Greece trip, part 2

Day 1: Sunday, March 22
Corinth, Epidavros, Myceneae, Lacadia, to Olympia

The flight was very late! We got into Athens about 2:30 AM. I called my parents to let them know that we had arrived; they were fine because it was still afternoon in Seattle. We met Manos at the airport. The ride back to the hotel seemed very long. When we finally arrived we got a hurried three hours of sleep. This was actually a good thing because it helped to reset our clocks to Greek time. Greece is amazing! We met our tour guide, Eugenia (who turned out to be amazing) and our bus driver, Yorgos (who also turned out to be amazing). First we drove through Corinth, stopping to see the Corinth Canal. It’s huge! 250 feet deep, with sheer walls carved through solid rock, it’s barely wide enough to let a single cruise ship through. Ryan and George wouldn’t stop talking about how fun it would be to bungee jump off of the bridge. You can count me out for that. This stop at Corinth was weird for me. It’s strange to think how ancient and mythical of a place Corinth is, and then to look at it today and see a smoky tourist shop and restaurant. I guess everyone wants to see Corinth, so the commercialization was inevitable. I had always imagined these places as pristine and ancient; I never really thought about or understood that they still exist in Greece today. The road signs along the way blew my mind. You’re just driving along and suddenly there’s a green sign that says “Athens 236 km.” Athens! The same one where Socrates walked! The same city that Athena blessed! I’m still not sure if I’m over the shock of physically being in places that I’ve only imagined. Anyhow, we continued on through Corinth to Epidavros, where we saw the Temple of Asklepios and then the theater of Epidavros. I was excited to see the sanctuary of Asklepios because he is one of the lesser gods, and Dr. Stacy mentioned him in a tangential discussion during his Aeschylus lecture. We got to see the first medical tools; my mom later remarked, “God, it would have been horrible to have had those rusty things stuck into you!” (I suspect that they weren’t that rusty when they were first created, but I stayed quiet). Eugenia also explained that Asklepios is the origin of the snakes associated with the caduceus. She showed us the plans of the temple, but I was more excited about the statue of Asklepios and learning more about his mythology. Then we made our way outside to the Theater of Epidavros. I had seen Dr. Stacy’s pictures, but it was still much more beautiful than I could have imagined. Eugenia told us that it was built using the Golden Ratio; this was how it achieved such marvels of acoustics. Of course, this design also makes it physically very beautiful. I imagined rows and rows of Greeks, poor, young, old, rich, powerful or weak, kings or priests or warriors, sitting there enjoying Oedipus Rex, Medea, or Agamemnon, with the priest of Dionysus sitting up front. It all happened here, thousands of years ago. Strange to think that I stood where once men sat!
The view from the top of the theater was absolutely magnificent. I got some great pictures of the mountains. I was so excited when we got there that I ran up and down the steps several times (my legs paid for this the next day). Eugenia had us go to the top of the theater while she dropped a coin on the stone circle in the center of the orchestra. It rang true and sweetly, almost as loud as if it were right next to me. The theater was amazing and I was sad to leave; I could have stayed all day. We got on the bus and headed to Mycenae. I loved Epidavros but I loved Mycenae just as much. It was an exciting approach and a satisfying resolution. The palace is simply awe-inspiring. I cannot believe the size of the stones used in the Cyclopean walls; I took lots of scale pictures to show everyone back home. The stones are huge! I didn’t realize it then, but I was to see many more marvels that firmly cement the Greeks as far ahead of our builders. We’re standing on their shoulders and yet we can’t even come close; you know that the Space Needle won’t be around for even a thousand years. It’s hard to believe that Mycenae was built by human hands. As we climbed up to the megaron, Eugenia turned around and asked us about the nearest mountain. Suddenly I remembered and cried out, “Oh! It’s Agamemnon sleeping!” She was very impressed and asked me how I could have known that. I wasn’t sure how to answer; Dr. Stacy mentioned it offhand when he was showing us his pictures of Greece back in the fall. This would turn out to be only one of many instances where I would show off my knowledge of Greek mythology and history. I was excited to see the megaron and Grave Site A, because those were some other things that Dr. Stacy had talked about more in-depth. I imagined Agamemnon sitting at the far side of the megaron, entertaining guests as the fire blazed and guards came in from outside. They would stay there all night listening to a bard tell stories even earlier than the Homerics. The surrounding countryside was craggy and beautiful, but I didn’t feel as much connection with the rest of the palace as with the megaron. The tomb was incredibly built, a cone in the middle of a huge. Eugenia explained that they probably built the conical tomb first and then constructed a mound around it to hide it from barbarians or thieves. It was built before Agamemnon’s time, though it may have housed his remains; when it was discovered it was completely empty, so I guess we will never know. As we were entering the tomb, Eugenia told us about the curse of Agamemnon. Right after her comment, a clap of thunder sounded, terrifying several of our members. They got on my case because I repeatedly mentioned that I thought Agamemnon was a jerk. Well, you know what? He was. And pox on that curse!

We loaded the bus and headed for Olympia. We were set to pass through the Arcadian mountains on our way. The stress and lack of sleep of the past few days must have caught up with me, because I awoke to a darkening sky and snow-covered mountains. It was very strange! I was suddenly thrust from the sunny peak of Mycenae to a shadowy arctic. Just what type of land was this? In all my dreams I never thought that I would see Greece. This sudden change of scenery was symbolic to me; just as I was plunged into snow, so I was plunged into an ancient land full of mysticism and lore. At that very instant, I changed and I began to realize the scope of the world. From the light into the dark, from confidence to the growing realization that I will live as Socrates did, always in search of truth and yet falling farther and farther behind every moment. I won’t prattle on, as I’m sure I’ll revisit this idea many times before my narrative is through. But! Still!

As I was wondering at the beauty of our snowy passage, Yorgos suddenly turned a corner and revealed a village cut into the very side of the mountain. We were at a perfect vantage point, but the light was too low for a picture. Too bad, for it was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. We stopped in the village, Lacadia, and Dr. Pappas bought us desserts in their tavern. All the old men were scandalized by the appearance of young United States women, and they were certainly surprised when Nate walked in the door!! We ate our fill and had a good time enjoying the scenery and each other’s company. I was the last to leave, and I thanked the barkeep: “Yassa, chalimera.” I was proud that I had conversed for the first time in Greek. Later I learned that I had said, “Hi! Good morning.” After that pleasant interlude, we continued on our way to Olympia. We arrived to a late and very large dinner in the hotel and hung out in the lobby for several hours before going to sleep. It was a perfect end to a magnificent day; I began to know my companions just as I was beginning to know the land of Greece, Hellas.