King Philip of Thessaly

March 30^th 2007 Athens-Corinth-Mycenae-Tolo

Zachary Lucia

The beginning of sun’s assent, and the loud ringing of the far-too-early 6:30 wake up call, woke the ETS travelers. After our long drive from Thessaloniki, six hours, sleep had been welcomed by all, but now we woke again at Athens’ Mirabelo hotel. We prepared to go, by bus, to Corinth, Mycenae, and then to finish at the delightful seaside town of Tolo. But we had to arrive at Mycenae by 3 o’clock, and so our breakfast was cut short, and departure was early. Even though breakfast time was limited we still enjoyed it, how could one not for it was food and better than that it was Greek food! It was nice to return to the scrumptious Greek breakfast that we had first experienced. Yogurt and peaches was a common item seen at the tables, along with tea and coffee as we filled our bloodstream with as much caffeine that we could in preparation for another long, though wonderfully filled, day.

We began to lug our luggage that only seemed to get heavier as the days went by, down the spiraling stairs of Mirabelo. Everyone bustled about as ETS prepared for its 7:45 departure. 7:45 became 8:10 as luggage was mixed with an Italian group that was also staying at our hotel, and also leaving at the same time. The lobby was packed with at least a hundred suitcases. So the morning had started, people finally settled into their seats on the bus that marvelously navigated the narrow streets of Athens, leaving its’ white splendor behind.

As we began our entry into Corinth, passing over the deep Isthmus canal, Costas, one of our two marvelous tour guides, explained that Corinth was a major city in Greece, her age being 8,000. Alexander the Great, after his massive campaign, had created four major cities in his empire: Alexandria, Ephesus, Antioch, and Corinth. Alexandria, Ephesus, and Antioch, all had major roads that flowed into their cities from Africa, Asia Minor, and other parts of the world. These goods came into Europe by passing into Corinth, making her riches grand. Romans had destroyed Corinth, but it was rebuilt by Augustus (Octavian). After its re-birth, Jews came to inhabit Corinth, which made it a synagogue filled city. When Paul came 100 years later, it was once again a thriving city. Corinth was destroyed in 1858 by an earthquake, and was rebuilt further north from its ancient site. The previous sight of Corinth was later found and it was eagerly excavated. But the Greeks could only find Classical Corinth by destroying the Roman age of Corinth. They weren’t able to destroy Roman Corinth, which left it preserved. Because of this, the ruins of Corinth are a biblical site; the stones which Paul once walked on are still there today.

The sun was brightly shining, a pleasant change as the weather in northern Greece had been often grey and gloomy. With the suns’ light brightening the ancient ruins, ETS looked at the old theater, which once had the capacity of nineteen to twenty-two thousand people. But what was more important was that we were in the ancient city where Paul evangelized, and wrote his letter to the Romans. As if this mere thought wasn’t awing enough, Costas showed us the ancient road that led into Corinth. A large stone block, had the name Erastus, treasurer of the city, engraved on its surface. He then connected the stone with the Scriptures. Romans 16:23 says, “…Erastus, the city treasurer greets you…” The name was once a tool for those trying to disprove the Bible, for Erastus’ name wasn’t found in the records of the treasurers of Corinth. They said that Paul was just making up the name, for it was seldom found in Greece. But there, on the stone block, the name was engraved, giving proof Paul’s words, giving proof of the Bible. Erastus had placed the road as a simple gift, but now hundreds of years later it is a valuable gift to us Christians, as authenticity to the World of Biblical truth. We also stood at the place where individuals proclaimed their beliefs to the people, the Bema. This elevated stage is where Paul also proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ. The Bema was also where the authorities judged those that the people brought before them. Mrs. O’Brien read this verse as Costas pointed out the literal translation, “For we must all appear before the judgment (Bema) seat of Christ…”(2 Corinthians 5:10) Not only did we look upon that which Paul also did, but we also were able to put mental pictures of the illustrations in the New quizament.

