A lot
has happened since the last time I posted! Most notably, I just finished up my
first week of classes here in Athens. The four courses I am taking this
semester are Ancient Greek (Lysias), Latin (Seneca), The Near East during the
Hellenistic Period, and Bronze Age Art and Archaeology. It is just as amazing
as I thought it would be to read Ancient Greek and learn about the Bronze Age in
Greece itself! I have even had a class on site at the National Archaeological
Museum already!
Before
classes started, I spent last Sunday exploring Syntagma Square. In addition to
finding a store where we could buy school supplies, my friends and I also
wandered up to the Parliament building. We happened to arrive right before the
changing of the gaurd ceremony in front of the tomb of the unknown soldier. It
was enthralling to watch the regimented and precise steps of the two gaurds and
two soldiers.
Right
next to Parliament is the Syntagma Square metro stop inside of which is a
mini-museum. All around the underground station are samples of Ancient Greek
pottery, sculptures, and even an exposed section of the underground earthen
layers with ancient roadways and even burials! My friends and I had to take a
picture next to the full skeleton in the subway station, although I’m not sure
it came up clearly in the picture.
On Tuesday, after my second
day of classes, I finally made it up to the top of the Acropolis! I don’t think
there will ever come a time when I am not in awe of the Parthenon and its
surrounding buildings. I made it up the
steep marble steps and found myself staring in amazement. Since I went just
before dusk the whole city had a warm glow as I looked down on it from the
walls of the Acropolis. Additionally, it was a great time of day to visit because
there wasn’t a huge mob of tourists crowded around. Instead, I was free to
slowly wander around and take everything in. One new thing I noticed was
evidence of later Roman and Byzantine occupation of the site, such as a damaged
corinthian capital and an engraved cross (see pictures below). It’s easy to forget
that other groups saw the significane of the Acropolis and altered the
buildings for their use (such as converting the Parthenon into a church). It
was such an amazing experience walking amoung these buildings and I can’t wait to
go back many more times!
Since I can’t
help gushing over Greece’s food, I have to quickly mention my new favorite
lunch/dinner spot in Pangrati: Grill and Pita. My roommates and I have already gone twice
this week for dinner! By far the best thing I’ve eaten in Greece so far has
been the chicken gyro from Grill and Pita. It’s a delicious combination of
shaved chicken, lettuce, onions, fried potatoes and tzatziki sauce all wrapped
in a warm pita. It’s amazing!
That
brings me to today’s adventures which included an extensive shopping trip in
Plaka, the area just under the Acropolis. In addition to browsing the jewelry and
leather stores, we made our way to the Poet Sandal Maker, a famous family run
leather shoe-making shop. Two of my roommates and I happily purchased a pair of
custom made leather sandles which we will always remember came from Athens,
Greece! As often seems the case in Greece, we stumbled upon some ruins on the
way to the sandle maker! Right across from all of those modern stores stood the
site of Hadrian’s Library (the same Hadrian who I talked about in my previous
post). Of course, I was mesmerized so I
stopped to take a few pictures.
I’m
sorry if this post was a bit long-winded, but I am so excited to share all of
my experiences and pictures. I hope you enjoy the stories and I can’t wait to
write all about my trip to Crete when I arrive back in Athens next week!
Sam
I LOVE Grill and Pita. I miss Greek food so much. Enjoy it while you are there! There was a place with excellent tiropitas in Pangrati- possibly at the corner of Aspasias and Frinis?
ReplyDeleteHey Colleen! Thanks for the tip...I'll try to search it out. I hope everything at Tufts is going well!
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