battle sites.  One was Pharsalus, which involved a battle between Julius Caesar and Pompey.  I can’t recall the name of the other battle site, mainly because I’m not a fan of military history (sorry Grandpa).
We arrived back in Athens Friday night and that’s where we’ve been the past few days. Saturday morning we headed to Heinrich Schliemann’s old home (he excavated the city of Troy) and saw his extensive coin collection.  Then some of us did a little shopping.  In the afternoon we headed to Kerameikos, but it was closed.  Instead we talked about the site including a Spartan gravesite (which is odd since Kerameikos is in Athens).
Sunday we headed out on a ferry to the island of Aegina to see some sites and we had the chance for another (and out last) beach day.
This morning (Monday… right), we headed to a marble workshop and the Stadium in Athens.  After that we went to the first cemetery of modern day Athens.  To end our day we watched an amazing performance by some of the finest actors I’d seen in awhile.
Wednesday I head for Izmir, Turkey to move on to my next adventure!!

Over half way done with the trip

(No pictures today because I'm tired) 

Wow... I only have one month left.  Time if flying!! 

Sunday was officially cave and optional hiking day.  We hiked up to a Neolithic cave (Korykaian) and then headed out on a seven-mile hike (well, for most of us involved it was a seven mile hike… for others it was more like the “three hour tour” foreshadowing the fate of those on the Minnow).  The hike was great and the weather was beautiful as we hiked.

After that we headed to the town of Distomo.  Here, on June 10^th, 1944, the German military brutally murdered almost the entire village because they believed they were helping Greek rebels.  They have a memorial to remember the people that were murdered and a museum as well where they had photos of those killed.  It was pretty overwhelming and a reminder about how many lives were destroyed by the Germans leading up to and during WWII.

The next stop was a monastery.

The next morning we left Arachova and headed north toward Thermopalye.  For those people that disappoint me, you may have heard of Thermopalye from viewing a little movie based on a graphic novel titled “The 300.”  Some of you may remember it was about some Spartans fighting Persians in a scenario that seemed more like a battle for Middle Earth as opposed to a battle to push out the Persians.  Others of you may remember it as a movie that starred Gerard Butler’s abs.  Now, if you’re one of my students, you’d better know darn well that I refuse to see the movie and that none of the aforementioned scenes are accurate.  Please feel free to do some non-Wikipedia related research on the battle.

After that we headed for lunch and there was a beach involved…. Then, some Christian church ruins and back on the bus through Volos up through the mountains to the town of Makrynitsa.  Now, if you think you could never imagine a place like this quaint village, you’re wrong.  Have you seen Beauty and the Beast?  The clip below gives you a taste of the place we stayed in.  However, instead of Belle running through the town singing, picture grown men doing it (in attempts to be ridiculous).  That evening the whole group had a great dinner and watched some dogs fight in the plaza.

The next day we hopped on the bus for a bit of a drive up to Thessaloniki.   First we stopped at the Volos museum.  The displays set up here were fabulous and they had an example of the stratigraphy we would see at the next site.  We also saw some reconstructions of Neolithic houses.  We then stopped at the Neolithic sites of Dimini and Selsko where the Elusive Parat spoke to us about the mysteries and marvels of Neolithic Greece.  After that we boarded the bus again (it was a great nap day) and had lunch at a “truck stop” in a chain restaurant called “Goodys”…the place is kind of disturbing.  Then we drove past Mt. Olympus (home to the Olympians) and went to the site of Dion (not to be confused with either Celine or Warwick).  We couldn’t get into the site but had the chance to see the museum, which had some great artifacts.

Back on the bus to Thessaloniki.

Today we started the morning on a nice stroll along the water to the White Tower.  Then we hit up the Thessaloniki Museum where and walked to the Arch of Galerius.

Lunch…. Sugar fest!!  Frappe (extra sugar) and a nutella crepe (if you work with me or have been one of my students, you know what happens with even the tiniest amount of caffeine.

In the afternoon we went to the Byzantine Museum, which had some fabulous mosaics and a few illuminated manuscripts.  They also had some Madonna and Child images, which, as some know, usually weird me out because of the way they depict “baby” Jesus.  After that we walked around town and looked at some Byzantine basilicas (I heart Byzantine basilicas).

Tomorrow we head out of Thessaloniki and on to Kalambaka.  

Is That Tan or Dirt?

 This is a question that I have come to ask myself everyday (I'm pretty sure I also used shampoo to wash some clothes in the sink the other day).  The other day the answer was “neither,” it was marble dust.  We started Tuesday heading up to Mt. Pentali and the Dionyso Marble Quarry.  We had the chance to go into the quarry and see where they were cutting marble.  Some of the marble they’re cutting will be used for the reconstruction of the buildings on the Acropolis.  We also went to the marble factory and saw how they then finished up the marble.  We also got some free marble samples.

