Thursday morning we took a bus from Athens to Eleusis to see the ancient site of the mystery cult of Demeter. It was pretty quiet at this site but it was a pleasant one. Then we headed towards the Peloponnese, making a pit-stop in Corinth for lunch, and then ventured to the sanctuary of Epidauros. This is site is more prominent for its amazing theater, however, it does have a very scenic sanctuary of Asclepius. We spent a large amount of time gazing out towards the horizon at the theater and it was serene. The rest of the day we spent trekking back towards Athens, making a bomb.com dinner of grilled cheese and tomato soup, and then heading to bed.
The Theater at Epidauros
Friday ended up being one of the more memorable days on the trip! We were given an all-access pass inside the Parthenon on the Acropolis by one of the current archaeologists working on-site. We were given the history of the renovations and constructions, as well as unlimited access to picture-taking (until Kari chose to hug a column and was whistled at by one of the guards). It was actually pretty entertaining to watch the faces of so many tourists wanting to know how we were chosen to go inside. I guess being a student pays off once in a while! Once we left the Parthenon, we ventured around Athens with our professor to see the Roman architecture throughout the city, including the Roman Agora, Hadrian's Library, Hadrian's Arch, and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. After class was finished, a few of the girls and I went to grab a quick lunch and did laundry at Backpackers (where I met a guy from Goshen College, holla Indiana!) The rest of the evening I spent looking at places for our next holiday on Paros, chatting with some of the girls, and making a kick-ass chicken fajita dinner with Jacquelyn and Cori. However, I did make a special trip out with Sam and Geoff to a movie theatre to see The Avengers (in English with Greek subtitles). Even though it was a bit cheesy, a theatre filled with Greek people is quite entertaining (i.e. no need to whisper, just speak freely at any time during the movie and laugh like a hyena).
The group on the steps of the Parthenon
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