Jana Zmeck, Ben Pope, Katelynn Calvelli, Becca Novak, Caitlin Lacey,
Jack Lagomarsino, Adrian Emery, & Robin Durnell on the Nietzsche trail above Sils Maria
Jack Lagomarsino, Adrian Emery, & Robin Durnell on the Nietzsche trail above Sils Maria
2005 - Trip Highlights
- suspense as we landed in Beirut
- Arete veteran, Jen Ponig, was waiting for us in front of the hotel
- we would be sleeping for a week about 150 meters from the crater where the prime minister and 20 others were blown up earlier in the year
- archaeological museum in Beirut
- supreme seminar on Islam
- dinner in new town
- morning runs by the sea
- drive down the beautiful coast to ancient Sidon and Tyre
- a look out across the Mediterranean sea toward Carthage where the Phoenicians sailed some 3000 years before
- Tyre and the street with the banners of the martyrs
- columns of Rome reaching out toward the beautiful blue sea
- the singing from the Koran over the city
- a swim out and over the ancient city
- a small grove of cedar trees high in the mountains
- the art and verse of “The Prophet”
- party over the lights of Beirut
- thank you, Jen Ponig
- 3:30 a.m. flight to Athens
- ancient Marathon by dawn
- “move the damn sign, Katelyn”
- first up on the Acropolis in the morning
- a lengthy and fun game of charades in the Arete meadow
- a relay race for fun in the ancient stadium the next morning; Katelyn ran two legs
- Olympia and the climb up to the Arete hill over the ancient track
- the island of Odysseus, the cove of Athena and Telemachus
- the early morning run up and through village and down to the beach
- sleeping on deck of ship to Bari, then train to Rome
- ancient forum too hot by day, remembering Bruno by night
- the metro to Sistine Chapel
- why don’t these ATM cards work?
- what happened to Becca’s?
- flight to Tunis and North Africa
- ancient Carthage
- playful time in the amphitheatre
- what did those young policemen want?
- the Sahara and the forever sunset setting
- flight delay, different airline, then the race through thick traffic to Florence
- “Mr. Taylor, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Taylor, please, please; Mr. Taylor…….”
- the villa at close to 11:00 p.m.
- David
- Dante and the little chapel
- crisp air on another beautiful morning for the Nietzsche walk
- lots of fun in the Matterhorn camp ground
- you won’t make it up, Jack
- the trail below the Matterhorn above Zermatt, then a surprising winner of the hike down the road and back to the camp ground
- Zurich and the cathedral; numinous encounter for some
- the lake with sausages and swans
- Verdun and the immense field of death with white crosses
- brilliant white clouds up against a blue sky
- staying in Freud’s hotel of 1885-86
- Sartre’s grave and “No Exit” was early on “No Entrance”
- the museums in Paris
- where’s Adrian?
- traditional avocado and peanut butter on rolls in Tuilleries
- a birthday dinner in a popular French neighborhood
- the final meal on the Seine
- the wonderful memories by word and feelings

Strangely, Arete 2005 was the first group to stop near the village of Plataea in Greece, look out across the battlefield where the Greek and Persian war ended in 479 B.C. Many brief stops at nearby Thebes had taken place, but not the simple drive over to this view of history (e.g., not too much of the ancient ruins left, no tourist buses, just a quiet, refreshing morning alone with time).