Hello From Athens

Greetings

We are now in Athens. We are all safe and sound after our cruise across the Aegean.

We toured the small but amazing museum in Santorini. It has the remains of Akrotiri the Pompei of the Aegean. While Pompei dates to the first century AD, Akrotiri dates to about 1650 BC. There are amzing frescos one with monkeys!! Also a chair (they were able to pour plaster of paris into the holes in the volcanic ash and they were able to recover the outline of chairs and beds etc. They have many everyday objects as well as art.

We then were able to have an hour or so to enjoy the fantastic view and then we were off to the ship. It was a larger ferry which hauled cars and motorcycles underneath. We travel to out hotel and then met in the lobby for a walk to the National Archaelogical Museum. It has amazing finds.

It has material from all over Greece including the islands. There are many fine examples of Greek pottery from all the periods from Geometric on to Black and Red figures pottery. There are many fine bronze statues also. Most which were recovers from the sea. The large bronze of Zeus is one of the finest pieces in the museum. The museum also hs the Mycenaen materials from the tombs of Mycenae. Schliemann found gold desk masks and fine gold objects. Also on display on the second floor are some of the frescos from ancient Thera.

After our visit to the museum we had dinner at the hotel.

Tomorrow we visit Corinth and Mycenae.

John Wineland
Athens