Lash a Flute to a Goatskin and Squeeze out some Greece

All over the world (whether in Mexico City, Dublin, Turkey or Egypt), before heading into the hinterland, it’s important to stop by the big museum in the capital city to see the art treasures dug up in the rural sights you’re heading out to see. The National Museum in Athens is no exception.

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There’s a new rule. Only in Greek museums is “posing with the art” explicitly forbidden. Tourists just can’t resist getting personally involved with the gods. Goofy as it is, I didn’t know how much I’d miss not being able to “pose” with Adonis or Aphrodite. Actually being a participant in one of our tours, I’m reminded of how a well-organized tour takes all the time inefficiency out of travel. I’m also reminded of the value of connecting with great local guides. Our guide in Athens was a wealth of insights mixed with attitude: “Fay — like Faye Dunaway” explained, “We Greeks smoke, hate breakfast and just can’t get along with each other. But give us a common enemy and we become tight as a fist.” Fay reminded me how a Greek trait is to think of things in terms of word history and analyze word origins: “Sanctuary” is a holy enclosure. “Democracy” is literally “people power.” She asked me if I — “so tall and blond” — was Scandinavian? I said yes and she responded “Then why are you Steves. You should be Nelson or something like that.” Referring to the Acropolis and Agora (ancient market place) as uptown and downtown, she made the hot and dusty visit a delight, bringing meaning to the rubble with clever insights. Greek architecture is made of stone; Roman of stone, clay and brick; early Christian of only clay and brick. While ancient Egyptian wood survives, the wood of ancient Greek buildings is gone because of the humidity here. Greeks designed on a human scale…appropriate for their democracy. When the Romans came, they added gigantism. As Romans didn’t have democracy, their leaders had a taste for grandeur — putting an “un-Greek” veneer of power on the Agora with pompous staircases, fancy pavement and oversized temples and statues. You can tell Roman statues from Greek ones by knowing that Roman ones are bigger-than-life, not freestanding (always propped on something), with “too much robe” and they come with inter-changeable heads. Masters of both imperial ego and efficiency, they reused stone bodies, economically replacing just the head with each new emperor. That’s why lots of Roman statues are headless with necks “scooped out.” As usual, a local guide lets me affirm or shoot down my favorite lines. While I’ve done a lot of affirming during the first two days of our tour, I’ve had to humbly debunk myself too. For twenty years I’ve said, “The Treasury of Delos was so important that all the other islands were called the Cycladic Islands because they make a cycle or circle around that pivotal island of Delos.” Now I learn that while the word “Cycladic” does describe the circle of islands, the name predates the treasury by centuries. I always held that the origin of the word barbarian was from ancient Romans who considered everyone who didn’t speak Latin or Greek to be babbling like animals — you know…bar bar bar barians. Now I learn that, rather than Roman ethnocentricity, the word “barbarian” originated with ethnocentric Greeks (who, when hearing non-Greek speakers, labeled them barbarians for their crude-sounding language…bar bar bar). I’ve always said that Greek architects understood that a long straight base line on a building creates the illusion of sagging, therefore they bowed their temple floors up just a tad in the middle. Fay explained that was true — but only for the Parthenon in Athens. The Greeks remain pissed-off at the British for swiping their Parthenon statues. In 1803, the Ottoman Turks, who controlled Greece, could care less about Greek cultural treasures. They were happy to take a bribe from Englishman Lord Elgin to let him make off with the finest of ancient Greek statuary.

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Athens’ massive new Museum of the Acropolis being built today at the foot of the Acropolis hill has a big and plush section designed to house the Elgin marbles now held in London’s British Museum. This will likely remain empty and the vision will likely never amount to more than wishful thinking because the British Museum knows if it returned the Greek treasures, every culture with treasures held hostage in London would be emboldened to make similar demands. The guides who lead tours for me know I’m a sucker for touristic folk-dance shows. Last night, more than half our group joined me and Anne at a theater under the Acropolis and under that stars to see Medieval Greek flirting set to music. Just like male peacocks need to try harder to get a date, the male dancers — with pompoms on their slippers — seemed to do all the high kicking. The sweet girls just enjoyed the show — clucking in masse while checking out the guys like you’d look at horses’ teeth at a cattle market. I found myself staring with my ears at the folk music — with its squawky flutes, crude fiddle, pipes and drums — hearing it as a kind of ethno trance music. Then, staring with my eyes at the bagpiper, I imagined the first time a Greek shepherd lashed a double reed flute to a goat skin, filled it with his breath and squeezed out a crude tune.

