This morning we were up very early to check out of our hotel and catch our bus to the Santorini Airport. We took off around 7:00 AM for our flight to Athens.
Leaving SantoriniVouliagmeni is a seaside suburbVari, a southern suburb of AthensLooking down on a quarryLanding at the Athens Airport
Our second flight was from Athens to JFK airport in New York City. It was almost an 11 hour flight. It seemed to go by faster than we expected. Of course we watched movies and read! The flight was smooth and no issues occurred. People kept their masks on and the flight attendants didn’t have to deal with unruly passengers.
On a side note, a gluten free meal that is made by the European crews are so much better than the gluten free meals made in the United States.
Gluten Free Meal
Looking out the airplane window we watched the sunset as we descended for landing in New York City.
NYC is in the distance!
Our last flight of the day was to our home airport in Columbus. Our plane left on time and we had a fantastic trip with the Hilliard Chamber of Commerce in Greece but it’s always good to get home! We can’t wait for our next adventure as long as COVID doesn’t shut down much of the world again!
We were awake early and watched the sunrise from the balcony of our room. It was beautiful.
Our first stop today was the Prophet Elias Monastery which was located on the highest peak of Santorini. We had gorgeous views of the island. The Monastery was built in 1712. It suffered a lot of damage from an earthquake in 1956.
Prophet Elias Monastery
The views of Santorini from the summit of Mount Profitis Ilias.
Santorini produces wine and it is considered to be the best in all of Greece. They say it is because of the mineral content of the volcanic soil! Ancient grape seeds were discovered and the people of Santorini have been wine makers for at least 3,500 years.
The grapevines here are twisted into a round shape and the grapes are tucked inside to protect them. It looks like a grapevine basket. You do not see the vines growing up along fencing. It is definitely very different. This technique called kouloura protects the grapes from the wind and hot sun.
Grape vines
We walked through the village of Pyrgos which is located at the foothills of Mount Profitis Ilias. Pyrgos is the largest preserved village on Santorini and it is pretty much ignored by the tourist industry and the villagers are glad.
Pyrgos Village
Our next stop was Agios Georgios which is known for its black sandy beach along the Aegean Sea! We had lunch at the Demilmar Restaurant Beach Bar. Our lunch was very good and we enjoyed the view.
Demilmar Restaurant Beach Bar
Near the restaurant we found the ruins of an early Christian Basilica of Ayia Eirini from the 5th century AD. Ayia is the Greek word for Saint and Eirini means Irene. It is believed that Santorini’s name came from this.
Early Christian Basilica of Ayia Eirini
Our next stop was the wine museum and wine tasting at Koutsoyannopoulos Winery. We only had time to walk through the museum because part of our group was late because one of the restaurants was slow getting the food prepared and served! Below are a few pictures from the museum.
Wine Museum
Some of the oldest producing vines on the island are around 400 years old! Before we tasted each wine, one of the employees explained about each wine and its pairing with food. We tried four different varieties. The Koutsoyannopoulos Winery was founded in the late 19th century and is family owned through four generations. We enjoyed our tasting! Our first white wine was a dry wine made from the assyrtiko grape which is indigenous to the island of Santorini. The second wine was another white wine called, Experimental Orange wine. Next was a red wine aged in an oak barrel, Ambelones. Our last wine was a 2006 Dessert wine, Kamaritis.
Assyrtiko white dry wineExperimental Orange wineRed Wine, Ambelones2006 Dessert wineWine Tasting at Koutsoyannopoulos
After we left the winery our bus dropped us off in Oia to walk around and watch the sunset. The sky was displaying many colors, from pink, yellow, and orange, as we experienced another gorgeous sunset!
When we returned to the hotel we were ready for dinner. We walked close to a mile to a restaurant that was suggested for us to try but it wasn’t opened yet so we walked a little farther and found Cacio e Pepe restaurant. It was Italian cuisine and the food was delicious!
