Mt. Olympus - Home of the Gods!

4/21/2016 - Mt. Olympus Views 

I always have a smile on my face while on one of my favorite world mountains.  It is where I am always meant to be!  Olympus is actually a collection of 12 mountain peaks.  There was refreshing spring water and pretty waterfalls.

Goats!

4/21/2016 (Fri.) - Mt. Olympus

On our drive up to a mountain lodge on Olympus (home of Zeus and the gods) , we came across a monk tending his goats.

.

Silly...enough said.

Best lunch ever!

4/20/2006 - Aristotelous (Aristotle) Square - Thessalonki

Pork Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce

Greeks eat their gyros stuffed with french fries.
I did not want my shaved pork flavor muddled
with fries so opted for just the meat, sauce and tomatoes
and onions scrammed in the bottom of the
bread

Greek Orthodox Churches

4/20/2016 - Thessalonki, Greece

This morning we did a tour of a few Greek churches.  One of them, is said to be the place where St. Paul( Convent of Vlatadon) stayed while he was trying to convert people to Christianity.  The other church is dedicated to the patron saint of Thessalonki which is St. Demetrius.  We learned about the positioning of the icons in the church...Mary and Jesus always to the left and Jesus to the right, and how women and men stand on two different sides of the church.  We lit a candle and said some prayers for our guide Maura , who is not feeling well these past few days.  The ancient walls of the city were quite interesting because they showed the different periods of who was in charge...Romans, Turks and Greeks.

St. Demetrius

You must stand when the gospels are being read.  If you are
elderly or have trouble standing , these chairs with seats that
will flip up will give you support while you stand.

Notice the position of the icons

Fish & Bones

4/19/2016 - ITEA, Greece

Grilled Sea bass for lunch at a seaside town near Delphi... 

Before and After...

        

Oh Oracle...Please just answer me this.....

4/17/2016 - Delphi, Greece

We visited the Oracle of Delphi today which was located at an important crossroads between north and south Greece. It was called the "navel (belly button) of the world.  Ancient Greeks and foreign kings and military leaders came here to worship Apollo and have their most perplexing questions answered.  The priest interpreted for the gods who gave very vague answers.  I asked the oracle if I would ever fulfill my life's desire to visit the coldest , most desolate continent of Antarctica.  I was served iced with my beverage for lunch which was the first time al week, so I am taking that as an indication that the gods are in my favor on this one.

Decoration for the Temple of Apollo found by archeologists and now
located in the museum at Delphi.  This is a scene from the Illiad.

Temple of Apollo ( The oracle would have been
located at the back of this temple)

Olive Oil Tasting Class

4/19/2016 - Thessaloniki, GREECE

We traveled close to six hours north and have arrived at the American Farm School in Thessaloniki.  This  boarding school was founded by an American who wanted to help Greek orphans learn how to work the land and support themselves.  It now is a very impressive agriculture school in which students grow their own olives and make olive oil, grapes for wine, cows and goat for milk and feta and chickens for eggs.  We were given a brief lecture on olive oil then taught how to judge its quality.
We had a wonderful dinner with the director of the school's wife and a few of the teacher's and students.

Olive Tree

Olive Oil tasting is very similar to wine tasting. 

My favorite!

Battle of Marathon Helmets

Happy Marathon Day friends in Hopkinton and Boston!

Here are the helmets worn by the leaders of the Greek and Persian military leaders at the Battle of Marathon where it all began!  After the Persians were defeated these helmets were brought to the Olympia to honor Zeus for the Athenians victory

Olympia - Home of the Olypmics

Day 4 -4/18/2016 - Olympia, Greece

"Zeus' Playground" is another name for Olympia which housed the Panhellic games for 1000 years (every four years).  The best athletes would come from all over Greece, slather themselves with olive oil and compete naked.  We walked through the ruins of the training facilities and temples to Hera and Zeus.  At the back of the complex was the huge track with sloped grass space for spectators.  In ancient times, the competition consisted of running events, wrestling and fighting and horse racing.  Winners were awarded a laurel from an olive branch.  

