June 24, 1964 Itea to Olympia and A Letter from Home

Journal entries (always in italics) Hotel Xenia, Olympia.  Itea to Aegion (where Agamemnon gathered soldiers for Troy).  Winding mt. road--beautiful but like Pike's Peak.  Herman, bus driver, very tired at end of day.

Saw River Styx from ferry.  Lemon orchards along the way.  Patras, commercial city.  Exports wine & textiles.

Traveled Ionian Sea, grapes, olives, lemons.  Bougainvillea (purple) on houses, a variety of bamboo grows with cypresses.  Saw Gypsies sitting under trees by roads.   Men sitting away from women. Rice paddy.  Sheep, goats, goat bells, construction with cement mixer, flowers.  

Hotel at Olympia beautiful, modern.

Visited museum--model Winged Victory, Hermes, armor.

Walked to site of Olympia.  Temple of Zeus (site of famous statue of Zeus), workshop of Phileas (made Athena).  Site of first Olympic games.  Walked to bridge at night.  Wonderful moon, tall cypress trees.

Coin plaque $2.15.

Tomorrow, NAUPLIA (Nafplion)

NOTE:  I received a letter from my friend, Karen, who was taking care of our cat.  Below is part of what she wrote.  While I was having a wonderful time, so was Karen.  But I went to bed that night thinking about what Karen wrote in her letter, and about where she had gone.  I wished I could have gone with her, and thought it was an important thing she and her family had done by going.  To read about the event:  http://blog.chicagohistory.org/index.php/2014/01/chicagos-i-have-a-dream-rally/

June24, 1964

Dear Ann,

"I'm sorry I haven't written but it took me awhile to figure out that mailing list.  The cat is doing just fine and seems very happy.  I have a popsicle in your refrigerator.  My mom bought me these envelopes so I could write.  The cat threw up on the dining room rug because she ate her food too fast but I cleaned it up pretty good.

Sunday June 22 my family went to a big Civil Rights Rally up in Chicago.  It was exciting.  There were about 65,000 people there.  It was the second biggest rally in the U.S.  Mahalia Jackson and Martin Luther King were there.  Mahalia Jackson has a very good voice for her age.

We haven't been doing anything special around here except messing off.  I'll write you another letter and please write me.  I'm bored."

Love,

Karen