Month: October 2018

Although I believe the islands are the most beautiful part of Greece, I was sure ready to stay on land for a while. After sleeping in that tiny cabin for a few nights, it is suffice to stay I will not be on another Celestial Cruise anytime soon.

Once we got off the ship, however, there was no time to rest. We had to embark on our journey up to the Acropolis, which I was anticipating in excitement as well as dread. We took a quick stop at the site of the first modern Olympics, and I had a cute picture taken with a man in classical soldier uniform. It is less cute in hindsight, however, because he asked us for money after we took the photo so I am now out 2 euros.

I have established this is another blog posts, but I think it needs to be resaid: Greece is HOT. If you stand in the sun, you will become drenched in sweat. The shade feels much better, however, there is no way to escape the stickiness of humidity. The climb up to the Acropolis, we were told, was pretty much directly in the sun. With water bottle in hand and two layers of deodorant on, I psyched myself up for our climb.

With only a few slips along the way, we were soon at the top of the Acropolis. For a moment, it didn’t feel real. Throughout my entire life, I had seen pictures of the grand structure, however, it felt surreal to see it with my own eyes. Humans had to be stronger back in the day, or at least had higher pain tolerance, because even though I was the only girl on my high school track team that could do a proper push up there is no way I could have helped drag those big pieces of marble up a massive hill. You can watch the amazing methods that the Greeks used to build this massive structure here.

Once I got past how large the Parthenon is, my first thought was “wow this is great but this structure is somewhat plain.” When the Ottomans controlled Greece from 1452-1821, many of the great marbles of the Parthenon were taken by British Ambassador Thomas Bruce Elgin, under the claim he was concerned that the Ottomans would destroy them. These marbles, now known as “Elgin Marbles” are mostly located in the British Museum. The controversy whether the British Museum should return the Elgin marbles to the Greek government still exists. You can read more about the “Bring Them Back” movement here.

Even though it is lacking the Elgin marbles, the Acropolis Museum still hosts several interesting artifacts, and is definitely worth seeing. My favorite piece was probably a bust of a very handsome man pictured below.

After a jam packed day in Athens, I was definitely ready for a change a pace. Next week, I will take you to Delphi, one of the most beautiful places on Earth!

 

My fifth day in Greece was jammed pack for sure. Up early again, we spent our morning in the island of Crete.

While walking to the city’s center, our tour guide told us we were on the “bypass mile.” Before World War II, Greece was on the “poor man’s diet” of fish, olive oil, vegetables, and bread. There were no processed, prepackaged foods. After the war, however, Greece gained access to these unhealthy foods and obesity rates dramatically rose. Doctors told overweight Cretans to walk the “bypass mile” everyday to try to improve their health. (Just another example of American consumerism making people’s lives better!)

The bypass mile is marked by a gold line that eventually leads to the city’s center. This gold line represents Ariadne’s thread, Adriane being a beautiful Cretan princess who fell in love with the hero Theseus. Theseus had to defeat the Minotaur in the King Mino’s (Ariadne’s father) labyrinth. It was believed to be impossible to get out of the labyrinth, but with Ariadne’s help Theseus defeated the minotaur. Ariadne and Theseus escaped the island to get married, but then Theseus abandoned her on the trip home (typical player). But then the Greek god Dionysus fell in love with Ariadne and married her, so in the end she upgraded.

Once we got to the center square, my family and I went to explore the island’s museum. And let me tell you, the things in that museum were old. Objects from Jesus’ time were among the most modern objects. It’s funny to think in the United States our country is so young that the things in our museums are barely 300 years old. It made me realize how insignificant my life is in the grand scheme of history of time, which can be disheartening but also helps me contextualize the importance of homework the “small stuff.”

The true event of the day, however, was visiting the island of Santorini. Santorini is one of the most famous Greek islands, notorious for its beauty and for being one of the locations the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants II was filmed!

As we approached the island, I was surprised that the village was located on the side of a cliff and not immediately next to the ocean. While you were in the village, however, you felt like you were right next to the water!

This island was even more packed than Mykonos. The crowd was overwhelming, and I would recommend if you want to visit this island you do it in the off season. The island was still beautiful, and I will never forget the beautiful sunset that marked the end of my Greek island hopping.

