Month: January 2019

Thursday, January 17

We had breakfast at our hotel.  There was no menu, everyone gets the same thing: croissants, pound cake, greek yogurt, coffee/tea, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice from their organic farm and a medium boiled egg.  The food was good and cost only €5.00 / $5.75 per person.  We would have preferred to have a little more protein.

Afterwards we walked over to the Archeological Museum.  For €6.00 / $6.90 per person we got a ticket that allowed us entry to the Archeological Museum, the Archeological Site andThe Museum of the History of the Ancient Olympics; tickets are half price in the off season and they can be used over the course of two days.  That’s a pretty good deal.

The museum is designed as a large square with displays all around the perimeter in chronological order and a central hallway with grand statues – all items found at the archeological site in Olympia.  The displays start with some beautiful Assyrian hammered bronze sheets from the 8th Century BC and moved into bronze votive offerings from the 8th-7th Centuries BC.  Several cases were devoted to bronze tripods and tripod decorations.  The pieces were in fantastic condition and were fun to see.  There was also a display of bronze Corinthian helmets in several styles.

The next section was about the buildings from the site.  There were remnants and reconstructions of the terra-cotta architectural pieces from several treasuries.  Phidias, the main architect/sculptor of the Acropolis in Athens, had a workshop in Olympia.  There were many of his tools and molds on display and explanations on how many components were produced.  It was fascinating to see.

Another room had a large number of terra-cotta sculptures.  They had originally been painted with bright colors and quite a few retained some of their pigments.  One of the pieces that captured our interest was a bronze helmet that had once belonged to Miltiades, the person that history has credited with creating the strategy that defeated the Persians at the Battle of Marathon.

(Helmet of Miltiades, 490 BC)

The most impressive sculpture had to be the so-called Hermes of Praxiteles that was found in the the Temple of Hera.

(Hermes of Praxiteles, 340-330 BC)

The archeological site is just a short walk from the museum.  The site is very large and there is a map near the entrance that identifies many of the ruins.  We should have taken a photo on our phones to refer to as we walked about because only some of the ruins have signs in front of them.

Most of the site is in ruins.  In 393 AD the Roman Emperor Theodosius I abolished the Olympic Games and his successor, Theodosius II, had the temples destroyed.  Further damage was caused by earthquakes in 522 and 551 AD.

Our tour started with a look at the old gymnasium where the athletes trained for one month before the start of the games.  The perimeter of the building is easy to see as it was outlined with a double row of columns.  Next door was the ruins of an old bath and nearby was the building that had contained Phidias’ workshop.  It had been converted to a Byzantine Basilica.  Remnants of the alter and apse were plain to see.  Further on was a hotel where guests stayed.  In its center was a fountain surrounded by a swimming pool.

The main building was the Temple of Zeus.  It had once contained one of the seven wonders of the ancient world: a huge ivory and gold statue of the god Zeus seated on a throne and was built by none other than Phidias himself.  No copies of the statue have ever been found.  The statue was removed to Constantinople and perished in a fire in the 5th Century AD.  The temple has been completely destroyed.  We walked around the entire perimeter and and found huge slabs of stone and dozens of column drums strewn about.  No doubt it would take something as powerful as an earthquake to do that kind of damage.  A single column was reconstructed for the 2004 Olympic Games.  It seemed so very lonely.

Nearby was the Temple of Hera.  Many of it’s column bases had survived.  Next  to the temple is the Altar of Hera.  This is the place where the Olympic Torch is lit for the modern Olympic Games (there was no torch lighting ceremony in the ancient world).

(The Altar of Hera)

Fun Fact:  The tradition of lighting the Olympic Torch began at the Berlin games of 1936.  That torch, and the one from the Athens games of 2004, are both on display at the War Museum of Athens.  We saw them both!

In ancient times there was a long tunnel called the Crypt that led from the main grounds to the stadium.  The entrance is still intact and we walked through it and entered into the original Olympic Stadium.  It was quite a thrill.  The stadium had no seating except for a few dignitaries and the judges.  Most people sat on the grass along the sloped sides.  Greeks, Barbarians and even slaves were all permitted to watch the games but women were strictly forbidden.  Only Greek citizens were permitted to participate.

(Winning My First Gold Medal at the First Olympic Stadium)

On the way out we passed two other very interesting buildings.  One was an aqueduct built by Herodes Atticus, a very wealthy Athenian and the person who funded the Odeon of the same name on the Acropolis in Athens.  It contained a large number of niches with statues of his family and many well known personalities from antiquity.  Many of those statues were on display in the museum.

Another interesting building was the partially restored Philippeion.  Construction was started by Phillip of Macedonia and completed by his son Alexander the Great.  It’s a relatively small, round building with Ionian columns that held statues of the royal family.

(The Philippeion)

For dinner we went back to the same restaurant (Authentic Greek Street Food) hoping for more free food.  Since we hadn’t eaten lunch we were fairly hungry.  When we showed up at 5:00 pm our favorite waiter was nowhere to be seen.  We ordered a chicken gyro platter and the lamb chops.  Both came with fresh cut fries, tomatoes, onion, tzatziki sauce and, of course, bread.  For perhaps the first time we got caught by the metric system and wound up ordering a liter of wine.  Half that would have been more than enough.  Still, by the end of the meal we managed to consume the entire thing.  We were glad that our hotel was just a short walk away.  Total cost: €28.00 / $32.00.  Credit cards are accepted.

Just as we were leaving we ran into our waiter from the previous night.  He asked if we had gotten some ouzo after dinner.  He looked disappointed when we said we hadn’t.  We told him we’d see him tomorrow night.  His shift starts at 7:00 pm.  We’re expecting great things!

Distance walked: 5.1 miles

Tuesday, January 15

Our plan was to spend 14 days hopping around the Peloponnesian peninsula.  For that we were going to need a car.  We found a place at the airport that would rent us a car for €7.00 / $8.05 a day including unlimited mileage.  It was a deal that sounded too good to be true.  We expected the worst.

