Greece

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Although we’ve traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean, we had not previously visited Greece. So, despite the recent turmoil associated with Greece’s financial situation in the world market and the associated rioting, we decided to brave a visit after all. It turned out to be a great decision. Athens is an amazing city with so much to see and enjoy. Then, the outlying areas too offer amazing ancient ruins and history as well. The details of our experiences are described below.

Tuesday, 1 November: After spending the night at the Hilton at London’s Heathrow Airport, we took at 12:30PM flight to Athens. Due to a two-hour time change, we arrived in Athens at 6:00PM. We were able to collect our luggage and then catch a 6:20PM bus to Syntagma Square. Excellent timing and good luck! We arrived at the Square at 7:20PM. We walked up a hill from the bus stop to Amalias Avenue and turned right to reach our hotel for the next six nights, The Amalia Hotel. After a day of travel, we were both tired. However, we took the time to get settled in and then called it a night.

Wednesday, 2 November: We woke up fairly early and went to the hotel restaurant for the breakfast buffet. It was excellent and featured lots of local items which we really enjoyed. Afterwards, we had to take care of a bit of business so we visited the office of the agency handling our tour bookings while in Greece. Then, it was time to start our touring on a beautiful, sunny day.

We walked to Syntagma Square and found the “Hop On-Hop Off” bus we had previously booked. It basically travels a circuit which highlights major tourist sites. Initially, we rode it for approximately 90 minutes to see the entire route, some of which retraces itself due to loops associated with one-way streets, dead-ends, etc. In doing so, we realized that due to the central location of The Amalia Hotel, we can walk to almost every site from our hotel. That being said, however, the bus does provide an opportunity to sit down and take a break between sites.

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	Ed on our balcony at The Amalia Hotel. The Greek Parliament Bldg is in the background and Syntagma Square is directly in front of it.
	A closer look at the Parliament Bldg with the Greece flag flying above it
	The National Library as seen from the "Hop On-Hop Off" bus
	The National Archaeological Museum as seen from the "Hop On-Hop Off" bus
	The National Historical Palace as seen from the "Hop On-Hop Off" bus

When the bus returned to Syntagma, we then rode it back to the Acropolis and spent our afternoon there. To access the Acropolis, you first much walk up a steep hill to reach the entry area. After purchasing our entry ticket, we continued to walk up hill to reach the Acropolis. Unfortunately for us, much of the complex is undergoing renovation so there was lots of scaffolding as well as construction cranes which made photography a real challenge. That being said, however, it still remains a stunning complex of ancient buildings.

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	The Acropolis Complex from a far
	The Sanctuary of B Artemis en route to the Acropolis Entry
	The Odium of H Atticus, a beautiful amphitheatre
	Another view of the Odium of H. Atticus showing the stage and seating
	Approaching the entry to the Acropolis (after a trek up a long hill)
	Entering into the compound and the first glimpse at its beautiful buildings
	The Erechtheion which is a temple built between 421BC and 406BC
	A closer view of the columns of The Erechtheion carved as beautiful females
	Inside The Erechtheion is a clutter of remants of columns and carved wall plates
	The Old Athena Temple which was destroyed by the Persians in 408BC
	A view of the Athens from the Acropolis
	The Theatre of Dionysus, the oldest theatre in Greece
	The beautiful Parthenon dedicated to the Greek goddess, Athena
	One of the beautifully carved columns that was part of The Parthenon
	The Parthenon roof with remnants of sculptures

[ T O P ]

At the end of the afternoon and lots of walking, we choose to ride the bus back to the Syntagma Square. There we purchased some sesame seed “pretzels” (for lack of a better description) from a street vendor. Next, we located a wine shop which sells Greek wines kept in large vats into liter bottles. The owner had us taste a cabernet and it was quite good so we bought a liter. Then, it was time to return to the hotel to enjoy the goodies we had purchased.

Thursday, 4 November: At 8:30AM we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and again enjoyed many items such as Greek yogurt on fresh tomatoes with red and yellow peppers; green and black olives; crusty olive bread; sautéed mushrooms; cheeses; and spanakopita (spinach in layers of filo dough).

