Today was our whirlwind day. I crazily planned for us to hit four cities on the Peloponnese - Corinth, Epidaurus, Mycenae, and Olympia. From a planning standpoint, it made the most sense to pack it all into one day. From a physical standpoint, it may have been more relaxing to stretch it out. But this is research!! Not a vacation!!
As we neared Olympia tonight, Jan and I agreed that it was best to see everything the way we did, because each of the sites really only contains a few hours of touring so to spend an entire day in each would have proved wasteful.
Corinth was fascinating. We saw the Temple of Apollo, the ruins of an ancient marketplace, and the Bema fountain where Paul the Apostle spoke to the Corinthians. The Ancient site is tucked into the city without much signage so we struggled to find it, but it was worth the effort.
Epidaurus was our second stop, and like Corinth, difficult to find. There is a small theatre that we (and some other tourists) ended up at. When we drove up I thought, "This isn't impressive." Clue #1. Clue #2 that we were in the wrong place should've been the lack of cars and guided tours. We almost gave up after an hour of driving around, but as a last ditch effort we pulled into a gas station on the main road and asked the attendant. He told us where to go and after questioning him (I know, I know, trust the locals) he said, "What is your expression - 'When in Rome?'" This made Mike and me laugh. He repeated the directions once more, and emphasized staying STRAIGHT for 12 miles and we were off. The staying straight for 12 miles is what finally got us within a few miles of the site, where we were able to follow the signs. Greece is great. They have a uniform sign with an 'ancient site' logo, the site name, and an arrow at the intersections. If you can follow arrows, you can find the site.
The Ancient Theatre at Epidaurus is amazing!! Mike and I climbed to the top and we could clearly hear a woman who was standing at the base singing. We could also hear Jan talking to another woman named Jan, whom she had met earlier. The story about the acoustics is true. I guess that is why they still hold concerts there. I have tried a few times to upload my video of the woman singing, but it must be too large because 30 minutes is not enough time to upload it.
The day's adventures really started after leaving Epidaurus. Going to Mycenae, our GPS told us to turn off the main road onto and dirt one, so we obeyed the technology and we were soon face to face with a military compound guarded by soldiers with machine guns slung across their chests. We were off the beaten path with no other tourists around so we freaked out, threw the car in reverse and backed down the dirt road until we could turn around and get back to the main one. All of our experiences with Greeks (outside of the bustling city of Athens) were positive so chances are the soldiers would've been nice (if we could've adequately explained ourselves & if they understood English) but we were so startled!! Thank goodness for Ms. Harris' map since the GPS kept insisting on taking us down that road.
King Agamemnon's tomb is beehive shaped and super cool. You are only allowed in the center of the building, but there are some dark chambers inside that I was dying to see into.
A mile up the hill from Treasury of Atreus (Agamemnon's Tomb) you can reach the Citadel of Mycenae - the Mycenaean fortress. The Mycenaeans found this area and built their fortress on the hill which protected them from surprise attacks and allowed them to see miles around them.
From Mycenae, we wound through the orange groves to the freeway (a real paved one that looks like American freeways!) on our way to Olympia. The drive is beautiful. Corinth, Epidaurus, and Mycenae were dry and dusty (think Palm Springs), but once we made our way around a big mountain we were suddenly in a lush, green part of the Peloponnese (think Hawaii). It was overcast and everything was slightly dew-covered. How cool to see two opposite landscapes within a few miles of each other. The mountains really provide for different climates. Remember, Greece is super mountainous!
After traveling on the freeway for a bit, we turned onto a smaller, windy road to make our way across the mountain. On those tiny, barely-one-lane roads we had the pleasure of taking in some gorgeous views of the green mountains. We even came upon two different shepherds with their sheep. They happily herded them to the side so we could pass and then gave friendly waves as we did. So cool!
As we pulled into Olympia after a long, exciting day we were so happy to be greeted by a pretty hotel front. Yes, a plush hotel for a great night's rest! I cannot adequately explain how gross the hotel was. The front and the lobby look portray a 5 star hotel. Pretty cool since we only paid about $50. Well, beyond the lobby were hotel rooms from the 70s that proved that Hotel Antonios does not have a housekeeping department. I cannot believe that in looking back at my photos I did not take a picture of it. I think I was too upset. Now, let's have some perspective here. I have stayed in Motel 6s and Super 8s, so I am not saying that I expected the Hotel de Crillon (in Paris...apparently one of the most luxurious hotels) or the Waldorf Astoria. But I did expect somewhere that I could take off my shoes without the fear of stepping on bugs, hair, and dirt. And what's worse, I had fleas on me!!! But ya know what?!?! Today was so amazing that even fleas cannot ruin the day. The fleas make me itchy, but I still LOVE Greece and appreciate all I saw today!
