Corinth, Epidauros and Nafplio

After arising very early again, I wanted to go to one of the top Archeological Museums in the world which is only a few blocks from here. However,communication between the five of us did not go well, so we didn’t hit the street until after 10:30. We had planned a trip to Corinth, so we skipped the museum and headed out. It’s a little over an hour’s drive to Corinth. There is the new city and there is the ancient site where the Apostle Paul addressed the Greeks. We learned that in the earliest years of Greek civilization, Corinth was more important than Athens. In the small museum next to the ruins there were some very impressive sculptures and artifacts from the four different periods in which Corinth was significant, some dating back to 1500 BCE.

The practice of taking found ruins and adding material to complete the original piece so that the observer can truly appreciate what the artifact represents got me to thinking. It’s a perfect blending of the ancient, original design blended with new materials to make something that elightens the one who is viewing it. I’m playing with what significance that might have for the church. “Emergent” is said by some to be ancient/future church; hmmmmm.

I haven’t mentioned the hotel here in Athens yet. The Hotel Art is on a rounded corner in the heart of Athens. We are actually in a room at that corner.The hotel has lots of “art” in the lobby and throughout the building–hence the name. The most fun piece is the chair that Evan is sitting in here. The foot rest is actually a ball! The whole thing is very rounded and is certainly supposed to be art rather than a chair. But it actually looks very comfortable. .

We visited the Theater at Epidaurus after we left Corinth. What a wonder! 14,000 people can sit in this remarkable place. When you stand on the stage you can speak in a normal tone of voice and be heard throughout the theater. It gives the speaker the same feedback that you hear when you speak into an electric microphone. I declined to climb to the top, but you can see that Evan and Emily did

We ended our day in Nafplio on the Western coast of the Peloponnesus area of Greece. We dined on an entire fresh grouper, which was served with vegetables and bread. In addition to being delicious, it was healthy! We returned to our hotel about 2 hours later. It was almost midnight, but plenty of people were still moving around, so Emily and Evan ventured out for dessert even though their mother was a bit nervous. They found some great crepes and returned safe and sound. I haven't had a chance to download Emily's pictures for the day, but there will be more to come.