Trip End Notes

Classes over! We have crammed in years of course work in history, geography, theology and international politics  into 6 weeks. At the same time, we have spent invaluable time with one another. We have been enriched by the experience in ways we planned as well as in ways that that we will never know.  We thank God for this spectacular opportunity and the staff at the office for holding down the fort in our absence. We are forever grateful to them!!

We made it safely to MN! To God be the Glory!!!! 

As we settle into regular routine, we now begin to imagine what, if any territory Ojemba will conquer next year. Further east—China; closer to the mother continent, Africa; or other parts of our adopted country, United States.  Or stay in MN. 

Thoughts on Greece

This Ojemba blogpost will be incomplete without comments on Greece and its people and how our experience in Greece compares with the Turkey experience. First, we found the people of Greece very welcoming, generous and interesting. 

The relationship between the two countries is a very delicate subject, and which we can’t wade into here. But the centuries’ old rivalry with Turkey is more palpable in Greece than in Turkey. It is a sour subject to bring up Turkey, or tell locals that you visited Turkey and had a good time there. And for sure, do not mistake the countries or their cities in conversations. One Greek driver’s first question was: honestly, what do they think about us; they still believe that Greece belongs to them.  The Ottoman Empire may have ruled part or all of modern day Greece for better part of 400 years, but that was a long time ago. It is Ojemba's opinion that there may be some parallels between the relationships of these two counties and that of India and Pakistan.  It doesn’t help that for the Greeks, Istanbul or Constantinopolis as they still refer to it, is the seat of the Greek Orthodox Church and remains of religious significance.   

The Turks seemed a little miffed about not being able to join the EU (and maybe rightly so) but mostly relaxed about Greece except on the Cyprus question but even then they have lots of other and more pressing issues – Syria, the Kurds, etc.  It probably helps that their economy is booming so they can relax and enjoy the good times.

The economic crisis in Greece seems to have had a huge impact on the locals. Though we did not have the privilege of visiting Greece before the financial meltdown, it appears to us that this place has been hit real, real hard. It is visible everywhere you look.   Graffiti all over Athens gives a wrong vibe about this place, and makes it unattractive; which does not help the tourism industry. Some guides estimate a reduction of about 40 percent in tourism between 2011 and 2012. And there is no end in sight. 

Conversations with locals inevitably veer towards the subject of politics. With problems ranging from school closures, high unemployment, hooliganism and the effect of the Euro currency on the Greek economy, it is easy to understand why people will question the rationale of remaining in the Euro zone. While in Turkey we saw a vibrant economy, robust infrastructural investment, in Greece those are lacking. And with the Euro, it is more expensive to visit here than Turkey. At the end, the destiny of Greece lies with Greeks.

It is difficult to imagine this problem being solved while Greece continues using the Euro currency. All creditors, foreign and domestic have to agree on that the survival of the economy is so important that they agree to wipe out most if not all their debt—not just giving the country a new payment plan. This is highly unlikely.

Some minor setbacks we encountered:

We got a speeding ticket on our way from Sanliurfa to Gazientep. Fine 138 Turkish Lira. The officers thought it was hilarious that we could not communicate with one another. They gave Paschal a glass of cold water, and with broken English communicated the offense and punishment. Got the ticket, and had to give the rental car guy the money to settle the ticket.

On our way back, we misjudged the gas reserve we had in our car. While running out of benzene gas, we stopped by a couple of Patrol stations who told us that we had to drive several kilometers before we can get the gas. Some stations that sell Patrol do not sell benzene. We finally ran into an entrepreneurial young man who solved the problem for us. We backed into the back of a neighbor shop and they siphoned benzene gas into our car – “just like buying petrol on the road in naija”.  Thank God it was not adulterated fuel.

Healthwise, we had a good trip.  A few allergic reactions to nuts – Carrying around Piriton was a life saver.  Otherwise, a few cuts and bruises – nothing major.  However, one of the kids brought strep with them from the US and we noticed the scarlet fever bumps while still in Istanbul but did not connect it to strep.  After a week of progressively getting worse, we finally made the connection – we got antibiotics from the pharmacist and then everything cleared up.  

Last Full Day in Greece

For our last Sunday here, we attended church service at a Greek Orthodox Church, Agio Nikalaos. First for all.Though we did not understand any single word as the service is conducted entirely in Ancient Greek, it was a fascinating and eye-opening experience for all of us. It gave Paschal great respect for an Orthodox Church Cantor his office once represented when her church, located in Portland, Oregon, successfully filed immigration petition to secure her permanent residency in the United States. The Cantor is integral to the Orthodox church service as a lot of the liturgy is sung.

 

We also watched the Sunday Morning Changing of the Guard by the tomb of an unknown soldier. Our experience watching the Turkey military band at the Military Museum  made this a very interesting experience, offering us opportunity to compare the two.  The guards (called Evzones)  were dressed in the traditional Greek military costume wearing a short kilt called a foustanelle with 400 pleats representing the end of 400 years of Ottoman Rule and red shoes with pompoms. 