Comments

11 Replies to “Lash a Flute to a Goatskin and Squeeze out some Greece”

  1. Rick, you’ve made me laugh….it’s about the word barbaric..I have the childrens books on ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome…the books explain how Rome took the word barbaric from the Greeks, Additionally the books tell you how Et tu Brutus was never said in Latin, the Roman Senate spoke and wrote in Greek–and what Caesar said was “And you my son” in Greek–The Egypt books also tells you about Cleopatra, how she was Greek, and thats how she spoke to Caesar, Mark Antony was in Greek…its pretty interesting stuff…enjoy your trip..

  2. I did this tour at the beginning of July just before the fires started. I thoroughly enjoyed Fay and the rest of the local guides – so much character and passion for sharing their country. I couldn’t help but laugh and think of the father from ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ as Fay expained the roots of words originating from Greek. Have fun and a Fanta Portakolada for me! Yassous!

  3. rick, mi amici- thank you again for your blog! just one year ago i was on my way to Italy for the 6th time, and with your help, i made many new friends, ate cingiale daily, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. alas, it will be another year before I can travel abroad again, but your blogs take me to so many places! thanks for sharing! tony

  4. So Rick, tell us a little bit about the demographics of your group (ages, number, home towns, singles, couples, etc). Your tour guides are the most organized people . . . never had one who wasn’t superb. I would miss posing with the art . . . I have great photos of our group posing in GAS with various pieces of art. Enjoy your trip and remember we want to hear from Anne.

  5. Here I go again,

    If you could Google my name, and look at the 737 photos each with a story, + a thousand travel stories, you will find a bunch of Rick Steves photos and stories on my Site.

    I know they are there because I post here, but I thought it was fun to let your know this.

    I post on Rick, he gets advertising and exposure on my site.

    And I am not complaining one bit.

  6. Hope you are getting some sleep, we found that they picked up the garbage at midnight every night and it was such a festive affair we stopped even trying to fall asleep before 1AM. And on Friday and Saturday night they party in the street until 3 or 4 AM Glad your having a great time! Judy

  7. Rick, Nice to hear your enjoying Greece….it would be nice to hear what Anne is thinking about Greece. Also it would be nice if you gave us some one or two sentence lines from your fellow travelers on this trip….Various insights are always wonderful to read….like when I saw Delphi for the first time, my thoughts were awesome, spectacular!!! Pleasant travels…

  8. I love reading about your experience on your own tour! My husband and I were on this tour in April and we will be on your turkey tour in October-maybe we will see you! Keep up the blog-it’s great reminiscing!! Happy Travels!!! I miss Fay…. ; )

  9. Hi Rick, I read your blog dated September 22. Everything that you said there is absolutely wonderful. My ability to respond to your humor was enhanced by my being mellow and relaxed and uninhibited because of my being under the influence of Pinot Grigo (from Italy). You are like a fine wine : your writing gets better with age. You said the ancient greeks believed that all people who did not speak Greek were barbaraians. I think they said “it sounds like non-Greek to me”. Ha Ha Ha.

  10. You said the people in Greece are still pissed off at the British people for taking and keeping the white marble sculpture from the Parthenon. I was on the Acropolis, I saw the side of the Parthenon where the sculture was, and nothing is there now. It looks like something is missing. But, tell your Greek scholar : that sculpture in the British Museum in London is very worn, and not beautiful now. If that white marble sculpture were still on the Parthenon exterior, after all those many years of dust and wind and acid rain, the sclupture would be more worn than it is now, it would look worse. Therefore, Lord Elgin did a good deed : he brought that marble sculpture inside a building.

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