Kristine's Travels

Two more!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:39:00 +0000

Daniel and I on one of the rocky overlooks at Meteora.

The old, Byzantine flag (used today by the Greek Orthodox Church) flying beside the national flag of Greece at Agiou Rossanou. The Great Meteoron is in the background.

A few parting shots

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:35:00 +0000

The number of photos that I took in Meteora far surpass those from any other location on our trip, especially in relation to the amount of time spent at each place! I have several good excuses for this phenomenon, however. Here are just a few more that I had to include in the blog posts...

Agiou Rossanou tucked away among the rocky landscape.

Close-up view.

Windlass mechanism and old platform for bringing up supplies and/or visitors at the monastery of Agia Triada.

Agia Triada from below (w/ the tiniest hint of color in the foliage!)

The rocks are pretty fantastic in their own right.

Agiou Stefanou and a bit of blue sky.

Icons of Place

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:05:00 +0000

Agiou Nikolaou Anapavsa had a number of icons available for pilgrims and visitors to buy (most of them made with prints affixed to a wooden panel, rather than being painted). Daniel and I both browsed the giftshop inside and came away with our own souvenirs. Daniel purchased an icon of Saint Catherine and I got a small icon of the Transfiguration. Since the main church of the Great Meteoron is dedicated to the Metamorphosis (the Greek name for the same event in the life of Christ) and it also figures in the 6th-century apse at Sinai, I thought it provided a nice memento and way of connecting the two places.

However, and more to the point of this post, I was also intrigued by the following "icon," which I found in the lineup:

Do you see it? Propped up at center is a photograph of Kalambaka and the Meteora rocks lit up by night, also laminated and fixed to a rectangular piece of wood. But is it an icon? A portrait of a holy place? Does it count? This is my question - and likewise in trying to gauge response to/interpretation of the topographical images of Mount Sinai and the Monastery of St. Catherine that appeared at the end of the 16th century in my dissertation...

The Meteora plaque doesn't have an accompanying inscription or nomina sacra. I was also struck by the metal bosses, like thumbtacks, that decorate the edges of the image. And there is a triangular metal hook at the top of the wooden board that would allow the panel to be hung, while all of the other icons have grooves carved out for the same purpose in the back of their supports. Do these details matter? Do they help differentiate between a consecrated and authorized image (eikon) and a scenic view, even if one that represents a locus sanctus? I don't know.

Climbing around on rocks

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:28:00 +0000

Daniel, 'Mountain King.'

We had fun, in between our monastery visits, simply climbing around on the rocks themselves. Besides, there was such a great view - anywhere and everywhere! Getting back down wasn't always as easy as getting up... but we managed. =)

Now I'm at the top, but I have the camera, so pictures are of Daniel scrambling down ahead of me...

As it turns out, I'm not so good at looking into the camera!

Our view...

This last image is taken with the aid of my optical zoom, but it captures the incredible vistas we had over the Thessalian plain. The Pineios river cuts a wide swath, but is really just a little trickle between its banks. Because the sun kept coming and going with the cloud buildup in the afternoon, we saw some pretty amazing shafts of light falling across the landscape, as well.

The afternoon clouds and more piercing sunlight.

Agiou Nikolaou Anapavsa

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:16:00 +0000

On our second day in Meteora, our goal was to visit the remaining five monasteries. Each was slightly different, and each had its own charms. I won't try to catalogue all of them here! However, our first visit of the day may have been my favorite - the monastery dedicated to Agiou Nikolaou Anapavsa. Here's our starting point at the bottom (and not far from Doupiani House, actually)...

We had to climb several series of steps; some fixed in the natural slope of ground with wooden beams, some built as staircases over the terrain, some paved with flagstone and held in placed by poured concrete. As we reached the foot of the monastery, we confronted several different means of making the final ascent:

Wooden ladder suspended below a window (not actually an option for us, although an old-fashion way of reaching the monasteries).

The modern lift, promising a smooth ride.

