Greece - Nafplion

From Olympia we took busses through the countryside past wind turbines to Nafplion, a seaport town.  On the way there we also passed through a city called Argos which evoked memories of my childhood computer-game playing days.  I used to play a game called Wrath of the Gods, and the main character had to overcome various challenges based on greek myths, one of which was located in Argos.  Nafplion was a small town, very relaxed, and we stayed in a cute hotel.

In the evening we headed over to Epidaurus, a world heritage site, with a marvelous theater known for not only holding 15,000 people but also having such amazing acoustics that people in the back row of the theater can still hear the performance perfectly.  Even more amazing, this theater was built in 4 BC, and is still used today to hold performances sans modern audio equipment.

We saw a performance of Electra by Sophocles, click on the link to read a summary of the play (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electra_(Sophocles)).  Basically in the past, Electra protected her twin brother Orestes from her murderous mother by sending him away.  The play explores Electra’s emotions about her dead father, and Orestes returning to exact his revenge.  As the play was in Greek, Nisha and I could not understand anything the characters were singing, but the actors were so emotionally charged that the performance was still very beautiful.  It was equally awesome to be sitting in the same theater that ancient Greeks also sat in to watch Greek tragedies.

You know when you’re in a room and one person breaks the silence by coughing, and then everyone else capitalizes on the opportunity to cough as well?  Likewise at Epidaurus, it was hot, sweaty, and we were sitting on cushions. Any readjustment of one’s seated position caused a squeaking sound.  Once one person decided to readjust, the whole theater decided to as well, and with the awesome acoustics of the Epidaurus theater, it temporarily overtook the performance.