Last Days in Sofia

Our last couple of days were spent in Sofia. Friday we had our wrap up session which got a bit emotional as we realized that our wonderful experience was finally coming to an end. Friday night several of us went to the National Theatre to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It was a wonderful production and we were able to follow the story line very easily because the actors were so good at what they were doing. It was very interesting to watch an English play in a Bulgarian theatre performed by a Russian company in the Russian language. That made it very interesting indeed.
Saturday we had free time all day so most of us did some last minute shopping. We walked around Alexander Nevski Church and there was a huge line of people and a band and lots of police. We found out that the three miracle icons of Bulgaria were being united in the church that day. People were in line to be able to touch all three of them and pray to the saints for whatever they needed to pray about. We took it easy on Saturday to help prepare for the trip home.

Sunday was our trip to Vitosha mountain. We drove up quite a way and then hiked even further. A few people hiked all the way to the top but I did not make it quite that far. It was beautiful up there and we had a wonderful view of Sofia from that height. The grass and trees were very green and it was quite windy. We were a little cold when we first got there but hiking warmed us up quite quickly.

Tonight was our farewell dinner. The restaurant we were in was very high and had a wonderful view of the city. We had wonderful food and wonderful company and we had to say our goodbyes to the Fulbright staff. They encouraged us to come back to do a big Fulbright and I might look into that. Sofia is an easy city to get around in and it would be wonderful to come back and see everyone again while teaching or working on a research project. We also started to say good bye to each other. We have been together for forty days now and good byes are tough. I leave the hotel at 4:00am so I will not see most of my new friends again. It has been a wonderful experience that I would certainly recommend to anyone who is interested in learning more about different cultures and societies in an intensive program. I will certainly remember this experience for a long time to come. Farewell to Bulgaria and to all my new friends!

Plovdiv and Winery

We started out with a meeting with the English department of Plovdiv University. They have a large one and have lots of graduates each year. Only about 4% of their large number of grads become teachers because the pay here is so low. It was interesting to hear a little about their program. It does include some practical work but seemed to be more theory based.

We then took a walking tour of the old town of Plovidv. We saw a Roman amphitheatre that they are using today as a place for concerts. If fact, they were preparing for a concert for the evening when we were there. We asked out it and our guide described the singer as the Madonna of Bulgaria so I opted not to go to that concert!

We also saw lots of interesting architectural styles of houses. Most of the houses are built on really small plots of land so like other European cities of the time, the upper floors of the houses stick out over the street to make more room. We had a little free time here to explore and shop.


Afterward, we visited the Todoroff winery. We had a short tour of their cellars and facilities and then a short wine tasting. They make only red wine at this particular winery and the three varieties we tried were very tasty. The one I liked the best was the oldest one and (of course) the most expensive one! We then had a wonderful lunch that included salad, a baked potato stuffed with cheese and ham and then the main course which was a pasta with chicken dish. YUM!! There was a flan like dessert (we call it gelatinous goo) as well as fruit. We were so full afterwards but some made it down to the shop to purchase a little bit of Bulgaria before our bus trip back to Sofia.
We were all ready to come "home" to our hotel in Sofia and have a little more free time to end up the trip. I think we are all a little sad that the trip is coming to and end but also excited to see family and friends back home.

Sozopol and Plovdiv

After leaving Bourgas, we headed to the small, ancient town of Sozopol. It is a bit like Nesebar but not quite as commercial and a little less crowded. It will be packed in August as that is when most Bulgarians take their holidays.
We had some free time in this town to shop and look out at the sea from cafes that were littered all over the town. It also is on a peninsula and it was very easy to walk from one side of the peninsula to the other. We wandered around and I have lots of photos of the ocean and beach from here.
We had lunch at the Windmill restaurant on top of a hill. It looked out over the sea and was just beautiful!
There was a small island not far out and the water was very blue. A man was fishing right down below us and there were boats going by. We had a great lunch there. Our first course was fish soup. I was really afraid I would not like it because it would be "fishy". Not so. It was delicious. It contained fish (of course) but also vegetables and lots of broth. Our main course was a stew that they brought to us in a flaming clay pot. OK, they lit the outside of the pot and it was not really flaming but it kept the stew really hot. The stew was so hot, we dipped it out on a plate to let it cool off so we could eat it. It was also very tasty. Baklava for dessert with ice cream on top. Yummy!
Next we headed for the town of Plovdiv. We walked form our hotel to a really nice restaurant that had a very Turkish feel to it. Plovdiv is the second largest town in Bulgaria so we should see some really cool things here!