I took the shuttle bus to the airport and arrived around 9:45 am.  A taxi would have been around $50.00 but the bus cost just €6.00 / $6.90 and took only about 15 minutes longer.  I looked for the car rental counter at the arrivals terminal and could not find it.  I asked at the information desk and they said that they never heard of that company.  I started to wonder.  Then I re-read the email from the car rental company.  Their instructions were to wait near the information desk and someone would pick me up at 10:00 am and drive me to their counter.  Five minutes later someone showed up and escorted me to an empty van.  He went back inside the terminal and I wondered whether I was going to be the victim of a kidnapping. 🤪

A few minutes later six more people boarded the van and we were off.  Things went smoothly.  My biggest problem was finding my way back to our apartment.  I hadn’t been behind the wheel in almost two years and hadn’t driven stick in more than 20 but, like the saying goes, it’s like riding a bike.  I texted Deborah my ETA and she was ready when I arrived.  We loaded up the car and headed off to our first stop: Ancient Corinth.

Getting out of Athens was a bit tricky.  The roads have many complex interchanges and it was hard for us to read the signs but we managed to get on the highway with only some slight detours.  The drive was a little over and hour and our way took us along coastline of the Saronic Sea.  It was a very pretty drive.

The town of Ancient Corinth is a small strip of shops geared towards the tourist industry.  At the end of town we found the Museum and Archeological site.  The view from the parking to the sea was absolutely amazing.  To the North the water was a deep, dark blue and the mountains on the other side were all topped with snow.  To the South, high above, we could see a fortress built on a hill.  This was Acrocorinth.  We snapped a few photos and headed into the museum.  What we found was very surprising.  There was a sign saying: The Museum is Closed on Tuesdays.  Of course their web site made no mention of this at all.  We were a little perturbed but decided that we would make the best of it.  We would see Acrocorinth today and come back and see Ancient Corinth the next morning.

The drive to Acrocorinth was up a steep, winding mountain road.  Along the way we passed a shepherd trying to keep his sheep from wandering away.  Our little car does’t have much power so we kept it in second gear most of the way.      Fortunately we had the road to ourselves.  When we got to the parking lot the view of the sea and mountains beyond was even more spectacular.  It’s a good thing we don’t have to pay for film anymore or we wouldn’t be able to afford this trip.

To our surprise entry to Acrocorinth was free.  The catch was that we only had about an hour before they closed for the day.  The hilltop has been continuously occupied from ancient times until the 19th century.  It has been conquered many times throughout its history – the last time being during the Ottoman period.  To penetrate it you must get through three rings of defenses each with its own killing field.  We walked through all three and couldn’t imagine that anyone could breach its walls.  The paths are steep and slippery and each ring is guarded by high walls that open to long narrow gates. Today the interior seems to be mostly ruins although, given the short amount of time we had, we were not able to fully explore it.

(View from Acrocorinth)

We had lunch back in Ancient Corinth at a restaurant filled with tourists who’d arrived by bus.  It was just about the only place that was open.  We ordered the pork souvlaki and the spinach pie.  The pork souvlaki was tasty.  The spinach pie had been deep fried.  It was was very good.  We tried to pay by credit card but the machine rejected our card.  I went inside and watched the waiter put the card through and found the the problem wasn’t the card but the machine.  He asked me to pay in cash but that was a non-starter because I had almost none.  He was planning to let me go without paying and went back to the kitchen to deliver some orders.  I rebooted the machine and put the charge through myself.  He seemed very happy.

We made a stop in Corinth to see the Corinth Canal.  It’s a four mile channel that connects the Gulf of Corinth to the Saronic Gulf.  The idea for the canal began back in classical times.  The Romans also attempted this feat and failed.  Construction began in 1881 and was completed in 1893.  The canal has proven to be too narrow and the limestone walls too unstable for it to be a commercial success but it has become popular with the tourists.  It’s an impressive sight.

Finally, we drove into the neighboring town of Loutraki and settled into our AirBNB.  We had only booked it for one night.  The apartment, right off the main street, was far from luxurious but was it dirt cheap.  We walked down to the waterfront to check things out.  Most businesses were closed except for a few coffee shops and restaurants.  It must be a lovely place in season but now it was cold and windy.

Before turning in for the night we stopped at a bakery and got some things for dinner.

Distance walked: 4.0 miles

Wednesday, January 16

We had bread and butter with cheese for breakfast.  We’d brought these, and some other food items, with us when we left Athens.

Once again we drove over to Ancient Corinth but this time we found the museum and the archeological site to be open.  The museum is rather small but has a nice collection of artifacts that have been discovered there.

The site is rather large and has a long history.  It included an amphitheater, temples, baths, fountains, market places and shrines.  The main building, the Temple of Apollo, dates from 550 BC.  When the Romans conquered Greece they expanded the site and added many buildings including an Odeon.

(Temple of Apollo, Acrocorinth Above)

The site is well known to many Christians because it is where the Apostle Paul lectured and wrote his letters known as First and Second Corinthians.  The Bema/Rostrum/Podium where he spoke from can still be seen today.

(Saint Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians)

Having thoroughly enjoyed Ancient Corinth we got in our car and headed West towards Olympia.  The drive took us all along the Northern coast of the Peninsula and it was incredibly picturesque.  We stopped at a rest stop on the highway for lunch and ate some mediocre pizza and got some gas.  Gas is listed at about €1.49 which doesn’t seem bad until you realize that is the price per liter.  That translates to about $7.75 per gallon.  Ouch!

We arrived in Ancient Olympia, the site of the first Olympics, around 5:00 pm.  We had found a recommendation for a restaurant but it didn’t open until 7:00 pm.  At 6:00 pm we went out and took an accounting of the town.  It’s small and very much geared towards tourists.  We found a few restaurants that were open and looked in a few windows.  At 6:50 pm we went over to the restaurant we had chosen and realized that it would not be open for business this evening.  We went back to one of the places we’d seen but quickly walked out when we were accosted by cigarette smoke.  Instead we went into the restaurant across the street.  It turned out to be a great decision.