Afterwards, we took a short walk to reach Adrian’s Arch and the Temple of Zeus. Just before arriving there, we came across an archeological dig site that had been discovered while putting in venting for a metro station. It was a Roman Bath that had been built in the 3^rd century and repaired and improved in the 4^th and 5^th centuries.

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After photographing Adrian’s Arch, we went inside the Temple of Zeus complex. Since an entry fee is required, many individuals just photograph the temple from the outside walls. We were able to enjoy the Temple basically by ourselves. While there were many tour buses parked nearby, most tourists visit only the nearby Acropolis. The Temple of Zeus is the largest ancient Greek temple; it has the tallest columns used in a Greek temple; and it took 700 years to complete. Wow!

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	The Temple of Zeus with Lindy in the foreground
	A close-up view of the top of the columns
	Two colums with The Acropolis in the background
	Remnants of the Roman Baths found in the Temple
	Another view of the baths that took of the Temple of Zeus

After this visit, we walked to one of the “Hop On-Hop Off” bus stations to catch a bus to the complex containing the National Library, University of Athens and Academy of Arts. The area was teaming with people – some a bit bizarre and some begging – but, for the most part, just people in an active part of town. After photographing each of the buildings, we once again took the bus to reach Kerameikos.

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We really weren’t sure what we would find when we arrived at Kerameikos as we only knew it was an historical site. Initially, we walked in the wrong direction and found ourselves once again at the base of the Acropolis (as we noted earlier, everything is centrally located and within walking distance, albeit a fairly long distance at times). After retracing our steps, we eventually found Kerameikos and learned it was the official cemetery of ancient Athens as far back as 478BC. At that time, the City Wall separated the residential areas within from the burial grounds outside.

The grounds of Keramikos are extensive and, due to excavations, at varying heights. The number of intact burial sites is still amazing. There are also several reliefs and monuments which are in place. Also, the remains of the City Wall can be seen as well. However, most of the Wall was destroyed when the Romans invaded Athens.

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The treasures which have been uncovered during excavations are found in the Museum of Kerameikos. Interestingly, the most recent dig in 2002 discovered items dating back to 580-600 BC which are in stellar condition. The first room in the Museum contains these items as well as several reliefs from more recent times. The center courtyard contains a bull that came from the tomb of Dionysios from Kollytos. The remaining rooms contain pottery, jewelry and other funerary items.

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	A beautiful decorative bowl
	Gold Jewelry of the Early Geometric Period (11th Century BC)
	A collection of vessels used with cremations during 950-900 BC
	A beautiful carved marble relief
	Decorative urns and bowls
	A huge urn
	The bull from the tomb of Dionysius Kollytos

We next decided to visit Athens’ Central Market despite it being late in the afternoon when we knew some of the stalls would be closed. It was about a 20 minute walk from Kerameikos. When we arrived, we took some photographs and despite the late hour, we did some shopping. We bought three kilos of different types of olives at amazingly low prices. Then, we also purchased some roasted peanuts.

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It was now getting chilly so we decided to walk back to the hotel. Again, it took about 20 minutes and we were able to use mostly pedways (albeit motorcycles use them too) in this heart of the city. By the time we arrived, we were both ready to relax before tonight’s excursion – an evening tour of the city; a visit to a museum of musical instruments; and dinner with traditional music and dancers in costume.

We were picked up at our hotel at 8:00PM. The bus couldn’t reach The Amalia Hotel since Amalia Street was closed immediately before Syntagma Square due to a small demonstration. Since traffic had backed up for a very long distance, we were met at the hotel and then walked to an awaiting bus located far from the Square.

First, we went to the musical museum and it turned out to be very interesting. Then, we walked through the Plaka (a district of narrow pedways and streets) to the taverna where we ate dinner. When we arrived the show was underway. There was a band plus one singer plus two couples who performed traditional dances. However, it wasn’t really our cup of tea as the performers constantly tried (with success) to get audience members to dance with them. We preferred watching the professionals rather than watching groups of amateurs who had consumed a bit too much alcohol. The evening ended about 11:00PM and we were in our room by 11:15PM after a very full day.

