Sunday, April 13 - Day 7
Athens, GR
Today's bloggers:
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Saturday, April 12 - Day 6
Marathon and Rhamnous, Attica, GR
Today's bloggers: Maddy and Erika
Hi all! Today was our optional excursion trip to Rhamnous and Marathon. Rhamnous was about an hour away from Athens and we explored the remains of an ancient coastal town. It was situated up on a cliffside with a spectacular view of the ocean. We passed by the Temple of Nemesis, and walked along the ancient road for about 10 minutes to get to the city. It was interesting to see how many pottery sherds are still left behind, because as you walk you can see them all along the ground. Also the town was largely still intact, so it was very easy to imagine being an ancient person, walking from your house to perhaps a bathing room or shop!
Next, we went to Marathon and here we saw some excellent pieces, including pottery, sculpture, and ancient arrowheads from the Persians during the battle of marathon. Then we looked at an ancient tumulus located near the site of the famous ancient battle. It looked like a large mound. We also ate some fresh Greek oranges, which are in season right now. They were delicious!
After visiting Marathon, we stopped at the beach for a half hour and the weather was wonderful! It was the perfect taste of summer and some of us went swimming. Overall, it was a really enjoyable day and we can't wait for what's next.
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Friday, April 11 - Day 5
Athens, GR
Today's bloggers: Ryker and Sophia
Another day in Athens! Both sections spent some time at the Acropolis museum today looking at the vast array of displays.
Thoroughly equipped with caffeine, Topography Section 2 trekked over to the slopes of the Acropolis at 9am this morning. Archaic period votives, the caryatids of the Erechtheion, even a lego model of the Acropolis—Tulsi (our professor) brought us through pretty much the entire museum. After our tour, the majority of our section stopped by a cafe for some grub (pasta, salad, you name it) before it was time to go right back to a museum, this time the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. PCC and Jamie handed out some decently long passages for us to read; they went over the concept of art in depth and how to analyze art from a more informed perspective. We also discussed the general importance of studying the humanities. Heading into the galleries employed with new artistic expertise, we practiced spotting the focal point of both 2D and 3D sculptures. PCC subsequently brought us through the museum in a roughly chronological order, allowing us to visualize the increase in skill/change in style of statues and other forms of sculpture.
Topography Section 1 met at 9:45 at the Acropolis Museum this morning. Our professor took is around the museum and pointed out numerous statues and vases. We started off by looking at mini versions of the Acropolis in phases. We saw the progression of the Acropolis' changes over time up until the Byzantine period. The top floor of the museum showed plaster copies of the Parthenon friezes, which we walked through and discussed. Various scenes were depicted of gods, goddesses, and humans. Afterwords, Section1. headed to Grill and Pita for some gyros. Then, we all parted ways to spend time in our apartments. It's safe to say that the group has finally reacclimatized to life in Athens after our extensive trip to the Peloponnese. Heading into the weekend, the majority of us are preparing for an optional excursion on Saturday. Should be a great time!
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Thursday, April 10 - Day 4
Athens, GR
Today's Bloggers: Josephine and Max
Today was a great day. For our Topography class we ventured to the south slope of the acropolis to see the theater of Dionysus, the temple of Asklepius and the monuments of the Roman church. We are all excited to return to the Acropolis tomorrow bright and early. After an amazing and enlighting class, a group ventured into the ancient streets Plaka to wander around and stop into the various tourist shops (they are all the same). We bought some satin scarfs, flowy skirts, new tanks and irreplaceable souvenirs. After enjoying some Greek gyros for lunch, while others cheffed it up back at the apartment, most people took a siesta to reset before dinner. There was also a street market right near our home base CYA but it was similar to the shops in Plaka. Overall, it was a beautiful day in Athens to say the least, a little chilly, but definitely a day that made you appreciate being in Greece. While people recharged or studied, Julianne and Josephine explored an undiscovered part of Athens and while failing to find a contemporary art exhibit, they found two other super cool thrift shops. Our night wrapped up with different apartment family dinners and a peaceful evening recharging for our adventures tomorrow.
Meanwhile the other group (section 2) went to the hill of Philopappos and saw the architecture on the walkway. There were remnants of ancient statues built into the ground, as the architect believed in keeping the people connected to the place. At the top of the hill, there was a resting place with a great view of the Acropolis and a shrine to the Muses, since the hill was originally known as the hill of the Muses. We identified all of the places that we saw on our visit to the Acropolis. There was also a monument to Philopappos, who was a Roman consul and descended from the Seleucid rulers. We then walked from this hill to the National Archaeological Museum. On the way we got smoothies and souvlaki (the “most famous” in Athens). Once we got to the museum, PCC explained how to do a formal analysis of art. We practiced this skill on an ancient vase. Afterwards, we went into the museum and then analyzed some sculpture from the Classical and Archaic period. We saw a bronze statue of Zeus throwing a lightning bolt and observed it from all different angles. Then we saw some kouroi statues which showed the grief of the ancient Greeks. After the museum, we all walked home and took an afternoon nap. Max, Ben, and Josephine cooked some steak dinner, while Ryker, Gracie, Zander, and Sabriel went to a very nice Michelin star restaurant. Overall, it was a good day in Athens!