Marble quarry

 After that we headed to the Marathon battle site and saw the Athenian tumulus where roughly 193 Athenian soldiers perished.  

Athenian tumulus on the plains of Marathon.

                     

The modern day Marathon was named in relationship to events of the battle.  Guess what the distance is from Marathon to Athens?  We also had a chance to drive our the damn (made of marble) on the Marathon Lake.

Marathon damn on the right

We had lunch somewhere in there… then headed to Rhamous and saw the remains of a temple to Nemesis, which is the only on in existence.  We then headed back to Athens.

On Wednesday we headed back to the Agora for our final look.  We went through the south side of the site and then went to see the current excavations on the north side on the other side of the railroad tracks.  Luckily the day before they had uncovered the east side of a stoa and we had the chance to see that.  Next we headed to the southwest corner of the Agora and looked at the foundations and uses of houses.  We had the afternoon free and since it was HOT HOT HOT I spent a good chunk of it in the library researching for my report.

Peiraeus

Thursday we woke up early and headed to the port of Peiraeus to look at ancient ship sheds and to go the archaeological museum to look at bronze statues.  The bronze statues had been found placed on top of each other in the port.  They were most likely on their way to being shipped to Rome when Sulla came in and pretty much-looted Greece.  Then we went on to see a remake of an Athenian ship or trireme that they would have used during the Persian Wars.  We then headed back to Athens to finish up our reports and run some errands before we headed up north the next day.  I did some last minute stuff in the library and then ran some errands.               

Friday morning we got on the bus around 7:30 so we could start our journey north.    We then headed toward Thebes (home of Oedipus and such).  The modern town was built on the ancient city so they have had to do some excavations within the town (which sometimes requires convincing owners to sell their buildings… The Archaeological Museum of Thebes was our next stop.  The museum is currently closed and will open in about two years, so we got a sneak peak!  

We then left Thebes and drove around the site of Gla. Yes, Gla… sounds like something out of the Princess Bride or Monty Python.  It is a HUGE site and there are no ancient sources providing information.  While on this long bus ride some of us decided it’d be great to only speak in song lyrics.   This conversation lasted for 2 minutes because it’s really hard to come up with song lyrics on the spot.

Next…we headed to Orchomenos and we saw another tholos (which is really just a round building, but many of the ones we have seen are tombs) and an ancient theater.  

Tholos entrance

Back on the bus after that to head to Chaironeia where a battle took place between the Macedonians (led by Phillip the II) and the Athenians. The Athenians lost… and then we got back on the bus.  Next stop… crossroads where Oedipus killed his dad.  If you have no idea what I’m talking about you should probably have done your research when I went to see Oedipus the King.

After that we headed to our hotel in Arahova (just next to Delphi). We’re staying in a family run hotel and their relatives run a tavern in the village.  The food they served us was AMAZING.  On the walk home some of us overheard music and dancing.  We started clapping for them and…. Were invited into the home where they were celebrating a 15^th name day celebration.  There was lots of traditional dancing and the family offered us homemade wine and homemade pastries.  After much dancing we decided it was time to head to bed because we had a long day at Delphi the next day.

Delphi from up above

Now we’re on Saturday July 21^st!  We hopped on the bus at 8 am so we could start the site at Delphi by 8:30am.  We finished the site around 1:30.  I’ve been to the site before and it is one of the most breathtaking spots on earth.  While at the site a handful of us gave reports, mine on the Siphnian Treasury.  The weather was pretty nice today.  A bit chilly in the morning and then while it was sunny and low nineties the rest of the day there was a great breeze and it was a great day.  After lunch we headed to the museum at Delphi and I finished up my report and then we had a chance to look at some of the artifacts found at the site.   

Back at where were staying we had a woman speak to us about weaving and showed us how to dye wool and cotton yarn using natural ingredients.  She currently volunteers for an organization that teaches women this trade (she’s been to Senegal) in order to help them earn money to feed their families.

For dinner I had a pork gyro and it was delicious!!

Tomorrow we’re going to a cave and then off for a hike!

I have a new follower!!!

Yes!  I'm up to three whole followers!!

Well, Thursday and Friday were spent in Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic games.  I’ve been here before, but it was definitely interesting to see it from an academic point of view versus a tourist point of view.  It was also MUCH cooler than the last time I was there so I actually jogged across the Olympic field when last time I did more of a slow walk.

Original Olympic field.

  After Olympia we went to the museum there to see what they had uncovered at the site.  

Helmets

For lunch the whole group ate together at this restaurant owned by a fabulous family who was very generous and cooked some great food.

