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timerippleI love Milton.
... from Morn
To Noon he fell, from Noon to dewy Eve,
A Summers day; and with the setting Sun
Dropt from the Zenith like a falling star
Went to v. interesting (if slightly over my head) lecture on Narcissism in Ovid and Milton this afternoon. V. cool.
March 25, 2004
Athens
Oh, how I hate buses. Fortunately, by returning to Athens via Trikala and Lamia rather than Larisa, we arrived about an hour earlier than previously scheduled. We were just in time to view the military parade in honor of the Greek Day of Independence from the comfort of our hotel balcony. Before this culminating excitement, however, we passed no fewer than three sites of historical importance.
The first of these was Thermopylae, of which my travel documents say, "the site of the heroic battle of Leonidas' 300 doomed Spartans against Xerxes' huge Persian army."
Next was the Plain of Thebes; somewhere there lies the site of "poor, unhappy Oedipus'" tragedies. All that was visible from the bus, though, was farmland.
Finally, 22 miles (or 27, depending on which guidebook you read) from Athens we passed Marathon, "where in 490 B.C. 10,000 Athenians defeated more than twice that number of Persian invaders" (my travel documents again). The Persians seem to have had rather a rough time of it, I must say. Although I am not entirely convinced that the Athenian soldier who ran all 22 (or 27) miles to gasp out news of the victory was any better off. After all, he pronounced his joyous announcement and promptly dropped dead of exhaustion.
Then there was the parade: people crowding both sides of the street, police looking bored, and the occasional stray dog running about here and there. There were pony rides in the park, important officials in special shaded bleachers, and bread, balloon, and souvenir vendors beyond count. The procession itself consisted of a few rows of soldiers, an enthusiastic marching band, countless jeeps, tanks, and motorbikes or all shapes, more ranks of military personnel, and another few (silent) marching bands for good measure. The entire spectacle lasted about an hour, after which the barriers were removed and the street filled again with its usual busy motor and pedestrian traffic.
... from Morn
To Noon he fell, from Noon to dewy Eve,
A Summers day; and with the setting Sun
Dropt from the Zenith like a falling star
Went to v. interesting (if slightly over my head) lecture on Narcissism in Ovid and Milton this afternoon. V. cool.
March 25, 2004
Athens
Oh, how I hate buses. Fortunately, by returning to Athens via Trikala and Lamia rather than Larisa, we arrived about an hour earlier than previously scheduled. We were just in time to view the military parade in honor of the Greek Day of Independence from the comfort of our hotel balcony. Before this culminating excitement, however, we passed no fewer than three sites of historical importance.
The first of these was Thermopylae, of which my travel documents say, "the site of the heroic battle of Leonidas' 300 doomed Spartans against Xerxes' huge Persian army."
Next was the Plain of Thebes; somewhere there lies the site of "poor, unhappy Oedipus'" tragedies. All that was visible from the bus, though, was farmland.
Finally, 22 miles (or 27, depending on which guidebook you read) from Athens we passed Marathon, "where in 490 B.C. 10,000 Athenians defeated more than twice that number of Persian invaders" (my travel documents again). The Persians seem to have had rather a rough time of it, I must say. Although I am not entirely convinced that the Athenian soldier who ran all 22 (or 27) miles to gasp out news of the victory was any better off. After all, he pronounced his joyous announcement and promptly dropped dead of exhaustion.
Then there was the parade: people crowding both sides of the street, police looking bored, and the occasional stray dog running about here and there. There were pony rides in the park, important officials in special shaded bleachers, and bread, balloon, and souvenir vendors beyond count. The procession itself consisted of a few rows of soldiers, an enthusiastic marching band, countless jeeps, tanks, and motorbikes or all shapes, more ranks of military personnel, and another few (silent) marching bands for good measure. The entire spectacle lasted about an hour, after which the barriers were removed and the street filled again with its usual busy motor and pedestrian traffic.
