Going way back to Greek history classes in high school, Monika has a vivid memory of the Lion Gate at Mycenae, so naturally this was a must-see stop. In the second millennium BC, Mycenae was one of the major centers of Greek civilization, a military stronghold that dominated much of southern Greece. According to legend […]
Driving north towards Mycene and Corinth, we could have followed the freeway, but we had read in one of our guidebooks about the little alpine village of Kosmás on the coastal route. It was a pretty easy choice. Heading into the Párnonas Mountains, the tortuous two-lane road was very steep. Second and third gear travel […]
This jewel town is located on a small island off the east coast of the Peloponnese, separated from the mainland by an earthquake in 375AD and now linked to the mainland by a short causeway. Founded in 583 by people seeking refuge from the Slavic and Avaric invasion of Greece, the site had a powerful […]
It was a short drive from Mystras to (new) Sparta, founded in the 1830s when Mystras was basically abandoned. Sparta became a prominent city-state in ancient Greece and was unique for its social system and constitution, which completely focused on military training and excellence. Around 650 BC, it rose to become the dominant military land-power […]
Leaving Olympia we were headed south to Sparta via Mystras. It was raining. Coming down a long hill overlooking the large perfectly shaped bay towards Pylos, we passed a sign: “Nestor’s Palace”. It suddenly dawned on us that this was “THE King NESTOR” who is mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey. Gary had just finished reading about […]
Arriving at the historic town of Olympia, the original home of the Olympic Games, Spring was clearly in the air. Flowers were blooming and lemon and orange trees were overloaded and dropping fruit on the ground. Tourist season had not yet begun so we had the place pretty much to ourselves. We found a comfortable […]
On our way to famous Olympia, we detoured briefly to spend the night near a village called Dimitsana. We had heard of a unique open-air Water Power Museum. Always interested in learning about how people lived and worked in the old days, we were eager to find out what the Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation […]
Returning from Delphi we again crossed the beautiful Carilaos-Trikoupis Bridge over the Gulf of Corinth and headed more or less south into the Peloponnese peninsula. It was then that we noticed a page in one of our guidebooks about the old narrow gauge Kalávrita railway. Trains are an interesting way of overland travel. You always […]
This is an introduction to Greek Mythology. There will be a short quiz when we leave Greece and Zeus will be watching you! Leaving our peaceful overnight camp at the small fishing village of Monastiraki, we drove to Delphi, the most important Ancient Greek site of Oracles. If you glance at a map of Greece, […]
Our overnight passage from Ancona, Italy to Patras, Greece in our little mini cabin, listening to the drone of the ship’s engine all night, reminded us why we have never taken an ocean cruise. Returning to our truck, while we waited for a few semi tractor-trailers to move out, we brewed a fresh pot of […]
