"This is so going in my blog."

The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things. Of shoes, of ships, of sealing wax, of cabbages and kings.

Hi everyone! So it's been awhile, but that's mostly because of how busy I've been here and not necessarily because of lack of internet connection. I actually get a pretty good unprotected network here in my room, but I barely get enough time on it each day to check my email. I don't have much time now, either, but I figured it was time to drop you all a line and at least attempt to fill you in on what I've been up to.

A typical building in the Agora

First, the stuff around Athens. We've so far walked around our area and visited the Acropolis and Agora. I've already marveled at the perfect beauty of the Parthenon and the slightly more unique style of the Erechtheion, so that was review for me. The Agora, however, was new, and it was an interesting venture. Dr. Cohen brought up the issue of preserving ancient Athens while also allowing modern Athens to flourish. Much of the Agora is covered by shops, homes, and railway tracks; do we tear those up to find more of the ancient buildings underneath? It's a tricky subject and while there might be some amazing find underneath the new buildings, and while I feel like I'm betraying my archaeological roots in saying this, I think it's best to let what's already there be, especially in this case. I believe we know at least about the other buildings that once filled the Agora, and while uncovering the buildings would help contribute to our understanding of ancient Athens, it shouldn't be done at the cost of the Athens that flourishes today. It can be hard for the Classics student to realize that ancient Athens isn't the only Athens that matters. It also reminded me of when Tony and I went to Rome, as this city was also struggling, and still is, to find a balance between its past and its future.
A similar problem to this is the question of rebuilding: do you attempt to reconstruct the ancient buildings, or do you leave the ruins as you find them, open to interpretation for years to come? There's a stoa (a large covered pavillion that likely held shops and served as a common meeting place) in the Agora that has been completely reassembled and on the one hand serves as a great representation of what stoas back in the day where like, but on the other hand a poor understanding of the ruins can lead to people to misinterpret the ruins for years to come. A good example of that is Knossos, but that's a discussion for another day.

Modern theater in an ancient setting

Anyway, after all our sightseeing in the sun, we had the special opportunity of seeing an opera live in an ancient theatre at the base of the Acropolis. Well, the theatre was Roman, but we'll overlook that. The group went to see the opera Aida, set in ancient Egypt, in the Odeon of Herodus Atticus one night last week. I wasn't supposed to take pictures, but there you go. I also have a video, but I'm afraid of posting it on here. Ask and I can send it I suppose, unless you're a member of an official law enforcement, in which case I don't know anything about a video. So yes, the opera was beautiful and amazing and it was incredible to be sitting in an ancient theatre actually watching a show, but the opera was 4 hours long and started at 9pm, so we, the exhausted Americans, had to cut out at the intermission.

"This is the land of Argos" --Elektra

But, the most exciting thing by far: we got out of Athens. I must say that 6 weeks here is more than enough time to spend in the city, and I was thrilled for the chance to move on. Our first stop was in Mycenae, the capital, if you will, of the Mycenean era. Sadly, the mighty have fallen, and all that remains is the all-too-familiar ruins. The first excavator, at least I believe he was the first, of Mycenae was a rather unfortunate character by the name of Schliemann. I've mentioned him before, as his house is now the Numismatic museum, and I'll mention him again now if only to explain that he's everything wrong with Classical Archaeology. He basically set out treasure hunting and decided that he wanted to find Troy, a city whose existance is supported mostly from the epic works of Homer. Upon uncovering a golden mask he'd found there, he proclaimed it to be the "face of Agamemnon", a king in the tale of Troy. Well, science has been done to the site since his time and he was a little off by a few time periods, which shows the danger that Classical Archaeology faces; while the literary sources we have are great, relying on them too heavily can lead to bias in interpreting archaeological finds. If you set out determined to find Paris's castle or Odysseus's palace, you're likely to ignore what you've really uncovered.

Nafplio: the most gorgeous city in the world

After a walk around Mycenae, we set off for the most beautiful city in the world: Nafplio. The whole city seems to have taken the castles of Scotland, the scenery of Crete, and the peace and charm of Carmel, California, thrown them all in a melting pot, and viola! Perfection. The first sight I saw as we turned into the city was the Venetian prison/citadel in the middle of the port, perfectly preserved in all its regal beauty. It literally took my breath away for a moment, and I felt a mix between feeling like I'd discovered the lost castle of Camelot, a few countries removed, and feeling like I was in a Monty Python movie. I really wish I could describe how lovely the city was, but I don't think there's enough time in the world for me to cover it all.

A typical street in Nafplio

The shops in the old city were lovely, and we spent a whole day at the beach, which was incredible. I found myself without a bikini, but had been planning on buying a new one for awhile anyway, so I found a reasonably priced one and joined my friends at the beach. The water was perfect and I must say that I don't think I've seen a more amazing sight: the entire city is surrounded by the remains of the Venetian fortifications, and they cover the steep cliffs that encompass the beach. I can't explain how amazing it was to be swimming in the Mediterranean and look up to see Venetian fortresses and stunning cliff faces surrounding me. I really don't think a picture can capture it. The boutiques in the area were a little pricy, but not unreasonably so, and I treated myself to a shirt that I fell in love with at first sight. Two of my friends found a really nice shoe store there, and they got Greek-style shoes that look classy and avoid looking too touristy. It was a wonderful city.


There's one last excursion I have to discuss, but that one will include at least one video, which I don't feel like staying up to upload, so I think I'll write more about that one later. Until then, γεια σας!

Our apartment--Betsy, Alex, Megan, and I--enjoying the view