Tours of the 22nd World Congress of Poets Larissa, Greece June 29-July 3, 2011
The 22nd World Congress of Poets in Larissa, Greece, was one of the most successful Congresses ever. In addition to the formalities, poetry readings, scholarly poetry paper presentations, and awards, we had tours of many sites of Greek culture, history and scenery in and around the beautiful city of Larissa at the base of Mount Olympus, a few miles inland from the Aegean Sea.
Photos by Judy Hardin Cheung, or taken with her camera, unless otherwise noted.
If you were present at the Congress and have pictures to share, please email them, along with your name and photo description including who are in the photos, to Judy Cheung, UPLI Secretary/Treasure, editor and webmaster at jhcheung@comcast.net
Photographs of the 22nd World Congress of Poets held in Greece, June 29-July 3, 2011, have been submitted by Judy Hardin Cheung, Demitris P. Kraniotis, Greece; Suparna Ghosh, Canada; Wanda Ingmire, USA; Panayota Christopoulou-Zaloni, Greece; Vassiliki Mandalou, Greece; Michael Kwaku Kesse Somuah, Ghana; and Gisela Kopp, Germany.
Our first adventure was to travel to the Cave of Theopetra by two large buses up narrow, twisting roads to the cave which had been inhabited from mesolithic to modern times. If nothing else, the bus ride was rather thrilling. The scenery was magnificent.
From the bus, we had hundreds of stairs to climb. Many of our less intrepid poets stopped here to enjoy the view and let the others continue ascending.
Our ascent was up a sheer cliff. The weather was beautiful--warm enough to be pleasant but not to warm for our adventurous climb.
Inside the Cave of Theopetra, we saw the unusual and difficult living conditions of people who had lived there for thousands of years.
Our group enjoyed a leisurly stroll around the well protected depths, reading the explanation signs that marked each interesting area of the cave.
Our adventure encouraged friendly bonding. L-R: Rhodora Manganito, Philippines & USA; Judy Cheung, USA, Aya Yuki, Japan
Our next stop was the Monastery of Saint Stephanos in Meteora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To show respect, women had to cover their pants with a wrap around skirt provided to visitors. A second skirt was given to cover the arms for women who wore a sleevless blouse
We enjoyed the beautiful courtyard. We were not allowed to photograph the interior where we saw a chapel, a relic, icons and other religious items.
View from the courtyard. We were very high up on the mountain.
Driving down the hill, we could look back and see where we had been. They say that when it is foggy, the monasteries look like they are floating in mid air.
Our busses were large, comfortable and seemed to bend in the middle to get around the sharp curves on the narrow roads.
We ate lunch in a restaurant that seemed suspended in air over the valley below.
Lunch was served with various Greek dishes. All the food was delicious.
Mealtimes were always an opportunity to make new friends. Lina Folina, Greece; Sarahanne Lum, USA; Snezhana Ivanova, Bulgaria; Judy Cheung, USA. Oh, yes! The wind was blowing.
The next day, we had a tour of the Tempe Valley. On the bus, we passed by the mythological Mt. Olympus, the pointed mountain in the back. On one of the busses, Lina Folina gave site seeing information as we passed by the different areas.
On the bus, we had a lesson in Greek dancing. Rita Bogeart from the Philippines and USA was one of the first to join in with Panayota Christopoulou-Zaloni (center) leading the lessons.
Our first stop on our second day of tours was a stroll along the Pineios River.
We crossed the Tempe on a suspention foot bridge.
We walked through a tunnel into the Chapel of Saint Paraskevi.
In the Chapel of Saint Paraskevi, we were treated to a description of the hierarchy of Christian Orthodox iconic imagry by Argyris Marneros, translated from Greek into English by Athenasos Michael.
After the talk, Argyris sang songs of the church, joined by Lina Folina, Una and others who know the songs.
Outside, on the Chapel grounds, was the pool of Daphne. Here, it is said, Apollo tried to seduce her but failed. She was as chaste as she was beautiful. Over the pond her protector, Gaia, placed a laurel tree which became sacred to Apollo, and became the symbol of Apollo, God of poetry and the sun.
On the way back to the bus, we had time to stop and shop for souvenirs.
Next, we visited the Monastery of Komnenion.
The Chapel at the Monastery of Komnenion is currently under construction.
We finally got most of us together and took a group photo. Despite at least half a dozen tries, we still didn't get everyone in the photo. The photo was taken by Athenasos Michail from Greece.
The next day, we visited the Archeological Museum of Larissa.
We visited the ancient Amphitheater of Larissa where the first Olympic Games were held.
We leisurely strolled back to the bus through the streets of Larissa. Although there are wide, crouded boulevards, there are also many quiet streets where vehicles and pedestrians pass each other without without a problem.
