Day 19: Mount Olympus

Mount Olympus is the home of the Greek gods; it is a holy place where temples were erected for the gods and altars created in order to sacrifice animals to the gods. At the base of the mountain is a town called Dion. Dion is named after Zeus because Zeus was the most important god and "dios" means god, hence Dion. Today we went to visit the ruins of the ancient town of Dion. The whole area is a forest preserve and it was beautiful walking along the ancient stoned streets of the town. The air is really crisp and clean and there are tons of dragonflies. Dragonflies symbolized the purify of the earth and was good luck for the town. 

When you enter Dion you first come to the Temple of Demeter. She is the goddess of the Earth and is first and foremost revered in this holy place. What still is left of the ruins are a few statues and the outlines of the temples. Beyond Demeter's temple is the Altar of Zeus which looks up at the peak of Mount Olympus. Strangely enough, further along is the Temple of Isis, the Egyptian goddess. I found out that Greek mythology, Roman mythology, Egyptian mythology, and Christianity are all closely linked.

After the Romans conquered Greece the empire continued to spread to Egypt. The Greeks and Romans became familiar with these Egyptian gods and goddesses and some of the Greeks decided to worship the Egyptian gods instead of the Greek ones because the Greek ones had not been favorable to them. So Demeter's Temple eventually became a temple for Isis. Really it was just a way to get a new god who would, hopefully, like you more and grant your request. This was all occurring during the beginning of the first century AD and so Christianity was beginning to spread as well.

The Apostle Paul came to Dion to speak to the people and he did so in front of one of these temples. The temple had become the Temple of the Unknown God because the townspeople had changed gods so rapidly and they would go to the temple and worship whomever they thought would help them the most. Paul stood in front of this temple and told the people of Dion that the God they were seeking was Jesus Christ and they did not have to feel like the God they were worshipping was Unknown any more. Interesting, hum?

After visiting the temples and spiritual part of the city, we walked to the agora (marketplace). Close to the marketplace was where men would go to the bathroom...it's like the modern version of reading the newspaper because as you can see in the picture, all the men would sit right next to each other to do their business! It really must have smelled bad (although they did have a sewage system and water would come clean the waste). If you look at the pictures to the left you'll see the bathroom. It consists of a long stone bench with several holes. Zoila -- I would NOT want to go living in ancient times. They were dirty all the time, I'm guessing!

The Greeks also knew how to heat buildings. In the picture to the left you can see the outlines of a big shop and throughout the whole building it has little posts coming up from the ground and in the center of the building is a fireplace. The floor would go on top of these short posts and water would be filled beneath the floor. Then they would light the fire and the water would heat up and steam would rise and the floor would get really warm...then warming the rest of the room!

After lunch we went part way up Mount Olympus (to Pieria) and did some hiking. It was absolutely gorgeous! To hike up to the summit would take twelve hours...although I found some horses that would take me up and thought that wouldn't be too bad :)

So I haven't answered questions for a few days, so let me answer a few of them:

Mom -- I guess I should have said the Greeks don't like U.S. policy. They have been very nice to us so far. Although the Greeks do tend to push. I don't necessarily like a stranger touching me and pushing me forward, so I've tried to stay away from really crowded stores...when several older Greek ladies are all crowded together, you can bet that you will be shoved! I think that's just the way here though...not a way to be impolite.

Jeff -- No rugby here unfortunately. I even asked Demitrious and he said it's only really soccer and basketball that people watch and play. Maybe in Bulgaria?

Jose -- I don't know a ton about the health care, but I do know they're part of a universal care system. The pharmacies always have green crosses outside their doors and there isn't anything like Walgreens or CVS. Pharmacies are strictly for getting your medication.

Brandon F -- Greeks LOVE to eat. A typical meal includes appetizers, a Greek salad, a main course of meat (usuallly lamb or veal) and potatoes, and dessert.

Thomas -- Greeks spend their money just like you and me. Here in Greece since they are part of the European Union, they use the Euro so everything is expensive, though.

Louella -- A lot of the stores are open-air stores. Clothes racks line the side walks and the owners usually clump around a little table close to their stores and play backgammon. Then when they see you approaching they come up to help you.

Callie and Kyle -- Today is Holy Spirit Day which is a huge tradition and holiday here in Greece. The Greeks are celebrating the day when God gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles. All the shops are closed.

Jeanette -- Greek teenagers listen to the same kinds of music you all do and dance similarly. I've passed by many loud, throbbing teen clubs.

Jasmine -- The Greeks have technology just like us except that they don't have their own computers. Most teens go to the internet cafe for a couple hours, it seems, to do gaming, etc.

Finally, Enrique and Thalia -- I'm guessing you've gotten a nice dose of Greek history through the 19 days I've been here in Greece. I only have two more left, but hopefully you've been enjoying the pictures and information!