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Friday, 3 November: Again, we woke up to a beautiful day so we headed out immediately after another delicious breakfast. We walked to the Roman Agora, the ancient Roman market place and basically had it to ourselves. It was easy to imagine how grand the place was during it’s heyday in the early 1^st century.

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We next walked a short distance to Hadrian’s Library. Basically, only one exterior wall remained standing but it too gave a glimpse into how grand the building must have been when it was in use. One area of the reconstruction featured a marble façade. When the sunlight was shining on it, it was blinding. Imagine the setting when the whole building was covered in pristine marble.

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Our final stop on our walking expedition was to visit the Athens Agora. It was set immediately beneath the Acropolis. The most beautiful building we saw was the Temple of Hepaistus. It was truly impressive with its many columns still in place. It was interesting that we both remembered seeing it when looking down from the Acropolis on the nearby buildings.

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After leaving the Athens Agora area, we returned back to The Amalia Hotel using a route of pedways stopping a block south of Syntagma Square. We then veered to go to the nearby wine store for a bit of shopping.

We spent about an hour in the hotel relaxing before it was time for our 2:30PM tour to Cape Sounion. Our ride to the Cape was along a coastal road which offered great views of the beautiful blue sea. It took a little over an hour before we reached the Cape and got our first glimpse of the Temple of Poseidon. We learned that this was one of the temples comprising the “triangle of temples” of Greece. (The other two being the Temple of Athena in Athens and the Temple of Aphaia on the island of Aegina.) We then drove to the Temple and our group dispersed to wander around it and photograph it for about an hour. While the day was sunny, it was very windy so it was quite cool.

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	A view of the roadway and seaside en route to the Temple
	The Temple of Poseidon
	As we stand in front of the Temple, you can tell the wind is roaring
	The sea looking down from the Temple
	Another "tourist" visiting the Temple
	Ed beside the remains of one of the Temple columns

[ T O P ]

After visiting the Temple, the group returned to Athens using the same route. Once at the outskirts, the bus began dropping guests off at their hotels. However, we were dropped near the Temple of Zeus since Amalias Avenue was closed due to demonstrations in Syntagma Square. As we walked back to our hotel, we passed numerous police in riot gear who were on standby. Thankfully, the 2,000+ individuals in the square were demonstrating peacefully while awaiting the outcome of a vote of confidence for Prime Minister Papandreou.

Saturday, 5 November: We were up for an early breakfast as we had an early pick up (7:15AM) for a day cruise to three Greek islands - Hydra, Poros & Aegina. We arrived in the Port of Pireus at about 8:00AM and boarded our ship. Interestingly, it was more crowded than we had expected; that being said, however, it was still probably less than half full.

The ship left port at 8:15AM and we cruised approximately 2.5 hours in very calm seas to reach the farthest island – Hydra. Once we docked in Hydra, we were given 1.5 hours to explore the island’s town. It was very quaint with tiny streets and lots of colorful buildings. No cars are allowed so donkeys and/or men with carts are used to transport goods into the upper regions of the town. Of course, tourists can also ride the donkeys if they are unwilling or unwilling to walk.

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	Passing a hydrofoil as we leave port
	A view of one of the coastal cities
	Hydra as we arrive
	This narrow street is in one of the business areas
	Imagine.... a beast of burden still in use
	A beautiful church tower
	This beautiful fresco we found inside the church
	A view of the church interior
	A clock tower
	One of the many beautiful, narrow streets we explored

After all guests returned to the ship, we left Hydra and the ship cruised to Poros. En route there, we were served a delicious lunch in the ship’s dining room. After lunch, there was plenty of time to photograph some of the other small islands that we passed – either from the second deck (primarily enclosed except for the back area) or the open deck on the top of the ship. Poros too was a beautiful town. We spent our time there (about 50 minutes) wandering along the sea front. Here cars are allowed so you can’t wander too aimlessly or you risk being hit.

