Final Reflections on Greece

So, we have been home now almost 48 hours from Greece, and I have been thinking a lot about this trip. I have been lucky enough to have visited several different countries over the past 12 years -- Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Turkey, Austria, Canada and Greece, but Greece affected me differently than many of the other countries I have visited to date.

I was not sure what to expect with this trip. A week before we left, the public and private labor unions in Greece called for a nationwide strike on the third day of our visit, and we were warned that violence could occur. Some riots broke out, but the violence was not the problem for us. What affected us more was the impact of the strikes on our ability to see some of the sights. Our tour guide was incredibly candid in sharing with us the perception of many Greeks that unionized workers had unrealistic expectations for what benefits and working conditions should be provided them, especially in light of the incredibly unstable economic conditions in Greece. There seemed to be a widespread sense of disgust among non-unionized Greeks with the demands of striking union workers. Ironically, though, these same people who thought the striking union workers were being unreasonable and not helping the Greek economy were often the same people who closed their businesses for 1-2 hours each afternoon for siesta (afternoon rest). These siesta closures often occurred even in shops and restaurants in tourist areas around hotels. Many of us found it ironic that during hours when many tourists might seek to shop or buy something to eat or drink, it was often very difficult to do so because everything was closed for siesta. Many of our students (who are NOT business majors) noted that these closures seemed illogical for people living in an economy needing stimulation.
When many of these business were open, the shop keepers often were very surly if we failed to pay for things in exact change. We also found that they would double the price of items if we asked to pay with credit cards. What we learned was that many Greeks do not like to report income on their taxes (probably another reason their economy is in trouble!), so they prefer to get payments in cash so they don't have to report all of their income for tax purposes. Again, many of the the students seem to notice that while many merchants may have provided their customers with the incentive to pay cash, some merchants actually missed out on sales because when purchasers did not have cash on hand and were unwilling to pay with credit cards because of the jacked-up prices, no sale occurred.

We also noticed that because the tip was included in the price of items at restaurants, servers were generally not very interested in serving. When our drinks ran dry, it frequently took an act of God to attract a server's attention to get another drink. I learned a trick. Servers find it outrageously offensive when customers prop their feet up on another chair at the table. They will scamper over immediately to demand that you put your feet back on the ground. IMMEDIATELY! So, whenever we needed something at our table, I just propped my feet up on a chair, and when the server scrambled over to demand that I put my feet down, we would tell him what we needed. Worked like a charm.

The Athens Airport was most interesting. When we began our 28-hour trip home, we flew from Crete to Athens. That means we went through airport security in the Crete Airport. When we arrived in Athens, we had several hours before our flight to JFK, so we wandered around the main concourse of the Athens Airport. Like most airports, the Athens Airport has shopping and Duty-Free stores, but unlike many airports, you have to go through these mini-security checkpoints as you shop. You have to go through these gates and show your passport despite already having gone through security. You could buy food, drink, perfume, etc., but if you go to your gate after these purchases, you have to go through security AGAIN, and the security people will make you dispose of these food, drink, liquid, gels, or anything else you bought in the airport that is not allowed through security. Completely illogical. Moroever, even though we got all of our boarding passes in Crete, the lady at the gate in Athens made us get new boarding passes in Athens. I decided after all of this that if the Greek government is run like the Athens Airport then it is no wonder they have problems.

Now, lest you think that all of my observations of Greece were negative, let me share some of the really fantastic impressions I have about Greece. First, Greece legislates how much feta cheese must be included in every Greek salad, otherwise it cannot be called a Greek salad. You gotta love a country that legislates the quantity of cheese that must be included in a salad! The Greeks also make great cheese pie. I had never heard of nor tasted cheese pie before, but it is lovely, and it combines two of my favorite things -- cheese and pie!

