Delphi: Janet

I'll admit, when I first heard about the Oracle of Delphi, I thought the Greeks were completely nuts for believing in her powers.  After visiting the site, however, I began to understand how they might have thought she could converse with Apollo.

First of all, if I went to have my fortune told and saw and woman writhing around uttering nonsense, I would certainly think there had to be something a little strange going on.  Granted, the reality of the situation was that the Oracle was high on ethylene, but if you didn't know that, you could reason that her altered mental state was due to a higher power.  Those who went to visit Delphi were also unaware of the "spies" that listened in on their conversations while they were waiting for their prophecies.  If I didn't know the Oracle had already been advised about my question, I would have a hard time explaining her ability to foresee the future.

Although we now know the Oracle's power was a hoax, it would not be fair to view the Greeks as naive for believing in it.  There are plenty of people in modern society who hold similar beliefs regarding psychics or religious prophets.  Although the majority of us don't believe they are credible sources, there are those who are convinced they can predict the future.  Similar to the citizens of ancient Greece, these people look at all the occasions in which the supposed prophets are right, and simply explain away the instances in which they are wrong.

Although our visit to Delphi did not change my beliefs regarding prophets and psychics, it did open my eyes and help me see how some people could believe in their power.  Obviously something had to influence the thousands of Greeks who believed in the Oracle's ability to foresee the future.

Free Weekend: Santorini

The weekend of June 5-7 was a break from the class, and all the students went together to the island of Santorini.

The best place for breakfast was "Mama's House." That's Mama in the middle.

Having dinner and waiting to watch the sun set from the rim of the volcano.

Meanwhile back in Athens ... table for one, please!

Osios Loukas: Amanda

After a long day in 110-degree heat, the students (myself included) were tired, dehydrated, and not looking very thrilled about our visit to another site. The tour guide began by telling us that Osios means blessed, so the person we would be talking about is named Blessed Luke. It was here I admit that I stopped listening to the tour for a few minutes because I became overwhelmed by what I was in this moment; blessed. To be studying abroad is a rare experience that every college student should explore, but many do not get the chance. The reasons are varied, from timing to finances, yet here we are as a group receiving the gift of this experience. We are blessed to be standing on a silent mountainside, looking over endless rows of olive trees and small farms while surrounded by history stretching back thousands of years. I felt the blessing of being with this group of peers, all of us from varied backgrounds of upbringing and academic experience. I feel proud to call these young men and women my classmates, and fellow badgers, as they have blessed me with their knowledge while I explore these sites with them. Luke was drawn to a life of service and religion from a young age. He was born in Delphi, near the site of the great oracle. Luke himself during his years in church service liked to make a few predictions, I guess it is just something in the water there is Delphi. The amazing prediction Luke made a few years before his death was that some day soon the island of Crete would be liberated. Sure enough, ten years later the island celebrated a great victory and gained their independence. What makes Luke blessed and not a saint is that he helped people, but did not necessarily perform great miracles. His relics were said to have healing power long after his death, and to this day his hand hangs out of his holy robes beckoning you to come closer. Seeing Luke was creepy for me. Something about a hand in an empty black robe took me back to scary Halloween decorations as a child.

Beyond the not so beautiful relics of Luke there is a rare gem in this holy place, literally. Composed of hundreds of thousands of tiles, the mosaics of Osios Loukas are some of the best persevered in the world. Small pieces of glass painted with gold leafing and different brilliant colors of paint create images of God that are inspiring. The amount of work to lay down all those tiles by hand on the ceiling and the many arches of the church is a task I know I do not have the patience for. It is clear that the men who did this work were deep in their faith and masters of their craft. We are blessed in this modern day of fast-pace and urban sprawl to have a beautiful cultural and artistic gem to enjoy. It was a chance to slow down, and just marvel at the devotion these people had to their faith. I was saddened to hear that in the 1960s the original icons from the front of the church were stolen. I hope wherever they are now, someone is taking care of them at least. I saw as we entered the cool interior of Osios Loukas that my peers were able to awaken their minds and their hearts once again to take a deep breath and see the beauty before them, realizing they were blessed. I hope that you also can take a moment in your everyday to find joy and feel blessed.

Aegina

On the ferry to Aegina ...

... with an escort of seagulls.

The approach to the island.

The temple of Aphaia.

Looking back at Athens and the island of Salamis.

Mystras: Rachel

I had three very different impressions of Mystras during different periods of time:

• what I thought Mystras and Sparta would be like before we even arrived there,
• what I thought of Mystras while we walked around there, and
• what I though of Mystras (after visiting) while doing the historical reading about the site.

