We begin today with a musical interlude. This group was performing on Ermou Street, a pedestrian shopping street.

Today Professor Sorogas and I were to meet at 5:50 p.m. for our 6:00 Television Production class. This is the first time in more than two decades of college teaching that I have taught a class on a Friday evening. We met in front of the main university building (because he knew I would be able to find it) and we walked to our building. At some point in the future, the building will become the home of the Communication and Media Department: offices, labs and everything. Right now it just has a few lecture halls.

This is the exterior of the Law College, where I have a class

I should mention that all three buildings in which I have taught have had attendants at desks in the lobby. The attendant makes sure only people who are supposed to be in the building are (keep out the homeless, I guess). They also lock and unlock rooms. The one tonight also helped me get my laptop set up, lowered the screen, etc.

The lecture hall tonight (no picture - next time maybe) was large and, unlike the picture from one of the law school classrooms on the left, was without graffiti.

Below is the main university building.

Class began at 6:15, and there were probably about half of the 65 students in attendance. The rest trickled in over the next half hour. It was really noisy in there. If I weren't careful I would characterize Greek students as rude (some talked constantly) but that was not the case in my other two classes. Of course those were small classes, and this one was large and they were in a much more anonymous setting. Professor Sorogas spent the first portion of class encouraging them to apply for the Erasmus program (study in another European country). They are 2nd year students, and that would be something they would do next year. He also told them about their required group project and gave them a little time to meet in their groups. After the break, I got to take over. I was forced to lecture from the stage in order to be able to advance the slides. Prof. Sorogas had talked casually from the front row of the hall, which I would have preferred to do. When he introduced me, they all applauded. I told them not to, but they did anyway. Then, when I finished, they applauded again! I wonder if I can get my American students to consider that.

About this photo: I took it at the Acropolis. There's all kind of restoration work going on. "New" pieces are purposely different from the color of the original so visitors can know what the original structure looked like but realize which pieces are authentic and which are replicas. I learned about that first when I visited the Colosseum in Rome, where they did the same. Anyway, note the guys on the right just standing around as one worked (three were there, I didn't get them all in the picture).

This was an attempt at an artistic picture of our meal on Wednesday. That's Moussaka in the foreground, grilled squid immediately behind - although it was so large we all decided it was cuttlefish rather than squid.

I took this picture of a picture in the window of a bakery in Piraeus. I get the idea: they make their stuff the old-fashioned way. But I have to say I don't think the picture of the old woman would make me want to get my bread there. She looks a little scary to me.