Bourgas and Nesebar

So, now we are in the town of Bourgas. It is a town on the sea but has a huge port so not much of a beach. There are lots of tankers and other vessels in and out of the port all the time and it looks a bit industrial down by the water. We went down the road a bit to visit the old town of Nesebar. The old part of the town in located on an isthmus in the middle of a bay. There is a functioning four level windmill right outside of the town. It has a house attached (that is the 4 level part)that the keeper lived in. Other floors were for storage and drying fish.
We started in the archaeological museum which had some nice artifacts from the town's Byzantine past. There were also several beautiful icons.

We then took a tour of several of the churches remaining in the town. One of them is now an art gallery and has early examples of the use of the symbol that we now know of as a swastika. Our guide called it a "so-called swastika". It was used as a symbol of the sun in ancient times long before it was used by the Nazis.
There used to be 40 or more churches in this small town as rich land owners tried to outdo each other but there are only about 20 left. Some have been restored while others have not.
We had some free time here to wander the winding streets of the old town which would be more charming if they were not covered with touristy shops.
We returned to Bourgas and a free evening and are off tomorrow for Sozopol and Plovdiv.

Varna

Our next destination was the town of Varna. On the way there, we stopped at the small village of Arbanassi. We visited an old house that is now a museum and saw how the people lived in the 17th century. This was a rich person's home so it had several rooms that others would not have had. We also visited a church there that was built during the Turkish domination. These churches look very plain from the outside so the Turks would not know they were churches and destroy them.
The town was up on the side of the mountain and we had a great view down to the town of Veliko Turnovo below.
We continued on the the town of Varna so we spent a lot of time on the bus. We passed through an area where there were fields full of sunflowers as far as the eye can see. I think that sunflower oil is a big commodity for this area. I also saw several farmers with a horse and cart going about their daily business. I guess these are what you would call rural scenes. It felt like what you would see in a book or a movie but it was really there.
We got to Varna late and just had enough time to take a quick swim in the Black Sea. There was lots of seaweed as a storm had come through the day before. Once you got past the seaweed, it was great!

The next day we had a short walking tour of Varna where we visited the main cathedral there. The service or liturgy happened to be going on so we watched a little bit of that. It was weird that walked in during service but it was kind of neat to see. We did not stay very long and of course had no idea what they were saying.
We took a short walking tour and then got on the bus to head for Borgas.

Veliko Turnovo

Well, we left Sofia to head for Veliko Turnovo. On the way, we stopped at Etur which is an ethnographic complex that is like a village from the 17th century in Bulgaria. There are several machines all around the complex that are powered by water.
At the gate, was a washing machine where they washed rugs and other large items. The water came down off a slope at such an angle to make the water bubble and roll in the tank. The rugs are then stirred with a stick to help the water clean them. No soap is involved as it would contaminate the water that drained off and into the next machine. It was really cool to see.
The water system ran all through the complex and ran machines for wood carving, pottery, weaving and all sorts of folk crafts. The work they did there was pretty amazing. They were selling things there of course but the best part was watching the craftsmanship and seeing how the water system worked with just gravity.

