Day 7- Sun. May 17

Day 7 (Sunday, May 17): Mythos

In the morning today, I was able to chat with Abe online. Its so nice being able to stay in touch after not having access to wi-fi. This trip has been a really good growing point for our relationship. Its a challenge to maintain a relationship from afar. We are both learning a lot about ourselves and each other. Both what we individually need to feel loved, and how to make the other person feel loved when we aren't physically present is really teaching us a lot.

After that, the whole class trouped on up to the Mythos ruins. They are sooo cool! They city was built into the side of a hill to provide better fortification. There is an initial wall with one gate that you enter through. The immediate ruins there are residences. People who lived there were city officials and the like. Above that, there is a second wall. Aristocrats and the really important people lived behind that wall. There is a cobbled street that runs through it all. It is a BAD road. Its so lumpy and uncomfortable, but neat too. Apparently clear roads were very important to the Byzantines, so there were laws banning people from obstructing the roads. There couldn't be dead animals, hangings or arguments in the streets. Huh, eh?

The ruins were post- Ancient Greek, and post- Roman. They were Byzantine empire, post 7th century, and a lot was from 14th to 15th century. Somehow I got separated from Paula so I wandered about with my professors. It was neat to be able to share at least some of my thoughts and observations with people. Normally I do that with Abe, and I must admit, I really miss being able to share things with him. I see something really neat and I turn to say something, and he is not there. Its disconcerting at times.

The city was built using Roman era ruins of Sparta, 6 kilometers away, and it was really interesting to see how they used the Greek marble in places. Another interesting difference from the Greek ruins was that the Greeks like to carve their marble and embellish with carving and paint. During the Byzantine era, they decorated with the masonry. Old red tile shingles were laid out in patterns, and sometimes the bricks in buildings were in patterns. In the churches/ chapels there were mosaics in floor and the walls – made of cement and stone masonry – were plastered over and painted. Everything inside was painted. It was incredible how no space was un-decorated and to think of the time it would take! The detail.

When we finally got to the top, it was an incredible view. It took several hours, as it was one kilometer from our hotel to the base, then 5 +/- to the top – then back again! But it was so worth it. On one side, you could see the plains stretching on as far as the eye could see. Then on the other side were majestic cliffs, snow topped mountains, and wooded hillsides. It was so incredibly beautiful its hard to express. A wonderful day.