Day 19 - Ancient Corinth & Acrocorinth

Day 19 - 28 September 2016

What a beautiful little town, but let's backtrack because I still need to get there.

Up at 06:00 this morning. I wish it was as easy when I'm working! Got ready blah blah and went to book out (€70.00 for two night). While I was booking out, the manager offered me a coffee to go. Rather nice of him and it was really good filter coffee. Got the the bus station and bought my ticket (€14.10 for a 163km trip). The bus left on time, at 08:30 and we got to Isthmia at 10:30. Hint: keep an eye on the timeline. Now I need to get from Isthmia to Ancient Corinth, a distance of 14km. Well the next bus was at 11:00 so I stood around and waited. It eventually arrived at 11:15 and off we went (€1.80 per ticket). The damn bus stops in Corinth and we all have to get off and wait for the connecting bus (another €1.80) at 12:00. It eventually arrived 10 minutes late. I eventually got to Ancient Corinth at 12:40! It took me longer to get from Isthmia to Ancient Corinth than from Sparta to Isthmia! If I'd known that I would have splurged on a taxi. I'm staying at the Pegasus Rooms. Very nice accommodation for €45.00 a night. My motto this holiday has been 'if you rest, you rust' so after a quick change into cooler clothes off I went. We are just above sea level and I wanted to go to Acrocorinth which is 574 meters above sea level. I took a taxi to the top - €10.00 for a 10 minute drive, but worth it. Acrocorinth towers above Ancient Corinth and has been a fortress for millennia - Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Crusader and Ottoman have all occupied it at some time in its history.

It is also here that there was the temple to Aphrodite where the temple courtesans plied their trade. What was a lonely sailor to do but worship at the temple of Aphrodite! This income made it one of the most wealthy and powerful Greek city states. Due to various political miscalculations, it was eventually sacked in 146 BC by Lucius Mummius and all the statues and works of art were carted off to Rome to furnish the wealthy Romans homes. It's fortunes changed when Julius Caesar revitalized and rebuilt Corinth. He would, because the Julian's were direct descendants of Aphrodite. I looked for the temple, but couldn't find it. What I did find was the fountain. Once, many years ago, Pegasus landed on the rock and stamped his hoof on the rock. A spring gushed forth that flows to this day. It was his favorite drinking spot. Along came the romans and built a room around it.

No freeloading horse, wings or not was going get their water! It was so high and so hot, that I was actually relieved when they closed at 15:00. I walked down into town. A very pleasant 50 minute walk. By this time I was famished so I had a toasted cheese sandwich and a latte (€6.00) but worth every cent. Fortified and rested, I was off to the archaeological site and the museum. Smack bang in the center of town, about 5 minutes walk from my room. A very nice museum with mostly Roman remains, but also some earlier Greek finds from the surrounding area. The two Kore were quite amazing.

They could have been from two brothers grave as they were found next to each other. Walked through the site and marveled at the Temple of Apollo.

As I said previously, Roman ruins only. By now it was 18:15 so I went back to my rooms to relax and shower before dinner. Now that that is out of the way, it's off to bed.

Pegasus Rooms

Acrocorinth

Ancient Corinth Archaeological Museum

Ancient Corinth Archaeological Site