Ancient Greece

 Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Our travels around Greece have been fantastic but time for blogging has been very limited and Internet connections in most places were either non-existent or unreliable.  Our days started with a visit to an ancient site, followed by lunch and then a few hours in the nicely air-conditioned bus to the next destination. Every night we have had a dinner arranged so time out has been minimal.  All this worked extremely well as we were able to climb about the sites early before the heat and crowds.  At each place we had an excellent  local guide and I would never have imagined that piles of old rock could be so interesting.

Friday 13 June

Our visit to Delphi  which dates from 510 BC began with a short drive along a mountain road with spectacular views to the valley a very long way below.   The Delphi site being on a mountainside involves lots of climbing uphill and many stairs.  This is the location of the Temple of Apollo from where the Oracle of Delphi dispensed her words of wisdom to those who sought her advice.  From what I can gather very few life decisions were made without consulting the Oracle.  Delphi was visited by people from all over Greece and there was a huge market (agora), the remains of which are visible along the Sacred Way - the road leading to the temple.  One of the treasuries was reconstructed in the early days of archaeological excavations at the site - today's archaeologists frown upon such reconstruction apparently.

The reconstructed treasury at Delphi

After learning all about the Oracle and the Temple we were able to ascend the path up the hill to the huge and well preserved theatre and on up again through the forest to the stadium which is also very recognisable as a sporting arena.  It is a very peaceful place with only birdsong to be heard.  I love the way weeds and wildflowers are left to grow through the ruins.  The view over the whole site from the top is pretty amazing.
Near the entrance to the site is a modern museum which contains most of the statues and artifacts found on the site - now cleaned and protected from the elements.

Delphi - the theatre and ruins of the Temple of Apollo

Following a fascinating morning of exploring the ruins at Delphi we set off down to the coast and stopped in the seaside resort of Itea for lunch beside the sea.  The food was rather ordinary but the location could not be faulted.  Itea does have rather a run-down look about it but this is true of many of the Greek towns we have passed through.  The dreadful economic difficulties of Greece are very obvious all around the country.
After lunch the drive towards Olympia in the Peloponnese region took us westward to Patra with the blue waters of the sea on the left and high mountains, villages and fields of olive trees to the right.  A very scenic drive although it did become a bit cloudy for a while. We stopped for refreshments at Nafpaktos, with its pretty harbour and remnants of Venetian castles and fortifications.

Harbourside refreshments, Nafpaktos - a Greek wine, mavrodafni

After crossing the Gulf of Corinth on the impressive Rio-Antirio bridge we took the motorway past Patras and with the Ionian Sea on our right, drove south to Olympia which is in a fertile river valley not far from the coast.  Here the landscape changed from dry and barren mountains to lush rolling hills and fields of vegetables and citrus and olive trees.  There is a huge export industry for produce in this region and the port of Patras is very important to the Greek economy.
Our hotel in Olympia was situated on a hill overlooking the town and was very charming - a real country inn.
A wonderful buffet dinner was prepared for us but prior to eating we had the opportunity to try cooking some Greek delicacies for ourselves, under the direction of the hotel chef and the owner.  We made dolmades, cheese pies, tzatziki and zucchini balls - all very yummy and lots of fun.  After dinner a young Greek fellow taught us some Greek dance steps and we had a wonderful evening full of good food, music, laughter, dancing and smashing plates.In the interests of workplace health and safety plates for smashing are these days made of papier-mache.
 Everyone agreed that it was one of the best dining experiences of the trip so far.

Saturday 14 June

Another early start and we were soon at the site of the Ancient Olympics and being introduced to our guide Patti.   After touring the museum we crossed through a pretty park and entered the Olympic complex - wow!   Here there are ruins of temples, gymnasiums, a five star hotel, and of course the stadium itself.  The ruins cover an extensive area and wonderful old trees give shade and great beauty to the site.

The ruins of the temple which contained the 13 metre high gold and ivory statue of Zeus, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Patti explained how the games were organised and showed us where the Olympic torch is lit for modern day Olympic Games.  It is a wonderful site to stroll about and imagine life as it would have been in 700 BC.  The excavation of the site is not yet complete and it is interesting to see how this painstaking work is carried out.

Stadium of the Ancient Olympics, Olympia

After visiting the site we drove back to Olympia and had lunch in the middle of this small and pretty town.  With its tree lined streets and pretty houses Olympia has a lovely tranquil atmosphere.