At first we weren’t sure that the restaurant was open because it was empty inside but the waiter reassured us and we took a table with a view.  The menu had a nice assortment of the usual Greek specialties and we chose the fried eggplant and the fried calamari.  Having enjoyed the ouzo in Athens we decided to take the plunge.  We asked the waiter for a recommendation and he seemed pleased when we took his advice.

The waiter brought the food, the ouzo, a bucket of ice and a bottle of water.  It’s normal to put the ouzo on ice and dilute with some water.  We figured that we would be charged to for the water too.  At one point, just as the waiter was walking by, we finished the tzatziki that had come with our dinner.  He brought us an even larger portion.

The food was excellent and we managed to drink about 3/4 of the bottle of ouzo (we took the rest back to our hotel).  We asked about desserts and got menus listing about 20 different cakes that could be served in combination with 120 different flavors of ice cream.  It was overwhelming.  When we decided to pass on dessert the waiter said, “I’ll bring you some fruit”.  About ten minutes later he came back with a large platter with freshly cut kiwi, banana and apples covered in honey and toasted nuts.  It just hit the spot.

(Free Desserts Taste Best)

When the bill came there was no charge for the bottle of water, the extra tzatziki or the plate of fruit.  More free food!  This is getting to be a habit we like.  We’ll probably go back again tomorrow.

Distance walked: 3.6 miles

Monday, January 14

For our last day in Athens we decided to go to The War Museum of Athens.  This museum traces Greek conflicts starting in ancient times through the Korean Conflict.  Entry cost €4.00 / $4.60 was per person.  Cash only.

The first exhibits are on pre-historic and bronze-age artifacts but things move quickly to the displays about the famous battles of Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis.  There are quite a few period artifacts on display but almost all of them are reproductions of items that can be found in other museums around Athens.  There was some nice background information on the Byzantine era but then the displays got more detailed regarding the Greek Revolution, World War I and World War II.

(Flag Greeks Used to March into Paris after WW1)

There was a nice display of weapons and armaments from countries all around the world.

(French 19th Century Weaponry)

The museum was a nice way to spend a few hours but it is certainly not one of Athens must see attractions.

For lunch we went to Kostarelos Deli, a place that has been making artisanal cheeses for many years.  The front of the store is now a restaurant with about a dozen small tables and the back is a deli that sells cheeses, meats and all sorts of Greek specialty items.  As we walked to our table we noticed what others were eating.  Each dish looked better than the next.  We looked the menu over three times before finally choosing.  It was a hard to limit ourselves to just two choices.  We got a sandwich on sourdough bread, with a thick layer of a cheese that was similar to a fresh ricotta, piled high with arugula, avacado, asparagus and smoked salmon.  We also got the baked feta which came with a honey/pepper jam.  Both dishes were absolutely awesome.  The total cost was €15.50 / $17.82.  Credit cards are accepted.

(Feta with Honey/Pepper Jam)

Before we left we went into the deli area and purchased some of that same feta (they have many different types) and the honey/pepper jam.

Distance walked: 5.9 miles

Friday, January 11

We left the apartment around noon and headed over to the travel agency that we had used to book the trip to Delphi and Meteora.  We hadn’t seen any monasteries because of the bad weather.  The tour guide told us that it was unusual because it never snows but that was obviously not true.  There were snowplows everywhere and towns don’t invest in snowplows in places that don’t normally get lots of snow.

The people in the office hadn’t heard about the problem and said that they would get back to us.  A few hours later we received an email telling us we were entitled to a refund of about $12.00 – the cost of entry to two monasteries.  We told them that was not acceptable and wanted a refund of 50%.  The end result: we’re going to have to dispute the charges on our credit card and hope for the best.

Meanwhile the travel agency had recommended a place where we should eat lunch.  They said that they eat there all the time.  We were told that the food wasn’t “fancy” but that the restaurant had a great atmosphere and a lot of local color.  When we got there we weren’t impressed.  The place was small and very smokey.  We decided to go another way.

We decided to try one of the places that we had previously researched called Marin.  It’s a well known deli.  The thing that brought it to our attention was the fact that they had camel meat.  We’ve tried a lot of things before but have never had camel meat.  Fortunately Marin was nearby and we got there in just a couple of minutes.

The store looked a lot like a butcher shop but there were tables in the back where they served food.  There was no menu – they just served platters with meat and cheese.  Our only decision was to choose what we wanted to drink.  We ordered a platter for two and two glasses of wine.  It came with a basket of freshly toasted bread.

(A Platter of Meat)

The platter had six different types of meats that were all produced in the shop.  We recognized the prosciutto and mortadella but the others were a mystery.  There was also a chuck of a parmesan-like cheese, bunches of olives, fresh made tabouli, hummus and stuffed grape leaves.  Our favorite was a salami-type meat that tasted a great deal like pastrami.  The waiter said that it was something that they were known for and it was made right on the premises.  There was a lot of food on the platter and we did our best.  By the time we finished most of it was gone.  Total cost was €24.00 / $27.70.  Credit cards are accepted.  We bought some of the pastrami/salami to take home along with some chocolate halva layered with white chocolate.

We never did see the camel meat.

Distance walked: 4.2 miles

Saturday, January 12

We had only intended to stay in Athens for three weeks but had already extended our stay for an additional week.  Fortunately our apartment was still available so we just stayed where we were.  We were supposed to leave today but decided to stay just a few more days.  In the meantime our apartment had been rented to someone else so we had to move.  We found a nice place just one block away that cost about the same so this morning we packed our bags and took a little walk.  Our new apartment is quite nice and will be perfectly suited to our short stay.  At least we already know the neighborhood.  🤪

We left the apartment around noon and headed to the Byzantine And Christian Museum.  Cost of entry was €4.00 / $4.60 per person.  Credit cards are accepted.  The museum had a special exhibit showcasing medieval artifacts found near Poland.  It didn’t prove to be too interesting.