The country's commitment to the preservation and restoration of its many historical landmarks is commendable. Moreover, it is impressive that Athens has been able to create any meaningful subway system when you consider all of the archaeological ruins that it probably had to navigate to develop such a sytem. Something several of us found intriguing about Greek culture is that people in Greece do NOT celebrate birthdays -- instead they celebrate their name day of the saint with the same name. Greece enjoys over 250 days of sunshine each year -- that is lots of sun! Greece is also the 3rd ranking producer of olives in the world -- gotta love a country that produces so many olives -- green, black, purple, etc.

Okay, that is enough. Not sure where I will be going next (except for a wedding in Wilmington, Delaware later this summer). Would LOVE to visit India, Egypt, Poland, Russia, England, Iceland, Finalnd, and Kenya, to name a few. Whether I will ever get to some of these places remains to be seen, but I would encourage anyone reading this who has yet to travel outside the U.S. to do it!

Exploring Crete

Our tour guide from Crete, who appears to go by the singular name of Vangelis, arrived promptply at 9am this morning to take us to Knossos. The Palace of Knossos is one of four Minoan Palaces on Crete that remain from the Minoan Civilization. The Minoans lived during the Bronze Age from about the 27th century B.C. until about the 15th century B.C. They were a very advanced civiliation for their time. They had paved roads, a system of plumbing and irrigation, a well-organization agricultural plan, and a strong navy (which is probably why they were never colonized by the Greeks.)
Among the most interesting rituals the Minoans observed (beyond choosing to worship goddesses instead of male gods), was the Minoan Bull Dance. During this ritual dance, the participants would take an acrobatic leap over a bull, grasp the bull's horns, and the bull would violently jerk his neck upwards thus giving the participant the momentum necessary to perform all sorts of acrobatic tricks and stunts. It is believed that many Minoan young men had to participate in this ritual to prove they were ready to enter into manhood.
In 1450 B.C. it is believed that much of the advancement and growth of Minoan civilization on Crete began to dminish when a major earthquake occurred. Many of the Minoan palaces were heavily damaged, although much of the Palace of Knossos remained intact.
After our visit to the remains of the Knossos Palace, we visited a gallery of the Archaeological Museum that exhibits some of the most important artifacts from the Minoan Palaces. I have included photos of some of those artifacts with this post.
Many of the folks from the group have left for dinner. Tony and I are having dinner here at the hotel, and many of the students are playing cards here in the lobby and planning to have gyros or pizza for dinner. We have to leave at 5:30 am in the morning to fly back to Athens to catch our flight back to the states. We have learned SO MUCH on this trip, and I think this trip has really made an inpact on many of the students.
As I have done in the past, I will do my lists.
5 things I will miss about Greece:
1. The gorgeous color of the sea
2. The Greek salads (especially the Feta!)
3. Mythos Beer
4. Watching people argue politics in the coffee shops
5. Watching history blend with today in one city

5 things I will not miss about Greece:
1. The frequent worry that I will be hit by a car or motorcycle everytime I cross a street
2. The way servers in restaurants practically ignore you (unless you put your feet on a chair, and then they run over and scream at you!)
3. The merchants double the prices of things if you use a credit card
4. The terrible sewage system
5. All of the cigarette smoke

Crete

Not much to tell tonight as we are going to sleep very soon. Just wanted to let you all know that we arrived in Heraklion, Crete, safely tonight after a 6 1/2 -- hour ferry ride. I have included a photo of the SuperFast Ferry with this post. The ferry had multiple levels, restaurants, bars, game rooms, and more. Tony and enjoyed several drinks from the bar and dinner as we watched the sun set over the water and some of the smaller Greek Islands. It was gorgeous and quite relaxing. Many of the students relaxed and played cards in one of the smaller lounges, and seemed to have a great time. We have a long day ahead of us here in Heraklion, Crete, so we will post more tomorrow.

Joanie

An Ambitious Agenda in Athens

Tony and I planned a long day of activities today, and I think most were skeptical that we would conquer our list of visits, but we did that and more. The morning began with an adventurous ride on the Metro to Ancient Greek Agora. We were amused that while we waited on one of our Metro trains, the music playing in the Metro station was from the movie "The Godfather." It struck as funny. Anyway, we got off the train and hoofed it to the Ancient Greek Agora.