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	We saw this sail boat enjoying calm seas among the small islands
	Welcome to Poros!
	Another view including a clock tower above town
	A narrow pedway cut into the island's stone
	Another view of Poros as we leave port

We next cruised to the island of Aegina. It took about 1.5 hours to reach this island. Here we opted to take an optional bus tour of the island. We first went to the Temple of Aphaia which was built about 500 B.C. It was very well preserved with many standing Doric pillars. After spending time at the temple, our next stop was at a beautiful Greek Orthodox Church. This was a photo shot only as we did not enter the church. The last stop of the day was at a pistachio farm. While the pistachios were very tasty, we didn’t opt to purchase any since we were still finishing our three kilos of delicious Greek olives (our evening appetizer).

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	A view of Aegina from our ship
	Twin towers dominate the horizon
	The remains of the Temple of Aphaia
	Columns for multi-level walls
	Us at the Temple of Aphaia
	The beautiful Greek Orthodox Church
	Lindy by a pistachio tree
	A closer view of the pistachio nuts
	Sunset over the Mediterranean

[ T O P ]

After finishing our bus tour, we returned to the ship. It continued back to the Port where we arrived at 7:00PM. From there, we were returned to our hotel via an awaiting bus. All and all, it was a very interesting full day and we now appreciate the beauty of the Greek islands.

Sunday, 6 November: Despite being a bit tired after yesterday’s touring, we decided to get up early so that we could be at the Parliament Building for the 8:00AM changing of the guard. The guards (Evzones) are there not for the Parliament Building itself but for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier which is built into the base of the Parliament Building. They also serve as the Presidential Guard. Interestingly, this guard change occurs every hour on the hour, 24 hours a day. It turned out to be a great decision to be at the changing on an early Sunday morning since we were the only spectators and had some great photographic opportunities.

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	A view of the Parliament Building with three Evzones (Guards) on Duty
	A closer view of the Evzones and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Note: One Evzone stands to the side while two guard the tomb)
	The Evzone at his station
	A new set of Evzones enter the area (we don't know why their costumes are light versus dark)
	The Evzones are preparing to change
	The current Evzones as they prepare to transition away from the Tomb
	The departing Evzones met in front of the Tomb
	The incoming Evzones approach the Tomb
	The actual changing of the Evzones begins
	The changing of the Evzones continues
	The outgoing Evzones begin to depart the Tomb
	The outgoing Evzones leaving the area
	The incoming Evzones beginning to leave the front of the Tomb
	The Evzones continue to their respective stations
	The Evzone at his station (the changing of the Guards is complete)

After the guard change was over, we returned back to The Amalia hotel for another great breakfast. Afterwards, we walked in the opposite direction to reach The Acropolis Museum. It’s a beautiful three story building which is built over an archeological site. This site is highlighted via see-through flooring as you approach the museum. The Museum contains many beautiful pieces and has detailed explanations in English as well as Greek. It also includes a theatre which was featuring a documentary regarding the building of the Parthenon. Unfortunately, many of the key sculptures and treasures originally discovered in the Acropolis are not found in the Museum. They can be found in museums in other parts of the world, especially in Britain since British Ambassador Lord Elgin had huge hunks of the Parthenon removed and transferred to the British Museum.

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	The Acropolis Museum
	The ancient foundations of buildings in Athens from the 5th - 9th centuries
	A bust of Greece's beloved Merlina Mercuri, an actress, singer & politician (first female to be Minister for Culture of Greece) 1920 - 1994

[ T O P ]

After enjoying the Acropolis Museum, we returned to The Amalia Hotel to do some paperwork and to relax in advance of our four day/three night trip into the environs.

Monday, 7 November: After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and waited briefly in the lobby before beginning our bus tour at 8:30AM. Again, we were surprised that there were 20 participants; we thought the group might be smaller due to the political and financial unrest in Greece. Again, as with the cruise, the bus could have held at least 40 people.

Our first stop was at the Corinth Canal. This canal was built to link the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It separates the Peloponnesian Peninsula from the Greek mainland, thus effectively making the Peninsula an island. It was very interesting because it was 70 meters deep (some 200 feet below the surrounding land) and it was also narrow. It is in use although we didn’t see any ships in passage. The canal is 3.5 miles long and was built between 1881 and 1893.

