Greece

  • Greece

    Mount Olympus

    July 7, 2016 - By 

    Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that Mt. Olympus was a mountain of great mythological significance. Mythology claimed that 11 of the 12 major Greek gods lived within the mountain’s 8 peaks, with the peak of Stefani as Zeus’s throne and the peak of Mytikas (the highest peak of Olympus and all of Greece!) as the meeting point for the gods to determine the fate of the mortals they reined. At 2,917 meters in height, Mytikas’s peak once impressed the ancients and continues to impress trekkers and climbers today. To be honest, the mythology around Mt. Olympus is cool and all, but…

  • Greece

    Santorini

    July 5, 2016 - By 

    I told myself there was no way we’d be going to the Galapagos when we were in South America.  So of course we went to the Galapagos. I told myself there was no way we’d be going to any of the Greek Islands while we were in Greece.  Not with our motorhome. So of course we went the Greek Islands.  Actually, we only visited one island (all we had time and money for), but that island is the most stunning and probably everyone’s favorite: Santorini. Greece is beautifully kissed with thousands of islands: the Ionian Islands, the Aegean Islands, and the Cyclades.  With…

  • Greece

    Mycenae

    July 3, 2016 - By 

    Considered one of the greatest civilizations of Greek prehistory, Mycenae traces back to the Neolithic period, though the handful of ruins that remain today date from 1350-1200 B.C. when the site was at its most prominent. Grave circles containing rich gifts and offerings suggest the archeological site was once a land where aristocrats and rulers thrived, and discoveries from later funerary sites show that the Mycenaean heavily invested in trade with other Mediterranean civilizations. At the height of Mycenaean civilization, a palace, a fortification wall including the Lion Gate, grave circles, a giant treasury, and a notable well were erected,…

  • Greece

    Athens

    July 1, 2016 - By 

    Athens is massive, sprawling, and hot, hot, HOT in the summer!  In fact, it was too hot for us to stay in our motorhome.  Because the nearest campground to Athens was far from the city and came with a hefty price tag of €29/night without electricity, we instead chose to park the motorhome outside of Athens and stay at a low cost AirBnB apartment (with air conditioning!).  For €13/night we parked our motorhome near the Piraeus port at Piraeus Parkopolis, took the metro into Athens (€1.40 for a 90-minute journey, or €4.50 for a day pass), and stayed at an…

  • Greece

    Ancient Delphi

    June 29, 2016 - By 

    The Greeks once considered Delphi, which took on its religious significance around 800 B.C, to be the center of the world.  It held the seat of the Oracle, whose decisions and predictions for individuals as well as the state significantly impacted ancient classical Greece.  Ancient Delphi was dedicated to the deity Apollo, the Delphic games (forerunner to the modern day Olympic Games), and the Oracle.  Delphi fell into ruins after multiple raids, a destructive earthquake, and much later, the rise of Christianity. Decline in the population continued to fall, resulting in complete abandonment in the 6th or 7th centuries. To see Ancient Delphi meant laying…

  • Greece

    Meteora

    June 27, 2016 - By 

    Meteora is one of those places you’d never hear about until you come to Greece.  It’s quite strange that that’s the case, especially after you gaze across the valley of monastery-topped monoliths and become filled with the same spiritual, enigmatic feeling you sense upon taking in any other natural wonder of the world. There once were 20 monasteries dramatically perched atop the spectacular rock pinnacles, but now only 6 remain and are easily accessible with an entry fee of €3 per monastery. After having briefly glimpsed into one of the smaller monasteries, I realized that for us they would be more…