Two paths diverged... and we chose the stairs!

Looking back down, once we'd made the climb.

We weren't supposed to take photos inside the monastery churches, which I tried to respect. The main church of Agiou Nikolaou Anapavsa was decorated by Theophanes of Crete in the early 16th C; I was happy to the Dormition of St. Ephrem - love those scenes of desert monastic life! There's also a nice image of Adam naming the animals in the narthex, as well. I think they both share the western wall, but the church might not be exactly correctly oriented because of the limited space on top of its rocky pinnacle.

Courtyard at the top of Agiou Nikolaou Anapavsa

And here's a bit of bare surface revealing the meteoron itself!

Surprise, surprise!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:09:00 +0000

     I knew I couldn't get very far in posting photos & stories from Daniel's visit without needing to include this moment... =) Here it is:

     After we had arrived in Meteora, checked out the Great Meteoron (which was closed on Tuesday - each of the monasteries followed different opening hours and picked a different day of the week on which to shut. This meant a lot of careful cross-checking in several guidebooks beforehand to make sure we could see all of them during our time there. And then, of course, the actual hours were different from what was published in the guidebooks! Thankfully, they have mostly standardized. Not what one might expect in Greece!), and checked into our hotel, our plan was walk around and continuing exploring the fantastical landscape.

     The Rough Guide suggested several hikes from Kastraki to various abandoned chapels and caves in the immediate neighborhood. We paused at the front desk to ask the hotel proprietor how to find the trail to Agion Pnevma. Her advice was to try going the next day; while we should be able to reach the cave-chapel, the sun would be setting. Our trip back would be in the dark... Unfortunately, we never did make the excursion. We'll have to do it another time!

Our walk ended up being much shorter, just to the base of the closest hill of bare rock. There was a small, stone chapel tucked below it and we decided to go up to see if it was open. It wasn't. But the courtyard around the chapel was well-kept, with roses blooming along the side of the wall.

Behind the chapel, we discovered a wooden pavilion and I suggested sitting down to take in the view. There was a brief pause, and Daniel looked as though he was focusing very intently before he began to speak. The first thing he said clued me in immediately, that I'd been very patient so far on the trip and he didn't want to keep me waiting much longer... I had a moment of brief panic. This was it! What was I supposed to do now? Oh, right. Just listen. I already knew what my answer was going to be. =)

So it was in Meteora that Daniel asked me to marry him. I said yes!

He picked a lovely spot. Although it was obvious that he thought a great deal about what he was going to say, he admitted that the location was a bit up in the air. (Get it? "Meteora?" "Up in the air?")

Meteora was probably the place I was most excited about returning to and sharing with Daniel. I had visited it all of 3-4 hours last summer on an excursion organized by the language program in Thessaloniki. We were stuck on a bus except for our strictly guided tours of two monasteries and about half an hour of 'free time' to browse the gift shops! Pure agony. I knew I had to come back. At this point, it is definitely my most favorite place in Greece. =) And I think we will be back!

Doupiani House

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:52:00 +0000

Afternoon sunlight breaking through clouds

After exploring the Great Meteora on our arrival, we checked into the hotel where we were staying. This was on the outskirts of Kastraki, illuminated in the photo above by a long shaft of afternoon sunlight. Kastraki is much smaller and more picturesque than Kalambaka, the other option for lodgings at Meteora. Our hotel was located just behind the small lump of rock (or 'baby meteora') that you see in the lower right.

Doupiani rock just outside Kastraki

View from the hotel

I would highly recommend Doupiani House. We were there in the off-season (with only a handful of other guests populating the hotel and breakfast room). But the location and accommodations are incredibly pleasant. Each of the rooms had balconies looking back toward the rocky pinnacles of Meteora, although it was a bit chilly out-of-doors by nightfall. Unfortunately, it was also too cold to make use of the breakfast balcony. Another time!

The front of Doupiani House

Daniel and our trusty rental car!