(Book of Gospels, 12th Century AD)

The permanent exhibit is housed in the adjacent building and is arranged in chronological order.  Most of the artifacts had been produced or found in Greece.  The displays started in the time of Constantine just after the fall of the Roman Empire.  There was a nice section on the Christians population in Egypt: The Coptic Sect.  As expected most of the exhibits were icons and our favorites were the 17th century works by Italian artists.  They also had a number of illuminated Gospels on parchment paper.  It was a large, high quality collection and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there.

(The Prophet Elijah, 17th Century AD)

Back in our neighborhood we looked for a place to have lunch and settled on a small restaurant that served pizzas and Greek specialities called Diva Pizza Plus.  We shared a pizza topped with bacon, arugula and shavings of parmesan cheese.  We got a complimentary dessert consisting of a shot glass full of limoncello.  Our waiter told us it was non-alcoholic.  The limoncello was both sweet and tart and was very good.  We asked if that was something you could buy in the stores or it was something that was made in the restaurant.  He said, “I can see that you really like it” and proceeded to walk away.  A few minutes later he came back with a one liter bottle that was almost full of the limoncello.  The meal cost €14.65 / $16.85.  The limoncello was free!

Distance walked: 6.8 miles

Sunday, January 13

We went out for lunch today to another local restaurant.  We had a cheese pie and some marinated pork.  The meal was nothing special.  Afterwards we walked into town to buy some supplies.  This was all just an excuse to kill some time before the sun was low in the sky.  Our main aim for today was to go back to the Hill of the Muses and take pictures of the Acropolis after dark.  Sunset was scheduled for 5:20 pm.

(The Parthenon)

By 5:00 pm we were at the top of the hill and were surprised to see a number of people who seemed to have the same idea.  We watched the sun set over the Aegean Sea and waited for the lights to come on over the Acropolis.  We didn’t have long to wait.  All told we took exactly 100 pictures and a few of them were worth the effort.

(The Erechtheion and the Parthenon)

Everyday, twice a day, we walk past the Acropolis Museum through a street filled with touristy restaurants.  In front of each restaurant there is a person who invites passersby to eat at their establishment.  The man at Restaurant Arcadia is very friendly.  We usually wave as we go by and a few times we’ve exchanged some pleasantries.  A few days ago he said, “You’ve been in town for a month and you still haven’t tried my restaurant.”  We were very amused so today, on our way back from the Hill of the Muses, we stopped in and asked him what they had for dessert.  He asked,

Do you normally drink wine with your dessert?

No

Do you usually drink beer with your dessert?

No, we usually drink tea.

Then the tea will be on the house!

We ordered a baklava and a biscuit.  The baklava was huge and smelled strongly of cinnamon.  It was served warm. The biscuit was a rich chocolate cake that’s similar to fudge with pieces of cookie.  It was topped with cherry jam and a thick layer of rich chocolate.  It was enormous.  Both were absolutely delicious.  While we ate we noticed what other people were being served.  The portions were huge and our mouths couldn’t help but water.  It seemed to be a very nice restaurant but given that entrees typically went for about $20.00 each it was not in our usual price range.

After we asked for the bill we each got a complementary glass of Ouzo.  We’ve had ouzo before and can usually take it or leave it but this one was very good.  We both liked it a lot.

The bill came to €8.50 / $9.75.  For that we’d gotten two cups of tea, two desserts and two glasses of ouzo.  You gotta love Athens!

Distance walked: 4.5 miles

Wednesday, January 9

We booked a two day bus tour to the cities of Delphi and Meteora.  A small bus picked us up near our apartment at 7:50 am and spent the next hour picking up passengers from all over the city.  It finally stopped at a place that was a ten minute walk from our apartment and we boarded a larger bus for the trip to Delphi.  🤨

We drove for about an hour and a half before stopping at a rest stop for a bathroom break and some coffee.  The round building was bounded by glass windows.  We sat on the second floor and enjoyed a wonderful donut and some cappuccinos.  Before leaving we went outside to take pictures of the snow covered mountains.  After another hour we were in Delphi.

Delphi was famous throughout the ancient world.  People from everywhere made pilgrimages to Delphi to seek guidance from the renowned Oracle of Delphi.  Initially the Oracles were young virgins but later older woman and even peasants were used for this role.  As priestess of Apollo they were called Pythia (after the ancient name of  Delphi) and were said to foretell the future based on communications with Apollo.  The Oracles were seated in a chamber below the temple and were said to be influenced by gasses from the Earth with hallucinogenic properties.  Oracles were said to speak in a type of gibberish and their words were interpreted by the priests.   Delphi has had Oracles since at least the 8th Century BC.

The day had been overcast with intermittent rain.  By the time we arrived in Delphi there was a strong, constant rain.  Our guide conducted us around the site very quickly and did a good job of explaining all of the artifacts.  After less than 30 minutes our guide decided that our time would be better spent seeing the neighboring Archeological Museum together.  We were not able to see the amphitheater at all.  Given the downpour we only took a few pictures and those were taken with our phones.

(The Temple of Apollo)

The initial plan had been to see the archeological site and then board the bus for the trip to Meteora.  Because we didn’t spend much time at the ruins we were able to see the museum.  Our guide ran us through the rooms at a rapid pace.  There was a drawing of how the site would have appeared in ancient times.  We were impressed at the number of buildings that had been present. Some of the highlights included one of the only remaining bronze statues from Delphi and a tablet containing ancient musical notation (check out the circles above the letters).

(Ancient Musical Notation)

Lunch was at a restaurant in town that was chosen by the tour company.  The cost was not included in the price of our ticket.  We’ve had tzatziki sauce many times but it is often listed as an appetizer on menus.  We wondered how it might be different so we ordered it along with a spinach pie and lamb chops.  The tzatziki, served with a basket of wonderful bread, was just like the well known sauce only thicker.  The spinach pie was one of the best we’ve had and the lamb chops were also quite good.  The cost was €24.40 / $28.00.  Cash only.

Our next stop was a complete surprise.  The bus halted in Thermopylae at a monument to the small number of Greeks led by the Spartan King Leonidas who died defending against the Persian Empire of Xerxes I as depicted in the movie, “The 300”.  The name Thermopylae means “Hot Gates” and refers to the abundant hot sulfur springs in the area.  In Greek mythology this is the entrance to Hades or Hell.  We saw many long fissures along the way with great plumes of steam pouring out.  Just five minutes later we stopped for another break.

