Another sidelight on our travels in Greece was the 1 1/2-hour ride on a ferry, to and from Corfu, across the crystal blue Ionia Sea. So relaxing and time to talk to fellow travelers or simply sit back and contemplate what's been experienced in seven days.
On the way to Rio we made a stop at the Garden of Heroes in Missolonghi. It was a serene and sobering setting, a sacred place where countless Greeks suffered brutal deaths in their war of independence from Turkish rule. The heart of Lord Byron, the great English poet, is buried on the hallowed grounds.
In Olympia, we walked in the stadium where the first Olympic Games were held in 776 B.C. We saw the Temple of Zeus, now in ruins, considered of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We explored the Archaeological Museum of Olympus, the repository of statues, columns, and facades from the ancient grounds.
We traveled to picturesque Nafplio, a seaside town that was the first capital of independent Greece. Some consider it the most charming town in Greece. From my short time there, I tend to agree.
Then it was on to Epidaurus, home to the country's famous open-air theater (we were told Kevin Spacey and Ethan Hawke have performed there), built in the 4th century B.C. It's considered near acoustically perfect and can seat up to 14,000.
We also took in Mycenae, the burial grounds of King Agamemnon. No doubt Aeschylus's play, "Agamemnon," has been performed at Epidaurus many times through the ages.
Heading back to Athens, we stopped in Corinth, the place where the biblical Apostle Paul spread the gospel around 50 A.D. It is also home to the Temple of Apollo and other ruins from the 6th century B.C.
We made a brief stop at the Corinth Canal, a sliver about four miles long and 70-feet wide, that was finished in 1893. It was an engineering feat at the time, but today it's more of a tourist attraction since it's way too small for today's modern ships. But the water was a gorgeous bluer than blue from the Aegean Sea.
The last part of our Greece odyssey tomorrow.
Until the next time . . .
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| Lord Byron statue at Garden of Heroes |
On the way to Rio we made a stop at the Garden of Heroes in Missolonghi. It was a serene and sobering setting, a sacred place where countless Greeks suffered brutal deaths in their war of independence from Turkish rule. The heart of Lord Byron, the great English poet, is buried on the hallowed grounds.
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| Statue in Archaeological Museum of Olympus |
In Olympia, we walked in the stadium where the first Olympic Games were held in 776 B.C. We saw the Temple of Zeus, now in ruins, considered of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We explored the Archaeological Museum of Olympus, the repository of statues, columns, and facades from the ancient grounds.
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| Shopping area in Nafplio |
We traveled to picturesque Nafplio, a seaside town that was the first capital of independent Greece. Some consider it the most charming town in Greece. From my short time there, I tend to agree.
 |
| Open-air theater in Epidaurus |
Then it was on to Epidaurus, home to the country's famous open-air theater (we were told Kevin Spacey and Ethan Hawke have performed there), built in the 4th century B.C. It's considered near acoustically perfect and can seat up to 14,000.
 |
| Burial grounds of Agamemnon |
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| Temple of Apollo |
Heading back to Athens, we stopped in Corinth, the place where the biblical Apostle Paul spread the gospel around 50 A.D. It is also home to the Temple of Apollo and other ruins from the 6th century B.C.
 |
| Corinth Canal |
We made a brief stop at the Corinth Canal, a sliver about four miles long and 70-feet wide, that was finished in 1893. It was an engineering feat at the time, but today it's more of a tourist attraction since it's way too small for today's modern ships. But the water was a gorgeous bluer than blue from the Aegean Sea.
The last part of our Greece odyssey tomorrow.
Until the next time . . .
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