This weekend we concentrated on Greece. We took the late train to Athens and stayed in an apartment. Our tour guide and van found us Saturday morning and we went to Corinth, which we had been amazed was on no arranged tours or even covered in Rick Steves! Imagine a place so remote!
It did not take all day to figure out why. In Corinth was a wonderful canal with some amazing bridges and the ruins of Ancient Corinth. The Greek city was totally destroyed by the Romans
except for the a temple which does date from the 6th century BC. The rest of the ruins are of the Roman city where Paul preached and to who he wrote several letters. Our wonderful guide showed us all the hedonism and the reasons for the wealth of Corinth which back then was the larges and richest of the Greek city states.
It was all amazing but that plus some wine and cheese by the canal was all there was to Corinth. However it was exactly what we wanted to see (3 of us anyway and the 4th was a good sport) so we came back to Athens, had a gyro dinner and fried cheese.
Took the train home Sunday and ate dinner by the water. A nice break from the work site.
And a reminder that we are not part of the transitory life or chaotic displacement of the residents we work with. Even if we lived in the camp - curtained doors, community cooking and washing, outhouses and endless waiting, we volunteers will be leaving, with documents and freedom. It is impossible to understand lives without those things or the behavior that results from it. It is constantly a temptation to judge or suggest or evaluate, but, as in all lives that are not our own, we can only offer what we have and hope it is something.
It did not take all day to figure out why. In Corinth was a wonderful canal with some amazing bridges and the ruins of Ancient Corinth. The Greek city was totally destroyed by the Romansexcept for the a temple which does date from the 6th century BC. The rest of the ruins are of the Roman city where Paul preached and to who he wrote several letters. Our wonderful guide showed us all the hedonism and the reasons for the wealth of Corinth which back then was the larges and richest of the Greek city states.
It was all amazing but that plus some wine and cheese by the canal was all there was to Corinth. However it was exactly what we wanted to see (3 of us anyway and the 4th was a good sport) so we came back to Athens, had a gyro dinner and fried cheese.
Took the train home Sunday and ate dinner by the water. A nice break from the work site.
And a reminder that we are not part of the transitory life or chaotic displacement of the residents we work with. Even if we lived in the camp - curtained doors, community cooking and washing, outhouses and endless waiting, we volunteers will be leaving, with documents and freedom. It is impossible to understand lives without those things or the behavior that results from it. It is constantly a temptation to judge or suggest or evaluate, but, as in all lives that are not our own, we can only offer what we have and hope it is something.
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