Not so trusty, actually. This is the only photo I got with the Hyundai Accent that we drove from Athens to Thessaloniki. We picked it (Daniel picked it) because it was one of the few automatic transmissions available. If we went over 120 km/hour on the highway, the entire front half of the vehicle would begin shuddering. Anyway, it got us where we wanted to go!

First stop - Meteora

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:21:00 +0000

On Monday, Oct. 19th, Daniel and I picked up our rental car and left Athens for Thessaly and the north. Our first destination was Meteora, about four and a half hours away. Driving in Greece is really a story in and of itself; I won't say too much except that for the first 15-20 minutes we didn't know if we'd ever get out of Athens! They don't seem to believe in road signs here. Which isn't a problem in the countryside when there aren't very many roads to choose from. But definitely creates issues when trying to deal with crazy, Athens traffic and make one's way to the national road from a dense, urban thicket of tiny cross-streets... We had copied out a very nice set of directions from Google maps. Unfortunately, there weren't any signs posted for any of the roads that we wanted to turn onto. And the main road that we were driving down didn't happen to be on the directions, either! We found the highway by pure serendipitous luck.

Daniel did most of the driving, for which I am very grateful. I navigated. The regional maps actually proved useful, and it wasn't until we had to work between the large-scale area map and the smaller insets for town centers (like in Kastoria, Veria, and Thessoniki) that we had problems again. We also got to take in a lot of beautiful countryside. Hopefully you'll get a few glimpses of the Thessalian plain from some of my Meteora photos.

Meteora, with a view toward the little town of Kastraki

We reached Meteora about mid-afternoon. We had enough time to visit the Great Meteora, the largest and highest of the monasteries. It sits on the "Platys Lithos," or "Broad Rock," at 615m above sea level. Founded by St. Athanasios in the 14th century (1344), the Great Meteora also enjoyed quite a bit of imperial patronage during the Palaiologan period. In fact, one of its members - the monk Ioasaph - was John Uroš Palaiologos and ruler of Serbia in a former life (before renouncing his throne for the monastic life). His sister, Maria Angelina Doukaina Palaiologina, was married to the governor of Epirus (Thomas Preljubović - don't you love these names?!). She gave rich donations of manuscripts, icons, and liturgical textiles to the monastery, including one of my favorite late Byzantine images. It is an icon of the Doubting Thomas with the portrait of Maria Palaiologina tucked into the crowd of disciples, just behind Thomas. The incorporation of donor figures is rare in Byzantine art. See detail below:

Icon of the Doubting Thomas (1367-84), with detail of Maria Palaiologina and her husband Thomas Prejubović shown to the left of the disciple (notice how Christ's right arm extends over Thomas to reach the figure of Maria!). Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration, Meteora, Greece.

Here you get to see the distinctive rock pinnacles reaching out into the valley. As I understand it, they were formed by deposits of river sediment flowing into a prehistoric seabed. A long time ago.

I wanted to post a few general views of the landscape before going into more detail with specific monasteries. We spent most of the day on Tuesday running around between the remaining 5 monasteries, climbing lots and lots of stairs to get from one to the next! It was good exercise...

The Great Meteoron

The Varlaam Monastery as seen from the Great Meteoron.

The Monastery of Varlaam

And the traditional method of ascent still in use!

We got to see a few basket-like platforms functioning as lifts (without any protective elevator shaft around them!) and transporting visitors up to the monasteries. I'm not sure who got the privilege of avoiding the long staircases. The platforms did look more secure than older methods, which employed smthg. like rope netting.

The Areopagus, or Mars Hill

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:55:00 +0000

Daniel standing on the Acropolis with the Areopagus in the background.

Daniel and I had dorky, medievalist fun taking photos of the Areopagus. During the classical period, it served as the court of criminal justice, while in Roman times, it was the site where the apostle Paul preached his Sermon on the Unknown God (Acts 17). Dionysius the Areopagite was among Paul's converts. His identity eventually gets conflated with Pseudo-Dionysius, a late antique philosopher and theologian (late 5th/early 6th century), whose mystical writings were heavily Neoplatonic. The supposed stamp of apostolic approval lent a good deal of authority to medieval interpretations of his work.

