Lido Hotel Melissi

... and descriptions of landmarks to find the ancient city and excavate it.

When you visit Mycenae now, what you see is some pretty well-preserved foundations of the city walls and rooms within the walls. We got to walk through the ancient city and go past regular homes, shops, and even the kings’ quarters. We saw the huge grave circles where most of the treasures were found (now mainly exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens ...

... walking along the harbor. The one big thing we did was climbing to the top of the hill, to the Palamidi Fortress. It’s actually a Venetian fortress, built in the early 18th century. It’s just how you would think an old fortress on a hill would look too. It’s all made of stone and winds around the top of the big hill. I counted how many stairs it was to the top: 890. It was actually a little less than we imagined it would ...

... the stairs and the doors wide open. By the time the enemy reaches the doors, they’ll just fall down in exhaustion. I was thinking how much doing errands would suck. ‘Honey, I need some eggs! Can you run out and get some?‘

Without knowing the full history of the place it was difficult to fully appreciate it. But it was wonderful to walk around and impressive to see, and a nice change to be able to climb down at the end.

... inland and take bizarre twists and turns trying to navigate a way through the mountains. It would have been tough cycling with no campgrounds and little or no villages to pass through either. Running out of time on the Visa, I started exploring other options.

The most obvious is boat. In summer, they skirt up and down the coast linking otherwise inaccessible villages and transporting people easily and quickly to the ...

... basin. We began our ascent to the Mycenaean acropolis, dominating the surrounding area and the Argive plain and passed underneath the two stony lions (lions' gate) which guard the once land rich in gold and mysteries. At first it seemed like a pile of rubble but the fabulous museum revealed the once metropolis of the worlds history. Located on a small minimal hill in the middle of the plain, surrounded ...

... really), quiet and relaxing and secure place to keep the boat. Many boats overwinter here. A 3 course meal in the Poseidon taverna won't turn your wallet upside down and cause your budget to sink without trace. It is all of €9.50 per person including half a litre of wine each. We sit there most evenings watching the sun go down over the mainland mountains and an old fisherman sat in a plastic chair at the end of the ferry jetty, oblivious to everything. Gina ...

... br>Yep! This is where you should stand and speak so that everyone in the the theater will hear you talk!











This is an olive tree! I've always thought it would be much ...

... stopping for afternoon coffee at the Oracle of Trophonius. Sunset brings us to our destination at Delphi. We will purify ourselves as did the ancient pilgrims at the Kastilian Springs and pay homage at the Temple of Athena Pronaia before entering the picturesque town nestled against the imposing slopes of Parnassus situated above the River Pleistos. We will stay overnight at the Hermes Hotel." We stopped for lunch at this little ...

... go down into the hole or get anywhere near it (the gas has stopped) but it was a BEAUTIFUL site nestled into mountains. Once the Romans took over, they added a theater and a stadium, and when we were at the stadium, we had to do something to commemorate the event. We didn't want to hold a foot race (been there, done that). Fortunately, Megan had a frisbee, so we had a recreational discus game. Gotta keep it fresh! I am a little nervous, because at the rate we are ...

... high on the slopes of Mount Parnassos, there's a stadium, used in the Pythian Games (like the Olympics, they were held every four years). M-P and I ran a victory lap around it; it's really in very good shape for something that old. The other tourists there followed our example and we had fun cheering them at the finish line. G had a little incident in our hotel bathroom yesterday -- I was taking a nap so I missed all the fun ...