Hans Christian Andersen, the famous Danish fairy tale author, once said that, “To travel is to live.” During Andersen’s travels around central and Eastern Europe, he kept extensive diaries of his experiences, thoughts, and observations. Following his example, I decided to do the same during my recent weeklong trip to Athens. Here’s a peek into my travel diary from the past week:
November 6, 2011
Arrived in Greece today and started my tour by walking around the city of Athens. My initial impressions:
- The city is fairly calm and quiet considering the events of the past month and the country’s current state of financial ruin.
- The city is an odd combination of ancient and modern. Hadrian’s Arch is a good example of this juxtaposition; the ancient arch stands alongside a major city street, as if reminding visitors and citizens of the legacy upon which Greece is founded.
- I don’t think that the city has done a particularly great job of paying homage to the architectural mastery that characterizes ancient Greece and has influenced the development of the Western world.
- It’s baffling to see such strong symbols of democracy and the Western world alongside department stores and flea markets.
- I visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier where the riots have been organized over the past few months.
- Athens seems to be an example of the conflict between past and present and an indication that things need to be looked at in a new light. Greece is going to have to find a way to honor its history and strong traditions while still understanding that it must change to accommodate the demands of a global, interconnected world.
November 7, 2011
I went to Delphi today, which is about a three-hour drive from Athens. I drove far up into the mountains and passed through several small towns. The sites of Delphi start with the Sanctuary of Athena; it’s the first circular building in Greek architecture. People would go to this sanctuary to cleanse themselves prior to visiting the Temple of Apollo. The sites are built into the side of the mountain, requiring a person to climb the entirety of the mountainside to visit all of the sites. It’s a rather strenuous climb to the Temple of Apollo, which housed the Oracle of Delphi in ancient times. The Oracle was given drugs to deliver messages to the priests, who then relayed the message to the enquiring person. The messages were very vague and often deciphered according to the wishes of the person receiving the message. Ancient Greeks would come to Delphi to donate their wealth. Greeks lived according to Dionysus’ philosophy of “nothing in excess,” and were thus expected to donate a percentage of their wealth each year. The Amphitheater of Dionysus lies above the temple. Delphi was a site where both control and chaos were celebrated. Apollo was celebrated part of the year, while Dionysus was worshipped during the remainder of the year, a collective homage to the balance created by both chaos and control. When I finally reached the top of the mountain, I could see all of the sites and their surroundings. From the top I could see that Delphi is settled on the side of the mountain amidst untouched rolling valleys. It really is a place of isolated quiet, a very appropriate place for a sanctuary and temple. During a visit to the museum at Delphi, I saw the famed Navel of Delphi. Afterwards, I took a quick walk through the town. It was slightly sad to see because it’s clear that the town has suffered from declining numbers of tourists.
November 8, 2011
I started the morning at the Acropolis Museum. The Museum is a modern interpretation of the ancient Parthenon. You can see current excavations taking place below the museum. After seeing the artifacts that archaeologists have uncovered from ancient sites, it occurred to me how much imagination is required to reconstruct these ancient sites. Archaeologists often only have a small piece of a building or artifact and have to construct the entirety of the building or sculpture from that piece.
Afterwards, I began the hike up to the Acropolis, which translates to “high city.” It stands over the city of Athens, a proud symbol of hundreds of years of cultural exchange. During the hike up to the Acropolis, I could see the entirety of Athens. It’s almost an indescribable experience. It’s slightly odd to see in person those buildings that I’ve learned about in textbooks. To think that something so beautiful and so close to architectural perfection was created so long before our time is mindboggling. My visit to the Acropolis was probably the singularly most iconic site I’ve ever visited. I saw the Propylaea, the Erictheon, and the Parthenon and spent time looking over the modern city of Athens.
I spent the rest of the afternoon with friends, eating lunch outside of the Agora area of Athens. I was very surprised by the number of children that came to our outdoor table playing music and begging for money. I walked through many local shops and got lost with friends in the process. While trying to find our way back to the hotel, we saw riot police setting up at several locations around the city. It seems that both poverty and police have become accepted parts of life in Greece.
I ended the evening by going out to dinner with some of my new friends I’ve met while abroad. I’m always amazed by the intelligence of the girls I’m surrounded by. I’ve learned so much just listening to the insightful things they have to say. Conversation, I’ve come to think, is the most important part of travel.