(Deborah and Leonidas)

From there we climbed steadily into the mountains on our way to Meteora.  The weather got worse.  The rain turned to snow and the roads were just terrible.  In many places the roads had not been plowed and the bus could go no more than 5 MPH.  There was deep snow in the area and all of the mountains were completely covered.  It became apparent that this region gets snow rather regularly during the Winter months.  It snows in Greece – who knew?  The driver was very cautious and we arrived around 6:00 pm.

Dinner was at 8:00 pm in our hotel’s restaurant.  This was included in the price of our ticket.  It started with a shot of cognac and was followed by an appetizer consisting of a moussaka wrapped in dough followed by a salad.  The main course was a plate of pork with tzatziki and french fries.  For dessert we had a price of orange cake.  The food was mediocre but the dinner was a lot of fun.  There were four other people at our table: three from Korean and one from Canada.  The Koreans all seemed to be friends.  One spoke English and she translated for the other two.

The Koreans were in a great mood, joking and laughing the whole time.  Two of the Koreans didn’t care for the cognac and they passed theirs to the third who was happy to have it.  This prompted the Canadian to talk about some alcoholic beverage she’d had when she was in Korea.  Without a word one of the Koreans left the table only to return a few minutes later with two juice boxes full of that same Korean drink.  She poured some for all of us.  It was a little thick and sweet but was very tasty.  It was called Soju.  Most of the time we had no idea of what they were saying but they were in good spirits and we had a great time.

Distance walked: 2.4 miles

Thursday, January 10

Breakfast, included in the price of our ticket, was served at the hotel starting at 7:00 am.  We had plenty of time before the bus was scheduled to pick us up at 9:30 am.  Breakfast was buffet style.  There was a large variety of things to choose from including eggs, bread, yogurt and fresh fruit.  Coffee, tea and fresh orange or cherry juice were also available.  The food was very good.  When we checked out we were asked to pay a room tax of €1.50.  This came as a surprise.

Meteora is famous for its Eastern Orthodox monasteries that are built high on sandstone rocks.  At one time there were as many as 24 monasteries in the area but today only six survive.  Some of the monasteries were abandoned because monastic life today is not as popular as it once was but the majority were destroyed during World War II when the Germans found Greek soldiers hiding out in them.  Meteora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Back on the bus our guide announced that the roads were in very poor condition and it wasn’t safe for us to visit the monasteries.  We were incredibly disappointed.  Instead we visited a shop that created icons and then went to a museum where we saw several 3D films on Mount Olympus and Meteora.  None of the films were about the monasteries.

(The Rocks of Meteora)

Because our alternate activities hadn’t taken very long we had lunch at 11:30 am. It was clear no one was very hungry.  The restaurant where we ate had no heat and the food was not very good.  The cost of €24.00 / $27.60 was not included in the cost of our tickets.  Credit cards were accepted.

We only made one stop on the way back to Athens.  Angela Merkel, the German Prime Minister, was visiting Athens and our guide wanted to get back to town before the roads in the center of town were closed.  By the time we got back the roads were closed.  We got off at the first opportunity and walked all the way across town.  After spending two days on the bus it felt great to hit the pavement.

Between the rain in Delphi and our inability to see any monasteries it had been a pretty disappointing trip.  It’s fair to say that in the year and a half since we’ve been traveling this is the first time we’ve had any significant issues seeing sights.

Distance walked: 2.8 miles

Tuesday, January 8

We found some places on Google maps that were in the park adjacent to The Acropolis and decided to check them out.  We walked toward the Acropolis and headed West before entering the park.  Our first destination was The Monument of Philopappos.

The park has mature trees that provide needed shade in the summertime and lovely paths for walking, biking or hiking.  We followed Google maps toward the monument.  Our way kept taking us higher and higher through steep trails and long staircases made from hewn stones.  Eventually we got near the top and found an incredible view of The Acropolis.  It was quickly apparent that all of the photos on the big tourist posters were shot from this vantage point.  A little further up we found the monument.

(The Acropolis)

Right at the pinnacle of the Hill of Muses is a mausoleum.  Philopappos, who died in 116 AD, was a prince from the Kingdom of Commagene.  His grief stricken sister had this monument constructed in his honor.  It’s a two story structure made of Pentelic Marble and depicts Philopappos as consul riding on a chariot.  It is said that the monument was completely intact until the 15th Century.  Since then vandalism and the natural elements have taken their toll.

 

(The Monument of Philopappos)

Coming down the other side of the hill we found what appeared to be an old well and some niches cut into the rock.  It’s not clear what purpose the niches served.  All along the length of the hill we found the remnants of the Ancient Wall of Themistocles.  Themistocles, an Athenian politician and general, built this wall and other fortifications in 479 BC as a defense against the Persians.  At the bottom of the hill we saw the remains of the double-gate that allowed access to the hill.  The entire path had been landscaped in the 1950s.  Marble elements left over from ancient and Byzantine ruins were used to construct paths, small walls and seating areas.  The work was declared a protected historical monument and a work of art by the Ministry of Culture in 1996.

(What a Great View!)

Next we went in search of the so-called Prison of Socrates.  It was an ancient two-story dwelling that was cut into the rock at the base of the hill.  It was never used as a prison and seems to have been given this name anecdotally.  In World War II antiquities from the Acropolis and Archeological museums were hidden inside the structure which was entirely covered by a thick coat of cement.  The Nazi’s never discovered the hidden treasures.

Further down the road we encountered The Church of Saint Demetrios Loumbardiaris, a small 12th Century Byzantine structure.  The interior is made of ancient looking bricks and lacks an iconostasis.  The altar sports faded frescos that date from 1732.  It was really quite charming.

(The Church of Saint Demetrios Loumbardiaris)

We continued wandering through the park and found a number of old relics.  There are many signs that describe remains and structures that used to exist.  Eventually we came to the National Observatory Building and the Hill of the Pnyx.  Here we found a wonderful surprise.

