Going Home.

08 October 2016

I actually started writing this on the 8th, but it's a week later now.

People started leaving the hotel at 03:15 this morning. You may ask how I can be so precise with the time. It's because they don't care that the rest of us are sleeping. As they leave, they bang doors, they laugh and talk loudly. Once the sun came up, I couldn't sleep anymore, but I lay down and flicked through the news channels until 08:00. Very slow news day! I unpacked my suitcase and repacked it a bit more neatly, taking some of the gifts out because I was afraid they might break. I showered and got dressed and decided to book out. Booked out (€300.00 for five nights). All done and I was off to the metro. It only costs €10.00 a ticket to the airport, and the trip lasts about 40 minutes. Very nervous about this because I had read that the metro was full of pickpockets and girl gangs who surround you and when they leave you, all you have is the clothes on your back. It must have been too early because none of them were around. The trip progressed smoothly and before you knew it I was at the airport. It was only 11:15 and my flight was at 15:35. So much time to kill. Went and bought a roll and biscuits and coffee, found a seat and read. Kindle really is handy to have. At 13:00 I booked in, all the way to Port Elizabeth which was great. I will however, collect my suitcase in Johannesburg. It was now 13:15 and I still had more than 2 hours to kill. Eventually got to board and we took off on time. The landing in Istanbul wasn't really pleasant. Very bumpy and noisy.
We landed and disembarked. Now the weird part. Usually you go transit area and get searched and patted down and herded around like cattle. Not this time. The guy looked at my next flight and said 'Johannesburg that way'. Walked up a slight rise and I was in international departures. Very weird.
Now I had four hours to kill to the next flight. Once again I read. I'm busy re-reading The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough. Gripping stuff. It's the first of 8 novels dealing with the decline and fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. Book one concentrates on Gaius Marius and to a lesser extent on Sulla.
Eventually boarded the plane and got my seat. The plane is packed! We've just had dinner. Salad, beans in olive oil, kofta with bulgar and then a really smooth and a creamy coffee mousse. I must never learn how to make that. I'll have it every night! The weight gain would be nothing short of catastrophic!
The old man behind me has the nastiest wet smokers cough. I've never had to use the barf bag on a flight, but tonight could be the night. It is now 11:00 Johannesburg time, so I think I'm going to pack it in and get ready to sleep.
Fast forward to 16 October.
The flight from Istanbul to Johannesburg was very smooth with a perfect landing. The flight home was the longest ever! I just wanted to get home. The luxury of your own shower and bed. I can't describe it, but I'll try. I got into bed on Sunday night and had the best nights sleep all wrapped up in a familiar cocoon. Batting my clothes out of a wardrobe. It's amazing how much you miss the little things.
Anyway, I had a fantastic holiday and I would do it again tomorrow. Exactly the same.

Worst Experience: arriving in Thessaloniki without my luggage.
Best Experience: difficult one this, but I must say Bassae, followed by Dodoni.
What I Loved: the Greek people. So friendly and thoughtful. There were times that people were so friendly and helpful that I felt bad because I felt that I was using them.

I used the KTEL inter-city bus system. It's geared towards the needs of locals, but if you plan around that, you can go almost everywhere in Greece. There was many a trip where I was the only tourist on the bus, but I got to see parts of Greece that many tourists don't get to see. Taxis are cheap. If you need one like I occasionally did, ask at the reception desk of your hotel. Say why you need it. You soon get a reply and it is normally less than normal. Say €110 instead of the normal €120 as for Bassae. I always paid the regular price, the difference between that and the quoted price being a tip.

I would never be able to drive in Greece! I take my hat off to those bus drivers. They negotiated strips of road between cars that I would be afraid to with my VW Polo.

To those who followed me, good bye till next time. I'm thinking Spain 🇪🇸 and Portugal 🇵🇹. We'll see.

Day 28 - Athens & The Acropolis.

