“Of all books, the most difficult, in my opinion, is a translation. Now, to travel is to translate; it is to translate to the eye, thought and soul of the reader, the places, colours, impressions and sentiments which nature or human monuments give to the traveler.”
Alphonse de Lemartine, Travels in the East
“It seems to me that the reader of a good travel book is entitled not only to an exterior voyage, to descriptions of scenery and so forth, but to an interior, a sentimental or temperamental voyage, which takes place side by side with that outer one; and that the ideal book of this kind offers us, indeed, a triple opportunity for exploration—abroad, into the author’s brain and into our own.” Norman Douglas (Both quoted in Richard Stoneman, A Literary Companion to Travel in
Greece)
Hellas! Arcadia! Greece!
Land of Myth, realm of Athena, Zeus and Odysseus. Wellspring of Western culture and birthplace of democracy.
A full two page ad in a recent (December 31, 2006) New York Times Magazine proclaims: “Greece, Explore Your Senses.” And so we shall. On January 9, 2007, sixteen Hollins University students, led by two brave professors, will set off for Greece. This blog will chronicle our Odyssey.
Hollins University is a women’s liberal arts college in Roanoke, VA., USA. The distance from Roanoke to Athens, Greece is almost 5400 miles (or, roughly, 8600 km, 4600 nautical miles). The cultural distances between Roanoke and modern Greece, and between the present and the ancient are also great. We will attempt to bridge these spans, and share any insights with you, to translate, as de Lemartine puts it, our sensory experiences.
I am Chris Richter, Associate Professor of Communication Studies. I am co-leader of the trip with Associate Professor of Classical Studies Christina Salowey, to whom I am also married (in truth, given that she has the expertise in ancient Greece, and in modern Greek, my role may best be described as first mate on this voyage).
I am responsible for this introduction, but henceforth entries will be made by others. Our postings may be irregular, depending on our skill at finding high speed internet links in Greece, but we expect that in the end we will have a lot to share. Good day, Happy New Year, and stay tuned. . . !
1 response so far ↓
Becky Bryant // January 12, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Great to hear from you. Sounds like a wonderful trip. The news today from Athens is distrubing. We will continue our prayers for a safe and enjoyable trip.
Meritha’s Aunt Becky
Meritha-Love you!
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