After this visit, we continued on to Veliko Turnovo which is the former capitol of Bulgaria. We climbed to see the castle which was the defense against invaders. It was set high on a hill of course and it was a very hot day. We were pretty worn out by the time we got to the top. There was a church at the top which was decorated in a very different way than any of the others we have seen. The frescoes in this church were painted during the communist era and were very dark and a little bit scary. We were not allowed to take pictures inside but I must say they were very interesting even if odd. The trip down was much easier than the trip up! It was a clear day with only a little haze. You could see a long way and it was easy to imagine the Bulgarian kings in this castle watching out for their enemies and trying to keep safe. Bulgaria finally was conquered by the Turks who managed to hold onto that rule for 500 years.
Later we met with teachers in the American studies department at the university and had dinner with them back at our hotel. They seem to have an interesting program and are training many students to speak English so they can get jobs in various industries or go on to have an academic job in higher ed.
After dinner, we went down to see the light show at the castle. They had a computerized light show that had music we could not really hear. The lights were impressive and meant to dramatize the history of Bulgaria. That part was a little hard to follow.

Folklore

I am trying to get caught up on the blog but we have been really busy lately! One of the last days in Sofia was spent learning about culture. In the morning, we learned about Bulgarian art throughout history. We learned a lot and I will add some links to pictures we saw later.


We also had some lessons on Folklore through learning more about Bulgarian music and dance. We learned about folk music and some of the instruments used to create it including the doudok. This is the basic pipe or flute like instrument used in much of the music. We also learned about the bagpipes used which are similar to bagpipes in other cultures but in more of a minor key. Bulgarian folk music also has some odd rhythms that are hard to count out. This also makes them hard to dance to! Our teacher also taught us about playing wooden spoons and many basic dance steps.



Later that evening, we went to an incredible restaurant that features folk singing and dancing. It made more sense to us because we had learned about it earlier that day. The singers and dancers were incredible! Two of our participants were called up to dance during one of the numbers. They did great! The performers were in full costume which made the whole experience more exciting.


The final performance of the evening was a fire dance. Two performers carried an icon and walked on hot coals. This is a historic dance performed to show their faith in God. It was really neat! It was hard to get pictures of it, however as it was really dark. Some people were using their flash which made my pictures look weird but I will post them anyway.

Next I will be reporting on our adventures across the country!

More in Sofia

We have had lots of lectures on different topics while in Sofia. Many touch on the history, politics, economics and are about both old and modern Bulgaria. The Bulgarian people are very proud of their heritage and are at least as proud of their country as we are of the USA. We have also learned some about the educational system of Bulgaria. They have just introduced a new exit test for secondary schools and are having many of the same problems we have in the U.S. Their biggest area of deficit on the test was in Bulgarian literature and writing. The educational expert who spoke to us felt that the system in the past has relied on memorization of facts for test recall and little emphasis on analytical thinking and writing.

These ideas were supported when we visited the First English Language School in Sofia. This school is one that teaches English as a Foreign Language and most of the school subjects are actually taught in English so students have practical use of the language.
This is one of the top schools in Sofia and we found it to be lacking many of the basic items we take for granted in the United States. The teachers there were very interested in our textbooks, teaching methods, etc. We had a panel discussion there. They seem to know little about student engagement and have a totally different perspective on what teaching is. They are far behind us in teaching strategies.

After a wonderful lunch of duck, we headed for the American College of Sofia. This is an exclusive school for grades 8-12 that teaches mostly in English to help prepare students for University and a career. This school was better off money-wise and they had much more knowledge of current pedagogical strategies than the teachers at the other school. They understood the importance of critical thinking and of student engagement and group work. The teachers at this school get lots of training on current teaching strategies through workshops and conferences. Even so, the school facilities are nothing near what we have in most places in the States. It was a very enlightening visit! We then had a cookout hosted by the American College. Here is Bob Antonucci talking with one of the Bulgarian teachers from the school. It was a very informative day!

Sofia Tour and Concert

We went on a walking tour of Sofia after a day on our own. We saw many important buildings including the President's office, several churches, museums and other city buildings. We saw a Byzantine church of St. George that has been under restoration for the last 20 years and was just reopened. We were lucky that we were able to see it. This is the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia. Beautiful on the outside but not much on the inside.

