Greece, Ancient Greece, the Aegean Sea... (Part 1)

Greece, one of the world's ancient civilizations, a country rich in history, legends, and scenic beauty.

Ancient Greek mythology, the ancient Olympic Games, the Acropolis of Athens, the Aegean Sea, Santorini... these may all be seeds planted in people's hearts. In the summer of 2019, I finally had the opportunity to visit Greece.

Day 1: Chengdu - Amsterdam - Athens

Day 2: Delphi Ruins, Kalambaka

On the way, we passed through the town of Arachova. The weather was bad, so the pictures weren't beautiful; we traveled through the town by bus.

The Delphi Ruins are a religious site from the Classical period of Greece, serving as the religious center and symbol of unity for ancient Greece. Construction began in the 7th century BC, and it was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987. The ancient Greeks believed this was the center of the earth, the 'navel of the world.'

The so-called 'Omphalos' stone, the treasure of the museum, is shown below ↓

A replica of the Omphalos stone placed outdoors ↓ (The two Omphalos stones are often commented on as the real one looking fake, and the fake one looking real)

The itinerary for the second day was the Meteora Monasteries, and we stayed that night in the nearby town of Kalambaka. A peaceful and comfortable European town, surrounded by karst landscapes, which is perhaps why the monasteries in the sky can stand atop the 'pillars of the sky.' Our hotel was at the edge of the town; after dinner, we went for a walk. We strolled along the main street of Kalambaka, where there were hotels, restaurants, and various beautifully decorated small shops selling souvenirs and various small items.

Day 3: Meteora Monasteries

The Meteora Monasteries are perched atop the summits of huge rock formations. On these nearly inaccessible peaks, since the 11th century, monks have practiced asceticism on these precipitous, sky-piercing pillars. During the great revival of hermitism in the 15th century, hermits chose these 'pillars of the sky' and built twenty-four hermitages. These monasteries are also called 'monasteries in the sky.' In 1988, the Meteora Monasteries were inscribed on the World Heritage List based on cultural criteria. The monasteries retain their ancient characteristics, housing ancient icon frescoes, parchment manuscripts, and other ancient artifacts. We visited the largest monastery; the entrance from the mountainside already reduces the steepness, but building such a large structure on the rock is truly awe-inspiring! The monastery has a museum, a wine workshop, and an exquisite main hall (photography prohibited)... Although the wine workshop is now only for display, wine is sold in the monastery's souvenir shop. I bought a bottle of red wine, and it tasted good.

On the way from Meteora to Olympia, we passed the Thermopylae Pass and the Rio-Antirrio Bridge.

The Battle of Thermopylae, which took place at the pass, was a famous battle in the Greco-Persian Wars and an important battle in Western history, with great historical and military significance.

The Rio-Antirrio Bridge is a sea-crossing bridge spanning the Gulf of Corinth between Rio and Antirrio. It is one of Greece's proudest constructions. The bridge directly connects the Greek mainland with the Peloponnese, fulfilling a century-old dream of the Greek people.

The site of Olympia is located in the western Peloponnese of Greece. The night before visiting the site, we stayed at the Olympic Village Hotel (HOTEL OLYMPIC VILLAGE) in the town of Olympia. The pictures hanging in the hotel lobby gave us a strong sense of the Olympic spirit.

The site of Olympia is located in the western Peloponnese, about 190 km west of the capital Athens, at the foot of the wooded, grassy Kronos Hill. It was a sacred place in ancient Greece. From the 8th century BC to the end of the 4th century, it was famous for hosting the athletic festival in honor of the chief god Zeus, and it is the birthplace of the Olympic Games. The first excavation of the site began in 1829, and the earliest remains date from 2000–1600 BC. This site is not included in regular tour itineraries, so we saw few Chinese tourists. Many visitors were from cruise ship groups; we encountered a large number of tourists from a Costa cruise. The site is quite large, and although mostly ruins of broken bricks and columns, one can still feel the grandeur of its heyday. Today, the Olympic flame is lit here for every Olympic Games. Due to transportation difficulties, the flame is transported from here to the Athens Panathenaic Stadium to begin the torch relay ceremony (having been here, I watched the Olympic flame lighting ceremony carefully this year).

Tourists from all countries come to 'run' on the ancient stadium track, and we also joined in the fun.

The entrance fee to the site of Olympia is 12 euros, including the site and two museums.

The Archaeological Museum of Olympia is the larger of the two museums. Visitors usually visit this museum before exploring the site. It is the first provincial archaeological museum in Greece, built between 1883 and 1886. Before 1970, it mainly exhibited items excavated from Olympia. After restoration, it is used to preserve bronze artifacts and host an exhibition on the history of Olympia.

An excellent museum with a rich collection.

The Museum of the History of the Olympic Games is a smaller museum, adjacent to the site area, with fewer visitors. It is also very good.

The Corinth Canal is located on the Isthmus of Corinth in southern Greece. It is a canal that cuts across the Isthmus of Corinth, connecting the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf, thereby linking the Ionian Sea with the Aegean Sea. It separates the Peloponnese peninsula from the Greek mainland, effectively making the Peloponnese an island. The Corinth Canal is only 5.5 km long but reaches a depth of 79 meters, making it the deepest canal ever dug and one of the few canals excavated through hard rock.

The unique scenery of the canal attracts many tourists. We walked across the bridge over the canal twice. Previously, visitors hung many padlocks on the bridge's railings, but this was prohibited because it could damage the bridge, so instead, they tied white items resembling garbage bags. There is a bungee jumping platform under the bridge. Since the water surface is very deep, to take a photo of the water from the bridge, one needs to hold the camera high. We first boarded the bridge from the left side but didn't capture any passing boats; the last photo was taken by a group member who boarded from the right side.

This day's itinerary was added at our request, so the word 'customized' was added to the tour schedule. I truly feel that both the site and the canal are well worth visiting.

We returned to Athens that day and stayed at the Avra Hotel in the port of Rafina. The port scenery was beautiful.

I feel I've written quite a bit, so I'll take a break and continue later. The next part will cover the itineraries for Mykonos, Santorini, and Athens.