Greece Day 3 – Delphi

Karen McCullough Posted on by

We booked a day trip to Delphi before we left the Sates, and I’m so glad that we did. It’s a 2 ½ hour drive each way from Athens but totally worth the effort. (Not that there was much. We were taken in an air-conditioned and pretty plushy coach to the site.) The day was very hot and there’s very little shade, plus you have to do some uphill climb to get to it, so I probably didn’t get to appreciate it as much as I might have in milder weather, but I wouldn’t have missed the experience.

The rugged countryside of Greec

We left Athens around 9 after a bit of confusion with some people on the wrong bus. I’m pleased to report it wasn’t us!

The trip to Delphi takes you through some of Greece’s amazing countryside, and deep into the mountains. You go around and up Mount Parnassus to get to the archaeological site, passing through the nearby town of Arachova, a ski resort frequented by some of the glitterati of Europe.

A spectacular museum just below the ruins displays much of the recovered statuary belonging to the remains of the shrines at Delphi as well as architectural bits like friezes and columns. Highlights include the sphynx of Naxios, the dancing maidens, much of the frieze from one of the treasury buildings, and the most iconic piece, the bronze Charioteer. Although at one time where were many bronze statues, few remain from the classical period, as most were melted down and reformed. Only four large-scale statues remain. The charioteer was preserved (ironically) by being buried in debris from an earthquake. The rest were all recovered from shipwrecks.

The Sphynx of Naxios

The site was buried under mounds of dirt and rock by several earthquakes during the years after the Roman Empire fell and the old Greek ways faded. Excavations by French archaeologists began around 1950 and a lot of statuary and architectural bits were found in process. Restoration has been done on a few things, a lot of pieces were moved to the museum to preserver them, and others have been left just as they were found.

Following the tour of the museum, we walked up a long, winding path that follows the route pilgrims would traditionally have taken to bring offerings and consult the famous Oracle of Delphi. The path winds past many small shrines and temples to various deities, what are presumed to be storehouses for the riches that were offered there, and broken bits just left in situ, leading up to the centerpiece temple of Apollo where the Oracle prophesied. Not a lot of the original structure remains, but it’s enough to suggest just how grand a place it must have been in its heyday. The history of the site is complicated. You can read about it here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphi

Columns that mark where the centerpiece Temple of Apollo once stood.

My own reactions include the kind of awed wonder that most grand-scale architecture inspires. Photographs can’t capture the impact of the massive stones and enormous columns, the intricacy of the carvings and the complicated stories and history it all represents. Curiosity too, because archaeology has always held a lot of appeal for me, trying to tease out the mysteries of ancient people and places through the artifacts they leave.

We spent about an hour in the museum and then another hour and a half at the site, then they took us to a nearby restaurant for lunch. Exhausted and replete, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one who took a long nap on the way back to Athens.

Afterward we met up with the rest of our party for a wonderful dinner at a rooftop bar/restaurant which had a glorious view of the Acropolis. We got to watch the lights come on as darkness fell, then made our way back to hotel after a long but rewarding day.

The town of Arachova sits on a shoulder of Mount Parnassus near Delphi.

Clock tower of the town of Arachova

The Dancing Ladies column

 

 

 

 

Detail from frieze that once decorated one of the treasury buildings.

 

 

 

 

The Charioteer

 

 

 

 

Selfie with Liz in front of the restored Athens Treasury building

I had this for dinner and it was delicious – Moussakas with beef cheeks, yoghurt, goat cheese and vegetable Ratatouille.

View of the Acropolis lit up at night, from the restaurant.

Greece Day 2 in Athens

Karen McCullough Posted on by

We had a much slower start this morning. Realized the lack of sleep on the plane had caught up with us, though we both went to bed early and slept late. It was almost nine when we woke which is highly unusual for both of us. But obviously we needed it. Had a leisurely breakfast, walked to Monastiraki Square where we took the Hop On-Hop Off but to the Plaka area next to the Acropolis Museum. We walked a bit and shopped for souvenirs.

Then we got on the HOHO bus again and headed for the National Archaeological museum. We started with lunch there, spanakopita for me, ham and cheese pie for Liz and big glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice on the side. Fortified we set forth into the museum, and emerged about three hours later with our heads stuffed full of new information about antiquities. I learned so much and found most of it fascinating. Perhaps the most amazing realization is how sophisticated some of those ancient Cycladic, Minoan, and Micenaean (proto-Greek) cultures were. I think this is going to require another blog post itself.

Out of the museum we grabbed the HOHO bus again. Being a bit brain-fogged and slow-moving, we managed to miss getting off the stop near our hotel, so we ended up doing the whole circuit again. But this time we sat upstairs and were able to get some much better pictures. It also gave us a chance to rest our feet during a pleasant tour of historic Athens.

