Turtle Pile! And More Random Thoughts On Athens

Actually, this post has nothing to do with turtles, I really just liked this picture from the National Gardens yesterday and couldn't think of another way to use it. Though I actually have seen a rather large number of turtles and tortoises around since I got to Athens- we saw these ones yesterday, and there are some in the church (or possibly monastery, we can't really tell) across the street from my apartment. And there was a tortoise wandering around in another part of the National Gardens yesterday.

I think I've been here long enough that I have started to notice some things that I really miss about home- friends and family, obviously, but also little things, like chai tea and microwaves. Fast internet connections. Being able to read posted signs. I also have realized that actually getting myself to work is a bit of a struggle here, in a way that it usually isn't at school- I don't like shutting myself up in my room and reading Thucydides when I could be wandering around Athens!

On the other hand, my classes continue to get more and more amazing. I had my second Democracy of Athens class today, and we talked about tyrannies in the archaic period and hoplite warfare. It was so cool! We talked about what we know and how we know it and since it's an upper level course we didn't have to do the introductory stuff about when the Bronze Age was or what Linear B is or who Herodotus is and why we can't always trust him. And it was cool, because before class started and the professor came in we were talking about the Great Rhetra, and I said something about the two accounts that Herodotus gives for its origin, and everyone knew the relevant passage and then we talked about whether or not Lycurgus was actually a real historical figure. It was so cool.

Anyways, I hope everyone is doing well. I certainly am.