Day 28 - 07 October 2016

And here we are. The last day of my holiday. Tomorrow afternoon I fly to Istanbul and in the evening off to Johannesburg. I'll be home in Port Elizabeth at 12:20 on Sunday afternoon.
Back to today. As I write this, there's a thunderstorm raging outside. It's been raining for about an hour and a half now and it's so cool in my room. I have the windows wide open and the sound of the rain is fantastic. I have a theory about the rain. It's Friday so Zeus and the boys went out drinking. When he got home, Hera started nagging. They had an argument and now he's drunkenly throwing his thunderbolts around.
Anyway, my alarm went off at 07:00 as usual, but I didn't get up. Lazy, lazy, lazy. Also a little sick. My throats is sore and the nose is runny. I eventually got up after eight and got ready to tackle the Acropolis and it's surrounds. When I got to the entrance of the acropolis at about 09:00, there were hundreds of people waiting to get in.

That's the price you pay for being lazy and not getting up at seven in order to be there at eight when the gates open. I bought the €30.00 ticket as it was for 7 sites. I was so excited to be there, but I have to admit to being a bit disappointed when I saw the Parthenon.

I know that the restoration is crucial to correct the mistakes of the previous attempts, but all the scaffolding and cranes just diminishes the overall impact of that magnificent building. Also, there are set pathways that you have to walk along and some of them are just too far from the actual buildings. however, it is still an awesome sight. I think I was a little spoilt by the temples at Bassae, Nemea and Aphia where you get much closer. In spite of everything, I did enjoy it and I was really pleased to be there. it was one of the main reasons to come to Greece after all. After the Acropolis, I walked around the north slope and the south slope. I then went to the ancient agora with its magnificent stoa

and The Temple of Hephaestus,

built in 419BC and still exists today virtually unchanged. 2  435 years old and still standing. Went to the Roman Agora which housed the Tower of the Winds.

The Tower of the Winds or the Horologion of Andronikos Kyrrhestes is an octagonal Pentelic marble clock tower in the Roman Agora that functioned as a horological or timepiece and features a combination of sundials, a water clock and a wind vane. It opened to the public earlier this year for the first time in 200 years. Wasn't that lucky for me! I then walked to the Library of Hadrian which had a rather good Nike in its little museum.

By that stage I needed to eat so I had a tuna baguette and a really sweet custard tart with a cappuccino latte. Daylight robbery at €10.40. It was really expensive but very tasty.
Lastly I went to the Olympieion with its ruin of the Temple of the Olympian Zeus.

Of the 104 columns, only 15 remain standing and one lies fallen where it stood. It must have been magnificent in its day. It took 638 years to complete and remained in use for only 135 years.
I was done. Went back to the hotel for a rest and then went out again for coffee. Back to the hotel again and showered and off to dinner. I went to el Greco again. The owner recommended gigantes and pastitio. I had that and it was so good. The portions were way too large but I managed. As I was having my coffee, 4 Iranian tourists walked in. They were offered lamb! I thought, bloody hell, If I knew that lamb was available, I would have had that. Once I'm done, I'm off to bed.
This is my flight plan for tomorrow:

TK1850	Saturday,  8 Oct 16	P	Eleftherios Venizelos Intl Arpt, Athens	Ataturk Arpt, Istanbul, Terminal I	15:35	17:05	Reconfirmed flight			30K
TK162	Saturday,  8 Oct 16	P	Ataturk Arpt, Istanbul, Terminal I	O R Tambo International Arpt, Johannesburg, Terminal A	21:05	05:55#	Reconfirmed flight			30K
SA405	Sunday,  9 Oct 16	S	O R Tambo International Arpt, Johannesburg, Terminal B	Port Elizabeth Airport, Port Elizabeth	10:45	12:20	Reconfirmed flight			30K

And on Monday it's back to work.

The Acropolis

The West Slope

The Ancient Agora

The Roman Agora

The Library of Hadrian

The Olympieion

Day 27 - Athens, Archaeological Museum of Piraeus & Brauron

Day 27 - Athens, Piraeus & Brauron

Off to Piraeus again! As if yesterday wasn't enough. I wanted to go to the Piraeus Archaeological Museum today so I felt it best that I go early in the morning. The museum opened at 08:30 and I was there. I took the metro down to Piraeus and then took a taxi to the museum. I didn't want to struggle to find it and it only cost €3.50. It's not a big museum, but it has three complete bronze statues that date back to the fourth century BC while a fourth, of Apollo, dates back to the sixth century BC.

