Saturday, Oct 9. 2010

Arrived in Athens at 9:30 AM after a non-eventful flight – thank goodness!! We were picked up at the airport by Spiro, our driver and guide for the next 32 hours. He brought us to the Hilton, and we were checked into our rooms immediately. This surprised us because it was so early. We are situated on the Executive floor, so we had access to the complimentary lounge and hospitality service. We freshened up, had some coffee/tea and fruit to sustain us and off we went.
Spiro had the entire day planned out, so we really pushed the bar. No time for napping though if we gave into it, we would probably sleep through til tomorrow.
First stop – the Corinthian Canal on the way to Ancient Corinth. This canal was built in the 19th century, with help from the French.

It was the idea of Nero, however he didn’t live to see it finished, having taken 15 years to complete! Cutting a canal through the isthmus was originally thought about in the 5th century. It is an interesting piece of engineering – with bridges descending into the water, rather than rising higher for passing boats.
Next stop – Ancient Corinth! Could not believe we were walking perhaps on the same path as St Paul. He was taken before the consul at the ”Bema” where he was accused of preaching anti-mosaic law. He was found innocent and went onto found a Christian church at Cenchreae. The archeological site was a wonder to behold. It was amazing to realize that the ancients had such know-how, with little in the way of modern implementation. The excavation of ancient Corinth was begun in 1882 by the Greeks, but systematic excavations were begun in 1896 by the American School of Classical Studies under the supervision of the Rockefellers. Makes you want to go hmm!
Lunch Stop – Nauplion – first capital of the young Greek state - 19th century Here we visited the fortress of Palamidi. The city dates back to 2nd c AD based on historical and archaeological evidence. The views from atop the fortress were astounding. In the bay below, the isle of Bourdzi can be seen, and it is pretty much unoccupied these days. All these structures were built for the defense of the city from enemies by sea.



We stopped at a local pottery factory/store. Here the locals made replicas of the artifacts found in the area. The owner will be coming to NY in Jan to attend the convention at the Jacob Javits Center. He asked us to go!!
Last stop – the archaeological site at Mycenae. The Acropolis of Mycenae stands between two mountains and commands the only route through the Pass. The fortification has two gates, the more familiarly known one as the Lion Gate.



Lenny and I spent some time following the path through this ancient city dating back to the 13c BC with excavation beginning in the 19th century. The city is walled in by monolithic blocks of sandstone. The huge size of the boulders in the walls led people in later times to associate them with beings of giant stature, the Cyclopes, the only people who would have been capable of handling them.
Among the findings were royal graves, and some gravestones decorated with relief scenes of hunting or chariot racing. Gold and ivory were also found, indicating homes of artisans.
After a very full day, we returned to the hotel ready to collapse and catch some zzzz’z!