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Wednesday, April 9 - Day 3
Athens, GR
Today's Bloggers: Ben and Julianne
Today was our first class day back in Athens. We all had Myth and Religion today, although some of us had the early 10:45 am class whereas others were in the later 5:30 pm section. Most of the early class assembled at Kekkos, the local coffee shop, before class for a light breakfast and coffee. In class, we learned about the lineage and backstories of the ancient Greek deities and thought about how those myths reflected aspects of the ancient societies in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE. After the morning class we dispersed in groups for lunch. Ben, Felipe, Max, Jack, and Josiah went to a restaurant called Piggys where they enjoyed gyros and a long conversation with the owners of the restaurant who were incredibly gracious and kind.
While some of us were in class, others enjoyed a more chill morning before their later class. Julianne, Sophia, Niz, Sab, and Jordan spent the morning chatting and relaxing before making homemade coffee (which didn’t compare to the Kekkos coffee). They then caught up on some of the reading for class whilst soaking up the sun on their balcony.
The weather was a little cooler today, but we still made the most of it through morning walks and various other activities, including shopping to revitalize our empty fridges and to stock up on supplies that we were missing. Many of us also did our laundry from the Peloponnese trip today, which had built up substantially over the week and had become a necessity.
While out today, Gracie and Margaret branched out and made new friends from Notre Dame who were very friendly and excited to meet the rest of the Dartmouth group. Overall, it was a quiet day for most of us as we returned to the classroom and readjusted to life in Athens.
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Tuesday, April 8 - Day 2
Athens, GR
Today's Bloggers: Felipe & Caroline
Today was an off-day for the group, and it was much needed! After a rewarding trip to the Pelopponese, the group recovered today as we geared up for classes at CYA to really begin. We had two lingering assignments from Olympia: to map out the site with different time periods and different themes and also to do a verbal modern Greek exam with Jamie at Kekkos, which has quickly become the group’s go-to spot in Athens. Some adventurous members of the group decided to hike from their apartments up Mount Hymettus and back again which was 11 miles overall, taking 5 hours. As people worked in groups on their assignments and did general administrative tasks like overdue laundry, the day was very cold, reminding us of Hanover! For meals, people got all sorts of food from gyros to sushi. The FSPers are also warming up more and more to homecooked meals with their apartments, such as family-style pasta and chicken cutlets. To end the day, some members of the group took on karaoke at Ziggy’s, which is a hotspot for other CYA students. Rumor has it that some FSPers are killing it at karaoke.
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Monday, April 7 - Day 1
Olympia, GR
Today's bloggers: Jenny & Jack
Today was the last day of the Peloponnese trip, and we had one last early morning in Olympia. After a 7 am breakfast, we walked from our hotel to the archaeological museum of Ancient Olympia which was one of the most fascinating museums we had been to. We saw the famous Hermes and the Infant Dionysus statue by the sculptor Praxiteles and PCC taught us about the male beauty standard of ancient Greece. We learned that the ideal ancient Greek man was physically fit, young, and possessed more androgynous features. We also learned that the marble statue in the museum may have been a Roman copy of the original statue by Praxiteles, as the original would have been made out of bronze and thus would have had no need for the supports that the copy has. We also learned about the east and west pediments and the metopes of the Temple of Zeus, and it was amazing to see the statues that would have been displayed so close in person. The east pediment depicts a famous myth appropriate for the home of the Olympic games: the chariot race of Pelops and King Oenomaus with Zeus standing in the middle. The West pediment depicts the centauromachy which was the mythological battle between the half-man, half-horse centaurs and the Lapiths. The facial expressions of the Lapith women and centaurs were interesting to observe as the women remained expressionless and calm while the centaurs had dramatic facial expressions depicting pain and aggression. This contrast highlights the superiority of ancient Greek civilization over foreign barbarians.
After a quick break, we ventured over to the site of the ancient sanctuary at Olympia, which was one of the two most important ancient panhellenic sanctuaries, meaning it would have garnered traffic from Greeks living as far away as Spain and North Africa. Here, we saw the temples of Hera and Zeus, the latter of which was the largest Greek temple at the time it was built and only falls short of the Parthenon in Athens by a few meters in dimension. As the name suggests, Olympia was also the site of the ancient Greek Olympics. By 550 BCE, athletes from across the Greek world competed here in various running, combat, throwing, and horse racing events each summer. Our class had the opportunity to run the 180-meter dash in the original Olympic stadium, with Ben Hunter finishing first and earning all of our timē (respect). After exploring the sanctuary for a while longer, the group broke off for lunch before embarking on the four-hour bus journey back to Athens. On the way, we napped, practiced our modern Greek transliteration and conversation skills, and reflected on our successful week in the Peloponnese.
