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3 days -
Argolis - Sparta - Mistras - Ancient Olympia
Day One |
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Our 3-day adventure begins with a travel along the Saronic Gulf's costal road to
the Corinth Canal. The Corinth Canal is the meeting point of the Aegean Sea with the Ionian
Sea and took hundreds of years to become a reality. If you want,
and dare, you can try bungee jumping off the canal wall. Corinth was a cultural
center in ancient times and you will visit the ruins from Ancient Corinth
where St. Paul spoke to the Corinthians.
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After
Corinth, we drive to Mycenae, the center of the great Mycenaean
civilization. There you will see the Lion's Gate, the Cyclopean Walls, the
Royal Tombs and the Museum. The tomb of the Mycenae's King Agamemnon is
placed here, you can go inside and feel the glory of the king, that is maintained until
today, some thousands of years after his death.
Our next stop is Ancient Epidavros and its spectacular theater. Here is
the home of ancient Greek theater and the place where
famous Greek tragedy plays of Sophocles and Aristophanes were performed
for the first time. The theater of Epidavros is also known for its perfect
acoustics. Even in the modern days plays are performed in this
theater during the Annual Epidavros Festival, a very glamorous
annual event.
Our day ends in Nafplio, the first capital of Greece.
A charming city with magnificent landscapes and the famous Acronafplia,
the acropolis of Nafplio. In this beautiful city we are going to have
dinner and stay the night to rest. |
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Day Two |
The second day begins with
Sparta where you will
see the huge statue of Leonidas made popular by the movie "300".
Also see
the remains of the palace and the theater there.
Next we will
drive to an old fortress above the Plain of Sparta.
The castle there is called Mistra and was transformed into a Byzantine
city with mansions, churches and monasteries that still stand today.
It was built back in 1249 by the Franks who were trying to establish
their rule over the region of the Peloponnese, and the city
flourished during the 15th century. Mistras was the Byzantine capital of
the Peloponnese for two centuries. Here we can find the Pantanassa
Monastery. The churches in the city are filled with beautiful icons
and ancient frescoes painted on the walls. The summit of Mistras
stands 621 meters (2,070 ft.) above sea level. If you want to
explore Byzantine Greece, you must visit Mistras! After
exploring Mistras, we end our day in Olympia to spend the night. |
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Day Three |
Our last day starts with Ancient Olympia, which gained its fame as a sanctuary
of Zeus and Hera, but the site also contains a wealth of other small shrines,
gymnasiums and sculptors' workshops. According to tradition, here is where
the Olympic games were founded in 776 B.C.. It is from here that the Olympic
torch is still carried to whatever corner of the world the modern Olympiads
are held in. In the museum see exhibits of unique sculptural masterpieces,
such as Praxiteles' Hermes, Paeoneus' Victory, Apollo and many other art
treasures. After a day with ancient cultural and athletic memories we
are are free to return to Athens, arriving in the evening. |
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