The Ancient Greek Agora was once the center of Athenian government. An "agora" is a central marketplace. [This is why the term "agoraphobia" means fear of going out in public or fear of public places, because an agora is the "public place."] The ancient agora in Athens includes a drainage system, fountains, and temples to Olympian gods, including the Temple of Hephaestus (also known as the Hephaisteion), which is considered the best-preserved ancient Greek temple. From the 7th century until 1834 this temple served as the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George Akamates. I have included a photo.

After hiking through the Ancient Greek Agora (which was huge), we moved on to find the Pnyx, which is one of three hills in the middle of Athens that was the meeting place of the one of the world's earliest known democratic legislatures, the Athenian assembly. The Pnyx has a flat stone which was the speaker's platform, and many consider the Pnyx to be a physical representation of the idea that every citizen has an equal right to debate matters of public policy. The Pnyx was used for popular assemblies as early as 507 B.C., and Pericles, Aristides, and Alcibiades all spoke here, within sight of the Parthenon.

After the Pnyx, we hiked further to find the Prison of Scorates. If you recall, Socrates was found guilty of impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens. As he is led off to jail, he said: "The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways--I to die, and you to live. Which to the better fate is known only to God." Many attribute this last quote to Plato and not to Socrates -- who knows? He spent his final hours in the jail cell that we found today, and he was executed with hemlock -- dying painfully as the hemlock slowly shut down his central nervous system. I have included a photo of me outsie the jail cell.


After the jail cell, we found the Arch of Hadrian and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The Arch was supposedly built to celebrate the arrival of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in Athens around 131 0r 132 AD. The Temple of Olympian Zeusis enormous. It is a temple in the middle of Athens that was dedicated to Zeus, king of the Olympian gods. Construction of the temple began around the 6th centry B.C. but was not completed until the 2nd century AD. I have included a photo of this temple, too.


After the Temple of Olympian Zeus, we found the Panathinaiko Stadium, of the Olympic Stadium of 1896. The first International Olympic Games of the Modern Era were held here. Tony ran a lap around the track, and I sat in the throne seat where Queen Amalia would watch the games. Quite a thrill, I must say. I have included a photo of one of us on the medal stand.

We did LOTS of walking today, gots lots of sun, ate some fried feta and some gelato and had a wonderful day. I will share with you several things I have learned while I have been in Greece:

1. Greek salads are so much better without lettuce.

2. If you do not pay for things with exact change, merchants are likely to scream at you.

3. Traffic is like a big, scary game of "Chicken."

4. Many men here do not seem to realize that heavy cologne does not mask body odor, it just smells like heavy cologne on top of body odor.

5. Fried Feta is to die for.

6. If you look remotely like a tourist, all sorts of people will try to sell you crap.

7. Accordion players fight for street corners almost as hard as drug dealers.

8. Since the gratuity is already factored into the price of things, waiters are seldom in a hurry.

9. If you use a public toilet in Greece, you would be wise to bring your own toilet paper. Seriously.

10. If you smile a lot, people automatically know you're American. Apparently, we smile more than anyone. Go figure.

We have loved hearing from home. Ruthie, I know you cannot read, but Mommy and Daddy miss you bunches.