November 9, 2011
I spoke with my friend Sarah early this morning and heard that her and my friend, Cassie, spent most of the evening at the Athens police department reporting the theft of Cassie’s purse. The situation seemed very strange considering that when I had left earlier that night we had been the only people in the café. Apparently after I had left, a couple had entered the café and had taken the bag while Sarah and Cassie were talking to the waiter about the state of things in Greece. The local police were called and suddenly the bag was found at a construction site close by, with everything in the purse besides the money that had been in Cassie’s wallet. The whole incident was obviously a hands-on experience with the corruption that Greece is dealing with at every level.
Today was spent visiting the ancient sites around Athens. Our first visit was to the ancient stadium at Nemea. Athletes gathered to compete here. In travelling to the games, a person couldn’t be touched or harmed. In ancient times, the games brought people together and created a community from which people could find out about daily life and progress in other parts of Greece. I next visited the citadel at Mycenae where I had the chance to see the famous Beehive Tomb and Lions Gate. My visit to these Greek ruins has been the most effective learning experience I’ve ever had, simply because there are aspects of the sites that are near impossible to communicate without seeing them in person. While looking at the Lions Gate I met a professor from Bryn Mawr who was studying the number of drill holes in the monument so as to better understand the way in which ancient people constructed such massive monuments. It was very interesting to me that such old, intensely studied objects are continually nuanced and rediscovered. My next visit was to the original capital of Greece, the ancient city of Naphlion. It was a quaint, seaside town. It was almost eerily quiet from lack of tourists, but a nice reprieve from the movement of Athens. Lastly, I went to the ancient city of Epidauros, which is the best-preserved ancient Greek theater. I ended the evening by reading an English translation of a Greek newspaper and enjoying chicken souvlaki for dinner.
Although I originally debated coming to Greece because of the state of things, being here while such important discussions are taking place has been an incredible learning experience. Having the opportunity to read Greek feelings towards the subject while in Greece, while also having a chance to observe firsthand everyday life in Athens has given me a perspective on the issues that I wouldn’t have been able to develop otherwise.
November 10, 2011
Cassie and Sarah woke up with food poisoning this morning from the dinner we had the night before. I felt fine in the morning and spent the rest of the day hoping I wouldn’t react similarly.
Untouched by food poisoning as of yet, I decided to spend the afternoon travelling to the island of Aegina. It was around a 45-minute boat ride from mainland Athens. It was supposed to be slightly cold and overcast, but it turned out to be a mild, beautifully sunny day. The chance to feel the sun on my face was enough to keep me content for hours, but I felt the need to visit the island’s main attraction, the Sanctuary of Athena Aphea. The sanctuary was located at the island’s highest peak. From the sanctuary I could see the entirety of the island and it’s blue surroundings. The sanctuary was my favorite ruin that I saw throughout my week in Greece. It is the perfect example of Doric architecture and stands almost untouched by time. I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the town and watching the sailboats enter and leave the small harbor.
Around dinnertime I knew I had been too lucky when I started to feel sick. Needless to say, I had not stood immune to the food poisoning that Sarah and Cassie had experienced that morning.
November 11, 2011
Still feeling sick, I decided to visit the National Archeological Museum before leaving Athens. The museum houses such famous pieces as the [false] “Mask of Agamemnon” and the bronze statue of Poseidon. I only wish I wasn’t so distracted by feeling ill.
By the time I reached the airport I was feeling ready to get back to Copenhagen. The past week in Greece was an amazing learning experience and a nice break from the Copenhagen cold. However, after feeling sick for the past day, I was surprised that I was ready to return “home.” Apparently feeling sick makes you crave the familiar, and I was excited that I considered Copenhagen familiar enough to be “home.”
In keeping a detailed account of what I experienced, thought, and observed throughout the week, I discovered that Andersen was right. Travelling really is living. Travelling isn’t always glamorous—sometimes things get stolen, you see poverty, and occasionally you have a bout with food poisoning. But through all of that, experiences and memories are formed that, regardless of the frustration or discomfort, give you perspective that wouldn’t otherwise be gained. In going to Greece I was expecting a vacation. In leaving Greece I found that travelling doesn’t mean leaving reality behind, it means recognizing how different places and people influence life how it is.
