The Return, The Mask and the Whispers of Welcome

Delphi, Greece

So I find myself once again in Greece. This time I am teaching.

The ancient city of Athens welcomed me with the dry heat that defines the Mediterranean lands and the bustle found in every major airport.  The drive in reacquaints me with the stark architecture of the city; white cubes of balcony-embossed high rises with speckles of overgrown plants and miniature trees. The inner city is teeming with darting traffic and gesticulating pedestrians. The urban decay is evident in the abandoned buildings that present themselves too regularly and the all-encompassing graffiti.

This trip I am accompanied by fellow teacher Lydia (photography) and ten girls. They are sweet girls who are generous of spirit and quite sheltered. They do not see the buildings fly by the windows of our bus. The cell phones are already out.

The President Hotel is too far from the acropolis for my liking, but it is modern and clean and provides the comfort of familiarity to my students.  Wifi is 13€ for 24 hours. Apparently this nickel and diming is more common as the tourist trade becomes more desperate in the current Greek economy. I am outraged. They don’t care.

Our tour guide is George. We have met before. Back in 2002 I went on my first student travel experience as a teacher and this man was our guide. I didn’t remember him a great deal, but he remembered me. He has been doing this work for 40 years now and never plans to retire. He loves the work. And retirement is not really an option these days. He presents himself as a bit of a philosopher and sports a gigantic moustache and an Australian wide brimmed hat. The girls instantly loved him.

We visited the National Archaeological Museum and gazed into the eyes of  the death mask of Agamemnon. We would be visiting his city, Mycenae in a few days and we spoke of his role in the Trojan War. The collection of gold in this museum is breathtaking.

Afterwards we explored the Plaka. This shopping district is a feast of the senses.  George and I showed the girls how to haggle. This was somewhat ironic as I am a terrible haggler. That’s why I have Eric. He will haggle down a vendor until the cash register starts bleeding. Me…not so much. It did not take the girls long to figure out the advantages of flirtation when it came to business transactions. I chose not to notice too much.

From the Plaka I looked up to the Parthenon and felt that sense of wonder ancient ruins always give me.  She looked beautiful up there on her strategic perch. The Goddess Athene surveying the city still protects after all these years. The people, the worshippers, the spirituality behind it all now long gone. 

And yet the ancient marble still whispers across the centuries.  A quiet, gentle welcome among the cacophony of sounds amid the modern market place.