Blogs from Pelopennese, Greece, Europe - page 20

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Europe » Greece » Pelopennese » Corinth May 5th 2009

A short break on Aetoma Hotel's computer here as since I had to reload Windows XP on the laptop it does not recognize WPA networks. So still no photos, sorry. On top of that the laptop charger was left in the Hilton Athens guestroom and we do not return there until the 9th. Corinth Not that big of a city, but when you have the kind of location it has on the narrow piece of land (isthmus) that leads to the entire Peloponnesian Peninsula, you are going to end up having a disproportionately large reputation. We only saw the suburbs as we went to visit the famous Canal of Corinth that was built in 1883 and is about 6 kilometers long connecting the Saronic Gulf to the Aegean Sea. It would otherwise be about 425 miles ... read more
View from Akrocorinth Main Gate
Wild Flowers in Akrocorinth
Ruins at Akrocorinth

Europe » Greece » Pelopennese » Nafplion April 25th 2009

4/25/09 -- Lily and Austin: Over the last couple of days we have looked at some of the sites and history found in the Peloponnese. Olympia was an awesome and sacred place where the Olympics were held every four years. Between those events, no one was allowed to be there. A lot of cleaning up had to be done before each Olympics. In the Olympics back then, the shortest race was one “stade”, the length of one stadium. We both ran two “stades”. -- We also saw the “perfect” beach. It was a sandy crescent moon with waves lapping up a slightly inclined slope of sane. Rock faces were on either end of the beach, one which had the “cave of Nestor” and a castle on top. Lily jumped waves, and broke some. -- Mystras was ... read more
Take cover from rain
The Perfect Beach (even in the rain)
Mystras

Europe » Greece » Pelopennese April 6th 2009

Kalavrita is a peloponnesian village famous for its ski center and for its so-called Odontotos Train, that connects it with the coastal town of Diakopto. "Odontotos" comes from the greek word "donti", which means "tooth" as well as "cog". Apparently the trains owes its name to the second meaning, since its cogs helps it climb the mountain, all the way through the steep canyon of Vouraikos River. The route Kalavrita-Diakopto by train is spectacular itself, you can see waterfalls, tunnels, forests and traditional villages, but there are also two spectacular facts about it. Firstly, the railway was completed in 1896 and, of course, it was a technological miracle (though a very expensive one). Secondly, it is regarded as the narrowest railway in the world, since its width is no more than 75 cm. I travelled by ... read more
Vouraikos River
An old station
The train & the river

Europe » Greece » Pelopennese » Corinth April 6th 2009

On Sunday I did perhaps the most adventurous of all the things I will do while I am living in Greece. I went to the Corinth Canal and went bungee jumping. What spurred on this need for some insane and mildly reckless behavior? A combination of factors and emotions. A part of me always wanted to do it, a seed planted early on that only grew in the last few weeks. First of all, the Corinth Canal is only about an hour from Athens, easy (and cheap) to get to. So I had the opportunity. Also, after looking into prices, it wasn't really that expensive, so I had the means. Most of all, I had the need. I needed to do something crazy and out of the ordinary to remind myself of who I am. I ... read more
getting harnessed in
securing the shoes
...and JUMP!

Europe » Greece » Pelopennese » Nafplion February 14th 2009

Before telling everyone about the absolutely amazing trip CYA took to the Argolid, I am going to fulfill a request from one of my sisters to include some more personal information about my friends and life here in Athens! So... I have five really good friends here Lynette, Tori, Hilary, Anouska, and Sarah. Lynette is from Singapore originally and goes to school in California. Tori is from the Chicago area. Sarah is from Virgina and goes to school at Smith (and has never been further West in the US than Pennsylvania which makes me sad). Hilary and Anouska both go to Vassar (but did not know each other before this semester). Lynette, Tori and Hilary all live in the same apartment as me (and sometimes we think Anouska might as well live here too). We are ... read more
Isthmos (canal at Corinth)
Theater of Epidaurus
me with friends staying on columns

Europe » Greece » Pelopennese » Kalamata December 5th 2008

Today we left our olive farm in Proastio, a small village near Kardamili, which is a town in Mani, the southern part of the Peloponnese (that big island on the SW of Greece). It's been a beautiful past 2 weeks. We lived in the bottom part of a house surrounded by old yellow stone houses and olive tree terraces until the Ionian on one side and the Taygetos mtns on the other. As you approach Kardamili from Kalamata (a city an hour away where we spend a few nights), you see the mountains descend into a plateau that stays flat for quite some time, with its own villages, and then another steep descent into the sea, with just room for Kardamili between the cliffs and the water. It is a beautiful, rocky, austere view, as though ... read more

Europe » Greece » Pelopennese » Kalamata October 27th 2008

I apologize to everyone for the late entry. Unfortunately, right after I returned to school, I was bombarded with midterms. In fact, this is the eve of my last midterm, and I have ceased caring. So, instead of studying, I decided to finally get my pictures up and post on my blog. At this juncture, I am thankful for my travel journal (compliments of Quin Mero) because otherwise I would have some issues remembering the sequence of things. I shall begin with a fun fact about Athens. It is the safest city in Europe with the lowest crime rate. Another fun fact: Greek men are beautiful and tall which is a nice respite from the short Italian creepers (I feel like this blog makes me sound boy crazy, because I feel like I mention interactions with ... read more

Europe » Greece » Pelopennese October 19th 2008

Alright, Weekend 5 we took a trip to many historical sites in the Peloponnese. Like usual, it was all 30 of us, plus our directors, plus our art history teacher. First stop: Corinth. The ancient city of Corinth dates back to 5000 BC or earlier, and The Apostle Paul visited Corinth and wrote letters from there! (Think the bible...The Corinthians) There, we saw the Temple of Apollo, which is a central landmark in Corinth. It dates back to 550 BC. We saw a sweet canal here too. Second stop: Mycenae. We had seen many Mycenaean palaces, so it was cool to actually go to Mycenae, which used to be a large and powerful kingdom in Ancient Greece, and during excavations the believed death mask of Agamemnon (ruler of Mycenae) was found and put in a museum. ... read more
Ann
Lion
shaft grave

Europe » Greece » Pelopennese October 15th 2008

Delphi is a startling and beautiful city on the mountain... read more
Longesta nd most modern in Europe
Completed by 2004 Olympics
Beautiful from any angle

Europe » Greece » Pelopennese » Nafplion October 6th 2008

The ruins at Mycenae represents the stuff Greek tragedies are made of. As one version of the legend has king Agamemnon returning from the Trojan war, only to be killed in his bathtub by his wife and her lover. She was angry because he may have had their daughter sacrificed. Hows that for drama. These ruins are older than the acropolis in Athens, the original walls were built around 1300bc. If you have read the "Illiad" or "Odyssey" from the Greek poet Homer (or poets- there are interesting theories about this oldest example of western literature) this is thought to be the site he wrote about. Ancient, mysterious, rubble, and we are fascinated! We drove up to the remains of the citadel Mycenae, from Nafplio. This is a beautiful seaport city. We enjoyed a wine tasting ... read more
zig-zaggy climb to the fortress Palamidi
courtyard of our hotel
cat




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