Cheers to our last night in Greece!The GF eggplant parm. was outstanding!Many names are soccer players.Casio e Pepe
After dinner it was back to the hotel to do our paperwork for “Fly Ready” with Delta. We needed to upload our negative PCR result with the QR code, our fully vaccinated card and our passport. After several tries we received an email that we were set. We did our final packing because our luggage had to be outside our room very early in the morning. We will hate to say goodbye to Greece!
This morning we checked out of our hotel in Kinetta and headed for the Athens airport. We had a morning flight to Santorini, Greece. This volcanic island is the southernmost of the Cyclades Islands in the Aegean Sea. It is also the most visited of the Greek Islands. There are more churches than houses on the island but most of the churches are very small and private.
Pictures from the plane as we flew from Athens to Santorini
The landing strip wasn’t very long at the Santorini airport!
The Santorini tour director met us at the airport and we boarded buses for the Splendour Resort. Our hotel wasn’t too far from the airport. Our hotel was beautiful and we had a great view from our patio!
Our room on the leftView from out patioView from our patioView from our roomHotel poolHotel pool
Once we had our luggage we went exploring for a place to have lunch. Keep in mind that Santorini has steep hills. We first started down the hill from our hotel and when we didn’t see any open cafes or restaurants we turned around and headed up the hill along the footpath.
Spectacular scenery as we walked.
We finally reached our destination at the top of the hill and the restaurant was closed! So we walked down the hill along the road and found a cafe/market where we had a delicious lunch and also ran into several groups from our tour! After eating we walked back to our hotel and got in line to take our PCR COVID test. We needed to have a negative result to get on the plane and into the United States. After getting swabbed we took a cab up to Oia which is famous for its sunsets and the blue dome churches. It is located on the northwestern tip of Santorini and overlooks the caldera filled with water. The weather was good so we decided to spend the evening there.
Looking around Oia
The sunset was beautiful and we were mesmerized watching the sun go down.
Sunset in Oia.
When we got back to the hotel we relaxed for the rest of the evening because we were tired from the early morning flight and all of the walking up and down hills. Tomorrow we will tour the island!
Today we visited the Acropolis Museum. It was really interesting because when the city excavated the land they found an entire neighborhood beneath the museum.
The Acropolis MuseumAcropolis Museum and Below
From the second floor of the museum you can see the Acropolis.
The Acropolis from the Museum
We weren’t permitted to take pictures of the Archaic Acropolis Gallery in the museum. You can look up this gallery online and see photos of the collection.
Models of the Acropolis in the Acropolis Museum
In the background of the picture below are pieces of the Parthenon from the archaic period.
Parthenon pieces up the stairs
A pair of Nikes from the 3rd century AD. In ancient Greek religion Nike was the goddess of victory.
Nikes
Statue of Papposilenus
The Statue of Papposilenus is carrying the infant Dionysos, the god of wine and theater. It was discovered in 1832 at the Theater of Dionysos. It was made of marble and sculpted in the 2nd century BC. Papposilenus was considered to be the wisest of the Sileni (mythical demons that followed Dionysos) and tutor of Dionysos.
The Caryatids, female columns from the Erechtheion on the Acropolis of Athens. The Erechteion is an ancient Greek Temple and has also been referred to as the Temple of Athens.
Caryatids
A reconstruction of the west pediment of the Parthenon is pictured below.
Metopes are rectangular plaques. Fourteen metopes decorated the east side of the Parthenon.
Metopes
Below are original metopes and recreated as to what they believe the original ones looked like. It gives you an idea of how colorful the temples once were!
After the museum we walked in the Platka for lunch and to shop! The Plaka is the oldest section of Athens. Most of the area is pedestrian only! It is filled with restaurants, jewelry stores, tourist shops and cafes.
The monument to Lysicrates was erected by a wealthy patron of musical performances in the Theater of Dionysus.
Monument to Lysicrates
As we were walking toward our bus we past the base of the Theater of Dionysus remains of ancient marble statue remnants and other pieces.
Today was our last day in Athens and with our guide Marina! What a beautiful parting shot of the Acropolis!