His name also shows up on the broad boulevard/pedestrian street that runs along the south slope of the Acropolis:

Odos Dionysiou Areopagitou

Steps ascending the Areopagus

Like the Acropolis, the Areopagus is pretty much bare rock at this point. It makes the climb something that demands careful attention to where you place your feet!

This is yet another photo from last summer, but demonstrates the polished surface on the top of the Areopagus.

Looking back toward the Acropolis and Propylaia.

Real Caryatids?

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:33:00 +0000

This is one of my photos from the Acropolis last summer... not sure if the real caryatids were already taken away for display in the new museum (probably) or if these are they. You can see how badly the stone has weathered, erasing their facial expressions as well as many of the crisp details from their hair and elaborate drapery.

A Trip to the Acropolis

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:17:00 +0000

The Parthenon, West facade

I've posted several pictures of the Acropolis taken from different spots around Athens. Daniel and I hiked up on Sunday (after another rainy day on Saturday) and spent the afternoon exploring many of the sites of the ancient/classical city. We visited the Areopagus, Agora and Kerameikos, all in easy walking distance from each other. And, evidently, all on the same ticket stub for multiple-entry access! I have a student ID card from the American School that provides admission to public museums and archaeological sites (very handy), so I didn't know how the regular admission worked. After paying 1 euro for entrance to the new Acropolis Museum on Saturday, 12 euro for the Acropolis itself seemed overpriced. But going to at least three monuments helps cut this down.

Apologies for the boring, logistical information! Anyway, it was worth going to the Acropolis Museum first, I think. The Acropolis itself has been so stripped down that besides getting a sense of the impressive size and scale of the Propylaia and temples on top of the rocky outcropping, it is difficult to re-imagine the sculptural decoration and hustle/bustle of a sacred precinct (which would have been crowded not only with visitors in its own day, but also votive offerings, sacrifices and dedications).

The New Acropolis Museum

The museum showcases some of the better-known kouroi and korai, along with smaller bronze votives, reliefs from the Temple of Athena Nike, and the original caryatids from the Erechtheion. I especially enjoyed some of the huge, archaic ceramic reliefs from the pediments of earlier temples on the Acropolis. These were fantastic - and still had some of their polychromy! Of course, the top floor of the museum is then dedicated to the Parthenon, its metopes and Ionic freize. There is quite a nice view of the monument across the way. Here is a reverse view - the new museum as seen from the Acropolis.

The Erechteion, Acropolis, Athens

My favorite monument on top of the Acropolis is the Erechtheion, which housed the old cult statue of Athena and other relics related to the city's founding and to the competition between Athena and Poseidon for its patronage. I also love the caryatid porch, and have to admit to being somewhat disappointed that the real caryatids are no longer in situ.

Daniel and I with the caryatid porch in the background.

Close-up (it was incredibly bright and I had a hard time not squinting since we were looking right into the sun for these photos! I had my eyes closed on several. Otherwise, my eyes would start watering.)

Experiments in Cooking: Part III

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:39:00 +0000

Spaghetti with fresh basil

I'm not sure I can call this an "experiment," rather a dish that returns to the tried and true. However, please notice the fresh sprigs of basil decorating my plate of pasta! These are contributions from our second acquisition on the balcony - a potted basil plant. I've almost done it in a couple of times by forgetting to water it regularly. But it always seems to come back around (must be a hardy species). I promise this is the last photo of food on my blog for a while. As you can see, things were getting desperate!

Next series actually has to do with travel - Daniel arrived late on Friday, October 16th, and we spent two weeks roaming Greece. We first rented a car and drove from Athens to Thessaloniki, with stops in Meteora and Kastoria along the way. After spending the weekend w/ droves of St. Demetrius pilgrims in Thessaloniki, we flew to Crete and made our way westward from Heraklion to Chania before returning to Athens. It turned cold and rainy during the second half of our trip, so it was no surprise that we both ended up getting sick (again!). Still, we had lots of fun and I got to share many of the places that I explored last summer with Daniel, plus add some new sites/sights to the list!