One of the most beautiful buildings in the city is the Ivan Vazov Theatre. He was an important Bulgarian writer that they named the theatre after.
We will be attending a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream when we return to Sofia on the 4th of July. That should be great but it will be in Bulgarian.
Many art students were outside the theatre sketching it for an assignment.
There is a nice park area there with fountains and a statue garden. That would have been really neat if it had not been so hot that day.

The next day after our lectures, we went to a concert. There was traditional music heard in the Eastern Orthodox church as well as some classical violin and piano. At the end, we were entertained by a folk group. All of these musicians were very talented. They were also very proud of their country and very eager to share their talent with us.

So far, Bulgaria has been very exciting.

Boyana Church and Rila Monastery

Well, we started the day off with a visit to the small but beautiful Boyana Church in Sofia. When we got there the historian was quite abrupt with our guides and we heard some arguing and raised voices. We were a bit worried but we need not have been. We could only go into the church 9 at a time and each group could only stay 10 minutes because they control the humidity and temperature so closely inside the church to save the remaining paintings. Of course, no pictures were allowed inside the church.

How can I describe what the inside was like? As soon as I walked in, I teared up because the frescoes were so well done and well preserved. Another of my colleagues did the same so I did not feel too bad. The historian (he told us to call him Mr. White White) was so passionate about the frescoes. He would grab each of us by the arm to show us particular aspects of the paintings and tell us about how the artist had created them. By the time our 10 minutes were up, almost all of us were crying. It was very powerful. I know that I am doing a very poor job describing this but there is no way I could do it justice.

After that emotional start to the day, we headed for lunch (fresh trout by a river) and then to the Rila Monastery. This monastery was built in honor of St. Ivan who was originally a hermit who lived in a cave in the Rila Mountains and would give advice to locals as well as use healing herbs to cure sickness.
Legend is that he was able to perform healing miracles by the end of his life. We went inside the beautiful church and saw the biggest alter screen I have ever seen. It was very ornate and beautiful. Of course, we could not take pictures inside the church but were able to take pictures outside. The remains of St. Ivan are kept inside the church by the altar and people kiss them hoping for a miracle.


The inside and outside of the church are decorated with some beautiful frescoes as well. Here is one example.

We had the evening free so several of us went right down the street to have pizza and beer (or whatever). It was great. Tomorrow we have some free time to explore the city and rest. It is our first free day since the trip started so we are all looking forward to it.

Sofia 1

Well, our first day in Sofia we had lectures in the morning and a trip to the history museum in the afternoon. The first lecture was actually a briefing from the U.S. Embassy about safety, etc. Basically, they told us what you would need to know in any big city, beware of strangers and watch out for pick pockets. Then we had a very interesting lecture on ancient Thracian civilization here in Bulgaria. It is interesting to see things from a different perspective than what our Greek friends had.

In the afternoon, we went to a history museum here in Sofia. It is located in the former communist leader’s palace which was huge! You had to pay to take photographs here like we did in the salt mine in Krakow so we paid for one of us to take them and then we will get some later. Most things I would not have taken a picture of anyway because of the glare, etc. There was one part of the museum where I had to walk away. It was about how the Bulgarians saved almost their entire Jewish population during WWII. Those of you who were in Poland in March can certainly understand that this was very emotional for me. I wondered why other nations could not have done the same. Anyway, I commend the Bulgarians for this action even though they were technically on the German side in the war. I think that makes it even more incredible that they were able to save this population.

In the evening, we attended a dinner and reception with some other Fulbright participants who are about to go to the US to teach for a year on a teacher exchange program. It was wonderful! We met high school teachers from all over Europe who are about to embark on this exciting year of teaching abroad. They will exchange classes with a US teacher who will go to their country and teach their class. What a great experience for all concerned.
A US music student entertained us with some traditional Bulgarian folk songs. She was incredible and the Bulgarians in the room went on and on about what a great job she did on such hard music. As you can see, she was also in traditional dress.

