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Published: August 8th 2007
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Athenian Treasury, Delphi
Reconstruction of the Athenian Treasury. Having just returned from an amazing trip to Greece, I decided to document my trip for family and friends who want to know “a little more” about my adventure. Numerous visits to ancient sites, many cans and bottles of Mythos beer, great people, lots of laughs, and 496 photographs later, here’s a taste of my trip to Greece and the second of three blogs.
With the tour of the Peloponnesus completed, we crossed the Porto Rio Bridge and entered central Greece on our way north to Thessaloniki.
After another early start we were on our way to one of my most anticipated sites of the trip, Delphi. I promised myself that, if anything, I would go straight to the Delphi Museum to see one sculpture in particular about which I had written a fifteen to twenty- page paper in a fourth-year Greek Art and Politics course. After touring the museum’s exhibits, including the frieze of the Siphnian Treasury and the omphalos (a stone that marked the centre of the earth after Zeus sent his two eagles around the world and met at Delphi) we finally reached the bronze sculpture of the Delphic Charioteer. A full-size sculpture celebrating a
Vergìna
The entrance to the tombs. chariot victory by the Sicilian tyrant, Polyzalos, in 478 B.C., this majestic figure stands alone in a room and is truly the highlight of the museum. We then braved the heat and the other tourists to visit the ancient site carved into the side of a mountain, walking by the reconstructed Athenian Treasury, and ending at the Temple of Apollo in which formerly sat the famous oracle. With time ticking away, our tour guide suggested that we didn’t have a chance to visit the stadium at the pinnacle of the site and that only those who were fit could make it. Michelle, Joann, and I rose to the challenge and ran up to the top to experience the stadium before running back down to the base of the site to meet the group. After a brief shopping stop in the town of Arachova we arrived at the modern town of Delphi and stayed the night at the Delphi Palace. Following dinner (and of course a swim) we walked through the town and witnessed the massive number of young tourists and souvenir stores before turning-in for the night.
The next day took us to the northern part of Greece, via
Thessaloniki
Colin and Alexander the Great. a cloud-tipped Mount Olympus (when the clouds surrounded the mountain’s peak, the ancient Greeks believed that the Olympian gods and goddesses were present and when the peak was visible, they were absent), to Thessaloniki. After a stop looking over the city, we arrived at the Hotel Capsis and went directly to the beautiful roof-top pool with a view over the city. Following dinner, we walked along the club-lined waterfront before calling it a day. We were fortunate to stay two nights in Thessaloniki which allowed us to further explore the local sites. Our first stop was Ancient Pélla. The former capital of Macedon, the site of the royal court, and birthplace of Alexander the Great, Pélla is famous for its exquisite pebble mosaics which decorated the floors of the extremely wealthy citizens. Two mosaics that are still in-situ depict a stag hunt and the abduction of Helen. Unfortunately, the electricity was out at the museum, so we explored the artifacts by flashlight before moving onto the next site, Vergìna. Here lay the amazing royal tombs (now incorporated into the museum), including that of King Philip II of Macedon (Alexander the Great’s father). Preserved above these tombs are stunning painted scenes
Thessaloniki
The White Tower. depicting a lion hunt and Hades’ abduction of Persephone from her mother, Demeter. Arriving back in Thessaloniki, we explored the Museum of Archaeology, the waterfront, and the Arch of Galerius before returning to the hotel for a quick swim and dinner. We had another walk along the waterfront at night, with great views of the White Tour and a vibrant music festival, before heading back through the crowded streets to the hotel.
There was great expectation for the next day’s visit to the monasteries perched upon the cliffs of Metéora. After an approximately four-hour drive with the outside temperature reaching 37 degrees, we were greeted by the spectacular cliffs in front of us. These cliffs were carved from thousands of years of water rushing around the sandstone rocks. The first small church on this site was constructed in the 14th century A.D. and twenty-three monasteries followed with only six remaining today. The drive up to these monasteries was nearly as terrifying as looking down from the buildings once we reached the top! One of the monasteries that we visited, St. Stephen’s, is still inhabited by a number of nuns and had some incredible artifacts within its museum as well
Thessaloniki
The Aristotelous pedestrian street at night. as a beautifully decorated chapel. After a swim and dinner at the Hotel Orfeas in Kalampáka, we took a walk through the town to see the cliffs at night and enjoy a cool beer.
The final day of the bus tour began with another visit to a monastery at Metéora. As we left Metéora and drove further south, and closer to Athens, the temperature continued to rise to 42 degrees. We were fortunate to stop at the Pass of Thermopylae where in 480 B.C. the Spartan King Leonidas I met the massive Persian army in a valorous attempt to prevent the invasion of Greece (recently depicted in the movie “The 300”). We finally arrived back in Athens late in the day and found a nice restaurant to have dinner before enjoying a beer while looking up at the illuminated Acropolis against the night sky.
This marks the end of the mainland bus tour. The third blog will chronicle the next chapter of this trip - the cruise through the Aegean islands with stops at stunning ports and even a donkey ride down a cliff in Santorini. Stay tuned…
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Rowena
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Another WOW!
So, has Greece asked you to be their Official tourist REP? What a great holiday. Did you get any sleep? You make us "old folks" jealous. Looking forward to part three!