Today was a trip to Olympia, which is another UNESCO World Heritage site, and was about a two hour drive from our hotel. The weather was perfect and Olympia did not disappoint.
Olympia is where the first Olympic games took place 2800 years ago. It was the home to the ancient Sanctuary of Zeus. We walked among well-preserved altars, temples, theater, and marble statues. Our guide was such a wealth of information and so good at explaining the history of the area. In this post are our favorites from the museum and the grounds of Olympia.
Our first stop was the museum. We’ve included a few of the highlights from the museum. We have much more from the museum but this post would be way too long!
These are tripod cauldron attachments that are found on the handles. They were made from bronze and date from the 8th century BC.
Below is a statue of Zeus carrying a young Ganymedes to immortality from Troy to Olympus. It is a Greek terracotta sculpture made by Phidias, around 435 BC.
Zeus carrying Ganymedes
Sculpted out of marble is the Nike of Paeonios. It was a votive offering to Zeus from the Messenians and the Naupactians victory against the Spartans in the Archidameian war. It stood at the SE corner of the Temple of Zeus.
Nike of Paeonios
The West Pediment from the Temple of Zeus shows a fight between centaurs and Lapiths. They are battling over the abduction of the Lapitih women. Apollo, in the center, presides over all!
Temple of Zeus- West Pediment
The East Pediment from the Temple of Zeus depicts the chariot race of Pelops and Oinomaos and a 10 foot tall Zeus is in the center and the chariot teams are on each side.
Temple of Zeus East Pediment
Probably the most famous is the sculpture by Praxiteles of Hermes and the Infant Dionysus, 4th century BC. Hermes is holding the infant Dionysus in his left arm and was dangling grapes in his missing right arm. It was found in the ruins of the Temple of Hera in 1877.
Praxiteles of Hermes
As we entered the Olympia common grounds we saw archaeologists digging and excavating! It was tedious work as we watched.
From the 5th century BC.
Our first view of the ruins of Olympia
The Philippeion is the only circular building. It had 18 Ionic columns on a 3-stepped marble base and is supported on a stone entablature (moldings). It was built by Philip of Macedon to mark his triumph over the Greeks. This was the first temple one saw when entering the sacred site. Inside stood statues of Philip and his family which includes his son, Alexander the Great!
The Philippeion
The Temple of Hera was the oldest structure on the site. The Temple originally honored Hera and Zeus before the Temple of Zeus was built. Inside was once a large statue of Hera on a throne with Zeus beside her and the temple once housed a statue of Hermes and was topped with the Disk of the Sun, and both of these are housed in the museum.
Disk of the Sun
The statue of Hermes in the museum is the Praxiteles of Hermes from up above.
Temple of Hera
The Nymphaion was once a curved fountain that was lined with 2 tiers of statues of emperors, some we saw in the museum. This fountain served as an aqueduct and helped cool individuals in the heat. It was built around 150 AD.
Nymphaion
The Altar of Hera is where athletes light the Olympic torch since 1936 and links the original Olympics to the modern games. The torch is lit by using a curved cauldron-shaped mirror and it focus’ the rays of the sun that ignites a flame. This ceremony is done a few months before the games begin.
Altar of Hera
The Stadium was first built during the 5th century BC and had a capacity of 45,000 spectators. It was where the ancient Olympic games were held.
The entrance to the stadium.
The racetrack is 640 feet. There was a stone drain around the track that opened at intervals into small basins where rain water collected.
Water collection drain
We lined up on the original marble paved starting line and either walked or ran down and back!
The Racetrack
Our Olympic winners!
Our female, our male, and our honorary winners!
The Temple of Zeus was located in the center of ancient Olympia. It was a huge temple dedicated to Zeus who was the king of the gods and patron of the Games. It was built in the 5th century BC. It fell in the 6th century AD. Most of the temple was made of limestone not marble.
Temple of Zeus
The Metroon was a temple dedicated to Rhea, the mother of the gods and nearby was the Altar of Zeus. They don’t know the exact location of the Altar of Zeus. At this altar the Olympians would daily sacrifice animals to Zeus.
