The Artifact Goes Abroad

Hello from Athens! My friend Abby and I arrived this morning at about 7am and took a taxi straight to our hotel, which is attached to a fabulous bakery. The breads and pastries look out-of-this-world, and the whole place smells incredible. We spent the afternoon walking the city, figuring out the different character and charm of several neighborhoods, and we ate delicious souvlaki (a Greek specialty) for lunch – souvlaki is a Greek pita filled with chicken, tomato, lettuce, onions, and tzatziki sauce. This is what it looks like:

One thing we noticed right away is that the city is filled with both modern buildings, shops, and restaurants AND ancient ruins. In fact, old churches, the remains of temples, cemeteries, agoras, and arches are everywhere you turn. You can walk down a single street and see so much history while also being able to pop into a shop or restaurant at any moment. The old and new are side by side. Check out these photos of the ancient agora right next to a lovely restaurant:

The highlight of our day was exploring two ancient amphitheatres.

First, we learned all about the ancient theatre and temple of Dionysus (Greek god of wine and parties) as we explored its ruins at the base of the acropolis. The people from Greece would come to this spot to worship Dionysus by singing and dancing (things the god of wine and parties would appreciate)! Over time, this singing and dancing turned into theatrical plays, and the amphitheatre is thought to have been constructed around 600 B.C.E. where these plays could be organized and performed for an audience. Here is what it looks like now! Please notice the assigned front row seats (reserved by name) for the priests of Dionysus!

Both actors and playwrights competed to see who could write and perform the best production. Winners were announced and received a trophy that was placed on one of these columns for all to admire – sort of like winning a Golden Globe or an Oscar!

Tonight, we went to the Odeon – do you see the word “ode” in this title? Ode means song, and many songs have been sung in this lovely theatre. However, it was not built like the theatre of Dionysus, but more in the style of the Romans. It was built in 161 C.E. (about 600 years after the theatre of Dionysus) by a wealthy Athenian named Herodes Atticus in honor of his deceased wife, Regilia. We bought tickets to the Odeon to see an electric band called “Air” that we didn’t really know much about. We weren’t worried because what we cared about most was being in the theater itself, and the experience did NOT disappoint! We had great seats and the night was cool and beautiful. We listened to the music and marveled at the steep stone seating, the clear skies and the lighting on the Parthenon above us. Here are some photos of the amphitheatre and a video from the concert:

Tomorrow, we are meeting a guide to walk us through the temples on the Acropolis – specifically the Parthenon. I can’t wait to tell you all about it!

Love, Mrs. Babcock