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Published: January 6th 2010
Corinth Canal
Amazing engineering feat...started in 67 AD, finished in 1893...6km long, several hundred feet deep, solid rock...links a central Greece deep inlet with the Mediterranean.One of our shorter flights on our trip was the three hour flight from Cairo to Athens. Short flights are great…you get everything a long flight gives you except a numb butt. Athens was where we will be spending Christmas…not a white Christmas mind you…but Christmas. We planned to travel the Peloponessos region of Greece for a few days first before settling in Athens for a week and Christmas.
I am not sure what it was about arriving in Greece, but I was very happy to be here. It felt that we had arrived back in civilization…not that I ever consciously thought that we were out of civilization…but everything was familiar again (it may have had something to do with the normal, clean tickets that did not require you to pay). We were met at the airport with reminders of the approaching Christmas, with decorations and carols decorating the place. A familiar refrain lately amongst the members of xploringcoopers was the odd muse about missing the snow. The closest we have come
to snow was rain and single digit temperatures in Southern France in October. Well we were arriving in what could be the coldest part of our journey…we might even have to wear pants! True to form and for only the second time in our 3 months on the road, it was raining when we arrived in Greece…but no threat of it turning to snow as it was 17 degrees.
We rented a car to see some of the Greek countryside and to get to Olympia. Boy did we see some beautiful countryside! Greece has got it all…if you like water, the incredible Mediterranean surrounds it…if you like mountains, they are all around …if agriculture is your thing…they grow almost everything here…if you like good food, this is the place…they have good wine…etc, etc., etc. We started with a drive to Nafplion a little, gorgeous town in the Peloponessos region, that I told Nadine was the place I would like to retire to. One online guide I was reading indicates that Nafplion was the original capital of Greece and the prettiest town on mainland Greece.
We walked up 990 steps (Alex counted...on the way down) to the top of
a mountain that housed the Palamidi Fortress which is actually 3 fortresses walled together. This climb apparently ‘broke’ my kids climbing legs because now a flight of 12 steps brings groans of agony! The remains are from medieval times 17th century, which is very young by Greece standards. We saw the homes where people lived inside castle walls (large rooms built into the rock around a courtyard), we saw the areas the soldiers used to protect the area from high atop its mountain perch where they would sling arrows and pour hot water or oil on attackers, and we saw a jail cell that was carved into the rocky mountain and was 5’ X 6’. We even saw what we assumed were the remains of an Inn complete with a sign holder hanging off the side of the building. Really interesting…and well worth the climb…and we saw fantastic views of the area.
From atop the mountain we looked down upon a small beach that we just had to visit. Surprisingly there were people swimming in the water at the beach on a windy, sun/cloud day. They were all seniors…this must be how they stay young…by swimming everyday in the
Mediterranean! The small beach was a pebble beach, not sand and was located on a rocky (lava-like) coastline. It has become apparent to me that when someone rates a beach very high they are rating a sandy beach…but I prefer the rocky beaches, like this one in Nafplion, because I like to snorkel. There is very little to see at a sandy beach and the water is less clear as it gets churned up easily. The rocky areas are much more interesting to look at and swim around.
Because being in this town felt very comfortable, we decided to stay an extra day before heading to Olympia. So we saw some of the ancient ruins which are in every direction here. There is not a lot typically remaining of these ruins, other than indications that something organized and purposeful was there…but in their defence…they are old…very old! We are talking about 10th century BC and sometimes even older! Once again, I wonder how much different we are today from way back then. We all would have appreciated more explanation boards at the sites of these ruins to explain the purpose of the structures and provide us a glimpse about
Palamidi Fortress
The climb up to Palamidi Fortress...990 steps! life back then. We try to imagine the buildings completed and how the entire town would have looked when it was vibrant. It is mind boggling to imagine just how far back we are talking about here!
The road to Olympia is stunning! Driving through the mountains was wonderful. Besides the views, you could tell it was a great mountain road because I was having fun driving and everyone else was feeling sick! There are a lot of little towns off the highway in the mountains. One (I cannot remember its name) was essentially built on the side of the mountain…everything was built on a steep slope. I couldn’t get a picture because there was nowhere to stop just outside of town because the road was windy and had just two narrow lanes.
Olympia was neat…mostly just ruins but very ancient (8 - 11th centuries BC). It was also the site of another ancient wonder of the world, the great statue of Zeus. This is the third site we have visited where ancient wonders of the world existed at one point. There are several theories about the fate of the statue of Zeus, but all of them agree
that it no longer exists. We did see the remains of the artist’s workshop where the statue was built.
