Old friends part 3

We did our trip into the Peloponnese. This time it was an entire weekend: we stopped at Mycenae on the way down, then made it to Nafplion for a relaxing swim at the beach and lunch; in the evening we took the bus to see the sanctuary of Asclepius at Epidaurus, followed by a performance of the Agamemnon. We returned to Nafplion very late, and then got a slightly late start the next morning, going to see the Venetian fortifications of Palamidi overlooking Nafplion and then driving back up and stopping at Ancient Corinth before returning to Athens. The longer schedule meant that parts of the trip were more relaxing than in the past.

Mycenae has changed maybe least of all. The lion gate was still there:

As were the grave circles, the cyclopean walls, the megaron, the postern gate, and of course, the tunnel to the spring, which was muddier than it has been before, maybe because of the rains.

It's not as scary as it looks. Unless you are afraid of the dark.

Then there's always the Treasury of Atreus (A late Mycenaean Tholos Tomb), which is awe-inspiring.

Don't they look inspired?

From there we drove down to Nafplion. I showed the students where the beach is--that place has gone upscale, with a poky little snack bar replaced by a full-service cafe--and explored the town, discovering a charming little komboloi (worry bead) shop. Then onto the bus for Epidavrus. It's been many years since I was able to visit the site itself. It has changed substantially: the Service is intent on reconstructing as much as possible:

The Tholos, in the middle of a miraculous restoration by the god of healing.

Here we are, all dressed up nice for the theater.

Then we went to the theater (with a bout of Greek organization: we were supposed to leave the site when the site closed, then reenter an hour later to take our seats. But as we are still touring the site, we see crowds of people streaming in to the theater. So we go out, get a quick bite to eat, and then return).

Waiting for the return of the King.

The play was quite an experience. It is amazing to see a full-to-capacity theater--mostly Greeks, as far as I could see--for a 2500 year old play. A new feature is the supertitles, visible above the stage on the side, which projected the dialogue in both Greek and English. This made it somewhat easier to follow, although they were a bit hard to read (fortunately, the play fit the standard arc of Greek tragedy, which is: this guy's a jerk, it ain't going to end well for him). It was also a very traditional staging, meaning that there was no on-stage action; Agamemnon walks on and announced that he's been stabbed, then leaves. And the same actor played Agammemnon and Aegisthus, which was quite confusing. But it still was an amazing experience.

Getting out of the parking lot was an hour and a half long endeavor, so we got back to Nafplion late, and then headed out the next morning to Palamidi. It was as spectacular as ever, although now parts of the rambling structure are roped off, and serious-looking signs have been installed:

They mean it this time.

But the students enjoyed exploring the hidden passages and crumbling structures.

Not to mention the occasional rest in the shade.

From there we headed on up to Corinth. The site and the village were as I remembered them: Frankish land (the part of the site where I excavated, many years ago, uncovering the remains of the Frankish settlement) seems to be entirely excavated, but alas not open to the public. The village had gone upscale several years ago, with a "pezodromo" (pedestrian walkway) through the plateia; but it retained its charm. The only major difference we was was that the museum has redone the main galleries of Greek Corinth. They are very engaging and up-to-date, in spite of the officious guards who insist that you go through in the proper chronological direction.

A view I will never tire of.

The gang's all here.

From there it was back to Athens, with a quick stop at the canal--where it was raining (!). All told, a successful trip.