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We next drove to the archeological site of Mycenae. First, we stopped at an outlying tomb. It was a half-dome built of huge stones which was about 60-70 feet tall. It is believed to have housed the remains of an important (and rich) individual. However, when it was discovered it had already been plundered. The doorway which was some 20-30 feet tall had a huge stone lintel across the opening and, on top of it, was a triangular stone structure built to disseminate the weight placed on the lintel.

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Afterwards, we drove a short distance to the walled city of Mycenae. It was built on a hill on top of bedrock. The town walls were made of huge blocks of stone so it was very secure. The key site of the city was the Lion Gate. Over what would have been a wooden, reinforced gate is another stone lintel. Carved into a huge stone placed on the lintel are two lions (unfortunately, their heads are now missing). Their paws rest on the bottom of a pillar which itself is placed on an altar. Overall, it was very impressive.

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We left this site and then had a stop for lunch. We passed on eating lunch since we had a full breakfast but naively had hot tea. We won’t make the mistake again since the cost was 4 Euros (about $5USD) for two cups of tea.

After lunch, we took about a 30 minute ride to reach Epidaurus. The key site in this complex in the Epidaurus Theatre. It was found intact because it was covered by a landslide and therefore not looted for its marble. The theatre was built so that it could accommodate 15,000 individuals watching the stage and orchestra area (which we were told held dancers and not instruments). It was an amazing site.

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Our final stop for the day was the port city of Nauplia. Here we wandered through the streets and pedways of this town on our own. Above the city was a beautiful fort which was used in the 1700-1800’s as part of its defenses. These defenses also included a tower fortification built on a small island in the harbor which controlled access to the port.

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	The beautiful town of Nauplia, including a view of a major church tower
	One of the town's narrow streets
	Some ancient steps lead to quite a walk
	The fort above town
	The tower fortification built on an island in the harbor
	A few of Nauplia's ocean front
	Sunset

[ T O P ]

We left the old part of the town at 5:30PM and went to our home for the evening, The Amalia of Nauplia. We had a delicious dinner at the hotel at 7:30PM. Our group broke up at 9:30PM after an enjoyable day.

Tuesday, 8 November: After enjoying breakfast at 7:00AM, our group left the hotel at 8:00AM. We drove approximately three hours (taking one coffee/comfort break during that time) to reach the historical site of Olympia.

We spent the balance of the morning wandering through this huge complex of the remains of ancient buildings. Olympia is known as the birthplace of the Olympic Games – both ancient and contemporary. In ancient times, the games were restricted to male competitors only. Women were not even allowed into the complex, the outskirts of which were defined by several rivers. The athletes who competed in the games did so in the nude with their bodies covered in olive oil. The olive oil was used to keep the bodies “clean” since it collected the dust as the individual competed in his sport. After finishing an event, the athletes exfoliated their bodies to remove the oil and then took advantage of the baths in the compound.

In addition to the athletic games, it is believed that this venue was also used to negotiate commercial and political contracts. That is, men who came to view the games often were influential and they took the opportunity to meet with one another to discuss what might be in their mutual interests. So, business was conducted before and after the official games.

The highlights of our visit included the Temple of Zeus, one of the key components of Olympia. As with many archeological sites, the Temple had been destroyed and only one column had been restored. That being said, it was huge and very impressive. We also visited the Temple of Hera, including the Altar of Hera. That altar was used to light the Olympic Torch in ancient times as well as when the modern-day Olympics were resurrected in 1896.

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	This beautiful column in the Temple of Zeus was restored and erected on the occasion of the 2004 Olympic Games
	The remains of the balance of the Temple
	Some beautiful carvings amongst the rubble
	Hera's Temple built at the end of the 7th century B.C.
	The Altar in Hera's Temple which has been used as the site for the lighting of the Olympic Torch since 1936

The other area we visited was the Stadium. It has no resemblance to modern stadiums as there was no designated seating. Also, it was not a circular configuration but rather a straight dirt track with marble start/finish lines at either end. So, if the distance of a race was more than one length of the field, the man had to reach the other end, stop and touch the marble, and then once again race back to the other finish line. Very different from the athletic fields used today. In addition to hosting racing events, this track was used for wrestling, discus throwing and other games.

