Ouzo Hour

Like I mentioned yesterday, Ouzo
hour takes place in the Saloni & back porch each weekday from 7:00 until 8:00 when dinner begins. Ouzo, just in case you don't know, is an anise flavored aperitif that can be consumed straight or diluted. Most folks dilute their ouzo with water or ice which causes it to change from clear to milky white in appearance. Although Rob loves his ouzo (he even has a favorite brand) I tend to avoid it, enjoying a mini Mythos beer instead. We love sitting out on this patio in the early evenings because the cool breeze comes through and we have a great view to the Blegen Library across the street and Mt. Hymettus just beyond the apartment buildings.

The Saloni

These two photos show the Saloni in Loring Hall. It's basically the living room of Loring and we all tend to hang out here especially during the winter time when it's a bit chilly on the patio. As you can see the photo on the right every weeknight at 7 p.m. we have "Ouzo hour" before dinner. This room is also used after our American School lectures as a place for cocktail receptions. In the photo below you can see our great piano. Each year we always have a few great players and many riotous singalongs take place!

The Gennadius

The second library on the American School of Classical Studies at Athens campus is the Gennadius Library. This neoclassical building holds a richly diverse collection of over 119,000 books and rare bindings, archives, manuscripts, and works of art illuminating the Hellenic tradition and neighboring cultures.The library (opening in 1926) has become an internationally renowned center for the study of Greek history, literature, and art, from ancient to modern times. In addition to its role as a library and research institution, the Gennadeion is also an active participant in the Athenian and international community through its public lectures, seminars, concerts, exhibitions, and publications. I was able to make use of this library during our first stay in Athens when researching the music of Epirus as well as Cretan music and dance. There were many resources important to my research including musical scores and audio CD's readily available at the Gennadeion.

Revenge

Rob goes to work each day at the Blegen Library. The library is just across the street from our place in Loring Hall and it is one of the finest research libraries in the world for the study of Greek Archeology, history and culture. As one of two libraries at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, the Blegen library focuses on all aspects of Greece and the Greeks from the earliest prehistory through late antiquity. The Library currently has more than ninety thousand volumes and nearly 700 periodicals. Wow! Most classicists and archeologists feel right at home amongst so many books. It is also a non-circulating library, so at the end of the day all of the books and materials stay in the library. Currently, Rob is working on his dissertation, a lexical study of the Greek word *timoria* (revenge) in the law court speeches of classical Athens (508-323 BCE). Rob's research interests are in the legal and social history of this period, and he hopes that his research will provide a better understanding of Athenian attitudes towards revenge broadly as well as the ways in which the speakers reconciled their vengeful desires to get even with positive, democratic values.

Home Sweet Home

I thought I would use a few posts and take you on a tour of our home in Greece. It's been very steamy in Athens, around 92 degrees each day so finding a shady oasis is a must. Luckily, we have a few options around Loring Hall including the porch seen in this photo. The key to staying cool is finding a shady spot with a breeze and the porch usually has both. It's also a place where late night shenanigans are known to transpire.

Museum Thursday

Every Thursday our room is cleaned by the "Ladies" of Loring Hall. This means that I need to leave at about 10 a.m. and can usually return around noon. I've gotten into the habit of using this as my excuse to visit various museums throughout the city. This past Thursday I took a walk over to the Cycladic Art Museum, partially because it's close by and partially because Rob and I have a Cycladic island excursion planned for ourselves in about three weeks. Anyway, the museum contains a great variety of ancient artifacts from the Cycladic islands, Cyprus, and a nice exhibit called "Scenes from Daily Life in Antiquity." My favorite piece is a female figurine from the Early Cycladic II period (2800-2300 BC). These types of figures usually have their head tilted back, knees flexed, and toes slanted down with their arms folded beneath their chests. It is unclear what these figurines were used for, although the evidence does suggest that they were used in funerary practice as they have been found in graves.

Aegean Sea

This view from Philopoppus Hill looking southwest (opposite the Acropolis) shows the lovely Aegean Sea including the Piraeus and in the distance the island of Aegina. Piraeus has been the port of Athens since ancient times and is about 5-6 miles from central Athens. It's probably the busiest port in the Mediterranean Sea and provides service to all of the major Greek islands. Aegina is about 17 miles from Athens and is one of the Saronic islands. I've been there a few times, once with friends, and once with classicists/archeologists. There are some ancients sites on the island most famously the Temple of Aphaia. Aegina is also known for it's pistachios which are often found in the islands many sweet delicacies.