The Mediterranean Adventure: Part II (Greece)

Acropolis

...So continuing where I left off, from Istanbul, we proceeded to Greece (the cradle of civilization as some people prefer to call it). We landed at Athens (the traffic is as bad as it is in India) and checked into our hotel to get some much needed rest.

Athens from the Acropolis

The next day we began our tour of Athens by first visiting the Acropolis which looked as splendid as always (in spite of large-scale renovations going on) and the view of the city from atop the hill is one to behold. We then visited the stadium that hosted the first modern Olympic games in 1896 followed by a few scattered remnants of Greek temples that dot the cityscape.

Corinth Canal

1896 Olympic Stadium

That night we visited the neighboring port of Piraeus where we enjoyed an authentic Greek dinner full of moussaka, gyro meat and the Greek version of pita bread along with some ouzo (Greek home-made liqueur).
We then continued our journey to a seaside temple of Poseidon  located a couple of hours away from Athens after which we proceeded on our trip to Sparta. Our first stop in Sparta was the Corinth Canal, one of the world's thinnest canals, that separates the island of Sparta from the rest of Greece. We then visited Olympia where we saw the ruins of a temple complex dedicated to Zeus, and the site where the ancient Olympic games were held. The Olympic torch of the modern Olympics are lit at this site before being transported across the globe to host cities.

Amphitheatre at Delphi

Temple of Apollo at Delphi

We then proceeded to town of Delphi, also known as the 'Navel of the World'. Delphi holds the ruins of the temple of Apollo and was the seat of the oracle in ancient Greek times when young women were recruited as oracles, who would then communicated the future of the world, as ordained by the Gods, to men. The amphitheatre at Delphi, was one of the largest open air theatres of the ancient era, and still possesses a captivating charm nestled on the slope of a picturesque hill.

Hydra

From Delphi, we proceeded to the town of  Meteora in central Greece. The complex of rock cut Eastern Orthodox monasteries that stand on the cliffs of Meteora are the second most important complex of this type in the world after Mount Athos.
We then drove back down to Athens and boarded a cruise to visit a few Mediterranean islands including the famous islands of Hydra and Poros. The view of white houses, white blue roofs nestled around a cove with a jetty is truly a memorable vision to take away from this trip!