I never thought I would see a Medieval castle in Greece among the likes of those in Spain and France. But that is exactly what happened when our cruise trip made a day-long stop in Rhodes.             From 1309 Rhodes was the home of the Knights of St. John. In the early 14th century, they converted a Byzantine citadel into the Palace of the Grand Master (“Rhodes’ Palace of the Grand Master” ).  Because the island was surrounded by pirates and other invaders, the palace had many fortifications, including 3 water less moats! In the 20th century, when the island was occupied by Italians, the inside of the palace was renovated. At one point, it was a summer home for Benito Mussolini! Today, the palace serves as a museum to allow the average person to imagine themselves living in medieval times.

This island is rich in myth and religious history. On Mount Zambiki of the island, an icon of the Virgin Mary sat behind a cypress tree. Although the icon was moved three different times, it kept reappearing on the top of the Mount. Today, the Holy Monastery of Panagia Tsambiki (another name for the Virgin Mary) protects the icon, and is a frequent destination for those having trouble bearing children. The tradition is to walk the 292 steps up to the monastery (sometimes barefoot) and to pray to her. Many mothers return to the site once their child has been born to have the child baptized at the monastery (“Panagia Tsambika”).

One of my favorite parts about visiting Rhodes, however, was learning about the statue of Colossus, one of the seven wonders of the world.

Thirty-three feet tall, the metal statue of Colossus, which depicted the sun God Helios stood at the harbor of Rhodes from 280 BCE until it was toppled down by an earthquake sometime between 228-226 BCE (Cartwright). Eventually, the broken pieces were melted down for scrap metal, so we have no concrete evidence of what the statue looked like. Current depictions of the statue are based on traveler’s writings.

America’s Statue of Liberty was inspired by this grand monument. Beyond the physical similarities these two statues have, such as sun beams emanating from the subject’s head, the statues also share a similar purpose: to show their state’s prestige. Collusus was constructed after Rhodes had successfully resisted a siege from Antigonus I, one of Alexander the Great’s successors (Cartwright). This statue showed off the power and wealth of Rhodes. This is just another example of how Greek culture inspires American culture.

The real show stopper of Rhodes, however, is the Acropolis of Lindos. Before visting this island, I didn’t realize each large settlement in Greece had their own Acropolis to please the Gods. This acropolis was built in antiquity, but it also has a medieval wall that was added later.

The walk up was stimulating, to say the least. The path was very smooth due to the high influx of tourists, so besides heat exhaustion I also had to worry about falling off the edge of the stairs to certain death.

Once I reached the top, however, I saw the view was worth all of the micro-aneurisms I had suffered on the way up. When looking at this view, all you can think, this is Greece.

That afternoon, we swam on a beach right outside the Palace of the Grand Master. I never thought I would swim in crystal blue waters right next to a medieval castle. I could almost feel the knights rolling in their graves over my bathing suite attire.

Sources

Cartwright, Mark. “Colossus of Rhodes.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 14 Oct. 2018, www.ancient.eu/Colossus_of_Rhodes/.

“Panagia Tsambika- Miracle Monastery for Conception.” Greek City Times, Greek City Times, 8 Sept. 2016, greekcitytimes.com/2016/09/08/panagia-tsambika-miracle-monastery-for-conception/.

“Rhodes’ Palace of the Grand Master.” Greece Is, 1 Aug. 2017, www.greece-is.com/rhodes-palace-grand-master/.

“The Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes: A Medieval Castle Turned into a Museum.” The Vintage News, 16 May 2017, www.thevintagenews.com/2017/04/06/the-palace-of-the-grand-master-of-the-knights-of-rhodes-a-medieval-castle-turned-into-a-museum/.

 

 

 

Even though we had a pleasant morning/afternoon in Samos, our day was still not over! After a short ride on the cruise ship (which consisted mostly of napping in the Mediterranean sun), we arrived in Patmos.

Patmos is an important sight for Christians, and is currently a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Saint John was exiled to the island by Roman Emperor Domitian. In the Holy Cave of the Apocalypse on Patmos, it is believed Saint John heard the voice of God and wrote the Book of Revelation somewhere around 95 A.D. The Holy Monastery of the Apocalypse was built in 1088 to honor Saint John.

The Holy Monastery stands on what feels like the top of the island. From the outside, it looks more like a fortress than a holy site, however, after the tour guide told us a monk had to abandon the island because of pirate raids I understood the aesthetic.

