St. Dennis Adventures

  What trip to Greece would be complete without a visit to Olympia – the site of the Olympic Games? The date the ancient Olympics began is 776 B.C., and even way back then they were celebrated every four years by the Greeks. Popular myth identifies Heracles and his father Zeus as starting the Olympic Games. Not surprisingly, this ancient archaeological site is recognized as a UNESCO world heritage site, and it is here that the ceremonial lighting of the flame for modern Olympic Games is held. There was lots of ground to cover in Olympia! Excavations have determined where different sporting events such as discus, wrestling and a foot race took place.  Excavation have uncovered the stadium where the foot races were held. Like other visitors, we lined up at the starting blocks and raced the length of the stadium. Here we are at the entrance to the stadium just before we began our foot race where Austin won 1 st place!    Before leaving Olympia we visited it...

Before wrapping our trip to Greece we visited the picturesque city of Nauplia.  Considered a UNESCO World Heritage site, it was certainly worth a stop.   Nauplia is said to be the birthplace of Apollo’s son Asklepios (the healer). Looking over Nauplia looms the military fortress of Palamides. Built in the 18th century, t he fortress was an  ambitious project that was completed within three years. The fortress provides an impressive view over the city and the surrounding countryside. The sprawling fortress includes eight bastions, each one designed to be self contained.  That way, if one bastion was breached the others could be defended separately.  We were a little surprised at how few guard rails were in place at the fortress … especially in areas with considerable heights. To reach the top of the fortress there are over one thousand stairs that prisoners were responsible for building. If you look, you can see Austin in his red shirt wav...

  Familiar with the history of King Agamemnon, Austin enjoyed visiting the tomb of Agamemnon and the ruins of the palace. Unfortunately, over the years, the tomb has been raided and there were few treasures left to recover.   Agamemnon’s  Mycenaean fortress includes an entry ramp that is a long, steep climb to the infamous lion’s gate entry.  It is said that the gate was intentionally built to be steep so that it would be easier to defend the palace from marauders! Mycenae was considered to be a major centre of Greek civilization from 1600 B.C. to 1100 B.C.   Agamemnon was the commander in the Trojan War to return Helen back to Greece.  Agamemnon prepared a fleet of ships to carry the Greeks to Troy, however the winds were not favourable and he was unable to sail. As Greek mythology unfolds, we learn Agamemnon was ultimately successful in the Trojan war, and Helen was returned to Greece.  The end of the story isn’t that kind for King Agamem...

  Meteora translates to “suspended in air”. These cliff top monasteries are p erched on towers of sandstone and for centuries they were only accessible by ropes and ladders by the monks that retreated here.   Woman are given a skirt to wear during their visit  to this UNESCO world heritage site … very fashionable! The earliest monastery dates back to the 14 th century. It is said that monks heard of miracles taking place in the “land of the great rock forest”. A t one time there were 24 different monasteries constructed – today only six monasteries remain in operation. Here you can see one of the monasteries perched on a distant hilltop – how did they do that??  

  In 480 B.C. , the Battle of Thermopyles was fought. This was the second Persian invasion, after their loss in Marathon. A Greek force of 7,000 men were at a disadvantage from the start battling against a Persian army said to number over 100,000. Although outnumbered, the Greeks held off the Persians until a local resident betrayed the Greek army by revealing a path that led behind the Greek lines. This battle is recognized as one of history's famous last stands. During the few days of battle King Leonidas of Sparta was aware his force was outflanked, yet they held their ground against overwhelming odds. Both ancient and modern writers have used the Battle of Thermopylae as an example of the power of a patriotic army defending their land. The Battle of Thermopyles is the basis of many movies, including 300 Spartans and, more recently, 300. Declining in numbers, and losing ground on several different fronts, the Persians ask King Leonidas and his army to give up their arms...

  Epidaurus has a theatre which is considered one of the best  preserved classical Greek buildings, dating back to 4th century B.C.    When you stand in the centre of the stage, you can be heard in any one of the approximately 14,000 seats. We took turns on  center stage, speaking in our regular tone of voice, and heard for ourselves the popular acoustics of the theatre. It is mind boggling how a theatre constructed hundreds of years ago would be engineered to allow voices to project so easily. Made of stone, the theatre remains in use today for concerts and summer festivals. It would have been fun if an event would have been on during our visit!   We also visited the museum – here’s a picture of some of the earliest known medical instruments.  These instruments look pretty archaic and I’m grateful for the advancements made in modern medicine!    During our visit, we also found these purple coloured  dandel...

Delphi is nestled in the mountains and is said to be “the center of the universe”. The explanation for this reference is that Zeus is said to have released two eagles from opposite ends of the earth and that they met in the sky above Delphi. Blessed by the sun god Apollo (who promised to provide counsel to all who needed it), Delphi was considered the holiest site in the world for ancient Greeks.  The ruins at Delphi included a reasonably well intact theatre. We visited its museum of treasures which chronicled Delphi’s history from the 15 th century B.C. The museum included a victorious Charioteer, complete with its championship headband. An English  speaking tour guide explained that “the Charioteer looks relaxed - that you don’t get a sense of any tension” which makes sense since it’s assumed he’d won!   The Temple of Apollo at Delphi dates back to the 4 th century B.C., was damaged by an earthquake and rebuilt to its original scale. Because it was made ...

  This museum has a large collection of ancient Greek antiquities. The brochure notes one of the must see exhibits is the treasure from the royal tombs at Mycenae. It is uncertain whether this “mask of Agamemnon”, is the actual death mask of King Agamemnon.  It is believed to be dated from the 16th century B.C. Not surprisingly, the collection is made up of findings from excavations, chance finds as well as donations. The Museum’s bronze collection is one of the largest in the world and is famous for its large scale original statues, including one that belongs to either Zeus (carried a lighting bolt) or Poseidon (carried a trident). It is believed this statue is of Zeus, however, they aren’t sure because its remains did not include what it was carrying!   One of my favourite pieces in the Museum’s collection is called “Marathon Boy”. This imposing bronze piece of a young jockey on a full size horse dates back to 140 B.C. Unlike many of the pieces in the collect...

  Although there were several attempts over the years to finish the Temple of Zeus (the father of the Gods), it was not completed until l 132 A.D. during Emperor Hadrian’s reign. During the Roman period, this was the largest temple in Greece –even exceeding the Parthenon in size. In its day, the temple included over 100 columns and stood over 50 feet high. Fifteen columns remain standing today. One of its columns was toppled by an earthquake and its pieces have been left undisturbed, neatly in alignment.  To celebrate the completion of the temple of Zeus, and to recognize the many public works of Emperor Hadrian, the Athenians built an arched  gateway. This imposing structure, built in 132 A.D. is made of marble and is said to have marked the boundary between the new and ancient city of Athens.   While in the area, we drove past the site of the Olympic Stadium which was one of the venues for the modern games, which were resurrected in 1896.  This stad...