Second Weekend in Greece!

This weekend was packed full of activity. Saturday was our tip to the Acropolis,the ancient holy place of Athens, which contains these two very famous landmarks.

The Porch of the Maidens

The Parthenon

Seeing both of these in person was so amazing, even if it was very hot outside! After a great lunch at a local Greek restaurant, we walked over to a Athenian cemetery. The cemetery wasn't green and filled with headstones like you would expect-it was white and filled with giant marble tombs. It was a very unique and interesting place. The Greeks treat their dead differently than we do. Death is not final for them, and it is very common for Greeks to visit their loved ones graves and talk to them for several years after their death.

On the way back on to the metro station we stopped at a cafe in the National Gardens of Athens, it was a very calm and relaxing place. 

Sunday we packed into a bus to go to Delphi. After a 2.5 hour ride, we were greeted by tremendous mountain views and the ancient ruins of the oracle of Delphi.

The Mountain

Ruins

This is a giant stone navel. (You heard me right).

Along with the ancient city, which is scattered up almost the entire mountain, Delphi also contained a great museum.

The Sphynx

Depiction of Ancient Battle Scene

Golden Finery

 The museum also had several really nice sculptures.

 

After the museum we traveled to the local tourist town. Surprisingly, it was deserted because it is actually more of a winter attraction. We did, however, find several really nice souvenirs in the shops that were made locally. 

Sunday came to a close with a nice home made dinner once we made it back to Athens. 

Monday was the back-to-class day. After Dr. Kaplan's class, which had a great discussion on Greek culture, we went with our Greek language class to a cafe to practice ordering food. Greek is such a unique language, and I am very excited to be learning more of it. 

I also had my class on Electra on Monday, which is getting into deferentially analyzing the 3 different Ancient renditions of Electra. Each of them has different themes, and the authors put their own spin on the myth. 

We finished off Monday with our weekly potluck dinner, which was wonderful. We also took the opportunity to celebrate our amazing professor's birthday at the potluck. The newly 22 year-old Dr. Kaplan even got a cake and candles. It was a great time!

This week will be full of activity, with Greek dance classes, cheese tastings, and more trips. 

Stay tuned!