It’s been nearly forty-five years since I was last in Epidavros. The location is just as stunning as it was. Greece is one of those few countries where a site like this would remain studiously undeveloped for all that time. The landscape has no new scars, no resort developments, no high-rise apartments. It’s tempting to believe it has been like that since the theater was built nearly 2400 years ago.
The theater is rightly famous for its acoustics. You can stand in the middle of the stage and talk in pretty much a normal voice and you can be heard all the way to the highest seats in the back. One downside of this is that everybody (and I mean everybody) has to try it. When I was first here, it was a busload of German tourists who had to test it out. No just one or two but each one took his or her turn and read out a section of the guidebook to the delight of the rest of the group way up in the cheap seats.
This time it was a group of Canadian tourists, one of whom had a lovely voice. So she sang “Oh, Canada” from the center of the stage. Definitely good for the resume, but weird and charming at the same time. Blame, Canada!
They still do performances here but much later in the summer. I have to say that that would be one of those unforgettable occasions.
As you can see from the photographs, there was almost nobody here. We came early-isa morning and only a few small tour buses were in the parking lot. It was getting busier by the time we left but we got to enjoy the theater without masses of people stepping on our toes.
We’ve been on the edge of the storm for the past two or three days but it has never quite reached us. This afternoon, Greece really started to feel like Greece again, Warm, sunny, slightly hazy with temperatures in the 80’s. Ideal conditions for a lazy lunch on the quiet quay in Epidavros. Siesta calls.