Windsor Castle
Greetings all, after several days without a good Internet connection I am finally able to catch up here in Delphi. WARNING this is a long post as it includes photos from the last few days.
Jan 25
The last time I posted was after a day of London sight-seeing. Well, the next day (the 25th) Nicole and I took a bus tour (out of character for me but the only option…).
The Grey Tower
First stop was Windsor, where we visited the castle that is one of the primary homes of the royal family. The oldest part of the castle is called the Grey Tower, which started life as a traditional round, moated Norman keep and eventually morphed into it’s present form. Also on the grounds is the chapel of St. George.
Chapel of St. George
Stonehenge
The next stop was the most exciting for me, Stonehenge! No one really knows why the monument was built or what it’s purpose was, but the stones have been standing for over 4500 years and the earliest part of the monument has been there for over 5000!
Stonehenge
After Stonehenge, the final stop of the day was the Roman Baths at, where else, Bath.
Roman Baths, Bath
Jan 26th
Alps
The next day we flew from London to Athens, catching fantastic views of the snow-capped Alps. We arrived to late for any real sightseeing, but we could see Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus from our hotel Balcony.
Hadrian’s Arch
Temple of Olympian Zeus
We also were able to visit a stone-topped hill next to the Acropolis with fantastic views. To top it off, we could see the lit-up Acropolis that night from the roof-top restaurant of our hotel.
Nicole with the Acropolis behind
The Acropolis at Night
Jan 27
Corinth Canal
The 27th we started our 4-day tour of Peloponnese and Central Greece with our driver John. He has a big Mercedes Yellow Cab and turned out to be a fantastic guide! We started by heading out of Athens towards the Corinthian Canal, which connects the Agean and Adriatic seas via the Gulf of Corinth. It was a bit of an adventure because there is a farmers strike and the farmers all over Greece are using their tractors to block highways, bridges and the like. Luckily John knows the areas very well and could take some local roads around much of the mess.
Temple of Apollo, Ancient Corinth
After crossing the canal we headed on to Ancient Corinth. We started out at the museum, then moved on to check out the ruins.
Mosaic, Corinth Museum
Mountain Fortress
After Corinth we continued on through the countryside passing several mountain-top fortresses from the Byzantine era before arriving at our next destination, ancient Mycenae.
The Acropolis of Mycenae
For those interested in Greek history, Mycenae was the home of Agamemnon, the king who ultimately commanded the Greeks in the war against Troy. It was here at the Acropolis of Mycenae that the kings of all the Greek states met to decide whether or not to attack Troy, and at the time the valley would have been filled with tens of thousands of soldiers awaiting the decision to march.
View from the Acropolis of Mycenae
Next stop was the picturesque sea-side city of Napflio.
Napflio
Napflio is very popular with honeymooners and taking a look at the location it’s easy to understand why. The town was founded by the Venetians, and they left their mark in the form of 2 fortresses that originally gaurded the town. One, Palamidi, was situated atop a high mountain overlooking the city,
Palamidi
while the second, Bourtzi rests on a small island just off the coast.
Bourtzi
After leaving Napflio, we went over high mountain passes, crossing Central Peloponesse on the way, eventually, to Olympia. On the way we stopped for a bit in the pretty village of Langadia.
Langadia
Church, Langadia
Eventually we made it through the rain to Olympia.
Olympia at night in the rain
Jan 28
Western Pediment of the Temple of Zeus, Olympia Museum
The next morning we woke up early and headed over to Ancient Olympia. We started at the archeological sight but soon fled to the museum to escape heavy (and freezing cold) rains. The museum is amazing, and contains a number of famous statues including the Hermes of Praxiteles, that in addition to the remains of the east and west pediments of the Temple of Zeus.
Hermes of Praxiteles and statue of Nike, Olympia Museum
After the museum, the weather had cleared and we re-toured the ruins, including the Temple of Zeus, whose gigantic columns are all collapsed, and the huge Olympic Stadium. It is incredible to think that you are walking on the same field as the ancient Olympians thousands of years ago!
The Temple of Zeus (with one restored column)
The Olympic Stadium
After Olympia, we headed up to Patras to cross the Gulf of Corinth to the Greek mainland.
The new Patras-Andirio bridge and the old fortress
While we were driving over to the ferry landing I happened to notice the reflection of the new bridge (built just before the Athens games) and the fortress that gaurded the Patras side of the old ferry route. I asked the driver to stop and was able to take the photo above (thanks John!).
View from the ferry, Gulf of Corinth
After that we boarded the ferry for the ride over to Andirio, then followed winfing mountain roads to Delphi, possibly my favorite place in the world and the end of today’s update. I will post again when I next have good Internet access. Take care all!
-Ted
View from Delphi, across olive groves to the Gulf of Corinth