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!