Joanie

More From Athens

Sunday in Athens was a free day for the group. Tony and started the day with Latin Mass at on the few Catholic Churches in Athens -- the Cathedral of St. Dionysus (St. Dennis). It was standing-room-only inside the church. I could not believe it. Since I am still weak from this respiratory infection that I have picked up over here, we stopped at a cafe for some drinks after Mass, and then headed for the National Historical Museum.
The Museum is housed in the Old Parliament Building, which was founded in 1835 by Queen Amalia. The Old Parliament Building was home to the Greek Parliament from 1875 to 1935. In earlier times it was the home of King Otto.
The exhibits in the National Historical Museum cover Greek History from the fall of Constantinople until World War II. Among the exhibits we saw were:
* The reign of Otto, first King of Greece (1833-1862)
* The reign of King George (1864-1930)
* The Balkan Wars (1912-1913)
* The Asia Minor Campaign (1919-1922)
* The Greek-Italian War of 1940-1941
We arrived just as some sort of fund-raising event appeared to be ending so there were several rooms open that apparently are not ordinarily open, so I had a chance to sneak in and see exhibits that are not normally open to the public. It was awesome!
After the that leisurely stroll through the museum, my sick and tired self could take no more, so we caught the next shuttle back to the hotel, and I took a nap.
Dr. O'Dea and Debbie Bell had worked with the travel agency to arrange an extra free dinner at the hotel last night to compensate us for all the travel snafus we have had to endure. So the students were able to enjoy a very nice buffet dinner at the hotel last for free.
Tony and I are heading out soon to see many sights southwest of the Acropolis. The students are doing a variety of things today -- the Archaeological Museum, the Flea Market, the Agora, the beach, shopping, etc. Everyone is still having a good time, and we leave for Crete tomorrow.
Hope you all enjoyed Tony's post!
Joanie

Acropolis Now

Those of you of a certain age will recognize that I stole the entry title from a Joe Jackson song. I've always wanted to use it in some context and today is as good as any.

Today was our first day of sightseeing in Athens. Despite our gripes about having to move to the Metropolitan Hotel, they do serve an excellent (and, for us, free) breakfast buffet. Any parents reading this blog may rest assured that their kids will not starve to death here--unless, of course, they have to pay for dinner. Being a somewhat experienced business traveller, this hotel strikes me as the stereotypical "our-guests-are-on-expense-accounts-so-soak-them-dry" type of place that has a mostly business clientele. The dinner buffet is 27 euros--at today's exchange rate, that's a cool $38. Want a burger instead? That's 24 euros ($34). I wouldn't pay $34 for a good steak, never mind a burger. Good thing the cashews and pistachios at the bar are free. There are a couple of restaurants a few blocks away, but I'm guessing they are not much cheaper. I miss our other hotel locations where you could go next door or a few doors away and get a sandwich for a few euros.

Anyway, getting a little off track here. We left the hotel about 9 AM on our chartered bus and headed straight for the Acropolis, probably the most famous location in Greece. I did not know much about the Acropolis before coming to Athens, except that it was a bunch of ruins on top of a hill in the middle of town. The Acropolis, or "upper city", was the most important location in ancient Athens. Archaeologists believe that the Acropolis was first inhabited in around 5000 BC. Most of the structures built there were religious in nature. Among them:

1) The most famous strucure on the Acropolis is the Parthenon, built as a temple to the goddess Athena (the "patron saint" of Athens). It was built in the 5th century BC. At various times, the Parthenon has also been a Christian church and a mosque, and was used as an ammunition dump during a war between the Ottomans and the Venetians (a well-placed Venetian cannon shot ignited the ammunition and caused an explosion that severely damaged the structure). During our visit today we saw the ongoing reconstruction/restoration effort that will partially repair some of the centuries-old damage. The scaffolding and cranes unfortunately take away some of the romantic effect, but we still greatly enjoyed our visit.
2) The Erechtheion, the next largest building, was the tomb of the Athenian king Erechtheus. It is in excellent condition and we took lots of photos of it.
3) The Propylaia was the entrance built by the Greeks, built before the entrance (now called the Beule Gate) built by the Romans. As our guidebook says, "it is characteristic of the Roman mania for building that they found it necessary to build an entrance to an entrance."
4) The Temple of Athena Nike (goddess of victory). I was greatly impressed by this building and took several photos of it, so I was a little disappointed to read after our visit that it was heavily restored about 80 years ago. I'll still enjoy the photos though.

The Acropolis was rather crowded during our visit, and this is not even peak tourist season, so I can imagine what it's like at that time. Poor Joanie, between her cold and her sore foot, had a bit of a rough time getting around but she was a real trooper.