Got off at the stop near our hotel this time, did a bit more shopping and had dinner at one of the many, many little hole-in-the-wall restaurants with outdoor seating lining the street. I was still feeling full from lunch so went light with a plate of dolmadakias (grape leaves stuffed with rice) and Liz had a plate of mutton in red sauce. I helped her eat a bit of it since it was HUGE. It was also delicious. And so inexpensive it felt as though we were ripping them off. I know Europeans don’t expect tips, but we left one anyway just to salve our consciences.

Walked back to the hotel and went up to the rooftop lounge to get pictures of the Acropolis lit up at night.

Random Observation 1: The food here is almost ridiculously cheap. Admittedly we’re not eating in really high end restaurants, but even in the Museum café we paid far less than I would’ve expected.

Random Observation 2: Perhaps the hardest thing to get used to here has been not dropping toilet paper into the toilet. The sewage system cannot handle it so even used toilet paper goes in the bin. Kind of gross and goes against a lifetime’s habit of dropping it in.

Random Observation 3: Athens is an extraordinary mix of beautiful new buildings, nicely and semi-nicely maintained older buildings, and structures that are totally falling apart. They occur right next to each.

A Street in the Plaka

Random building in the Plaka area

The Greek National Library

Lunch at the Museum, Spanakopita for me, Ham and Cheese pie for Liz and fresh squeezed orange juice for both us. Delicious!

Amazing gold jewelry in the National Archaeological Museum. It’s hard to believe this is more than 3,000 years old.

Minoan statue of a girl

Classical period statue of a woman

An excavation site right by the side of the highway.

The Acropolis lit up at night, from the roof deck lounge of our hotel

A Visit to Greece Day 1 in Athens

Karen McCullough Posted on by

My daughter Elizabeth and I headed for Athens, Greece, on Sunday morning, flying from Raleigh-Durham airport to Philadelphia and then on to Athens from there. The trip was remarkably hassle-free for a ten-hour flight across the ocean. The flights were all on time so we didn’t worry about missed connections.  We arrived right about when we were supposed to arrive. The only issue is that neither of us managed to get much sleep on the plane, so we arrived feeling a bit bedraggled.

But we know better than to try to nap. Beating jet lag is easier if you can power through that first day and stay awake until dark.

We were fortunate that the hotel had our room ready when we got there so were able to settle in and change clothes before venturing forth.

The map showed our hotel was an easy seven-minute walk from Monastiraki Square, the center of a lot of the tourist activity in Athens. It sits right at the base of the acropolis, with those ancient architectural wonders looming over the area. It’s also where you can catch the hop-on, hop-off busses. We planned to get right on one, but we were seduced by the shopping opportunities and waylaid by hunger. We had lunch at one of the many, many places near the square that cater to the tourists. We both ordered Souvlaki. The waiter promised us the best Souvlaki we’d ever tasted. I can’t say I agree. It was decent but I’ve had at least as good at several Greek places in the U.S.

The shops targeting tourists are many but surprisingly unvaried. The usual assortment of shops for trinkets and small gifts for all your buddies are there, along with leather purses and billfolds, leather sandals, specialty foods, and clothes. Many of them seem to carry the same assortment of merchandise from the same vendors.

Then we got the hop-on, hop-off bus tour, which took us around to all the major sites. Being mostly zombified from travel, we stayed on the whole time and enjoyed getting the big picture.

Even from a distance, seen from several angles including from the rooftop lounge of our hotel, the acropolis is spectacular. We’ve booked a guided tour for Thursday and I’m eagerly awaiting it.

Tomorrow we plan to do a bit of wandering around the town, some more shopping in the morning, then get to the Archaeological Museum in the afternoon. The place is vast, and almost certainly more than we can take in in one afternoon, but it seems like good preparation for viewing the acropolis.

We’re pretty beat by this time, so we had a light dinner (pizza) in the bar/lounge upstairs along with a drink and now we’re falling asleep trying to get our notes made. It isn’t even dark yet, but I doubt I can hold out much longer.

Random Observation 1: It’s not hard to see why the Greeks built temples to their gods on the hill of the acropolis. It literally looms over the city.

Random Observation 2: The Greeks still love smoking. An amazing number of people do it.

Random Observation 3: Athens is a huge, sprawling city in a setting this is closer to being a desert than I expected.

The drive into Athens. Liz and I were both struck by how much of a desert it appeared to be than we expected.

The view from the balcony of our hotel room.

Monastiraki Square with the Acropolis looming over it.

Our waiter promised us this would be the best Souvlaki we’d ever tasted. It wasn’t.

