Day Ten: Ancient Corinth, Mycenae and the Theatre at Epidaurus

Our day started a bit later that usual today and everyone was happy for the extra sleep.  We had a great breakfast which included fresh croissants, scrambled eggs, juice and yogurt.  We were the only EF group staying in the hotel so it wasn't as busy as some of our previous hotels.

We boarded the bus for our drive  to Corinth where we would meet our tour guide for the day, Theo.  Corinth is about 80 km southwest of Athens.  As we drove through the busy morning traffic, Carol explained the method  the city of Athens has devised to reduce the amount of car traffic in the city centre each day.  License plates on cars have either an odd or even number.  If you have an even number you are only allowed to enter the city centre with your car on even days and the same with the odd numbers.  There is a hefty fine for people who do not follow the rules.

Corinth is located on the Peloponnese Peninsula. Our first stop was at the Corinth Canal, built in 1893.  We walked out onto the bridge to take photos of the canal that moves shipping traffic between the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean  Sea. The canal is 6.4 km long and 21.3 meters wide at the base. It cuts through the Isthmus of Corinth.  It is very expensive to pass through the canal and also too narrow for many modern ships so it is mainly used for tourist traffic these days.

Corinth Canal

Then we drove to Ancient Corinth which is located on the Isthmus of Corinth that connects the Peloponnese with mainland Greece.  Ancient Corinth was one of the largest and most important cities of Greece.  Our first stop was the Museum.  We saw many Roman statues,   a beautiful frieze, various vases and containers that were found during the excavations as well as beautiful mosaics.  

Headless Roman Statues

Lots of photos taken

Frieze of  the labours of Hercules

Roman or Greek Mosaic 

The finest Marble

Various vases and containers discovered in the ruins

Theo took us on a walk to the Roman Agora, an enormous marketplace. He pointed out the remains of the basilica and the fountain.  Theo told us what life might have been like in Ancient Corinth.  From there we went to the Temple of Apollo for more photos. 

Temple of Apollo with wild poppies 

Temple of Apollo

 Spartans in Greece

Posing in front of the Temple of Apollo

 There was also the remains of two theatres, a Roman odieon and a Greek theatre used by the Romans for gladiator battles.  And high up on the hill was the Acrocorinth, a medieval fortress.

Acorinth at the top of the hill

Our next stop was Mycenae, about 50 km south of Corinth. As we drove we saw fields of olive trees, grapes and citrus fruits.

Grape vines

In the second century BC Mycenae was one of the major centres of Greek civilization. The site  we visited was inhabited since the Neolithic times (4000 BC) but reached its peak during the late Bronze age. Mycenae was once home to Agamemnon (the leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War)  and  this was home to the Mycenaean Period where its leaders dominated Greece and other islands in the Aegean.

Grave circles at Mycenae

We visited the Tomb of Agamemnon, which is a beehive shape, walked through the Lions Gate and climbed to the top of the acropolis.  We also saw the grave circles as we looked down from the acropolis. 

Tomb of Agamemnon

Roof of the beehive tomb

Inside the tomb

Lions Gate

It was time for lunch and we went to a wonderful Greek restaurant.  Carol and Theo helped us choose from traditional Greek dishes and  many of us sampled the delicious desserts.  After lunch we were ready for a short "nanny" while we drove to the next site.

Lunch time!!

Waiting for lunch

We stopped off at a Ceramic and Gift Shop.  We watch a demonstration of a vase being made on a potter's wheel and then we had some time to shop.  Three of our group won door prizes given by the gift shop.  What a great souvenir from Greece!!

Watching the potter

Starting the vase

How quickly he works

Our final stop for the day was Epidourus.  It is believed to be where Apollo's son, Asclepeios the healer was born. The asclepieion was the most famous healing centre of the Classical world, a place where people who were ill went in the hopes of being cured.  

Theo and our group

A huge theatre was constructed in the 4th century BC.  The theatre originally had 34 rows of seats and the Romans added an additional 21 rows in later years allowing 15,000 people to enjoy dramatic performances.  The acoustics  are what make it such a marvellous theatre.   I spoke in a normal voice and  Richard could hear me while standing in the top row.  A gentle hand clap could be heard throughout the theatre.

The theatre at Epidourus

We headed back to Athens but stopped at a grocery store along the way to buy some snacks for our overnight ferry ride the next day.  it was very interesting to shop for fruits, nuts and other snacks along with the locals.

The grocery store

Michaella bought a few snacks!!

We arrived back at our hotel and had a delicious dinner.  Some of our group went for a quick swim, others went for a walk and a few enjoyed the warm temperatures and sat outside in the garden.