The Pnyx was home to an ancient stadium like structure that was used as the first assembly from the Archaic period starting in the 6th Century BC.  The stadium was abandoned in the 4th Century BC when the assembly was moved to the Theater of Dionysus located at the base of the Acropolis.  The speaker’s podium can still be seen and above it were the remains of the Meton’s Sundial, a solar clock from 433 BC, and the Altar of Zeus Hypsistos.  Further to the East there are also great views of the Acropolis.

After leaving the park we headed to lunch at a restaurant that was recommended by the cab driver who had taken us to/from the cruise.  He recommended this particular restaurant saying that they had the best lamb chops in town and that they were reasonably priced.  That was all we needed to hear.

The restaurant, To Steki Tou Ilia, was located in a residential neighborhood Northwest of the Ancient Agora.  When we arrived around 3:30 pm the place appeared to be closed.  The doors, however, opened and the waiter assured us that they were open for business.  We ordered a Greek salad, lamb chops and a pork steak.  The salad was more than enough for the two of us and we wound up taking about half of it home.  The pork steak was really a pork chop.  It was thick and juicy and well seasoned with salt and other spices.  Like the pork steak the lamb chops had been grilled on an open flame and were well seasoned with spices and a bit too much salt.  Even so, they were quite delicious.  The restaurant is one of the old fashioned taverns that seem to be disappearing across the city.  We liked it a lot.  The total bill came to €26.00 / $30.00.  Credit cards are accepted.

(Lamb Chops)

Distance walked: 5.9 miles

Monday, January 7

Another trip back to the National Archaeological Museum so we could see all of the things we missed.  Along the way we passed the Academy of Athens and noticed that its doors were opened.  We jumped at the opportunity to see inside.

The main lecture hall was open.  It was decorated with colorful paintings depicting the life and story of the god Prometheus, the one who stole fire from the gods and shared it with humanity.  The space was pure Neo-classical with a lovely carpet depicting an Owl – the symbol of Athena and a representation of wisdom.  There were some nice marble statues in the entry way and we could see down the halls to the sides but weren’t able to venture any further.  We could only imagine how it would feel to be seated in that hall listening to a great orator.

(The Academy of Athens)

Since the museum was open from 1:00 pm – 8:00 pm we had time for lunch at one of our favorite souvlaki stands near Syntagma Square before arriving for the second part of our visit.

Our first visit this day was to a special exhibit called, “The Countless Aspects of Beauty”.  These were just pieces from other parts of the museum that had been arranged in a separate series of rooms that highlighted the aesthetics of ancient times.  There were also displays on how perfumes were manufactured complete with samples that were made according to ancient recipes that had been described in the first Greek written language called Linear B.  The bulk of the exhibit was statues made of bronze and marble.

Next we headed upstairs.  There were rooms in front and to each side of us.  The rooms in front of us and on one side were open.  Inside the central room was a wonderful exhibit on the Island of Thera.  Like Pompei it had been completely covered by volcanic ash and was very well preserved.  The eruption had occurred around 1,500 BC.  Unlike Pompei it had been evacuated before the eruption that caused its destruction.  There were examples of pottery, wooden furniture and even the walls of a large house that had been decorated with brightly covered frescos.  It was all very interesting.

(Excavated Frescos from Thera)

The second room to the left had a huge display of Attic style vases.  It was incredible to see so many different colors and styles and all were in fantastic condition.  Of particular interest were the Lekythos variety.  They are typically tall and thin with scenes depicted on white backgrounds.  It’s rare to see examples where the designs have survived but here there were dozens on display that were in wonderful condition.

(Lekythos Vases, 430 BC)

Back downstairs we headed into the room we had missed.  We thought that it was just a single exhibit but it turned out to be a series of rooms.  The first room contained the remains from, and a description of, the so-called Antikythera Mechanism.  The artifact was discovered in 1901 aboard a wreck found off the island of Antikythera.  The device, thought to have been constructed sometime around the first century BC, has been extensively studied and is considered the world’s first analog computer.  It consists of a series of complex gears that can accurately calculate the calendar in use at the time, the phases of the moon and the signs of the Zodiac.

(The Antikythera Mechanism, 1st Century BC)

The creators etched descriptions on many of the pieces describing what they were and how they functioned in the device.  Some can be seen by the naked eye and many more have been found through the use of advanced, non-destructive imaging techniques.  Large portions of the device were on display.  A modern day recreation was supposed to be on display but it is now on temporary display in China.

The rooms behind were all about Egypt.  They were arranged in chronological order and had a vast array of interesting artifacts.  We saw several mummies with wooden sarcophagi whose original paint was virtually intact.  The hieroglyphics were bright and clear and looked like they had been recently done.  There was also a granite hippopotamus that dated from 3,000 BC!

(Mummy, Circa 1,000 BC)

After that we went back through the rooms we had already seen.  We wanted to spend some quality time enjoying some of our favorite works.

By now it was about 4:30 pm.  Our intention was to wait until after 5:30 pm and re-photograph some of the most famous pieces.  Why wait?  Well, the museum was light by both ambient and overhead lights.  We wanted to wait until the ambient light had faded in order to get the best possible photos.  While we waited we headed down to the museum coffee shop and enjoyed some baklava.  It gave us a good opportunity to plan our next several days.

When we came back upstairs, around 6:00 pm, we noticed that one of the three major rooms off the main entrance was closed.  We thought it was odd but figured that it would open shortly.  By the time we finished our work in the other parts of the museum that section was open and we continued taking photos.

The last piece we wanted to photograph was a large bronze that was thought to be Perseus but is now considered to be Paris (the man who stole Helen of Troy and precipitated the Trojan War).  The problem was that the room was blocked off.  We asked one of the docents about it and he said it was closed and would not reopen the rest of the night.  He said we should talk to the people at the information desk; they might have a more up-to-date schedule.

Fun Fact: The bronze of Paris was found on the Antikythera Shipwreck!