The Leonidaion was once a large building that was a luxurious accommodation for distinguished visitors and officials to the Olympic games.
The Gymnasium was a training area for foot racing, javelin and discus throwing.
The Gymnasium
After leaving ancient Olympia we had lunch in town.
Our day began with a 3 1/2 hour bus ride to get to Delphi. Along our route we stopped at a scenic overlook. We could see Arachova. It is a mountain town known as a base for ski excursions in the winter.
Arachova
We also drove through Arachova which took a long time because of a traffic jam due to the town folks hanging up Christmas lights that were being strung across the road. The main road through town is two-way and narrow!
Since we were stopped or were moving slowly, we were able to see the homes, stores, restaurants and cafes along the main street in town! Here is a small collection of this quaint town.
Delphi is an UNESCO site and important to the ancient Greek mythology (8th Century BC). It was an ancient religious sanctuary to the Greek god Apollo. Delphi was considered to be the center of Grandmother earth, home to the Oracle of Delphi, and the Priestess Pythia who was famous in the ancient world for divining the future. People from all over the world would come seeking advice.
When we arrived in Delphi our first stop was a visit to the archaeological museum.
Museum in Delphi
The twin Kouros Statues from 600-580 BC, are seven feet tall and represent athletes. They are the legendary twins of Argos. The brothers are known for pulling their mother and her cart because her oxen was missing. It was a 6 mile trek. These statues are funeral memorials because their mom prayed to the goddess Hera to place a gift on her twins due to their strength and devotion to her. Well, Hera’s gift was to have them fall asleep in the temple and never wake up.
Twin Kouros Statues
The Omphalos of Delphi is made of marble. It is said that Zeus placed this monument where two eagles crossed paths after he launched them from two ends of the world. They crossed paths over Delphi and omphalos which means center and in Greek mythology called Delphi the “navel of the earth”.
Omphalos of Delphi
The Charioteer of Delphi is one of the best known Greek statues. It stands 5 feet 11 inches and is made of bronze and from 470 BC. He is the driver of the chariot race and is presenting his chariot and his horses to the spectators because of his victory. The details are amazing.
The Sphinx was an offering from the Naxian people and was placed above a high iconic column. It was a symbol of earthly divinity and heavenly power. The statue was made of marble. It had the body and legs of a lion, chest and wings of a bird, and the head of a woman.
Sphinx of Naxian
The Hymns to Apollo inscriptions were found on the south wall of Treasury of the Athenians. These two ancient hymns were composed for the Pythias of 128 BC which was a ritual procession of the Athenians towards Delphi. Between the lines of verses musical symbols were found.
Hymns to Apollo
Below are the remains of the Chryselephantine, which means a Greek sculpture overlaid with gold and ivory. The flesh was represented by ivory and the drapery by gold.
Possibly Apollo on the left and Artemis on the right
Some of the other objects in the museum.
The Athena temple complex:
The Treasury of Athenians housed dedications and offerings made by the people of Athens to the sanctuary of Apollo.
The Sanctuary of Apollo was a religious area dedicated to the Greek god Apollo.
Serpentine Column
The Temple of Apollo was first built around the 7th century BC. It has been rebuilt three times! The temple’s foundations remain along with a few Doric columns made of limestone which has caused decaying.
Temple of Apollo
The Omphalos is a cone shaped monument to mark what the ancients believed was the center of the world. This is a replica along the Sacred Way, the road through Delphi.
Omphalos and Marina our guide
The ancient theater of Delphi was located farther up the hill from the Temple of Apollo. Sitting in the theater provided spectacular views of the entire area. It was built out of limestone in the 4th century BC and was remodeled several times. It has 35 rows and can hold around 5,000 spectators. During ancient times they watched plays, poetry, readings and musical events that occurred during festivals that happened at Delphi.
A slideshow of more images from Delphi!
After leaving Delphi, we headed back to Arachova to enjoy a delicious late lunch at Omfalos. Of course for fun I’ve included another picture difference of a gluten free appetizer and what everyone else was served!
