I just wrote for almost an hour and the internet cafe cut me off and I lost everything I wrote to you! Such is life, like a sand castle gone with one big wave before the photo could save it.
As I am learning with these travels, don't get too attached to plans.
I had a fabulous time in Athens. A lovely hotel at 50 Euros which is about as cheap as a nice hotel can be in the heart of the city (15 minutes to the big archeological Museum and 15 minutes to the Acropolis and Plaka). A hostel is about 15, but is a sleepless night and I'm glad to have had the modest hotel with big breakfast and rich, dark Greek coffee.
(Annie at the Parthenon)
The first day I arrived in Athens, I went to the museum which was much larger than I expected and thought 3 hours would be enough but there were 3 floors and many, many rooms. Not as daunting as the Louvre, but I walked around in astonishment at the level of quality of artistry the sculptures and painted pots had. Red pots that were 9 feet tall and painted with all kinds of spectacular scenes of gods and goddesses on them.
The sculptures were much more refined than the Roman sculptures I've seen before. 300 to 500 BC, pretty amazing tools they used, coins, weights, horse bridles and armour, not to mention extensive written language. I had no idea how incredibly rich the culture and civilization had been and seeing the artifacts made me wonder why we don't have this level of artistry today in our culture-- sculpture and architecture doesn't compare to what they had 2500 years ago.
Then, there are all the sculptures honoring the athletes. Gorgeous, gorgeous athletes. What happened to this athletic culture? Sure, we still have the Olympics, but these gods and goddesses were really in great shape and somehow inspired everyone to rise to their highest potential. I felt very inspired and awed after leaving this museum.
I hurried to get to the Acropolis before they closed and in the process got quite lost, which was interesting in itself. Neighborhoods that seldom see blond tourists like me. Before long, I asked a nice man where I was (other than Athens!) and he guided me in the direction of the Acropolis. Kind of embarrassing really, since the Acropolis is placed high up and a hill and most of the time if you look up, you can find it! But the good thing about this man was I asked him for a recommendation to a really good but affordable place to eat. He told me of a place in the Plaka near the Acropolis and after walking to the Acropolis and arriving 1 minute too late with very sore feet, I thought, "OH well, maybe I'll see the Acropolis tomorrow then and explore this Plaka."
Which is what I did, waiting to eat dinner until 8:30 or 9 when everyone else eats here. I found the restaurant (taverna), sat outside near some lovely Italian men, and had the most exquisite lamb with melted feta and potatoes and mystery sauce that made me chew slowly to savour each moment.
I'll post this now just in case the system shuts down again....
Annie Thoe is an Assistant Feldenkrais Trainer and Practitioner in the Feldenkrais Method with 22 years of experience in bodywork. She has taught numerous modalities of massage therapy, supervised students and practitioners, and teaches locally and nationally. She is on the Board of Directors for the Wilderness Awareness School in Duvall, Washington. In addition to her outdoor naturalist study, Annie has an extensive background in martial arts, sports, and music.
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Comments for "Greetings from Kos, Greece!"
April, 2007
