Alpen House Arachova

... It could seat 5,000 people. It was cool to see this theater and know that in a couple of days we were going to see the ultimate Greek theater (larger and best-preserved) in Epidavros.

Another ten minute walk up the mountain was the stadium. Every four years, athletes and spectators from across Greece gathered here to watch the Pythian Games. These games were founded around 582 B.C. and had the same kind of sports as the Olympics. The stadium is really well-preserved ...

... So that was perfect- we just ran over the railroad tracks and got on the right platform. When that train came, it was overbooked so we had to find spots to stand near the bathrooms, right where the rail cars connect. It was noisy and we kept having to move out of the way when people walked by us. And we weren’t the only ones standing there- so it was a bit crowded. We ended up having to stay on that train for about two hours before coming to a stop ...

... societies whose appellations are made up of three Greek letters – Phi Beta Kappa, for example.

Lunch at the Amalia Hotel in the new village of Delphi was tasty,and another good opportunity to begin some new friendships. With the political parades in Athens there were difficulties in getting all the tour group back to their hotels and we found ourselves dropped off at Syntagma Square after a circuitous ride through the city to drop off others. We ...

... the "Joanna's notes" version...

In 480 BC a Persian ruler named Xerxes was hell bent on conquering Greece as his father Darius I had attempted to invade and conquer Greece some years before but was shut out at the Battle of Marathon. Well Darius I died attempting to conquer Egypt so his son Xerxes decided he wanted to avenge his father and really come in and kick some Greek butt and amassed an army (and navy) believed to be in the ...

... a plateia made of rocks between Delphi's two main streets. We couldn't see the actual sunset from there but we did watch the light change as day went to dusk. Then we went home to catch up on blogs. I'm still behind and falling further behind each day with the blogging. But as we are sticking to our itinerary and our set pace, so I can't complain. It's so amazing here!!! But I still need more sleep!

... overlooks a deep valley that stretches to the sea. A very mystical view. This location was where they kept all the different greek regions money. There were a bunch of old foundations and ancient structures that were banks for the greeks. We wandered through out the hill side exploring the ruins. You can hike all the way up to the top and get an even more amazing view as well as see the circus maximus. This circus maximus was about half the ...

... of the Universe to be better shaped than this though...














More columns, ruined columns... a lot more to come in our visit in Athens!











This is the best dessert we've taken in Greece! BEST!!! Too bad we ...

... sure how to get where I was going. After the usual turn-a-rounds: wrong way on metro, wrong side of the street and riding the bus without a ticket, I made it to bus terminal B in Athens. In three hours I would be in what the ancient gods referred to as the center of the world. Mythology tells the story of Zeus releasing two eagles on opposites ends of the world and they met in Delphi, 178km north of Athens. It would be beautiful mountain scenery all the way ...

... world. There was a great museum there with 7th century bronzes which were very interesting. St. Andrews cathedral was the first Greek Orthodox church I had been in and was impressed with the frescos, mosaic tiles and the atmosphere. Lunch at Patras and had souvalaki, then on to Delphi.

Oracle of Delphi. Our tour bus leave Athens and makes its way north along an expresway, past a casion and a toll both where vendors were selling fresh bagels. Delph is high in the hills about 2 hours drive north and is full of ancient history. The ruins are layed out much as it was over 2000 years ago. Out guide fills in the story of the Oracle and invites the energetic ones to view the stadim located farther up the mountain ...