Weekend in Attica

This weekend I did not make it out to another island, but instead stayed on the mainland. Here are the highlights:

Sounio

Saturday morning I took the bus from Athens to the tip of the peninsula Attica. The bus runs to Sounio and stops right in front of the Temple of Poseidon. This temple is rightfully perched on a hill overlooking the beautiful sea. It served as a sanctuary in antiquity for all the surrounding towns. I continue to be amazed by the ability of the Ancient Greeks to build amazing, long-lasting, sturdy buildings on top of great hills. I know I would not have wanted to carry marble up to the top! I am thankful for their hardwork because I can enjoy the beauty of the structure today. After poking around the site a bit, I walked down a path to the beach at the bottom of the hill. At the beach I once again enjoyed the warm, dry weather of Greece and swam in the sea.

Dora Strattou

My Sunday evening was filled with clapping, dancing, music, and laughter, for my flatmate and I trekked over to Philanpappou Hill for the final performance of Dora Strattou, a Greek Folk Dance show that performs daily throughout the summer in Athens. Once again, I sat in an open air theater not quite sure of what to expect for the show. The audience that arrived was of all ages, and there were both Greeks and tourists present in the crowd. When the show finally began, the man who introduced the show noted that this was the final show and the dancers had prepared special skits for the show tonight.The performance sampled dance from several different areas of Greece including Crete and the Peloponese. Each area has its own traditional dress and style of dance.Some areas seemed to have more flair with the men doing high kicks and spins while other dances were less show-offy and stuck to a tight line and precise steps. The parts of a dance were divided by gender and in some dances there was a single male/female lead who did more complicated footwork than the rest of the dancers.

There was live music accompanying the dancers. In one dance the dancers also chanted the words to the song. The older gentleman seated next to me would occasionally sing quietly along with the music. He was clearly familiar with the songs as well as the dances.The sketches that were added into the performance prompted laughter from the audience. They poked fun at tourists and tied one of the dancers to the maypole at the end of the maypole dance. Two men came out with enormous knives after the completion of one dance where the men wore chicken masks and chased after the chickens. Both the dancers and musicians appeared to be having a blast throughout the show.The Dora Strattou was a fantastic experience. I feel like I have learned a bit more about Greek culture and can appreciate the Greek sense of humor.

In an hour and a half I will be off to Crete for the rest of the week. I am excited to visit this island which I am told is like a different country. Rain is also predicted- maybe my rain jacket will finally be of some use.