Best of Greece and 7 Day Aegean Cruise
Day Four – 14 Sept 2009
Weather: Merciful cloud and 27º
I was up by seven and used up the last six minutes of my internet time to check my email. Luggage was out by eight. Breakfast was the usual fare with some items that were not labeled so that we had to guess. I stuck with the usual eggs, croissants and tea. With time to spare I went for a walk around the hotel. The grounds were beautiful, full of palm trees and extremely well cared for.
We departed at 8:30 for the short drive to the Mycenae. One woman forgot her jacket so we were delayed about twenty minutes returning to the hotel to pick it up.
The ruins at Mycenae were like a mini-acropolis. The walk up was on a stone ramp that was very easy to climb. There were few trees, so I imagine on a sunny day, the climb would be much harder than it was for us as the clouds were pretty heavy.
We stopped first to hear about the ruins near the Lion’s Gate which was the entrance that was simply sculpted with two lions. They were missing their heads now which makes them believe the heads were constructed of a different material.
Joanna took us inside and described a tomb discovered with men, woman and children – all of whom had masks made of gold placed on their faces.
At the top of the ruins, Joanna showed us the ruins of Agamemnon’s palace, which was simply a flat area surrounded by short walls.
We were given some time to walk around to the far side of the ruins and back down to the parking lot. We had time to visit the museum but it was closed for its Monday morning cleaning.
From there we departed for the Beehive Tomb that was located very close to Mycenae. The walk to the tomb was very easy. The tomb itself was built from the ground up somewhat like an igloo.
As each level of the tomb was laid, earth was dumped on the outside and then the next level laid until it was enclosed on top. A triangular opening remained above the opening to allow the soul to escape. Joanna said there were several tombs like this throughout Greece but that this one was unusual because it had a side chamber. The roof inside was impressive.
After the visit to the tomb, we made the short drive to a pottery shop where we were treated to a short demonstration on pottery making and a quick lesson on how to tell the real pottery from the fake and the difference between replicas and original pieces.
We were given some time to shop in the large store. One of the most popular items bought was the “naughty” coasters. They would be easier to pack than some of the larger items.
Another short drive brought us to a restaurant for lunch. I had my usual skewered chicken while others had stuffed tomatoes. We were ready to leave by 1:30 for the three hour journey to Olympia. We had to descend down a series of switchbacks. All along the roads (all over Greece) there were little monuments on the side of the road to indicate where someone has died. The little church like structures contained candles and flowers and were maintained by the families. Virtually every sharp turn on the switchbacks had monuments.
Ouzo and switchbacks don’t mix.
We stopped at a very sleepy town for our WC break. Nothing was open (siesta time) and we opted to walk around the empty square to stretch our legs. Another two hours and another switchback brought us down to the Ionian sea. We turned off the main road and drove for almost a half hour through back roads that seemed to lead to nowhere until we reached the tiny town of Olympia by 5:30. It was small and very tidy.
The Olympia hotel was located right nest to the ruins and on the other side was a long street of shops. The hotel gave us a welcome drink (OJ and Ouzo) with some appetizers. I tried the Ouzo to just say I did and quite liked it. It smelled and tasted like licorice. Being a non-drinker, I took me a while to work off the buzz.
With only an hour and a half to dinner, I opted to take my luggage up to my room myself so that some of us could go shopping before dinner.
I dropped it in my room and we went out immediately to explore the shops.
Dinner was a buffet style with a fair selection of salad, pasta and meat as well as a very nice vegetable soup. The water pitcher was dirty, so no one drank the water. I ordered a Sprite and it tasted…no word of a lie…like urine (or what my vivid imagination imaged it tasted like). Dessert was a dry coconut cake. It was an average meal. Not one to write home about.
I went back out on the shopping strip after dinner. It was dark but the street was well lit and inviting. Lightning could be seen in the distance. I picked up a pair of leather sandals for the cruise for 20 Euro and returned to the hotel by nine.
I returned to my room to check it all out. It contained a TV, safe, shampoo and stuff, balcony and AC. There was no robe, kettle or iron. (I’m beginning to see a pattern here). It was not exactly the Prague Hilton, but comfortable enough. The bathroom was kind of cute. The bathtub was about half the size of a regular tub and quite high. Only really good for a shower. Internet was free for wireless computers. An internet cafe was also located nearby.
Tomorrow we will explore the ruins of Olympia and Joanna had warned us that it would three hours of walking, so some people were opting to stay in the town until we were done.
I went to sleep with a raging thunderstorm outside.
Go to Day Five
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