It wasn’t easy to say goodbye to Ernst our Dutch driver who became like family. But we still had Terry with us to keep us in a happy mood.
We boarded a Greek ship called Ignatia at Brindisi (see map) and sailed into what became the Ionian Sea to Patras.
This was an overnight excursion so we slept in cozy bunks with four in a room. Some drunken Germans made noise in the hallways and Terry tried to quiet them down. Eventually they drifted off elsewhere.
The deck was wonderful for relaxing and playing cards. Some sunbathed.
There were many islands to see and we saw some dolphins. The food on the ship was very good!
The core settlement has a history spanning four millennia. In the Roman period it had become a cosmopolitan centre of the eastern Mediterranean whilst, according to Christian tradition, it was also the place of Saint Andrew's martyrdom.
We had a new driver, a smoker from Greece. There was a no smoking sign on the bus, but evidently he couldn’t read. He did however keep his side window open and blew his contaminated air outside. He was a good driver though and did not hit anything. Our first destination was Delphi.
Delphi was considered by the ancients to be the center (Omphalos = navel) of the world, and the oracle of Delphi was a religious center, most famous for its “accurate” predictions of the future. The oracles were given by Pythia, the priestess who muttered incomprehensible sounds in a state of trance, which in turn were translated in comprehensible language and given to those who made the pilgrimage in search of answers. While the function of the oracle during prehistory is obscured by the lack of records, the importance of Delphi during historical times is well documented by a plethora of ancient writers and the rich archeological finds of the site.
To the right:
Priestess of Delphi (1891) by John Collier; the Pythia was inspired by pneuma rising from below (lower part of picture).
The Tholos must be one of the most-photographed monuments of Greece, and it has become the trademark image that represents Delphi in many people’s minds. It was a beautiful circular building at the center of the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia. It was built between 380 and 360 BCE, and only three of its original twenty Doric columns remain standing today. According to the earliest legends the site was originally a sacred place of the earth goddess Gaia (also called Ge) and was guarded by her daughter, the serpent Python. Python sought safety in the sanctuary of the Earth Mother at Delphi.
Apollo relentlessly pursued Python, however, and claimed the site. A festival, the Septeria, was performed annually portraying the slaying of the serpent, the flight, the atonement and the return of the God.
The Pythian Games took place every four years to commemorate his victory. The Pythian Games hosted poetry and music competitions besides the staple of athletic events. It is believed that the games were first organized sometime in the 11th c. BCE, and included only musical contests, but by the 6th c. BCE, the games grew to include athletic events. The original stadium dates to the fifth century BC and was built into the natural slope, its north side cut into the rock. Our gang tried out the track. Terry and Walter tried to keep pace with Mike and the others. Us spectators did a wave for them.
The monumental entrance to the east consisted of a triple arch supported by four pillars, the two middle ones having niches for statues.
Since one of the spaces lacked a statue, Fred filled in like a Greek god or something like that.
Apollo’s Temple: The temple's foundations survive today along with several Doric columns made of porous stone and limestone which is fairly soft material, and have allowed for the temple's advanced decaying. Very little is known about the temple's interior arrangement.
The ancient theatre at Delphi was built further up the hill from the Temple of Apollo giving spectators a view of the entire sanctuary and the valley below. It was originally built in the 4th century BC but was remodeled on several occasions since. Its 35 rows can seat 5,000 spectators
The Athenian treasury is located just below the Temple of Apollo. It was built sometime between 510 and 490 BC, shortly after the Battle of Marathon. Some historians believe that the treasury was built as an offering to Apollo, while others believe that its purpose was to honor the Athenian victory at Marathon.
Smokey then drove us on to Athens where we checked in at the Demetrius Hotel. The location was excellent because it was in the Plaka district very convenient to historic sites and shopping for those with money to spend. Adrianou is the main street in Plaka.
When we checked into our rooms, Nathan called us in to his room to show us the view of the Acropolis from his balcony. Since this was Sunday night Mike Lindemann conducted a worship service in his room.
July 6, Monday
The order of business today included a guided city tour. Our bus stopped so we could watch elite Greek soldiers guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Houses of Parliament.
The unit is famous around the world for its unique traditional uniform, which has evolved from the clothes worn by the klephts who fought the Ottoman occupation of Greece. The most visible item of this uniform is the fustanella, a kilt-like garment. Their proven valor and peculiar dress turned them into a popular image for the Greek soldier, especially among foreigners.
I though the pom pons at the end of their shoes quite interesting. The soldiers kick their legs up quite high so I imagine these puffy things soften the blow for anyone who gets in the way. I do know that this traditional item goes a long ways back in Greek history — a time honored tradition.
Athens Stadium: In ancient times, it was used to host the athletic portion of the Panathenaic Games, in honor of the Goddess Athena. During classical times, the stadium had wooden seating. It was remade in marble, by the archon Lycurgus, in 329 BC and was enlarged and renovated by Herodes Atticus, in 140 AD, to a seated capacity of 50,000. It hosted the first modern Olympic games in 1896.
