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Showing posts from September, 2006

Greece Holiday 2006-Athens

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For summer holiday Redington, Vicki, and I went to Greece. Redington and I had a great interest in visiting because of our interest in Ancient Greece. Having read about the 300 Spartans, the Persian war, and the Peloponnesian war we wanted to visit Thermopolyae, Athens, Pireas, Salamis, and Delphi. We also managed to get a mix of beach time in for Vicki. We flew to Athens where we rented a car. Arriving late at night with a Hotel booked in central Athens looked like little trouble especially with Vicki along, the intrepid international traveler. Alas we learned the trouble with Greece is their alphabet is so different that every street name looks like some calculus or physics formula. Navigation was impossible especially on poorly lit streets and after a couple of hours of driving and asking questions we finally paid a taxi driver to follow him to our hotel. We arrived exhausted and hungry at about 1:00AM. Fortunately they were still serving food on the roof-top restaurant. There we at

Greece 2006: Delphi and Thermopylae

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This is a continuation of the trip Redington, Vicki, and I took to Greece this last summer. This series starts here . In our next section of the trip we travel through the mainland. We are heading toward Delphi the famous temple complex where the Oracle of Delphi resided. Travel on the mainland Mt Paranassus The valley below Delphi When we got to Delphi The sun was setting and we found a hotel and a place to eat. We walked down the road and could look up the valley as the sun set. A Shrine These shrines were everywhere. This one had some Metaxa as an offering. One of the preserved floors At Delphi you could see some of the well preserved floors. The Athenian Treasury This is the Athenian Treasury which was dedicated after the victory over Xerxes. It was filled with treasure as offerings. These carefully fitted stones are covered in Greek inscriptions Here is the Greek writing that covers the stone wall Vicki and I at the Temple of Apollo This is a theatre in good condition. This is a r

Greece 2006: Nafplia and Mycenae

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This is our visit to Nafplia after Thermopylae. Click the picture below to see more. Napflia While we stayed in Nafplia we visited Mycenae. Click the picture below to see more. Mycenae

Greece 2006: Island of Naxos

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This is a continuation of the trip Redington, Vicki, and I took to Greece this last summer. This series starts here . After Napflia we took a ferry to where we spent the last half of the vacation the island of Naxos. The ferry was very slow and took about 6 hours. We named the ship HMS Plonky which is a British derogatory term for someone who is slow moving. Naxos was a colony of Venice and later the Ottoman Empire. It was at one time considered a valuable Duchy. The architecture is a mix of Greek and Venetian. Click on the photo below to see more. Naxos

Greece 2006: Delos and Mykonos

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While on Naxos we took a day ferry trip to the islands of Delos and Mykonos. Delos was a sacred island in Ancient Greece as well as the center of the Athenian sponsored free trade Delian League. It operated in ancient Greece and into Roman times as a free trade port. Being the birthplace of Diana and Apollo nobody was allowed to be born or die there; with extra efforts taken to remove sick people or pregnant women fromthe island. Today it is an archaelogical park on which nobody is allowed to spend the night. After Delos we then spent the afternoon on the touristy Mykonos island. Delos and Mykonos Click on the photo below to see more photos from Delos and Mykonos. Delos-Myko nos