Apart from all the famous islands: Lefkas, Kos, Crete, Rhodes, Santorini,… Greece has a lot more to offer. There are great beaches, the coastline is over 13.000km long, the sea is crystal clear, the people are friendly, the history is rich, the mountains are tall, and so on, and so on. The Hellenic republic known as Greece is on the southern-most point of the Balkans, bordering to Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey, with three seas – Eagan, Mediterranean and Ionian. Many also call the land the cradle of western civilization, for it has a long and rich history. The influence of its history is felt on all continents around the globe. The works of Greek philosophers set the standards for philosophy, medicine, astronomy and mathematics.
Travelling Greece, along with my grandmother, was a self-organized voyage. For many we’re strange travelling buddies, but we’ve travelled many destinations and have a lot of experience. The only thing we did ahead was to get the plane tickets and book a car rental that waited for us at the airport. The rest of the trip we were planning along the way, which is the part of our challenge. Neither one of us cares, where we’ll sleep next night.
The history
Greek history and cultural heritage are felt throughout the literature, arts, philosophy, politics, and much more. The former city states were the first democracies. Greek history stretches over many centuries of various ages – from the Mycenaean, Classical, Hellenistic and so forth. The first peoples who settled the area are supposed to arrive some 4 thousand years ago. Many people moved into the territory, among them also the Dorians, who destroyed the Mycenaean culture, to create their own. The history of Greece was created over the centuries and has also drawn from other cultures of the Asia and the Mediterranean coast. At the time that they flourished the Greek influence stretched far west. Many dialects came to be, many political organization, religious rituals, etc. The biggest testament to their heritage are today the archaeological finds, which people from all around the globe come to see.
The highest peak
Mount Olympus is known as the home of the Greek gods. From the coastal town of Litohoro there’s an 18 kilometre long road taking you to the mountain range from where you can reach the highest peak of Greece. The walking path is nicely marked and will take you to the lodge – this part is not really difficult. The lodge is at the elevation of 2100 meters and the tallest peak raises at the height of 2917m. To reach the top, from the lodge, is a bit more difficult and you will need some preparation, but it’s not really hard if the weather is nice and dry. There are just a few easier climbs along the way and many people who want to reach the top spend a night at the lodge. If the weather allows for it, the top offers a magnificent view. Granny and I wanted to go to the top, but due to bad weather, she decided to stay at the lodge. It was 3 hours’ walk to get to there alone. I went on, in a slow jog and returned to the lodge in a bit over two hours. Despite discouraging instructions of the lodge caretaker, warning me how dangerous it is to go to the top on bad weather, I went on. It’s actually much easier than most of our mountains back home. But on top, I admit, fog and even snow awaited me. I mean, it was snowing! But the trail is well marked, so there was no problem.
Troy, Mycenae, Olympus, Epidaurus, Delphi…
Today so praised Troy, probably due to many movies, was the third bronze age cultural centre. People settled it over 5000 years ago. It’s strategic location helped make the city rich for they’ve controlled the trade route between Europe and Asia. The entire town was surrounded by tall defensive wall, still the enemies conquered them through cunningness – by the giant wooden Trojan horse.
The state of Mycenae was the most important state of the Peloponnese peninsula. It gave its name to the entire era, stretching for three centuries from 3500 to 3200 years in the past, before the Dorian tribes destroyed the city and its culture.
The city of Olympia was the place that hosted first Olympic games, which is also the thing that the town is known for today. The town was destroyed 550 BCE by an earthquake. It was here, that 291 Olympic Games of the ancient times took place from 776 BCE forth. They were all in honour of Zeus and for the glory of the winners. You can still see the remains of the temples of Hera and Zeus around the stadium.
Epidaurus is a famous ancient Greek theatre, with massive 14.000 seats and is still used to host the traditional Greek theatre festival. In its surroundings you will also find the remains of the temple of Asclepius, the god of healing, and many other ruins. History also tells us, this used to be a very successful spa.
The Greeks believed Delphi to be the center of the world. The archaeological site is still one of the most visited places in the land today. The winey road takes us from the town to the temple of Apollo, the theatre and all the way at the top also the stadium. It offers a great view of the Olive tree covered valley and if the weather allows it, you can also see the sea.
We’ve experienced our only problem, while visiting the first destination – Olympia – as it was closed. We got there at the time of protests, so all the attractions were closed that day. They places the sign at the gate saying it was closed due to protests. As it was just a few days before our return flight, we started calling the airport, where we learned all the flights were cancelled. We were actually in luck, as the normal flights resumed on the day when we were scheduled to return home.
Meteora
One of the most special places in Greece has got to be Meteora. It’s a monastery, made in the rock wall, at a very hard to reach remote place, that still have some people wondering, how they’ve built it back in the 14th century. They are guessing scaffolding was placed on the first support of ropes, which were raised to the rocky mountains by the use of kites. There are 13 monasteries all together, with only 6 being open to public. In some monks and nunes still live today. To visit the monastery, you must be dressed properly and at the entrance you will get a large towel to wrap around your waste and shoulders if they were exposed before. More than the monasteries I was fascinated by the sporting activities in the rocks, as there’s many climbing routes (from easy to extreme) set up.
Athens
Today Athens are the capital of Greece, as well as the financial, industrial, political and cultural centre. The greatest attraction is definitely the Acropolis, the temple to the goddess of Athens – Athena! After all, that’s how the place got its name. The main industry is agriculture: producing olives, wine, tobacco, almonds etc. Compared to other European states the industrial production is rather low. The most important industries are shipping and tourism.
The history of Athens begins in the Ancient Greece, when they became the largest and most influential city state. They were convinced of the power of the gods and the the city state had its shares of ups and downs. Several centuries later, Athens were named the national capital.
Apart from the historical attractions that Athens have in abundance, the Greek guard is also very interesting. The guards – called Evzones – guard the parliament and the tomb of the unknown soldier, as well as the presidential palace. The most remarkable is the way they guard. The strange way of walking, the uniform with special shoes, and the puff ball on the toes. At the changing of the guard, there are even security people protecting the guards, navigating tourists where to stand, so the changing can be done properly.
The Corinth Canal
Today the canal between mainland and the south of the peninsula is a true attraction. It was built between 1881 and 1893 and is 6,3km long, 24,6m wide and 8m deep. The idea of building a canal is as old as ancient Greece. It allows smaller ships to shorten the route for 400km, if they’d have to go around the Peloponnese. Annually around 11.000 ships pass through it. If you’re in luck, you can see the ships pass through, but the bridge above the canal also allows for bungee jumping.
Greece with its attractions, culture and history as well as nature, makes a big impression of visitors. Not only does it offer paradise beaches that attract most people, is also shows the rich history, mountains, landscape and much more.