I sat at a table with a professor of architecture who told a lot of stories. We talked a bit about Frank Lloyd Wright and I told him about the Sterling Kinney house in Amarillo. He did not know about it so I sent him an Internet link with pictures and a video.

It was a wonderful evening.

Last Greece Day

Our last two days in Greece was divided between visiting ruins and visiting a nature preserve. We visited Pella which has is another example of an old Roman town. This was a much smaller site that Dion but had some really nice mosaics. One of these is perhaps a depiction of Alexander the Great who was the King in this part of Greece (Macedonia) after his father, Philip II was killed at a wedding. The remnants of houses were quite large and had some very large courtyards. Some think perhaps Philip's palace was located here but there is no real evidence of this.



We did visit some old Macedonian tombs one of which is believed to be the tomb of Philip. We could not take pictures in the tomb to preserve the paintings, etc. It would have been much too dark inside the tomb anyway. They have this site very well set up. The tombs were discovered under a burial mound and were uncovered in the 1970's. The outer tombs were shallow and have been robbed in antiquity but the one believed to be Philip's was not looted. Many treasures were found here including a box will Philip's charred bones in it. Many other bones of dogs and horses were also found and were burned on the pyre with him. Ceremonial armor and many gold and silver objects were also found in the tomb. The finds were really spectacular. Then we descended into the area of the tomb itself. There is a glass wall between you and the door but it was very eerie. The door is closed to help preserve the frescoes within the tomb but it is still pretty impressive.

The very last day, we took a boat ride on Lake Kerkini which is a nature preserve and wetlands area. There are many species of heron, cormorant and other birds including the Dalmatian pelican which is an endangered species.
Here is a picture of one beginning to take off.
We also saw water buffalo out in areas of the lake. They are good swimmers and someone called the the "hippos of Greece".


We had a great farewell dinner that night and said goodbye to all our Greek friends from the Fulbright office. It was bittersweet. We hated to say goodbye but were also excited about visiting Bulgaria and learning more about it. The bus ride to Bulgaria is about 4 hours but we will have stops along the way so it will take longer.

More from Bulgaria!

Mt. Olympus

Today we drove about an hour away to Dion which has an archaeological site with some temples as well as an old Roman town. These temples are not massive and impressive like some of the other ones we have seen because they were associated with the ordinary town of Dion. There was a small theatre and several temples. A temple to Demeter was found as well as a small one to Zeus. This one was situated so that Mt. Olympus was in the background.


Next, we saw the ruins of an old Roman town. The Roman streets are still there as well as public toilets (I do have a picture of that but will not post it here) and public baths. We saw ancient storefronts and some private residences as well. Some of them were very impressive with intricate mosaics still visible. The town was apparently abandoned due to damage from floods and earthquakes.
It was there long enough to contain the remains of an early Christian church as well.

After we finished at the site, we went up to a little village for lunch and had a wonderful meal that included ice cream with cherries on it for dessert. That was really good. I had something I cannot pronounce or spell for main course but it was basically spice minced lamb and veal with potatoes and rice. We are not lacking starches at our meals here.

Next, we went part way up Olympus to one of the peaks. We had some time to hike around. The whole place is a nature preserve so there is lots of hiking and camping available. There were lots of people taking advantage of their holiday today on the mountain.


Tomorrow we visit the Royal tomb of Philip of Macedon who, among other things, was the father of Alexander the Great. I hear it is really spectacular so I am looking forward to that.

Ouranoupolis

Well, we left Thessaloniki for a side trip to a little town called Ouranoupolis. It is a coastal town on a peninsula in the Aegean sea. It is a place where lots of people from the city go for the weekend to get away. On the way, we stopped at a small town called Parthenon which was way up in the mountains. We had coffee at Paul's taverna (restaurant) which had some really nice views of the towns down below and the general area.

At lunch we had some baked eggplant and baked cheese for a starter. We also had the usual Greek salad which is mostly tomatoes, cucumbers and olive oil. Then as a surprise, we had grilled octopus. It was much tastier than I imagined. It had a great smoky flavor and was not rubbery at all. It did still have the suckers on the tentacles which was kind of weird but it tasted wonderful. Our main course that day was fresh swordfish.