The information desk told us it was closed because they didn’t have enough people on site to monitor all of the rooms.  It was not expected to reopen that night at all.  We gave them our best pathetic looks and asked if there was any way we could just sneak in for a few minutes when one of the attendants said, “follow me”.  She ushered us into the room, turned on all of the lights and waited patiently while we took our pictures.  We were very grateful and we got some fine photos.  Kudos to the museum for going the extra mile for us!

(Paris, 340-330 BC)

Distance walked: 8.2 miles

Sunday, January 6

We signed up for a cruise that would take us to three islands in a single day.  Although she had already done this cruise Christina agreed to come along and play tour guide.  We were delighted to have her with us.  The cruise cost €90.00 / $103.50 per person but transportation to the harbor was extra.  Our options were to be picked up at a nearby hotel for €36.00 / $41.40 or at our apartment for €80.00 / $92.00.  Picking up in two places would double the cost.  There were no hotels near Christina’s apartment so she agreed to meet us at a hotel near us.  The day before the trip the travel agency sent us an email telling us we’d been upgraded to private transportation at no charge.  A taxi picked up Christina at her apartment at 7:20 am and then picked us up at 7:25 am.  The trip to the harbor was barely ten minutes long and would have cost less than €10.00 each way.  Who knew?

The ship departed around 8:30 am and headed towards Hydra Island (HEE-dra) – one of the many Saronic Islands in the Aegean Sea.  It’s a small island that has only about 2,000 residents.  Cars are not permitted on the island.  The only way around is by walking, water taxi or donkey.  There were donkeys all along the waterfront ready to transport passengers and luggage.

(Hydra Public Transportation)

The shops and restaurants near the waterfront were all open but most everything else was closed.  It was Epiphany and it’s no longer tourist season.  We watched some islanders perform the “Great Blessing of the Waters” ceremony where a priest throws a cross in the water and young men dive in to retrieve it.  It’s a brave feat considering how cold that water was.

We headed over to the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos, which was founded in the 17th century.  It’s important artifacts include the Miraculous Icon of Panaghia Faneromeni, Panagghia of Malikis, the holy relics of Saint Constantine of Hydra and the Great Martyr Eustace and the ornate cross from Constantinople, which contains part of the Holy Cross.  Many other heirlooms are kept in a museum which is only open during the summer months.

Afterwards we walked up the road alongside the harbor where we were treated to some great views and saw the remnants of several forts.  Soon we headed back to the harbor and visited some of the shops.  We were limited to just an hour on the island and had just enough time to get back on the boat before its scheduled departure.

Back on the boat it was time for lunch.  Our ticket entitled us to a buffer lunch aboard ship where our choices included green and Greek salads, rice, bread, potatoes, baked chicken, pasta with red sauce and broiled fish.  The food was surprisingly good.  We washed it down with fresh made lemonades with ginger.  They cost €6.00 / $6.90 each.

Our next stop was the island of Poros.  It has a population of about 4,000.  In the 15th century the Venetians used the island as a strategic base to fight the Ottomans.  There is a long staircase to the top of the hill where you can find a beautiful clock tower that was built in 1927.  We decided to just walk around the town and see the shops and restaurants.  After 40 minutes we were back on the boat and heading towards the island of Aegina (A-GEE-na).

(Poros Clock Tower)

Aegina is the second largest of the Saronic Islands.  It is famous for its production of pistachio nuts.  These nuts can be purchased fresh near the end of the summer.  After landing we boarded a tour bus to see some sights that were on the other side of the island.

Our first stop was the Church of Saint Nektarios and the Monastery of Holy Trinity.  We visited the church which is smaller scale version of the Hagia Sophia from Constantinople (modern day Istanbul).  Nektarios was declared a saint in 1961 and is the island’s patron saint.  He lived from 1846 to 1920 and was popular due to two miracles that he performed: he healed a possessed man and brought rain after three years of drought.

(The Church of Saint Nektarios)

The interior of the church still lacks many decorative touches.  It is hoped that the necessary funds can be raised from the many pilgrims that visit the site.  The monastery was built in 1904 from the ruins of a Byzantine monastery.  We were not able to visit the monastery because it was siesta time for the handful of nuns who reside there.

Our next stop was the Temple of Aphaea.  Aphaea was the goddess of fertility and agriculture.  This was the only temple where she was worshipped.  She originated in the 14th century BC and by the 6th Century BC became associated with Athena.

The temple, in the Dorian Order, is a smaller version of the Parthenon.  It was constructed in the 5th Century BC about four years before its famous cousin. It is said that the Temple of Aphaea may have been a prototype for the Parthenon.  Unlike so many temples of that era this one was constructed out of limestone.  It is extremely well preserved.  On the eastern side of the temple the remains of the sacrificial alters can be seen.  The temple sits at the top of a hill overlooking the Aegean and sports a great view of the city of Athens.

When we got to the site we were treated to a ten minute lecture on the temple by a local guide and then we had about 20 minutes to look around and take photographs.  Across the street was a stand selling pistachios in several forms and fresh pistachio ice cream made with goat’s milk.  We bought two bags of pistachios roasted with salt and lemon and a jar of pistachios in white chocolate.  Christina treated us to a cup of the ice cream.  It was lighter than typical cow’s milk ice cream but had a lovely texture and a vibrant flavor.

(The Temple of Aphaea)

Back at the port we had 20 minutes before the boat left.  We spent our time checking out the nearby shops.  One of them was giving out samples of its pistachio products and we bought some that were roasted with honey and covered in sesame seeds.

On the trip back to Athens we were entertained by two dancers in traditional costumes performing native dances to the tune of two live musicians.  After the performance the dancers taught some of the steps to volunteers.  It was a lot fun and would have been even more enjoyable if the music hadn’t been ridiculously loud.

(Happy Travelers)

It was about 7:30 pm when we got back and we decided to have a small dinner.  One of the places near our apartment is open 24 hours a day.  It is a coffee shop, bakery, sells ice cream and offers a full menu of Greek foods.  We split an order of meatballs accompanied by pan fried potatoes.