Gluten free PlateRegular Appetizer Plate
We arrived back at the hotel around 7:00 PM. We certainly are getting a refresher and learning more about Greek mythology.
Our first stop today was the Corinth Canal. Originally we were to go on a ride through the canal from the Aegean Sea to the Ionian Sea but there was a landslide and so the canal is currently closed and has been since January. Instead we saw the canal from above and then from a lower elevation.
Corinth CanalLooking toward the Ionian SeaLooking toward the Aegean Sea
The closing of the canal is a hardship for tourism because a large amount of visitors on cruise ships or yachts who use the canal to go from the Ionian to the Aegean Seas have to either cancel or take the much longer and more expensive route around the Peloponnesian peninsula!
Down below on the left you can see where the latest landslide occurred.
The first ship used the canal in 1892. The canal is almost 4 miles long, about 75 feet wide, and just over 26 feet deep.
The pictures below were taken just above water level.
Looking at the Aegean SeaLooking toward the Ionian Sea
A submersible bridge goes across the canal in Corinth. It lowers the bridge deck about 26 feet below water level to permit the boats to use the canal.
On our way to ancient Corinth, we stopped at St. Paul’s Church and the beautiful triptych mosaic of the Apostle Paul. He lived and preached for two years in ancient Corinth.
St. Paul’s Church & Mosaic
When we arrived at the ancient ruins of Corinth, we visited its museum.
Headless togate statuesclay sculpture of a brainBurial artifactsMosaic floor from a Roman VillaMore recovered mosaic Various column pieces recoveredCorinth Museum
Also in the museum is what our group thought was the perfect wine goblet size. This is in fact a wine goblet!
Wine Goblet
Ancient Corinth is known for the two letters from Saint Paul in the New Testament, First and Second Corinthians. Paul the Apostle’s missionary travels mentioned Corinth in the Acts of the Apostles. Ancient Corinth was an important city in Greece because of its location to the Aegean and Ionian Seas. It sat on the isthmus which connects mainland Greece with the Peloponnese. Corinth was a major colony and a center of trade.
Temple of OctaviaThe Archaic Temple of ApolloThe Archaic TempleForum ruinsThe Peirene Fountain
After our tour of the ruins we visited a local restaurant for a snack and an Ouzo tasting! Below is a picture of our snack. It is always interesting to compare my gluten free snack on the right with what the rest of our tour group received! Where they had bread with a spread on it I received octopus cooked in olive oil. Everyone at our table tried the octopus!
Regular SnackGluten Free Snack
Once everyone was served, Marina, our guide, gave a toast!
When we returned to the hotel we sat on the beach overlooking the Aegean Sea. It was a little breezy!
Before our dinner we attended a lecture at the hotel on Family Values and the Social Culture of Greece. Some of the takeaways was that the Greeks feel strongly about “what happens in the family, stays in the family”! It is also important to keep the family name and there are often two generations living together. An elderly parent is only in a nursing home if the children can’t care for the senior. Therefore, there aren’t many nursing homes, assisted living, or senior living facilities in Greece!
Today we traveled to the ancient sites of the Peloponnese Peninsula. The sky was hazy and cloudy due to the dust from Africa. The Saharan Desert’s dust was blowing in because the winds were blowing from the South.
The morning was spent in Mycenae. The Mycenaean civilization was a prehistoric kingdom. It was founded between two hills on a low plateau. This site was first occupied in 7,000 BC. Most of the monuments that we saw today were built between 1350 and 1200 BC. The historians are still trying to figure out the full history of the Mysenaeans because there was little recorded history! If you like mysteries then this ancient civilization is one to explore.
Mycenae Ruins
Looking out at the Aegean in the distance. If it wasn’t hazy you could see it clearly!
Historians believe the Mycenaeans about 2400 years ago controlled the Aegean Sea after they attacked Troy, which is now Turkey. And then the Mycenaeans disappeared and their empire was gone. Again, no one knows if it was an attack, an invasion, a drought, or a rebellion but whatever happened Mycenae was abandoned and burned by 1100 BC!