View of the Acropolis from the Hop-on Hop-off bus.

View of the Acropolis from the rooftop lounge of our hotel.

I’m a Best-seller! Sort of…

Karen McCullough Posted on by

As part of its marketing program for its series books, Sweet Promise Press offers free days for each in the series on a rotating basis. The last couple of days have been my turn and the results have been exciting. I’m a #1 Best-seller in two categories: “Friendship Fiction” and “City Life Fiction.”  And #2 in “Contemporary American Fiction.” Admittedly the competition for the first two categories isn’t all that huge, but still… I can legitimately claim to be a best-seller!  Proof is on the screen shot below.

 

Thoughts On The Umbrella Academy

Karen McCullough Posted on by

Has anyone else watched The Umbrella Academy on Netflix?  I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on it. I found it interesting, creative in some ways, and yet frustratingly cliched in others. And the ending…trying not to give anything away when I say it was spectacular, jaw-dropping, unexpected, and ultimately not very satisfying.

Netflix’s popular new series is both fascinating and frustrating. Wildly, amazingly creative in some aspects, it’s disappointingly cliché’d in others.

The show is based on a series of comic books that bear only superficial resemblance to Marvel’s or DC’s many series. (Then again, I haven’t read the comics on which it’s based, so it’s possible the show bears little resemblance to its source material, as well.) The super-heroes here are a group of very disparate characters, all born on the same day to mothers who hadn’t even been pregnant the previous day. (And no, we get no explanation for that phenomenon, one of many things you’re just expected to accept as is.)

Sir Reginald Hargreeves manages to buy seven of the babies and adopts them, knowing (apparently) that they will develop super-powers, and trains them to be super heroes, ready to save the world when annihilation threatens. (How he knows all of this is just hinted at.)

So he sort-of raises and trains the kids, though he’s either thoroughly incompetent at it or has an agenda so secret none of us are ever privy to it. Their android mother and sentient chimpanzee butler do a better job of connecting with the kids than their “human” father. In any case, they grow up to be a bunch of seriously messed-up adults who leave to make their own lives as soon as they can.

The death of their father brings them back together in the elaborate mansion where they grew up. The sudden arrival of the missing Number Five interrupts the minimal funeral. (Yes, Number Five. Daddy dearest couldn’t be bothered to give the kids names. Most of the others were named by ‘Mom’.) Anyway, Number Five’s gift is time travel, and he’s back from the future with bad news. The world ends in a few days and they’re the only ones who can stop it. Lest that mission be too easy, there’s a temporal guardian agency intent on preserving the timeline that insists the annihilation must happen and will stop at nothing, including mass murder to ensure it. (Nope, no explanation for any of that, either.)

There’s a lot to unpack in this show and things I loved, things I liked, and more than a few things that had me gnashing my teeth and pulling hair out.

First the good. The story is intrinsically fascinating. It starts off with a great hook–women who weren’t pregnant are suddenly giving birth. The children are an interesting assortment of flawed and damaged people. And the saving-the-world-from-destruction plot line has a lot going for it- compressed time line, high stakes, difficult operations, etc.

Other than Ellen Page as Vanya (Number Seven) and Mary J. Blige as ChaCha, most of the actors were unknown to me. Despite that, the acting ranged from very good to superb.

The sets are incredible, particularly the house itself. A lot of care and effort went into its arrangement and furnishings, and it works well. The way the show uses music and dance is spectacular. The music integrates beautifully with the story line. Dancing is important to the story, as well. Some of the fight scenes are choreographed to look like dancing.

One of the most wonderful visuals of the entire series comes at the end of the first episode when someone puts on music and all of the resident Hargreeves family start dancing. But each one does so alone, in wildly different styles, and the way each moves is exactly right for their character. Then the camera pulls back and…you really need to see if for yourself.

Creativity abounded in the details of the story.  I’ve already mentioned the set decorations, especially in the house, but in other places as well every piece of background is thought out to work with the story and reflect character. The costuming similarly works well. The masks Hazel and ChaCha wear are a bizarre reflection of their crazy actions. Their sputtery, puttering car contrasts with their well-oiled and maintained armory. “Mom”’s odd embroidery and what she does with it as she malfunctions.  So many more things…

That said, for all the wonderfulness, it didn’t really rise to the levels it could have, mainly due to the writing. As I mentioned, I’ve never read the comics this show is based on, so many of the problems may revert back to the material. But comics and film are different media so obviously a lot of reworking had to go on. Some of these problems could and should have been avoided.

