This is my first trip outside of the United States. I knew it would be rough not only to leave my family, but also my five cats. When I saw how many cats there were in Athens and Santorini, I fell in love. My visual narrative displays what I love the most: cats and Greek mythology. My writing takes place in 430 BC in the eyes of a cat. I will be discussing Greek mythology at different landmarks in different parts of Greece. I hope you enjoy!
This is me. I know what you’re thinking and you’re right, I am a cat writing in my diary. The date today is May 31st, 430 BC. I love to travel around Greece and I cannot wait to share my adventures with you. In the next week, I will be traveling by foot, wooden carts, and as an unwanted stowaway on a boat to tour Greece and Santorini. My fun-filled itinerary includes the Acropolis, Temple of Zeus, Temple of Poseidon, and the Sanctuary of Aphrodite.
Date: June 1st, 430 BC – The Acropolis is my home. This is a picture of the Parthenon at the Acropolis. The Acropolis was built 30 years ago in 460 BC. It is dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, who is the daughter of Zeus and goddess of wisdom. The Acropolis is versatile; it serves as a home to kings, a theater, a safehouse from invasions, and more. Tomorrow, I will be exploring the western slope of the Acropolis.
Date: June 2nd, 430 BC – On the western slope of the Acropolis sits the statue of a seated goddess. It represents Aphrodite, who is the goddess of beauty and love. Aphrodite has her own sanctuary on the island of Santorini. I will be traveling there on June 9th, 430 BC.
Date: June 3rd, 430 BC – I walked to Artemis Brauronia’s sanctuary on the Acropolis. She is the huntress goddess. This bear, made by the sculptor Praxiteles, is on her sanctuary. The bear is sculpted with meticulous detail, especially during this time.
Date: June 4th, 430 BC – This morning I traveled by wooden carts to the Temple of Zeus. It took a few hours to travel to his temple, which is about 1.3 km southeast from the Acropolis. Zeus is the father of gods and humans as well as the father of the goddess Athena. The Temple of Zeus was built in 550 BC and is a sanctuary to him. Sadly, his temple was demolished in 550 BC after Peisistratus, the designer, passed away. Both of Peisistratus’s sons, Hippias and Hipparchos, took over building the temple in 520 BC.(1) The temple’s columns are sculpted with intricate detail. I’m looking forward to going to the Temple of Poseidon tomorrow!
Date: June 6th, 430 BC – I apologize for not writing in my diary yesterday. It took me about a day’s travel to get to the Temple of Poseidon, which sits on the southern tip of Greece in Cape Sounion. It is about 69 km from the Acropolis where I live. Poseidon is the brother of Zeus and the god of the waters and the sea. It was built in 444 BC and has an astounding height of 60 meters overlooking the Aegean Sea. Next, I will be traveling to the Sanctuary of Aphrodite.
Date: June 9th, 430 BC – As a stowaway on a boat, it took me two days to travel to the island of Santorini where the Sanctuary of Aphrodite is located. Aphrodite is the goddess of beauty and love; she is said to have risen from sea foam.(2) Her sanctuary is on Thera, which is inhabited by the Spartans. It is 800 meters long and 360 meters high. The cliffs around Thera are surrounded by the Aegean Sea and land. Tomorrow, I will be leaving Santorini and heading back home.
Date: June 12th, 430 BC – Traveling the two days back to the Acropolis was tough. The wind made the boat rock back and forth, but thankfully I didn’t get sea sick. When I got back, I found Athena’s sacred tree. Athena and Poseidon were required to fight for the possession of the city that I live in. They had to provide a gift for the city. Depending on who provided the better gift, that god/goddess would gain possession of the town. Poseidon gave the city water and Athena gave the city its first olive tree. The gods decided the olive tree was more precious because there was already water. The olive tree shown above is from the goddess Athena.(3)
Date: June 13th, 430 BC – Today, I am back at home. I traveled to the Acropolis (pictured above), Temple of Zeus, Temple of Poseidon, and the Sanctuary of Aphrodite which were all places I will never forget. This concludes my travel journal, I hope that I will get to travel again soon and visit different landmarks. Thank you for reading my diary and taking the time to travel with me! With love, Shadow the Cat
Citations:
1: “Temple of Olympian Zeus, Athens.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 May 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Olympian_Zeus,_Athens.
2: Ekdotiki, P, 2018, Greek Mythology: Athens, DIM. Papadimas Reg’t Co., 52-53.
3: Ekdotiki, P, 2018, Greek Mythology: Athens, DIM. Papadimas Reg’t Co., 28-32.
Hi Laura – this is super cute and clever. I’m wondering, why did you chose those particular places to visit and write about? I think the narrative could have benefited from a map (even hand drawn) so I could understand where these places were. Also, why does mythology interest Shadow so much? What was the purpose of his/her travels?
I chose these particular places because they all have greek mythology embedded in them, which I love. Mythology interests Shadow because he’s curious to explore and learn more about the culture he is in.
The cat named σκιά! Great idea to use a cat though you raised the bar on the amount of detail you’ll need to include for your posts. You can do it!
I have many questions for σκιά, such as are you family cat or an ancient-ruins cat? If a family, which ones and did they influence your desire for travel? If attracted to historical ruins, then how might these compare to the multiple ruins throughout Athens? Does σκιά have a favorite ruin? Is there a period of time maybe architectural designs that are appealing? How do the ruins affect the overall city? When is a ruin a ruin and not an old structure that is a hazard and ought to be knocked down?
What makes blogs appealing is the narrative that isn’t always part of academic writing. I’m glad that you chose to provide us a window into Athens via σκιά. With a bit more context, maybe a map, perhaps a few stories on how the ruins are part of today’s comings and going, and your posts will help the rest of us participate in your travels. Of course, include more about σκιά! Are there Greek mice to eat?
Have fun with your writing while you provide images and stories for the rest of us to partake in your new adventure abroad. I look forward to your next post.
Thank you, I appreciate it! You have some great questions! Shadow was born in the wild,but he is an ancient ruins cat. The ruins throughout Athens are all unique in their own ways; I geared my blog towards ruins/temples that had Greek mythology embedded within them. The temple of Poseidon is Shadow’s favorite place because it has a beautiful view of the ocean, which he longs for in Athens. All of the places I chose to describe are amazing landmarks that should be well-preserved. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, Shadow and I appreciate it!
Saludos Laura and Shadow!
This is sort of like blog-ception. As readers we read blogs to learn and view the things you’re seeing through what you write. With this entry, not only are we doing that, but we’re then going down a layer and viewing everything through the eyes of a cat! I love it.
I won’t overkill what the two comments above have said, but they definitely have good information. Along with what they suggested, perhaps you could find sketches or descriptions of what these ruins would have looked like in Shadow’s day? Overall, though, I love the idea of combining two of your passions in order to give your audience a different perspective!
Can’t wait to read your next entry!
-Nikki
Thank you so much! That would be a great idea to find sketches and descriptions, I didn’t think about that at the time. Thank you for taking the time to read through my blog, I appreciate it!