The main site of the day was the Acropolis. Although there are many other acropoleis in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as The Acropolis without qualification. Most of the major temples were rebuilt under the leadership of Pericles during the Golden Age of Athens (460–430 BC). Phidias, a great Athenian sculptor, and Ictinus and Callicrates, two famous architects, were responsible for the reconstruction. During the 5th century BC, the Acropolis gained its final shape.
Layout of the Acropolis
#5 on the map The Propylaea, which served as the entrance to the Acropolis.
Then
... and now
The Areopagus or Mars Hill
The Areopagus is a bare marble hill across from the entrance to the Acropolis. The Areopagus, like most city-state institutions, continued to function in Roman times, and it was then that the Apostle Paul delivered his famous speech about the identity of "the Unknown God." According to the biblical account (Acts 17).
#15 When we looked downward from the other side of the Acropolis we could see the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. Here in the agora the Apostle would have passed what is sometimes called "the Music Hall at Athens," the odeon, a small roofed theater. What is primarily left of the original theater is a large stone wall that rises two-stories behind the renovated stage. The agora, encompassing six acres, served as the commercial, political and social center of Athens from the 6th century AD until 267 AD.
Straight ahead of us on the Acropolis was the foundation of the Old Temple of Athena (#2 on the map) . Until its destruction by the Persians in 480 BC, it was the shrine of Athena Polias, the patron deity of the city of Athens. The building beyond the ruins is the Erechtheum (# 3 on the map). The Erectheum sits on the most sacred site of the Acropolis where Poseidon and Athena had their contest over who would be the Patron of the city.
The building itself contained the porch of the maidens or Caryatids which are now copies, four of which have been placed in the Acropolis museum, hopefully to be reunited with a fifth taken from the Acropolis by Lord Elgin and put in the British Museum more than a century ago.
Then we approached the massive Parthenon (#1 on the map) dedicated to Athena. The Parthenon itself replaced an older temple of Athena that was destroyed in the Persian invasion of 480 BC. Like most Greek temples, the Parthenon was used as a treasury. In the 6th century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
After the Ottoman Turk conquest, it was turned into a mosque in the early 1460s, and it had a minaret built in it. On 26 September 1687, an Ottoman Turk ammunition dump inside the building was ignited by Venetian bombardment. The resulting explosion severely damaged the Parthenon and its sculptures.
We then entered the nearby Acropolis Museum, which houses all of the portable objects removed from the Acropolis since 1834, If one does not find what they are looking for then visit the British Museum.
Outside we had a commanding view of the Theatre of Dionysius (#18 on the map)and the Odeon of Pericles (#19 on the map), Dedicated to the god of wine and fertility, patron of drama, and the liberator of man from his everyday worries, it hosted the City Dionysia festival. Amongst those who competed are all the dramatists of the classical era who composed plays that have survived: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Menander.
We left the great Acropolis and walked down Amakias Avenue (not far from our hotel) to the Arch of Hadrian, erected by Emperor Hadrian in the second century AD. Bottom half is Roman; top half is Greek. It was to lead to the “City of Hadrian”
The Temple of Olympian Zeus, also known as the Olympieion, is a Greco-Roman temple beyond the Hadrian’s Arch. Begun in the 6th century BC, it was not completed until the reign of the Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD. In was at that time the largest temple in Greece. Aristotle thought it comparable to the Pyramids of Egypt.
There were originally 104 Corinthian columns, each 17 meters high; 48 of these stood in triple rows under the pediments and 56 in double rows at the sides. Only 15 columns remain standing today, with lovely Corinthian capitals still in place. A 16th column blew over in 1852 and is still lying where it fell.
All of our excursions through the monuments gave us good background information to appreciate the Sound and Light Show at the Acropolis. Hundreds of Flood lights are directed at the hill and the Parthenon and a commentary was given in English that detailed the history.
July 7th, Tuesday
This was the morning that our group chose to swim in the Aegean Sea. They took the public bus. There were topless women at the beach. Annette said it was obscene for all those old overweight women to reveal that they were no longer in good shape.
That afternoon we had free time to shop. Terry warned us not to eat too much because we had a farewell banquet with plenty to eat. So for lunch I just had a gyro. They shaved the meat from a tall vertical spit and served it fresh vegetables on a pita. It was very difficult to stop with one.
Our Greek farewell dinner was everything that Terry had promised. Good food and with Nathan entertaining us as he vigorously attacked his hard roll with both knife and fork.
There were Greek dances...
Good humor...
Audience participation...
A number of in our group proved to be capable entertainers. Great way for great people to end a great tour.
July 8th, Wednesday
We had early wake-up calls for our trip to the Athens airport. Terry accompanied us and was his usual helpful (and friendly) self. We had a layover in Rome that was longer than expected because air personnel were on strike. But we survived ...
Some took a nap at the airport.
Then to Boston and Minneapolis.
We learned a lot, made good friends and enjoyed ourselves.
Amen!
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