Saturday morning we woke up for a loooooong bus ride back to Athens. We drove for about 1 ½ - 2 hours and stopped at Chlemoutsi Castle, which was a medieval castle. 

Then we got back on the bus for another 1 ½ -2 hours and headed to Patras where we went to the Basilica of Agios Andreas (St. Andrew).  The basilica was beautiful (despite all the pick pockets out and about) and in the church next door they were setting up for a Greek Orthodox baptism.

We then boarded the bus again and headed to lunch (fast food, nothing exciting).

Beautiful hand carved chandelier. 

We headed back toward Corinth and the Isthmus that separates the Peloponnese from Attica.  We crossed the canal and headed northwest to Perachora to see the Heraion (temple to Hera: http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Hera.html).  We also had the chance to go in the water below the temple and some people went cliff diving (don’t worry safety dad, every part of me wanted to do it, but I knew if I died you’d get up at my funeral and talk about how irresponsible I was).  

Then we got back on the bus and headed toward Athens… to the heat!  I don’t think I slept at all that night because it was so hot.

Sunday morning we didn’t have anything planned so I did some research (because the library is air-conditioned!!!  In the afternoon we headed to the Epigraphical Museum and had the chance to learn about reading inscriptions on stones (which are technically our only primary source writings from the time).  My ancient Greek is getting slightly better and I was able to read a couple things and actually understand what some words meant!! Sunday afternoon was hotter than Hades!!! (http://www.theoi.com/Khthonios/Haides.html)  As a result of this I spent more time in the library!!  I got a little bit of sleep Sunday night in preparation for Monday (103 degrees!!).

Monday morning we left at 8 to head to the Acropolis.  Lots and lots of tourist…  We had the chance to learn about early sanctuaries built on the site and then focused on the Erechtheion!!  I remember seeing my parents’ slides of the Porch of Maidens when I was little and was excited to be able to go into the sanctuary (even if it was only on the north porch).  

Halloween costume....?                                          View of Athens from Erectheion

After that we went to the south slope of the acropolis to look at some more shrines at the theaters down there. It was hot!!

This afternoon we went to the National Museum for a couple of hours to look at the vase exhibit.  There we had a great lecture by an expert in the field and I learned a lot more about ancient Greek pottery. 

Bottom half of vase: Gorgons http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Gorgones.html

I’m pretty sure I’ve lost half my weight in sweat over the past couple of days and tomorrow is going to be 100 + as well!  I guess I should try to get some sleep!!

Sometimes Roads are Attacked by Landslides… Just Drive Over Them Anyway

This morning we got on the bus for a long and winding journey toward Olympia.  We were on the bus for a little over an hour when we hit the ancient town of Messene.  We walked around the site and saw a temple and stadium.

Then we headed to the Messene gate, which provided fortification for the city.  The road goes right through the wall and so we drove the bus through and got some group photos (we have, at this point in time, 2.5 million group photos).

Back on the bus for 1 ½ hours to the town of Malagi (????) where we went to the supermarket to grab provisions for a picnic lunch. Back on the bus for another hour or so to the site of Mt.  Lykaon, (http://www.penn.museum/research-mediterranean-section/304-mt-lykaion-excavation-and-survey-project.html) which, along with Mt. Ida in Crete, is said to be the birthplace of Zeus.
Zeus: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/z/zeus.html  First we stopped for lunch.  I skipped lunch the second I heard “Yes, we just caught a poisonous snake and there are poisonous spiders here.”  I decided to wait until we were back on the bus to eat.  On the VERY TOP of the mountain they uncovered a huge ash altar, so we hiked on up.  It reminded me a bit of what the Von Trap family did in the Sound of Music, but with less singing.  The hike was steep, but well worth it in the end.

Hike (the tiny red circle on the right is or bus, where we started the hike)

The site also has a hippodrome and they uncovered the remains of the start gates.  There were games to honor Zeus here as well and in Olympia.

Then we hopped back on the bus for another 1-2 hours up some more winding roads along the mountains.  Below is a drawing of what the roads look like (the drawing is completely to scale and 100% accurate, the width of the road is quite narrow):

Mountain in Greece, road winding to the top.  Absolutely Amazing Drawing By Jennie Anglim
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Our next stop was the Temple of Apollo at Bassai.  The temple has been covered with what appears to be a large circus tent in order to protect it from the elements.  

The structure itself is built on a fault line (as are waaaaaay too many ancient sites) and so there had been some earthquake damage.  We had the chance to go inside the structure itself and it was pretty neat.  Unlike the other temples we’ve seen, this one had the interior columns attached to the walls.

After that we had an hour and a half drive through the mountains to Olympia where we will be staying for the next two evenings.  The drive was windy and at several points in time the road kind of disappeared because of rock slides… but the sunset over the mountain was gorgeous!!!