Friday, June 17 2011 - Vergina and Pella, Greece

Today was a day with a little travel time on the bus - but it was all worth it!  We started off by heading to a private school just outside of Thessaloniki called Mandoulides Elementary School.  It was so encouraging to go there to find education alive and thriving!  I meet two English teachers who work with 5th grade classrooms and our students are going to be pen-pals next year!

Mandoulides Elementary School (Grades Pre-K - 6th Grade)

A close up of me on the back of the school steps. (I promised my mom that I would try to get at least one picture a day with me actually in it!)

The far away verison.

The Greek Alphabet Catapillar!

The Greek Calendar Station

After touring the school and sitting down with the energentic teachers, we headed toward the city of Vergina for a delicious lunch at Philippion Tavern (the lamb dish was excellent!) and then we walked up the road to the Royal Tombs.  Today was one of those days that none of us had any idea what a special site we were being taken to...you see, we were visiting the the Royal Tombs of King Philip of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great and Prince Alexandar the IV, the young son of Alexander the Great (aka the III)!  This archaelogical site was discovered in 1977-8 by the archaeologist Manolis Andronikos. They knew there were tombs under the very large dome-shaped mounds, but had no idea it was King Philip's until they opened it up!  Yes--today I actually stood outside the tomb room of a King from the 4th Century BC - that means over 2300 years ago!!!  I LOVE HISTORY!!!!  Pictures were not allowed inside the tomb museum, but there is a book I am going to buy once I get home so I can share it with all my students (and my sister)!   Most archaelogist believe the findings of these Royal Tombs to be the second greatest find in archeological history only second to the discovery of King Tut's tomb in Egypt.  And...I saw it.  And, I had goose bumps.  Believe me.



 

Walking into the tombs.  There are four actually tombs here, but with several remains in each.  After all of the area was researched fully, they covered it back up like the original tomb dome it looked like when they found it, but with a bit sturdier roof!





Then we headed to the city of Pella to visit the Pella archaelogical site and museum.  Pella was an anicent Macedonian capital city in the 5th century B.C. (2400 + years ago) and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great.  To understand how large the exvaction lands are at Pella - just know that they starting the archaeological work there in the 1950s and it is continuing today!  There were many, many artifacts that we saw there.  I just picked out a few to show off.

The Pella Musuem - we were unable to tour the archaelogical site but the museum was enough to make us understand the importance of the city of Pella in Macedonian and Greek history.

A marble head of Alexander the Great himself!

A map of the lands Alexander the Great conquered.  Wowie!

Can you find the 5th century scissors?

One of the several well preserved, massive floor mosaics

When we got back into Thessaloniki. we were pleased to find out that Dimitris, our Fulbright host, arranged for us to take an unplanned tour of the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki.  We had been learning of the long and influential history of various Jewish groups throughout Thessaloniki's history.  The writings of the Bible dipicts an active Jewish population when the Apostle Paul visited Thessaloniki during Roman-ruled times, and then in 1492 Thessaloniki become a second Jerusalem to those many, many Jewish people who were forced to leave Spain during the Inquistion.  We also learned about the devasting fire in the Jewish quarters of Thessaloniki in 1917 followed just 20+ years later by the Nazi occupation of Greece and the deportation of almost 50,000 Jewish people from Thessaloniki to the death camps in Poland.  The 1945, and the end of the WWII, only 1000 of those Jewish Thessaloniki's of the 50,000 deported in 1941 survived.  Our tour guide at the musuem was so informative and it rocked me to my core.

This a picture of the outside of the museum. I have many of the inside, but the information in my head can never be captured by the inadequate pictures I have to share.

Tomorrow morning we leave Thessaloniki and the City Hotel and make our way to Athens with several days stops along the way.  I honestly don't even know what's on the agenda for tomorrow, but I do know that my internet card is about to run out and I have a lot of packing to do!