Exploring Greece (Part 2)

And now comes the long awaited second part of my story in which you can get to know a lot more legendary sites. If I remember correctly I left off last time in Athens just after being to the Acropolis.

Since we were on the upper peninsula of Greece we went to the most Southern part of it which was the Temple of Poseidon located in Sounion. However we didn't just go there because of the ruins we went there before night fell to see how the sun sets over the Aegian Sea. And I have seen a lot of magnifisent sun sets but this one surely takes the cake.

Then came the real fun part of the trip when we went to the Port of Piraeus that lies just on the outskirt of Athens. From there we went on a whole day boat trip to three unique island in the Aegian Sea. The first stop was Poros a remote little island filled with tourist and beatiful sites. An important fact to know about this island is that it lies right next to Ithaka where the legendary kingdom of Odysseus was. The second stop was Idra where the sea is said to be the cleanest and the bluest which as far as I could tell is a very accurate statement. And the third and final stop before returning to the mainland was Egina where the biggest amount of pistachio is grown in Greece. Besides buying pistachio I also went for a swim in the sea and I must say that the water was just perfect.

The next day after the boat trip came another long bus trip but the sites that were included in it were worth it. First we traveled over the Corinthian Channel which was originally based on the plans of a Hungarian architect. Then came the first historic stop on the the lower peninsula which was Corinthos one of the oldest trading cites of ancient Greece. The ruins of the city were quite fasinating especially the tails and facts that our tour guide mentioned there. It was very good there except for the fact that when I wanted to take a piece of stone from the ground I was stopped by one of the security guard so I came home from Corinthos empty handed.

The next stop was the legendary city of Mycenae which is where the conflict began which provoked the Trojan War one of the biggest wars in ancient times. But the city itself and the surrounding areas had such a huge influence on me that I felt like I was sent back in time even though it does sound kind of silly but that's what it really felt like. What caught my attention the most were not really the ruins but the artifacts inside the museums for example the Golden Burial Mask of Agamemnon. Come to think of it The Loin Gate, and The Treasury of Atreus were infact the most exciting sites.

I thought that I could finish this story in this entry but there are still so many things that I have remembered and want to tell so please be patient till next week when I will surely conclude my story of exploring Greece.

Exploring Greece (Part 1)

Last time I wrote about a very recent event but now I will take you on another journey back in time to the summer of 2007. It was a memorable journey in many way but there was one thing that I will not forget while I live and those were the spectacular and historical sites of mythical Greece.

But before telling more about the birth place of mythology I will talk about the long and exhausting journey of getting there which was probably one of the longest trips I have ever been on. After getting over the Hungarian border at Tompa and started on the journey through Serbia which was such a long part of our trip that we had to stop for the night in a hotel near the capital of Skopje. By the second day we reached Macedonia where we also made a short stop at an ancient Roman excavation site but after that we didn't stop till we got to the land of Greece more precisely Olimpic Beach where we had a dip in the Aegean Sea and a good night sleep.

On the third day we really kicked into gear and started to explore the truly historical sites and scenes of Greece. First up was the Valley of Temph where the Shrine of Apollo and a beautiful chapel which was bulit into the side of the valley was located. Then came the Meteora's the medival monasteries on top of the uniquely fomed hills. The site was truly amazing but the best part was when we had a chance to see one of the monasteries from the inside. It was very amazing especially the chapel which was full of holy pictures and gold icons wherever we looked. Here I mde a very important discovery which was that frape is the best coffee I have ever drank. And I also won a real gold plated icon on the bus with the help of a lucky-bag game.

Our next stop before reaching the capital was The Hot Gates of Thermopylae where the great battle between the Persians and the Spartans was. Unfortunetly the centuries have shaped the surrounding areas so that Hot Gates have completely wanished even though the location where we were was really where it all happened. But today all that we can see is a slab of marble on the top of a steep hill which if you can read it preserves the last words of Leonidas and his men before they fell.

After these few historic stops we continued further down South to our true destination Athens. Our stay in the capital was quite long but still we never had one dull moment because each day was filled with sites and traditional Greek meals to make us feel even more at home. Just to list a few we had gyros, tzadziki, musaka and a lot of other delicious meals all accompanied by some Greek wine. And we also had some ouzo one night as well the most famous short drink besides metaxa in Greece. And one of the most interestig things that we saw there was the changing of the President's guards which was similar to the one in London but different as well. And another thing to mention here is the Panathenic Stadium where the first modern olympic games were held.

But what really astonished me was the Acropolis which I had only seen in books before but being there at the birth place of culture itself was more incredible than I would ever have imagined. We have seen the Theater of Dionysius where Sophocles' dramas were first played, we also saw the Odeion, the Parthenon, the Kariatides, the Areos Pagos and the Agora as well. It was really great to see all these historic places if only it weren't so damn hot there it would have been even better.

However there is still a lot more to talk about unfortunetly you will have to wait till next week for the other half of the story so don't go nowhere.