Leading up to our group visit to Sparta, my expectations of this place were very limited to modern-day media interpretations of it (i.e. the barren, harsh terrain and beastly, violent men depicted in the amazing graphic novel turned major motion picture "300"). I was excited, of course, because of the fame and mystery surrounding this place, intensified by Hollywood glitz. Besides the movie's influence, I knew that Sparta was surrounded by the Taygetos, the tallest mountain range in all of Greece, and additionally that the site of Mystras was seated on a cliffside of these colossal mountains. That said, I certainly wasn't expecting picturesque scenery, lots of greenery, and a bounty of flowers. I just thought it would be 'sparse' - an adjective that I have always (wrongly) associated with Sparta. Upon our arrival, my low expectations were pleasantly unfulfilled - it was so much better than I could have imagined! Sparta had more landscaping and natural vegetation than any place we had seen yet. Rose bushes sprang up everywhere - in the medians of the streets, on sidewalks, and in window boxes on the low-storied apartment buildings, leaving an excellent view of the snow-capped Taygetos as a natural backdrop. The sun was warm, but not oppressive. At this point, it became difficult for me to imagine the ancient Spartans of "300" walking around this terrain, battling, training, and yelling. Even with this new picture of Sparta, I didn't really know what to expect out of Mystras. After all, it is located on a rocky mountain cliff, and I could not visualize anything but barren remains...

Driving up to the site in Yanni's beloved tour bus, my own illustration was instantly changed. Blooming flowers, lots of greenery, and peaceful quiet greeted us. St. Sophia, the first of a few small churches at the site, had beautifully well-preserved Greek Orthodox frescoes. Inside the little church, it was beautiful, cool and quiet. I felt that we all instinctively lowered our voices in awe of the peaceful quality of the place. The same went for the other churches we spent time in at the site. The peacefulness and sanctity of the place was incredibly present when we walked into the working monastery, where we were welcomed by the sweetest, most enchanting nun, and her equally saccharine Turkish Delight treats. She was so eager to show us her needlework and welcome our entire group into her tiny, little room. She blessed miniature crosses for us as a gift from her, and sent us off with the most delightful, spiritual experience, at least for me! Our visit to Mystras was interestingly different from the other religious sites we've visited (i.e. Eleusis and the Acropolis). Perhaps that is because the religious practices at Mystras are much more similar to our modern idea of religious structure and church-based worship; rather than the more foreign notion of temple, panathenaic worship of the ancient Greeks. At the Parthenon, we were loud and irreverent. But there was a different "vibe" at Mystras. The whole visit was quiet and sacred.

After reading the "MISTRA" archaeological/historical article, I was extremely shocked by the violent history of the site juxtaposed against the peaceful spirit I had experienced there. At the Parthenon, I could feel the absorption of the long history of violence and destruction in the marble. But at Mystras, I felt only positive, uplifting spirits. It was crazy to consider upon reading the article that Mystras was actually founded for the purpose of "subjugating and confining" the Slavic tribes by a foreign, non-Greek Frankish prince (William Villehardouin) in the middle of the 13th century! Then, when Venetians occupied Mystras at the end of 17th century there were more than 42,000 inhabitants - hard to imagine! It is very neat that all the different occupiers throughout Mystras' history never destroy anything or knocked anything down to build anew.

I think the reading sums up the beauty of Mystras the best, when Leake writes that "the view from thence is of that utmost beauty and interest" (Mistra 174).

Delphi and Osios Loukas

Today we spent a very hot day (close to 100 degrees) at Delphi and the Byzantine Monastery of Osios Loukas.

Trying to get a bit of shade before ascending the hill at Delphi.

Listening to our guide Smaro, with the temple and valley in the background.

Group photo near the top of the site.

Smaro explaining the iconography of the ceiling and dome in the big church at the monastery.

Inside the dome.

