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Published: October 11th 2006
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We are leaving Greece. Our boat has departed. Leaving anywhere always makes me pensive, but Greece is different. I have learned so much, yet, there is so much more that I could know.
Athens was wonderful. That last day was full of so much. We went to the Acropolis. Wow, a whole lot of stairs. Really the Parthenon is the main temple, and I have to admire all of the sciences, thoughts, etc… that go into it. However, I found that “The Old Temple” pulled to me more. The professors were lecturing how it was lost in the way of the Parthenon. Where the Parthenon is dedicated to Athena alone, the other collects the other gods together in the same building, sort of a hodgepodge of divine alters. The Parthenon is perfectly proportional and fits in with the landscape, and the other has its own flow and sits as a tribute to humanity instead of the highest form and spirituality. It is this combination that I admire. In the Bible, the creation story tell us that God commands the human race to dominate the world. The temple is the first on the Acropolis and is easily seen. I view
it as the attempt to call the human eye, and then to direct it to the higher forms in the Parthenon. The Parthenon simply is the attempt at perfection, which is impossible for a human or anything that is not God, which is why I like the other, because it doesn’t put on airs.
After climbing back down, Shauna, Colleen, Rachel, Marissa, and I went shopping. I finally got my Greek sandals. They aren’t the one’s that tie around the ankle, but everyone else got those, so it is ok. Walking down the street, vendors call to the foreigners trying to entice them to buy some knickknacks. They are very friendly (wonderful salespersons) and one of them found out that I am from Texas. He didn’t hesitate at all to send me down the street to a jeweler who happens to have a store in both Athens and in Houston. The owner told us his story. He met his wife when she was a student in Rome and who had come to Greece for a vacation, she also happens to be from Chicago. So after exchanging small talk (he mentioned how out in the middle of nowhere Amarillo was
the Old Temple
which is also my favorite too!) he got us to sit down and to look at his wares. Oh! They were exquisite and all handmade. Of course, I found something that immediately called to me. I really couldn’t afford his price, so I told him I was sorry and that maybe I’d go to Houston when I had time to look there. He was impressed. He gave me a really good deal, and lowered the price because I was a student and from Texas. Well I still didn’t have enough money, so Shauna chips in and we still didn’t have enough money. So he told me he would let me buy it for however much we had. YEY!! I got the bracelet for €180, down from €400.
For our last night, a group of us, including John Rhodes, went out to have a couple of drinks. I was really hesitant, we had just got back from Cape Sounion and I was tired. I’m glad I went. John got this drink that looked like Pepto Bysmal, and it tasted like it too! The bartender was really nice and gave us a free shot of a traditional Greek liquor.
Tuesday we were packed and ready
to go. We spent most of the day on the bus traveling to Tolo. Along the way we stopped at Ancient Corinth and hten Mycenae. St. Paul wrote to these people, converting them and telling them of the glories of God. I’ve never really made that connection before. Walking around was just astounding!
Lunch was at Agamemnon’s Palace, which was not his real palace just for clarification. After eating we went to the real Mycenae and Agamemnon’s real palace. Once again, UD has transformed my experience. Before I would have seen a horrible climb (oh wait, it still is horrible) with only some ruins at the top. But no! Now I can imagine the story of Agamemnon and Clytaemestra take place before my eyes! Some of the students did a dramatic reading, which was pretty awesome.
The next day, Wednesday, we went to the Theater of Epidaurus. It was so cool!!! A person standing in the center of the symphony (and if they were speaking clearly to the audience) can be heard throughout the entire theater. The acoustics were just amazing. So Dr. Flusche gave us a lecture. However, during it, this woman went up to here and
started yelling at her in Greek, but Dr. Flu doesn’t speak Greek and was just staring at her. It was highly amusing cause all the lady wanted to do is drop a coin so people at the top could here. However, she dropped a current Euro, which won’t work because it is made out of cheap metal. Later on, some of the UD talent got up and sang songs, Irish, Disney, Backstreet Boys, I’m not kidding. It was actually kind of embarrassing. Everyone in other countries know them, mainly cause they still think they are cool. So all of the German students there were singing along.
That night I swam in the Mediterranean for the last time and shopped around.
Thursday was more traveling. I have to say, the bus drivers have skills that I don’t even think NASCAR could top. We drove through the mountains, scary. Those roads are maybe safe for pedestrians only, but no. Our bus looked as if it were trying to drive on air, because 10 feet in front there was no road, or land and we hadn’t slowed down. Needless to say, I was so GLAD that I had chewed some travel
gum. My mouth was numb, but at least I didn’t get sick!
We went straight to our hotel and then went to the museum. It was quite impressive. There we saw the statues off of the very top of the Temple of Zeus. They were like 1 ½ times the size of a normal man if not more.
That night was pretty fun. The owner of the hotel hired dancers to come and show us the traditional Greek dances and to teach us some of the basics. However, I skipped out on the end so that we could go and celebrate being in Greece. So, nearly all of the students from UD crowed into this little bar, and then we had like 30 minutes to hang out before we had to get back for curfew, but it was still fun.
The next day we went back to Ancient Olympia and went to see the Temple of Zeus and to run the “big race.” So I cheered for Rachel, and she won the woman’s division. YEY!!!
So ends my trip to Greece. Really there is so much to say, but not enough battery on my laptop.
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Dad
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YEA
GREAT ARTICLE AND PICTURES. I AM GLAD YOU ARE HAVE A GREAT TIME. lOVE DAD