Our hotel in Ouranoupolis was really nice. I had a small suite with a balcony and great views of the water. (See picture).
We went to the beach and finally got to swim in the Aegean. The beaches here are a bit rocky but I had my Keen sandals so that did not bother me. I was really glad I had them when a couple of our group stepped on sea urchins and had several thorns in their feet. Ouch! I was really glad that I had my shoes then!

Then today, we took a boat around Mt. Athos. This mountain has 20 monastaries on it that have been here for years. The oldest has been there since 960 (AD). You cannot actually visit the monastaries without special permission as they are an Theocratic Republic and you must have special permits to visit. Women cannot visit at all.
The monks there live a fairly primitive lifestyle in monastaries that were built as fortresses to prevent pirate and other attacks. They were very impressive even from the water.

We are back in Thessaloniki for a couple of days and tomorrow we visit Mt. Olympus. There is so much to see and we are just scratching the surface.

Thessaloniki

Now we are in the second largest city in Greece, Thessaloniki. Here you can find awesome examples of Byzantine structures, especially churches. We visited museums of the finds from the area as well as one specializing in Byzantine culture and art. This was the era where icon painting began. Icons are still included in Greek Orthodox churches. They are used as something to concentrate on in prayer to help reach a peaceful state while medidtating/praying.

We also saw examples of some wonderful mosaic art. I especially liked those. I like the intricate way the images are made with different colored tiles. It is amazing how they come together to make a full picture.


We have found that the workers in all museums watch visitors very closely to ensure they do not touch or damage the artifacts and the art. I can cerainly understand the need for this but some of them seem a little over-zealous! I guess they are just doing their job.

Thessaloniki is the sweets capitol of Greece.
We tasted some wonderful chocolates that our guide bought for us. Decadent! I may buy some to bring back if I can find that shop again. Well, I cannot guarantee they would actually make it back...

More on our visit to the American Farm School in a couple of days. We will be without computer access for a day or two.

Meteora

On the way to Thessaloniki, we stopped about half way and visited Meteora. There used to be an inland sea here that eroded cliffs away so that now there are just towers of rock standing. On top of these, monks established monasteries because they felt they were closer to God. We visited two of them. One has actually been restored and is now run by nuns but they were all originally monasteries.



The views from them are incredible. The rock formations themselves are nothing to sneeze at, either. It is amazing that people were able to build such large buildings in such places. There were some beautiful old frescoes inside the churches that we visited. Our guide explained the meanings of many of the paintings and differences between Greek orthodoxy and other forms of Christianity. I plan to buy a book about it to learn more.




Now we are in Thessaloniki. We visited the American consulate here and visited with the consul general which was very interesting. Later in the day we heard more about Balkan history and the current strife going on here based on Macedonia (the former Yugoslavia) and why there is such a conflict here about this "new" state. Very interesting. It just brings home the realization that the U.S. public pays little attention to these matters. Now I understand them a little better.

We are here for a couple of days now so I will post more soon.

Delphi

Well, we had quite an experience on our way to Delphi yesterday. We stopped at a beautiful little coastal town called Galaxidi where we had time for a coffee break and a quick look around. We continued on to Kirra where we had lunch right next to the Bay of Corinth. The water here is so blue and there are different shades of it as it gets deeper. After lunch, most of us were standing out in the shade of a tree looking out at the water when we experienced an earthquake. It took me a few seconds to figure out what was going on. My first thought was that we were on a dock and the water was pushing us around. But, the place we were standing was concrete and we were not out over the water. That is when I realized that is was an earthquake. It lasted quite a little bit of time. We found out later that it was a 6.5 on the Richter scale and the epicenter was near Patras. We had passed through that town about an hour before. There was some damage but only 2 deaths reported and about 40 people injured. Not bad for such a large quake.


