The Mrs has been to the Peloponnese many times to visit her in-laws but, as far as I can see, has never visited a single site of antiquity. That all changed this holiday and so on her final day we stopped off at Epidavros on the way back to Athens.
As I am sure you are aware Epidavros is an ancient Greek theatre capable of holding thousands of folk which is remarkable because wherever you sit you can hear almost a whisper on stage. The Greeks built this amazing structure when back in the UK we were still living in caves and swinging from trees. It is amazing.
To show her how it worked, the Mrs climbed up high into the upper tiers and I stood centre stage and – in what have must confused a party of Korean tourists – launched into song.
In Dublin’s fair City,
where the Girls are so Pretty
I first set my eyes on Sweet Molly Malone
As she wheeled her wheelbarrow
through streets broad and narrow
Crying Cockles and Muscles, Alive, Alive-oh
Did you hear me? I asked the Mrs as she clambered down. Yes perfectly she said. I got that bit about cockles and muscles but what town is it about and who is Molly Malone?
Saints preserve me. Such crass cultural ignorance shown by an Englishwoman to a man of Irish descent. I read that the Merseyside Police are to massively expand their hate crime units to help folks like me who feel hurt and upset by words they feel show insensitivity on matters of race and ethnicity. I guess it is my civic duty to report the Mrs at once.