Main street, Olympia

 There was time for a little shopping as well and then a bus trip through the hills of the central Peloponnese to the eastern seaboard and the amazing town of Nafplion which proved to be a favourite of everyone.   Our hotel was the Nafplion Palace, a rather grim looking stone building high on the hill above the town, however once inside we were thrilled with the spectacular views over the bay to the mountains beyond.  There is a small fortified island in the middle of the bay which is quite enchanting.

Caroline on the balcony of our room at Nafplion Palace Hotel

Lisa took us on a walking tour of the town - beautiful little cobbled streets and lovely old buildings which seem well preserved and again the Venetian influence is obvious.  Being within easy distance of Athens, Nafplion is a favourtie weekend getaway spot.

Nafplion town below the old fortress

   The final treat for the day was a delicious celebration dinner in the hotel restaurant where the views of the sunset were nothing short of brilliant.  We all had a most wonderful evening and joined with Martha and Mike from the USA in celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.  A place one could spend more than one night quite happily.

Sunset from the hotel restaurant, Nafplion

Sunday 15 June

The last day of our mainland tour and a day to farewell many of our fellow travellers who will be going on a 4 day cruise instead of doing the island hopping program.  We began the day with a short drive to Epidauros to visit the museum and huge, largely intact amphitheatre which dates from the 4th Century BC.  First stop on this visit was a tour of the small museum dedicated to the history of the cult of Asklepios, god of medicine.  The Sanctuary of Asklepios was very important from the 6th Century BC and the amphitheatre became famous for theatrical productions which continue to this day.   It is very well preserved and maintained and the acoustics are certainly impressive.  Caroline and I climbed to the top level and were rewarded with lovely views of the surrounding hills and valleys.

Epidauros

As the sun became more intense we drove 45 minutes towards Athens and made our last visit on the mainland - to the magnificent site of Mykinnes - home of the Mycenaean civilisation which lasted from 1600 to 1100 BC.  Again there is a lovely museum which protects the unearthed artifacts from further environmental damage - it is amazing to see how complex and beautiful many of the ceramics and sculptures are considering that the tools used at the end of the Bronze Age were by our standards, very primitive.
After exploring the museum we climbed the hill, through the famous Lioness Gate and entered the ruins of the great city.
 

Lionness Gate, Mycenae

The ruins of the ancient city of Mycenae are substantial in size and spread over a mountain top with all encompassing views to the sea and mountains.  The cultivated land below is covered with olive trees as far as the eye can see.  From this vantage point the rugged nature of the Peloponnese is clearly seen.

Ruins, olives and mountains, Mycenae

  We also visited the rather bizarre beehive shaped tomb of King Argememnon who was murdered by his wife's lover.  It is a very large structure and the lintel over the entrance is a single stone which weighs 120 tons - how ever did they get it up there in 1250 BC?
 The day was very hot and we were glad to be back on the bus eventually, stopping at a nearby village for a tasty lunch - Greek home cooking and local wine. We were treated to a visit to a pottery nearby where traditional Mycenaen ceramics are still produced.  Our final stop en route back to Athens was a brief one to view the incredibly skinny Corinth Canal which permits ships to avoid the lengthy journey around the Peloponnese when travelling from the west to the Aegean Sea.

Corinth Canal looking eastwards to the Aegean

  By late afternoon we were back in our hotel in Athens making preparations to depart for the islands early next morning.  This evening we were taken to the Plaka district which was humming with diners and shoppers until late.  Our farewell meal was the only real disappointment of this week - a crowded touristic restaurant packed with tour groups, a dodgy band playing Greek music very loudly and quite frankly awful food.  Certainly not value for money.   Caroline and I look forward to returning to this area of the city after our island tour next week.
I have loved travelling through Greece and visiting the sites that have been familiar since school days.  Sometimes it was very difficult to know where mythology ended and real history began, so intermingled are the two in Greek culture.It is rather disheartening to see the devastating effects of the economic crisis as one moves around the country and to hear the stories of hardship recounted by our wonderful Tour Manager, Lisa.   Without Lisa this tour would not have been half as much fun, or half as well presented.  She really ensured that we all were taken care of and enjoyed ourselves.   Our fellow travellers have been a joy and it is sad to farewell many of them as they embark upon their mini-cruise.  Tomorrow a new adventure!

Rocks!