Today we visited the oracle at Delphi. Yes, that oracle. We first visited the sanctuary of Athena and the gymnasium and spring and then walked up to the temple of Apollo where the oracle was situated. The ruins there are very impressive as you will see in the photos. Archeologists have found many treasuries here that contained offerings to the gods that are now in the museum on site.




In the museum we saw an excellent example of a sphinx and a beautiful bronze of a charioteer. It depicts the victor of the chariot race at some Olympiad as he is wearing a wreath around his head. It is well preserved and has amazing eyes that follow you around the room.

We are now experiencing a mountain thunderstorm. It has cooled down considerably and the rain smells very nice. Later we will visit the village of Arahova.

More at our next stop.

Olympia

Olympia is the site of the biggest temple to Zeus in Greece. The ruins of the temple are breathtaking. There was a terrible earthquake at some point that destroyed the temples and dormitories and other buildings. So, all of the columns that used to stand are now lying on the ground in pieces. It makes it easier to really judge the scale of the size of the columns when they are on the ground. You are allowed to touch them here and walk all around them.




The historical society here has restored a few of the columns so that visitors can tell what the place might have looked like in its full glory. There were also temples to Hera and a couple of other deities on this site as well. The museum on the site holds all the important reliefs that were rescued from the sites. The large statues from the pediments at both ends of the temple of Zeus are in the museum. It amazes me how much is left and the size of them. Although we could not touch them, we could get very close to them. I am not sure how long it took to carve them but they are such wonderful artistic examples on a large scale.



Olympia is also the site of the first games later termed the Olympics. The games were used as athletic competitions and as networking opportunities. Winners of the events were viewed as heroes in their towns when they came back and were able to have better careers afterward because of this fame. If you got caught cheating, however, your life was basically ruined. We visited the stadium where the competitions took place and a few of our number ran a race on the ancient field. I stayed at the finish line to take photos.



Now we are on our way to Delphi, home of the famous oracle of old. The site is also famous for the temple of Apollo. A professor from the Center for Hellenic Studies is was with us at Olympia and on the bus to Delphi giving us some great information about the area and the culture of ancient Greece and the sites we are visiting.

More from Delphi and beyond.

A Quick Word

I have two blogs ready to go but the hotel has blocked flash drive access to keep from getting viruses. When I find a better Internet cafe or something, I will post with pictures. We did feel the earthquake but were far enough away that we were not in danger.

More later.

Napflion

So, we left Athens on Thursday and headed to a small coastal town called Napflion. It is what I would call quaint and charming. On the way to Napflion, we stopped at Mycenae which is the site of the oldest known town in Greece. There are ruins there from a settlement and a tomb. Many of the gold treasures in the museum we visited in Athens were actually discovered here.

Then we went to an ancient center of healing called Epidaurus. There we saw an intact ancient stadium that was really cool. The acoustics in there were incredible. One of our group recited from Henry IV and you could hear it all over the whole stadium. She said she could hear herself like it was a microphone coming back at her. The healing center itself had ruins of the ritual bath, the places to make a sacrifice and of course the places where you would stay. They are in the middle if restoring it using only ancient tools which is really neat. You can certainly tell the new marble and limestone from the old.

Everywhere you turn here, there are ruins and relics of the ancient past. Being in places like this makes you really understand some of the history that you learned or ignored in school. I need to go back and read Homer again. I need to go back and read other versions of the myths as well. That will be a part of the curriculum project I have to create when I return.


Friday we went to a folklife museum which had many displays of clothing and daily life. There were some incredible things in there. We also went to the Palamidi Castle which was a Venetian style castel built to defend the town in the 16th century ( so it is one of the newer constructins around). There were incredible views from the top of the castle. We also had a visit with the Director of the Center for Hellenic Studies here in Napflion who runs a center that allows students and teachers access to all the libraries of Harvard University as they study all things Greek. He gave an incredible talk about the history of the Greek language, among other things, and he is going with us to Olymia tomorrow so we look forward to that.




Wish you were here!