Sparta: Allie P

One way to best describe Sparta is in contrast to Athens. In so many ways these cities are are polar opposites, as they were in antiquity as well. Athens is a bustling metropolis where things are constantly going on, and Sparta feels much like a small, sleepy would does back home. Our first night in Sparta, many of us sat on the main square of the town and people-watched for a few hours while enjoying our ice cream. It was interesting to see how many little kids were running around, playing soccer and having fun that late at night, around 11:30 or so. That's not something you would likely see in the center of Athens or back home, but in Sparta it was completely ordinary. There was also situations in Sparta where the locals spoke much less English than we encountered in Athens, but they were often very polite and accommodating for us. Sparta is not a tourist town like Athens and Nauplion were, but that gave all of us an authentic taste of Greece we would not necessarily have encountered otherwise. However, not everything was different between Sparta and Athens. One thing that seems to transcend many cities and cultures is men's passion for sports, and Sparta was certainly no exception. It was hilarious to notice when older men gave us the evil eye for talking during their championship soccer game that was on the television in the busy hotel lobby. Lastly, the movie that we watched together really embodied so many of the stereotypes we encountered and fit into on this trip. "My Life in Ruins" gave us all a chance to enjoy how obnoxious American tourists can be, but we also noticed the irony of watching a movie about American tourists in Greece while sitting together in Spartan theater. It definitely would not have been as funny if we had not been in the context of that situation. Sparta was a reprieve from the constant activity of Athens, and it was a great experience to see a town that has played a prominent role in Greek history.

Athenian Agora: Joelle

When I found out that I would be able to do a report on the ancient agora, I was very excited. Ever since I learned about the public space, I was captivated by the multitude of functions for the space and disappointed to learn that only a few citizens were allowed to use the space.

The word 'agora' comes from the Greek word to "speak" and that is just what the space was used for. It was the main square of the city that had everything that any citizen could have wanted. The maze of buildings held philosophers, politicians, goods to buy, services to sell, religious sites, a gymnasium, along with simple buildings to provide some shade. It was the hub of a city and anyone who was anyone would go there to converse or do business. However, the only somebodies that were actually allowed in the agora were native Greek speaking men. It was amazing to think that back in antiquity, none of the people on our tour could have probably gone into the space because most of us are women and the two men on the trip are not native Greeks. Only our professor would have been able to partake in the business of the agora.

There were two religious buildings that I found to be of great interest, the first one was the altar of Zeus Agorias (Zeus of the Agora). It was used to make sacrifices to the god right there in the middle of the space, so if you needed something from Zeus that day or in the future it would have been a perfect place to make your request before you complete your other business for the day. The second building would be the Temple to Hephaestus. This building was just outside the boundary line of the agora but was apart of our visit to the site. There were many blacksmiths that would be using the temple since Hephaestus is the patron god of the forge and craftsmanship. This temple was very well preserved, and it was easy to make out the stone reliefs on the building. It gave the class a very good example of how an ancient temple would have been constructed. We were impressed!

Many of the other buildings in the agora were not well preserved, we mostly saw stone foundations that were only a few feet high, but even those land markers gave me a good idea of just how large the space was and actually how crowded it would have been. I am so used to having large enclosed shopping malls, grocery stores, and strip malls filled with services. In the Athenian agora, there were designated areas for businesses to be, but it was all in one spot. It would have been crowded, loud, (probably smelly), and unorganized. Greeks nowadays have a hard time forming a line, I can't imagine how they organized their agora's in antiquity!

At the end of our tour, we were able to sit underneath a reconstruction of a stoa. A stoa is a long shallow building that is roofed and its function is mostly to provide shade for the citizens in the agora. It is a very simple building and I was grateful for the structure being there because it was relaxing sitting inside enjoying the shade. I could just imagine taking a break from the day and sitting inside with a neighbor or friends and discussing the latest news or the success of your business, or simple settle inside It was a great experience, especially for a classical humanities major, to be able to place into memory and emotion the spaces that I have been studying for the past three years at the UW. The agora is by far the most traveled place of a city where all the action happens and where any male Greek citizen would want to be in order to stay caught up in society.

Corinth: Brie

Corinth provided a taste of Archaic Greek architecture and the Roman transformation of an original Greek city. Because the Acropolis in Athens only gives us an example of Greek architecture in the Classical period, the Temple of Apollo at Corinth deserved a visit. Even though only a corner remains of the temple, you could tell that the full product would have produced great awe and a sense of strength. This would have matched the mountainous countryside well, both complementing each other. The Roman forum at Corinth gave us a better sense of a typical forum's layout than the one we saw in Athens. This was achieved by our ability to walk through the majority of it continuously rather than in portions due to the obstruction of modern day Athens. From this, I was able to visualize overall layout and one's progression through the forum beginning at the propylaea ("monumental gateway"). The Bema ("raised platform") especially impacted me, since this was where Apostle Paul would have stood as is recorded in Acts 18:12-17. The experience of walking where great historical figures walked is a common theme on this trip and is so enriching to me. This idea of a Bema - bringing matters personally to the governor out in this bustling public area - intrigued me. I attempted to visualize such a scenario in modern day America on State Street. Lastly, at the forum's entrance, was a good display of the Roman idea of privacy. "Private space" as we think of it today was not present in the Roman idea. We saw public toilets with no partitions between each seat. This space would not have been completely cut off from the main walkway to the propylaea either, which shocked the majority of our group!

