Athens,
as you know, is a huge city. But,
interspersed among the streets are remnants of ancient times. Where does one start? We ended up employing the services of a
guide, Giannis (pronounced Yanni), hopped in his car and off we went.
We
wanted to see the ancient Corinth area (name sound familiar from the
Bible? Paul spoke there! Even a book in
the bible!) Anyway, a bit of a drive, but we were up for it. Fun conversation and really saw much of the area,
even some huge cargo ports. Also, there
were remnants from a fire three months previously on the hillside (this is not
the fire that killed many people a month or so ago).
First
stop, the Corinth Canal. Got out of the
car reluctantly as the area looked like a little local shopping/eating
spot. Then, just a tad bit further, a
bridge… OH MY GOSH! We started on the
bridge and could see this canal appearing below us. This canal had shear sides, right down to the
water. It connects the Gulf of Corinth
with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It is not for huge ships but cuts right
through the isthmus Athens isthmus and cuts off about 131 Nautical
miles.
Got
back in the car and headed to Corinth. We
really enjoyed these ruins, the best so far.. This has all been left pretty much like it was uncovered. In the center area, there was the Temple of Apollo. Also, saw the area where Paul spoke on the bema (which is a speakers platform area). Won’t bore you with all the history but was cool! Nifty museum there too which was filled. In 1990, someone broke in through the roof and stole almost 300 items. In 1999, with the help of the FBI, years after the robbery, almost all items were recovered in Miami Florida.
After an hour or so, we were back on the road. More sights, than Giannis took us to a nice little place for lunch… learned Gyros here is the name for the style of meat… Good stuff! Then through town, Tomb of Unknown Soldier, Parliament, leftover columns of Zeus temple, and more big historic and beautiful buildings. On to the Olympic Stadium built in 1896, where the first modern Olympics were held… made out of marble… and still used today with the flame ceremony, etc. Looks brand new due to the marble.
Finally, the Acropolis of Athens, which is where you find the Parthenon (483 BC), dedicated to Athena, the Goddess. That’s the building associated with the Acropolis in most pictures. They are trying to reconstruct it with all the pieces. Fires, bombs, etc have taken their toll on the area. Pieces scattered everywhere, numbered, as they try to put the jigsaw back together! Nike’s Palace is there, oh gosh, I am sounding like a history book. Enough to say it was awesome. After 7 ½ hours touring, we were ready to head back to the boat!
Just WOW! :)
ReplyDeletepmjudy