Thursday 12 June

Kalambaka is a lovely small town nestled at the foot of an amazing collection of enormous rocks.  This morning I went out early and walked through some of the back streets where pretty houses and small apartment buildings are decked out with flowers - roses, geraniums, wisteria featuring prominently. As I walked my gaze was constantly drawn towards the towering rocks with the early morning sun shining on them.  At the top of a couple I could see buildings - no doubt the monasteries that we were to visit during the morning.  The puzzle was how we were going to actually get up the sheer cliff faces to access these places.
About the Meteora. Formed during geophysical upheavals some 60 million years ago, the sandstone rock columns were separated from the Pindos Mountains by erosion and today stand 400 metres above the Thessaly Plain making an astonishing sight.  Since the 11th Century hermits and monks have lived on these almost inaccessible piles of rock and it is generally agreed that without the continued activity of the monasteries here during the 400 years of Ottoman occupation much of Greek culture and history would have been lost forever.  Today, as we were to discover, a road leads up the hills behind the rocks and gives visitors access to the monasteries - still a lot of steps to climb but at least we didn't have to be hauled up in baskets or climb rope ladders as in times gone by.

Part of the Meteora viewed from the town of Kalambaka

After my early morning stroll and breakfast we all piled onto the bus and drove up to the first of the monasteries that were would be visiting - the Agios Stephanos which is actually a nunnery - not a monk in sight but 29 lovely nuns, including one Australian.   After a photo stop the bus let us out near the monastery with a relatively easy walk to access the main entrance.

Spectacular view on the road to Agios Stephanos Monastery

On arrival those of us women who were wearing pants or short skirts were obliged to don long wrap around skirts provided by the nuns before we were able to enter.  This monastery is stunningly beautiful, having been rebuilt quite substantially after war damage, but of course in the traditional style with lovely stone walls, tiled roofs, timber windows and gorgeous little courtyards filled with flowers - the roses are magnificent!  Our local guide gave us a short history and then we entered the chapel which is highly decorated with icons and frescos.  After absorbing the peaceful atmosphere inside we lingered on the terrace with its fantastic views over Kalambaka, the plains  and the mountains.  Breathtaking!  The gardens here are exquisite - I want to take them home!  The monasteries are self funding so we had the opportunity to buy some of the soaps, incense, oils, handcrafts and icons made by the nuns from their small gift shop.  They work tirelessly in between their religious devotions to keep the whole place in a pristine state.  Lots of cute little cats lolling about in the sunshine too.

Agios Stephanos Monastery

Beautiful courtyard at Agios Stephanos

And of course the views from the monasteries are pretty spectacular - across the Thessaly Plains and to the Pindos Mountains.  Perhaps a lovely area of Greece to explore in the future?

View down to Kalambaka with the Pindos Mountains in the distance.

Although suffering from sensory overload we continued on our tour of the Meteora with a visit to a second monastery, Roussanou, or St Barbara.  Only six of the original monasteries are occupied today.  This time we walked down through a beautiful forest path to the entrance - pines, cypresses and oaks and then emerged to more spectacular views as we had ventured further into the area of rock columns.

Another of the precariously perched monasteries of the Meteora

  The views were just as spectacuilar and the buildings just as charming but the landscape was even more rugged so not as many gardens.  We spent a pleasant time looking about this monastery which is older and has needed less restoration than Aghios Stephanos.  Again we were all quite blown away by the magnificent scenery of the Meteora - it is spell-binding.

View from the road which winds through the Meteora and back to Kalambaka

Reluctantly we boarded our bus and retraced our route south across the Thessaly Plain (with a truck stop lunch break again) to Lamia, stopping close to the motorway at Thermopyles, site of a huge battle between the Spartans and the Persians in 480 BC - greatly outnumbered the Spartans led by King Leonidas were defeated by the huge army of Xerxes.  There is a statue and a remembrance wall at the foot of the mountains.

The rest of the afternoon was spent travelling over a high mountain pass and then on to Mount Parnassus and the town of Delphi.  What a spectacular drive - not for those who dislike heights!  Such wild and rugged country with isolated villages here and there, clinging to the mountainsides.  One such village is Eleonas which overlooks a valley of olive trees, the oldest plantation in Greece.

Whizzing past Eleonas olive plantation after an exciting drive through the mountains

Delphi is also perched high on the mountain with great views out to the town of Itea and the waters of the Ionian Sea.  It is a small town, not particularly attractive and filled with souvenir shops.  Our hotel was very traditional with great views out to the coast.  We had a bit of a stroll around the village, another "tour" dinner and then fell into bed - a long day of sight-seeing and travelling.

