Another virtual trip to Greece which, unfortunately, is not a place I’d care to go for real right now. Mount Athos was once the home of nearly 40,000 monks. That number has dwindled to only 2000. As it happens, those of us who are female couldn’t visit the monasteries at Mount Athos any other way but virtually. Only men are allowed to set foot there. But there are some great pictures on the site.
Happy 248th birthday, St Louis! 
Today in history:
- 1882 – Actor John Barrymore was born. He began his career on the stage but began making movies in 1913 and made over 60 during his career. He was the brother of Lionel Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore and the grandfather of Drew Barrymore.
- 1899 – Actress Gale Sondergaard was born. She also began on the stage but moved to movies in 1936. She was the first actress to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (for her role in Anthony Adverse–yeah I’ve never heard of it either).
- 1907 – Actor Cesar Romero was born. His career spanned almost 60 years in radio, movies and television. He’s probably most famous for his role as The Joker in the 1960s Batman TV series. But in his younger days he often played the romantic lead. And I always thought he was a hottie even in his 70s.
- 1949 – Gerald Lankester Harding and Roland de Vaux began excavating Cave 1 of the Qumran Caves, where they eventually discovered the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls.
On TV tonight: Ghost Hunters and a new series on H2 (formerly History International) called Top Guns which, like Top Shot is hosted by Survivor winner (and hottie) Colby Donaldson.
Reading: Now I’m reading The Far Side of the Stars by David Drake.
I respect the history of the Mount to be populated by monks or male workers over 18 who are orthodox christian, but am also a tad insulted when I read about things like this. Eh. I’ve always wanted to visit Greece, but this is DEFINITELY not the time to do so.
Hope you’re having a delightful day!
Comment by Brandy — February 15, 2012 @ 1:56 pm