The first flag of the Greek Revolution was raised by Laskarina Bouboulina on the mast of her ship, The Agamemnon, in 1821. Commanding a fleet of ships from her island of Spetses, she blockaded the greatest strongholds of the Ottoman Empire in the name of liberty. She personally led her troops into battle, wielding a sword and ferocious will. Bouboulina’s story is legendary in Greece, on par with George Washington’s in America.
Our guest is Vassiliki Opsimouli who worked as tour guide at Bouboulina’s Museum on Spetses. They have generous provided our listeners with this brochure on Bouboulina and her history.
A complete transcript of this episode is available here.
All images courtesy of the Bouboulina Museum unless otherwise noted.
Russian engraving, 19th century
public domain
public domain
Vassiliki Opsimouli is a travel agent from Epidavros in Greece. After studying political science and public administration at the National University of Athens, she earned a Master’s degree in cultural organizations management, specializing in cultural communication. As she is living between Epidavros and Spetses island in Greece, two places with amazing history, she is always interested in the myths and heroes of her country. She worked as tour guide at Bouboulina’s Museum on Spetses, and today she runs the travel agency “Opsimoulis Travel” which is a family business.
Music featured in this episode included:
“The Railway Station,” “Universe,” “An Umbrella Over Bosphorous,” “Carousel” and “Strange Creatures” by Evanthia Reboutsika
“Hrissaido Tsamiko” by Marika Papagika
Your purchases help support the podcast!