On the way to Mycenae, the ancient kingdom of Agamemnon, our bus was filled with attempts at finding a song we all knew and then attempts at singing it. We began strolling down through classic Disney songs. Marry Poppins, Jungle Book, Beauty and the Beast and so on. But finally we arrived at the ancient city, and looked upon the Lion Gate, where Agamemnon bid farewell, and where Clytemnestra began fulfilling her murderous plot. At the feet of Mycenae’s ancient walls, Zach O’Brien, and Evelyn Blacklcok read, from the Oresteia, the parts of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, when Agamemnon had at last returned from Troy, victorious.

After passing the Lion gate, James, our other brilliant tour guide, pointed out a mountain in the distance. He said that it was believed to be the sleeping Agamemnon. Sure enough as our eyes looked at it, you could see a head, nose, arms crossed at the chest, and then two humps for feet, we gasped in awe, for some the gasp was slightly delayed, but nonetheless the mountain did indeed look like a sleeping man.

We strolled through the ancient city that dated back to the time of Abraham, and came to the supposed place where Clytemnestra carried the final part of her murderous plot. There Ann Marie Sierra read the part of Cassandra, the priestess of Apollo, when she foretold the coming doom of Agamemnon.

Our last tour before leaving Agamemnon’s city behind was into a cave. At the bottom a pool of water bubbled up, a water reserve in case the city was besieged. Mr. Hinrichs boldly led the way down the steep path that enveloped all who walked upon it, into dank and complete darkness. Save, of course, for those that carried flashlights. The lights swayed back and forth, as they pierced the darkness, sending the shadows deeper into the earth, far beneath the sunlit surface. As we walked down the path feeling our way, and some ducking their heads, the thought crossed my mind, “What was at the bottom of this cave? Could Mr. Hinrichs be leading us into a fire-breathing-dragon lair, in order to fill the blue jar that sits in his classroom window sill?” This particular blue jar has the evilly written words, ‘Ashes of problem students’. But of course, this was all just the “heebie jeebies” as Calvin would say. At the bottom, almost to my disappointment and of course at the same time my deep satisfaction; lay not a dragon, but mud, the only remnants of the well from so long ago.

There was one final stop before we had lunch, then the journey to Tolo where we would stay the night. This stop was the supposed tomb of Agamemnon. Grass covered the beehive shaped mound. We walked through the door, and above our heads were stone slabs weighing at least 140 tons! The stones created a cone-like dome, the diameter growing smaller and smaller as it went up. There were quite a few groups in the tomb at once, but a time came when we were the only ones inside. Mr. Hinrichs took the opportunity to have the group sing, Dona Nobis Pacem, and the Doxology. The music of our voices carried up to the ceiling and walls, then bounced back, so that all could hear each individual singing. This was one of the couple times we experienced the wonderful acoustics of ancient stone buildings.

Lunch was delicious, mostly because of the Blood Orange juice. Its dark orange liquid tasted similar to an Orange Julius only the Blood Orange juice was simply juice, not filled with sugar. After the meal was done, the room became alive as Zach O’Brien, and Nicolas Nunez spotted a piano. They played jazz duets together, and a couple of others, including myself, relished in the ability to use our fingers that itched to play and have music come from their efforts. We had previously played on our legs or the bus seats in front of us, and sadly the only outcome of that playing was the people around you going mad with annoyance, as your fingers made tapping sounds.

As the sun started the last part of her journey, and night started to creep forward in the East, we arrived at the Hotel Tolo, in Tolo. We were surprised to find the Aegean Sea lapping the shore just outside the dinning room windows. Several from the group were daring enough to wade out into the freezing cold water, the very same that Paul had sailed upon. Though it was cold, it was just as beautiful as all the calendar pictures. That night, ETS fell asleep to the quiet sound of the gentle waves lapping on the shore.

Erastus- from Corinthians

Seneca