The bronze room.

Only a handful of bronze statues have survived since antiquity and I saw four of them today. They really are beautiful, with their stone and glass eyes. There were also a couple of really well executed funeral steles as well as a rather nice lion. 

Once I was done, it was off to Brauron. I took the metro to Nomismatokopio and then a bus to Artemisa. It's an hour by bus and then three kilometers from the last stop. Lucky there was a taxi hanging about who took me to the site for €5.00. I really didn't feel like walking. I arranged for him to collect me an hour later.

Brauron was a sanctuary to Artemis where young girls served the goddess until they reached marriageable age. They were known as her arktoi or she-bears.

The sacred spring still flows strongly and many votive offerings have been found in it.

The only stone bridge dating back to classical Greece 

After an hour, the taxi driver came to collect me and dropped me off at the stop. Next bus into Athens was at 14:30. Took the metro to Victoria station and went looking for The Sounion bus. I missed it by minutes and the next one was only at 17:30. It's a two hour trip to Sounion so that was a bit of a waste as the sun would have set already. The whole idea behind Sounion is to see the sunset. Oh well, try again tomorrow.

Loitered around a bit and went for an early dinner - roast chicken and vegetables. Very tasty and only €8.50. Missed gravy. I like my gravy.

Tomorrow is the Acropolis and Sounion so I will be able to sleep a bit later. 

Archaeological Museum of Piraeus

Brauron

Day 26 - Athens & Aegina

Day 26 - 05 October 2016

Today I went to the only island on my trip - Aegina.

As it was an island, some travel was involved. I was up at 06:00 and took the metro down to the port, Piraeus. From there I had to look for the ferry to Aegina. There was one leaving at 07:50 so I took that one. The trip is approximately 40 minutes. It's not far from Athens so it's more of a hop than anything else. I took a return ticket at €25.00. The return was at 15:00 and the price standard for the trip.
Got onto the ferry and fell asleep. Not the only one either. Nothing like the gentle rocking of the ocean to lull you off to the land of nod!

When we got there, the first thing I did was look for the bus. I needed to find out what time it left for the Temple of Aphia. Only at 10:30 so that meant I had 2 hours to explore the town. Greek islands are expensive! Lovely and all, but expensive. Had a club sandwich and coffee for breakfast. It cost €10.50. Bloody daylight robbery. OK it was lots, but really. Walked around and certainly wasn't going to buy anything. 10:30 and the bus eventually arrived and off we went. It takes about 25 minutes to get there as it's on the other side of the island and the bus stops everywhere to let people on and off. As you climb the last hill it peeps up over the tops of the pine trees. Dropped us off and told us that the return bus was at 12:30. It really is situated in a beautiful spot.

So quiet and peaceful and the whole area smells of the pine forest that surrounds the temple. There were only 6 of us at the temple, but in the hour and a half that I was there, there was a constant flow of people. It doesn't have the crowds, but there are people who visit. The temple itself is magnificent and has been partly reconstructed. The statues are all in Munich and London, so the museum attached to the site is pretty sparse. Once done, I went to the ubiquitous cafe and had a pistachio ice cream. I just sat there and enjoyed the scenery. Delicious. The hot air smelt of pine. Took the bus back into town and had two hours to kill. Had lunch and sat on the wharf reading. Our ferry arrived and everyone got on to go back to Piraeus. Nap time again.
What can I say about Piraeus. Noisy, dirty, smelly and busy. Gene and Jenna just think of Naples and you've got it. Held onto my belongings like a mussel to a rock. I didn't relax until I got off at Akropoli stop. That line is notorious for its pick pockets.
It was only 17:00 so I decided it was time for the Acropolis Museum. At only €5.00 a ticket, it's one of the biggest bargains of the trip. The amount of statuary, ceramics etc is unbelievable. No photos allowed! What was sad to see was the plaster casts where the missing marbles are. They were obtained by subterfuge and bribery are reside mostly in London, but there are some in Paris and Germany as well. They will never come back because if that were to happen, it would open up a floodgate of litigation as the rest of the world demanded their treasures back. The British Museum and the Louvre would be empty! Enough of that. The Parthenon Museum is most definitely a world class museum. The exhibits are beautifully presented and so many of them still have their original colors. As we know now, the ancient marble statues were not white, but brightly and vibrantly painted. There were selected works with a painted copy next to it. It will take a bit of getting used to.