In 1876 the site was excavated and when you visit Mycenae you see some of the oldest remains of prehistory. It is said these remains are 1,000 years older than Athens’ Acropolis.
Mycenae
When you walk up the hill to the citadel you come to the Lion Gate (1240 BC). It guards the city up on the hill. The lions’ heads are missing which some think were made of precious stones or gold and then stolen. There was a wooden door with a bar that went across to protect from intruders. Because the door was made of wood it has rotted away.
Lion Gate
Grave Circle A was used to bury Mycenaean Royalty (16th Century BC). The royals were buried here with their most precious belongings like gold swords, spears, engraved cups, and ritual objects because they believed in the afterlife.
Grave Circle A
A gold mask was uncovered that was the face of a bearded man. Masks were tied onto the faces of the deceased. These items were unearthed in 1876 and they can be found in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.
This is a replica that is in the museum at Mycenae
Below is the small doorway in the fortification on the far eastern end that was an escape route out the back if the Mycenaeans were under seige!
Escape Route
Near this was the cistern that can be reached by steps that go 50 feet down. The cistern stored water from the hillside springs! We did not climb down the steps to peek at darkness!
Steps to the underground cistern
The North Gate is smaller than the Lion Gate but it has the same shape. It was constructed during the second phase of building around 1250 BC! Four blocks of stone form the two jambs. A double wooden door closed the gate and it was bolted by a sliding bar. The door you see in the picture below is a reconstruction of the original door.
North Gate
The Mycenaeans seemed very knowledgeable about masonry in the construction of the fortress, their engineering seemed advance with the cistern that was built and the architects who designed the area.
Back of Lion GateVarious pictures from Mycenae
The wall that protected the fortress is called a cyclopean wall because it was built 40 feet high, 20 feet thick and 3,000 feet long and consisted of 14,000 boulders weighing 5 to 10 tons each! The cyclops, one-eyed giants, did not build the wall but they theorize the Mycenaeans probably used the same process as the Egyptians when they built the pyramids. They built ramps and rolled the stones up on logs that were pulled by oxen or horses.
Cyclopean Wall
After our hike around the area we visited the little museum that is located down the slope. We saw examples of items from the graves and items from everyday life.
Pottery pots and statuessome of the funeral objects found
A partial wall painting was uncovered. The fresco is shown below. The first picture is a painting of what the fresco originally looked like. The second picture is what they recovered and the last picture is a close up.
The Mycenaeans did a lot of trading and the museum included many sealstones to seal the documents or packages.
Seals
Parts of clay tablets were found and the characters represented a syllable. Each of the fragments found represented a subject like religion, products, lists of names as you can see in the picture below. Not much of the Mycenaean documents survived so little is known about their other thoughts.
When we finished at the museum we visited the Treasury of Atreus or the Tomb of Agamemnon, 13th century BC. The Mycenaeans went from burying their royalty like the Grave Circle A to tholoi. A tholos is a huge beehive-shaped underground chamber. The entryway to the Treasury of Atreus is 110 feet long and 20 feet wide. The walls go up at a diagonal as you get to the entrance. The lintel over the entrance is massive, 26 feet across by 16 feet by 3 feet and weighs 120 tons!
Outside of The Treasury of Atreus
The inside of the chamber is round, 47 feet in diameter and 42 feet tall. The roof has a shape of a beehive. When built is was adorned with painted and sculpted decorations. The entrance had a wooden double door and then sealed with stones. The beehive grave had already been robbed by the 2nd century AD and was used by shepherds as shelter and their fires blackened the stone walls. What relief decoration fragments found in 1878 are in various museums around Europe, especially in London and Athens.
Inside the Treasury of Atreus
After our visit to Mycenae, we had a wonderful lunch at a restaurant nearby.
Kolyzeras Restaurant
On our way to Nafplio we passed the birthplace of Hercules.
Birthplace of Hercules
After lunch we did a walking tour of Nafplio and had some free time to shop! Nafplio is located on the coast on the Peloponnese peninsula. It is historically important because of its location to Athens, and for visiting Mycenae, and Epidaurus. We walked through the Old town which is mainly pedestrian only.