Athens and Beyond

Wednesday 11 June

This morning we began the tour routine - early wake up call, bags packed and outside the door for collection, buffet breakfast (nice selection and great coffee) and then onto the bus with our 30 fellow travellers, Nikos the driver and the irrepressible Lisa who manages everything with charm and skill.  Our group is truly international, representing Australia, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia and the USA as well as a wide range of ages including two Singaporean schoolgirls.  The Divani Caravel in Athens is within easy walking distance of the main square, Syntagma, but this morning we visited various sites in the city by bus.  First stop was the Temple of the Olympian Zeus, located just below the Acropolis, and constructed over a period of 600 years from the 6th century BC.   Today the 15 majestic Corinthian columns that remain give a good idea of how impressive this temple must have been.   Our local guide, Maria, was very knowledgeable and we were well informed about life in ancient Greece and about the amazing feats of design and construction that went into completing such monumental structures.  The temple ruins are situated in a large field surrounded by olives, cypresses and other vegetation which largely block out the sights and sounds of modern Athens.

Temple of Zeus, Athens

At one corner of this site is Hadrian's Arch, an impressive portal which is Roman in orgin. 

Hadrian's Arch

Following the obligatory group photo we drove through the old Plaka neighbourhood to the Acropolis. From the bus park it was an easy walk up through the olive groves to the entrance gate of the Acropolis.  Although there were plenty of visitors, the crowds were not overwhelming  and as entrances go this one is pretty impressive and beautifully maintained.  Whilst the ancient marble ruins are breathtaking, so too are the 360 degree views from this famous vantage point.  Once through the gates, we were quite in awe of the magnificent Parthenon which even as a ruin so completely dominates the city of Athens.  Maria's interesting and expert commentary added to the enjoyment of our visit.  Her passion for Greek history was certainly evident and her fluency in English is admirable.

Parthenon

Today the Acropolis basked under a clear blue sky and we spent a wonderful hour exploring the various aspects of the Acropolis as well as discovering the layout and extent of the city, its surrounding mountains and seaside location.  Lisa had joked that the ancient Greeks built beautiful buildings and the modern Greeks now build ugly ones.  To be sure the square, white apartment buildings that cover the hillsides are not individually attractive, but somehow the uniformity of design results in a homogenous scene which seems to  blend with the landscape when viewed from above.  A fantastic experience!

Athens old and new - view over the Odeon on the Acropolis

Following a good browse around all that the Acropolis has to offer we descended to our waiting bus and enjoyed some comfort and air-conditioning whilst being driven around the streets on a city tour.  We did stop briefly at the ancient Olympic Stadium of Athens which was restored for the first modern Olympics in 1896.   Athens from a  bus is mildly interesting - one needs to venture into the tiny streets of the Plaka district which are only friendly to tiny cars and scooters in order to see charming old houses dripping with brightly coloured bougainvillea.  We will have time to explore this area on foot when we return to Athens in a couple of weeks.

 Leafy streets of the Plaka

Our final visit this morning in Athens was to the New Archaeological Museum which houses many treasures from the Acropolis, including of course what Greece has left of the so called Elgin Marbles.  It is quite criminal that they are still held in the British Museum and hopefully one day they will be returned to Greece.  In the meantime these fantastic carvings are replicated in a massive life size model of the Parthenon.  There are just a few pieces which are original - the rest are copies - so sad.  The Museum is brilliant and very well worth visiting with its stunning views to the Acropolis.
We took a vote and decided to head out of Athens instead of staying for lunch in the Plaka district - Lisa was keen to avoid the traffic build up so off we went on the motorway towards the coastal town of Lamia which is to the north of Athens.  The first part of the drive took us through suburbs and then agricultural lands before we descended to a bayside route with high mountains ahead, to the east across the bay and to the west.  This was the first indication to us of the extensively mountainous nature of the country. 

Mountains and sea - Central Greece

 By-passing Lamia we climbed over a mountain pass where the road was lined with bright pink oleander bushes and sullphuric yellow broom.   The rugged hills are dry and quite barren with low growing vegetation  and a lot of Mediterranean pine trees.  There was no evidence of agricultural activities up here.  Once over these mountains we descended to the Thessaly plain which is rich and fertile and covered with cotton and wheat farms as well as huge banks of photolytic cells producing electricity.  The Greeks certainly make very good use of the high sunshine hours.  The plains are vast and  very pretty, again with mountains in the distance.  A quick look at the map shows many peaks reaching well over 2000 metres and they are often very jagged looking.  Today in the hot sun they appeared hazy and blue in the distance.