Scenes from Athens, part 2

Looking for Plato's Academy. After much wandering, we found the street but declined to walk the extra mile. We'll try again, maybe in a taxi.

Listening to Maria explain about the Archaic kouroi statues in the National Museum ...

... and observing how Zeus is just as impressive from the backside as from the front.

Epidaurus: Ethan

Although we did not see the whole of the ruins at Epidaurus, we still found a few interesting items. We missed the Asclepion and the other votive sites, but, nevertheless, many of the artifacts and instruments we housed in a rather pleasantly air-conditioned museum. Among which, what caught my eye was a large marble stele erected with a inscription concerning certain healing events at the site. We couldn't read it. it was, however, scored with uniform, double lines running up and down its face. these lines created a grid for the author to use when writing his piece. Such lines I've never seen before; they relate us to the humanity of the author. These were not staid monument removed from any personal agency but rather these people had the same basic needs as we do: lined paper (or stone).

Along with the written slabs, the museum teemed with togate statues of priests and other important pilgrims to Epidaurus. These Romans were only the heirs to these shrines, and certainly not the last ones to be so. they stand testament to the longevity of the continued use of the site. with the Generations of Greeks, foreigners from across the known world, and the early Christian certainly found Epidaurus to be a place beyond snake-oil and hocus-pocus, a real lieu of healing in whatever fashion.

But right beside these indications of religious and spiritual events lay also various metal surgical instruments. Some sort of rudimentary, but still legitimate) medicine was practiced here. this must have been somehow aligned with the purely votive healing, and both seemed to have co-existed even in the times when one would over-power the other in popularity, either in the days of heavy superstition or of more rigorous scientific endeavor.

The Theater was good.

Mycenae: Alli B

Mycenae is in the Pelopennese region of Greece, about 90 km outside of Athens. It is the site of an ancient palace, where supposedly the famous ancient King Agamemnon called home. If you have read Homer's "Iliad" or seen Brad Pitt's fantastic feature film "Troy", you know that King Agamemnon is one of the leaders of the Trojan War. It was really cool to link the story of Agamemnon to a physical place, even if the story is not necessarily true.

I made a few observations about the actual structures that we saw at Mycenae. First of all, when you walk up the path to the palace, you see the famous Lion Gate. It is a large archway that you walk under, and across the top, there are two large lions engraved into the stone. There are also ruts in the path, where the wheels of chariots could wheel up to the gate, back in the day. It's definitely a structure that would make a good first impression for any visitors that the palace had.

After walking through the Lion Gate, you see what are called the circle graves. They are large stone walls in the shape of a circle, where the royalty of Mycenae were buried. The graves are right next to the palace, which kind of weirds me out, because I don't think I would want someone's grave in such close proximity to my house. In the 1800s an archaeologist named Heinrich Schliemann (who also worked at the site of ancient Troy) excavated the circle graves. He found the remains of a body with a gold mask over it, and in his excitement exclaimed that he had found Agamemnon. However, modern archaeologists agree that the mask is from an earlier period from that which Agamemnon would have lived in. I feel like if I had been Schliemann, I too would have been caught up in the story behind Mycenae and probably would have bragged about finding Agamemnon's body.

The last observation I made about the palace of Mycenae is the lack of a remaining structure. The palace is now just a bunch of stones outlining what would have been rooms of the palace. It was really hard for me to envision what the palace would have looked like as a complete structure, from the outside and the inside. There were some parts of the palace that had tunnels carved right into the side of the mountain (I forgot to mention, but Mycenae is surrounded by mountains. It's very beautiful). I really liked going in the tunnels because it gave me a more concrete idea of what a part of the palace was like and I could imagine people using these tunnels in ancient times.

After we went to the palace we went to the site of another ancient tomb. The structure is called a tholos tomb (or "beehive" tomb), and it was carved into a mound. There is a long "entry hall" that is outside, with a very large door at the end of this walk way. When you enter the tomb, it is a large domed room, of quite large proportions. It reminded me of the Great Pyramids of Egypt, because of the great display of wealth and self-importance. The people buried in the tholos tombs were not your common man, but royalty and the wealthy. When someone was buried here, there were also personal belongings buried with them, to prepare them for the afterlife.