Looking up on the hill is the Fortress of Palamidi which was built by the Venetians between 1686 and 1715. Some of its most prominent structures are: a castle, church and a prison.
Fortress of Palamidi
Below are some pictures from this quaint coastal town.
Bourtzi CastleSquare of the Friends of the GreeksSyntagma SquareStrolling the streetsCafes off the main streetVenetian winged lion in front of the National Bank of Greece
Our next to the last stop of the day was the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus. It is considered to be the best preserved ancient theater in Greece. It was built in the late 4th century BC. It is known for its great acoustics. Actors can be heard perfectly anywhere in the 15,000 seat theater. Marina, our guide, ripped a piece of paper and you could hear the rip anywhere in the theater even at the very top!
Ancient Theater of EpidaurusAncient Theater of EpidaurusMarina with the ripped paper
The Melas Olive Oil factory was our last stop. The owner gave us an overview of the process on their farm, a tour of their facility, and a tasting!
It was a busy day. We covered over 168 miles on our travels today. Tomorrow will be another fun adventure.
After two days of traveling our morning was relaxing! We didn’t need to set an alarm but we were still awake early. Below are pictures from our resort as we explored the grounds!
One of the views from our balconyKinetta Beach ResortOrangesFresh orangeslime treePart of the coastlineBeach along the Aegean SeaOne of the pool areasOlive tree
It is olive harvesting time in Greece!
Harvesting olives by our hotel.
Short Clip Harvesting Olives.
We attended a lecture on the relationships within the European Union and Greece. The talk was very informative and interesting. The lecturer gave a brief history of Greece (it’s official name is Helenic Republic or Hellas in Greek) and also discussed the education of the children. Greece has immigrants coming from the East: Syria, Pakistan, and some Turkish people.
Lecture on Relationships within EU and Greece
After the lecture we enjoyed relaxing in the chairs by the beach!
Enjoying some sun before our excursion into Athens!
This afternoon we left the Kinetta Beach Hotel. Our first stop was the Acropolis. Our local guide for our time in Athens was a beautiful woman named Marina. She has been a guide for a very long time and was a wealth of information. It was wonderful at the Acropolis because it wasn’t packed with visitors. We did have to show our ID, vaccination card and have on our mask to get in with our ticket. It was comforting that individuals must be fully vaccinated or have a negative PCR test within the last 72 hours or a rapid test within 42 hours! The wind that was blowing dust over Athens from the Sahara Desert let up so we had a beautiful, clear sky.
Our first view of the Acropolis
The Acropolis is located on a rocky outcrop looking out at the city of Athens. The Parthenon is the most famous of the remains of the ancient buildings. It was a former temple built around 450 BC and stands about 490 feet above sea level and stands on the highest spot on the Acropolis. The Parthenon is the largest Doric temple in Greece and was a temple to Athena.
The Parthenon
The Parthenon faces East to West and was completed in 9 years! Pheidias who was a master architect and sculptor supervised its building. The British Museum in London has many of the Parthenon’s sculptures and reliefs, the Acropolis museum has a few and others have just eroded away.
The Parthenon is also being renovated and this is an ongoing project. The Greeks are trying to save the Parthenon from the destruction caused by pollution and acid rain. They began this in 1976. When I was there in 1983, there was scaffolding! When the construction is finished the Parthenon won’t be rebuilt but a reinforced ruin.
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is located on the south side of the Acropolis slope has been rebuilt three different times, and was renovated in 1950. It was used for music concerts. It is still used today as the main venue of the Athens Festival!
The Odean of Herodes Atticus
The Erechtheion was constructed between 421 and 406 BC. It was named after the demi-god Erechtheus and was built from marble. On the south side was the Porch of the Caryatids which is its most famous feature. There were six Caryatids which were women and they acted as columns holding up the roof. This is also the spot where supposedly Athena and Poseidon fought for the rights to name the city.
