Ladies, Grab Your Wallets

The day started in Napfilo (coincidentally the same city in which the previous day ended) with a climb up the 999 steps to Fort Palamidi - for the high school kids. Those of us with knee problems or the smarts not to climb all those stairs were chauffeured in air-conditioned comfort to the top of the hill by bus. The fort overlooks the town and harbor and is a testament to engineering and construction in the 16th Century. Nice view, unless you were a prisoner there - in which case you would most likely go blind in the windowless cells.

From there we re-boarded the bus and headed for the ancient ruins of Corinth. Renowned for it's luxuries and lavish lifestyle, the city was once considered the pleasure capital of Greece. The city rests on the isthmus between the Aegean and Ionian seas and it's founders were smart enough to build a port on both sides. Merchants from all over the world would come to sell their goods to Greece's jetsetters, other merchants, and travel-weary sailors.

The patron goddess of Corinth was Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. As such, she had a sacred temple just outside the merchant market where her priestesses would practice (and were proficient in) the art of, as our guide explained it, sacred prostitution. One would expect no less from the Goddess of Love. An interesting side note and a footnote in the history of advertising: these priestesses would wear sandals with symbols on the bottom that read "follow me" that would point the way on the dusty roads to where their sacred rituals could be performed.

We saw the sacred Bema where St. Paul gave his sermon, his gospel, on love. "Love is patient, love is kind"...I thought these were just words written in the Bible and chosen by my wife for our wedding. Turns out this was the place where this sermon was delivered, specifically to inform the wayward merchants and sailors that the kind of love being ritualized by Aphrodite's priestesses was in stark contrast to the kind of love as outlined by the one, true God. I understand that part of my wedding ceremony a lot better now.

The highlight of Corinth is the ancient Roman mall complete with a marble-paved street, vendor shops, a fountain, and even a public restroom. One can imagine the kind of commerce that happened on this street and the number of people that came from all walks of life and cultures that bought and sold and shopped here. It is humbling to walk the same street...especially when you're running low on Euro. Clearly, no longer are there stores here and I couldn't have bought anything if there had been. Hey! It's just like being at home...only with ancient ruins.

We crossed over the canal that was built in the early 20th Century to connect the two bodies of water - we actually got out of the bus and walked across the bridge. You have to see the color of this water to believe it. Technically it has no color - it's water - but it takes on the appearance of the most brilliant electric blue you can imagine. It makes you want to jump in - not a good idea from 300 hundred feet.

We stopped for a nice meal on the Aegean side. Calamari. Big calamari with creamy french fries. On the water. In Greece. Pinch me.

From there it was back to Athens. Tomorrow should prove a grand adventure. The group is heading to the island of Hydra for a beach day. Michael and I are splitting from the group to pursue some personal interests for our classrooms. Michael is really interested in seeing the agora - the birthplace of western democracy - and the museum on the grounds below the Acropolis (this was not on our tour back a hundred years ago - or was it four days ago? - hard to keep track). I am trying to get photographed at as many temples as possible. If we take some public transportation tomorrow, we should be able to hit the temples of Poseidon, Zeus, and Hephaestus for me.

It has been a whirlwind of exciting places to visit and food to sample. Only one day left and it's going to be jam-packed. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks for following the blog. Good night, Moon (Good night, Selene).