After our Acropolis visit (and a rather unsavory bathroom encounter that I will not detail here), we moved on to the Theater of Dionysius, built about a century after the Parthenon at the foot of the Acropolis hill. It held 17,000 people, more than a lot of professional basketball/hockey arenas today (and I bet the ancient Athenians didn't pay $7.50 for a 12 ounce cup of lukewarm Budweiser).

Our next stop was the Acropolis museum across the street. It contains many of the "marbles" (statues, friezes, etc.) recovered from the Acropolis site. The museum was completed less than two years ago and is partially built over an archaeological site, so glass panels were installed in front of the entrance and parts of the first floor so visitors can see the "dig". Some of the items displayed in the museum have been in storage for over 200 years.

At this point (having been in the vicinity of the Acropolis for about three and a half hours), we walked northeast along Amalias street, intending to walk until we reached the Catholic cathedral of the Archdiocese of Athens, St. Dionysius (the Greek god of wine--how's that for the name of a church?!). It's a little over a mile from the Acropolis and a mostly uphill walk. About two thirds of the way, we stopped at Syntagma (Constitution) Square, considered the center of modern Athens, and stopped at a cafe for a break. The name of the cafe on the awning and on the placemat was written in Greek letters, which I cleverly (and probably incorrectly) interpreted as "Pantheon". Joanie had her favorite--Greek salad--while I put away three Mythos beers. Hey, it was a hot day and a long walk, so no aspersions please. Besides, they were served with a frosty glass and who can resist that? Incidentally, Mythos is an excellent Greek beer that I have never seen in the US, so if anyone has seen it sold in the Chattanooga area please let me know.

Joanie stayed in the square and relaxed while I continued on to St. Dionysius. I didn't know until I arrived at the church that "Dionysius" is considered the equivalent Greek name to "Dennis". I got the mass times for tomorrow and reported this intelligence back to Joanie. We then made our way to the shuttle bus stop for the ride back to the hotel. It was next to a McDonald's, where I had a Big and Tasty the size of a manhole cover. I may not have to eat for another week. While waiting for the shuttle, we were joined by a number of other students, and we realized that the bus would be at or near capacity. The shuttle arrived and Joanie, setting a good example for the students, allowed them to go first and maneuvered us to the back of the line. Joanie and I were about to get on when a middle-aged Greek couple literally elbowed us out of the way and climbed on. We were appalled and complained to the driver, who told us he would return in 20 minutes. I was skeptical because 1) the shuttle was not scheduled to return for almost an hour and 2) as we read in our guidebooks before the trip, the Greeks (to coin a British phrase) "take a large view of the appointed time." I told Joanie that he probably said that just to placate us and that his return would take much longer. Imagine my shock when exactly--exactly--20 minutes later, the shuttle came back around the circle to pick us up. I was pleasantly surprised--and then appalled again when ANOTHER local barged in front of us to get on the shuttle first. Luckily there were only three of us this time so there was no problem with space, but I've learned my lesson about the Greeks and waiting in line. Good to know there are even worse line-cutters than the Italians.

I did three miles on the treadmill back at the hotel to work out my frustrations and burn off as much of the Big and Tasty as I could, then joined Joanie for a nightcap in the lobby bar. Off to Mass tomorrow morning to thank God for safe and happy travels, no tear gas, good beer, and my wonderful wife.

More on our New Hotel

So, as college kids would be expected to do, the UHON kids explored the area around the hotel last night. Apparently, this hotel (the Metropolitan) caters to business people with large expense accounts so everything here is outrageously expense. A cocktail in the bar is 12 euros (about $18), so at least we do not have to worry about them drinking the night away in the bar! The only businesses around the hotel are baby stores (we are next door to a maternity ward) and car dealerships, so no late-night clubbing for the kids. Last night we saw most of them playing cards in the lobby. Perhaps we can exhaust them enough during the day with adventures of such magnitude that the lack of late-night activities around the hotel will cease to be an issue.
As for the alums and the old people, we are settling in quite well. The hotel has all the amenities I like in a hotel -- air conditioning, sound-proof walls, hot water and Sweet 'n Low. Things we have not had at other hotels.

