Edpidaurus, Greece
Like usual, today included something new and something familiar that we all love. Expedition Leader Michelle found yet one more thing to impress us with this morning. We went ashore in the port of Old Epidaurus and took a 20 minute drive to the ruins of Epidaurus which house an Asclepion and the largest and best preserved ancient Greek theatre. Ellie and Eleni, as usual, made the place come alive with stories despite the fact that much of it is in ruins.
The Asclepion was named for the god of healing, Asclepias. In statues, he was depicted as an older man with a cane that has a snake wrapped around it. Although today we do not ask Asclepias for healing, the medical profession still uses his symbol of the cane with the snake. The Asclepion was the equivalent of an early medical center. People came to be cured by the gods, and priests that had the medical knowledge of the day. Part of their stay involved relaxation, and seeing productions in the theater as well.
The theater was truly impressive. It is mostly intact in its original state and holds 15,000 spectators in 55 rows of (rock) seats. It is unique because of its acoustics. Without amplification, the actors in the circular orchestra can be heard all the way up to the 55th row. Another interesting aspect is that it still remains in the ancient Greek design (its orchestra is a full circle) and was never modified by the Romans.
In the afternoon, we opted for the more familiar and refreshing. We had the opportunity of a final swim from the Panorama. The jumping platform was opened and we practiced a variety of jumps and styles. We laughed at our silliness as all ages took turns diving, jumping and cavorting in the Aegean Sea one final time.