It looked like rain when I left the museum, but the clouds soon cleared.

Later I went to el Greco for dinner. As I had breakfast and lunch, I just ordered a main. Nice small portion to fill the gap. When I sat down I got the menu but was informed of the specials. Pork roll in a cream sauce. I don't eat pork much, but the cream sauce got me. My meal arrived. It was a massive portion. A load of chips and on top of that were three large medallions of rolled pork about 10cm thick. All smothered in a piquant paprika cream sauce. People, it was really delicious. I was stuffed into a comatose state. I took a slow walk to my hotel and off to bed. I was really tired as it had been a long day.

Aegina

The Temple of Aphaia

Day 25 - Athens, Eleusis & The National Archaeological Museum

Day 25 - 04 October 2016

I just didn't want to get up this morning, but I eventually did. There's just something about getting up before sunrise that really gets to me. Sunrise here is around 07:24 so I just don't get up until after that.
Today I wanted to go to Elefsina. This is modern day Eleusis. The Eleusian Mysteries were held each year at Eleusis, 23 kilometers northwest of Athens. They were so important to the Greeks that, until the arrival of the Romans, The Sacred Way (the road from Athens to Eleusis) was the only road, not a goat path, in all of central Greece. The mysteries celebrated the story of Demeter and Persephone but, as the initiated were sworn to secrecy on pain of death as to the details of the ritual, we do not know what form this celebration took.

We do know, though, that those who participated in the mysteries were forever changed for the better and that they no longer feared death. You can still follow the sacred way like Michael Woods did in 1991, but I'd rather not. Way too much traffic. Getting there was an adventure. I took the metro from Akropoli to Syntagma where I crossed over to line 3 and eventually got off at Agio Marinas. From there I took the 876 bus to Elefsina. 30 minutes later I was there. Another 10 minute walk and I was there. It's a sad sight. The entire area is virtually surrounded by the oil refineries and storage tanks. Going through the ruins, you can just see how magnificent the entire complex must have been. I went to the museum which is in the archaeological site. There were some really interesting items on display, especially material from a burial that took place in 480BC. I looked at a piece of material that was 2500 years old.

You could see the fine weave. After that I went back into the city. As it was still early, I went to the National Archaeological Museum.

It was free today to celebrate the opening of a new temporary exhibition. €15.00 saved, so I went to lunch at the museum restaurant. Had a Greek pizza and a cappuccino latte for €7.50.

Courtyard in the museum, with the restaurant behind me.

Very nice and most welcome. I eventually walked out there after 18:00 with a severe case of museum fatigue. There is an unbelievable amount of exhibits from all over Greece. It truly is on of the greatest museums in the world. There was Mycenaean gold, vases, glass ware, statues, bronzes and all manner of things stretching back thousands of years.
Made it back to the hotel and took a break. Just wanted to rest. Ones legs and hips get so sore from the 'museum walk'. Went out a bit later to get some fruit and water. Just that for dinner tonight. Really not in the mood to go out later.

View from my hotel terrace.

Eleusis

National Archaeological Museum

Day 24 - Athens

Day 24 - 03 October 2016

Not much for today other than THIS HEAT IS GOING TO KILL ME!

Yesterday I decided that I wasn't going to take the 07:00 bus to Athens. Instead, I slept a bit later and took the 09:00 bus. Booked out (€110.00 for two nights). The ticket to Athens only cost €12.40. Public transport really is cheap. I was in Athens by 11:30. Before even coming on this trip, I had decided that I would take a cab to the hotel. Best decision ever! It only cost me €7.40 from KTEL Kifisou to my hotel, the Acropolis View Hotel. The traffic was the stuff of nightmares and there were people everywhere. It was also 33° in the shade. He had GPS and we got to the hotel within 15 minutes.

No false advertising. You really do have a view of the Acropolis. I have a view from my room as well. They also have a rooftop terrace that one can use and it has a stunning view of the acropolis. Must take some daytime photos. Anyway, my room was not ready. Booking in only starts at 14:00. I left my suitcase with a whole lot of other people's and went out. I wanted to use this opportunity to explore my surroundings. I walked around the entire acropolis base and that took about an hour 50 minutes. I bought fruit and sat in the shade and had that for lunch. Did I mention how hot it was?