Eleusis: Emily

The first stop we made on our excursion out of Athens and into the Peloponnesus was at Eleusis, a religiously significant site—the home of the Eleusian Mysteries. While we explored the ruins that housed an ancient cult in honor of Demeter and her daughter Persephone, we talked about religion and religious practices in ancient Greece. After we left the site, I began reflecting on some of the things I had learned, especially as they compare to religions today and practices we are perhaps more familiar with.

One of the things we discussed at Eleusis was how sacred sites in ancient Greece always had a propylaea, or entranceway, which separated the sacred territory from the rest of the region. This division was necessary because these places of worship spanned entire areas instead of being contained to buildings (like a church or mosque such as we may be more familiar with). The use of a large space seems to project a feeling of the power the gods had in the lives of ancient Greeks. Their presence was too great for a small region. Similarly, we learned that they did not worship their deities inside; they built temples strictly for the gods and worshipped outside of the temple. This contrasts with many religious practices today, where people typically praise their God or gods from inside buildings.

As I contemplated some of the new information I had acquired on this trip, I started thinking about some of the broader ideas and implications that are inherent in ancient Greek religious practices:

First of all, the ancient rituals seem superstitious—people performed all kinds of ceremonies because they were afraid not to. They didn’t necessarily know why partaking in these practices protected them, except that it supposedly “appeased the gods.” Essentially, they continued because they were afraid something bad would happen if they didn’t perform these rites properly. Realizing this about ancient Greek religion makes one wonder about religious practices in general. Does this superstitious attitude extend to other modern religious rituals? Do people sometimes perform these ceremonies simply because they fear the consequences of neglecting their higher power?

Another major feature of the Mysteries at Eleusis was that members of this cult were promised a special treatment in the afterlife. Because Persephone spent time in both the upper-world and the under-world, developing a relationship with her, and her mother Demeter, during life (by being initiated into the cult) could carry over into death. People probably found this very appealing because it eased anxiety about death, an otherwise daunting and frightening fate. I think that humans, by nature, often need this kind of comfort in order to psychologically and emotionally cope with death. I think this cult provided this function for its members, and I think that many modern religions also fulfill this role in people’s lives by promising an afterlife, some sort of heaven for eternity.

A final element of significance that I noted about Demeter’s cult was that it was a way of uniting people of all classes since any Greek-speaker could be initiated and participate in the Mysteries. This equality seems to stem from the idea that everyone is equal in the afterlife, which I thought seemed to be similar to many other religious ideologies, like the Christian one that your earthly status will be eradicated in heaven, and all will be equal. This idea made me wonder though why this feeling of equality only existed in the place of worship in ancient Greece—why was it that Greeks were equally allowed to be part of this cult, but as soon as they stepped out and back into their daily lives, they returned to discrimination by class?

Reflecting upon our visit to Eleusis left me with many things to marvel at and ponder. It also left me with many big questions that I don’t think have a simple answer, if any answer; yet it seems kind of fitting that the “Eleusian Mysteries” would leave me with many questions.

Some dogs we've met along the way

Acropolis: Liz C

I am by no means a Classics person or History major or anything of the sort, so being here and learning about all of these sites has been quite interesting and informative for me. On our tour around the Acropolis something really caught my attention that I was not aware of previously. We learned that the Parthenon and the other monuments on the Acropolis were once painted. I had no idea that they were ever painted especially to the extent that our tour guide was mentioning. I always just pictured it being the white marble. That always seemed more fancy or godly in my mind, like something that the Athenians would have built for a god. I feel like it would make it completely different feeling and maybe more of a human or mortal place, instead of being divine or god-like. Then I got to thinking how that is probably just my perception because of everything that I have been taught throughout my childhood. There are certain things that you are taught over and over again, and then you only have one picture in your mind about the way they are. Even watching the Disney movie Hercules, all of the gods are up in the clouds in their magnificent white glowing marble temples and such. I suppose it just struck me as interesting because I have never thought of it being any different.

Another thing that I was thinking about with all of the painted monuments is that we can never know what they actually looked like. Archeologists have ideas of what it could have looked like, but we can never know for sure. We were discussing it as a class and some thought that it might seem kind of gaudy in our eyes if we saw it the way they think it was painted. Like I mentioned before, our perception of it has always been the white, so to think of it any differently seems a little strange for us.

