Another week come and gone, and only about a week and a half left in Athens. I think the whole group is a little sad about leaving soon. We've really grown to like the city and the surrounding areas. Classes are starting to wind down and the weather is starting to cool (a brisk 85 degrees). This week I finalized my plans for our week break between Greece and Italy. I'm leaving Athens on October 19th and flying to Munich. I'm immediately taking a quick train to Salzburg, Austria to stay with some friends from St. John's. Then I'm heading back to Munich on the 20th and staying two nights with four others from our group. We're then gonna take a bus to Prague and stay there two nights before flying to Rome. It should be a lot of fun, and it will allow me to see a completely new part of Europe.
Here's the week recap:
Monday
-We were able to get free tickets to a musical concert at the ancient theater of Herodes Atticus. The theater was built by the Romans in 161 A.D. right on the base of the acropolis. The show was a tribute to legendary Greek composer, Manos Hatzidakis. It had a full orchestra of bazouki players, a large children's choir, and the Greek Navy brass band.
Tuesday
-For Ancient History we traveled to the Pynx, where the Athenian assembly met in the 5th Century. It was really cool to stand where democracy first started and where the great orator Peracles once spoke.
-For Theology, we followed Father Stefanos to the suburban town of Chaladri. Stefanos is a priest at a large parish there. He showed us around his church and we really got a feel for how an Orthodox parish is run.
Wednesday, Thursday
-Finally finished my book, "A Feast For Crows." Luckily I found an English copy of the next book in the series at a Greek bookstore.
-Sean and I woke up early on Thursday to volunteer at an elementary school. We helped out a 3rd grade music class. The kids were a little crazy but we had fun teaching them how to play the recorder. We're gonna go again this week and help out.
Friday
-Part of our group decided to spend our day exploring the 2004 Olympic Park. We took the train out there and found a ghost town of athletic facilities. It was a little eerie, as if the games ended yesterday and everyone just got up and left.
-The security at the complex was very loose, so we were able to explore just about everything. We saw the outdoor pool where Michael Phelps won his first medals, the Velodrome, the indoor swimming and diving complex, and the main Olympic Stadium. The architecture was very impressive. They turned the stadium into a soccer field, where AEK Athens plays today. We were able to get down onto the track. We watched 2004 opening ceremonies when we got back to compare.
-Right across from the complex is the Athens mall. It was originally a media center for all the major T.V. networks. Now it is a really nice mall. We shopped around a little bit for the rest of the afternoon.
Saturday
-We got up early to head on our excursion to Delphi with our history professor, Robert Pitt. Delphi is about three hours away up in the mountains. Along the way we stopped at the monastery of St. Luke's. It was a small little compound in the mountains, built in the 13th Century.
-We got to Delphi by noon, and explored the lower sanctuary of Athena. Afterwards we checked into our hotel. We all had a great balcony view looking over the mountain valley.
-Robert gave us a lecture on Sparta in our hotel lobby. We then all went out for a tavern dinner and drinks afterwards.
Sunday
-We headed to the upper sanctuary of Apollo. This is where the famous Oracle of Delphi once presided. People from all over Greece would head to this site to ask the Oracle for advice and for future predictions. I asked the Oracle if there would be an end to the NHL lockout. I didn't get much of a response. The entire site is situated on a mountain, with spectacular views. It's easy to see how this was such a holy place for the Ancient Greeks. After exploring the area and the museum, we headed back home.
That's all for the update, here's some pics:
Dan
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| The 2004 Olympic Pool |
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| Olympic Stadium, now a soccer field. |
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| The Monastery of St. Luke |
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| Watching the sunset from our hotel balcony. |
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| The Temple of Apollo at Delphi |
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