Experiments in Cooking: Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:51:00 +0000

Lentil Soup

Here's another lunch spread... the ubiquitous cucumber with slices of salami, dried toast (melba-style), and a wedge of laughing cow cheese all accompany home-made lentil soup. This was a new recipe and used a bay leaf, oregano, cumin and basalmic vinegar along with the basics. It was okay. I prefer the 'monastic' lentil stew recipe that I got from Carissa and her father (with thyme and marjoram as the main spices). Perhaps the problem was trying a new soup recipe when I was still stuffed up from my cold and couldn't actually taste anything!

Experiments in Cooking: Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:49:00 +0000

The Potato Pancake

I've been housebound for a few days with my first head cold of the season. Funny thing is, it doesn't feel like fall yet around here. The end of last week was still in the 80s (by mid-afternoon), so I'm not sure where the cold came from. But it was miserable enough. These Greek varieties hit harder than what I get back home.

Anyway, I've entertained myself by trying out some new recipes with what I had on hand. That included a lot of fruits and vegetables from the Friday laiki (a neighborhood market that takes place just around the corner). This was pretty basic (grated potato w/ a bit of flour, onion, salt and pepper, plus one egg to hold it all together), but surprisingly tasty. I'm also proud of the Parmesan flakes (hand-shaved) on my salad in the background.

Sunset

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:47:00 +0000

This one was particularly breath-taking. What can I say? I love my apartment (esp. the balcony). It is starting to get a little bit cooler in the evenings. Hopefully the weather holds for Daniel's visit. We'll be traveling around, so there will be more exciting pictures to come, I promise.

Balcony, new bougainvillea, and a cup of tea

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:58:00 +0000

Everything is a little more perfect when accompanied by a cup of tea! When there isn't obnoxious construction going on right across the street, I love sitting out on the balcony to read, write, or work online. Actually, I usually have to sit out on the balcony in order to get enough bars of reception to be online in the first place. This is one of my favorite spots in the new apartment, regardless.

What I wanted to show off in this photo is the new bougainvillea plant in the background. I got it for 8 euros in the local laiki agora (a weekly fruit and veggies market). The guy who had the stand with all the potted plants was very concerned that he communicate to me just how I should take care of my new purchase. Lots of sun, and lots of water (but important to keep it well-drained). He got most of his points across in Greek, but also called over a friend who could tell me all of this in English. I appreciated not only how knowledgeable he was about the plants he was selling, but also that he saw it as part of his responsibility to impart that knowledge to me, the new owner and caretaker of the bougainvillea. Besides, I now know how to spell bougainvillea, as well. =)

Views from my balcony

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 19:43:00 +0000

I haven't been able to get out and about much recently; I've tried to buckle down and get some serious work done in the library and it has been pretty rewarding. However, I thought I might post some views from the balcony of our Koukaki apartment. We've had some lovely sunsets over the past couple of days. Not so picturesque is the construction site on the opposite side of the street:

They aren't out every day, but when they are working they start early (7 or 7:30am). The noise at least functions to drive me out of the house and over to the Gennadeion in good time!

View from the Lykavittos

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:56:00 +0000

This was the reward for my long climb yesterday afternoon...

an amazing view of all Athens spread at my feet.

Here, of course, I'm looking toward the Piraeus with the iconic Acropolis and Parthenon at center. Filoupappou Hill, which I hiked on Friday, lies just behind them. If I could write the brief guide to Athens, it would simply state that one is going either up or downhill.

