Sabbatical Day 12

July 01, 2004--Day 12
We’re off on our 4-day tour of Greece. Actually, we’re parked outside a hotel. We’re on bus #2 of the day. Mr. and Mrs. Steve Jones have the same Gate One itinerary as me—they were also on yesterday’s tour. The rest of the people on the bus are from different hotels, though they may be Gate One people too. The bus is nice, but apparently the water closet, or toilet, doesn’t work, which makes me a bit nervous.
We traveled through Athens leaving the busy city, heading to quieter country. Our first stop was the Corinth Canal, which connects the Aegean and Ionian Seas. We had a few minutes to shop as well, and the tour guide suggested we try the raisins, so I bought a €4 bag of raisins and a Coke Light. I didn’t buy any souvenirs. I am starting to see some interesting trends in souvenirs.

Next we drove to Ancient Corinth, which wasn’t on our schedule. We weren’t allowed to get out, but I could see the Acrocorinth and ancient agora, both of which were mentioned in the book I was reading last night—Paul, by Walt Wangerin.

The next stop was the citadel of Mycenae, where the so-called Mask of Agammemnon was found. The Mycenaen period/culture predated the Greek periods. We also saw the famous Lion Gate and the Treasury of Atreus. Then we stopped for lunch. I had fried cheese (I don’t remember the Greek name) and souvlaki (aka chicken shish kebab). Then we went to the Theater of Epidauros and the archaeological museum. The acoustics in the theater are so good that a person high up in the top row can allegedly hear a person on stage cough without amplification. The bugs were loud and the wind or breeze also hindered the effect somewhat, but it was still cool. We did see the museum there, but didn’t have much time to see the archaeological site.

We continued on to Nafplion, where we would be spending the night. It is a picturesque town and we were given some time to wander through the Epcot-like streets. I found an Olympics shot glass for cousin Kelly and a birthday present for my brother. Dinner was with the group at the hotel. I opted for spaghetti rather than stuffed tomato, pepper and zucchini. The main course was chicken and fries and baby carrots and Brussels sprouts. I went to bed by 9:30, my first day/night of normal sleep since I’d left New York.

In the Footsteps of St. Paul--17047 steps