People were basically grabbing a shady spot and staying put. I went back to the hotel and booked in. I'm on the third floor and there is a lift. My room is fine. I had a shower because I was sopping wet from sweating. No individual aircon 😡. Luckily the room is on the shady side so it was relatively cool. Didn't move until 17:00. I just didn't feel too good. Times a wasting so I got up and went out. I found the closest metro stop 'Acropoli' and bought a five day ticket for €9.00. It's valid for the metro, tram and bus. Good value as I will be using it every day. I was peckish so I bought a cheese and tomato baguette. Oh the mistakes one makes. I was stuffed and ended up having an ice cream for dinner. 3 scoops for €2.50. Damn good value as the ice cream really was good. The Budapest Gypsy Orchestra was playing a selection of classical works in the Odeon of Herodis Atticus which I could hear clearly. They played until 23:00 and once they were done, it was off to bed.

Acropolis View Hotel

Athens

Day 23 - Nafplio & Tiryns

Day 23 - 02 October 2016

The heat is going to kill me!

I was really tired after yesterday. Went to bed and fell asleep, fully clothed with the TV and lights on. It was OK because I had the attic room. Woke up at 05:30 and went to bed properly. Got up at 07:30, abluted and went down for breakfast. What a spread. Toast, sweet rolls, bacon, sausage, ratatouille, eggs, fruit, biscuits, cakes, yogurt and honey as well as freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee. Eat as much as you want buffet for only €6.00. I didn't make a pig of myself, but I had a really good breakfast.
After that good breakfast, I went for a short walk and then to the archaeological museum. It was an interesting exhibition of finds from the digs in the area.

After that it was off to Tiryns. Tiryns was a hill fort with occupation ranging back seven thousand years, from before the beginning of the Bronze Age. It reached its height between 1400 and 1200 BC, when it was one of the most important centers of the Mycenaean world, and in particular in Argolis. Its most notable features were its palace, its cyclopean tunnels and especially its walls, which gave the city its Homeric epithet of "mighty walled Tiryns". In ancient times, the city was linked to the myths surrounding Herakles, with some sources citing it as his birthplace.

Now there were two ways to get to Tiryns - the first was to take a taxi, explore for 30 minutes and then be taken back again for €20.00. The other is to take the bus which would cost €3.60 and spend an hour there. I took the bus! You walk around the site and wonder how they did it. Those blocks of stone are huge and the wall is so thick. How did they do it all those years ago. I was surprised at how many people were there. We must have been about 30 people.

I got back into town at 13:00. It was so hot I actually felt ill. I went back to my hotel and stayed indoors until 16:00. After that I took the hop on hop off bus around Nafplio. Drifted around town and had something to eat.

A Chicken Mitato. Excellent choice!

Then back to the hotel. It was just too hot. Went out for dinner at 21:00 and then off to bed. Not a very busy day.

Nafplio

Tiryns

Day 22 - Nafplio & Mycenae

Day 22 - 01 October 2016

Slept like a log!

And so I enter my fourth and last week of holiday.

Yesterday the owner of the hotel where I was staying asked where I was going next, so I said to him the I needed to take the 07:20 bus to Nafplio. Nonsense he says. We can give you a lift. Booked out (€35.00 for the night) and at 09:00 his sister collected me and drove me through to Nafplio. It's about 20 minutes away. Found my hotel really easily and my room was ready for me even though it was 09:30. I am staying at the Omorfi Poli, a really lovely little hotel in the old center of town. I dropped off my baggage. I'm staying in the attic room and the last flight up to my room is the steepest I have ever encountered. Once all that was done, off I went. I wanted to go to Mycenae, but I had missed the 10:30 bus because I went to the barber to have my beard shaved off.

Notice anything different? That's why I missed the 10:30 bus.

