It’s a shame that the sum total of my
classical education is derived from laborious Latin translations so long ago
now that all I can remember is that there were always centurions left behind to
guard the baggage. I feel at a bit of a disadvantage now that we’re in Greece
and there are references to Philip II and Hellenism and agoras that leave me
trailing behind feeling I was away that lesson.
On the other hand, though, I have been to
places that knock today’s excursion destination into a cocked hat. We drove
from Kavala to Philippi, and had the first session of this cruise with piles of
old stone. There’s an amphitheatre there, and forum, and rows of random rescued
blocks of weathered marble, some carved, some not. There are fluted columns,
some pretty mosaics, a latrine and hypocaust, and a road. Now, that last one
was impressive: the Via Egnatia, a Roman military road that was in use for 17
centuries. That’s a lot of feet. No wonder the marble was shiny.
But for the rest? Well, when you’ve already
been to Ephesus… Other passengers were impressed; when, though, later on this
cruise they see the theatre there, and the one in Kusadasi, and the triumphal
ways, they’re going to forget all about Philippi.
St Paul came this way, so that was
significant for some people, of course; and we went to the reconstructed
Baptistry where Lydia was the first person in Europe to be baptised (and where
people old and young are still being dunked) which again meant something to
them. But for me, the best bit about today was the canine escort we had through
the ruins.
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