Day 91 - Athens, Greece

Monday April 9th, 2012

Today is our 24th Anniversary.  We had a full day.  Although I had been to Greece many years earlier, Barry had not been to the ancient ruins, so we planned a tour to the east coast to see two features:  The ancient Corinth Canal which connects the Aegean Sea and The Ionian Seas, and to see Mycenae, one of the most ancient ruins in Europe, founded in 900 BC.  

The Corinth Canal is four miles long, and 70 feet wide and has sloping sides, 170 feet in height.  In ancient times ships were manually pulled along the canal, then in modern times, it was widened to permit ships to sail through.  We visited the ruins in this area, which are a mix of a 6th centre BC Greek city and a 44 BC Roman city.  The latter was built after Julius Caesar placed a colony on the desolate site.  Here we visited a museum with a lot of sculptures and pottery found in the ruins.  Our guide pressed us to continue to beat the rain, directly to Mycenae, where the vestiges of a kingdom, were for 400 years the most powerful in Greece.  The Lion Gate is still intact, and the arch is a triangle, with the lions missing their heads only which may have been made of gold.  

Just inside the gate are the remains of a circular stone grave site where the kings were buried, first discovered by Schliemann.  We walked to the top of the hill where the Citadel was located and you could see why this site had been chosen, as there was a perfect view of the entire countryside out to the sea, with the valley below.  We drove a short distance to the perfectly preserved Beehive Tomb, known sometimes as the Tomb o f Agamemnon, the Greek Commander -in-Chief during the Trojan War.  This amazing structure is still a mystery as it is not known if they stored bodies or gold here, but in spite of the fact that there have been many earthquakes, there is not a stone out of place.  

It was now raining, and we were glad to have seen the sights, because what lay ahead was an absolutely delicious Greek lunch at a modern, marble hall in the village.  We had pictures of wine, bread, moussaka, fresh greek salad, lamb and potatoes.  The local fruit which was every where evident are oranges were served as dessert and they were the sweetest oranges we have ever had.  

An hour and a half ride back, provided an opportunity for a nap on the bus.  Karen and Jonathan joined us for this tour as well.   We made it back in time to have a shower and get changed for a celebratory dinner with 10 other friends for our anniversary.  I can honestly say, that while this dinner was pricey, the location and the meal were superb, as the roof top dining room in the Elektra Hotel had floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the Acropolis.  The entire hilltop and the buildings were lit up for our viewing pleasure.  Present were Paulette and Daryl, Karen and Jonathan, Jim and Carol, Lynn and Erika and Mal and Maxine.  Jim had arranged a small bus for us which made the 30 minute each way trip easy.  It was a smashing way to celebrate, and reminds us that you never know where life will take you - to think we could be in this setting, with 10 new friends, whose company we thoroughly enjoy, on a special evening!  Lucky us.