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After visiting the archeological site, we continued on to the Olympia Museum. Here there were some amazing artifacts from the site that remained intact. In particular, most of the statuary on the top sides of triangle of the Temple of Zeus was in excellent condition. Then, there was an amazing statute of Hermes. It was incredible in that it combined the best of both male and female forms. That is, the front was a nude male while the back of the figure was a full-bottomed female. Interestingly, the artist, Praxiteles, was called before a court to explain his work because female figures at the time were considered to be inappropriate – not because of nudity but because females were deemed to be “ugly.” To redeem himself, Praxiteles undressed his lovely wife (who had been the model for the back side of the model) before the court and the judges agreed she definitely was not ugly.

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	The entry to the Olympia Museum
	Statuary from the Temple of Zeus
	The Goddess Nike
	The statue of Hermes by Praxiteles
	The more feminine backside of the statute of Hermes
	Glassware found at Olympia
	Pottery and other miscellaneous items found at Olympia

After we finished our visit to the Museum, some of the group opted to each lunch in the nearby town. We instead decided to walk through the modern town (very ancient by our standards). We enjoyed wandering the streets and we stopped to relax one a part bench and watch the world go by.

Early afternoon, we drove four hours (taking coffee/comfort breaks) to reach the modern village of Delphi which is situated above the ancient town of Delphi, our quest for tomorrow. En route, we crossed an incredible suspension bridge – the longest and most modern in Europe. Afterwards, we stopped at photograph this impressive engineering work.

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Once at Delphi, our home for the night again was at Amalia Hotel. This time, it was jammed with guests (again, a surprise for us). We had a short time to relax in our room and then it was time for dinner. Again, it was very nice. At 8:00PM, our dinner began with a mixed vegetable soup (minestrone). Then we enjoyed appetizers of spinikopita and dolmas. Lastly, we were each served cutlets of turkey, broccoli and roasted potatoes. Plates of salad also were placed on the table so it was quite a feast. Of course, dessert followed and it was delicious. After dinner, we returned to our room to review and label the wonderful photographs from the day.

Wednesday, 9 November: Since we were only a few minutes away from the archeological site of Delphi, we had a later start and did not leave the hotel until 9:00AM.

We arrived at the site at 9:10AM. We initially took some photographs of the Temple of Apollo (the main attraction) but began our explorations at the Temple of Athena. It was here that most pilgrimages began in ancient time. Afterwards, individuals walked up the hill to reach the Temple of Apollo (we didn’t walk the hill but instead were driven there by bus).

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The Temple of Apollo Pythios was not a usual temple. It was known as a place where a female priest (Oracle) was isolated in a chamber and she provided the attending male priests with “divine” information in response to inquiries from affluent patrons. In actuality, the male priests gave the information; the female was positioned in a chamber which emitted gases causing hallucinations and she “babbled” divine insights (in other words, she was stoned and was merely a figurehead).

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It also is believed that the male priests obtained valuable information from Greek adventurers regarding the remote and outlying areas of the known world (for a price), and this information in turn was shared (for a price) to provide valuable guidance as to where to locate new communities, erect fortifications, etc.

After exploring the Temple of Apollo, we went to the Archeological Museum of the site. Here we saw some beautiful sculptures. Then, the premier find of the area was an intact bronze of a chariot champion. This was unusual because most bronze sculptures were recycled (i.e., melted and configured into cannons, armor, etc.). It was truly impressive.

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	A painting of the Temple of Apollo in its heyday
	The bronze chariot champion with reins in hand
	A bronze incense burner
	A statute of Antinoos, a favorite companion of Emperor Hadrian
	A sphinx on top of a column
	The Twins of Argos, over life-size statutes from the 6th century B.C.

[ T O P ]

When we finished the Museum, it was time for lunch (for those who can eat three meals a day). We went to a restaurant on the outskirts of modern Delphi where a group of us who didn’t want lunch went to a garden and enjoyed the mountain views. Afterwards, we retuned to the Amalia to pick up drop off a few guests and pick up a few new guests to continue our tour tomorrow. We then drove four hours to reach our hotel in Kalambaka, our gateway for tomorrow’s visit to two monasteries. We had dinner at 7:30PM and we back in our room before 10:00PM.

