Odean of Herodes Atticus
Nea Moni and Ghost Town of Anavatos
The Nea Moni Monastery was built in the 11th century and holds the finest examples of Renaissance art in Greece. Due to war and natural disasters, many of the buildings are dilapidated and it was converted into a nunnery where only three nuns live today.
On the grounds there is a building that serves as a memorial for victims of the Chios Massacre by the Turks in 1822 in the town of Anavatos.
Anavatos itself blends into the mountains it’s built on, and today remains a ghost town. There is one old woman that still lives there. The city is haunting to walk through as is the monastery and it’s strange to think that a few people actually live there among the ruins—a common theme in Greece.
Molivos, Lesvos
While in Lesvos, I was able to stay in the charming medieval town of Molivos at the splendid Sunrise Hotel. The town itself has narrow, tree-shaded streets, that are steep, but well worth the climb up to the keep. There are many beautiful ocean views all around the island, and looking to the East, you can see Turkey just across the water.
Petrified Forest of Lesvos
You know how in Pompeii, a volcano petrified people, animals, buildings, etc? Well, the same thing happened here on Lesvos, only trees (and a few small animals) were the only things that were petrified. The bark of the trees are now rock and have a tint of red to them due to the lava.
The Temple of Poseidon
Poseidon was the God of the Seas so it just makes sense that his temple just outside of Athens would be on a cliff overlooking the Aegean sea. The temple greatly contrasted with the Parthenon. There was only a few other people there which made it a much more humbling experience.
Sunset next to the temple was probably one of the most beautiful sunsets I have seen. The colors playing off of the ocean were simply magical. I felt as if I was looking out at a painting in front of me.
The Athens Acropolis
We’ve all grown up learning about Greek Gods and Goddesses and temples in school, so much so that it’s almost become something mystical to us. And for good reason. But we forget that it’s actually real; this history is real (and still very much alive).
Walking up the Acropolis is like walking up a different time. It’s awe-inspiring to imagine and realize how old and how iconic of a place it really is.
But it is because it is an icon that in order to appreciate the Acropolis you have to get over the other thousands of people who are trying to do the same thing. The Acropolis was incredibly crowded and packed when I went to visit, which was a little distracting and took away some of the magic of the place.
However, despite the crowds, it is still an experience to set foot on something that you’ve only ever dreamed about before.
The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.
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| — | Oscar Wilde. Happy Birthday, Oscar!!! |
I’m trying to choose a topic to write a large research paper on for one of my theatre history courses. I’m torn between writing about the circus and it’s history or writing about how the hero in theatre changed from kings and people of influence to lower-class citizens and prostitues.
Which one should I do? Thoughts?
