Much of today was spent in the National Archaeological Museum, an extraordinary collection of ancient art. I was amazed with the exceptional life-like power of sculpture from the 6th and 5th centuries BCE. The funeral stelae in which the recently deceased greet long dead ancestors and relatives were evocative and poignant. Even more amazing were small seals or signet rings even older, so delicate in execution one needed a magnifying glass to see them. There was a special exhibit from Pylos and another of sculpture from the time of the Roman emperor Hadrian. Most extraordinary of all was the gold trove from ancient Mycenae. This evening we sampled drinks at The King George and Grand Bretagne hotels (next door to one another) and preferred the Grande Bretagne. We stayed fora superb dinner. I had “Athenian salad”, steamed fish mixed with homemade mayonnaise, herbs and vegetables; two local speciality desserts, a lovely wine….on and on. The server/sommelier was a joy. I will be at sea (in the northern Aegean) for the next week, most likely without internet access, so the next photos will come along eventually.
