Action-packed weekend

We are increasingly conscious of how little time we have left, and because the students have classes all week, we have to cram as much as we can into the weekend. So this weekend was crazy busy, but in a way that I think everyone appreciated, even if we feel like zombies right now.

It began (for us, anyway) Saturday morning, early--but not too early--when we gathered at the students' residence to make the trek to the Metro and go downtown to the Agora. We pitched it as more historically significant--if less scenic--than the Acropolis. While it may have seemed a confusing jumble of ruins, many students appreciated treading the paths walked by Socrates. We even, after some searching, found the state prison where he was jailed before his execution, and the house of Simon the Cobbler, where later reports say he met with students who were too young to enter the Agora.

Part of the gang on the way up to the Temple of Hephaistos.

After a thorough tour of the site and the museum, we headed out to the Plaka for lunch. We split up; Leslie and one group went for a sit down meal of various orektika (appetizers), while Phil and another group found a modern but tasty gyro joint. Then because great minds think alike, the groups met up on the way to Leslie's favorite bead shop, where the students had fun choosing beads and buying komboli (worry beads). We then went to a rug shop that Les had found, where the student bargained for, and bought, beautiful Greek rugs. After that, we (finally) made it to the next stop on our busy agenda, the New Acropolis Museum. This was a highly anticipated visit--the Greeks just celebrated the 2nd anniversary of the museum, and treat is as their crowning cultural achievement. To be honest, it is a stunningly beautiful space. It was nice to see my old favorite pieces again, although I was a bit irritated that you can no longer photograph them. It was also striking, how clearly the entire building was an argument for returning the Elgin Marbles--oops, sorry, the Parthenon Sculptures. The missing pieces are represented by plaster casts, the technology of cleaning  the stones is showcased in the section with the Caryatids, and the whole installation screams "look, we are modern, sophisticated and up-to-date enough to care for these sculptures, so return them now please." There is even signage that talks of the "cultural hole" left by their absence. On the other hand, when I see how much damage has been done to the remaining sculptures by the pollution of Athens (the faces of the Caryatids are barely visible now), and when I walk the streets of Athens and see how every reachable surface is covered by graffitti, I wonder how long the sculptures will be preserved when they eventually return to Athens, modern museum notwithstanding.

The New Acropolis Museum. Sorry, no pictures inside. It's a state secret.

Our day was not over with the conclusion of our visit. We split up again--Phil led a small group to explore the Theater of Dionysus across from the Museum, but the heat wore us out, so we went straight home when we were done. Leslie led another group on a very long walk to the National Gardens and the Proto Nekrotapheio (the official cemetary of Athens, sort of a combination of Arlington and Pere LaChaise in Paris). We all got home pretty thoroughly worn out.

Defeated by the heat in the Theater of Dionysus.

The day ended with the students inviting us over for a viewing of "Mulan". We've never seen it, because we only had boys when it came out. The students clearly grew up with it, since they could sing along with the songs. It was maybe a bit advanced for Ellie, but she always loves hanging out with the students.

It was up bright and early the next morning, though, and onto a bus for a long ride to Delphi--our bus driver, who was cheerful but didn't seem to be sure of the way, ended up taking us through northern Boeotia. We finally arrived a bit later in the morning, and then hiked our way up the sacred way to the Temple. The students were suitably impressed by the ruins and the spectacular views, and Phil tried to give them enough background on the bus so they could make sense of it all. Some students continued up to the Theater and finally to the stadium, but we were disappointed to discover that you can no longer walk in the stadium itself. The Greek Archaelogical Service seems to have suffered a bout of overprotectiveness in the last few years. At any rate, we meandered down to the Museum, which has been remodeled and is stunning; the Delphic Charioteer stands alone in a room, and is a dramatic climax to the collection.

The official group photo in front of the Temple of Apollo. Thanks, Nef!

Jumping for joy in the theater at Delphi.

At that point we were ready for lunch, so we were driven to the Epikouros restaurant in Delphi, which offered a truly stunning vista of the valley below Delphi, and a tasty selection of appetizers, salad, and a yummy chicken and pasta meal. Leaving there, we headed to Arachova, but before we got there we had a stop at the gymnasium and temple of Athena Pronaia, which we had not had time to get to earlier in the day. It was worth hiking down to see the Tholos, although by this time the heat was truly brutal. After the killer hike back up the road, we were able to cool ourselves in the Castalian Spring. Then on to Arachova, which was, as we fondly remembered, a beautiful resort town with shops selling local crafts and food specialities. Unfortunately, we hit it at nap time, so it was quieter than it is normally. But we were able to do some shopping, and some of us had ice cream, while others sat in a shady cafe along the main road and had drinks. Finally, we gathered on the bus for the long trip back to Athens. Yes, everyone is thoroughly exhausted; yes, the students have class tomorrow. But I think this was a weekend they won't soon forget.

Lunch at the Epikouros.

Poli xesti (very hot), but worth it.