Holy Monks, Batman

Hercules Bathing … Sweet (Thermopylae)

During the bus ride I must admit I was not too keen on traveling, mostly because I was tried and it was early in the morning (for me at least). When getting off the bus in Thermopylae we were herded into a museum where was watched a 3D, entirely in Greek movie about a battle between the Spartans and Greece. I didn’t really retain much of this information because A) 3D hurts my eyes and B) I had trouble hearing our teacher translate it to us. Later, we learned that the museum was newer and didn’t yet have its English subtitles which would have been greatly appreciated by me and the rest of the group I’m sure. I did enjoy the interactive parts of the museum, though it was all in Greek, I felt like I was five again. Everything was brightly color and I found myself thinking, “Gee, what does this button do.”

Once out of museum we took a roughly five minute bus rides to the see where Hercules went to recover from his most “strenuous” task. No, friends it wasn’t a battle with a lion nor was it his tango with the Hydra. No, it was the ladies. Apparently Hercules was given fifty virgins, after completing his labors to dot, dot, dot, cause that’s what they did in the olden days. He impregnated forty-nine of them and let the last one be a Priestess for his temple. After playing the hokey pokey for while, he was tired and wanted to relax, so he took a bath Sadly, he was not in waters when we arrived.

Friends in High Places

We got to Meteora in the afternoon and rested for a bit before going to dinner. I sat next to Ioanna and Yannis, which would have been perfectly fine if A) one of them wasn’t insisted on me trying everything and giving my too much so that my plate of covered in food I refused to eat and B) the other wasn’t nagging me about good table manners. That wasn’t the most important thing about Meteora though. In Meteora there are Monasteries on top of very tall cliffs. (On a side note, just so you all know I DO NOT HIKE EVER). Climbing up the monasteries was amazing, yes I was winded half the time and had to wear God awful skirts but the hike was well worth it. I don’t know how else to describe it except for beautiful, I almost cried and I am not a crier.

Let’s Asks the Gods (Delphi)

There were so many questions I’ve been meaning to ask someone but I was too afraid of sounding like an idiot or maybe they wouldn’t know the answer or even worse it may be wildly inappropriate. Where was my Oracle when I needed one? Answer, apparently in Greece. At Delphi there is a virgin Oracle, or at least the all the Oracles started out being virgins but because of a virgin shortage at the factory (women started getting lose and frisky) the Oracle no longer needed to be a virgin. People would come with offerings from all around for a chance to ask the oracle a question. I didn’t actually ask a question … maybe I should have but I defiantly didn’t have something like a giant gold bull to offer her. I did like looking at the theatre of Delphi, it wasn’t has big as the ones by the Acropolis but just as gorgeous.

This part does not deserve its own section but I feel the need to mention in it so here goes… has anyone seen the movie Troy? It was okay from what I can tell. The dialogue needed some work but then again I was barely listening. I was cracking joked with Kendra as the boys watched it intensely on the ride back to Athens. I have come to the conclusion that the only reason a girl may enjoy this film is because of the actors, which Kendra and I referred to as Hot Guy #1, Hot Guy #2 etc. So I think I’m going to write a screenplay for Troy 2. Here’s the tagline: “Just when you thought they couldn't get any hotter, they ate their vegetables and did: Troy 2, It's getting hot in here so take off all your skirts, (More men, More Skirts, More Hotness."