Thursday, 10 November: The bus left the hotel at 9:00AM so individuals in our group enjoyed a buffet breakfast before hand. Then, we drove to the area above the hotel which is known for its vast numbers of monasteries and one nunnery. The road was very, very windy and it took quite a while to reach our first destination, Varlaam Monastery. All females were required to don a skirt (over their slacks/jeans) before being allowed access. The building was very impressive as were the views. Now it is fairly easy to access the compound but in the past most supplies were hoisted up by rope using a hand-cranked winch to bring them up from ground level. Obviously, this meant that the monastery was very secure and very remote.

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	The setting has some amazing rock formations
	A cave where women leave clothing in hopes of fertility
	Varlaam Monastery
	From Varlaam Monastery, a view of Transformation Monastery (yes, the area is filled with remote religious sanctuaries)

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Our next stop was St. Stephen’s Nunnery. Again, it too was very impressive. The Sisters have a small gift shop in the Nunnery and they did a booming business since many in our group (we discovered) were making pilgrimages to the area.

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	St. Stephen's Nunnery
	A tower in the courtyard of St. Stephen's
	A courtyard in St. Stephen's
	A hoist used to bring in supplies in days gone by

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After leaving St. Stephen’s, we stopped at a modern-day factory where religious icons and statuary are manufactured. Again, many individuals bought items for themselves or gifts for others to remember this amazing destination.

We then returned to the town of Kalambaka so those needing lunch could enjoy one before our return drive to Athens. We chose to walk the town and window-shop instead. The group began the return ride to Athens at 2:00PM and we arrived at the city limits at 6:00PM. The bus began dropping individuals off so our pace slowed down considerably. We finally arrived near Syntagma Square at 7:00PM. However, we couldn’t be dropped off at The Amalia because the nearby roads were closed due to a protest by the Communist Party. The driver was able to get us to the back of the Parliament Building so we had an easy walk from there, especially since we were now more accustomed to passing through riot police politely standing by in the event things got out of hand. We were relaxing in our room by 7:30PM after a wonderful experience in the Greek countryside.

Friday, 11 November: After another wonderful breakfast, we checked out of The Amalia and caught the X95 bus at Syntagma Square back to the Athens airport for our flight to Madrid where we would spend the night before continuing home to Albuquerque via Dallas. We truly enjoyed every minute of our time in Greece and we still have much more to explore in this beautiful country.

	The National Library
	The University of Athens
	The Academy of Arts
	A closer look at one of the statues outside The Academy of Arts

	The Kerameikos Complx
	A view from ground level
	Intact statuary
	Individual tombs
	A protective lion
	A perfect archway in the complex

	Welcome to the Central Market!
	Wonderful fresh vegetables
	These stalls sell chicken & meats
	Ed's favorite - the fish stalls

	A tower on the edge of the Roman Agora
	A shot of us inside the Agora
	An overview of the complex
	A decorative column top
	Lindy sitting "you know where"

	The Temple of Hepaitus
	A side view of the Temple
	A walkway lined with statues
	A closer view of the remains of one of the statues

	Two men dancing in traditional garb
	A belly dancer
	Couples in traditional costume dancing

	Hadrian's Library
	Mosaic tiling in the Library
	The gleaming marble facade in one area of reconstruction

	Lindy outside the tomb
	You get an idea of the size of the tomb with Lindy standing inside
	The dome of the tomb (pretty amazing stone work!)

	Looking down over the ruins of Mycenae
	A closer view of ruins of the town
	A semi-circular foundation
	Another view of the vast complex
	The famous Lion Gate

	The Epidaurus Theatre
	Ed in the stands as we look down at the stage
	The carved ends of the rows of seating
	Lindy enjoying the Theatre

	The Stadium Entry for athletes
	The Stadium field
	Remains of a gymnasium
	A Philippeion Temple dating to 338 B.C.

	A view of the Temple of Apollo from the Temple of Athena
	The Temple of Athena

	The Temple of Apollo
	A view of the Temple complex
	Stone walls and columns within the Temple
	Some grand columns
	Us at the Temple of Apollo