Blogs from Meteora, Thessaly, Greece, Europe - page 8

Well since my last update, I have think I have covered more of Greece than I have of New Zealand! First was Athens, and some of you may know I enjoy my sport a little bit, so the highlight of Athens for me wasn't the Parthenon, the Acropolis or the ruins of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, but visiting the stadium where the first Olympic Games were held all the way back in 1896. They have been done up a bit since then because they were also used when the Olympics were held here last time in 2004. Anyway back to the stadium, it was free and only a couple of people there so I decided to do a lap of it just for the hell of it and got some good pictures as well. ... read more

UntitledJames Emerson I really dont think I had much of a choice in the matter. This one site contained in it so many things that I love, History, Ancient warfare, world changing events, and there have been comics written and moveis made about Thermopolye. Yes thats right, the actual site of where the movie 300 was said to take place. And you can say what you want about the movie, but take it for what its worth, a good piece of historical fiction. Did It happen exactly the way that it did in the movie, no of course not, but they did get enough of the facts right to make me happey. But I digress this is a travel blogg and not a movie review. Getting to the site proved to be a bit of a ... read more

We walked over the border and hitched a bus. The bus was heading for Ioannina, the largest hub in the area, so we had no choice but to go there. Once we arrived we sussed out the buses headed to our destination of Kalambaka and found one heading there at 3pm, 3 hours away. We set up temporary camp at a near-by restaurant where the waiter didn't speak English but did speak German. We get some food and wait. I soon grow tired of waiting and thought I might go for a wander to check out a castle that's apparently in the area. I check it out and head back. Ordinarily I would be impressed by this ancient walled old city jutting out into the lake with snow capped mountains looming above, but that day, I ... read more

I'm writing this entry just a few hours before I get onto an airplane for that last stretch of travel which ends my trip. I'm in Greece and I've had an amazing day with my parents and some long-lost, newly-discovered cousins. I'm painfully missing Chelly and we'll have thousands more miles between us soon. In short, there is a lot going on inside me as I write this last live blog from the road. The trip to Greece was very different than any of the other country-visits I've had in the last six months. It was a family trip--for one thing--with Mom and Dad as companions, inspirations, and burdens. It was a world-shaking voyage into my ancestry. It was a vivid journey into the thoroughly-studied but never physically experienced world of my history books and ... read more

well ive made it to greece. Yesterday we spent over 24hrs travelling to Greece. We caught a train from Rome down to the port of Bari in the south of Italy and then the overnight ferry and another train and then bus down to Olympia. The travel was good though, we had deck passes on the ferry, which literally meant the deck!! So we meet 4 other backpackers and we all slept on couches on the decks below. Was good fun, i slept well. I think it was because me and i spanish guy i meant spent the nite having a few beers with the Greek bus drivers. I slept like a baby! So Olympia was great i just got back from there. Id say its probably the most peaceful place ive ever been to. It ... read more