Thursday and Friday -- The Calm Before the Storm

So sorry for the delay in posting. We left Nafplion on Thursday morning and heading to Delphi -- beautiful little Greek mountain villiage that is home to about 3,000 people. On the way, we stopped and visited the Rio Antirio Bridge, which connects the Peloponnese Peninsula (where we had been) with the Greek mainland (where we were going). The Rio Antirio Bridge in an engineering feat beyond description, and our pictures do not do it justice. Nonetheless, I had to post a pic of Tony in his Mark Ingram/Alabam jersey with the bridge as an homage to both the bridge and one of our favorite players and teams. As for Delphi, it is beautiful, and way up in the mountains and home to millions of olive trees. We had very limited Internet access, and by the time I was able to get access to the Internet, Blogspot (my blog service) was temporarily out of service so I could not make a post. I had very little to report from Thursday anyway. We did a little sightseeing on the way to Delphi, had a nice lunch (more Greek salad for me) and arrived at Delphi to find our hotel had been changed at the last minute. Not a big deal as our new hotel had the best view in Delphi. I have posted a view from the balcony.

After a modest breakfast this morning, we left Delphi for Athens. We stopped to visit the Delphi Museum and some of the archaeological sites of Delphi on the way out of town. Sadly, two of the group, Sherry Walker and I did not make the climb up to the site with everyone else. Sherry did not feel up to the climb, and I have gotten sick with what appears to be a respiratory infection. Not fun, but I am taking meds to try and feel better.

After leaving Delphi, as we approached Athens, we discovered that a very last-minute switch in hotels in Athens had been made without our knowledge. Apparently, there is a large convention of physicians in Athens and they wanted our original hotel (Plaka Hotel) enough that they were willing to pay big $$$. So, Plaka Hotel decided it was worth it to cancel our reservation at the last minute and pay the cancellation fee and take the doctors over the students. So, as we were parked at the ticket gate the Acropolis, we had a bus full of students who THOUGHT they would be staying at a hotel in the CENTER of Athens near all the cool sites when, in fact, they had been moved to a hotel (the Metropolitan) on the outskirts of town beyond the reach of the Metro and far away from the sites. As the administrators yelled at travel agents on their cell phones, the students sat on the bus and sang songs. It was something to behold. At this point, we are at the Metropolitan (a 5-star hotel, at least by Greek standards) and wondering if we will be here the remainder of our time in Athens (my guess is: probably). The travel agency is sending a bus to take us the Acropolis and back tomorrow. The hotel provided us a buffet dinner tonight, and kids ate and ate. The hotel provides a free shuttle to the center of the city and back every hour, so we will probably rely on that for transportation while we are here. In other words, all it well. Except for my, everyone is healthy and having a great time. I am having a very good time, just having to work at it a bit with the respiratory thing.

I have discovered some interesting things, though, on this trip. Most of the students LOVE the cheese pie here, but many of them HATE olives. How can so many students hate olives? I just do not get it? There seems to be A LOT of egg bread here. Not sure why that is, but is delicious. Also, there are cats everywhere. We sometimes even hear them fighting outside our hotel rooms at night. Cats, cats, everywhere. Also, many people here get really upset when they have to make change. If you fail to pay with exact change they get really upset. There is pollen everywhere, and many of us are having allergy issues. The students tell me the shopkeepers love to give them "student discounts" to convince them to buy things.

Okay, that is it for now. Will try to do better keeping in touch.

Joanie

P.S. Tony FINALLY got this SPARTA t-shirt!!!!!

Mystras

We took a 2 and 1/2 hour bus ride on Wednesday through Sparti (what we call Sparta) to Mystras. In 1204 the Franks chose Mystras as the headquarters for the Greek empire. They had some good years here until they were conquered by the Byzantine Greeks in 1259. According to legend, Frankish leader William de Villehardouin might have escaped if a Greek soldier had not recognized him because of his famously protuding buckteeth.