Arch leading to the Olympic Stadium

Temple of Zeus ruins

Footrace in Olympic stadium with my
travel crew

Baklava Heaven!

Day 4 -April 17, 2016  (on the way to Delphi)  

After crossing from the Peloponnese to the mainland across a bridge that looked very much like the Zakim Bridge in Boston, we stopped at a little bakery for a snack.  It was BAKLAVA heaven...many different varieties so I had to try a few!

 

TROJAN HORSE located along a local highway

This artist's rendition of the Trojan Horse was made from machine parts and was quite intriguing.

MOUSSAKA!

Day 3 - April 17, 2016 - Mycenae, Greece

Mashed mashed potatoes, beef, and eggplant, all in a delicious bechamel (white) sauce.  This is a classic Greek dish which was on my eating bucket list on the trip.  The Greek salads are so fresh and the hunk of feta on top is just the best!

Oldest Theatre in the World!

Day 3 - April 17, 2016 -  Epidaurus

Visited the first medical center  / hospital in the world in which ancient doctors believed that leisure activities such as music, theatre and reading would help a sick person heal.  Greeks would travel from all over to stay here for as long as it took for them to feel better by eating well, exercising, having medical treatments and relaxing.  The oldest outdoor theatre in the world is located here as well .  The acoustics were so amazing that you could stand at the in the middle of the stage at the bottom and audience could hear you all the way at the top of the stadium.

Greek Folk Dancing

Day 2 - April 16, 2016  - Nafplion (port city)

Great evening eating and folk dancing at Taverna Psirras (small family restaurant )down a windy little street off the main square.  Authentic music and dancing lessons from the professionals.  It was the first time in the Examine Life Greek Studies trip that all members got up and danced.  Food was cooked by "Yaya" (the grandmother) and was delicious...roasted pork, Greek salad, fried feta, spinach patties, tatziki (yogurt , garlic and dill spread on bread).

Day 2 - April 16, 2016 (con't)

AFTERNOON - Harvard's Center for Hellenic Studies, 

located in Nafplion (the first capital of modern Greece)

We made a quick stop at this interesting joint American/Greek digital library for visiting scholars and graduate students. The manuscript "digitizer" shown below has digitized the oldest copy of the"Illiad"

Day 2 - April 16, 2016 (con't)

AFTERNOON - Visit to the Panaiotopoulos School (Elementary -High School)

Enjoyed a student performance of two scenes from The Odyssey" which featured the Cyclops and Hades.  The students had been working with Gareth Hinds who illustrated the graphic novel of the Odyssey.  We were very impressed with the student's English and acting skills. We are honored to have Gareth traveling with our group and giving a watercolor workshop later in the week for our group.

       

Day 2 - April 16, 2016

MORNING - Tour of the Acropolis (Athens)

It was a steep climb to the Acropolis and we were rewarded with stunning views of the city and the majesty of the most impressive Parthenon.  There is a lot of archeological work being done to restore sections of the marble that have been destroyed or restored poorly over time.  I learned that the Parthenon was the first democratically completed building in history.  The slave and free workers were paid the same wages. Just recently archeologists have discovered fingerprints in red that the ancient works "tagged" throughout the Acropolis.

Olives for Breakfast?

Olives, Feta, Cheese Pie and Coffee....Breakfast of Champions in Greece!  Off to the Acropolis!

Acropolis at Night?

Acropolis Museum 

ATHENS, GREECE   -  April 15, 2016 (Friday)
After traveling throughout the night on Thursday we arrived in Athens today. We had just enough time to change clothes and then walked to the new Acropolis Museum which was just down the street.  This was a stunning museum constructed over an archeological dig.  This photo shows you the ancient ruins below, museum walkway and then the Acropolis high up on the hill.