The Book of Revelation tells the story of the apocalypse and governs how Christians believe the world will end. Even though I went to Catholic school for all of my elementary and middle school years, I still find this narrative interesting but extremely confusing. When I asked my local priest, he compared the Book of Revelations to the Lord of the Rings.

Some claim the signs listed in Revelation have already appeared. While a good apocalypse would break up the boredom of everyday life, considering all of the work I have put into my education I rather get my degree before the four horsemen arrive. You can read an “enlightening” article about how apparently the world might end in 2025 here.

What makes Patmos unique is that it is the only island that is explicitly said to be the place of writing in the New Testament (“Patmos” [Bible Places]).  Whatever your beliefs may be, in this location you can see where part of the best-selling book in the world was created. Apparently, the rock the cave is made of is a rare type of volcanic rock that would have taken 100 years to cool. There is a crack in the rock that splits in 3 directions. This is believed to be the exact spot God spoke to St. John (“The Historic Centre “).

Looking at the small cave Saint John lived in for eighteen years (“Patmos” [Sacred Sites]) was extremely humbling. It made my 10×10 overcrowded dorm room look like a palace. I am Catholic, however, I am also glad that according to historic trends my gender makes it much less likely I will be writing the Book of Revelations 2.0.

At the monastery my parents bought a handmade door knocker of a lion, as we are now a proud Penn State family. I am glad that now everyday they go through the front door, they think of our wonderful vacation as well as crippling college debt.

I’m not sure if St. John was too busy to enjoy the beauty around him, but I hope he did. As we sat and watched the sunset, Patmos did seem like a place God would talk to man.

Sources

“The Historic Centre (Chorá) with the Monastery of Saint-John the Theologian and the Cave of the Apocalypse on the Island of Pátmos.” UNESCO World Heritage Centre, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, whc.unesco.org/en/list/942.

“Patmos” BiblePlaces.com, www.bibleplaces.com/patmos/.

“Patmos.” Sacred Sites, sacredsites.com/europe/greece/patmos.html.

 

 

On my third day in Greece, I discovered what would become one of my favorite Greek islands: Samos.

Our tour company, EF Tours, does not let their customers go into Turkey, so we had to depart the boat at 4 o’clock in the morning. The ocean at such an hour was beautiful in the darkness, however, its hard to appreciate aesthetic when you are on day three of sleep-deprived mania.I was able to reflect on Samos’ beauty, however, as we ate breakfast as the sun rose. We sat next to the harbor, the sunrise awakening the small village (Samos, Samos) we were in.

During the first part of our day, I got some more background information about the island’s beautiful Greek Churches. Specifically, the meaning of the Eye.

If you ever go to Greece, you will find the Eye everywhere: in every tourist shop, every museum, every church. Most of them are bright blue, but in the churches they are made out of gold and silver.

Our tour guide told us the Eye is called “the evil eye.” From ancient times, it supposedly wards against evil. It is a classic example of pagan tradition mixed with Christianity in Greece. So basically this tradition argues all people with blue eyes are evil. As a Type A blue-eyed blonde, I can say with certainty this is accurate.

Samos best known for the Temple of Hera, the biggest Greek temple ever built. It was supposedly constructed on Hera’s birth site. Once Christianity rolled through, however, the temple became a “scrap yard” of sorts; the temple was deconstructed and its parts were used in other buildings. Today, only a single column remains of this once massive structure. It is not known for sure why this column was left, but it is hypothesized that it served as a marker, so from the sea people would know where the scrapyard was. Touring this temple, I wondered what we are destroying today that future generations will lament over.

After lamenting over lost history, touring a winery seemed appropriate. During our tour, our guide revealed that Samos is in one of the blue zones, where people live much longer than average. Sometimes, while during homework, I think of Samos and what it would be like to live the “humble peasant” lifestyle. According to this blue zone vitality quiz I am expected to live 89.7 years. However, if I adopt the blue zone lifestyle, I will live exactly 96.3 years.  If I am not at Penn State’s campus next semester, you now know where you can find me.

My favorite part of the day, however, was simply laying on the beach. The water was surprisingly cold, however, it was a great relief from the hot Greek July sun bearing down. The salty water made me buoyant so just laying on my back took no real effort. I don’t know if I’ll ever see a body of water as beautiful again.