Mystras contained churches, more than 2,000 houses, a huge Palace of Despots -- some 25,ooo people lived there. We hiked through many of the ruins and visited several of the churches. The footing was so treacherous in some places, I was glad I had my walking stick. The despots never walked, and now I see why!

After Constantinople and and the Byzantine empire fell to the Turks in 1453, Mystras held out -- the last Byzantine emporor was crowned in the cathedral at Mystras, and Mystras finally fell to the Turks in 1460.

We stopped briefly in Sparti (again, the place we know as Sparta.) Tony was amused that the first thing he saw in Sparta was a woman in pink spandex pants who was smoking a cigarrette and walking her poodle. I wanted to see the Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil, and Tony wanted to buy a SPARTA t-shirt. We did not have time for me to get to the Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil, so I will live the rest of my live feeling a bit culturally deprived now. Tony could not find a SPARTA t-shirt. He was appalled to discover that there were plenty of Hanna Montana t-shirts, but no SPARTA t-shirts. I could find no words of comfort for the man.

At this point, we boarded the bus for the 2 and 1/2 hour ride back to Nafplion. This will be our last night in Nafplion as we plan to head to Delphi next. We were on own for dinner last night. Tony and I had a great dinner. We shared some Fried Feta. [Cathy, I think you would LOVE the cheese over here!] Then Tony had some Greek pasta, and I had some pasta with more Feta and cherry tomatoes. We both had Greek salads for lunch. The food here is great.

Dickie and Jeni, we are getting LOTS of use out of the First Aid kit you gave me for Christmas. Nothing bad, just small aches and pains, but the First Aid kit has REALLY gotten lots of use, so thanks for that.

Jacob, I hope you are enjoying reading the blog, send questions if you have them!

We have loved hearing from home. The students are all having a great time and learning a lot.

Joanie

Tuesday in Greece

We departed from Nafplion for a day of adventures. We started in Tiryns, which is a Mycenaean citadel that Homer called "well-walled." There are massive walls (our guide told that the Greeks thought only giants known at Cyclops could have placed these huge walls) and lots of climbing to get to the top to see storage galleries and chambers. What had the attention of some is that just as we arrived she told us it was the time of year when the "snakes awaken" so "please do not move any rocks." Yikes!

After our visit to Tiryns, w,e moved to to Mycenae. According to Homer, King Agamemnon of Mycenae was the most powerful Greek leader at the time of the time of the Trojan War. According to Homer, it was King Agamemnon who led the Greeks from Mycenae (which he called "rich in gold") to Troy around 1250 B.C. There the Greeks fought for 10 years to reclaim Helen, the wife of Agamemnon's brother Menalaus, from her seducer, the Trojan prince Paris. While we generally refer to Helen at Helen of Troy, in Greece, they refer to her as "Helen the Beautiful." [At this point in the day, BOTH of camera batteries lost power, so I don't have many pictures from today. sad face]

After another good climb up and down at Mycenae, we stopped on the way at the Beehive Tomb. It was it says, a tomb that looks like a giant beehive. It is really impressive.

From there we moved on to lunch. The food here is fantastic. Many of us at our table had lamb that was roasted on a spit. It literally fell off the bone. I wish we could find lamb like this in the States, but . . . . One fun part of lunch occurred when the alums with whom I was sitting began asking about some of the current students on the trip. Now, I should mention that these alums are from the FIRST class of honors students who graduated in 1981. Ther were dumbstruck to learn that one of the students on the trip is the offspring of one of the students who was in the Honors Program during their era!

Once lunch was over, we moved on for another adventure and visited the amphitheatre at Epidaurus. Epidaurus claims to have the best accoutiscs in the entire world. Many tourists attempted to test it by getting up and singing and performing all sorts of things. Candidly, some were better than others. UHON's own John Moser, however, was one of the best when he got up and performed one of the first poetry readings he ever did. We all loved it! The theatre was built in the 4th century and seats about 14,000 people. Tony and I climbed to the top and took in a breathtaking view.

