Doing the Syrtaki

Phil:  Last year I compared our time in Athens as being like dancing the Syrtaki (Zorba's dance)--you start out slow and stately, all together, then the music speeds up, you go faster and faster, the energy rises, you start all doing your own things, and then a crescendo, and then you collapse in exhaustion. Well, this year has been no different. So rather than whinge about how little time we have left, I'll just tell you some of what we did in the last three days, to convince you that we are sucking the marrow out of our experience here.

Three days ago I organized one last trip down to the Kerameikos; Jimmy and Ilona came with me. We got off at the Kerameikos stop, which turned out to be in Gazi, and not so close to the Kerameikos (note to self-Thissiou is closer). So we got snacks and wandered over, pausing to admire intrepid bikers along the way.

Like the RAM rides back home. They seem to be tourists, not locals, though.

Jimmy and Ilona on the Pompeion propylon.

Jimmy doing his best Pericles near the demosion sema. "In short, we are the school of Hellas."

We made it to the site, and did a thorough tour--Themistoklean walls, Pompeion, Dipylon gate, graves, demosion sema, museum.

Dipylon kouros

We then wandered over to and up the Pnyx, to check out the meeting place of the Athenian ekklesia--the democratic assembly of all male Athenian citizens. As an added bonus, it has the most stunning panoramic view of the Agora and the Acropolis, and lots of pottery on the ground.

Pericles and Athena? (I suggested Aspasia, but Ilona preferred to be a goddess rather than a hetaira).

From this site you get the best view of what it might have looked like in the 5th cent. BCE.

I then put the students on the train so they could make it back to their classes. I went down to the Agora--I'd read that the second floor of the Stoa of Attalos museum was open after 20 years. Indeed it was--they have a nice display of sculpture, great models of the Agora and Pnyx, views of the ASCSA apothiki (storerooms), and a beautiful view of the Hephaisteion. Alas, my camera had decided to quit working, so no pix. Afterwards, I caught up with Les and Jeremiah at the Bath of the Winds museum--a well preserved Turkish Bath complex in the Plaka--and we had lunch at Scholarcheio one more time.

Friday was a little calmer. I headed down to the ASCSA to finish up some work and return my key. I got finished around eleven, then wandered down to the Plaka. The plan was to meet up with Les after she was done with her class. It took her a while to get down, with Jeremiah, so I did a quick visit to the Temple of Zeus Olympeios, which haven't been to in many years. It was a great visit, and I got to see details I hadn't noticed on previous trips, like the part of the Themistoklean wall still visible. But it ended with a spectacular fail--in my hurry to cross Leoforo Amalias (the big road that separates the Olympeion from the Plaka) a tripped and faceplanted in the middle of the road, right in front of oncoming traffic. Fortunately I got away with just some bruised knees and a busted uv filter on my camera. I hobbled back to Odos Nikis to meet Les and Jer at the Museio Ebraiko, the Athens Jewish Museum. This was a very moving experience--unlike the Jewish Museum on Rhodes, which focused on the local community, this one told the story of Jews throughout Greece. The parts about WWII and the Holocaust were particularly moving.

Rich displays on Jewish life in Greece

For all the beautiful objects, I found this the most touching--a simple kiddush cup, with a bottle of wine marked "KASSER GIA TO PESSACH"--Kosher for Passover.

Jeremiah taking a break.

Of course, the final exhibits on the Holocaust were terribly sad; but there were several uplifting stories of resistance. There was Louis Cohen, from Xanthi in Thrace, who went up from Athens to join the resistance. When he found the local Resistance commander, he said he wanted to join because he was Jewish. The man replied, "there are no Jews or Christians here. We are all Greeks." Then there was the island of Zakynthos. The mayor and bishop were brought in to the German commander's office, and told at gunpoint to produce a list of the island's Jews, so they could be deported to the death camps. After conferring briefly, the men produced a list with two names on it--their own. The German commander was so dumbfounded that the deportation was cancelled, and the island's Jews were saved (just about the only community in Greece that wasn't destroyed). After the museum we had a late lunch, and made our way back home.

Yesterday was another early rise, to take Robin and Jimmy to Eleusis, which I haven't been to since my American School days. This involved taking the train down to Thissiou, walking over to Plateia Eleftherios, and catching the B16 bus all the way out to Eleusis. We got off a stop too early, and had a bit of a trek along the unprepossessing waterfront (Elefsina is an industrial town), finally going all around the site to find the entrance. They don't get a lot of tourists here--I suspect that, since the train and the national highway bypass Elefsina, it has become something of a backwater. Which is a shame, because it is a truly amazing site. Enormous Hadrianic rebuilding over the ancient sanctuary of the Eleusinian mysteries. It was nice having the time to explore everything, even if I did leave our trusty Blue Guide on the bus (sniff--we had it since 1994). We were just about the only people there for over two hours. Even the guards were off in the shade somewhere.

Jimmy and Robin pausing at a war monument in the Elefsina main plateia before pushing on to the site.

Here we are at Hadrian's Large Propylaia.

Watching the Things Said, the Things Done and the Things Shown. I'd love to tell you what those are, but I'm afraid you haven't been initiated.

One of my favorite pots of all time. On top: you know who blinding Polyphemus. On the bottom, Perseus escaping with Medusa's head from her angry sisters.

 So after all that, and an interminable wait for the bus, we got back to Athens. We headed into the Plaka, and after some confusion and a break for frozen Greek yoghurt (which is the most amazing thing, btw) we found Les and the kids sitting down to lunch on Kydathenaion street. Students came and went, rugs and souvenirs were purchased, Greek salads and beer were consumed.

Finally we headed out for the next part of our day. We led a group of students to the tram in Syntagma, and took it down to Paleo Falero, to the beach. The beach there is much what you'd expect of an urban beach--it reminded me a little of going to Coney Island when I was a kid (only more space on the sand, and no boom boxes). But the water was clean and deliciously cool. So we got some much needed relaxation. Putting our clothes back on over our salty bathing suits and skin, we strolled down the promenade just in time for the evening volta--Greek families, having woken up from their naps, go out for coffee and a walk to see their neighbors and enjoy the evening air before dinner. I love it.

We made our way over to the "Parko Flisvos" where Ellie got another chance to ride one of those little motorized cars--years ago, when we were in Greece with the boys and they were about her age, they got to ride them on Aigina. It is one of things they remember best about that trip.

We'll have to dig up the pictures from Aigina, to post them side by side with this.

 Then, while the boys took Ellie to the playground, Les led the students and me to the "Theatro Skion" to whatch a Karayiotsis shadow puppet play. It was fun, but at this point I could barely keep my eyes open, much less understand the story.

Us and a bunch of Greek families wondering what a group of Americans with handouts but no children were doing there. The place was full by the time it started.

At the end we gathered up the kids, made our way all the way home in an arduous journey (tram, metro, bus). But were we done with our day? No way! We left the kids on the bus so the boys could take the now sleeping Ellie home--alas, they got off at the wrong stop, and had to walk a long way, and Ellie woke up. But Les and I got off at the Ayiou Ioannou plateia, where they were having a "Rembetiko glendi"--a party with rembetiko music and dancing. I love rembetiko, and it is amazing to see all the people from the neighborhood gathered together to listen to the players, occasionally dance, and in general just hang out. Munching a gyro and watching it all--it was just one of those perfect moments. But then the rembetiko stopped, and a dj began to set up, so we decided it was time to go to bed. Today, Sunday, everyone is still asleep--we are going to take it easy and recover from the last few days!