Something else that was new to me, and I think a lot of other people, was the comment about the caryatids of the Erechtheum actually being slaves, instead of the great strong women that most think about when they see them. We aren’t sure if this story is actually true about these women that are depicted on the pillars, however it is still shocking to me. I couldn’t believe how discriminating that image is of those women being slaves. Apparently it was for the purpose of embarrassing these women even further than already having the title of being a slave. The fact that they are carrying the entire weight of the roof of the monument on their heads is supposedly looked at as a bad or shameful thing. Our tour guide also mentioned that they dressed the women in their best robes to embarrass them even further because they would never have actually worn those garments as slaves. Learning about the exploitation of these women was just quite surprising to me. Again, this is something that I would never have thought or known about due to things that I have learned in the past. Everyone always thinks about what they were taught or assume, but it is always interesting to learn different facts, things that maybe the rest of society doesn’t want to know.

Nauplion: Kelly

We arrived in Nauplion after a long day of driving and climbing up the Acrocorinth. The town is very different from Athens. It was definitely a lot smaller of a city and was much more authentically, or maybe typically, Greek. The area was more residential and I saw many houses, schools, churches, and little local businesses as I jogged around the neighborhood. It is on the coast, so the town had a very easy, laid back feel. It seemed as if it was also a place where Athenians vacationed to get away from the bustle of Athens, which can probably get extremely draining. There was much less English used in Nauplion. I found myself unable to communicate with the locals, which was almost scary because there was no way to get my words across. It was so shocking because I rely on speaking so much everyday, and it was hard to not be able to do that in Nauplion. Also, I have never been outside of the United States, so I have never dealt with this. It made me realize how hard it must be
for immigrants to come to America knowing little or no English and trying to start new lives with their families. The language barrier must be so hard to overcome. At dinner, a couple danced for us. They did traditional Greek dances, which were entertaining, especially since America does not really have a cultural dance. They were really trying to get us involved and include us in their culture. After dinner, we went for a walk to see the fortress, which most Peloponnesian cities seemed to have. It was lit up and looked very magestic and ominous. It definitely seemed to be guarding the city. When we went out, we definitely noticed a few differences than going out in America. The bars were all in a row, and all of them had blaring techno music playing. It was hard to talk to people, but people didn't dance either. Everyone was just kind of bobbing their heads. There were not many women out, and even when there were women, it seemed as if they had boyfriends or husbands. This might show that it is not culturally normal for a group of single women to go out to the bars together. Also we noticed that the Greeks do not get ridiculously drunk like some people do in America. This shows the different drinking cultures between America and Greece.

The First Week

It's been a very busy first week. Here's the list of accomplishments:

• May 25: Arrival and opening dinner
• May 26: Class, and walking tour of Athens
• May 27: Acropolis, class, and the movie "Angels and Demons"
• May 28: Agora and class
• May 29: On the road: Eleusis, Corinth, and Nauplion
• May 30: On the road: Epidaurus, Mycenae, and Sparta
• May 31: On the road: Mystras, class, and the movie "My Life in Ruins"
• June 1: On the road: Winery at Nemea, and back to Athens

More pictures from the first week:

At the open air cinema, below the Acropolis.

In the Roman Agora.

On the Acrocorinth.

Dancing in Nauplion.

At the Olive Museum in Sparta.

In the winery at Nemea.

Giannis (far left) and his beloved bus.

Acropolis: Melissa

It is hard to notice the acropolis when you look around Athens. The hike to the top was somewhat steep, making one wonder about how often Greeks may have visited the top. Stripped of most of the Turkish buildings and Byzantine churches, save for one, by King Otho, we have a good look into what Athenians encountered when nearing and ascending the site in the 5th century BC.

We know that it was Pericles who pushed to have the acropolis we see today using money from the Delian League to accomplish the project. The Propylea, Parthenon, and Erectheum are the structures which sit overlooking the city. Each of these, but most famously the Parthenon, was stripped of its decoration by Lord Elgin when Greece was still under ottoman control, and it was somewhat disappointing that we could not go anywhere in Athens to see the decorations (for most are housed in the British Museum).

In constant repair, the hope is that one day the buildings will not topple from earthquakes and will last for future generations to enjoy. We learned from our tour guide that the buildings were erected using blocks of Pentelic marble that were carefully measured and given a specific place within each structure, to ensure longevity. The Greeks even used optical illusions, like curving the base of the parthenon and changing the typical placement of corner columns, for reasons we are not completely certain of. It is really a testament to the ingenuity and precision of Greek mathematics to be able to engineer such structures, which still stand today.

This is Sparta!

