Hello from Greece!

The photos below were taken at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.  We were lucky enough to have the fabulous Dr. Diotima Liantini as our guide. The museum is a treasure trove of precious Greek antiquities. Without Diotima, one would have difficulty knowing where to start and how to end this extravaganza of exhibits.  For two hours, Diotima led us through the highlights of the museum. She brought ancient Greek art to life with her mesmerizing stories and well-studied interpretations of the symbology and history behind each work.  It is deeply moving to experience ancient works of art. The experience was enhanced by Diotima’s educational stories and explanations.

What we learned at the museum is that the ancients lived, ate, drank, worked and played, got educated, fell in love, raised their families, and had strong family ties. They laughed and they cried. They fell sick to pandemics. They died young or of old age. They celebrated birth, sportsmanship, weddings. They philosophized. They wrote out their thoughts and created poetry and music. They formulated various calculations and developed ancient computers. They grieved loss of loved ones. They created functional art such as vases and amphorae, but they also created art for the sake of expressing pure beauty.   The ancients were not all that different from us!

The story behind the photo above:

I was in Athens in September of 2021, when we were still required to wear masks. At the time, the Delta variant of COVID had just become the latest issue and we had to be extremely cautious when in public and around other people. I have a photo of my masked self in Warrior II.

Yesterday, I really wanted a photo of me doing an unmasked version of Warrior II in front of Athena.  There was one issue! In each room, there are museum guards making sure no one touches any works of art. Photos are allowed, but not photos in which one is posing in a yoga asana. I am not sure why this is not allowed, but perhaps it is seen as being disrespectful. Or perhaps there is the risk of losing one’s balance and toppling a valued work of art. Well, in order to get this photo, we had to be furtive and fast.  Lydia (I think this is the one Lydia took!), our Greek assistant, took this photo of me. “Fran, look quickly! Is the guard behind me?” Yes, the guard was behind her, but he was busy observing a large group of tourists who had just crowded into the room. “We’re good! Let’s do this. Quick!” I gave her the okay!  We did it! Later when I got home, I played with the image and came up with the above photo. It was well worth the risk and the trouble of going against museum rules.

Below are a few more photos for you from yesterday’s visit to the museum.

Gold