Another Hill in the 'Hood

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:44:00 +0000

I finally climbed the Lykavittos Hill on Sunday afternoon; it's been on my "to do" list since the last time I visited Athens! Again, it was a gorgeous day yesterday, too nice to stay indoors. And the view from the top was incredible. Getting there, however, took quite a bit of work! Just to prove my labors, I recorded the number of stairs involved, starting along the Odos Loukianou in Kolonaki.

We begin with the most gentle of grades... and you can take your pick, stairs or incline.

More steps await!

Voila! But we aren't finished yet; the ascent between these apartment buildings brings you to the base of the actual hill/park area. There are still more stairs to come.

The climb did become more picturesque at this point. The entire south side of the Lykavittos was covered with the same huge, grey-green aloe plants that had impressed me on Filoupappou.

I've heard of loosing the forest for the trees, but what about loosing the forest for the aloe leaves?

More of the same. So beautiful!

And finally, the goal is in sight! Just a few more steps to go...

The church of Agios Georgios at the peak
(and the highest point in Athens).

Agios Georgios again, but after I'd conquered the Lykavittos.

There were lots of other folks who thought climbing the hill was a good way to spend their Sunday afternoon. Or perhaps they took the funicular (another viable option). It was pretty windy on top and most people ended up in the coffee shop/restaurant once they had taken in the view. Aren't you glad I didn't document the trip down?

The new Acropolis Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 13:51:00 +0000

I took the long route back after climbing the Filopappou hill last evening. Here are a few glimpses of the new Acropolis Museum:

View from the hill behind my house

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 13:44:00 +0000

Monument on Filopappou Hill

I decided to play hookey yesterday. Fridays will regularly serve as writing days for me, rather than library research, but I think this counted as "mental health." Still trying to get back into a routine of taking notes and staring at my computer after a busy summer.

And it was such a beautiful day! I ran some errands in the morning and by late afternoon was back at my apartment building. I decided I ought to explore the local scenery, setting off to climb Filopappou Hill, just a few blocks north. As you can see from the photo below, I'd already begun the ascent the moment I stepped outside my front door...

Filopappou is named after the late-Roman benefactor of Athens whose burial monument sits at the top of the hill. There is a lovely network of paths that wind through the park and connect Filopappou with the Pnyx (where the Athenian assembly used to gather). It was the perfect time of evening to wander among the other tourists, with perhaps some locals. And the views were breath-taking.

Looking from Filopappou toward the Piraeus

A view of the Parthenon

Me sitting in the park with the Acropolis serving as backdrop!

Another view of the Parthenon and Acropolis

(I love the huge aloe in the foreground)

The Gennadius Library

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:32:00 +0000

This is where I've been spending the majority of my time since arriving last week, and where I will invest many future hours, as well! The Gennadius Library represents the post-classical (medieval to modern Greek) holdings of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. It also has a fantastic collection of geographical literature and travel accounts from Greece and surrounding countries. Of course, these are the items that I'm most interested in... I spent several weeks last summer reading through the texts by pilgrims and other travelers who visited and describe the Sinai monastery. I'll be doing more of the same this coming year!

Our Athens Apartment

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:21:00 +0000

Here's the front door of my apartment building in Athens! I am sharing a flat with a friend and colleague of mine. Ann is also a U of C graduate student - we've TA'ed together in the past and work together pretty well. So far the living arrangements have gone incredibly smoothly! It's been fun to figure out housekeeping in another country/culture. There are little quirks, like having to turn on the hot water heater 15-20 minutes before showering, figuring out a European-style washing machine (for clothes), and navigating the apartment building hallways with their timed, push-button lights. I usually end up standing in the dark halfway up the stairs...

Our apartment, however, has lots of light! We've got balconies on the front and back, so that we can enjoy fresh air and afternoon sunlight. The living room and kitchen are quite spacious.

This is where we usually sit while checking email and trying to connect with family and friends by Skype. Right now our internet access is rather inconsistent. We don't have our own wireless set up, so we mooch off the local airwaves. Depending on the time of day/night, it seems like other people are doing the same thing, and thus reception really varies in strength. Definitely smthg. on the list for future improvement!