In Olympia we were hoping to see the Olympic flame burning, take its picture and send it to our friends in Vancouver. But apparently the only time it is not burning in Olympia is in an Olympic year when the flame is transported to the host area during the games. This year the Vancouver flame began its journey from Olympia to Vancouver on my birthday, October 23.
The remains at Olympia are ancient, but the track where many of the events took place still remains, as well as remains of the many buildings that made up the area, including the temple of Zeus. Napoleon (this little guy got around!) built a home on top of some of the ruins in his time. I am glad we made the journey, if not to see the actual site of Olympia, at least to see the country of Greece beyond the cities. I did not know this but this is also orange/tangerine growing country like Spain was. With all due respect to Valencia…the oranges grown everywhere in the Peloponessos are much better
than the ones we tried in Spain. Of course the orange juice we bought in Greece was imported from Valencia!?
We are in slow tourism season in Greece…so we have many of the attractions to ourselves. We visited ancient remains around the Peloponessos, and the ticket attendants at all of the sites were very happy to see us! Many of the hotels were deserted and it looks like some shop owners either close for Christmas or for the entire non-tourism season. It was also the only place we would be visiting where pants and sweaters were needed every day. We opted to do the mainland of Greece (Peloponessos) rather than the islands, but I am definitely putting a sailing tour of the greek islands at the top of my vacation wish list.
After doing our short tour of the mainland, we headed to Athens…another of the world’s great capital cities. There is a lot of activity and energy in Athens. It reminds me of Calgary…but I still have not seen any skyscrapers in Athens. We were staying close to the ancient city, and visited what is the heart of the city in Syntagma Square…it was packed with people
in the Christmas spirit and decorated for the festive season. But there is no real concentration of high-rise buildings that would constitute a downtown commercial sector. However, we made our way through Syntagma square and walked along a packed street that was a retail district and was wall to wall people. There were buskers, food venders, musicians, and all sorts of activity. It was incredible to be in the middle of and to walk around the Plaka area of Athens.
We are starting to get a complex though…I think we are being followed. The same guys that we saw on the boardwalk of Barcelona, in Southern Spain, and in Cairo were also lining the streets of Athens everywhere…that is everywhere there are not police officers chasing them away. These are the guys that have the Prada bags, or the Guici sunglasses laid out on a sheet in the street…and for a bargain price! If the police officers come around they gather the four corners of their sheets pick it all up and dash away…only to set up again a block away…until the officers come by again. If I was one of these high end retail businesses that pays a
consider sum for this location, I would be incensed if they set up on the sidewalk in front of my store!
Besides walking through the hustle and bustle and getting ourselves in the Christmas Spirit, the first site we visited was the Acropolis. The world renowned architectural site that is iconic for Greece. It is also ancient but for the most part well preserved and intact. We saw a lot of restoration in Egypt and now again in Greece and these projects sure spruce up the old stone, but it sure takes away from the ancient aspects of the ruins. Once restored the buildings no longer look old, let alone ancient. Unfortunately, the Parthenon at the Acropolis site was surrounded by scaffolding when we visited…so it was undergoing a major restoration. Upon arrival at the site and acquisition of the tickets, we were exposed to a sales job by a government authorized tour guide. She wanted 80 euros to give us a detailed tour around the acropolis. This was a bit rich for our blood…and we opted out, but not before being bluntly told that our decision to go it alone was a mistake. Our plan was to get
Palamidi Fortress
From inside a fortress home an acropolis guide book at the kiosk before going in, but the person manning the booth was away for who knows how long…so we went ahead without the guide or the book. As the guide indicated, it was a mistake…because for as long as these ruins have been a tourist attraction (~200 years), they have not had time to make up any placards that explains anything! Actually…that is not quite accurate…because there were placards that explained the restoration of the various buildings, but nothing about the building and its purpose or historical significance. So aside from seeing the buildings that stand, the most significant of which was shrouded in scaffolding, the acropolis site failed to meet expectations for a journey or lesson in history….I guess that is what the guides are for. The large theatre on site is great and is still used for performances today.
There are many archeological sites around the acropolis area and visiting these is a great excuse for a good walk, and a visit to the interesting neighborhoods along the way. One we walked through had its version of a flea market on the streets and very much like other types of outdoor markets.
Another was one outdoor café or restaurant after another. All of them are vibrant and full of people.