 

 

 

 Picture with the Honor Guard

The Pigeons of Athens feasted

 

 

 

 

With a kid begging for money and then taking his calls.  Na who say beggar no get phone???

 

Acropolis Redux
We returned to the Acropolis to see a site we were unable to see last time: the Ancient Agora, which included the sites where Socrates and company spent their time; and the most preserved of the ancient Doric Greek temples: Hephastion
  
African Drummer Man, performing near the Acropolis

Stoa of Attalos II.
A gift to Athenians from King Attalos of Pergamum in 2nd BC, it was restored in the 1950s.  Socrates lectured and incited the youths of Athens to follow his teachings here.  It now houses the museum of the Agora.

 

 

 Hephastion
A little older than the Paethenon, Hephaestion was originally dedicated to Hephaistos - the god of metalworkers.  Metal workshops still exist in the area.  It was at one point used as a church before it became a museum.  

 

 Returning to our apartment for the last time

The Peloponnese- Ancient Corinth, Nafplion, and Mycenae

The Peloponnese is where Greece flowered in its Golden age and it gave us the heroes of Homer's Iliad. We covered the Eastern part of the Peloponnese and started our journey at Corinth Canal.

Corinth Canal
Conceived centuries ago, work started under Emperor Nero in AD67 but it was finally built between 1882 - 1893.  Before the canal was built , ships either had to sail all the way around the Peloponnese or use a road over which the ships were dragged with rollers.  This was phenomenal accomplishment, facilitating trade and shipping at the time.  It is a pretty narrow canal so really big ships cannot pass through.  We enjoyed looking down at a couple of pleasure craft that were passing through.

 

 

 

 

 

 A palm reading machine with the face of a Gorgon right by the canal.

 You can take a cruise through the canal

 Someone enjoying a pass through the canal - see the sheer rock walls coated with cement

Ancient Corinth
This was one of the largest Roman cities in Greece. St. Paul had numerous encounters with the city. He wrote  two letters to the Corinthians. Paul came here around AD 52. In the Acts of the Apostle, he was brought to the Proconsul of Achaia- Gallio here by the Jews on the charges of introducing christianity to the locals. Act. 18 1-17. The city gained a reputation for licentious living and Paul was concerned about the new Christians . The Romans destroyed the city in 146 BC, and rebuilt it a century later. It was later destroyed in an earthquake.

 Temple of Apollo

 

 The Bema:  The place where the Roman Proconsel held his tribunal in the Agora (marketplace) of Ancient Corinth.   This is where St. Paul was brought and accused of spreading heresies among the Jews.

 

 

 

 The Lechaion Way: the marble-paved road that linked the city to the port.

 

 

 

 Nafplion
This is a beautiful city that was the first capital of Greece after the War of Independence. It was an important city in Byzantine times and was controlled at different times by the Turks, Venetians, and Greeks.  The city still has Venetian walls and a Venetian fortress - The Palamidi Fortress.   This fortress was the site of the prison of a Greek field Marshal and one of the leaders of the Greek War of Independence against the Turks - Theodorus Kolokotronnis.  He defeated the Ottoman Army and after Independence was accused of treason, sentenced to death, spent time in a hole in the fortress and was released a year later.  He becamevery popular and learnt to write in his old age so he could write his memoirs which proved wildly popular. His reputation has been rehabilitated and there are statues of him in Nafplion and Athens and he was on the old Greek currency - the 5000 Drachma note.  (Interesting but he does not appear in the guidebooks, our driver Nick told us about him).

At a Lookout point at the Palamidi Fortress:

 Lighting candles at a Greek Orthodox church on the fortress grounds:

 Inside the prison where Kolokotrones spent a year:

 

 

 Another Lookout Point

 Lunch at a Souvlaki/Gyro spot in Nafplion

Getting the best gelato in Nafplion - between us we had the following flavors - Bubblegum, Vanilla, Lemon, Melon, Mojito, Pistacho, and Hazelnut.  Great Stuff !!!!!!!!!!

Mycenae 
Next up was the seat of the mighty Kingdom of Mycenae which ruled a large portion of the Meditarranean from 1500BC to 1100BC and came after the Minoan civilization which we saw in Crete. Click here to read about our visit.  This Kingdom is the beginning of the recognizable Greek state that we see today.  It is the Greece of Myth and Fable.  This was the Kingdom of Agamemnon of the Trojan War fame and the land was described by Homer as "rich in gold".  The works of Homer and the classical plays by Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides all cover the rulers of Mycenae

Mycenae - a UNESCO Heritage site

The Lions Gate: Erected in 13th Century BC.  This was the entrance to the Acropolis/Palace of the Mycenaen Kings.

 

Treasury of Atreus dating from the 13th century BC. The tholos tombs where Mycenae's king was buried.  According to Pausanias (a Greek traveler/Geographer/Writer from 2nd AD) this was known as the Tomb of Agamemnon in antiquity.

 

 In the Museum - Standing by a pithoi which was used to store grain.