Erechtheion
The Propylaea serves as the entrance to the Acropolis and has a doric and classical architecture. Its construction began in 432 BC. It served as the grand gate to enter the Acropolis.
The last building we talked about was the Athena Nike. It was located on the southwest edge of the Acropolis and was a small temple of the Ionic style.
Temple of Athena Nike
We looked down at the Theater of Dionysus. It was built on the southern slope of the Acropolis. It is considered to be the start of theater! The first orchestra terrace was built in the mid to late sixth century BC. By the 4th century BC it was finished and had a capacity of 17,000 with stone seats.
The Theater of Dionysus
Located on the east end of the Acropolis stands the flag of Greece with great views of the city.
After our visit to the Acropolis we made a stop at the Panathenaic Stadium which can hold 60,000 and is located on the site of an ancient stadium. It is the only stadium in the world made of marble. It was built in the 6th century BC and was renovated in 1896. It hosted the first modern Olympic games. The stadium was used again as an Olympic venue in 2004 for archery and the finish for the marathon for both men and women.
We watched the changing of the guard in front of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier which is located outside of the Hellenic Parliament. It was fascinating to watch the guards precision and balance. Watch the video below to see a good portion of the ceremony.
Marina, our guide, took us down into the metro subway station. As the city excavated for the subway they found many artifacts. So at the Syntagma Station these amazing artifacts dating back to the 5th century BC are displayed in the station. It’s like a city below the city that has a museum of glass-filled cases! It was very interesting.
Some of the artifacts that we saw in the metro station.
After our tour of Athens we headed back to Kinetta and our hotel.
Saturday, November 6th and Sunday, November 7th, 2021
This was our first International trip since the first week of March, 2020. We had to rethink what we would need and what documents we would need to have for our flights and for the government of Greece. If you thought that flying was a hassle since 2001, then you really don’t know what a hassle is, thanks to COVID! First, check with the airlines that you will be flying on and also the country(or countries) that you will be visiting. This is a must. You don’t want to get to the airport and not have the documentation, forms, etc… that you will need to fly! It isn’t just your passport and boarding pass to get on a flight.
We felt confident traveling with the Hilliard Chamber of Commerce. This is our fifth trip with them! They prepare us and the travel company lets us know what we will need. They require everyone to be fully vaccinated which for us was an important requirement. To get on the plane we needed our passport, vaccination card, and our Passenger Locator Form that Greece required!
We ordered waterproof card holders for our vaccination cards. Also, have with you a supply of face masks because you will need them! The face masks are mandatory for the plane, in the airports, and also inside all establishments! Our best advice is to be organized and be prepared.
Forty two hours before our flight we took a COVID-19 test to make sure we were negative.
We left Columbus, OH Saturday afternoon and flew to Atlanta. Our connection was only a little over a couple of hours. In Atlanta we boarded a flight for Paris, France. This was our overnight flight where we were to try to sleep. There were six of us in our “sub group” of the full chamber group.
Atlanta AirportTaxiing for takeoffJeff & LindaUs
Sunday morning we arrived in Paris, France for a very quick layover to board our plane for Athens. Paris TSA was nasty to many passengers on our flight! We won’t go into details but many of us were lucky to make our flight. When you are tired from a long flight with little sleep, this was not a good experience!
The Air France pilot pointed out the Alps when we flew over them. It was majestic to see these snow-covered mountains.
The AlpsFlying over GreeceFlying over Greecde
We arrived in Athens and met our tour director. We all went through customs, gathered our luggage, and boarded our bus to take us to our hotel in Kinetta, Greece. The hotel was located about an hour from Athens. The check-in process for the hotel was easy and we went to our room. It was great to freshen up, change clothes and head for the beach at the hotel.
Kinetta Beach HotelOne of the pools on the propertyThe view from our room patioThe Aegean SeaOur group relaxing after 2 days of travel!
Kinetta Beach Hotel was our home away from home while we explored Athens and the surrounding areas. It was an all inclusive hotel and because it was the end of the season, almost all of the guests were with the three Chambers of Commerce that were on this trip.