After all the climbing, we arrived back at the hotel and I fell asleep. Tony took a run, and many went out for dinner, but I just fell asleep. I am now up before everyone this morning blogging before breakfast. It is about 5:30 am here, and we have another big day ahead of us. We have loved hearing from everyone. All the students and staff are well. The weather was actually chilly yesterday, and we are expectiong a bit of rain today, but nothing bad.

On a personal note, Mark, I am glad your mother's procedure went well.

Joanie

Ancient Corinth

Many think of Ancient Corinth beacuse of the myth of Jason and Medea. If you remember, Jason was allowed to marry Medea after he killed the sleepless dragon (which Medea actually drugged with a narcotic herb, thus helping him along.) They married and had two kids, but Jason then betrayed Medea by leaving her for the daughter of the King of Corinth, the beautiful Glauce. Medea was not one to just sit back and accept such a betrayal so killed her children and served their flesh to Jason for dinner (other versions of the myth say she gave Glauce a dress and a golden coronet, covered in poison.) In any case, Medea was woman one would not dare cross.

Much of Greek history goes back to activity in Ancient Corinth. If you are interested in learning more, I would recommend several sites:

http://www.wikipedia.org./wiki/Ancient_Corinth

http://www.grisel.net/corinth.htm

I have included some pictures from our trip to Ancient Corinth. (some did not load, I will post them later!) We also had lunch at a site where the bridge lowers to let boats through, so the walkway we used to get to the restaurant went underwater while we were there so a boat could get past. It was really amazing. We have long day ahead so off to breakfast.

More later!

Joanie

We Have Landed in Greece!

Yahsu! That is "Hello" in Greek. Our tour guide, Cleo, greeted us as the group from the "University of Honors." If our Provost, Dr. Phil Oldham, reads this, he should know that we no longer want our own Honors College -- we now want our own University -- the University of Honors!

We found everyone's bags (no small matter), and took off for a two-hour coach ride to Ancient Corinth. During the ride, Cleo gave us a bit of background on Greece. We saw lots of olive trees -- they grow about 15 different species of olives here -- black, green, purple, but Kalamata olives are the most popular. Greece ranks 3rd in the world for production of olives. Yum!
The population of Greece is over 11 million, and 6 million of these people live in Athens. Of those 6 million, about 2 million come from the Balkan states, and others come from Poland, Bangladesh, the Philipines and the former U.S.S.R. Recent immigrants have come from Libya and Egypt. Virtually everyone who lives in Athens lives in apartment-style housing because Athens is a city that was planned to accommodate 1 million people, and is bursting to house 6 million. Yikes!

We stopped on the way to Ancient Corinth to get an amazing view of the Canal of Corinth. The Canal cuts through the Isthmus of Corinth (Isthmus means "narrow strip of landed bordered on by sides by water.") The Canal separates the Peloponneisan peninsula from the Greek mainland. It connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Aegean Sea. It was built between 1882 and 1893, which was an absolutely amazing feat when you see it and think about all the rock they had to cut through to carve out this very narrow canal -- it is only 75 feet wide. Many attempts had been made to build this canal, but it was Hungarian engineers who succeeded. Previous attempts had resulted in a long 25-foot-wide ditch. So now, many in Greece do not say they are from north or south. Instead, they are from "before the ditch" (northern Greece) or "beyond the ditch" (southern Greece).

I am anxious to tell you more about Ancient Corinth and our afternoon, but we have to meet the group for dinner. Everyone is well, the Greek salads are FABULOUS, and the weather is perfect. Tony will post later, too.

Joanie

Joanie

Eight Hours Until Departure

As we make our final preparations to leave for Greece, we are also getting Ruthie ready to be away from us for a while. Her loyal servant girl, Monika, is here and ready to spend some girl-time with Ruthie as they fiercely guard the homestead against marauders. We are certain they will have a big time! We look forward to having you all follow our trip online and to hearing from you while we are away.

Joanie and Tony

Leaving Soon for Greece

We are leaving soon for Greece! We hope you will follow our travels as we visit Nafplion, Athens, Delphi, Crete and points in between.