The whole thing is over-long at ten fifty-minute episodes.  There’s a lot of plot to fit in and many of the extended set pieces are wonderful, but it still feels padded. At the same time, the story left a lot of loose ends, some of which they are likely saving for the next season. Still I wish we’d had more explanation for some of the odder bits of the story. Why does Hargreeves have a sentient chimp for a butler? Who created robot “Mom.” Why does the Temporal Guardian agency even exist? What’s the story with Delores? And many, many more.

A lot of things didn’t make sense. Of course that’s almost a given when you add time travel into the mix. It always seems to create paradoxes and inconsistencies. But if Hargreeves was trying to raise gifted children to save the world, why did he go about it in the worst way possible, getting one of them killed and ensuring that the others would all end up sufficiently damaged to be ineffective. Several other inconsistencies I’d like to mention would venture into spoiler territory, so I won’t. But trust me, they’re there.  Maybe season two will answer all those questions…

And finally, for all the wild creativity on display in set design, costuming, music, and dance, a lot of things about the story are surprisingly cliched. The super-powered kids, while varied, are not exactly unique: Number one, the big white dude is hugely strong and not particularly bright. (Hulk smash!) Number two is Hispanic, a fighter, a master of throwing knives, and a hothead. Number three is an African American woman who is beautiful, sensual, and can command with her voice. Number four, the gay drug addict, talks to the dead. Number five, the time traveler, is probably the most interesting, a fifty-year-old man in a fourteen-year-old body. (Unfortunate side effect of his ability.) Number six, the Asian, is dead, but still participates in the story, courtesy of Number four. And Number seven, Vanya, who appears to have no power at all, is a depressed sad sack of a woman.

The plot twists and turns as the story progresses but pulls off only a few true surprises. In fact, most of the big shocks fall flat because you knew they were going to happen well in advance. In just about every case where the show wanted to surprise, they went with the most obvious possible twist, and since they are twists, I really can’t talk about them here. Suffice it to say, I saw most of them coming a long way in advance.

To give credit where it’s due, though, the final confrontation did produce a couple of wicked and wonderful shocks I didn’t see coming. That’s the reason I’ll be tuning in for the second season.

 

Free and Half-Price books for Read an Ebook Week 2019

Karen McCullough Posted on by

Periodically Smashwords.com runs a promotion called “Read an Ebook Week” and invites authors who have books on the site to offer them at special pricing.

That promotion is going on right now, ending on March 9th and I have a couple of great deals for you, including a couple of books that are FREE at Smashwords for this limited time only.

  

Get your free copies:
A Gift for Murder: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/308556
A Vampire’s Christmas Carol: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/109662

On top of that A Question of Fire is half price!  $1.50 for this limited time

Get it here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/43245

In addition to these, you’ll find exclusive deep-discounted deals on over 45,000 ebooks, with hundreds of new titles joining the sale each day.  Visit the sale now at: https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos/1

Virtual Visits to Some of the Settings in No Time for Surprises

Karen McCullough Posted on by

No Time for Surprises, part of a series called the No Brides Club featuring heroines who’ve sworn off romance (Of course we all know how that works out…), is set in New York City, a place that is packed with fascinating nooks, crannies, parks, museums and other interesting places.

I grew up in a suburb of New York City and fell in love with Manhattan on various trips into the city when I was growing up. However, I moved to North Carolina some 40 years ago and have only been back for brief visits since. I feel I have a good grasp of the general geography, atmosphere, and culture, but there are a lot of things that have changed, too.

I considered making a quick scouting trip to the city, but time, budget, and circumstances precluded it. I’ve done this in the past, visiting cities that would form the settings for my books. I want the big picture layout, but I also always try to find the telling details, the small bits of scenery, characters, objects, landmarks, etc. that convey the atmosphere or feel of a place.

I turned to the Internet for help and it’s amazing what you can get.

I knew, more or less, where I want both my heroine and hero to live, and I didn’t want to be very specific about it, but I needed to be sure the general locations were feasible, so I turned to Google. I started with the maps but then did the satellite thing and zoomed in to get a better look. Finally I got right down to the street level to check out buildings. I picked out addresses for my characters though I don’t give actual numbers in the story. My heroine lives on the sixth floor of an apartment block on the west side, while my hero has a townhouse in Brooklyn.

Then there were the places they visited in the course of the story. They took a bike trip along the Shore Park Bike trail in Brooklyn. I’ve never been on it but it was an important event in the story so I wanted to get the details right. This YouTube videos gave me a good idea of the pavement, the surroundings, the crowds, the sounds, the obstacles and who was using the path.

Similarly when my characters took a walk on the High Line, a park that didn’t even exist when I lived there, I found an abundance of pictures and videos of people walking the park.  This is a bit shaky and not always the best quality, but it gives a good feel for what it’s like to walk the park:

And then my characters visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and I found this, which includes pictures from the Egyptian and Roman areas that intrigued them: