Another early morning bus ride. Another large consumption of carbs. Another busy day in the books.
Starting my morning at 7:30 after getting only 5 hours of sleep was pretty miserable. But at least breakfast was good. I stuffed myself with scrambled eggs, bacon, and both normal and sweet tiropita (while downing several cups of coffee, of course). Promptly at 8:30 am, we left for Epidaurus. Epidaurus is a location known for its archaeological site and impressive amphitheater that boasts great acoustics (music festivals are still held here every summer). It was also the home area of Asklepios, the demigod/hero son of the god Apollo and a mortal woman named Kleo, known for his specialized healing ability. Legend says that Asklepios died and then came back to the mortal world, hence breaking the distinction of mortal and immortal. He ends up becoming the official healing god and is immortalized. The archaeological site of Epidaurus itself is essentially a large field filled with really old rocks. There aren't too many standing structures left beyond a few pillars, platforms, and alters. Combine a site that's not too exciting in the first place (no offense), being absolutely beyond exhausted, and experiencing cold/windy/cloudy weather equals me feeling like I actually blacked out for much of the morning. It was not the greatest part of the trip. However, the theater made up for it. I was more awake by this time, and the place was really aesthetically pleasing (thanks to the fact that its construction is based on the Golden Mean). I ran up one of the entire enormous stairways as my morning exercise and took some fabulous pics. I also made a new friend: a little gray and white cat with bright green eyes. He was very photogenic as well (of course I had a photoshoot with the cat). After Epidaurus, we were supposed to visit Franchthi Cave, which is a pre-palatial cave civilization that was significant in the transition from hunter/gatherer societies to agricultural communities in this part of the world. But the clouds were threatening to unleash themselves onto us at any moment, so we ended up just turning around and heading back to Nafplio (woohoo!). I promptly fell asleep as soon as I got onto the bus - but not without a quick intermission to grab a fresh tiropita from a little bakery. Unfortunately, this particular cheese pie tasted like feet (too. much. feta. ugh.) and I couldn't make myself finish it. Once back at the Victoria Hotel in Nafplio, I went upstairs to rest and also Skyped my mom. Around 3:00 pm, several other women and I went to explore the town some more before our wine and ouzo tasting that was scheduled for 6:30. We went by the water, took amazing photos on some large rocks, and collected shells and sea glass. Then we went to the shops, pausing briefly for one of the girls to get her second lobe piercing! What a great bonding experience. By the end of the evening, I had bought a pair of handmade leather sandals, a bottle of house red wine from the wine tasting (for only 5 euros!), and a small chocolate/pistachio gelato. Now I'm off for some fun chill time with people before hitting the hay. - Hannah
3 Comments
Richard Bisbing
2/14/2017 06:22:40 pm
aesculapius is the healer in medicine
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Richard Bisbing
2/14/2017 06:30:08 pm
you should read about the staff of asklepios and also about the caduceus
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Richard Bisbing
2/14/2017 06:31:42 pm
check this website out:
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Hannah BisbingStudent @ Penn State. Figure skater. Writer. Traveler. Coffee fanatic. Foodie. Semi-professional people watcher who recently returned home from backpacking around Europe. All photos taken by me, unless otherwise noted.
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