We hit a couple of museums in Athens…one was the National Archeological Museum of Greece which is rated as one of the top ten museums in the world. It holds some fantastic treasures from ancient Greece and Egypt. Another museum was part of one of the archeological sites we visited and held collections of the pottery, jewelry, and other fine treasures. I think I have said this before, but I am blown away by the beautiful artwork they created some 5 - 10 thousand years ago. The detail, the craftsmanship, the artistry are all fantastic and with tools that would be considered ‘archaic’ and ‘inferior’ by today’s standards…yet the results certainly stand up to today’s standards.
We walked around Athens…took the subway…rode the tram…visited the Mall…and generally really enjoyed being a visitor to Athens. The public transit that we rode is one of the legacies from the Athens Olympics. Before the Olympics, the traffic and congestion in and around Athens was horrendous, we were told. The subway, tram (an above ground train like C-Train in Calgary…only slower), and a much
Palamidi Fortress
An Inn? Check out the sign holder in the right corner improved bus service have all contributed to moving people around the city in an easy and efficient manner, and reduced the traffic congestion and smog considerably.
The subway is fantastic and clean…definitely the nicest one we have experienced! This in a city where the tagging and graffiti are out of control…it’s everywhere...except in the subway stations. There isn’t any…anywhere…at least until a train pulls up to the station bearing reminders of how the buildings and fences are decorated above ground. Granted the subway is not very old (7-8 years), but the void of graffiti where one would expect to find it is very impressive...hopefully they can keep it that way.
The tram is a great way to travel as it winds its way through Athens neighborhoods. We took it all the way to the end to catch a glimpse of the beaches on the suburbs of Athens. The beaches were
ucky…as they were covered in garbage! I was a bit disappointed in Spain with the amount of garbage on its waterfront in areas, I was aghast at the amount of garbage we saw accumulated on some of the Tunisian beaches and wrote it off to a developing country,
Rocky Beach!
My kind of beach but I was disgusted with what we saw covering the beaches in the suburbs of Athens. Athens loses points with me because they are messing with my Mediterranean…it’s a good thing they have lots of points to play with!
Because it was so close to Christmas we had to visit ‘The Mall’ in Athens (that is the actual name). It was a fantastic mall with lots of people, lots of decorations, lots of interesting stores, and free stuff! When we arrived there was a free giant slide for the kids, free samples of chocolate, cotton candy, and other stuff! This just after I delivered my ‘nothing in life is free’ speech to the kids. Oh well…just another case of papa being wrong. It really was a great mall with lots to do besides shopping….but it is very expensive in Europe (which Greece falls under). The prices are the same as in Canada but they are in Euros here !
Greek is a funky language! I was looking at the Greek alphabet and in numerous cases the capital letters were completely different than the small letter counterparts (it must be an easy language to learn…why else would someone do
this??!!). Some letters are represented by little symbols (like arabic). In a lot of other languages you can sometimes make out what a word is because it is somewhat similar in English. Not Greek though! Those little symbols and letters are different. However, english can be found in some areas and easily in the tourist areas.
Alex had some knowledge of the gods and mythology of ancient Greece. This knowledge…some would call it an obsession…was helpful while touring the many temples of the gods and goddesses. He wanted to supplement his knowledge on Greek mythology so we went to a book store to get a small book that would provide some insights (you know one of the more picture than words books so that Papa could read it also). The book Alex wanted was more encyclopedic like (really void of pictures!), Nadine was skeptical that he would enjoy it…but since he finished it in a day(!), I guess he did! Needless to say…not enough pictures for me!
I personally love Greece…not sure how anybody else feels, but I felt comfortable and enjoyed much of what we saw. I will be returning to sail the Greek islands someday!
Parrot's got a thing for Alex!
Parrot would not let go of water bottle Alex was holding So far during our voyage, we have been visiting places at the low tourism season. This is about to end for the rest of the trip as we will be hitting Thailand and Australia at peak seasons for tourism.
We now get to doff our clothes…not all of them, just the ones that keep us warm…as we fly off to Thailand.
Travelling Tip: We again lose another day and a half flying to another location. We have discovered that on many of these airlines (Air Maroc and Gulf Air) that if you have a long layover (+8 hrs) for a connection, they will provide a hotel room, meals, and transportation to and from the hotel. You will not find this information on their websites and they do not offer this to you. We were told by someone about Air Maroc and I googled Gulf Air and found they do the same thing…so I bet it is pretty standard.
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Denise Tappert
non-member comment
Happy New Year!!!
Beautiful Planning of trip and Blog writing - if there were a few things that I missed , it would be a few more pictures of the whole family! HAPPY 2010 to you all