• Innocents in Greece

    Submitted by scott on
    We arrived, and entered the ancient harbor of the Piraeus at last. We dropped anchor within half a mile of the village. Away off, across the undulating Plain of Attica, could be seen a little square-topped hill with a something on it, which our glasses soon discovered to be the ruined edifices of the citadel of the Athenians, and most prominent among them loomed the venerable Parthenon. So exquisitely clear and pure is this wonderful atmosphere that every column of the noble structure was discernible through the telescope, and even the smaller ruins about it assumed some semblance of shape. This at a distance of five or six miles. In the valley, near the Acropolis, (the square-topped hill before spoken of,) Athens itself could be vaguely made out with an ordinary lorgnette. Every body was anxious to get ashore and visit these classic localities as quickly as possible. No land we had yet seen had aroused such universal interest among the passengers. But bad news came. The commandant of the Piraeus came in his boat, and said we must either depart or else get outside the harbor and remain imprisoned in our ship, under rigid quarantine, for eleven days! So we took up the anchor and moved outside, to lie a dozen hours or so, taking in supplies, and then sail for Constantinople. It was the bitterest disappointment we had yet experienced. To lie a whole day in sight of the Acropolis, and yet be obliged to go away without visiting Athens! Disappointment was hardly a strong enough word to describe the circumstances.
  • August 12, 1867

    Submitted by scott on

    August 12 Monday – From Sam’s notebook:
    “Passed through Straits of Messina between Southern Italy & Sicily—2 miles wide in narrowest
    places. Passed close to city of Messina—mass of gas lights” [MTNJ 1: 384].

  • August 13,1867

    Submitted by scott on

    August 13 Tuesday – From Sam’s notebook:
    “Been skirting along the Isles of Greece all day—western side—very mountainous—prevailing tints
    gray & brown approaching to red” [MTNJ 1: 385].

  • August 14, 1867

    Submitted by scott on

    August 14 Wednesday – QC arrived at Piraeus, Greece at noon. The ship was quarantined again, but
    Sam, Dr. George Birch, William Denny, and Dr. Jackson snuck off the ship and visited Athens that
    night.

  • August 15, 1867

    Submitted by scott on

    August 15 Thursday – QC departed Piraeus at noon. From Sam’s notebook: “Booming through the
    Grecian Archipelago with a splendid breeze. Many passengers sea-sick” [MTNJ 1: 391].