Descending into the beautiful region of Thessaly

Our lunch stop was at a very swish and modern truck stop in the middle of nowhere - but lots of tasty food and good coffee.   As well travelled further north towards Trikala the agricultural land started to look scruffy and less cared for and the villages we passed through showed many signs of the financial difficulties being faced in Greece - abandoned shops and commercial buildings, half constructed buildings with weeds growing through them, uncollected rubbish - in fact a general air of dereliction.  At the end of a long drive the mountains suddenly were right in front of us and we were able to get our first glimpse of the remarkable rock towers of the Meteora.  Our hotel for the night was another of the Divani chain located in the pretty little town of Kalambaka.  There was time for a stroll around the town, a bit of a thunderstorm and then a typical "tour" dinner in the hotel - moussaka, souvlaki etc etc.  What a day of contrasts!

Just sitting on a plane!

Monday 9 June, Tuesday 10 June

Hopefully all the last minute chores have been taken care of - I seem to have been ticking things off lists for days (no one at home for the next few weeks so securing the house etc has been a bit of a mission).

Yesterday Alex, Zac, Mum, Benji and I had  delicious lunch at Elephant Rock Cafe.  We had the prime spot with lovely views of Currumbin Beach and the usual mouth-watering longboard,calamari and smoked salmon- very relaxing and enjoyable.  Yay for the Gold Coast City Council in now permitting cafes to be dog-friendly - Benji hates to be left at home!

Lunch at Elephant Rock Cafe - a lovely farewell.

So, this afternoon I was finally airborne - Singapore Airlines to Singapore, a bit of a wait and then Air France to Paris.   Both legs were great and I was pleasantly surprised with the standard of service and comfort on Air France - not usually regarded as one of the world's most superior airlines.  Not only was the food (and of course wine) amazing  and enticed me to eat dinner at 2 am which I usually avoid, but the cabin crew were charming, helpful and really pleasant.  This experience was repeated on Tuesday morning's three hour flight to Athens which followed something of a hike around CDG Airport in order to make the connection.   The flight to Athens took a route that had us flying over Lake Leman and Switzerland with fantastic views of the still very snowy Alps. The huge bulk of Mt Blanc and the distinctive peak of the Matterhorn, plus the whole expanse of the French and Swiss Alps sparkled below us in the morning sunshine.  Absolutely beautiful - such good luck to be seated on the right side of the aircraft.  Rather annoyed that I had packed my camera away - a sadly missed wonderful photo opportunity!  After being glued to the mountain scenery for a while I got to chatting with my travelling companion in the next seat - a lovely Thai man, a diplomat, with a great sense of humour.  When I next looked out the window we were flying over the sea and soon the occasional island began to appear - a sure sign that we were approaching Greece.
This morning in Paris I had been in touch with Caroline in London, expecting her to be boarding a flight which should have arrived in Athens a few minutes before me.  I must admit to being quite horrified to learn that British Airways had oversold Caroline's flight and that she had been "bumped."  If she was lucky  she would be rebooked on the next flight which would have her landing in Athens at around 7 pm.  So to British Airways I say "greedy, unethical and incompetent. - and to be avoided for ever more."  Apparently it is common practice with this airline - Caroline was not alone as a bumpee on this particular morning. There is even a whole desk in the terminal to manage disgruntled passengers.  I am pretty sure that overselling is illegal in Australia and so it should be.
Well Insight Tours was very understanding and promised that they would send a driver to collect Caroline, and I received a message from her confirming that she was about to finally board a flight to Athens.  Poor thing got up at some pre-dawn hour in order to make her 8.15 am flight from Heathrow and then spent hours hanging about in the airport while BA did their best to spoil her day.
Athens was a bit of a surprise to me as I didn't expected the city to be surrounded by such high hills or the roads to be so lacking in traffic.  After all 5 million people live in the Greater Athens area.  My driver was of the opinion that most people find it too expensive to drive and that a good public transport system and a plethora of scooters and motorbikes furnish the transport needs of the population.
I kind of collapsed for a bit  in my room at the Divani Caravel, then went for a little stroll before attending welcome drinks with our tour guide Lisa and getting to know some of our fellow travellers.  The view of the Acropolis from the roof terrace of the hotel was pretty and very atmospheric as the sun began to set. Caroline turned up just in time for a tasty dinner with all the group and then bed beckoned as we have an early start in the morning.

Evening view of the Acropolis from the Divani Caravel Roof Terrace