Athens, Second Impressions: Liz H

When I first came to Athens, I immediately saw it as just another big city. Being from a smaller town, I initially experienced a little culture shock. Then I tried to put Athens in terms of American cities I have visited, like New York and Chicago. At first, the hustle and bustle made me quite nervous and edgy, but after a few days of walking around I started to get my bearings. I became more comfortable with my surroundings and realized some differences in Greek stereotypes. Yes, Greeks are aggressive drivers, but they are also very welcoming. When I got comfortable enough, I began trying to incorporate some Greek into my interactions with local Athenians. At the outdoor movie theater, I managed to order in Greek, until the server responded in Greek. Her response went completely over my head and we inevitably switched to English. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the laugh and my decent attempt at using Greek. She of course was friendly and appreciative, in contrast to the cranky bus driver from the airport.

In a historical viewpoint, I could not get over the proximity of the ancient and modern worlds. The Arch of Hadrian literally sits feet from the road. When we were walking through the streets, we came across some columns with ionic capitals in the midst of the bustling modern world. Not to mention the ruins they found in digging the subway. To be honest, it still amazes me that ancient monuments and city traffic co-exist. But now, instead of shock I am just jealous. I do not think I could ever get used to living with such rich history.

My stay at the Amazon Hotel also changed in comfort within the first few days. The light system of slipping the card key in to turn the lights on took forever to figure out. After a few days, it just became automatic and natural to open the door and put the key into the light, almost like a convenient key holder. Furthermore, there is no peephole or lock on the bathroom. The shower arrangement and size is also completely different. I guess I have gotten more used to the differences with a little time, and even though I am still aware of them it does not throw me off anymore.

I can tell I am beginning to culturally adjust because I am getting used to their life style. I thought the climate would be unmanageable, but I actually love being outside as much as they are. Wisconsin rarely has perfect weather like Greece in the evenings. In fact, it's often more comfortable to be outside than inside. I am also adapting to their eating hours too. My dad loves to eat dinner ridiculously early, so I thought such late dinners would be somewhat of a problem, but it's actually in perfect sync with my stomach.

I truly enjoy watching my initial reactions change. I can see deeper, more real parts of Greek culture than the surface level stereotypes. Athens is exciting, the history constant, the people friendly, the weather agreeable, and the food delicious.

Epidaurus

Singing "If you want to be a badger" in the theater at Epidaurus, to test the acoustics and to mock the students from the University of Minnesota.

Acrocorinth

The fortress atop the Acrocorinth.

On the fortress walls.


The storm is coming.

Athens, First Impressions: Anneke

Athens is a fascinating blend of modern and historical elements. On the one hand, it is a bustling metropolis. On the other hand, it is steeped in history with remnants of Ancient, Byzantine, and Ottoman influences covering the city. Walking through the streets of Athens, this dual nature is evident. It shifts from a modern city to a historical one in a matter of blocks. One minute it's all traffic, apartment buildings, businesses, and tourists. The next minute the Acropolis, Hadrian's Arch, or the Olympic Stadium comes into view and history all of a sudden becomes the focus. Athens seems to defy those who would try to elevate the importance of one period of its rich history above another. It is clear in this city that it is imperative to understand and not overlook any part of its past, present, or future.

The people of Athens also manifest this dual nature of modernity and tradition working in conjunction with one another. The young people in Athens are very similar to youth in the United States. They wear jeans and t-shirts, they go to clubs, and they hang out with their friends. The older citizens of Athens are still very much connected to the Greek traditions of the past. They wear more traditional clothing, they are very religious, and they extend hospitality to all strangers. Despite their differences, these people are living and working side by side everyday in Athens. It seems to be the perfect place for them because they can embrace the past and the future.

It is essential to note that along with the deterioration of the classical monuments in Athens, so too is the traditional culture lost a little bit with each passing generation. That is why it is so important to visit Athens at this time, before the history and traditions are lost.

On a final note, it is so interesting to watch Athenians going about their daily lives despite the awe-inspiring city around them. This is mind-boggling because they are surrounded by legendary monuments that have held a revered place in history for ages and yet they can walk down the street as if they were in any other place in the world. As a group, we know that if we were Athenians we would never get anything done because it is difficult for us to focus on anything but the Acropolis as we walk around the city. As Michael Llewellyn Smith states in Athens: A cultural and literary history: "[The Acropolis] seems to follow you around."

Athens, First Impressions: Emmalee

In the first few days in Athens I've been able to make a few cultural observations comparing what we're all accustomed to as Americans and what we're now experiencing in Greece. I found some similarities in culture and also some big differences.