Another view from the exterior; our balcony is on the upper right of the left-hand apartment building (with the faded awning, although it's barely visible!).

First Outing

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:50:00 +0000

The Hephaisteion, Agora, Athens

On Wednesday of last week (16 Sept.), I joined many of the regular student members at ASCSA for a guided tour of the Hephaisteion in the Athenian Agora. We got a basic introduction to classical architecture, and a detailed overview of the scholarship and interpretation of this 5th-century temple. Dedicated to the god Hephaistos, the building is among the best-preserved Greek temples still standing. We discussed possible iconography in the metopes and Ionic friezes, the contested reconstruction of the interior, and the problematic contemporary presence of lots and lots of pigeons.

ASCSA student members with Prof. Margaret Miles

I was esp. interested by the later history of the Hephaisteion. It was turned into a medieval church during the 7th century - the barrel vault of the interior still survives, although the apse has been removed from the front of the structure. And there is quite a bit of medieval to modern graffiti on the walls. At the end of the 18th century, the temple became a burial grounds for foreigners who happened to die in Athens. Hopefully our group can avoid any premature endings... We've all been successfully tested and cleared for consumption (TB) and walking pneumonia as part of our application for residence permits. I have a chest x-ray as proof and souvenir. =)

Being able to walk in and around the temple naos and its porch columns was a privilege that I didn't get on my visit last summer!

Stolpersteine and the Judisches Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Kristine) — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 17:59:00 +0000

Although these fall somewhat out of chronological order in my posts, I figure I may as well continue with a few more memorials to the Jews of Berlin and their persecution/deaths during World War II. It's hard to know what else is appropriate after my visit to Sachsenhausen.

The Stolpersteine (literally: stumbling stones) are a memorial project placed throughout the city. They are polished metal plates set into the cobblestones of Berlin's sidewalks. It took me a while to notice them, but they are everywhere. Each Stolperstein carries the name of a Jewish person who lived in Berlin and was deported and often murdered during the Holocaust. Their birth and death dates are included on the stones, along with the name of the concentration camps in which they were interred.

In this closeup, you can read the names of an entire family. The last Stolperstein on the right commemorates an infant - only a year old when they were deported to Auschwitz. Her sister wasn't any older than 4. These Stolpersteine were just down the street from the Goethe Institute.

I also spent a full afternoon/evening at the Judisches Museum. It deals with a history of Jewish exile and persecution specifically (so not exactly religious history). The new addition to the building, designed by Daniel Libeskind, opened in 2001. It is incredibly striking modern architecture, as thought-provoking as the exhibits inside. From what I've heard, the space of the museum is meant to make as much of an impression as the material presented. There are lots of long narrow corridors, sharp corners, and empty, echoing architectural fragments.

The most effective of these spaces was a triangular 'void' that remained open through all 3 floors of the building. On floor level, it served to hold the installation "Shalechet" or "Fallen Leaves" by Israeli artist Menashe Kadishman. This was a thick carpet of steel ovals, each punctured and welded to form human faces with mouths open. Visitors were invited to walk across the installation. It was rather awful. Not just the thought of attaching human identities to the abstracted sculptural forms, but the precarious act of walking and the sound. You had to move slowly and watch each step. The noise of the steel faces (the fallen leaves) hitting one another and shifting beneath your own weight was incredibly grating. It hurt my ears, and I don't think I'll ever forget the experience.

Zinc-coated facade of the Libeskind building;
lots of lines and random zigzags.

The juxtaposition of old and new buildings that make up the Judisches Museum

Olive trees planted in the "Garden of Exile."

This was another contemplative architectural space, not quite as jarring as "The Void," but also disorienting due to a sloping ground line. I never actually got around to the Holocaust Memorial, dedicated in May 2005 and located south of the Brandenburger Tor. Like the new addition to the Judisches Museum, it is abstractly conceived - an undulating field of nearly 3,000 concrete stelae. That leaves something for my next trip to Berlin, I suppose.