My own fault for dawdling. The next bus was at 12:00 so I walked around town until 11:45 and went back to the bus station and got my ticket. Only €3.80 so I was happy. We drove past Tiryns, through Argos and Fichti and on to Mikines. The bus drops you off right at the site. Unfortunately it was also the last bus back as well. I would have to go back to Fichti and get a bus from there. As I got out off the bus, I was approached by a cab driver who said he could take me to Fichti for €5.00 or even better, back to Nafplio for €20.00. Now that was a bargain so I said to him that when I was done, he could take me back to Nafplio. It was incredibly hot. I believe that the temperature peaked at 33°. I paid my €12.00 to get in and walked up the path to the Mycenaean citadel. I simply cannot describe to you the emotions that welled up in me as I walked up to the Lion Gate.

It was without a doubt on of the highlights of my holiday so far. The citadel was imposing and you can see why it was originally built there. From the top you can see for kilometers in all directions. It was also hot and dusty, but because of all the wild flowers the air was sweet. It irritates me that I can't grow a Cyclamen in a pot, but here they grow wild in the driest of grit, not even proper soil. After negotiating the citadel, I went down to look at the Tomb of Clytemnestra.

It really is impressive and cool inside. Off to the museum. A lot of pottery and replicas of finds now in Athens. After that cool, air conditioned interlude, I went to look for my cabbie. I found him and off we went to the Treasury of Atreus.

Built in 1300 - 1250 BC. Very similar to Clytemnestra's but in better condition.
Kostas the cabbie drove me back to Nafplio and dropped me off at the main promenade. I walked along and found a ferry to Bourtzi castle.
The castle of Bourtzi located in the middle of the harbour of Nafplio.

The Venetians completed its fortification in 1473 to protect the city from pirates and invaders from the sea. The Greeks regained it from the Ottomans on June 18, 1822, from where they assisted in the siege of Nafplio. Until 1865 it served as a fortress. It was then transformed into residence of the executioners of convicts from the castle of Palamidi. From 1930 to 1970, it served as a hotel. Since then, it is mainly a tourist attraction hosting occasionally parts of the Summer Music Festival.
For €4.00 you get taken to the castle and collected 30 minutes later. It was a pleasant visit. Wonderful to feel the cool sea breeze. Once we got back, I walked along the promenade until I got to a sigh that said 'No Pedestrians'. I just carried on walking and sure enough, there were other people walking as well.

It turned out to be a 40 minute walk around to the back of the city. First kiosk I found I bought a liter of water and gulped it down. Hot, sweaty and tired, I bought an ice cream and back to the hotel. Aircon full blast and rest. At about 20:00 I showered and went out to dinner. Had fried courgettes and lamb in the oven with potatoes. Hell it was good. I was so stuffed I could barely move. The plan was to have another ice cream after dinner but I would have got sick. Instead I bought a coffee to go and walked around a bit to settle the stomach. Nafplio on Saturday night. The entire town gets dressed to the nines and promenades, eats and drinks. They looked and smelled spectacular. The great thing was that everybody was having such a fantastic time. All you heard was laughter and happy sounds of families and good friends having fun. But was it busy. You couldn't move. There were queues to get into restaurants. I got back to the hotel and read my emails etc. Just woke  - it's 5am, lights on, TV on, fully dressed. Night folks. 😁

Nafplio

Mycenae

Bourtzi Castle

Day 21 - Ligourio & The Sanctuary of Asklepios & Epidavros

Day 21 - 30 September 2016

What a mouthful, but it was lovely.

Got up and had breakfast. It was just as good. When I paid my bill, Nikos said that breakfast was on the house. Rather generous I thought. He asked where I was off to so I told him. Phoned Yannis to take me Isthmia station. I really didn't want to spend 2 hours trying to get there. I booked out (€90.00 for two nights). It took 20 minutes and cost €20.00. I thought it was worth every cent. Bought my ticket to Ligourio (€6.20) and went to check out the Isthmus. Thin, narrow and you wonder how those huge ships pass through.