Right away, after getting of the plane and taking the bus to Syntagma Square I noticed that Athens resembled most busy American cities in that it has a high volume of busy traffic, the life on the streets seems high paced and there are many people who seem to be going to work in office buildings. We can also all relate to aggressive bus drivers having come from Madison. However, I observed that the tiny streets in Athens are much bigger and seemed more cluttered than the strategic, structured American streets. There are a high volume of scooters buzzing through Athens, which are also seen in Madison but not at this high of number or with this aggressive of drivers. We found out almost immediately that pedestrians in Athens have absolutely no right-of-way at all. One thing I was surprised to see was the Mercedes that served as bright yellow cabs in Athens. There are also a high number of Smart Cars here that I've never seen back in the states. I was also very impressed by the clean and easily navigated public transportation network that Athenians enjoyed.

With navigation and signs in general I was glad to see that we had the benefit of seeing all the street signs in both Greek and English. I also must actually look American as well, because I was stopped on Syntagma Square and was asked if I could speak English. I was of no help however as they asked for directions! So although I was happy to see that the street signs were in English, I was actually surprised that more billboards and advertisements weren't in English. Most everyone here speaks Greek and only uses English to deal with tourists it seems. Actually, there seem to be less signs in general in Greece than in the U.S. For example, today at the Acropolis, I only saw a handful of small signs that said "Don't Touch." And there were only loose ropes separating thousands of visitors from ancient, world-renowned monuments. I was also surprised there weren't more warnings of slick marble surfaces or heat stroke, like there likely would be in the U.S., but I didn't see any. This made me realize that American tourist destinations are just run in a different way and I hypothesize that the lawsuits that occur in America are just too numerous for us to leave obvious warnings like these out. But the good news is that people seemed to generally show respect for the site and the history of the Acropolis.

Annoying street vendors seem to be universal but they have a different way of operating in Athens than they do in most American cities. We went to the beach a few days ago and were interrupted every three minutes by vendors walking through the sand selling everything from towels, to watches, to fake tattoos. I have a feeling that Americans wouldn't be as tolerable of these salesmen and might have law enforcement interfere. There was one place though, that I noticed there were no vendors. The Acropolis would be a perfect place to sell water or souveniers, but somehow there were no vendors on the Acropolis. There is likely either a law preventing this or the vendors don't find it worth it to pay the twelve Euro to get daily admittance to the site. Another aspect of salesmanship that is rather opposite of American is the restaurants that solicit there meals to passersby. It's likely a part of their culture and they must make money off of it, otherwise it wouldn't be worth their energy. There is a lot of competition between restaurants in Athens, so advertising your restaurant as the best and cheapest is probably their best way to make money, even if it is pushy at times. This also possibly reflects the more locally-owned economy that these restaurants and shops run on. Most people that work at these places likely have personal stake in it.

Dining is a whole new experience in Athens than it is in America. For one, the tip is already included on the bill in Athens and most of Europe for that matter. Perhaps serving is more of a professional occupation for Greeks, whereas in America, many of us students serve as a part-time job and the occupation is not often respected. When your meal is done in Greece, you are allowed to stay for as long as you like and won't be hassled by a waiter with the bill. In fact, you have to personally ask for the bill before the server will give it to you. Etiquette is also different in America when compared to Greece. The food comes up at many different times and you are allowed to begin eating when you receive your food. We have all experienced a case already in Athens where the first person will already be done eating before the last one has even received his or her food. The one similarity that I did see in dining is the server's distaste for separating bills. As a server myself, I know I hate doing it but in the U.S. we are practically forced to cater to the customer, whereas in Greece, the server simply won't separate bills for you.

First impressions overall of Greece in the first few days though have showed me that the Greek culture is one of hospitality to its guests. When you dine, you are a guest at their personal table. We met a man that not only served us but told stories and did Greek magic during our meal. When I asked for extra tzatziki at one restaurant I was told to go sit down and a lady came back with a heaping plate of the side for me. As tourists I feel we are generally welcomed by the natives and they seem to love to share their culture with us. The same man with the beads told us all about Greek mythology and his beliefs in magic. They are also open to Americans and I was praised by one man for our President Obama. Hospitality is even demonstrated all the way down to the way that the stray dogs of Athens live their daily life. The dogs are taken care of by the people and in turn, they take care of their people.

At the Agora

Above the Agora, in front of the temple of Hephaestus and with the Acropolis in the background.

At the library of Hadrian, with our tour guide Stella and today's escort dog.

Opening Night

Dinner on the first night in Athens (May 25, 2009), with special guests Thalia, Valerie, Prof. Andreas, Lisa and Alice.