Distance walked: 5.4 miles

Saturday, January 5

We got to the museum around 11:00 am.  It closed at 4:00 pm and we wanted to have enough time to see everything.  Once again we came equipped with our Rick Steve’s audio guide.  Cost of entry was €5.00 / $5.75 per person (it’s half price in the off-season).

The audio guide recommended that we see the museum in chronological order so we started with Cycladic art and artifacts.  We’d seen quite a few funerary pieces in the Museum of Cycladic Art just a few days ago but here was an even more interesting collection.  The pieces were more varied in size and shape although they still retained that basic, simplistic characteristic.  There were some interesting artifacts from that period, too.  The frying pans, made of clay, were highly decorated funerary offerings.

(Cycladic Frying Pans, 2800-2300 BC)

Next we headed over to the exhibits on Mycenae.  The most famous artifact is the so-called Mask of Agamemnon.  It’s a thin sheet of gold that has been pressed into the shape of a man’s face and was used as a funeral mask.  Based on it’s date it could not have actually been used for Agamemnon’s burial (if he even actually existed).  The rest of the collection was chocked full of gold objects from the 16th century BC including sword hilts, cups and jewelry.  We particularly enjoyed the display of their ancient script called Linear B, which resembled Egyptian hieroglyphics.  It is considered the first Greek written language.

(The Mask of Agamemnon, 16th Century BC)

The next section was on Greek Archaic Art.  These pieces come from about 600 BC.  They have more details than pieces from the Cycladic period but retain some of the simplistic features.  The faces contain the famous Archaic Smile.

(Statue with Archaic Smile, 550-540 BC)

From there we headed into the Classical and Hellenistic periods.  The Classical flourished during the Golden Age of Greece and the Hellenistic is defined as being after the death of Alexander the Great and before the Roman Period.  These statues were anatomically correct, had exquisite musculature, depict movement and adorned some of the most famous monuments from antiquity.  There were two amazing, larger than life-sized bronzes, that were part of this collection that were absolutely stunning: Paris Holding the Apple of Strife, which had been recovered from the famous Antikythera Shipwreck and Poseidon, which had been recovered from the bottom of the Aegean Sea.

(Poseidon Throwing his Trident, 460 BC)

The Roman period contained even more wonderful works done mostly by Greek artists.  In addition to the large number of sculptures of Emperors there were funerary monuments, statues and even practical objects such as table supports.  There was an incredible bronze of Augustus Caesar.  The original had shown him riding a horse but only the torso remained.  Many Greek originals (sculptures and bronzes) are only known today because the Romans copied them.  In many cases the originals have been lost to history.

(Aphrodite, Pan and Eros, 100 BC)

Fun Fact: You can easily identify Roman copies of bronzes because the pieces usually have supports between some of the elements.  Marble is more fragile and needs more support than bronze.

Tucked away, down a narrow corridor, off one of the main rooms we found a real treat.  It was a 1/12th size faithful replica of the famous Athena Parthenos statue made by Phideas that had stood inside the Parthenon.  The original has been lost to history.

(Athena Parthenos, 3rd Century AD)

We ate a quick lunch in the museum cafe.  The sandwiches were nothing special but the baklava was quite good.

After lunch we went back to review some of our favorite pieces and take some more pictures.  We knew that we had missed one room on the ground level and the entire first floor but the museum would be closing soon.  We decided to return another day so we could take our time and get the most out of the experience.

Distance walked: 7.1 miles

Thursday, January 3

It was another cold and rainy day so we decided to visit another museum.  The problem was which museum?  There are so many but this one, with Cycladic Art, seemed interesting as we’d never seen (or even heard of) Cycladic Art before.  In spite of the rain we walked all the way over to the other side of Town near where the Archeological Museum was.  By the time we got there we were grateful to be somewhere warm and dry.  Cost of entry was €7.00 / $8.05 per person.  Credit cards are accepted.

The museum was on several floors and the ticket seller advised us to start at the top and work our way down.  We took the elevator to the third (fourth floor for you Americans) and started there.  The exhibit was about the Greeks starting about 600 BC.  There was a nice explanation of the various gods, their attributes and their offspring accompanied by pottery painted with similar themes.  The information on the ancient Olympics was very interesting.  The oldest event was a foot race called the “Station” Race, which according to tradition was defined by Herakles (Hercules) to be 600 feet long.  The floor also contained a bronze Corinthian Helmet from 800 BC and many vases from Cyprus that dated from 2500 BC.

(Corinthian Helmet, 8th Century BC)

The next floor down was filled with Attic Vases and Column Kraters from Athens dating from about 600 BC.  Attic Vases are probably familiar.  They are large vases with red figures painted on a black background.  Column Kraters are similar looking vessels that were used for mixing wine and water together.  This was a common way to drink wine in the ancient world.  The amount of water would be altered depending on how drunk you intended your guests to get.

(Red Attic Style Krater)

The next floor held the Cycladic Art.  These are works from the islands in the Aegean Sea and date from 3,300 BC to 1,100 BC.  The Minoan, Mycenaean and Cycladic peoples constituted the three major Aegean cultures.

(Cycladic Figure, 2500-2300 BC)

The exhibit was a display of funerary objects, carved from stone, depicting very simplistic figurines.  No other significant types of art from the the Cycladic people have been found.  The most common type of statues are women.  The figures have only rudimentary features and were said to be brightly colored.  Some small traces of paint could still be seen in some.  The style changed very little over the centuries.  No one knows exactly what these figures represent.

(Cycladic Figure, 2800-2300 BC)

In general the quality of the artifacts on display was incredibly high.  Typically  pottery before 600 BC is just small shards and after that date the pieces are typically reconstructed out of dozens of fragments.  Here the pieces were whole and mostly undamaged.  Sometimes you just have to come to the source.

We found a deli/restaurant for lunch.  The first three things we tried to order from the menu were no longer available or were only available on certain days (not today!).  That was disappointing.  We settled for a sandwich with feta cheese, olives and cucumbers and a sandwich filled with moussaka.  The food was nothing special at all.

Distance walked: 5.2 miles