My bus was supposed to be there at 10:25. Well by 10:35 I was a bit concerned that I had somehow missed it. It eventually arrived and off we went. Beautiful trip. Pine forests, blue seas. Really scenic. Got to the outskirts of Ligourio and guess what? Change buses! I asked the driver where my hotel was. When he saw it, he dropped me off at the front door. I'm the only one staying there. It's big and clean and has a huge pool. Once I had settled in, I wanted to go to the sanctuary and the theatre. I walk out and the owner asks me where I'm going. So I tell him I'm going to get a cab to go to the theatre. Nonsense he says. My son will take you. The kid didn't really want to, but he did. This was at 13:00. There was a bus back into town at 15:40 so I was covered.
The complex is huge and there were archaeologists reconstructing pillars.

When people go there, they tend to just go to the theatre and skip the ruins, so there were very few people in the sanctuary itself. The sanctuary was dedicated to Asklepios, the god of medicine. People came from far and wide to be healed and the entire complex was geared toward the processing of people to be healed. Something I never mention is how sweet the air is. There are flowers all over and the entire area was abuzz with bees.

Did the ruins circuit and then went to the theatre. It really is impressive and the acoustics are astounding.

The second Mrs de Winter may have dreamt of Mandeley last night, but all I dream of is steps, steps steps!

When you sit at the top, you can hear a cat meow as if it's next to you.

Took the bus back and had a coffee at the hotel. I also had some mastic ice cream. Really weird. Tastes like pine. Still don't know if I like it. I am the only person in the hotel and I think also the only tourist in town.

I was going to have dinner at the hotel, but being the only person there, I went to the pizzeria down the road. Had a rather tasty pizza and came back to the hotel. Creepy being in that huge building all on your own. Had visions of The Shining. Off to bed now.

The Isthmus

The Actor Hotel

The Sanctuary of Asklepios

The Theatre of Epidavros

Ligourio

Day 20 - Ancient Corinth & Ancient Nemea

Day 20 - 29 September 2016

I decided to have breakfast today as it was only €5.00. Wow, you can't believe the size of the breakfast: Bread, boiled egg, ham, cheese, yogurt & honey, fruit and biscuits and cakes and water, fresh orange juice and coffee. On helluva spread. I only had what I could, but I must say the yogurt and honey (the honey comes in a jar and you decide how much you have!) was delicious.
Niko, the owner of Pegasus Rooms organized a taxi to take me to Ancient Nemea and bring me back for €40.00. I took this option based on the time it took to get to Ancient Corinth. Yannis, the taxi driver picked me up at 09:00 and off we went. It was a 30 minute drive to get there. Every time you take a corner and see the remains of a temple, it just takes your breath away.

Nemea was famous for two things - the first being the Nemean Lion that Herakles had to kill. This was task number 1 of 12. Of course he managed to kill the lion by wrestling it to the ground and skinning if using its own claws. Herakles forever after wore its pelt. That is why you can always identify a statue as Herakles. He's always wearing that lion. The second was the Nemean games. With the Isthmian Games, the Nemean Games were held both the year before and the year after the Ancient Olympic Games and the Pythian Games in the third year of the Olympiad cycle. Like the Olympic Games, they were held in honour of Zeus. They were said to have been founded by Herakles after he defeated the Nemean lion another myth said that they originated as the funeral games of a child named Opheltes. However, they are known to have existed only since the 6th century BC (from 573 BC, or earlier). The winners received a wreath of wild celery leaves from the city of Argos.
The archaeological site was really interesting. Three of the pillars have remained standing since antiquity.

What they have done is reconstruct four more pillars. There was an interesting exhibition on site that showed exactly how this is done. You can check the photo album. After all that, I went to the archaeological museum. There were some really beautiful Mycenaean gold work. No photos. They had been stolen and eventually recovered in Miami. Stored in really state of the art cases. After that, it was off to the stadium. Once again I was the only one there. The modern Nemean games are held here every 4 years. I walked through the secret tunnel that the athletes used thousands of years ago.

Once I was done, Yannis took me back to Ancient Corinth. I gave him €50.00 because I felt safe the entire trip.
I did my washing!

The room with the washing - that's mine!

Part of the service at the hotel was free use of their washing machines. Got that up to date and spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the courtyard reading. Had a late afternoon nap, went for a walk. Had an ice cream. Relaxed some more, had dinner and off to bed. A really lazy day, but all I had planned was Nemea.

Ancient Nemea

Pegasus Rooms

Ancient Corinth- Roman Theatre

Ancient Corinth - The Town